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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
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☒ |
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended March 31,
2023
OR
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☐ |
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from _______ to _______
Commission File Number: 001-38853
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
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Delaware |
26-1679911 |
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.) |
333 Oyster Point Boulevard
South San Francisco, CA 94080
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(Address of principal executive offices including zip
code) |
(650) 243-5555
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Title of Each Class |
Trading
Symbol |
Name of Each Exchange on which Registered |
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share |
NGM |
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
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 ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted
electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted
pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter)
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large
accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer,
smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the
definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,”
“smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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Large Accelerated Filer |
☒ |
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Accelerated filer |
☐ |
Non-accelerated filer |
☐ |
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Smaller reporting company |
☐ |
Emerging growth company |
☐ |
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the
registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period
for complying with any new or revised financial accounting
standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company
(as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
☐
No ☒
As of May 1, 2023, the registrant had 82,358,909 shares of
common stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding.
Table of Contents
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Page |
PART I. |
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Item 1. |
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Item 2. |
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Item 3. |
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Item 4. |
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PART II. |
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Item 1. |
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Item 1A. |
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Item 2. |
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Item 3. |
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Item 4. |
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Item 5. |
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Item 6. |
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PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
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March 31,
2023 |
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December 31,
2022* |
Assets |
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Current assets: |
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Cash and cash equivalents |
$ |
67,549 |
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$ |
73,456 |
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Short-term marketable securities |
163,455 |
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198,036 |
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Related party receivable from collaboration |
1,257 |
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7,580 |
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Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
8,769 |
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9,787 |
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Restricted cash |
1,499 |
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— |
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Total current assets |
242,529 |
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288,859 |
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Property and equipment, net |
7,966 |
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8,496 |
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Operating lease right-of-use asset |
1,586 |
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2,096 |
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Restricted cash |
2,455 |
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3,954 |
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Other non-current assets |
4,301 |
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3,997 |
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Total assets |
$ |
258,837 |
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$ |
307,402 |
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Liabilities and stockholders' equity |
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Current liabilities: |
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Accounts payable |
$ |
13,293 |
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$ |
8,453 |
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Accrued liabilities |
20,161 |
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33,638 |
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Operating lease liability, current |
4,073 |
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5,385 |
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Contract liabilities |
376 |
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366 |
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Total current liabilities |
37,903 |
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47,842 |
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Total liabilities |
37,903 |
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47,842 |
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Commitments and contingencies (Note 6) |
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Stockholders' equity: |
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Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000 shares authorized; no
shares issued or outstanding as of March 31, 2023 and
December 31, 2022, respectively
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— |
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Common stock, $0.001 par value; 400,000 shares authorized; 82,056
and 81,885 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2023
and December 31, 2022, respectively
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82 |
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82 |
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Additional paid-in capital |
850,229 |
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841,413 |
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Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
(97) |
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(302) |
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Accumulated deficit |
(629,280) |
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(581,633) |
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Total stockholders' equity |
220,934 |
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259,560 |
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Total liabilities and stockholders' equity |
$ |
258,837 |
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$ |
307,402 |
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See accompanying notes to these unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements.
*The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31,
2022 has been derived from the audited financial statements as of
that date.
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
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Three Months Ended
March 31, |
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2023 |
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2022 |
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Related party revenue |
$ |
2,247 |
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$ |
20,948 |
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Operating expenses: |
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Research and development |
40,857 |
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42,806 |
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General and administrative |
11,584 |
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10,723 |
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Total operating expenses |
52,441 |
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53,529 |
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Loss from operations |
(50,194) |
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(32,581) |
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Interest income, net |
2,584 |
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176 |
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Other expense, net |
(37) |
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(45) |
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Net loss |
$ |
(47,647) |
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$ |
(32,450) |
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Net loss per share, basic and diluted |
$ |
(0.58) |
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$ |
(0.42) |
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Weighted average shares used to compute net loss per share, basic
and diluted |
82,008 |
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78,023 |
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See accompanying notes to these unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements.
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE
LOSS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
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Three Months Ended
March 31, |
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2023 |
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2022 |
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Net loss |
$ |
(47,647) |
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$ |
(32,450) |
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Other comprehensive gain (loss), net of tax: |
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Net unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale marketable
securities |
205 |
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(548) |
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Total comprehensive loss |
$ |
(47,442) |
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$ |
(32,998) |
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See accompanying notes to these unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements.
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’
EQUITY
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
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Common Stock |
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Additional
Paid-In Capital |
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Other
Comprehensive Income (Loss) |
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Accumulated Deficit |
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Total
Stockholders' Equity |
Shares |
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Amount |
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Balance at December 31, 2022 |
81,885 |
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$ |
82 |
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$ |
841,413 |
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$ |
(302) |
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$ |
(581,633) |
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$ |
259,560 |
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Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options |
171 |
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— |
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|
279 |
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— |
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— |
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|
279 |
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Stock-based compensation expense |
— |
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— |
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8,537 |
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— |
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— |
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8,537 |
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Comprehensive gain |
— |
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— |
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— |
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205 |
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— |
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205 |
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Net loss |
— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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(47,647) |
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(47,647) |
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Balance at March 31, 2023 |
82,056 |
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$ |
82 |
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$ |
850,229 |
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$ |
(97) |
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$ |
(629,280) |
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$ |
220,934 |
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Common Stock |
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Additional
Paid-In Capital |
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Other
Comprehensive Loss |
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Accumulated Deficit |
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Total
Stockholders' Equity |
Shares |
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Amount |
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Balance at December 31, 2021 |
77,962 |
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$ |
78 |
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$ |
754,664 |
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$ |
(129) |
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$ |
(418,966) |
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$ |
335,647 |
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Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options |
125 |
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— |
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|
668 |
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— |
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— |
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|
668 |
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Stock-based compensation expense |
— |
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— |
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7,820 |
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— |
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— |
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7,820 |
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Comprehensive loss |
— |
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— |
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— |
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(548) |
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— |
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(548) |
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Net loss |
— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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(32,450) |
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(32,450) |
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Balance at March 31, 2022 |
78,087 |
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$ |
78 |
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$ |
763,152 |
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$ |
(677) |
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$ |
(451,416) |
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$ |
311,137 |
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See accompanying notes to these unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements.
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
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Three Months Ended
March 31, |
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2023 |
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2022 |
Operating activities |
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Net loss |
$ |
(47,647) |
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$ |
(32,450) |
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Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
activities: |
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Stock-based compensation expense |
8,537 |
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7,820 |
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Depreciation |
609 |
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|
1,427 |
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(Accretion of discount) amortization of premium on marketable
securities |
(1,525) |
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|
518 |
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Non-cash lease expense |
510 |
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|
475 |
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Other non-cash expenses |
538 |
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|
460 |
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Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
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Related party receivable from collaboration |
6,323 |
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4,842 |
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Prepaid expenses and other assets |
714 |
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241 |
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Accounts payable |
4,840 |
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(431) |
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Accrued and other liabilities |
(13,424) |
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(4,747) |
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Operating lease liability |
(1,312) |
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(1,236) |
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Contract liabilities |
10 |
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(12,657) |
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Net cash used in operating activities |
(41,827) |
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(35,738) |
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Investing activities |
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Purchase of marketable securities |
(14,464) |
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(86,904) |
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Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities |
50,775 |
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80,336 |
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Purchases of property and equipment |
(670) |
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(285) |
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Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities |
35,641 |
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(6,853) |
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Financing activities |
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Proceeds from exercise of stock options |
279 |
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668 |
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Net cash provided by financing activities |
279 |
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|
668 |
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Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents |
(5,907) |
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(41,923) |
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Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, at beginning of
period |
77,410 |
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153,294 |
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Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, at end of
period |
$ |
71,503 |
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$ |
111,371 |
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Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing and financing
activities: |
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Property and equipment purchases not yet paid |
$ |
15 |
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$ |
436 |
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See accompanying notes to these unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements.
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
1. Organization and Description of Business
NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, NGM
Biopharmaceuticals Australia Pty Ltd., or NGM Australia,
collectively referred to as the Company, is a biopharmaceutical
company focused on discovering and developing novel, potentially
life-changing medicines based on scientific understanding of key
biological pathways underlying grievous diseases with critical
unmet or underserved patient need. The Company's portfolio of
product candidates range from early discovery to Phase 2b
development and includes four programs in active ongoing clinical
development. The Company has additional programs that are in
various stages of development ranging from functional validation to
preclinical development.
The Company was incorporated in Delaware in December 2007 and
commenced operations in 2008. The Company's headquarters are
located at 333 Oyster Point Blvd., South San Francisco, California
94080.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial
statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP, and Regulation S-X
for interim consolidated financial information. These unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in
conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and
notes for the year ended December 31, 2022 included in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2022 filed with the U.S Securities and Exchange
Commission, or SEC, on February 28, 2023. These unaudited condensed
consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments that
management believes are necessary for a fair presentation of the
periods presented. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring
nature and are not necessarily indicative of results expected for
the full fiscal year ending December 31, 2023, or for any
subsequent interim period.
These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include
the consolidated accounts of NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. and its
wholly-owned foreign subsidiary, NGM Australia. All intercompany
balances and transactions have been eliminated upon
consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in
conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make judgments,
assumptions and estimates that affect the reported amounts of
assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Specific accounts that
require management estimates include, but are not limited to,
stock-based compensation expense, contract manufacturing accruals,
clinical trial accruals and revenue recognition in accordance with
Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2014-09, Revenue from
Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), or ASC 606. Management bases
its estimates on historical experience and on various other
assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the
circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making
judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that
are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could
differ materially from those estimates, and to the extent that
there are differences between management's estimates and actual
results, the Company's future financial statement presentation,
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be
affected.
Sources and Uses of Liquidity
Since inception, the Company has incurred net losses and negative
cash flow from operations. During the three months ended
March 31, 2023 and 2022, net losses were $47.6 million and
$32.5 million, respectively. As of March 31, 2023, the Company
had an accumulated deficit of $629.3 million. The Company expects
its accumulated deficit will continue to increase over time and
does not expect to experience positive cash flows from operations
in the near future.
As of March 31, 2023, the Company had $231.0 million of cash,
cash equivalents and short-term marketable securities.
In June 2020, the Company entered into an Open Market Sale
AgreementSM,
or the Sales Agreement, with Jefferies LLC. As of March 31,
2023, $76.2 million of the Company's common stock remained
available to be sold under the Sales Agreement, subject to
conditions specified in the Sales Agreement.
The Company believes its existing cash, cash equivalents and
short-term marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its
operations for a period of at least one year from the issuance of
these condensed consolidated financial statements.
To fully implement the Company’s business plan and fund its
operations, the Company needs to raise significant additional
capital through public or private equity or debt offerings (which
may include potential net proceeds from future sales, if any, under
the Sales Agreement), collaboration, out licensing, partnership or
other business development arrangements, or a combination of the
foregoing. None may be possible and, as a result, the Company may
need to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue development
of or abandon some or all of its product candidates, or scale back
or discontinue the Company's discovery research efforts, any of
which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's
business, operating results and prospects, or the Company may be
required to cease operations altogether.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, the related
party receivable from collaboration and other current assets and
liabilities approximate their respective fair values due to their
short-term nature.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents are stated at fair value. Cash
equivalents are securities with an original maturity of three
months or less at the time of purchase. The Company limits its
credit risk associated with cash and cash equivalents by investing
in highly rated money market funds and placing its cash with banks
it believes are highly creditworthy in amounts that may at times
exceed federally insured limits. As of March 31, 2023 and
December 31, 2022, cash and cash equivalents consisted of bank
deposits and investments in money market funds.
Marketable Securities
The appropriate classification of the Company’s marketable
securities is determined at the time of purchase and such
designations are re-evaluated at each balance sheet date. All of
the Company’s securities are considered as available-for-sale and
carried at estimated fair values and reported in cash equivalents
and short-term marketable securities. Unrealized gains and losses
on available-for-sale securities are excluded from net loss and
reported in accumulated other comprehensive loss as a separate
component of stockholders’ equity. Interest income, net, includes
interest, amortization of purchase premiums and accretion of
purchase discounts, realized gains and losses on sales of
securities and other-than-temporary declines in the fair value of
securities, if any. The cost of securities sold is based on the
specific identification method.
The Company’s investments are regularly reviewed for
other-than-temporary declines in fair value. This review includes
the consideration of the cause of the impairment, including the
creditworthiness of the security issuers, the number of securities
in an unrealized loss position, the severity and duration of the
unrealized losses, whether the Company has the intent to sell the
securities and whether it is more likely than not that the Company
will be required to sell the securities before the recovery of
their amortized cost basis. When the Company determines that the
decline in fair value of an investment is below its carrying value
and this decline is other-than-temporary, the Company reduces the
carrying value of the security it holds and records a loss for the
amount of such decline. As of March 31, 2023, the Company did
not record any impairment related to other-than-temporary declines
in the fair value of securities.
Restricted Cash
The Company’s restricted cash balances represent collateral
required under the Company’s facility lease agreements. Collateral
that will not be returned to the Company within twelve months from
the date of these condensed consolidated financial statements is
classified as a non-current asset.
Concentration of Credit and Other Risks
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities from the Company’s
available-for-sale and marketable securities portfolio potentially
subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk. The Company
is invested in
money market funds and marketable securities through custodial
relationships with major United States, or U.S., banks. Under its
investment policy, the Company limits amounts invested in such
securities by credit rating, maturity, industry group, investment
type and issuer, except for securities issued by the U.S.
government.
In reference to the recent closure of Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB,
which is now a division of First Citizens Bank, as of
March 31, 2023, the Company had approximately
$6.0 million in deposits and other accounts with SVB,
consisting of $4.0 million in letters of credit related to the
Company's facilities leases that were classified as restricted cash
on the Company's balance sheet and approximately $1.9 million
held in a sweep account used to purchase shares in money-market
funds through SVB. The Company incurred no losses as a result of
the closure of SVB.
Related party receivables from collaboration and partnering
arrangements are typically unsecured. Accordingly, the Company may
be exposed to credit risk generally associated with its current
amended and restated research collaboration, product development
and license agreement, or the Amended Collaboration Agreement, with
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, or Merck, and any future collaboration
or partnering arrangements with other potential future partners. To
date, the Company has not experienced any losses related to these
receivables.
Amounts recognized as revenue prior to the Company having an
unconditional right (other than a right that is conditioned only on
the passage of time) to receipt are recorded as contract assets in
the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets. Although the
Company expects to have an unconditional right to receive such
amounts, the Company may be exposed to the risk of not receiving
the recorded amounts under its current collaboration agreement with
Merck and any future collaboration or partnering arrangements with
other potential future partners. To date, the Company has not
experienced any losses related to contract assets.
Merck accounted for 100% of the Company’s revenue for the three
months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.
Property and Equipment, Net
Property and equipment are recorded at cost and consists of
computer equipment, laboratory equipment and office furniture and
leasehold improvements. Maintenance and repairs, and training on
the use of equipment, are expensed as incurred. Costs that improve
assets or extend their economic lives are capitalized. Depreciation
is recognized using the straight-line method based on an estimated
useful life of the asset, which is as follows:
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Computer equipment |
3 years |
Laboratory equipment and office furniture |
3 years |
Leasehold improvement |
Shorter of life of asset or lease term |
Leases
Effective January 1, 2021, the Company adopted ASU 2016-02, Leases
(Topic 842), referred to as ASC 842. Under ASC 842, the Company
determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Lease assets
represent the Company's right to use an underlying asset for the
lease term and lease liabilities represent the Company's obligation
to make lease payments arising from the lease. Lease liabilities
are measured at the lease commencement date as the present value of
future minimum lease payments over the term of the lease. Lease
assets are measured as the lease liability plus initial direct
costs and prepaid lease payments less lease incentives. In
measuring the present value of the future minimum lease payments,
the Company generally uses its incremental borrowing rate. The
lease term is the noncancelable period of the lease and includes
options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably
certain that an option will be exercised. Leases with terms of 12
months or less are not recorded on the Company's balance sheet.
Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease
terms, or in some cases, the useful life of the underlying asset.
The Company accounts for the lease and non-lease components as a
single lease component. The Company’s lease agreement for its
corporate office space and facilities is classified as an operating
lease.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, are reviewed for
impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate
that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.
Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a
comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated
undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the
asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated
undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized
as the amount by which the
carrying amount of the asset exceeds the estimated fair value of
the asset. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, no
revision to the remaining useful lives or write-down of long-lived
assets was required.
Income Taxes
Income taxes are accounted for under the liability method. Deferred
tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax
consequences attributable to the differences between the financial
statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and
their respective tax bases and the operating loss and tax credit
carryforwards. Valuation allowances are established when necessary
to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be
realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured at the
balance sheet date using the enacted tax rates expected to apply to
taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences
are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax
assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in
the period such tax rate changes are enacted. The net deferred tax
assets have been fully offset by a valuation
allowance.
Revenue Recognition
Under ASC 606, the Company estimates each arrangement’s total
transaction price, which includes unconstrained variable
consideration, and the recognition of that transaction price based
on a cost-based input method that requires estimates to determine,
at each reporting period, the percentage of completion based on the
estimated total effort required to complete the project and the
total transaction price. The unconstrained variable consideration
amount included in the transaction price represents an amount for
which it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative
revenue recognized will not occur.
The Company applies the following five-step revenue recognition
model outlined in ASC 606 to adhere to this core principle: (1)
identify the contract(s) with a customer; (2) identify the
performance obligations in the contract; (3) determine the
transaction price; (4) allocate the transaction price to the
performance obligations in the contract; and (5) recognize revenue
when (or as) the Company satisfies a performance
obligation.
All of the Company’s revenue to date has been generated from its
collaboration agreements, primarily its collaboration agreement
with Merck. The terms of these agreements generally require the
Company to provide (i) license options for its compounds, (ii)
research and development, or R&D, services and (iii)
non-mandatory services in connection with participation in research
or steering committees. Payments received under these arrangements
may include non-refundable upfront license fees, partial or
complete reimbursement of R&D costs, contingent consideration
payments based on the achievement of defined collaboration
objectives and royalties on sales of commercialized products. In
some agreements, the collaboration partner is solely responsible
for meeting defined objectives that trigger contingent or royalty
payments. Often the partner only pursues such objectives subsequent
to exercising an optional license on compounds identified as a
result of the R&D services performed under the collaboration
agreement.
The Company assesses whether the promises in its arrangements,
including any options provided to the partner, are considered
distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for
separately. Judgment is required to determine whether the license
to a compound is distinct from R&D services or participation in
research or steering committees, as well as whether options create
material rights in the contract. In situations when a contract
includes distinct R&D services that are substantially the same
and have the same pattern of transfer to the customer over time,
they are recognized as a series of distinct services.
The transaction price in each arrangement is generally comprised of
a non-refundable upfront fee and unconstrained variable
consideration related to the performance of R&D services. The
unconstrained variable consideration amount included in the
transaction price represents an amount for which it is probable
that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will
not occur. The Company typically submits a budget for the R&D
services to the partner in advance of performing the services. The
transaction price is allocated to the identified performance
obligations based on the standalone selling price, or SSP, of each
distinct performance obligation. Judgment is required to determine
the SSP. In instances where the SSP is not directly observable,
such as when a license or service is not sold separately, SSP is
determined using information that may include market conditions and
other observable inputs. The Company utilizes judgment to assess
the nature of its performance obligations to determine whether they
are satisfied over time or at a point in time and, if over time,
the appropriate method of measuring progress toward completion. The
Company evaluates the measure of progress each reporting period
and, if necessary, adjusts the measure of performance and related
revenue recognition.
The Company’s collaboration agreements may include contingent
payments related to specified development and regulatory milestones
or contingent payments for royalties based on sales of a
commercialized product. Milestones can be achieved for such
activities in connection with progress in clinical trials,
regulatory filings
in various geographical markets and marketing approvals from health
authorities. Sales-based royalties are generally related to the
volume of annual sales of a commercialized product. At the
inception of each agreement that includes such payments, the
Company evaluates whether the milestones are considered probable of
being achieved and estimates the amount to be included in the
transaction price by using the most likely amount method. If it is
probable that a significant revenue reversal would not occur, the
associated milestone value is included in the transaction price.
Milestone payments that are not within the Company’s or its
partner’s control, such as those related to regulatory approvals,
are not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals
are received. The transaction price is then allocated to each
performance obligation based on a relative SSP basis. At the end of
each subsequent reporting period, the Company re-evaluates the
probability of achievement of each such milestone and any related
constraint and, if necessary, adjusts its estimate of the overall
transaction price. Pursuant to the guidance in ASC 606, sales-based
royalties are not included in the transaction price. Instead,
royalties are recognized at the later of when the performance
obligation is satisfied or partially satisfied, or when the sale
that gives rise to the royalty occurs.
Contract modifications, defined as changes in the scope or price
(or both) of a contract that are approved by the parties to the
contract, such as a contract amendment, exist when the parties to a
contract approve a modification that either creates new, or changes
existing, enforceable rights and obligations of the parties to the
contract. Depending on facts and circumstances, the Company
accounts for a contract modification as one of the following: (i) a
separate contract; (ii) a termination of the existing contract and
a creation of a new contract; or (iii) a combination of the
preceding treatments. A contract modification is accounted for as a
separate contract if the scope of the contract increases because of
the addition of promised services that are distinct and if the
price of the contract increases by an amount of consideration that
reflects the Company’s standalone selling prices of the additional
promised services. When a contract modification is not considered a
separate contract and the remaining services are distinct from the
services transferred on or before the date of the contract
modification, the Company accounts for the contract modification as
a termination of the existing contract and a creation of a new
contract. When a contract modification is not considered a separate
contract and the remaining services are not distinct, the Company
accounts for the contract modification as an add-on to the existing
contract and as an adjustment to revenue on a cumulative catch-up
basis.
Research and Development
R&D costs are expensed as incurred. R&D expenses primarily
include salaries and benefits for medical, clinical, quality,
preclinical, manufacturing and research personnel, costs related to
research activities, preclinical studies, clinical trials, drug
manufacturing expenses and allocated overhead and facility
occupancy costs. The Company accounts for non-refundable advance
payments for goods or services that will be used in future R&D
activities as expenses when the goods have been received or when
the service has been performed rather than when the payment is
made.
Clinical trial costs are a component of R&D expenses. The
Company accrues estimated costs for its clinical trial activities
performed by third parties, including clinical research
organizations, or CROs, and other service providers based upon
estimates of the proportion of work completed over the life of the
individual clinical trial and patient enrollment rates in
accordance with associated agreements. The Company's estimates are
determined through detailed discussions with internal personnel and
its service providers as to the progress of each clinical trial and
by reviewing contracts, vendor agreements and purchase orders for
previously agreed-upon rates and fees to be paid for such
services.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company’s stock-based compensation programs include stock
option and restricted stock unit, or RSU, grants, as well as shares
issued under its 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP. Grants
are awarded to employees, directors and non-employees. The Company
measures stock-based compensation expense for all stock-based
awards at the grant date based on the fair value measurement of the
award. The expense is recorded on a straight-line basis over the
requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period,
for the entire award. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of
grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual
forfeitures materially differ from estimates. The Company
calculates the fair value measurement of stock options using the
Black-Scholes option-pricing model.
Comprehensive Loss
Comprehensive loss is composed of net loss and certain changes in
stockholders’ equity that are excluded from net loss, primarily
unrealized gains or losses, net of taxes, on the Company’s
marketable securities.
Net Loss per Share
Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing net loss by the
weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period,
less shares subject to repurchase and excludes any dilutive effects
of stock-based options and awards. Diluted net income per share is
computed by giving effect to all potentially dilutive shares,
including common stock issuable upon exercise of stock options and
the assumed vesting of outstanding RSUs. However, where there is a
diluted net loss per share, no adjustment is made for potentially
issuable shares since their effect would be anti-dilutive. In this
case, diluted net loss per share is equal to basic net loss per
share.
Net loss per share was computed as follows (in thousands, except
per share amounts):
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Three Months Ended
March 31, |
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|
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
|
|
|
Numerator: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss |
$ |
(47,647) |
|
|
$ |
(32,450) |
|
|
|
|
|
Denominator: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average number of shares used in calculating net loss per
share—basic and diluted |
82,008 |
|
|
78,023 |
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss per share—basic and diluted |
$ |
(0.58) |
|
|
$ |
(0.42) |
|
|
|
|
|
Potentially dilutive securities that were not included in the
diluted per share calculations because they would be anti-dilutive
were as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
March 31, |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
Options to purchase common stock |
17,986 |
|
|
13,240 |
|
Shares committed under the ESPP |
1,114 |
|
|
390 |
|
RSUs |
989 |
|
|
— |
|
Total |
20,089 |
|
|
13,630 |
|
Segment and Geographical Information
The Company operates in one business segment. Substantially all of
the Company’s long-lived assets, primarily comprised of property
and equipment, are based in the United States. For the three months
ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company’s revenues were
entirely within the United States based upon the location of the
Company and Merck.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
New accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial
Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, or other standard setting
bodies and adopted by the Company as of the specified effective
date. Unless otherwise discussed, the impact of recently issued
standards that are not yet effective will not have a material
impact on the Company’s results of operations and financial
position upon adoption.
3. Fair Value Measurements
Cash equivalents and marketable securities are classified as
available-for-sale securities and consisted of the following (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amortized
Cost |
|
Gross
Unrealized
Gain |
|
Gross
Unrealized
Loss |
|
Fair
Value |
As of March 31, 2023 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. treasury securities |
$ |
68,794 |
|
|
$ |
3 |
|
|
$ |
(61) |
|
|
$ |
68,736 |
|
Money market funds |
64,816 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
64,816 |
|
Commercial paper |
40,002 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
40,002 |
|
Corporate and agency bonds |
34,258 |
|
|
— |
|
|
(52) |
|
|
34,206 |
|
U.S. government agency securities |
20,498 |
|
|
13 |
|
|
— |
|
|
20,511 |
|
Totals |
$ |
228,368 |
|
|
$ |
16 |
|
|
$ |
(113) |
|
|
$ |
228,271 |
|
Classified as: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
64,816 |
|
Short-term marketable securities (amortized cost of
$163,552)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
163,455 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
228,271 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amortized
Cost |
|
Gross
Unrealized
Gain |
|
Gross
Unrealized
Loss |
|
Fair
Value |
As of December 31, 2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. treasury securities |
$ |
89,039 |
|
|
$ |
7 |
|
|
$ |
(160) |
|
|
$ |
88,886 |
|
Money market funds |
62,844 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
62,844 |
|
Corporate and agency bonds |
46,300 |
|
|
— |
|
|
(200) |
|
|
46,100 |
|
Commercial paper |
42,746 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
42,746 |
|
U.S. government agency securities |
20,253 |
|
|
51 |
|
|
— |
|
|
$ |
20,304 |
|
Totals |
$ |
261,182 |
|
|
$ |
58 |
|
|
$ |
(360) |
|
|
$ |
260,880 |
|
Classified as: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
62,844 |
|
Short-term marketable securities (amortized cost of
$198,338)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
198,036 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
260,880 |
|
The cash and cash equivalents amount in the table above excludes
cash on deposit with banks of $2.7 million and $10.6 million as of
March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022,
respectively.
To date, the Company has not recorded any impairment charges
against the market value of its marketable securities. In
determining whether a decline is other than temporary, the Company
considers various factors including the length of time and extent
to which the market value has been less than cost, the financial
condition and near-term prospects of the issuer and the Company’s
intent and ability to retain its investment in the issuer for a
period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in
market value.
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, all of the
Company’s marketable securities had remaining contractual
maturities of less than one year. As of March 31, 2023, the
Company had 15 marketable securities in an unrealized loss position
compared to 19 marketable securities in an unrealized loss position
as of December 31, 2022. Marketable securities that had been
in unrealized loss positions as of March 31, 2023 and
December 31, 2022 were in an unrealized loss position for less
than twelve months. The Company does not need to nor does it intend
to sell marketable securities that are in an unrealized loss
position and it is highly unlikely that the Company will be
required to sell the investments before recovery of their amortized
cost basis, which may be maturity.
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring
Basis
The following table summarizes, by major security type, the
Company's available-for-sale securities that were measured at fair
value on a recurring basis and were categorized using the fair
value hierarchy (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair Value Measurements |
As of March 31, 2023 |
Level 1 |
|
Level 2 |
|
Level 3 |
|
Total |
Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. treasury securities |
$ |
68,736 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
68,736 |
|
Money market funds |
64,816 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
64,816 |
|
Commercial paper |
— |
|
|
40,002 |
|
|
— |
|
|
40,002 |
|
Corporate and agency bonds |
— |
|
|
34,206 |
|
|
— |
|
|
34,206 |
|
U.S. government agency securities |
— |
|
|
20,511 |
|
|
— |
|
|
20,511 |
|
Totals |
$ |
133,552 |
|
|
$ |
94,719 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
228,271 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair Value Measurements |
As of December 31, 2022 |
Level 1 |
|
Level 2 |
|
Level 3 |
|
Total |
Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. treasury securities |
$ |
88,886 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
88,886 |
|
Money market funds |
62,844 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
62,844 |
|
Corporate and agency bonds |
— |
|
|
46,100 |
|
|
— |
|
|
46,100 |
|
Commercial paper |
— |
|
|
42,746 |
|
|
— |
|
|
42,746 |
|
U.S. government agency securities |
— |
|
|
20,304 |
|
|
— |
|
|
20,304 |
|
Totals |
$ |
151,730 |
|
|
$ |
109,150 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
260,880 |
|
The Company estimates the fair values of investments in commercial
paper, corporate and agency bond securities and U.S. government
agency securities using Level 2 inputs by taking into consideration
valuations obtained from third-party pricing services.
There were no transfers of assets or liabilities between the fair
value measurement levels during the three months ended
March 31, 2023 and year ended December 31,
2022.
4. Balance Sheet Components
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
A reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
reported within the condensed consolidated balance sheets to the
amount reported within the condensed consolidated statements of
cash flows is as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
2023 |
|
December 31,
2022 |
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ |
67,549 |
|
|
$ |
73,456 |
|
Restricted cash |
3,954 |
|
|
3,954 |
|
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash |
$ |
71,503 |
|
|
$ |
77,410 |
|
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment consisted of the following (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
2023 |
|
December 31,
2022 |
Leasehold improvements |
$ |
25,867 |
|
|
$ |
25,866 |
|
Laboratory equipment and office furniture |
23,879 |
|
|
23,807 |
|
Computer equipment |
1,433 |
|
|
1,433 |
|
Construction-in-progress |
290 |
|
|
284 |
|
Total property and equipment, gross |
51,469 |
|
|
51,390 |
|
Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization |
(43,503) |
|
|
(42,894) |
|
Total property and equipment, net |
$ |
7,966 |
|
|
$ |
8,496 |
|
Depreciation expense was $0.6 million and $1.4 million for the
three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022,
respectively.
Accrued Liabilities
Accrued liabilities consisted of the following (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
2023 |
|
December 31,
2022 |
Clinical trials and research and development costs |
$ |
8,836 |
|
|
$ |
14,597 |
|
Personnel-related costs |
4,897 |
|
|
9,181 |
|
Manufacturing costs |
1,440 |
|
|
6,026 |
|
Accrued expenses |
4,988 |
|
|
3,834 |
|
Total accrued liabilities |
$ |
20,161 |
|
|
$ |
33,638 |
|
5. Research Collaboration and License Agreements
Merck
In 2015, the Company entered into a research collaboration, product
development and license agreement with Merck, which, together with
amendments made prior to June 30, 2021, is referred to as the
Original Collaboration Agreement, covering the discovery,
development and commercialization of novel therapies across a range
of therapeutic areas, including a broad, multi-year drug discovery
and early development program that was financially supported by
Merck, and scientifically directed by the Company with input from
Merck. The original research phase of the collaboration was for
five years and was extended by Merck for an additional two years
through March 2022. As part of that extension, Merck agreed to
continue to fund up to $75.0 million of the Company's R&D
efforts each year consistent with the initial five-year research
term and, in lieu of a $20.0 million extension fee payable to
the Company, Merck agreed to make additional payments totaling up
to $20.0 million in support of the Company's R&D
activities during 2021 through the first quarter of
2022.
On June 30, 2021, the Company entered into an amended and restated
research collaboration, product development and license agreement
with Merck, or the Amended Collaboration Agreement, replacing the
Original Collaboration Agreement and extending the research phase
of the collaboration generally through March 31, 2024, with
possible extensions for each of the various programs to allow the
Company or Merck to complete ongoing development, but with a
narrower scope than in the Original Collaboration Agreement. Under
the Amended Collaboration Agreement, the collaboration was focused
primarily on the identification, research and development of
collaboration compounds directed to targets of interest to Merck in
the fields of ophthalmology and cardiovascular or metabolic, or
CVM, disease, including heart failure. The collaboration scope also
included certain laboratory testing and other activities on
compounds that are directed to one of up to two undisclosed targets
outside of the fields of ophthalmology and CVM disease, or the Lab
Programs.
Currently, the only ongoing research activities to be funded under
the Amended Collaboration Agreement are certain CVM-related
activities. The research phase for the CVM-related continuing
programs will continue until March 31, 2024, unless the parties
mutually agree to extend the research phase to March 31, 2026, in
which case Merck would provide up to a total of $20.0 million
in research funding during those additional two years.
Remaining
activities under the Lab Programs were substantially completed in
the first quarter of 2023. The ophthalmology compounds in the
collaboration under the Amended Collaboration Agreement initially
included NGM621 (and its related compounds) and compounds directed
against two other undisclosed ophthalmology targets (and their
related compounds). Merck had a one-time option to license NGM621,
its related compounds and the ophthalmology bundle upon completion
of the Phase 2 CATALINA trial. In December 2022, Merck notified the
Company that it would not exercise its option to license NGM621 and
its related compounds, nor would Merck exercise the related
ophthalmology bundle option; accordingly, these options expired
unexercised in January 2023 and the programs are now wholly-owned
by the Company. Further, Merck did not elect for the Company to
continue to conduct R&D on any compounds from the Company's
other ophthalmology programs that were subject to the
collaboration, which are preclinical and directed to undisclosed
targets. Such an election would have resulted in an extended or
tail period in which Merck would continue to fund the Company's
R&D of such ophthalmology compounds. Because Merck did not
exercise its ophthalmology license options or make such a tail
period election, the programs are now wholly-owned by the Company
and the Company does not have any funding from Merck to pursue such
ophthalmology programs.
Pursuant to the Amended Collaboration Agreement, the Company gained
the right, in its sole discretion, to independently research,
develop and commercialize the collaboration compounds known as
NGM120, NGM707, NGM831 and NGM438, their related compounds and all
other preclinical and research assets that the Company researched
or developed under the Original Collaboration Agreement but that
were not included within the R&D scope of the continuing
collaboration, which are referred to as the released NGM compounds.
Merck retained the right to receive royalties at low single-digit
rates on the sales of any released NGM compounds that receive
regulatory approval and, if the Company decides during a certain
time period to engage in a formal partnering process for a released
NGM compound or negotiations regarding a license or asset sale of a
released NGM compound, the Company is obligated to notify Merck,
provide Merck with certain information and engage in good faith,
non-exclusive negotiations with respect to such released NGM
compound with Merck at Merck’s request.
Under the Amended Collaboration Agreement, Merck continued to have
a Merck license option, as it did under the Original Agreement, to
each continuing collaboration compound that is identified,
researched and developed under the Amended Collaboration Agreement
and reaches the specified option exercise point for such continuing
collaboration compound as described below, and to its related
compounds (each such continuing collaboration compound and its
related compounds are referred to generally as a continuing
program). In addition, under the terms of the Amended Collaboration
Agreement, new CVM-related programs may be added to the continuing
collaboration if recommended by the Company and selected by Merck,
and Merck would have a Merck license option to such CVM-related
continuing program. We do not expect any new CVM-related programs
to be added to the collaboration.
The Merck license option exercise point for a continuing
collaboration compound from the CVM-related continuing programs or
the Lab Programs will be the designation by Merck of such
continuing collaboration compound as a research program development
candidate that Merck intends to progress into preclinical
development.
Under the Amended Collaboration Agreement, if Merck exercises the
Merck license option for a continuing collaboration compound from a
CVM-related continuing program or the Lab Programs, Merck will pay
the Company a $6.0 million option exercise fee at the time of
selection to progress such licensed continuing collaboration
compound or any of its related compounds into preclinical
development and an additional $10.0 million milestone payment
if such continuing collaboration compounds or one of its related
compounds subsequently completes a human proof-of-concept trial.
Merck will be responsible, at its own cost, for any further
development and commercialization activities for continuing
collaboration compounds within any such licensed continuing
program.
In March 2022, the Company and Merck entered into a letter
agreement, or the Letter Agreement, regarding NGM621 manufacturing
activities that the Company undertook with the intention of
avoiding a significant delay between the completion of the CATALINA
trial and the start of any Phase 3 clinical trial for
NGM621.
The Company concluded that the Amended Collaboration Agreement is a
separate arrangement containing a three-year performance obligation
to provide distinct R&D services in accordance with ASC 606.
The total transaction price under the Amended Collaboration
Agreement is $119.6 million which includes $86.0 million in
research funding for the four calendar quarters that ended on March
31, 2022, $15.7 million in research funding for the
ophthalmology and CVM-related continuing programs and the Lab
Programs during the remaining two years of the research phase after
March 2022, $13.1 million in estimated NGM621 reimbursable
expenses and costs during the remaining two years of the research
phase after March 2022 and $4.75 million for reimbursable amounts
paid in 2022 to a third-party manufacturer in accordance with the
terms of the Letter Agreement. The Company will continue to
re-evaluate the transaction price as uncertain events are resolved
or other changes in circumstances
occur. The Company continues performing its R&D services in the
area of both the continuing collaboration compounds and the
released NGM compounds and has one performance obligation across
all continuing programs. The Company will continue to use the
cost-based input method to calculate the amount of revenue to
recognize as services are being rendered from April 1, 2021 through
March 31, 2024. For the period that started on April 1, 2023 and
ends on March 31, 2024, the Company expects Merck will provide
funding of only approximately $4.0 million in the aggregate
for the ongoing CVM-related activities and for certain costs and
reimbursements related to the NGM621 program and this amount is
included in the transaction price.
The Company considered whether the Merck license option created
material rights in the contract and concluded that the fee attached
to the exercise of such option approximated the SSP of the promised
goods or services included in the option. Therefore, the Company
concluded that such option did not give rise to a material right,
was not a performance obligation in the Amended Collaboration
Agreement and, if and when exercised, would be accounted for as
separate arrangements under ASC 606.
Merck owned approximately 16% of the Company's outstanding shares
as of March 31, 2023.
Summary of Related Party Revenue
The Company recognized revenue from its collaboration and license
agreements as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
March 31, |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
|
|
|
Related party revenue |
$ |
2,247 |
|
|
$ |
20,948 |
|
|
|
|
|
For the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company
recognized collaboration and license revenue of $2.2 million
primarily related to reimbursable R&D activities associated
with the performance obligation under the Amended Collaboration
Agreement under which Merck is providing significantly less annual
R&D funding than it had provided through March 31, 2022.
Revenue recognized related to the reimbursable R&D activities
was recognized using the cost-based input model related to R&D
activities.
Related Party Contract Assets and Liabilities
Amounts recognized as revenue prior to the Company having an
unconditional right (or a right that is conditioned only on the
passage of time) to receipt are recorded as contract assets in the
Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets. If the Company
expects to have an unconditional right to receive the consideration
in the next twelve months, the contract asset will be classified in
current assets. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31,
2022, the Company did not have a related party contract
asset.
Amounts received prior to satisfying the revenue recognition
criteria are recorded as contract liabilities in the Company’s
condensed consolidated balance sheets. If the related performance
obligation is expected to be satisfied within the next twelve
months, the contract liability will be classified in current
liabilities. The Company recorded contract liabilities of $0.4
million as of March 31, 2023 and as of December 31,
2022.
6. Commitments and Contingencies
Operating Leases and Lease Guarantee
In December 2015, the Company entered into an operating lease
agreement, or the 333 Oyster Point lease agreement, for its
corporate office space and facilities at 333 Oyster Point Blvd.,
South San Francisco, California, or the 333 Oyster Point facility,
for approximately 122,000 square feet that expires in December
2023. The 333 Oyster Point lease agreement provided a tenant
improvement allowance of $15.2 million that the Company used
in 2016 towards $22.3 million in total leasehold improvements
that are amortized over the lease term of seven years. As of
March 31, 2023, restricted cash in current assets on the
Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets included a letter
of credit in the amount of $1.5 million required under the 333
Oyster Point lease agreement.
As of March 31, 2023, the weighted-average remaining lease
term for the 333 Oyster Point lease agreement was 9 months and the
weighted-average discount rate used to determine the Company's
operating lease liability was 2.85%. Cash paid for amounts included
in the measurement of the lease liabilities
was $1.3 million in both the three month periods ended
March 31, 2023 and 2022.
During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and
March 31, 2022, the components of lease costs, which were
included in general and administrative expenses on the Company's
condensed consolidated statements of operations, were as follows
(in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
March 31, |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
Operating lease costs |
$ |
541 |
|
|
$ |
541 |
|
Variable lease costs (1) |
339 |
|
|
324 |
|
Total lease cost |
$ |
880 |
|
|
$ |
865 |
|
_____________
(1)Variable
lease costs include certain additional charges for operating costs,
including insurance, maintenance, taxes and other costs incurred,
which are billed based on both usage and as a percentage of the
Company’s share of total square footage.
As of March 31, 2023, the maturities of the Company’s
operating lease liabilities and future minimum lease payments were
as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total undiscounted lease payments for the remainder of the year
ending December 31, 2023 |
4,111 |
|
Less: present value adjustment |
(38) |
|
Present value of lease liabilities |
$ |
4,073 |
|
In July 2022, the Company entered into an operating lease
agreement, or the 2024 Lease Agreement, for its corporate office
space and facilities at 333 Oyster Point Blvd., South San
Francisco, California, which the Company currently occupies
pursuant to a sublease agreement that is scheduled to expire on
December 31, 2023. Pursuant to the 2024 Lease Agreement, the lease
term with the new landlord begins on January 1, 2024 and expires on
December 31, 2033, and the Company will pay an initial monthly base
rent of approximately $0.9 million for the first year, which
is subject to increase at an annual rate of 3.5% each year
thereafter, plus certain operating and tax expenses. Base rent
during the initial ten-year term of the 2024 Lease Agreement will
total $124.1 million. The 2024 Lease Agreement provides a
tenant improvement allowance of approximately $4.9 million.
The Company has an option to extend the 2024 Lease Agreement for a
period of either
eight or ten years after the initial term. In July 2022,
pursuant to the 2024 Lease Agreement, the Company provided the
landlord with a letter of credit in the amount of $2.5 million
that was reported as restricted cash in non-current assets on the
Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31,
2023 and December 31, 2022.
Indemnification
In the normal course of business, the Company enters into contracts
and agreements that contain a variety of representations and
warranties and may provide for indemnification of the counterparty.
The Company’s exposure under these agreements is unknown because it
involves claims that may be made against it in the future but have
not yet been made.
In accordance with the Company’s amended and restated certificate
of incorporation and its amended and restated bylaws, the Company
has indemnification obligations to its officers and directors,
subject to some limits, with respect to their service in such
capacities. The Company has also entered into indemnification
agreements with its directors and certain of its officers. To date,
the Company has not been subject to any claims, and it maintains
director and officer insurance that may enable it to recover a
portion of any amounts paid for future potential
claims.
The Company’s exposure under these agreements is unknown because it
involves claims that may be made against it in the future but have
not yet been made. The Company believes that the fair value of
these indemnification obligations is minimal and, accordingly, it
has not recognized any liabilities relating to these obligations
for any period presented.
7. Stock-Based Compensation
Stock Option Activity
A summary of the activity under the 2008 Plan and the 2018 Plan is
as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding Options |
|
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual Life
(In Years) |
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(In Thousands) |
Number of
Options
(In Thousands) |
|
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price |
|
|
Balances at December 31, 2022 |
14,215 |
|
|
$ |
14.74 |
|
|
6.89 |
|
$ |
1,749 |
|
Options granted |
4,292 |
|
|
4.38 |
|
|
|
|
|
Options exercised |
(171) |
|
|
1.63 |
|
|
|
|
|
Options forfeited |
(228) |
|
|
12.13 |
|
|
|
|
|
Options expired |
(122) |
|
|
12.87 |
|
|
|
|
|
Balances at March 31, 2023 |
17,986 |
|
|
$ |
12.44 |
|
|
6.82 |
|
$ |
555 |
|
Vested and expected to vest at March 31, 2023 |
17,224 |
|
|
$ |
12.55 |
|
|
6.70 |
|
$ |
555 |
|
Exercisable at March 31, 2023 |
9,294 |
|
|
$ |
14.35 |
|
|
4.99 |
|
$ |
555 |
|
The aggregate intrinsic values of options outstanding, vested and
expected to vest, and exercisable were calculated as the difference
between the exercise price of the options and the estimated fair
value of the Company’s common stock.
The weighted-average grant date fair value of stock options granted
during the three months ended March 31, 2023 was $3.18 per
share.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Under the ESPP, eligible employees are granted the right to
purchase shares of the Company's common stock through payroll
deductions that cannot exceed 15% of each employee’s salary. The
ESPP provides for a 24-month offering period, which includes four
six-month purchase periods. At the end of each purchase period,
eligible employees are permitted to purchase shares of common stock
at the lower of 85% of fair market value at the beginning of the
offering period or fair market value at the end of the purchase
period. The ESPP is considered a compensatory plan. As of
March 31, 2023, 736,170 shares of common stock had been
purchased under the ESPP.
Restricted Stock Units
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company
granted 1.0 million RSUs covering an equal number of shares of
the Company's common stock to employees with a weighted-average
grant date fair value of $4.36 per RSU. The fair value of RSUs is
determined on the date of grant based on the market price of the
Company's common stock as of that date. The fair value of the RSUs
is recognized as an expense ratably over the vesting period of four
years. No shares underlying the RSUs have vested or been released
as of March 31, 2023.
Stock-Based Compensation Expense
Stock-based compensation expense was calculated based on awards
previously granted to employees, directors and non-employees that
are ultimately expected to vest and has been reduced for estimated
forfeitures.
Stock-based compensation expense was allocated as follows (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
March 31, |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
Research and development |
$ |
4,814 |
|
|
$ |
4,211 |
|
General and administrative |
3,723 |
|
|
3,609 |
|
Total stock-based compensation expense |
$ |
8,537 |
|
|
$ |
7,820 |
|
As of March 31, 2023, total compensation cost not yet
recognized related to unvested stock options was
$58.5 million, which is expected to be recognized over a
weighted-average period of 2.3 years. As of
March 31,
2023, total compensation cost not yet recognized related to
unvested RSUs was $3.7 million, which is expected to be
recognized over a weighted-average period of 3.8
years.
8. Income Taxes
Since inception, the Company has incurred net losses, and the
Company expects to record a net loss for the year ending
December 31, 2023. Additionally, the Company’s net deferred
tax assets have been fully offset by a valuation allowance.
Therefore, the Company did not record a tax provision for income
taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and
2022.
9. Subsequent Event
On April 3, 2023, the Company's board of directors approved a
restructuring of the Company's workforce pursuant to which the
Company’s workforce will be reduced by 75 people, or approximately
33% of the Company’s existing headcount as of such date. The
restructuring was communicated to employees on April 4, 2023. The
Company estimated that it will incur approximately
$5.0 million in restructuring charges in connection with the
restructuring, consisting of (i) approximately $4.5 million in
cash-based expenses related to employee severance and notice period
payments, benefits and related costs, and (ii) approximately
$0.5 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expense
related to the vesting of share-based awards. The Company expects
that the majority of the restructuring charges will be incurred in
the second quarter of 2023 and that the execution of the
restructuring, including cash payments, will be substantially
complete by the end of the second quarter of 2023.
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition
and results of operations should be read in conjunction with (1)
the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes to the
condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in
this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and (2) the audited consolidated
financial statements and related notes and management’s discussion
and analysis of financial condition and results of operations for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 included in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, or SEC, on February 28, 2023, or the 2022 Annual
Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis contains
forward-looking statements based upon current beliefs, plans and
expectations that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions,
such as statements regarding our plans, objectives, expectations,
intentions and projections. Our actual results and the timing of
events could differ materially from those anticipated in these
forward-looking statements as a result of several factors that
could impact our business, including those set forth in the section
titled “Risk Factors” under Part II, Item 1A in this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q. In some cases, you can identify
forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,”
"aspire," “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,”
“intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should,” “will”
or the negative of these terms or other similar
expressions.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements
reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These
statements are based upon information available to us as of the
date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and while we believe
such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such
information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should
not be read to indicate we have conducted exhaustive inquiry into,
or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These
statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not
to unduly rely upon these statements.
Overview of Our Business
We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and
developing novel, potentially life-changing medicines based on
scientific understanding of key biological pathways underlying
grievous diseases with critical unmet or underserved patient need.
These diseases represent a significant burden for patients and
healthcare systems and, in some cases, are leading causes of
morbidity and mortality. Since the commencement of our operations
in 2008, we have generated a portfolio of product candidates
ranging from early discovery to Phase 2b development. Currently, we
have four programs in active ongoing clinical development. Our
biology-centric drug discovery approach is therapeutic area
agnostic and aims to seamlessly integrate interrogation of complex
disease-associated biology and protein engineering expertise to
unlock proprietary insights that are leveraged to generate
promising product candidates and enable their rapid advancement
into proof-of-concept studies. As explorers on the frontier of
life-changing science, we aspire to operate one of the most
productive research and development engines in the
biopharmaceutical industry. All therapeutic candidates in our
pipeline have been generated by our in-house discovery engine, led
by biology and motivated by patient need.
Our pipeline is currently divided into two categories with separate
approaches to development strategy and resource allocation in an
effort designed to enable more of the product candidates in our
pipeline to be advanced as effectively and efficiently as possible.
To that end, we are currently focusing most of our execution
efforts and resources on advancing our clinical-stage solid tumor
oncology programs to potentially rapid proof of concept. For our
other programs that are in therapeutic areas where clinical
development is relatively resource intensive and can have long
timelines to generate proof-of-concept data, due to the need to
conserve capital and prioritize focused execution, we are actively
seeking, or intend to seek, as applicable, collaboration, out
licensing, partnership or other business development arrangements,
or BD Arrangements, with third-party partners with sufficient
resources and relevant domain expertise in order to further their
development.
Pipeline Programs and Operational Updates
Key Programs in Active Development
Our pipeline includes four solid tumor oncology programs in active
ongoing clinical development. We are currently focusing most of our
execution efforts and resources on these key programs. We have
intentionally built our clinical capabilities primarily in areas
such as solid tumor oncology that offer development paths that are
relatively resource efficient and have the potential to generate
clinical proof-of-concept data more rapidly than certain other
indications, although we may in the future pursue development of
programs in other therapeutic areas. While we will
opportunistically consider BD Arrangements to advance development
of our key programs, we intend to invest our resources in their
development even in the absence of BD Arrangements.
•Solid
Tumor Oncology.
Our solid tumor oncology product candidates NGM707, NGM831, NGM438
and NGM120 and their related compounds are wholly-owned by
us.
•NGM707.
NGM707,
the lead asset in our myeloid reprogramming and checkpoint
inhibition portfolio, is a dual antagonist monoclonal antibody that
is designed to improve patient immune responses to tumors by
inhibiting both Immunoglobulin-like transcript 2, or ILT2 (also
known as LILRB1), and Immunoglobulin-like transcript 4, or ILT4
(also known as LILRB2) receptors. We believe NGM707 has the
potential to reprogram ILT4- and ILT2-expressing myeloid cells to
shift them from a suppressive state that restricts anti-tumor
immunity to a stimulatory state that may promote anti-tumor
immunity. Blocking ILT2 also may reverse inhibition of
ILT2-expressing lymphoid cells to further stimulate anti-tumor
immune responses.
•We
are conducting an open-label Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating
NGM707 as a monotherapy and in combination with KEYTRUDA®
(pembrolizumab) for the treatment of patients with advanced or
metastatic solid tumors. We expect to enroll approximately 220
patients in this trial.
•A
Phase 1, Part 1a cohort evaluating NGM707 as a monotherapy was
initiated in 2021 and a Phase 1, Part 1b cohort evaluating NGM707
in combination with pembrolizumab was initiated in 2022. Two Phase
2 expansion cohorts evaluating NGM707 in combination with
pembrolizumab in specific tumor types were initiated in the first
quarter of 2023.
•NGM831.
NGM831 is an antagonist antibody that is designed to block the
interaction of the Immunoglobulin-like transcript 3, or ILT3 (also
known as LILRB4) receptor,
with fibronectin, as well as other cognate ligands.
For tumors in which both ILT3 and fibronectin are upregulated, the
ILT3-fibronectin signaling pathway may act as a stromal checkpoint
to repress myeloid cell function and inhibit anti-tumor immunity.
By inhibiting ILT3's interaction with fibronectin and its other
ligands, we believe NGM831 has the potential to mobilize a
patient's own immune system to fight tumors by shifting myeloid
cells from a suppressive state to a stimulatory state and promoting
anti-tumor activity.
•We
are conducting an open-label Phase 1/1b clinical trial to evaluate
NGM831 as a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab for
the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors.
A Phase 1, Part 1a cohort evaluating NGM831 as a monotherapy and a
Phase 1, Part 1b cohort evaluating NGM831 in combination with
pembrolizumab were initiated in 2022. Both cohorts are ongoing, and
the protocol allows us to enroll up to 80 patients in these two
cohorts.
•NGM438.
NGM438 is an antagonist antibody that is designed to inhibit
leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor 1, or LAIR1, and
thereby promote anti-tumor immune responses. NGM438 has the
potential to potently block the binding of all collagens to LAIR1,
including tumor-derived collagens. Collagens produced by the tumor
stroma, meaning the non-malignant, non-immune components of the
tumor, are believed to bind LAIR1 to create an immuno-suppressive
tumor microenvironment. The interaction of collagens from the tumor
stroma with LAIR1 on immune cells represents a “stromal checkpoint”
that restrains anti-tumor immune responses. Reinvigoration of these
collagen-suppressed immune cells by blocking the binding of
collagens to LAIR1 may address a key resistance mechanism that
limits tumor responses to current immunotherapies.
•We
are conducting an open-label, Phase 1/1b clinical trial to evaluate
NGM438 as a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab for
the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors.
A Phase 1, Part 1a cohort evaluating NGM438 as a monotherapy and a
Phase 1, Part 1b cohort evaluating NGM438 in combination with
pembrolizumab were initiated in 2022. Both cohorts are ongoing, and
the protocol allows us to enroll up to 80 patients in these two
cohorts.
•NGM120.
NGM120 is an antagonist antibody that binds to glial cell-derived
neurotrophic factor receptor alpha-like, or GFRAL, and is designed
to block the effects of elevated serum levels of growth
differentiation factor 15, or GDF15. We designed NGM120 as a
potent, humanized monoclonal antibody inhibitor of GFRAL with the
potential for once-monthly or less frequent dosing. Preclinical
studies suggest that NGM120 may reduce tumor growth and improve
survival in syngeneic orthotopic pancreatic tumor models in
mice.
•We
are conducting a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to assess NGM120’s effect
on cancer and cancer-related cachexia in patients with select
advanced solid tumors, metastatic pancreatic cancer and metastatic
castration-resistant prostate cancer, or mCRPC.
The trial includes:
•a
Phase 1a cohort evaluating NGM120 as a monotherapy in patients with
select advanced solid tumors,
•a
Phase 1b cohort evaluating NGM120 in combination with gemcitabine
and Nab-paclitaxel in patients with metastatic pancreatic
cancer,
•an
additional Phase 1b cohort testing NGM120 in combination with one
or more lines of hormone therapies in patients with mCRPC,
and
•a
Phase 2 cohort evaluating NGM120 in combination with gemcitabine
and Nab-paclitaxel as first-line treatment in patients with
metastatic pancreatic cancer (referred to as the PINNACLES
trial).
All four cohorts have completed enrollment.
Additional Programs Currently Without Significant Resource
Allocation
Due to the need to conserve capital and prioritize focused
execution, the remainder of our pipeline includes programs whose
further development is primarily dependent on our ability to secure
potential future BD Arrangements. These programs are in therapeutic
areas where clinical development is relatively resource intensive
and can have long timelines to generate proof-of-concept data. As a
result, we are actively seeking, or intend to seek, as applicable,
BD Arrangements with third-party partners possessing sufficient
resources and relevant domain expertise in the relevant therapeutic
area in order to further clinical development of these programs. In
the absence of such BD Arrangements for these programs, we are
unlikely to be able to advance their development unless our
portfolio prioritization changes and we are able to secure the
additional capital necessary to fund such development. These
programs are set forth below:
•NGM621.
NGM621 is a humanized Immunoglobulin 1, or IgG1, monoclonal
antibody administered via intravitreal, or IVT, injection. NGM621
was engineered to potently bind to, and be a long-acting inhibitor
of, complement C3 with the treatment goal of reducing the rate of
disease progression in patients with geographic atrophy, or GA,
secondary to age-related macular degeneration, or AMD.
•Aldafermin.
Aldafermin is an engineered analog of human hormone fibroblast
growth factor 19, or FGF19, that is administered through a
once-daily subcutaneous injection. Aldafermin is wholly-owned by
us. In May 2023, we reported topline data from the Phase 2b ALPINE
4 trial of aldafermin in 160 patients with compensated cirrhosis
due to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH (liver fibrosis stage
4, or F4, by the NASH Clinical Research Network classification).
The 48-week trial assessed the efficacy, safety and tolerability of
0.3 mg, 1 mg and 3 mg doses of aldafermin compared to placebo. The
primary objective of the ALPINE 4 study was to evaluate the impact
on Enhanced Liver Fibrosis, or ELF, score at week 48. The ELF score
is a reproducible, quantitative non-invasive liver prognostic test
that evaluates liver fibrosis and correlates to liver-related
outcomes. The study met its primary endpoint with a statistically
significant reduction in ELF score from baseline to week 48 in
patients treated with 3 mg of aldafermin versus patients receiving
placebo. Patients receiving 3 mg of aldafermin had a 0.5 point
greater reduction in ELF at week 48 compared to patients receiving
placebo (p-value=0.0003). On the secondary endpoint of fibrosis
improvement of ≥1 stage (for which the trial was not statistically
powered), 21% (p-value=0.39) and 23% (p-value=0.36) of patients in
the 1 mg and 3 mg cohorts, respectively, achieved fibrosis
improvement versus 15% in the placebo cohort at week 48. A 0.3 mg
aldafermin cohort was part of the original design of the trial and
enrolled 7 patients prior to being discontinued in favor of
enrolling more patients in the 1 mg and 3 mg arms of the trial.
Patients in the 0.3 mg arm were primarily evaluated for safety.
Aldafermin was generally well tolerated with no treatment-related
serious adverse events and a safety and tolerability profile
generally consistent with prior trials of aldafermin, including
higher levels of gastrointestinal events in patients treated with
aldafermin as compared to patients treated with
placebo.
•MK-3655
(NGM313).
MK-3655 (NGM313) is an agonistic antibody discovered by us that
selectively activates fibroblast growth factor receptor
1c-beta-klotho, or FGFR1c/KLB, which regulates insulin sensitivity,
blood glucose and liver fat and is administered every four weeks
through a subcutaneous injection. MK-3655 (NGM313) was licensed by
Merck in November 2018 and was being developed by
Merck in patients with NASH and liver fibrosis stage 2 or 3. In
April 2023, the license rights granted to Merck with respect to
MK-3655 (NGM313) reverted to us and the program is now wholly-owned
by us.
•NGM936.
NGM936 is a bispecific T cell engager therapeutic candidate for the
treatment of hematologic malignancies that targets ILT3 and cluster
of differentiation 3, or CD3. NGM936 is designed to direct T cell
mediated killing of ILT3-positive cancer cells while sparing normal
hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs, and minimizing CD3-driven
cytokine release. ILT3, a myeloid-cell restricted receptor, has
enriched expression in myelomonocytic leukemia, monocytic leukemia
and leukemia stem cells but is not expressed on healthy HSCs. This
expression profile of ILT3 may make it an effective target for the
treatment of monocytic acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, and multiple
myeloma. NGM936 has been evaluated in preclinical studies, where it
has demonstrated the ability to potently kill ILT3+ AML cells, kill
ILT3+ multiple myeloma cells and preserve healthy bone marrow
cells.
We have additional programs that are in various stages of
development ranging from functional validation to preclinical
development.
The success of each of our product candidates may be affected by
numerous factors, including preclinical data, clinical data,
competition, manufacturing capability, sales capability, any future
partners, the sufficiency of our cash resources, regulatory
matters, third-party payor matters and commercial viability. We do
not have any products approved for sale and do not anticipate
generating revenue from product sales for the foreseeable future,
if ever.
Business Development and Merck Collaboration Updates
Pursuing BD Arrangements has been and is expected to continue to be
a key component of our strategy. Given the breadth of opportunities
that have been, and may in the future be, produced by our discovery
engine, we are actively seeking, or intend to seek, as applicable,
BD Arrangements with third-party partners to progress, in whole or
in part, the development of one or more of our product candidates.
We believe that this strategy, if successfully implemented, may
enable more of the programs in our pipeline, including those in
active development by us, to be advanced as effectively and
efficiently as possible. As described above, further development of
NGM621, aldafermin, MK-3655 (NGM313) and NGM936 is primarily
dependent on our ability to secure potential future BD Arrangements
and, in the absence of such BD Arrangements, we are unlikely to be
able to advance development of those programs unless our portfolio
prioritization changes and we are able to secure the additional
capital necessary to fund such development.
Our collaboration with Merck, described in "Business - Licensing
and Collaboration Arrangements - Merck Collaboration" in Part I,
Item 1 of the 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K and Note 5, “Research
Collaboration and License Agreements - Merck,” in our notes to the
condensed consolidated financial statements included in Part I,
Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, historically provided
us with robust financial support that enabled us to broaden and
accelerate our research efforts and to develop more product
candidates for major indications than we likely could have advanced
on our own. We do not have any committed external source of funds,
other than pursuant to our collaboration with Merck under the
amended and restated research collaboration, product development
and license agreement we entered into with Merck on June 30, 2021,
or the Amended Collaboration Agreement. Currently, the only ongoing
activities funded under the Amended Collaboration Agreement are
ongoing cardiovascular or metabolic-, or CVM-, related activities.
In 2023, the R&D funding we receive from Merck under the
Amended Collaboration Agreement will be limited and continue to be
substantially lower on an annual basis than the research funding
previously provided by Merck. In this regard, for the period that
started on April 1, 2023 and ends on March 31, 2024, we expect to
receive funding of only approximately $4.0 million in the
aggregate from Merck for the ongoing CVM-related activities and for
certain costs and reimbursements related to the NGM621 program.
Funding from Merck after December 31, 2023 is expected to be
minimal. The research phase for the CVM-related programs under the
Amended Collaboration Agreement will continue through March 31,
2024, unless the parties mutually agree to extend the research
phase through March 31, 2026, in which case Merck would provide up
to a total of $20.0 million in R&D funding during the
additional two years of the CVM program research
phase.
Restructuring
On April 4, 2023, we announced a restructuring of our workforce
pursuant to which our workforce will be reduced by 75 people, or
approximately 33% of our existing headcount as of such date. We
estimated that we will incur approximately $5.0 million in
restructuring charges in connection with the restructuring,
consisting of (i) approximately $4.5 million in cash-based expenses
related to employee severance and notice period payments, benefits
and related costs, and (ii) approximately $0.5 million in non-cash
stock-based compensation expense related to the vesting of
share-based awards. We expect that the majority of the
restructuring charges will be incurred in the second quarter of
2023 and that the execution of the restructuring, including cash
payments, will be substantially complete by the end of the second
quarter of 2023.
Operational Updates
We do not own, and have no plans to establish, any manufacturing
facilities. All of our manufacturing activities are outsourced to
third-party contract development and manufacturing organizations or
third-party contract manufacturing organizations, which we refer to
collectively as CMOs, which are generally single-source suppliers
of the drug product or drug substance they are manufacturing for
us. We also utilize third-party contract research organizations, or
CROs, to carry out many of our clinical development activities. We
expect to be reliant on CMOs and CROs for these activities for the
foreseeable future. Significant portions of our research and
development, or R&D, resources are focused, and will continue
to be focused, on the manufacture and testing of clinical trial
materials. If our CROs and CMOs fail to satisfy their contractual
duties to us or meet expected deadlines or if our CMOs experience
difficulties in scaling production, higher than anticipated costs
or lower than anticipated yields, product loss due to
contamination, equipment failure, improper installation or
operation of equipment, vendor or operator error, turnover of
qualified staff or improper storage conditions, difficulties with
quality control, product stability or quality assurance testing, or
difficulties procuring raw materials or components as a result of
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, our ongoing and planned
trials and possible acceleration or expansion of those trials may
be delayed, perhaps substantially, or abandoned, which could
materially and adversely affect our business. For example, in 2022,
our planned individual new drug application, or IND, submissions
for NGM831 and NGM438 were delayed due to challenges at one of our
CMOs with respect to the manufacture of those product candidates,
primarily related to analytical method qualification and release
testing. It is possible that we could experience further
supply-related delays that would create supply challenges and
possible timing delays for ongoing and planned clinical trials or
delay the commencement of first-in-human testing of future product
candidates. In addition, there is increased competition in the
biotechnology industry for CMO manufacturing slots and other
capabilities generally, which has had, and may continue to have, a
negative impact on the availability of manufacturing capacity and
therefore our ability to supply clinical trial materials for
planned, ongoing, accelerated or expanded clinical trials. Our
CMOs’ facilities and operations have also been adversely affected
by labor, raw material and component shortages, high turnover of
staff and difficulties in hiring trained and qualified replacement
staff. Changes in economic conditions, supply chain constraints,
labor, raw material and component shortages and steps taken by
governments and central banks, particularly in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic as well as other stimulus and spending programs,
could lead to higher inflation than previously experienced or
expected, which could, in turn, lead to an increase in costs. These
supply chain effects, increased competition and higher costs of
acquired goods and services may negatively impact our business
operations and our financial results.
In addition, all of our product candidates other than NGM621 and
aldafermin are currently manufactured solely at a facility in
Lithuania. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,
NATO deployed additional military forces to Eastern Europe,
including to Lithuania. The ongoing conflict between Russia and
Ukraine and the retaliatory measures taken or that may be taken by
the United States, NATO and others, including significant sanctions
against Russia, create global security concerns and regional
instability, including due to the possibility of expanded regional
or global conflict, and are likely to have short-term and likely
longer-term negative impacts on regional and global economies, any
or all of which could disrupt our supply chain and adversely affect
our ability to conduct ongoing and future clinical trials of our
product candidates and our ability to raise capital on favorable
terms.
In July 2022, we entered into an operating lease agreement, or the
2024 Lease Agreement, for our existing corporate office space and
facilities at 333 Oyster Point Blvd., South San Francisco,
California, which allows us to remain in our existing facilities
through December 31, 2033, subject to our compliance with the 2024
Lease Agreement. We also have an option to extend the 2024 Lease
Agreement for a period of either eight or ten years after the
initial ten-year term of January 1, 2024 to December 31,
2033.
We seek to allocate our capital efficiently and strategically and
fund our active development portfolio based on each program’s
scientific and other merits. Our discipline has been demonstrated
by our decision not to proceed with development activities on
multiple potentially viable product candidates for portfolio
management and capital conservation reasons to concentrate our
resources and focus our execution on our solid tumor oncology
programs. Given the substantial decrease in research funding we now
receive from Merck as compared to historical periods commensurate
with the decreased scope of the collaboration, we need to devote a
substantial amount of our own financial resources to fund our
R&D programs, and we may need to delay or suspend development
activities on product candidates that we consider promising unless
and until we are able to raise sufficient additional capital and/or
we need to enter into additional BD Arrangements in order to
proceed with such development through to regulatory
approval.
Financial Highlights
Since inception, we have funded our operations primarily
through:
•fees
received from collaboration partners, which since inception through
March 31, 2023 includes reimbursement of R&D expenses of
$541.6 million and upfront cash licensing fees of $123.0 million,
primarily from Merck, and a payment of $20.0 million from Merck to
license MK-3655 (NGM313) and related compounds;
•proceeds
from private placements of convertible preferred stock prior to our
initial public offering, or IPO, including approximately $106.0
million of our Series E convertible preferred stock purchased by
Merck;
•net
proceeds from our IPO in 2019 of approximately $107.8 million,
together with proceeds from the concurrent private placement of
shares of common stock to Merck of $65.9 million;
•net
proceeds of $134.6 million from the sale of 5,324,074 shares of our
common stock in January 2021 upon completion of an underwritten
public offering of our common stock, or the follow-on offering,
which included the full exercise by the underwriters of their
option to purchase additional shares; and
•net
proceeds of $71.5 million through March 31, 2023 from sales of
approximately 4.1 million shares of our common stock under an
Open Market Sale AgreementSM,
or the Sales Agreement, we entered into with Jefferies LLC, or
Jefferies, in June 2020.
At March 31, 2023, we had $231.0 million in cash, cash
equivalents and short-term marketable securities.
We have incurred net losses each year since our inception. As of
March 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $629.3
million. Substantially all of our net losses have resulted from
costs incurred in connection with our R&D programs and general
and administrative, or G&A, costs associated with our
operations. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from
quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year, depending on the timing of our
clinical trials and our expenses on other R&D activities, and
the amount of R&D funding we receive from future BD
Arrangements, if any. For further discussion of our financial
position and future sources of funding, see “Liquidity and Capital
Resources” below.
Financial Operations Overview
Related Party Revenue
Our revenue to date has been generated primarily from recognition
of license fees and R&D service funding pursuant to our
collaboration with Merck. Merck is also a significant stockholder
and, as such, collaboration revenue from Merck is referred to as
related party revenue.
Since the Company's inception through March 31, 2023, Merck
paid us $616.8 million pursuant to the terms of our collaboration.
Due to the nature of our collaboration with Merck and the timing of
related revenue recognition, our revenue has fluctuated from period
to period in the past and we expect that it will continue to
decrease in 2023 given the substantial reduction in the level of
funding we will receive from Merck in 2023. After December 31,
2023, we expect funding, and revenue recognized, from Merck to be
minimal. As a result, we believe that period-to-period comparisons
of our revenue may not be meaningful and should not be relied upon
as being indicative of future performance.
We use the cost-based input method in accordance with Accounting
Standards Codification 606, or ASC 606, to calculate the
corresponding amount of revenue to recognize at each reporting
period. In applying the cost-based input measure of revenue
recognition, we measure actual costs incurred relative to budgeted
costs to fulfill our performance obligation. We apply considerable
judgment when we re-evaluate the estimate of expected costs to
satisfy the performance obligation each reporting period and make
adjustments for any significant changes. A significant change in
the estimate of expected costs under the Amended Collaboration
Agreement could have a material impact on revenue recognized
(including the possible reversal of previously recognized revenue)
at each reporting period.
Our related party revenue was as follows (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
March 31, |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
Related party revenue |
$ |
2,247 |
|
|
$ |
20,948 |
|
Research and Development Expenses
R&D efforts include drug discovery and other research
activities and development activities relating to our product
candidates, such as manufacturing drug substance, drug product and
other clinical trial materials, conducting preclinical studies and
clinical trials and providing support for these operations. Our
R&D expenses consist of both internal and external costs. Our
internal costs include employee, consultant, facility and other
R&D operating expenses. Our external costs include fees paid to
CROs and other service providers in connection with our clinical
trials and preclinical studies, third-party license fees and CMO
costs related to manufacturing drug substance, drug product and
other clinical trial materials.
Our R&D efforts are extensive and costly. Our R&D expenses
related to the development of our product candidates consist
primarily of:
•fees
paid to our CROs in connection with our clinical trials and other
related clinical trial fees, when applicable;
•costs
related to acquiring and manufacturing drug substance, drug product
and clinical trial materials, and the costs of continued testing,
such as process validation testing and stability testing, of drug
substance and drug product;
•costs
related to toxicology testing and other research- and
preclinical-related studies;
•salaries
and related overhead expenses, which include stock-based
compensation and benefits, for personnel in R&D
functions;
•fees
paid to consultants for R&D activities;
•R&D
operating expenses, including facility costs and depreciation
expenses; and
•costs
related to compliance with regulatory requirements.
We need to devote a substantial amount of our own financial
resources to our wholly-owned development programs, primarily our
solid tumor oncology programs in active ongoing clinical
development. As a result, further development of NGM621,
aldafermin, MK-3655 (NGM313) and NGM936 is currently primarily
dependent on our ability to secure potential future BD Arrangements
and, in the absence of such BD Arrangements, we are unlikely to be
able to advance development of those programs unless our portfolio
prioritization changes and we are able to secure the additional
capital necessary to fund such development. For the foreseeable
future, we anticipate a significant portion of our financial
resources, other than those received from Merck which are dedicated
to activities under the Amended Collaboration Agreement, will be
directed to activities required to initiate and advance clinical
trials of our solid tumor oncology programs.
The successful development of our product candidates is highly
uncertain. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate the nature,
timing or costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete
the remainder of the development of our product candidates or if we
will be able to enter into BD Arrangements or otherwise raise
adequate additional capital to meet our funding requirements to
support such efforts, particularly outside of our key solid tumor
oncology programs. This is due to the numerous risks and
uncertainties associated with developing medicines, including the
uncertainty of:
•the
scope, rate of progress, results and expense of our ongoing, as
well as any future, clinical trials and other R&D-related
activities;
•the
impact and timing of any interactions with regulatory authorities,
including timing and receipt of regulatory approvals;
•our
ability to hire and retain key R&D personnel;
•manufacturing
scale-up challenges, production shortages or other supply
disruptions for clinical trial materials, including raw materials
and components;
•the
effects of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic on our employees,
patients, clinical trial sites and our CROs, CMOs and other service
providers;
•the
timely and quality performance of our CROs, CMOs and other service
providers;
•the
effect of products that may compete with our product candidates or
other market developments; and
•our
ability to expand and enforce our intellectual property
portfolio.
A change in the outcome of any of the risks and uncertainties
associated with the development of a product candidate could mean a
significant change in the costs, as well as the timing, associated
with the development of that product candidate. For example, if the
FDA or a comparable foreign health authority were to require us to
conduct clinical trials beyond those that we currently anticipate
will be required for the completion of clinical development of a
product candidate, or if we experience significant delays in
enrollment in any of our clinical trials, we could be required to
expend significant additional financial resources and time on the
completion of clinical development. For additional discussion of
the risks and uncertainties associated with our R&D efforts,
see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry,”
“—Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties,” “—Risks
Related to Regulatory Approvals” and "—Risks Related to Our
Intellectual Property” in Part II, Item 1A of this Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q.
General and Administrative Expenses
G&A expenses consist primarily of salaries and other related
costs, including stock-based compensation and benefits. Other
significant costs include legal fees relating to patent and
corporate matters, facility costs not otherwise included in R&D
expenses and fees for accounting and other consulting
services.
We anticipate that our G&A expenses in 2023 will decrease
moderately compared to 2022 primarily due to the workforce
restructuring implemented in the second quarter of 2023. Beginning
in 2024, our G&A expenses will include an increase in operating
lease expenses under the 2024 Lease Agreement. Additionally, we
anticipate continued costs associated with being a public company,
including expenses related to services associated with maintaining
compliance with Nasdaq listing rules and related SEC requirements
and costs related to insurance, investor relations and compliance
with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In addition, we may continue to incur expenses
associated with negotiating and entering into BD
Arrangements.
Results of Operations
Our results of operations were as follows (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
March 31, |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
Change |
Related party revenue |
$ |
2,247 |
|
|
$ |
20,948 |
|
|
$ |
(18,701) |
|
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
Research and development |
40,857 |
|
|
42,806 |
|
|
(1,949) |
|
General and administrative |
11,584 |
|
|
10,723 |
|
|
861 |
|
Total operating expenses |
52,441 |
|
|
53,529 |
|
|
(1,088) |
|
Loss from operations |
(50,194) |
|
|
(32,581) |
|
|
(17,613) |
|
Interest income, net |
2,584 |
|
|
176 |
|
|
2,408 |
|
Other expense, net |
(37) |
|
|
(45) |
|
|
8 |
|
Net loss |
$ |
(47,647) |
|
|
$ |
(32,450) |
|
|
$ |
(15,197) |
|
Related Party Revenue from Merck
Revenue decreased $18.7 million in the three months ended
March 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 due to a
decrease in R&D revenue under the Amended Collaboration
Agreement with Merck.
Due to the nature of our collaboration with Merck and the timing of
related revenue recognition, our revenue has fluctuated from period
to period in the past and we expect that it will continue to
decrease in 2023 given the substantial reduction in the level of
funding we will receive from Merck. In this regard, for the period
that started on April 1, 2023 and ends on March 31, 2024, we expect
to receive funding of only approximately $4.0 million in the
aggregate from Merck for the ongoing CVM-related activities and for
certain costs and reimbursements related to the NGM621 program.
After December 31, 2023, we expect funding, and revenue recognized,
from Merck to be minimal.
Research and Development Expenses
Our R&D expenses by program were as follows (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
March 31, |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
External R&D expenses: |
|
|
|
NGM707 (Anti-ILT2/ILT4 dual antagonist) |
$ |
6,876 |
|
|
$ |
3,678 |
|
NGM438 (LAIR1 antagonist) |
2,965 |
|
|
2,022 |
|
Aldafermin (FGF19 analog) |
2,286 |
|
|
4,362 |
|
NGM831 (ILT3 antagonist) |
1,642 |
|
|
1,739 |
|
NGM120 (GFRAL antagonist) |
1,168 |
|
|
1,479 |
|
NGM621 (C3 inhibitor) |
1,136 |
|
|
5,486 |
|
Other external R&D expenses |
251 |
|
|
120 |
|
Total external R&D expenses |
16,324 |
|
|
18,886 |
|
Personnel-related expenses |
17,195 |
|
|
15,895 |
|
Internal and unallocated R&D expenses (1) |
7,338 |
|
|
8,025 |
|
Total R&D expenses |
$ |
40,857 |
|
|
$ |
42,806 |
|
_____________
(1)Internal
and unallocated R&D expenses consist primarily of research
supplies and consulting fees, which we deploy across multiple
R&D programs.
R&D expenses decreased $1.9 million in the three months ended
March 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 primarily
due to our completed trial of NGM621 and a decrease in expenses for
our manufacturing activities and our clinical trials of aldafermin,
partially offset by increases in external expenses for our ongoing
clinical trials of our solid tumor oncology portfolio and
personnel-related expenses.
We expect our R&D expenses will decrease moderately in 2023
compared to 2022 as we suspend development activities related to
NGM621 and our other preclinical ophthalmology programs, complete
activities related to ALPINE 4 and focus on the continued
advancement of our solid tumor oncology portfolio.
General and Administrative Expenses
G&A expenses increased $0.9 million in the three months ended
March 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 primarily
due to an increase of $1.2 million in legal-related expenses and
$0.5 million in compensation-related expenses, partially offset by
a decrease of $0.8 million in depreciation expense.
We anticipate that our G&A expenses in 2023 will decrease
moderately compared to 2022 primarily due to the workforce
restructuring implemented in the second quarter of
2023.
Interest Income, net
Interest income, net, increased $2.4 million in the three months
ended March 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022
primarily due to higher yielding investments.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Funding Requirements
We have no products approved for commercial sale, have not
generated any revenue from product sales to date and we are not and
may never be profitable. We have incurred losses in each year since
commencing operations, and we expect to incur significant operating
losses in 2023 and over the next several years. As of
March 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $629.3
million, and we expect our accumulated deficit will continue to
increase over time.
We have an active discovery research group and have spent
significant resources to fund R&D of multiple pipeline
programs. Our pipeline includes four solid tumor oncology programs,
NGM707, NGM831, NGM438 and NGM120, in active ongoing clinical
development. We are currently focusing most of our execution
efforts and
resources on these programs as our substantial research,
development, clinical trial and related activities continue. While
we will opportunistically consider BD Arrangements to advance
development of these key programs, we intend to invest our
resources in their development even in the absence of BD
Arrangements.
Due to the need to conserve capital and prioritize focused
execution, the remainder of our pipeline includes programs whose
further development is primarily dependent on our ability to secure
potential future BD Arrangements. We are actively seeking, or
intend to seek, as applicable, BD Arrangements with third-party
partners possessing sufficient resources and relevant domain
expertise in the relevant therapeutic area in order to further
clinical development of these programs. In the absence of such BD
Arrangements for these programs, we are unlikely to be able to
advance their development unless our portfolio prioritization
changes and we are able to secure the additional capital necessary
to fund such development.
Prior to 2022, we received substantial R&D funding from our
collaboration with Merck. However, under the narrower scope of the
Amended Collaboration Agreement, R&D funding from Merck
beginning April 2022 was and is expected to continue to be
substantially lower than the R&D funding previously provided by
Merck. For the period that started on April 1, 2023 and ends on
March 31, 2024, we expect to receive funding of only approximately
$4.0 million in the aggregate from Merck for activities
remaining under the Amended Collaboration Agreement and for certain
costs and reimbursements related to the NGM621 program. Funding
from Merck after December 31, 2023 is expected to be
minimal.
Our cash requirements for fiscal year 2023 will continue to be
driven by our R&D and G&A expenses. In 2022 and 2021, our
R&D expenses were $181.1 million and $161.7 million,
respectively. In 2023, we expect our R&D expenses to decrease
moderately compared to 2022 as we suspend development activities
related to NGM621 and our other preclinical ophthalmology programs,
complete activities related to ALPINE 4 and focus on the continued
advancement of our solid tumor oncology portfolio. In 2022 and
2021, our G&A expenses were $40.5 million and $36.9 million,
respectively. In 2023, we expect our G&A expenses will decrease
moderately compared to 2022 primarily due to the workforce
restructuring implemented in the second quarter of 2023. Beginning
in 2024, our operating lease costs will increase pursuant to the
2024 Lease Agreement we entered into in July 2022 for our current
corporate office space and facilities in South San Francisco,
California. Our current sublease will expire on December 31, 2023.
The 2024 Lease Agreement will commence on January 1, 2024 and
expire on December 31, 2033. We will pay an initial monthly base
rent of approximately $0.9 million for the first year, which is
subject to increase at an annual rate of 3.5% each year thereafter,
plus certain operating and tax expenses.
We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term
marketable securities will be sufficient to fund our operations for
at least twelve months from the date this Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q is filed. Moreover, based on our current development plans and
related assumptions, we believe our current cash position is
sufficient to fund our key solid tumor oncology programs through
generation of proof-of-concept data. We have based these estimates
on plans and assumptions that may prove to be insufficient or
inaccurate (for example, with respect to anticipated costs, timing
or success of certain activities), and we could utilize our
available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. For
example, although we implemented a workforce restructuring in the
second quarter of 2023 as part of our broader efforts designed to
reduce our operating expenses, we may not achieve the expected
benefits of our cost preservation efforts on the expected timeline,
or at all, and we could otherwise consume capital more rapidly than
we currently anticipate. In addition, our forecast of the period of
time through which our financial resources will be adequate to
support our operations is a forward-looking statement that involves
risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary materially
as a result of a number of factors, including the factors discussed
under “Risk Factors” in Part II, Item 1A of this Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q. Nonetheless, in order to advance our current and
potential future product candidates through development and to
regulatory approval and commercialization, we need to raise
significant additional capital and/or we need to enter into BD
Arrangements to obtain funding or other resources for one or more
of our wholly-owned programs. Neither may be possible and, as a
result, we may need to significantly delay, scale back or
discontinue development of or abandon some or all of our product
candidates, or scale back or discontinue our discovery research
efforts, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our
business, operating results and prospects, or we may be required to
cease operations altogether.
Sources of Liquidity
Cash and Investments
As of March 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of
$67.5 million and short-term marketable securities of $163.5
million.
Merck Collaboration
The revenue we receive under the Amended Collaboration Agreement
with Merck is currently our only source of revenue. For the period
that started on April 1, 2023 and ends on March 31, 2024, we expect
to receive funding of only approximately $4.0 million in the
aggregate from Merck for the ongoing CVM-related activities and for
certain costs and reimbursements related to the NGM621 program. See
“Overview of Our Business – Business Development and Merck
Collaboration Updates” above.
Other Sources of Capital
In June 2020, we entered into the Sales Agreement with Jefferies.
In accordance with the terms of the Sales Agreement, we may offer
and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering
price of up to $150.0 million from time to time through Jefferies,
acting as our sales agent. As of December 31, 2022 and
March 31, 2023, $76.2 million of our common stock remained
available to be sold under the Sales Agreement, subject to
conditions specified in the Sales Agreement.
We plan to finance our future cash needs through public or private
equity or debt offerings, including under the Sales Agreement, BD
Arrangements or a combination of these potential financing sources.
Additional capital may not be available in sufficient amounts, on
reasonable terms or when we need it, if at all.
Our ability to raise additional capital through public or private
equity or debt offerings may be adversely impacted by worsening
global economic conditions and the disruptions to, and volatility
in, the credit and financial markets in the United States and
worldwide, and in the biotechnology industry specifically. While
the long-term economic impact of either the COVID-19 pandemic or
the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is difficult to assess or
predict, each of these events has caused significant disruptions to
the global financial markets and contributed to a general global
economic slowdown. Furthermore, inflation rates across the globe
have increased to levels not seen in decades. Increased inflation
may result in increased operating costs (including labor costs) and
may affect our operating budgets. In addition, the U.S. Federal
Reserve has raised, and is expected to further raise, interest
rates in response to concerns about inflation. Increases in
interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government
spending and volatility in financial markets, may further increase
economic uncertainty and heighten these risks. Moreover, the recent
closures of Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, and Signature Bank have
resulted in broader financial institution liquidity risk and
concerns. Although as of March 31, 2023, we had only approximately
$6.0 million in deposits and other accounts with SVB, which is now
a division of First Citizens Bank, consisting of $4.0 million in
letters of credit related to our facilities leases and
approximately $1.9 million held in a sweep account used to purchase
shares in money-market funds through SVB, and we incurred no losses
as a result of the closure of SVB, future adverse developments with
respect to specific financial institutions or the broader financial
services industry may lead to market-wide liquidity shortages that
could materially harm our business and financial condition. In this
regard, we continue to maintain our cash at SVB and other banks,
often in balances that exceed the current FDIC insurance limits,
and the failure of any bank in which we deposit our funds could
reduce the amount of cash we have available for our operations or
delay our ability to access such funds. Any such failure may
increase the possibility of a sustained deterioration of financial
market liquidity, or illiquidity at clearing, cash management
and/or custodial financial institutions. In the event we have a
commercial relationship with a bank that has failed or is otherwise
distressed, we may experience delays or other issues in meeting our
financial obligations. If other banks and financial institutions
fail or become insolvent in the future in response to financial
conditions affecting the banking system and financial markets, our
ability to access our cash, cash equivalents and investments,
including transferring funds, making payments or receiving funds
may be threatened and our ability to raise additional capital could
be substantially impaired, any of which could materially and
adversely affect our business and financial condition. In any
event, if the financial market disruptions and economic slowdown
deepen or persist, we may not be able to access additional capital
on favorable terms, or at all, which could negatively affect our
financial condition and our ability to pursue our business
strategy.
In addition, if we raise additional funds by issuing equity
securities, our stockholders may experience dilution. Debt
financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants. Any
debt financing or additional equity that we raise may contain terms
that are not favorable to us or our stockholders. Furthermore, any
securities that we may issue may have rights senior to those of our
common stock and could contain covenants or protective rights that
would lead to restrictions on our operations and potentially impair
our competitiveness, such as limitations on our ability to incur
additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or
license intellectual property rights and other operating
restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our
business.
While we may opportunistically consider BD Arrangements to advance
development of our key solid tumor oncology programs, we are
actively seeking, or intend to seek, as applicable, BD Arrangements
with third-party partners to progress, in whole or in part, the
development of one or more of our other programs whose
further
development is primarily dependent on our ability to secure
potential future BD Arrangements. We believe that this strategy, if
successfully implemented, may enable more of the product candidates
in our pipeline to be advanced as effectively and efficiently as
possible. If we are unable to secure BD Arrangements for NGM621 and
our preclinical ophthalmology programs, aldafermin, MK-3655
(NGM313) and NGM936, we may discontinue or abandon any or all of
them altogether, in which case we will not realize any return on
our investments in these programs. Even if we are successful in
securing BD Arrangements for these programs, we will likely have
limited control over the amount and timing of resources that our
partners dedicate to the development or commercialization of the
applicable product candidates. Our ability to generate revenue from
any such BD Arrangement will depend on the specific terms of the BD
Arrangement.
If we are unable to raise adequate additional capital through
public or private equity or debt offerings, BD Arrangements or
otherwise, on acceptable terms or at all, we may be delayed in or
prevented from pursuing our planned and any future development and
commercialization efforts, which will have a material adverse
effect on our business, operating results and prospects, or we may
be required to cease operations altogether.
Cash Flow Activity
The following table summarizes our cash flow activity for the
periods indicated (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
March 31, |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
Net cash provided by (used in): |
|
|
|
Operating activities |
$ |
(41,827) |
|
|
$ |
(35,738) |
|
Investing activities |
35,641 |
|
|
(6,853) |
|
Financing activities |
279 |
|
|
668 |
|
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted
cash |
$ |
(5,907) |
|
|
$ |
(41,923) |
|
Operating Activities
In the three months ended March 31, 2023, net cash used in
operating activities was $41.8 million, which consisted of a net
loss of $47.6 million, adjusted for non-cash charges of
$8.7 million and a change in operating assets and liabilities
of $2.9 million. The non-cash charges consisted primarily of
stock-based compensation expense of $8.5 million. The change in
operating assets and liabilities was mainly driven by a decrease in
accrued liabilities of $13.4 million partially offset by an
increase in the related party receivable of $6.3 million and
an increase in accounts payable of $4.8 million.
In the three months ended March 31, 2022, net cash used in
operating activities was $35.7 million, which consisted of a net
loss of $32.5 million, adjusted for non-cash charges of $10.7
million and a change in operating assets and liabilities of $14.0
million. The non-cash charges consisted primarily of stock-based
compensation expense of $7.8 million, depreciation expense of $1.4
million and amortization of a premium on marketable securities of
$0.5 million. The change in operating assets and liabilities was
mainly driven by decreases in contract liabilities of $12.7 million
and accrued liabilities of $4.7 million, partially offset by an
increase in the related party receivable of $4.8
million.
Investing Activities
In the three months ended March 31, 2023, net cash provided by
investing activities was $35.6 million, which consisted
primarily of $50.8 million in net proceeds on maturity of
marketable securities offset by purchases of marketable securities
of $14.5 million.
In the three months ended March 31, 2022, net cash used in
investing activities was $6.9 million, which consisted
primarily of purchases of marketable securities of
$86.9 million partially offset by $80.3 million in net
proceeds on maturity of marketable securities.
Financing Activities
In both the three months ended March 31, 2023 and
March 31, 2022, net cash provided by financing activities
consisted of proceeds from our employee equity incentive
plans.
Contractual Obligations
We have contractual obligations related to our lease liabilities.
In July 2022, we entered into the 2024 Lease Agreement for the
corporate office space and facilities in South San Francisco,
California that we currently occupy pursuant to a sublease
agreement scheduled to expire on December 31, 2023. The initial
term of the 2024 Lease Agreement will commence on January 1, 2024
and expire on December 31, 2033. Base rent during the initial
ten-year term of the 2024 Lease Agreement will total $124.1
million. See Note 6 to our condensed consolidated financial
statements included in Part I, Item 1,“Financial Statements” of
this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional
information.
We enter into agreements in the normal course of business with CROs
for clinical trials, CMOs and other vendors for preclinical
studies, supplies, manufacturing and other services and products
for operating purposes. These agreements are generally cancellable
at any time by us, upon prior written notice, and may or may not
include cancellation fees. Given that the amount and timing related
to such payments are uncertain, they are not considered to be
contractual obligations. As of March 31, 2023, we had not
accrued for any termination or cancellation charges for any of
these agreements as these were not considered probable. Significant
portions of our R&D resources are focused, and will continue to
be focused, on the manufacture and testing of clinical trial
materials. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources - Funding
Requirements" above for information regarding our expected R&D
spend.
We are obligated to make future payments to third parties under
in-license agreements, including sublicense fees, low single-digit
royalties and payments that become due and payable on the
achievement of certain development and commercialization
milestones. As the amount and timing of sublicense fees and the
achievement and timing of these milestones are not probable and
estimable, such commitments have not been included on our condensed
consolidated balance sheets and are not considered to be
contractual obligations. See "Business - Licensing and
Collaboration Arrangements" in Part I, Item 1 of our 2022 Annual
Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding our
current in-license agreements.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition
and results of operations is based on our condensed consolidated
financial statements, which we have prepared in accordance with
U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. The
preparation of our condensed consolidated financial statements
requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our condensed
consolidated financial statements, as well as revenue and expenses
during the reported periods. We evaluate these estimates and
judgments on an ongoing basis. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we
base our estimates on historical experience and on various other
factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the
results of which form the basis for making judgments about the
carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily
apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ materially
from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We
believe that there have been no significant changes in our critical
accounting policies and estimates disclosed in our 2022 Annual
Report on Form 10-K.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 to our condensed consolidated financial statements
included in Part I, Item 1, “Financial Statements,” of this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a description of recent
accounting pronouncements applicable to our business.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk.
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, there were no
material changes to our market risk disclosures as set forth in
Part II, Item 7A “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About
Market Risk” in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of March 31, 2023, management, with the participation of
our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, performed
an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of
our disclosure controls and
procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that
information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or
submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized
and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules
and forms, and that such information is accumulated and
communicated to our management, including the Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions
regarding required disclosures.
Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and
operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the
desired control objective and management necessarily applies its
judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible
controls and procedures. Based on this evaluation, our Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of
March 31, 2023, the design and operation of our disclosure
controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance
level.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
During the quarter ended March 31, 2023, there have been no
changes to our internal control over financial reporting that have
materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect,
our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II—OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
We are not currently a party to any material litigation or other
material legal proceedings.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk.
You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described
below before deciding whether to make an investment decision with
respect to our common stock. You should also refer to the other
information contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q,
including in Part I, Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in our
condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes, as
well as our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, or SEC. Our business, financial condition, results of
operations, stock price and prospects could be materially and
adversely affected by any of these risks or uncertainties. In any
such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and
you could lose all or part of your investment. We caution you that
the risks, uncertainties and other factors referred to below and
elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q may not contain all
of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that may affect our
future results and operations. Additional risks and uncertainties
not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may
also impair our business operations and the market price of our
common stock. Moreover, new risks will emerge from time to time. It
is not possible for our management to predict all
risks.
Risk Factor Summary
Below is a summary of material factors that make an investment in
our common stock speculative or risky. Importantly, this summary
does not address all of the risks and uncertainties that we
face. Additional discussion of the risks and uncertainties
summarized in this risk factor summary, as well as other risks and
uncertainties that we face, can be found immediately following this
risk factor summary. The below summary is qualified in its
entirety by that more complete discussion of such risks and
uncertainties. You should carefully consider the risks and
uncertainties described immediately following this risk factor
summary as part of your evaluation of an investment in our common
stock.
•We
need to successfully complete rigorous preclinical and clinical
testing of our product candidates before we can seek regulatory
approval, and the regulatory approval processes of the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration, or FDA, and comparable foreign health
authorities are lengthy and inherently unpredictable, and if we are
not successful at each step of the process, commercialization of
our product candidates will be delayed or prevented.
•Our
product candidates are in early stages of development, with our
most advanced product candidates only in Phase 2
development.
•Our
product candidates may fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy in
ongoing and future clinical trials, may never achieve regulatory
approval and may not be able to be successfully commercialized due
to competition or other factors.
•We
have incurred net losses every year since our inception, we have no
source of product revenue, we expect to continue to incur
significant operating losses and we may never become
profitable.
•All
of our revenue for recent periods has been received from a single
collaboration partner, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, or Merck, and
that revenue will continue to be substantially lower in 2023 and
minimal thereafter.
•We
need significant additional capital to proceed with development and
commercialization of our current and potential future product
candidates and to finance our other operations, and that additional
capital may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all;
as a result, we may need to significantly delay, scale back or
discontinue development of or abandon some or all of our product
candidates, or scale back or discontinue our discovery research
efforts, or we may be required to cease operations
altogether.
•We
may depend in the future on collaboration, out licensing,
partnership or other business development arrangements, or BD
Arrangements, with third-party partners for the development and
commercialization of our product candidates and for revenue and, if
we are unable to secure those BD Arrangements, or if any future BD
Arrangements are not successful, we may not be able to capitalize
on the market potential of our product candidates or continue their
development. BD Arrangements involve numerous risks, any of which
could materially and adversely affect our business and financial
condition.
•While
we may opportunistically consider BD Arrangements to advance
development of our key solid tumor oncology programs, we are
actively seeking, or intend to seek, as applicable, BD Arrangements
with third-party partners to progress, in whole or in part, the
development of one or more of our other programs whose further
development is primarily dependent on our ability to secure
potential future BD Arrangements, and if we are unable to secure BD
Arrangements to support these programs, which include NGM621,
aldafermin, MK-3655 (NGM313) and NGM936, we are unlikely to be able
to advance their development unless our portfolio prioritization
changes and we are able to secure the additional capital necessary
to fund such development, and may discontinue or abandon any or all
of these programs altogether, in which case we will not realize any
return on our investments in those programs.
•We
may not be able to obtain and maintain other relationships with
third-party partners and service providers that are necessary to
develop, manufacture and commercialize some or all of our product
candidates.
•We
rely completely on contract manufacturers for the manufacture of
our product candidates and the process of manufacturing, and
conducting release testing for, our biologic product candidates is
complex, highly regulated and subject to many risks, any of which
could substantially increase our costs and limit supply of our
product candidates and any future products needed for clinical
trials and commercialization.
•Our
product candidates other than NGM621 and aldafermin are currently
manufactured at a facility in Lithuania. The ongoing conflict
between Russia and Ukraine and the retaliatory measures taken or
that may be taken by the United States, NATO and others against
Russia create global security concerns, any or all of which could
disrupt our supply chain and adversely affect our ability to
conduct ongoing and future clinical trials of our product
candidates and our ability to raise capital on favorable
terms.
•We
may not successfully identify new product candidates to expand our
development pipeline.
•Our
future success depends in part on our ability to attract and retain
highly skilled employees, including members of our current senior
management team.
•We
face substantial competition, which may result in others
discovering, developing or commercializing products before, or more
successfully than, us.
•Our
business could be materially and adversely affected in the future
by effects of disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics, including
the COVID-19 pandemic.
•Our
success depends in significant part upon our ability to obtain and
maintain intellectual property protection for our products and
technologies.
•Our
principal stockholders, including entities affiliated with The
Column Group, Merck and our management, own a substantial
percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant
control over matters subject to stockholder approval.
•We
or third parties we rely on or partner with could experience a
cybersecurity incident that could harm our business.
•The
market price of our common stock has been and may continue to be
volatile, and you could lose all or part of your
investment.
•We
continue to incur increased costs as a result of operating as a
public company and our management devotes substantial time to
public company compliance initiatives; for example, we are
obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal
control over financial reporting and to comply with the
requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital
Needs
We have incurred net losses every year since our inception and have
no source of product revenue. We expect to continue to incur
significant operating losses and may never become
profitable.
We have no products approved for commercial sale and have not
generated any revenue from product sales to date. As a result, we
are not profitable and have incurred losses in each year since
commencing operations. Our net losses were $162.7 million, $120.3
million and $102.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2022,
2021 and 2020, respectively. As of March 31, 2023, we had an
accumulated deficit of $629.3 million.
We expect to continue to incur significant research and
development, or R&D, and other expenses related to our ongoing
operations for the foreseeable future, particularly to fund R&D
of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates. We
incurred substantial net operating losses in 2022 and expect to
continue to incur significant operating losses in 2023 and over the
next several years as our research, development, manufacturing,
preclinical studies, clinical trial and related activities
increase. We expect our accumulated deficit will also
increase
in future periods. The size of our future net losses will depend,
in part, on the amount of our expenses and our ability to generate
revenue. All of our revenue from recent periods has been provided
under our collaboration with Merck under the amended and restated
research collaboration, product development and license agreement
we entered into with Merck on June 30, 2021, or the Amended
Collaboration Agreement. That revenue will be substantially lower
in 2023 than in 2022 and prior years and minimal thereafter. See
the risk factor titled “All
of our revenue for recent periods has been received from a single
collaboration partner, and that revenue will continue to be
substantially lower going forward as compared to historical
periods.”
Our prior losses and expected future losses have had and will
continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and
working capital.
In addition, we will not be able to generate product revenue unless
and until one of our product candidates successfully completes
clinical trials, receives regulatory approval and is successfully
commercialized. As our product candidates are in Phase 2 trials or
in earlier stages of development, we do not expect to receive
product revenue from our product candidates for a number of years,
if ever.
Our ability to generate any product revenue from our current or
future product candidates also depends on a number of additional
factors, including our ability or the ability of any potential
future third-party partner to:
•successfully
complete research and clinical development of current and future
product candidates and obtain regulatory approval for those product
candidates;
•establish
and maintain supply and manufacturing relationships with third
parties, and ensure adequate, scaled up and legally compliant
manufacturing of bulk drug substances and drug products to maintain
sufficient supply;
•launch
and commercialize any product candidates for which marketing
approval is obtained, if any, and, if launched independently by us
without a partner, successfully establish a sales force and
marketing and distribution infrastructure;
•demonstrate
the necessary safety data (and, if accelerated approval is
obtained, verify the clinical benefit) post-approval to ensure
continued regulatory approval;
•obtain
coverage and adequate product reimbursement from third-party
payors, including government payors, for any approved
products;
•achieve
market acceptance for any approved products;
•establish,
maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights;
and
•attract,
hire and retain qualified personnel.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with
pharmaceutical product development, including that our product
candidates may not advance through development or be approved for
commercial sale, we are unable to predict if or when we will
generate product revenue or achieve or maintain
profitability.
Even if we successfully complete development and regulatory
processes for any product candidates that we take forward, we
anticipate incurring significant costs associated with launching
and commercializing any products. If we fail to become profitable
or do not sustain profitability on a continuing basis, we may be
unable to continue our operations at planned levels and be forced
to reduce or cease our operations.
All of our revenue for recent periods has been received from a
single collaboration partner, and that revenue will continue to be
substantially lower going forward as compared to historical
periods.
We do not have any committed external source of funds, other than
pursuant to our collaboration with Merck, which has provided us
with substantial financial support since 2015. However, as
described under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations-Overview of Our
Business-Business Development and Merck Collaboration Updates” in
Part I, Item 2 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, in 2023 the
R&D funding we receive from Merck under the collaboration will
continue to be substantially lower on an annual basis than the
research funding previously provided by Merck. In this regard, for
the period that started on April 1, 2023 and ends on March 31,
2024, we expect to receive funding of only approximately
$4.0 million in the aggregate from Merck for the ongoing
activities under the Amended Collaboration Agreement and for
certain costs and reimbursements related to the NGM621 program.
Funding from Merck after December 31, 2023 is expected to be
minimal.
In any event, we need to devote a substantial amount of our own
financial resources to our R&D programs, particularly with
respect to our wholly-owned programs that now include all of our
ophthalmology programs and MK-3655 (NGM313). In addition, our
funding requirements would increase for any preclinical programs
that remain within the scope of the collaboration in the event
Merck does not elect to license these programs and we decide to
continue them, in the event Merck elects to terminate its license
to any program it licenses and we decide to continue it or in the
event we opt to co-develop any Merck-licensed programs. For
example, as a result of Merck’s decision not to exercise its option
to license NGM621 and its related compounds, as described below,
NGM621 and its related compounds are now wholly-owned by us.
Further development of NGM621 is primarily dependent on our ability
to secure potential future BD Arrangements with third-party
partners and, in the absence of such BD Arrangements, we are
unlikely to be able to advance development of NGM621 unless our
portfolio prioritization changes and we are able to secure the
additional capital necessary to fund such development. In addition,
as a result of Merck's decision to terminate its license to MK-3655
(NGM313) and its related compounds, the license rights granted to
Merck in 2018 with respect to MK-3655 (NGM313) reverted to us and
the program is now wholly-owned by us. Further development of
MK-3655 (NGM313) is also primarily dependent on our ability to
secure potential future BD Arrangements and, in the absence of such
BD Arrangements, we are unlikely to be able to advance development
of MK-3655 (NGM313) unless our portfolio prioritization changes and
we are able to secure the additional capital necessary to fund such
development.
Other than our Amended Collaboration Agreement with Merck, which is
limited in scope and duration, and may be unilaterally terminated
by Merck under certain circumstances, we are not party to any
agreements that could provide us with future revenue. Accordingly,
in order to advance our current and potential future product
candidates through development and to regulatory approval and
commercialization, we need to raise significant additional capital
and/or we will need to enter into BD Arrangements to obtain funding
or other resources for one or more of our wholly-owned programs.
Neither may be possible and, as a result, we may need to
significantly delay, scale back or discontinue development of or
abandon some or all of our product candidates, or scale back or
discontinue our discovery research efforts, any of which could have
a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and
prospects, or we may be required to cease operations
altogether.
We need significant additional capital to proceed with development
and commercialization of our current and potential future product
candidates and our other operations. We may not be able to access
sufficient capital on acceptable terms, if at all, and, as a
result, we may need to significantly delay, scale back or
discontinue development of or abandon some or all of our product
candidates, or scale back or discontinue our discovery research
efforts, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our
business, operating results and prospects, or we may be required to
cease operations altogether.
As an R&D company, our operations have consumed substantial
amounts of cash since inception, and we need substantial additional
capital to finance our operations and pursue our strategy, both in
the short and the long term, and the amount of funding we will need
depends on many factors, including:
•the
initiation, progress, timing, delays, costs and results of
preclinical studies and clinical trials for our current and future
product candidates;
•the
outcome, timing and cost of seeking and obtaining regulatory
approvals from the FDA and comparable foreign health authorities,
including the potential for such authorities to require that we
perform more studies than those that we currently expect or to
change their requirements on studies that had previously been
agreed to;
•the
cost to establish, maintain, expand, enforce 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 licensing, preparing, filing,
prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patents or other
intellectual property rights;
•the
cost and timing of selecting, auditing and potentially validating a
manufacturing site for later-stage clinical and commercial-scale
manufacturing;
•the
effect of products that may compete with our product candidates or
other market developments;
•market
acceptance of any approved product candidates, including product
pricing and product reimbursement by third-party
payors;
•whether
Merck exercises its option to license any preclinical candidates
that remain within the scope of the collaboration at the license
option point as specified in the Amended Collaboration Agreement
for each such candidate;
•whether
Merck terminates the research phase of the collaboration under
pre-specified circumstances set forth in the Amended Collaboration
Agreement or terminates a program that it has licensed, such as its
decision to terminate its license for MK-3655 (NGM313) and its
related compounds;
•the
cost of potentially acquiring, licensing or investing in additional
businesses, products, product candidates and technologies;
and
•the
cost of establishing sales, marketing and distribution capabilities
for any of our product candidates for which we may receive
regulatory approval and that we determine to commercialize
ourselves or in collaboration with partners.
We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term
marketable securities will be sufficient to fund our operations for
at least twelve months from the date this Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q is filed. Moreover, based on our current development plans and
related assumptions, we believe our current cash position is
sufficient to fund our key solid tumor oncology programs through
generation of proof-of-concept data. We have based these estimates
on plans and assumptions that may prove to be insufficient or
inaccurate (for example, with respect to anticipated costs, timing
or success of certain activities), and we could utilize our
available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. For
example, although we implemented a workforce restructuring in the
second quarter of 2023 as part of our broader efforts designed to
reduce our operating expenses, we may not achieve the expected
benefits of our cost preservation efforts on the expected timeline,
or at all, and we could otherwise consume capital more rapidly than
we currently anticipate. In addition, our forecast of the period of
time through which our financial resources will be adequate to
support our operations is a forward-looking statement that involves
risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary materially
as a result of a number of factors, including the factors discussed
elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section.
We plan to finance our future cash needs through public or private
equity or debt offerings, including under the Open Market Sale
AgreementSM,
or the Sales Agreement, we entered into with Jefferies LLC in June
2020, BD Arrangements or a combination of these potential financing
sources. Additional capital may not be available in sufficient
amounts, on reasonable terms or when we need it, if at all. While
the long-term economic impact of either the COVID-19 pandemic or
the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is difficult to assess or
predict, each of these events has caused significant disruptions to
the global financial markets and contributed to a general global
economic slowdown. Furthermore, inflation rates, particularly in
the United States and the U.K., have increased recently to levels
not seen in decades. Increased inflation may result in increased
operating costs (including labor costs) and may affect our
operating budgets. In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve has
raised, and is expected to further raise, interest rates in
response to concerns about inflation. Increases in interest rates,
especially if coupled with reduced government spending and
volatility in financial markets, may further increase economic
uncertainty and heighten these risks. Moreover, the recent closures
of Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, and Signature Bank have resulted in
broader financial institution liquidity risk and concerns. Although
as of March 31, 2023, we had only approximately $6.0 million in
deposits and other accounts with SVB, which is now a division of
First Citizens Bank, consisting of $4.0 million in letters of
credit related to our facilities lease and approximately $1.9
million held in a sweep account used to purchase shares in
money-market funds through SVB, and we incurred no losses as a
result of the closure of SVB, future adverse developments with
respect to specific financial institutions or the broader financial
services industry may lead to market-wide liquidity shortages that
could materially harm our business and financial condition. In this
regard, we continue to maintain our cash at SVB and other banks,
often in balances that exceed the current FDIC insurance limits,
and the failure of any bank in which we deposit our funds could
reduce the amount of cash we have available for our operations or
delay our ability to access such funds. Any such failure may
increase the possibility of a sustained deterioration of financial
market liquidity, or illiquidity at clearing, cash management
and/or custodial financial institutions. In the event we have a
commercial relationship with a bank that has failed or is otherwise
distressed, we may experience delays or other issues in meeting our
financial obligations. If other banks and financial institutions
fail or become insolvent in the future in response to financial
conditions affecting the banking system and financial markets, our
ability to access our cash, cash equivalents and investments,
including transferring funds, making payments or receiving funds
may be threatened and our ability to raise additional capital could
be substantially impaired, any of which could materially and
adversely affect our business and financial condition. In any
event, if the financial market disruptions and economic slowdown
deepen or persist, we may not be able to access additional capital
on favorable terms, or at all, which could negatively affect our
financial condition and our ability to pursue our business
strategy.
If adequate funds are not available from public or private equity
or debt offerings on acceptable terms, in order to continue the
development of product candidates outside of the scope of the
collaboration with Merck we may need to:
•seek
strategic alliances for R&D programs when we otherwise would
not, at an earlier stage than we would otherwise desire or on terms
less favorable than might otherwise be available; or
•enter
into BD Arrangements that could require us to relinquish, or
license, on potentially unfavorable terms, our rights to
intellectual property, product candidates or products that we
otherwise would develop or seek to commercialize
ourselves.
In this regard, due to the need to conserve capital and prioritize
focused execution, we are actively seeking, or intend to seek, as
applicable, BD Arrangements with third-party partners with
sufficient resources and relevant domain expertise in order to
further the clinical development, if any, of NGM621, aldafermin,
MK-3655 (NGM313) and NGM936. Further development of these programs,
which are in therapeutic areas where clinical development is
relatively resource intensive and can have long timelines to
generate proof-of-concept data, is primarily dependent on our
ability to secure potential future BD Arrangements. However, we may
not be able to enter into such BD Arrangements on acceptable terms,
if at all. We face significant competition in seeking appropriate
partners. Whether we reach a definitive agreement for a BD
Arrangement will depend, among other things, upon the potential
partner’s evaluation of the subject product candidate and its
market opportunity, our assessment of the partner’s resources and
expertise and the terms and conditions of the potential BD
Arrangement. In the absence of such BD Arrangements for these
programs, we are unlikely to be able to advance their development
unless our portfolio prioritization changes and we are able to
secure the additional capital necessary to fund such
development.
We are also restricted under our existing Amended Collaboration
Agreement with Merck, and may be restricted under future BD
Arrangements, from entering into additional agreements on certain
terms with potential partners. For example, under the current terms
of the Amended Collaboration Agreement, we may not directly or
indirectly research, develop, manufacture or commercialize, except
pursuant to the Amended Collaboration Agreement, any medicine or
product candidate that modulates a target then subject to the
collaboration with specified activity. In addition, under the
Amended Collaboration Agreement, we are prohibited from, directly
or indirectly, researching, developing or commercializing any
product for the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection
fraction, or HFpEF, during the research phase for the
cardiovascular or metabolic-, or CVM-, related
programs.
We may not be able to raise adequate additional capital or
negotiate potential future BD Arrangements on a timely basis, on
acceptable terms or at all. If we are unable to do so, we may need
to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue development of or
abandon some or all of our product candidates, or scale back or
discontinue our discovery research efforts, any of which could have
a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and
prospects, or we may be required to cease operations
altogether.
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing
stockholders, lead to restrictions on our operations or require us
to relinquish rights to our product candidates or intellectual
property.
If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our
stockholders may experience dilution. Debt financing, if available,
may involve restrictive covenants. Any debt financing or additional
equity that we raise may contain terms that are not favorable to us
or our stockholders. Our ability to raise capital may be adversely
impacted by the trading prices of our common stock following the
announcement in October 2022 that the CATALINA trial did not meet
its primary endpoint. Furthermore, any securities that we may issue
may have rights senior to those of our common stock and could
contain covenants or protective rights that would lead to
restrictions on our operations and potentially impair our
competitiveness, such as limitations on our ability to incur
additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or
license intellectual property rights and other operating
restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our
business.
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
Funding from Merck under the collaboration after December 31, 2023
is expected to be minimal, and we may never realize the anticipated
benefits to us of the collaboration.
As described in more detail under “Business-Licensing and
Collaboration Arrangements-Merck Collaboration” in Part I, Item 1
of our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K and under “Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations-Overview of Our Business-Business Development and Merck
Collaboration Updates” in Part I, Item 2 of this Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q, our continuing Merck collaboration involves a complex
allocation of rights, provides for certain limited R&D funding
and, for remaining collaboration preclinical candidates for which
Merck exercises its license option, if any, provides us with either
milestone payments based on the achievement of specified clinical
development, regulatory and commercial milestones and royalty-based
revenue if certain product candidates are successfully
commercialized or a cost and
profit share arrangement with the possibility that we would provide
sales representatives to co-detail the product candidates that
Merck elects to advance in the United States.
The level of R&D funding we expect to receive from Merck will
be limited and will continue to be substantially lower on an annual
basis than the funding previously provided by Merck. In this
regard, for the period that started on April 1, 2023 and ends on
March 31, 2024, we expect to receive funding of only approximately
$4.0 million in the aggregate from Merck for the ongoing
activities under the Amended Collaboration Agreement and for
certain costs and reimbursements related to the NGM621 program.
Funding from Merck after December 31, 2023 is expected to be
minimal.
In addition, in January 2023, we announced that Merck notified us
of its decision to terminate the Phase 2b trial of MK-3655 (NGM313)
in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, and liver
fibrosis stage 2 or 3, or F2/F3, and Merck subsequently provided us
with the required 90-days' notice of partial termination of the
Amended Collaboration Agreement as it relates to MK-3655
(NGM313)and its related compounds. As a result, in April 2023, the
license rights granted to Merck in 2018 with respect to MK-3655
(NGM313) reverted to us and the program is now wholly-owned by us.
Further development of MK-3655 (NGM313) is primarily dependent on
our ability to secure potential future BD Arrangements. We have not
yet received the full set of clinical data from the terminated
Phase 2b trial from Merck, other than the topline data previously
disclosed, and we will need to access and analyze that data in
order to pursue such BD Arrangements. In the absence of such BD
Arrangements, we are unlikely to be able to advance development of
MK-3655 (NGM313) unless our portfolio prioritization changes and we
are able to secure the additional capital necessary to fund such
development.
Similarly, in October 2022, we announced that our Phase 2 CATALINA
trial evaluating NGM621 in patients with geographic atrophy, or GA,
secondary to age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, did not meet
its primary endpoint and, in December 2022, Merck notified us that
it would not exercise its option to license NGM621 and its related
compounds or the related ophthalmology bundle option and, as a
result, those options expired unexercised in January 2023. Further,
Merck did not elect for us to continue to conduct R&D on any
compounds from our other ophthalmology programs that were subject
to the collaboration, which are preclinical and directed to
undisclosed targets. Such an election would have resulted in an
extended or tail period in which Merck would continue to fund our
R&D of such ophthalmology compounds. Because Merck did not make
such an election, we do not have any funding from Merck to pursue
such ophthalmology programs after we complete certain wind down
activities related to NGM621, and if we choose to develop these
programs further, we will be responsible for funding them. As a
result, while our ophthalmology programs, including NGM621, are now
wholly-owned by us, further development of those programs is
primarily dependent on our ability to secure potential future BD
Arrangements and, in the absence of such BD Arrangements, we are
unlikely to be able to advance development of NGM621 or the
preclinical ophthalmology programs unless our portfolio
prioritization changes and we are able to secure the additional
capital necessary to fund such development.
We do not know whether Merck will elect to exercise its option to
license any CVM-related preclinical candidates that remain subject
to the collaboration. Accordingly, the anticipated benefits to us
of the collaboration with Merck may never be realized and it is
possible that the Amended Collaboration Agreement will be
terminated without Merck exercising its option to license any other
programs or product candidates.
Moreover, under the Amended Collaboration Agreement, Merck has the
unilateral right to terminate all or part of the agreement at
certain times and under certain circumstances. Merck also may
unilaterally terminate its R&D funding for programs that remain
within the scope of the collaboration if we are acquired by a third
party or in the event of an uncured material breach by us. Subject
to certain limitations, Merck may partially terminate the Amended
Collaboration Agreement for convenience as it relates to any future
licensed program, as they did with respect to MK-3655 (NGM313) in
April 2023 and with respect to our growth differentiation factor
15, or GDF15, agonist program, which included product candidates
NGM395 and NGM386, in 2019. Merck may also unilaterally terminate
the Amended Collaboration Agreement as it relates to its rights to
research and develop small molecule compounds. It may also
unilaterally terminate the Amended Collaboration Agreement with
respect to a specific licensed program in the event of an uncured
material breach by us. If Merck terminates a program as a result of
our uncured material breach, then we would lose our option to
participate in a global cost and profit share arrangement if not
yet exercised as of the time of termination and lose our
co-detailing option (whether or not exercised as of that time) for
the relevant licensed program.
If Merck terminates funding or terminates the Amended Collaboration
Agreement, it could delay or preclude our ability to further our
CVM-related research programs, which could materially and adversely
affect our business. In addition, in the event that Merck decides
to take over any CVM-related preclinical candidates that remain
within the scope of the collaboration for development during any
tail period, or exercises its license option for any such
preclinical candidate, we could be subject to disputes with Merck
with respect to their obligation to use commercially
reasonable efforts with respect to the development and
commercialization of the affected product candidate, and we could
otherwise be subject to disputes with Merck over the scope of the
parties’ respective rights under the Amended Collaboration
Agreement, any of which could delay or preclude the development or
commercialization of the affected product candidate and involve us
in costly and time-consuming arbitration and litigation, which
could divert management attention and resources and otherwise
negatively affect our business and operations.
We may depend in the future on BD Arrangements with third-party
partners for the development and commercialization of our product
candidates and for revenue. If we are unable to secure those BD
Arrangements on beneficial terms, if at all, or if any such future
arrangements are not successful, we may not be able to capitalize
on the market potential of our product candidates or continue their
development.
Pursuing BD arrangements has been and is expected to continue to be
a key component of our strategy, and we are actively seeking, or
intend to seek, as applicable, BD Arrangements with third-party
partners to progress, in whole or in part, the development of one
or more of our product candidates. While we may opportunistically
consider BD Arrangements to advance development of our key solid
tumor oncology programs, the further development of other programs
in our pipeline, including NGM621, aldafermin, MK-3655
(NGM313) and
NGM936, is primarily dependent on our ability to secure potential
future BD Arrangements for these programs. Due to the need to
conserve capital and prioritize focused execution and unless our
portfolio prioritization changes, if we are unable to secure BD
Arrangements for these programs on beneficial terms, if at all, we
are unlikely to be able to advance their development unless our
portfolio prioritization changes and we are able to secure the
additional capital necessary to fund such development, and may
discontinue or abandon any or all of these programs altogether, in
which case we will not realize any return on our investments in
these programs. Even if we are successful in entering into any BD
Arrangements with third-party partners for our programs, we will
likely have limited control over the amount and timing of resources
that our partners dedicate to the development or commercialization
of the applicable product candidates. Our ability to generate
revenue from any such arrangement will depend on the specific
financial terms we reach with any partner, as well as each of our
partners’ abilities to successfully perform the functions assigned
to them in such arrangement towards developing, seeking regulatory
approval for and commercializing our product
candidates.
BD Arrangements involving our product candidates pose risks to us,
including the following:
•Partners
have significant discretion in determining the efforts and
resources that they will apply to these arrangements. For example,
under the terms of the collaboration with Merck, if Merck exercises
its option to acquire an exclusive license for any CVM-related
preclinical candidate that remains within the scope of the
collaboration, our ability to influence the resources Merck devotes
to such candidate are substantially reduced until such time, if
any, that we exercise our right to participate in a cost and profit
share arrangement. Even after we exercise that right to participate
in a cost and profit share arrangement, our ability to influence
Merck will be limited.
•Partners
might opt not to pursue development and commercialization of our
product candidates or not to continue or renew development or
commercialization programs based on clinical trial results, changes
in the partner’s strategic focus or available funding or external
factors, such as an acquisition that diverts resources or creates
competing priorities. For example, in June 2021, we and Merck
entered into the Amended Collaboration Agreement that covers a
narrower scope, focused primarily on ophthalmology- and CVM-related
therapeutic areas, than had been covered under the original
collaboration agreement we entered into with Merck in 2015. In
addition, under the terms of the Amended Collaboration Agreement,
it is possible for Merck to unilaterally terminate any other future
licensed program, if any, (whether or not we have exercised our
cost and profit share option) upon prior written notice, such as it
did for NGM386 and NGM395 in 2019 and most recently for MK-3655
(NGM313), without triggering a termination of the remainder of the
Amended Collaboration Agreement. Moreover, Merck might also opt not
to designate any collaboration preclinical candidates for further
development during the tail period following the end of the
research phase or exercise any of its options to acquire a license
to a product candidate, as it did with respect to the preclinical
ophthalmology product candidates.
•Partners
may delay clinical trials, provide insufficient funding for a
clinical trial program, request the suspension or termination of a
clinical trial or abandon a product candidate, repeat or conduct
new clinical trials or require a new formulation of a product
candidate for clinical testing.
•Partners
could independently develop, or develop with third parties,
products that compete directly or indirectly with our product
candidates if the partners believe that competitive products are
more likely to be successfully developed or can be commercialized
under terms that are more economically attractive than
ours.
•A
partner with marketing and distribution rights might not commit
sufficient resources to the marketing and distribution of our
product candidates.
•Partners
might not properly maintain or defend our intellectual property
rights or may use our proprietary information in such a way as to
invite litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our
proprietary information or expose us to potential
litigation.
•Disputes
may arise between the partners and us that result in the delay or
termination of the research, development or commercialization of
our product candidates or that result in costly litigation or
arbitration that diverts management attention and
resources.
•We
may lose certain valuable rights under circumstances identified in
our BD Arrangements, including, in the case of our collaboration
with Merck, if we undergo a change in control.
•BD
Arrangements might be terminated and, if terminated, may result in
a need for additional capital to pursue further development or
commercialization of the applicable product
candidates.
•BD
Arrangements might not lead to development or commercialization of
product candidates in the most efficient manner, or at all. If a
present or future partner of ours were to be involved in a business
combination, the continued pursuit of and emphasis on our product
development or commercialization program under such arrangement
could be delayed, diminished or terminated.
We may not be able to obtain and maintain the relationships with
third parties that are necessary to develop, commercialize and
manufacture some or all of our product candidates.
In addition to our dependence on any potential future partners, we
expect to depend on other third parties, including contract
research organizations, or CROs, clinical data management
organizations, clinical investigators, contract manufacturing
organizations/contract development and manufacturing organizations,
or CMOs, and other third-party partners and service providers to
support our discovery efforts, to formulate product candidates, to
conduct our clinical trials and certain aspects of our research and
preclinical studies, to manufacture clinical and commercial-scale
quantities of our drug substances and drug products and to market,
sell and distribute any products we successfully develop and for
which we obtain regulatory approval. Any problems we experience
with any of these third parties could delay our research efforts or
the development, manufacturing or commercialization of our product
candidates or any future products, which could harm our results of
operations. For more information, see the risk factors
titled
“We rely completely on CMOs for the manufacture of our product
candidates, and we are subject to many manufacturing risks, any of
which could substantially increase our costs and limit supply of
our product candidates and any future products"
and
“We have no experience in sales, marketing and distribution and may
have to enter into agreements with third parties to perform these
functions, which could prevent us from successfully commercializing
our product candidates.”
We cannot guarantee that we or, as applicable, any of our partners
will be able to successfully negotiate agreements for, and maintain
relationships with, third-party partners and service providers on
favorable terms, if at all. If we or any of our partners are unable
to obtain and maintain these agreements, we may not be able to
clinically develop, formulate, manufacture, obtain regulatory
approvals for or commercialize our product candidates, which will,
in turn, adversely affect our business. If we or any of our
partners need to enter into alternative arrangements, it would
delay our product development and, if applicable, commercialization
activities and such alternative arrangements may not be available
on terms acceptable to us.
We expect to continue to expend substantial management time and
effort to enter into relationships with third parties and, if we
successfully enter into such relationships, to manage these
relationships. In addition, our reliance on these third parties for
R&D activities reduces our control over these activities but
does not relieve us of our responsibilities. For example, we remain
responsible for ensuring that each of our clinical trials is
conducted in accordance with the general investigational plan and
protocols for the trial. However, we cannot control the amount or
timing of resources our partners will devote to our R&D
programs, product candidates or potential product candidates, and
we cannot guarantee that these parties will fulfill their
obligations to us under these arrangements in a timely fashion, if
at all. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their
contractual duties, meet expected deadlines or conduct our clinical
trials or other R&D activities in accordance with regulatory
requirements, we will not be able to obtain, or may be delayed in
obtaining, marketing approvals for our product candidates and will
not be able to, or may be delayed in our efforts to, successfully
commercialize any approved products. In addition, we base our
expense accruals related to clinical trials on our estimates of the
services received and efforts expended pursuant to contracts with
multiple research institutions and CROs that conduct and manage
clinical trials on our behalf and, if their estimates are not
accurate, it could negatively affect the accuracy of our financial
statements.
Any agreements we have or may enter into with third-party partners
and service providers may give rise to disputes regarding the
rights and obligations of the parties. Disagreements could develop
over contract interpretation, rights to ownership or use of
intellectual property, the scope and direction of R&D, the
approach for regulatory approvals or commercialization strategy. We
are conducting research programs in a range of therapeutic areas,
and our pursuit of these opportunities could result in conflicts
with the other parties to these agreements that may be developing
or selling pharmaceuticals or conducting other activities in these
same therapeutic areas. Any disputes or commercial conflicts could
lead to the termination of our agreements, delay progress of our
product development programs, compromise our ability to renew
agreements or obtain future agreements, lead to the loss of
intellectual property rights, result in increased financial
obligations for us or result in costly and time-consuming
arbitration or litigation.
In addition, we are less knowledgeable about the reputation and
quality of third-party contractors in countries outside of the
United States where we conduct discovery research or preclinical
and clinical development and manufacturing of our product
candidates and, therefore, we may not choose the best parties for
these relationships.
We rely completely on CMOs for the manufacture of our product
candidates, and we are subject to many manufacturing risks, any of
which could substantially increase our costs and limit supply of
our product candidates and any future products.
We have limited process development capabilities and require the
services of third-party CMOs to provide additional process
development and manufacturing capabilities. We do not have, and we
do not currently plan to acquire or develop, the facilities or
capabilities to manufacture bulk drug substance or filled drug
product for use in clinical trials or commercialization. As a
result, we rely completely on CMOs, which entails risks to which we
would not be subject if we manufactured product candidates or
products ourselves, including risks related to reliance on third
parties for availability of drug product to use in our clinical
trials and for regulatory compliance and quality assurance with
respect to such drug product, the possibility of breach of the
manufacturing agreement by third parties because of factors beyond
our control (including a failure to manufacture our product
candidates or any products we may eventually commercialize in
accordance with our specifications) and the possibility of
termination or nonrenewal of agreements by third parties, based on
their own business priorities, at a time that is costly or damaging
to us.
Our product candidates are biologics, and the manufacture of
biologic products is complex, highly regulated and requires
significant expertise and capital investment, including the
development of advanced manufacturing techniques and process
controls. As a result, the manufacture of our product candidates is
subject to many risks, including the following, some of which we
have experienced:
•product
loss or other negative consequences due to contamination, equipment
failure, improper installation or operation of equipment, vendor or
operator error, shortages of qualified personnel or improper
delivery or storage conditions;
•difficulties
with production costs and yields, quality control, product
stability and quality assurance testing, including challenges
related to bioanalytical method development and the qualification
and implementation of those methods for release testing, which can
delay availability of clinical trial materials;
•the
negative consequences of failure to comply with strictly enforced
federal, state and foreign regulations;
•minor
deviations from normal manufacturing processes, which have in the
past and may in the future result in reduced production yields,
product defects and other supply disruptions;
•the
presence of microbial, viral or other contaminants discovered in
our product candidates or in the manufacturing facilities in which
they are made, which can necessitate closure of facilities for an
extended period of time to investigate and eliminate the
contamination;
•the
negative consequences of our CMOs’ failure to qualify upon an audit
by regulatory authorities, by us or by our
collaborators;
•our
CMOs’ changing strategies and business priorities, which can affect
the availability of facilities where we intend to manufacture our
product candidates; and
•our
CMOs or their manufacturing facilities being adversely affected by
labor, raw material and component shortages, turnover of qualified
staff or financial difficulties of their owners or operators,
including as a result of the effects of financial market
disruptions and economic slowdowns, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,
or by natural disasters, power failures, local political unrest or
other factors.
We cannot ensure that issues relating to the manufacture or testing
of our product candidates, such as those described above, will not
occur or continue to occur in the future and if we or our CMOs
experience any such issues there could be a shortage of drug
substance or drug product for use in our clinical trials, which
could delay clinical and regulatory timelines significantly and
have an adverse effect on our business.
In addition, to date our product candidates have been manufactured
by CMOs solely for preclinical studies and relatively small
clinical trials. We intend to continue to use CMOs for these
purposes, and also for the supply of larger quantities that may be
required to conduct accelerated or expanded early clinical trials
or larger, later clinical trials and for commercialization if we
advance any of our product candidates through regulatory approval
and to commercialization. These manufacturers may not have
sufficient manufacturing capacity and may not be able to scale up
the production of drug substance or drug product in the quantities
we need and at the level of quality required in a timely or
effective manner, or at all. In particular, there is increased
competition in the biotechnology industry for CMO manufacturing
slots and other capabilities generally, which has had, and may
continue to have, a negative impact on the availability of
manufacturing capacity and therefore our ability to supply clinical
trial materials for planned, ongoing or expanded clinical
trials.
The transfer of our small-scale manufacturing processes to CMOs for
scale up and validation and any later scale up and validation of
the manufacturing process in the CMOs’ facilities to manufacture
larger quantities, involve difficult and complex processes. We may
not be successful in transferring our production system to a CMO,
either because it is unable to implement the process successfully
in its facilities or for other reasons. Later scale-up activities
are also difficult and costly and entail risks such as process
reproducibility, stability, consistency and other technical
challenges. If we are unable to adequately validate or scale up the
manufacturing processes for our product candidates, we would need
to undertake a transfer to another third party and repeat the
manufacturing validation process, which can be expensive and
time-consuming and could delay the initiation or completion of our
clinical trials.
Similarly, we or our CMOs may make changes to our product
candidates’ manufacturing processes at various points in product
development for many reasons, including scaling up, facility fit,
raw material or component availability, decreasing costs or timing
of production, improving processing robustness and reliability,
decreasing processing times or others. Such changes require further
validation and may have unintended consequences, which could
include causing our product candidates to perform differently when
administered in clinical trials and affecting clinical trial
results. In some circumstances, we may be required to perform
comparability or other studies to demonstrate that the product used
in earlier clinical trials or at earlier stages of a trial are
comparable to the product we intend to use in later trials or later
stages of an ongoing trial. These efforts are expensive and there
is no assurance that they will be successful, which could impact
our ability to continue or initiate clinical trials in a timely
manner, or at all.
Any future adverse developments affecting manufacturing operations
or the scale up or validation of manufacturing processes for our
product candidates may result in shipment delays, lot failures,
clinical trial delays or discontinuations, or, if we are
commercializing products, inventory shortages, product withdrawals
or recalls or other interruptions in supply. We may also have to
record inventory write-offs and incur other charges and expenses
for drug substance or drug product that fails to meet
specifications or cannot be used before its expiration date. In
addition, for out of specification materials, we may need to
undertake costly remediation efforts or manufacture new batches at
considerable cost and time delays or, in the longer run, seek more
expensive manufacturing alternatives.
We also have a single source of supply for most of our product
candidates, including the drug substances used in manufacturing
them. Single sourcing minimizes our leverage with our CMOs, who may
take advantage of our reliance on them to increase the pricing of
their manufacturing services or require us to change our intended
manufacturing plans based on their strategies and priorities.
Single sourcing also imposes a risk of interruption or delays in
supply in the event of manufacturing, quality or compliance
difficulties and/or other difficulties in timely supplying us with
materials. For example, our investigational new drug application,
or IND, submissions for NGM438 and NGM831 were delayed due to
challenges at one of our CMOs, primarily related to analytical
method qualification and release testing for those product
candidates. It is possible that we could experience further
supply-related delays that would adversely affect our ability to
commence first-in-human testing of product candidates on our
anticipated timing. Moreover, we do not currently have arrangements
in place for redundant supply for drug substance or drug product.
If one of our suppliers fails or refuses to supply us for any
reason or we otherwise choose to engage a new supplier for one or
more of our product candidates, including a second source supplier
to mitigate the risks of single-source supply, it would take a
significant amount of time and cost to implement and execute the
necessary technology transfer to, and qualification of, a new
supplier. The FDA or comparable foreign health authority must
approve manufacturers of drug substance and drug product. If there
are any delays in qualifying new suppliers or facilities or a new
supplier is unable to meet the requirements of the FDA or
comparable
foreign health authority for approval, there could be a shortage of
drug substance or drug product for use in clinical trials with
respect to the affected product candidates which would adversely
affect our ability to continue and complete clinical trials on our
anticipated timing or at all.
Our product candidates use certain raw materials for their
production, such as reagents that support cell growth, purification
materials and testing and manufacturing supplies. Some of these
materials only have a single supplier and are purchased as
necessary without a long-term supply agreement in place. In
addition, our drug products may require the use of syringe or other
components, some of which have been the subject of shortages
amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic due to their use in, among other
things, COVID-19 vaccine production. If our CMOs are required to
obtain an alternative source of certain raw materials and
components, additional testing, validation activities and
regulatory approvals may be required, which may negatively impact
manufacturing and other development timelines. For example, one of
our CMOs experienced shortages of the specific cell culture media
used to manufacture one of our products due to global supply chain
challenges and, while we have been successful in obtaining a
replacement product, these types of substitutions may require
additional and unplanned testing, qualification or validation
activities. Any significant delay in the acquisition or decrease in
the availability of these materials, components or other items, or
failure to successfully qualify or validate alternative materials
or components, could considerably delay the manufacture of our
product candidates, which could adversely impact the timing or
completion of any ongoing and planned trials or the timing of
regulatory approvals, if any, of our product
candidates.
In addition, our CMOs’ facilities and operations have been
adversely affected by labor, raw material and component shortages,
high turnover of staff and difficulties in hiring trained and
qualified replacement staff and the operations of our CMOs may be
requisitioned, diverted or allocated by U.S. or foreign government
orders such as under emergency, disaster and civil defense
declarations in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise.
For a discussion of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected or may
affect drug or related component supplies for our clinical trials,
refer to the risk factor titled “Our
business could be materially and adversely affected in the future
by the effects of disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics,
including the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Changes in economic conditions, supply chain constraints, labor,
raw material and component shortages and steps taken by governments
and central banks, particularly in response to the COVID-19
pandemic as well as other stimulus and spending programs, could
also lead to higher inflation than previously experienced or
expected, which could, in turn, lead to an increase in
costs.
Our product candidates other than NGM621 and aldafermin are
currently solely manufactured at a facility in Lithuania. Following
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the response from
the United States and its allies has included both significant
sanctions and NATO's deployment of additional military forces to
Eastern Europe, including to Lithuania. The ongoing conflict
between Russia and Ukraine and the retaliatory measures taken or
that may be taken by the United States, NATO and others, including
significant sanctions against Russia, create global security
concerns and regional instability, including due to the possibility
of expanded regional or global conflict, and are likely to have
short-term and likely longer-term negative impacts on regional and
global economies, any or all of which could disrupt our supply
chain and adversely affect our ability to conduct ongoing and
future clinical trials of our product candidates and our ability to
raise capital on favorable terms.
Any further delays or interruptions in the supply of clinical trial
material could delay the completion or initiation of our clinical
trials, increase the costs associated with maintaining clinical
trial programs and, depending upon the period of delay, require us
to commence new clinical trials at additional expense, terminate
ongoing clinical trials or abandon planned clinical trials or
expansions or accelerations of clinical trials
completely.
We have no experience in sales, marketing and distribution and may
have to enter into agreements with third parties to perform these
functions, which could prevent us from successfully commercializing
our product candidates.
We currently have no sales, marketing or distribution capabilities.
To commercialize our product candidates outside of the Merck
collaboration, or to commercialize products subject to the Merck
collaboration for which we may in the future exercise our
co-detailing rights in the United States, if any, or for which
Merck decides not to exercise its license option, we must either
develop our own sales, marketing and distribution capabilities or
make arrangements with third parties to perform these services for
us. If we exercise our co-detailing rights in the United States
with respect to the Merck collaboration, we will be responsible for
the costs of fielding such a sales force, subject to partial offset
pursuant to the formula by which profits are allocated, and the
risks of attracting, retaining, motivating and ensuring the
compliance of such a sales force with the various requirements of
the Merck collaboration and applicable law. If we decide to market
any of our products on our own, we will have to commit significant
resources to developing a marketing and sales force and supporting
distribution capabilities. If we decide
to enter into arrangements with third parties for performance of
these services, we may find that they are not available on terms
acceptable to us, or at all. If we are not able to establish and
maintain successful arrangements with third parties or build our
own sales and marketing infrastructure, we may not be able to
commercialize our product candidates, which would adversely affect
our business, operating results and prospects.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
Our product candidates must undergo rigorous clinical trials before
seeking regulatory approvals, and clinical trials may be delayed,
suspended or terminated at any time for many reasons, any of which
could delay or prevent regulatory approval and, if approval is
granted, commercialization of our product candidates.
All of our product candidates are subject to rigorous and extensive
clinical trials before we can seek regulatory approval from the FDA
and comparable foreign health authorities such as the European
Commission. Clinical trials may be delayed, suspended or terminated
at any time for reasons including but not limited to:
•ongoing
discussions with the FDA or comparable foreign health authorities
regarding the scope or design of our clinical trials;
•delays
in obtaining, or the inability to obtain, required approvals from
IRBs and ethics committees or other governing entities at clinical
trial sites selected for participation in our clinical
trials;
•delays
in patient enrollment and other key trial activities, including as
a result of the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and of the
significant competition for recruiting patients with cancer in
clinical trials;
•delays
in reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and
the failure of CROs, testing laboratories and other third parties
to satisfy their contractual duties to us or meet expected
deadlines;
•deviations
from the trial protocol by clinical trial sites and investigators,
or failures to conduct the trial in accordance with regulatory
requirements;
•lower
than anticipated retention rates of participants in clinical
trials, including patients dropping out due to side effects,
disease progression or concerns about the COVID-19
pandemic;
•failure
of enrolled patients to complete treatment or to return for
post-treatment follow-up;
•for
clinical trials in selected patient populations, delays in
identification and auditing of central or other laboratories and
the transfer and validation of assays or tests to be used to
identify selected patients and test any patient
samples;
•implementation
of new, or changes to, guidance or interpretations from the FDA or
comparable foreign health authorities with respect to approval
pathways for product candidates we are pursuing;
•the
need to repeat clinical trials as a result of inconclusive or
negative results, poorly executed testing or changes in required
endpoints;
•insufficient
supply or deficient quality of drug substance, drug product or
other clinical trial material necessary to conduct our clinical
trials, as well as delays in the testing, validation, manufacturing
and delivery to clinical trial sites of such material;
•withdrawal
of clinical trial sites or investigators from our clinical trials
for any reason, including as a result of changing standards of care
or the ineligibility of a site to participate in our clinical
trials;
•unfavorable
FDA or comparable foreign health authority inspection or review of
a clinical trial site or records of any clinical or preclinical
investigation;
•drug-related
adverse effects or tolerability issues experienced by participants
in our clinical trials;
•changes
in government regulations or administrative actions;
•lack
of adequate funding to continue the clinical trials;
•our
ability to hire and retain key R&D personnel; or
•the
placement of a clinical hold on a trial by the FDA or comparable
foreign health authorities.
We cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully accomplish
required regulatory and/or manufacturing activities or all of the
other activities necessary to initiate and complete clinical trials
in a timely fashion, if at all. As a result, our preclinical
studies and clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated,
and we may be unable to obtain regulatory approvals or successfully
commercialize our products. In addition, we have only limited
experience in conducting late-stage clinical trials required to
obtain regulatory approval. In any event, we do not know whether
any of our clinical trials will begin as planned, will need to be
restructured or will be completed on schedule, or at
all.
Our product development costs will increase if we continue to
experience delays in clinical testing. Significant clinical trial
delays could also shorten any periods during which we may have the
exclusive right to commercialize our product candidates or allow
our competitors to bring products to market before we do, which
would impair our ability to successfully commercialize our product
candidates and may harm our business, results of operations and
prospects. Our or our partners’ inability to timely complete
clinical development could result in additional costs to us or
impair our ability to generate product revenue or development,
regulatory, commercialization and sales milestone payments and
royalties on product sales.
If clinical trials of our product candidates fail to produce
positive results or to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the
satisfaction of the FDA or comparable health authorities or
sufficient to demonstrate differentiation from other approved
therapies or therapies in development, we may incur additional
costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable
to complete, the development and commercialization of our product
candidates.
Our product candidates are in early stages of development, with our
most advanced product candidates only in Phase 2 development.
Before obtaining marketing approval from health authorities for the
sale of our product candidates, we or our partners must conduct
extensive preclinical studies and clinical trials to demonstrate
the safety and efficacy of the product candidates in humans.
Preclinical studies and clinical trials are expensive, take several
years to complete and may not yield results that support further
clinical development or product approvals. 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. Because we have
limited experience designing clinical trials, we may be unable to
design and execute a clinical trial to support regulatory
approval.
In addition, there is a high failure rate for drugs and biologic
products proceeding through clinical trials and failure can occur
at any stage of testing. For example, despite the results of
preclinical and Phase 1 studies of NGM621, our Phase 2 CATALINA
clinical trial evaluating NGM621 in patients with GA secondary to
AMD did not meet its primary endpoint. Since Merck did not elect to
exercise its option to license NGM621 and its related compounds,
further development of NGM621 is primarily dependent on our ability
to secure potential future BD Arrangements and, in the absence of
such BD Arrangements, we are unlikely to be able to advance
development of NGM621 unless our portfolio prioritization changes
and we are able to secure the additional capital necessary to fund
such development.
Similarly, our Phase 2b ALPINE 2/3 trial evaluating aldafermin in
patients with F2/F3 NASH did not meet its primary endpoint and, as
a result, we decided to suspend further development of aldafermin
in patients with F2/F3 NASH, allowing for the reallocation of
resources to advancing our other programs. For more information,
refer to the risk factor titled “Aldafermin
is, and MK-3655 (NGM313) was, being developed, for the treatment of
NASH, an indication for which there are no approved products. This
makes it difficult to predict the timing, cost and potential
success of their continued clinical development, if any, and
regulatory approval for the treatment of NASH, or
otherwise.”
Further development of aldafermin is primarily dependent on our
ability to secure potential future BD Arrangements and, in the
absence of such BD Arrangements, we are unlikely to be able to
advance development of aldafermin unless our portfolio
prioritization changes and we are able to secure the additional
capital necessary to fund such development.
Further, we expect that certain of our current product candidates
will, and future product candidates may, require chronic
administration. The need for chronic administration increases the
risk that participants in our clinical trials will fail to comply
with our dosing regimens. If participants fail to comply, we may
not be able to generate clinical data in our trials acceptable to
the FDA or comparable foreign health authorities. The need for
chronic administration also increases the risk that our clinical
drug development programs may not uncover all possible adverse
events that patients who take our products may eventually
experience. The number of patients exposed to treatment with, and
the average exposure time to, our product candidates in clinical
development programs may be inadequate to detect rare adverse
events or chance findings that may only be detected once our
products are administered to more patients and for longer periods
of time.
We may also not be successful in generating clinical data
sufficient to differentiate our product candidates from other
products in the same therapeutic area. If our competitors' products
are, or are perceived to be, more effective, more convenient, less
costly or safer than our products, or we are unable to demonstrate
differentiation in any of those factors, we may not be able to
achieve a competitive position in the market. For more information,
refer to the risk factor titled “We
face substantial competition, which may result in others
discovering, developing or commercializing products before or more
successfully than us."
In addition, data obtained from preclinical and clinical activities
are subject to varying interpretations, which may delay, limit or
prevent regulatory approval. In any event, it is impossible to
predict when or if any of our product candidates will prove safe
and effective in humans or will receive regulatory approval. If we
are unable to successfully discover, develop or enable our partners
to develop drugs that regulatory authorities deem effective and
safe in humans, we will not have a viable business.
Success in preclinical studies or earlier-stage clinical trials may
not be indicative of results in future clinical
trials.
To date, the data supporting our drug discovery and development
programs are derived from laboratory and preclinical studies and
earlier-stage clinical trials. Owing in part to the complexity of
biological pathways, when used to treat human patients, our product
candidates might not demonstrate the biochemical and
pharmacological properties we anticipate based on laboratory
studies or earlier-stage clinical trials, and they may interact
with human biological systems or other drugs in unforeseen,
ineffective or harmful ways. Success in preclinical studies and
earlier-stage clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical
trials will generate the same results or otherwise provide adequate
data to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of our product
candidates. In this regard, the data supporting our drug discovery
and development programs are derived from laboratory and
preclinical studies, and future clinical trials in humans may show
that one or more of our product candidates are not safe and
effective, in which event we may need to abandon development of
such product candidates. In fact, many companies in the
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered
significant setbacks in late-stage clinical trials even after
achieving promising results in preclinical studies and
earlier-stage clinical trials. Similarly, preliminary data and
interim results from clinical trials may not be predictive of final
results. For example, despite the results of preclinical and Phase
1 studies of NGM621, our Phase 2 CATALINA clinical trial evaluating
NGM621 in patients with GA secondary to AMD did not meet its
primary endpoint. Similarly, in spite of the results we had
obtained in our Phase 1 trials of aldafermin and in our first Phase
2 trial, in May 2021, we announced that our Phase 2b ALPINE 2/3
trial evaluating aldafermin in patients with F2/F3 NASH did not
meet its primary endpoint. For more information, refer to the risk
factor titled “If
clinical trials of our product candidates fail to produce positive
results or to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction
of the FDA or comparable health authorities or sufficient to
demonstrate differentiation from other approved therapies or
therapies in development, we may incur additional costs or
experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to
complete, the development and commercialization of our product
candidates."
There can be no assurance that any clinical testing of our product
candidates will be successful or will otherwise be supportive of
continued development and/or regulatory approvals of such product
candidates.
In addition, some of our earlier-stage clinical trials involve
small patient populations, sometimes at single sites, and the
results of these clinical trials may be subject to substantial
variability and may not be indicative of either future interim
results or final results. As a general matter, there is also a
substantial risk that Phase 3 trials with larger numbers of
patients and/or longer durations of therapy will fail to replicate
efficacy and safety results observed in earlier clinical
trials.
Our product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or
adverse events or have other properties or safety risks, which
could delay or prevent continued clinical development or their
regulatory approval or limit the commercial profile of any approved
label.
Adverse events, undesirable side effects or similar safety issues
caused by our product candidates could cause us or health
authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could
result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of
regulatory approval by the FDA or other comparable foreign health
authorities. Additional clinical trials may be required to further
evaluate the safety profile of our product candidates. Patients in
certain of our ongoing or planned clinical trials, particularly
patients with cancer or with NASH with more advanced fibrosis,
often enter our trials with significant comorbidities or advanced
life-threatening illness and/or are treated in the trial with our
product candidate in combination with other medications, including,
in cancer patients, chemotherapy or other approved cancer
treatments. As a result, patients in our clinical trials can be
expected to experience some adverse events, including death, or
side effects that are not or may not be related to treatment with
our product candidates. Nonetheless, the occurrence of adverse
events or side effects, whether or not related to our product
candidates, could impact the success of our clinical
trials.
Patients experienced, and we reported, serious adverse events, or
SAEs, in the treatment arms of our completed trials of MK-3655
(NGM313), NGM621 and aldafermin. We expect that patients in our
clinical trials, including those that are sham- or
placebo-controlled with some patients not receiving study drug,
will continue to experience adverse events and SAEs and we will
continue to monitor those SAEs for any signals of concern regarding
the safety and tolerability of our product candidates. For example,
cancer patients enrolled in our ongoing
clinical trials of NGM120, NGM707, NGM831 and NGM438, many of whom
are suffering from advanced life-threatening illness, have
experienced, and we expect will continue to experience, SAEs and
other adverse events, which may or may not be drug-related. If
patients in any of our clinical trials experience a high or
unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects, including
particularly SAEs, it could affect patient recruitment or the
ability of enrolled patients to complete their treatment in a
clinical trial, it may result in a regulatory authority putting a
clinical hold on the clinical trial or it may result in failure to
obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates or product
liability claims.
In addition, significant increases in serum levels of low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL-C, were observed in clinical trials
of aldafermin in patients with NASH and type 2 diabetes. Serum
levels of LDL-C were brought back to baseline levels with
concomitant statin use in patients with NASH; however, the impact
of these drug-induced changes in LDL-C are unknown. Generally,
sustained and prolonged LDL-C elevations in untreated patients are
associated with cardiovascular disease through atherosclerotic
plaque development. While data from our completed Phase 2b ALPINE
2/3 clinical trial and earlier trials of aldafermin demonstrated
the ability of concomitant statin use to mitigate the serum LDL-C
elevations driven by aldafermin activity, aldafermin’s impact on
LDL-C may negatively impact market acceptance of an approved
aldafermin product.
Our product candidates are protein or antibody therapeutics.
Protein and antibody therapeutics can sometimes induce host immune
responses that can cause the production of anti-drug antibodies, or
ADAs. In some cases, ADAs have no effect. In other cases, ADAs may
neutralize the effectiveness of the product candidate, can require
that higher doses be used to obtain a therapeutic effect or can
cross react with substances naturally occurring in a subject’s
body, which can cause unintended effects, including potential
impacts on efficacy and adverse events. Some patients treated with
aldafermin in our completed clinical trials have developed ADAs
against aldafermin and, in some cases, those antibodies were
neutralizing or appeared to cross react with the patient’s
naturally occurring FGF19. We developed an assay to measure the
presence of ADAs against aldafermin for our ongoing NASH program,
which we are using to test patient samples and which will need to
be evaluated by regulatory agencies. The presence of ADAs was also
observed in our Phase 1 MK-3655 (NGM313) trial. If we are required
to undertake substantial additional testing as a result of the
detection of ADAs in subjects using aldafermin, MK-3655 (NGM313) or
any other product candidate, the costs of our clinical trials may
increase. If we determine that ADAs are causing safety or efficacy
concerns when using any of our product candidates, we may need to
delay or halt clinical trials of our product candidates and the
affected product candidates may never obtain regulatory approval.
We cannot provide assurance that the detection of ADAs will not be
higher than we have observed historically or that observed rates
will not later be found to limit drug exposure or cause adverse
safety events, or that the detection of ADAs will not otherwise
result in the non-approvability of any of our product
candidates.
Future results of our trials could reveal a high and unacceptable
severity and prevalence of side effects, SAEs, ADAs, safety issues
or other negative or otherwise unexpected characteristics. The
occurrence of those issues could affect patient recruitment or the
ability of enrolled patients to complete their treatment in a
clinical trial, result in failure to obtain regulatory approval for
our product candidates or product liability claims or impact market
acceptance of our products. Any of these occurrences could
materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition
and prospects.
Aldafermin is, and MK-3655 (NGM313) was, being developed for the
treatment of NASH, an indication for which there are no approved
products. This makes it difficult to predict the timing, cost and
potential success of their continued clinical development, if any,
and regulatory approval for the treatment of NASH, or
otherwise.
We are developing aldafermin, and MK-3655 (NGM313) was in
development by Merck, for the treatment of NASH, an indication for
which there are no approved products. Implementation of new, or
changes to, guidance or interpretations from the FDA or comparable
foreign health authorities with respect to approval pathways, such
as draft guidance documents from the FDA for the development of
products for the treatment of NASH that issued in 2018 and 2019 and
from the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, that issued in 2018,
may impact the path for regulatory approval for NASH therapies.
Further, as we and other companies advance clinical trials for
potential NASH therapies, we expect that the path for regulatory
approval for NASH therapies may continue to evolve as companies
refine their regulatory approval strategies and interact with
health authorities. Such evolution may impact our future clinical
trial designs, including trial size and endpoints, in ways that we
cannot currently predict. We updated the design of the ALPINE 4
trial of aldafermin, elevating the ELF test to be the primary
endpoint for the trial. Neither the ELF test, nor any other
surrogate biomarker endpoints, are currently endorsed by the FDA or
EMA as sufficient for granting regulatory approval of products
being developed for the treatment of compensated cirrhosis due to
NASH (stage F4) and therefore may not be able to be used as a
primary endpoint in potential future Phase 3 trials to support
regulatory approval for aldafermin.
In addition, certain of our competitors have experienced regulatory
setbacks for NASH therapies following communications from the FDA.
We currently do not know the impact, if any, that these setbacks
could have on the path for regulatory approval for NASH therapies
generally or for aldafermin and MK-3655 (NGM313) in particular. If
the clinical trials for aldafermin and MK-3655 (NGM313) are not
designed in a manner that, even if successful, support regulatory
approval due to shifting approval pathways or for other reasons,
those product candidates may be delayed in obtaining approval or
may never be approved, which could have a material adverse effect
on our business, operating results and prospects. Moreover, the
above factors could make it difficult or preclude altogether our
ability to secure potential future partners necessary to further
the development of aldafermin and MK-3655 (NGM313) in NASH or
otherwise.
As a result of the above, the future development of aldafermin and
MK-3655 (NGM313) in patients with NASH is substantially uncertain
and could be discontinued altogether, in which case, we will not
receive any return on our investments in these
programs.
Aldafermin is a modified version of a human hormone that has been
associated with liver cancer in rodent testing.
The IND application we filed for aldafermin in February 2014 for
type 2 diabetes was placed on clinical hold by the FDA Division of
Metabolism and Endocrinology Products pending receipt of additional
information relating to the potential risk of proliferative effects
of aldafermin in the livers of non-human primates and mice based on
concerns relating to the observation that human FGF19 can induce
hepatocellular proliferation in rodents. We withdrew this IND in
January 2015, as we determined that we would not further study
aldafermin in type 2 diabetes after we analyzed the results of the
Phase 2 clinical trial of aldafermin in type 2 diabetes and made
the determination to pursue NASH and other liver indications. To
date, the FDA Division of Hepatology and Nutrition, which is
responsible for the NASH indication, has not requested any
additional information regarding the potential for aldafermin to
induce hepatocellular proliferation. We have received feedback from
the FDA Carcinogenicity Assessment Committee that our preclinical
data through six-month chronic toxicology studies in mice and
monkeys support a single species, two-year carcinogenicity
assessment in rats. The human hormone and the rodent ortholog for
FGF19 share a sequence identity of approximately 50%, which means
that the results of these studies of aldafermin in rats are not
necessarily predictive of the potential risk of carcinogenicity in
humans. To our knowledge, neither FGF19 nor any variant thereof
other than aldafermin has ever been tested in humans. Concerns
about the association between FGF19 and liver cancer could have an
adverse effect on our ability to develop and commercialize
aldafermin.
We may not successfully identify new product candidates to expand
our development pipeline.
The success of our business over the longer term depends upon our
ability to identify and validate new potential protein and antibody
therapeutics. Research programs to identify new product candidates
require substantial technical, financial and human resources, and
our research methodology may not successfully identify medically
relevant protein or antibody therapeutics to be developed as
product candidates. In this regard, the recent resignation of
Jin-Long Chen, Ph.D., who served as our Chief Scientific Officer,
may adversely affect our ability to successfully identify new
product candidates and to attract and retain the key scientific
personnel necessary to do so. In addition, our drug discovery
efforts often identify and select novel, untested proteins in the
particular disease indication we are pursuing, which we may fail to
validate after further research work. Moreover, our research
efforts may initially show promise in discovering potential new
protein and antibody therapeutics yet fail to yield product
candidates for clinical development for multiple reasons. For
example, potential product candidates may, on further study, be
shown to have inadequate efficacy, harmful side effects, suboptimal
drug profiles or other characteristics suggesting that they are
unlikely to be commercially viable products. Our inability to
successfully identify additional new product candidates to advance
into clinical trials could have a material adverse effect on our
business, operating results and prospects.
We may fail to select or capitalize on the most scientifically,
clinically and commercially promising or profitable product
candidates.
We have limited technical, managerial and financial resources to
determine which of our product candidates should proceed to initial
clinical trials, later-stage clinical development and potential
commercialization. We may make incorrect determinations in
allocating resources among these product candidates. Our decisions
to allocate our R&D, management and financial resources toward
particular product candidates or therapeutic areas may not lead to
the development of viable commercial products and may divert
resources from better opportunities. For example, our key pipeline
programs in active development include product candidates in solid
tumor oncology, and we are focusing most of our execution efforts
and resources on these programs, intending to mainly advance
them
in generation of proof-of-concept data internally. However, our
focus on the solid tumor oncology therapeutic area may be
unsuccessful and may never lead to the development of viable
commercial products. Similarly, our decisions to delay or terminate
drug development programs, such as our decision to suspend
development activities related to multiple metabolic disease
product candidates and for aldafermin in patients with F2/F3 NASH
to concentrate our resources elsewhere, also may be incorrect and
could cause us to miss valuable opportunities.
Under the terms of our Amended Collaboration Agreement with Merck,
we have the right, exercisable during a specified period prior to
the commencement of Phase 3 clinical testing of the applicable
product candidate, to convert our economic participation from a
milestones and net sales royalty arrangement into a cost and profit
share arrangement. If we exercise the cost and profit share right,
we have the ability to participate in a co-detailing relationship
in the United States. Due to the limited exercise period, we may
have to choose whether a product candidate will be subject to a
cost and profit share arrangement before we have as much
information as we would like, including whether and when such
program may receive FDA approval of the applicable biologics
license application, or BLA. As a result of such incomplete
information or due to incorrect analysis by us, we may select a
cost and profit share program that later proves to have less
commercial potential than an alternative, or none at all, or may
pass on a cost and profit share program that proves commercially
successful.
We must attract and retain highly skilled employees in order to
succeed. If we are not able to retain our current senior management
team, or to continue to attract and retain qualified scientific,
technical and business personnel, our business will
suffer.
To succeed, we must recruit, retain, manage and motivate qualified
clinical, scientific, technical and management personnel and we
face significant competition for experienced personnel. If we do
not succeed in attracting and retaining qualified personnel,
particularly at the management level, it could adversely affect our
ability to execute our business plan and harm our operating
results. In April 2023, we announced a restructuring of our
workforce, reducing our existing headcount by approximately 33%. At
the same time, our founder, Dr. Jin-Long Chen, resigned from the
Board and his position as Chief Scientific Officer. These
significant changes may cause additional attrition and negatively
affect employee morale. Additionally, as we are operating our
business with fewer employees, including fewer members of senior
management, the loss of a significant number of our remaining
employees or of any of our current executive officers could result
in a significant loss in the knowledge and experience that we, as
an organization, possess and could cause significant delays, or
outright failure, in the development and further commercialization
of our product candidates.
There is intense competition for qualified personnel, including
management, in the technical fields in which we operate,
particularly in the oncology field, and we may not be able to
attract and retain qualified personnel necessary for the successful
research, development and future commercialization, if any, of our
product candidates. We recruit for talent in the biotechnology and
pharmaceutical industry in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is one
of the most competitive and highest cost labor markets in the
United States and periodically experiences higher turnover rates
than other industries. For example, in 2022, we continued to
experience a challenging recruiting environment with relatively
high rates of employees leaving the company to pursue other
opportunities, particularly in the first three quarters of the
year.
Many of the other pharmaceutical companies that we compete against
for qualified personnel have greater financial and other resources,
different risk profiles and a longer history in the industry than
we do. They also may provide more diverse opportunities and better
chances for career advancement. Some of these characteristics may
be more appealing to high-quality candidates than what we have to
offer. The labor market tightened significantly after the beginning
of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During the first couple of years
of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced employee attrition at
rates higher than we experienced historically, which may recur and
could have a negative impact on our productivity. If we are unable
to attract and retain high-quality personnel, the rate and success
with which we can discover and develop product candidates and our
business will be limited.
We face substantial competition, which may result in others
discovering, developing or commercializing products before or more
successfully than us.
The biopharmaceutical industry is intensely competitive and subject
to rapid and significant technological change. Our competitors
include multinational pharmaceutical companies, specialized
biotechnology companies and universities and other research
institutions. A number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies are pursuing the development or marketing of
pharmaceuticals that seek to treat the same diseases that we are
pursuing with our most advanced product candidates, particularly in
the oncology field. Some of these pharmaceuticals in development
are active, or seek to be active, against the same targets that our
product candidates are engineered to effect, including the targets
that are the focus of our immuno-oncology candidates,
ILT2, ILT3, ILT4 and LAIR1. It is probable that the number of
companies seeking to develop products and therapies for the
treatment of cancer, retinal diseases and liver and metabolic
diseases will increase. Many of our competitors have substantially
greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do
and may be better equipped to develop, manufacture and market
technologically superior products. In addition, many of these
competitors have significantly greater experience than we have in
undertaking preclinical studies and human clinical trials of new
pharmaceutical products and in obtaining regulatory approvals of
human therapeutic products. Accordingly, our competitors may
succeed in obtaining FDA approval and approval or marketing
authorization from comparable health authorities such as the
European Commission for superior products or for other products
that would compete with our product candidates. Many of our
competitors have established distribution channels and commercial
infrastructure to support the commercialization of their products,
whereas we have no such channel or capabilities. In addition, many
competitors have greater name recognition and more extensive
collaboration or partnering relationships. Smaller and
earlier-stage companies may also prove to be significant
competitors, particularly through collaboration or partnering
arrangements with large, established companies.
Our competitors may obtain regulatory approval of their products
more rapidly than us or may obtain patent protection or other
intellectual property rights that limit our ability to develop or
commercialize our product candidates. Our competitors may also
develop drugs that are more effective, more convenient, more widely
used and less costly or have a better safety profile than our
products and these competitors may also be more successful than us
in manufacturing and marketing their products. If we are unable to
compete effectively against these companies, then we may not be
able to commercialize our product candidates or achieve a
competitive position in the market. These companies also compete
with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific,
management and commercial personnel, establishing clinical trial
sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in
acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our
programs.
Although we believe there are no FDA- or European
Commission-approved therapies that specifically target the
signaling pathways that our current product candidates are designed
to modulate or inhibit, there are numerous currently approved
therapies for treating the same diseases or indications (other than
NASH or GA) for which our product candidates may be useful and many
of these currently approved therapies act through mechanisms
similar to our product candidates. Many of these approved drugs are
well-established therapies or products and are widely accepted by
physicians, patients and third-party payors. Some of these drugs
are branded and subject to patent protection, and others are
available on a generic basis. Insurers and other third-party payors
may also encourage the use of generic products or specific branded
products. We expect that if our product candidates are approved,
they will be priced at a significant premium over competitive
generic products, including branded generic products. This may make
it difficult for us to differentiate our products from currently
approved therapies, which may adversely impact our business
strategy. In addition, many companies are developing new
therapeutics, and we cannot predict what the standard of care will
be as our product candidates progress through clinical development.
For more information regarding the competition that our most
advanced product candidates face, or may face, see the discussion
of specific competition for each product candidate in “Business-Our
Pipeline Programs” in our 2022 Annual Report on Form
10-K.
In February 2023, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Apellis,
announced that the FDA approved SYFOVRE™ (pegcetacoplan injection)
for the treatment of GA secondary to AMD. Apellis' regulatory
approval for pegcetacoplan injection may affect future late-stage
clinical trial designs, if any, and require added clinical
development expense. Iveric bio, Inc.’s, or Iveric's, avacincaptad
pegol, a PEGylated aptamer inhibitor of complement C5, completed a
Phase 2/3 clinical trial that demonstrated statistically
significant reductions in the rate of GA lesion area growth in the
avacincaptad pegol arm versus the sham arm. In February 2023,
Iveric announced that the FDA had accepted its NDA for avacincaptad
pegol. Even if we are successful in securing a future BD
Arrangement for the NGM621 program, which may not occur in a timely
manner or at all, and our partner obtains regulatory approval of
NGM621, which is substantially uncertain given the failure to meet
the primary endpoint in the CATALINA trial, NGM621 may not be able
to compete effectively against pegcetacoplan and avacincaptad
pegol, which could adversely affect our future revenues and
business prospects in the event we are able to successfully partner
the program.
Our product candidates may not achieve adequate market acceptance
among physicians, patients, healthcare payors and others in the
medical community necessary for commercial success.
Demonstrating the safety and efficacy of our product candidates and
obtaining regulatory approvals will not guarantee future revenue.
Even if our product candidates receive regulatory approval, they
may not gain adequate market acceptance among physicians, patients,
healthcare payors and others in the medical community. The degree
of market acceptance of any of our approved product candidates will
depend on a number of factors, including:
•the
efficacy and safety profile of the product candidate as
demonstrated in clinical trials;
•the
timing of market introduction of the product candidate, as well as
competitive products;
•the
clinical indications for which the product candidate is
approved;
•acceptance
of the product candidate as a safe and effective treatment by
physicians and patients;
•the
actual and perceived advantages of the product candidate over
alternative treatments, including any similar generic
treatments;
•the
viewpoints of influential physicians with respect to the product
candidate;
•the
inclusion or exclusion of the product candidate from treatment
guidelines established by various physician groups;
•the
cost of treatment relative to alternative treatments;
•our
pricing and the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement
by third parties and government authorities as described in the
risk factor titled “Even
if we obtain approval to market our products, these products may
become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, reimbursement
practices from third-party payors or healthcare reform initiatives
in the United States and abroad, which could harm our
business”;
•the
relative convenience and ease of administration;
•the
frequency and severity of adverse events;
•the
effectiveness of sales and marketing efforts; and
•any
unfavorable publicity relating to the product
candidate.
For example, aldafermin is currently administered via a once-daily
subcutaneous injection, which may negatively impact market
acceptance of an approved aldafermin product, if any. In addition,
refer to the risk factor titled
“Our product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or
adverse events or have other properties or safety risks, which
could delay or prevent continued clinical development or their
regulatory approval or limit the commercial profile of any approved
label."
If any product candidate is approved but does not achieve an
adequate level of acceptance by such parties, we may not generate
or derive sufficient revenue from that product candidate and may
not become or remain profitable.
Even if we obtain approval to market our products, these products
may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations,
reimbursement practices from third-party payors or healthcare
reform initiatives in the United States and abroad, which could
harm our business.
The regulations that govern marketing approvals, pricing and
reimbursement for new drug products vary widely from country to
country. Current and future legislation may significantly change
the approval requirements in ways that could involve additional
costs and cause delays in obtaining approvals. In many regions,
including the European Union, or EU, Japan and Canada, the pricing
of prescription drugs is controlled by the government and some
countries require approval of the sale price of a drug before it
can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period
begins after regulatory approval for the product is granted.
Regulatory agencies in those countries could determine that the
pricing for our products should be based on prices of other
commercially available drugs for the same disease, rather than
allowing us to market our products at a premium as new drugs. As a
result, we might obtain marketing approval for a product in a
particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that
delay or limit our commercial launch of the product, possibly for
lengthy time periods, which could negatively impact the revenue we
generate from the sale of the product in that particular country.
In some foreign markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing
remains subject to continuing governmental control even after
initial approval is granted. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder
our ability to recoup our investment in one or more product
candidates, even if our product candidates obtain marketing
approval.
Our commercial success also depends on coverage and adequate
reimbursement of our product candidates by third-party payors,
including government payors, private health insurers, health
maintenance organizations and other organizations, which may be
difficult or time-consuming to obtain, may be limited in scope and
may not be obtained in all jurisdictions in which we may seek to
market our products. Governments and private insurers closely
examine medical products to determine whether they should be
covered by reimbursement and, if so, the level of reimbursement
that will apply. Government authorities and other third-party
payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the
amount of reimbursement for particular drugs. Increasingly,
third-party payors are requiring that drug companies provide them
with predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging
the prices charged for drug products. We cannot be sure that
coverage and reimbursement will be available for any product that
we or our partners commercialize and, if reimbursement is
available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Coverage and
reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any
product
candidate for which we or our partners obtain regulatory approval.
If coverage and reimbursement are not available or reimbursement is
available only to limited levels, we and our partners may not be
able to successfully commercialize any product candidate for which
marketing approval is obtained.
There may be significant delays in obtaining coverage and
reimbursement for newly approved drugs, and coverage may be more
limited than the purposes for which the drug is approved by the FDA
or comparable foreign health authorities. Moreover, eligibility for
coverage and reimbursement does not imply that a drug will be paid
for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including
costs of research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution.
Interim reimbursement levels for new drugs, if applicable, may also
not be sufficient to cover our costs and may only be temporary.
Reimbursement rates may vary according to the use of the drug and
the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on
reimbursement levels already set for lower cost drugs and may be
incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices
for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required
by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any
future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of drugs
from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the
United States. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and
profitable reimbursement rates from both government-funded and
private payors for any approved products that we develop could have
a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to
raise capital needed to commercialize products and our overall
financial condition.
The advancement of healthcare reform may negatively impact our
ability to profitably sell our product candidates, if
approved.
Third-party payors, whether domestic or foreign, or governmental or
commercial, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of
controlling healthcare costs. The United States and many foreign
jurisdictions have enacted or proposed legislative and regulatory
changes affecting the healthcare system that could prevent or delay
marketing approval of our product candidates, restrict or regulate
post-approval activities and affect our ability to profitably sell
any product for which we obtain marketing approval.
For example, on August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or the IRA, into law, which among
other things, (1) directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, or HHS, to negotiate the price of certain single-source
drugs and biologics covered under Medicare and (2) imposes rebates
under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price
increases that outpace inflation. These provisions will take effect
progressively starting in fiscal year 2023, although they may be
subject to legal challenges. It is currently unclear how the IRA
will be implemented but is likely to have a significant impact on
the pharmaceutical industry. Further, in March 2010, the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care
and Education Reconciliation Act, collectively referred to as the
ACA, was enacted, which includes measures that have significantly
changed the way health care is financed by both governmental and
private insurers. There have been executive, judicial and
congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. While
Congress has not passed comprehensive legislation repealing the
ACA, such legislation may be reintroduced. Members of Congress have
introduced legislation to modify or replace certain provisions of
the ACA. It is unclear how these efforts to repeal and/or replace
the ACA will impact the ACA and our business. For example, the Tax
Cuts and Jobs Act, or the 2017 Tax Act, repealed the tax-based
shared responsibility payment imposed by the ACA on certain
individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage that is
commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” On June 17, 2021,
the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a challenge on procedural grounds
that argued the ACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the
“individual mandate” was repealed by Congress. Prior to the United
States Supreme Court ruling, on January 28, 2021, President Biden
issued an executive order that initiated a special enrollment
period for purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through
the ACA marketplace. The executive order also
instructed
certain governmental agencies to review and reconsider their
existing policies and rules that limit access to healthcare,
including among others, reexamining Medicaid demonstration projects
and waiver programs that include work requirements, and policies
that create unnecessary barriers to obtaining access to health
insurance coverage through Medicaid or the ACA. The IRA also, among
other things, extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing
health insurance coverage in ACA marketplaces through plan year
2025 and eliminates the “donut hole” under the Medicare Part D
program beginning in 2025 by significantly lowering the beneficiary
maximum out-of-pocket cost through a newly established manufacturer
discount program. It is possible that the ACA and IRA may be
subject to judicial or Congressional challenges in the future. It
is unclear how any additional healthcare reform measures may impact
the ACA or IRA, increase the pressure on drug pricing or limit the
availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement for our product
candidates, which would adversely affect our business.
There has also been increasing executive, legislative and
enforcement interest in the United States with respect to drug
pricing practices. There have been U.S. congressional inquiries,
presidential executive orders and proposed and enacted legislation
designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug
pricing, reduce
the cost of prescription drugs under Medicare, review the
relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs and
reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs.
For example, in an executive order, the administration of President
Biden expressed its intent to pursue certain policy initiatives to
reduce drug prices and, in response, HHS released a Comprehensive
Plan for Addressing High Drug Prices that outlines principles for
drug pricing reform and sets out a variety of potential legislative
policies that Congress could pursue to lower drug prices. Further,
the Biden administration released an additional executive order on
October 14, 2022, directing HHS to submit a report on how the
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation can be further
leveraged to test new models for lowering drug costs for Medicare
and Medicaid beneficiaries. It is unclear whether this executive
order or similar policy initiatives will be implemented in the
future. We expect that the healthcare reform measures that have
been adopted and may be adopted in the future may result in more
rigorous coverage criteria and additional downward pressure on the
price that we receive for any approved product and could seriously
harm our future revenues. Any reduction in reimbursement from
Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar
reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of
cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent
us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability or
commercialize our products.
There have been, and likely will continue to be, legislative and
regulatory proposals at the foreign, federal and state levels
directed at broadening the availability of healthcare and
containing or lowering the cost of healthcare. Such reforms could
have an adverse effect on anticipated revenue from product
candidates that we may successfully develop and for which we may
obtain regulatory approval and may affect our overall financial
condition and ability to develop product candidates.
In many countries outside the United States, government-sponsored
healthcare systems are the primary payors for drugs. With
increasing budgetary constraints and/or difficulty in understanding
the value of medicines, governments and payors in many countries
are applying a variety of measures to exert downward price pressure
and we expect that legislators, policy makers and healthcare
insurance funds in the EU Member States will continue to propose
and implement cost cutting measures. These measures include
mandatory price controls, price referencing, therapeutic-reference
pricing, increases in mandates, incentives for generic substitution
and biosimilar usage, government-mandated price cuts, limitations
on coverage of target population and introduction of volume
caps.
Many countries implement health technology assessment, or HTA,
procedures that use formal economic metrics such as cost
effectiveness to determine prices, coverage and reimbursement of
new therapies. These assessments are increasingly implemented in
established and emerging markets. In the EU, the newly-adopted
Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 on Health Technology Assessment, or HTA
Regulation, which will become effective in January 2025, will allow
EU member states to use common HTA tools, methodologies and
procedures to conduct joint clinical assessments and joint
scientific consultations whereby HTA authorities may provide advice
to health technology developers. Each EU member state will,
however, remain exclusively competent for assessing the relative
effectiveness of health technologies and making pricing and
reimbursement decisions. Given that the extent to which pricing and
reimbursement decisions are influenced by the HTA process currently
varies between EU member states, it is possible that our products
may be subject to favorable pricing and reimbursement status only
in certain EU countries. If we are unable to maintain favorable
pricing and reimbursement status in EU member states that represent
significant markets, including following periodic review, our
anticipated revenue from and growth prospects for our products in
the EU could be negatively affected. Moreover, in order to obtain
reimbursement for our products in some EU member states, we may be
required to compile additional data comparing the
cost-effectiveness of our products to other available therapies.
Efforts to generate additional data for the HTA process will
involve additional expenses which may substantially increase the
cost of commercializing and marketing our products in certain EU
member states.
We expect that countries will continue taking aggressive actions to
seek to reduce expenditures on drugs. Similarly, fiscal constraints
may also affect the extent to which countries are willing to
approve new and innovative therapies and/or allow access to new
technologies.
We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of healthcare
reform initiatives that may arise from future legislation or
administrative action. If we or any third parties we may engage are
slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the
adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we or such third
parties are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, our product
candidates may lose any regulatory approval that may have been
obtained and we may not achieve or sustain
profitability.
Our international operations may expose us to business, regulatory,
political, operational, financial, pricing and reimbursement risks
associated with doing business outside of the United
States.
Our business is subject to risks associated with conducting
business internationally. Some of our suppliers and clinical trial
sites are located outside of the United States. Furthermore, if we,
Merck or any future partner succeeds in developing any of our
product candidates, we intend to market them in the EU and other
jurisdictions in addition to the United States. If approved, we,
Merck or any future partner may hire sales representatives and
conduct physician and patient association outreach activities
outside of the United States. Doing business internationally
involves a number of challenges and risks, including but not
limited to:
•multiple,
conflicting and changing laws and regulations, such as privacy and
data protection regulations, tax laws, export and import
restrictions, employment laws, regulatory requirements and other
governmental approvals, permits and licenses;
•failure
by us to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for the use of
our products in various countries;
•rejection
or qualification of foreign clinical trial data by the competent
authorities of other countries;
•delays
or interruptions in the supply of clinical trial material resulting
from any events affecting raw material or component supply or
manufacturing capabilities abroad, including those that may result
from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic;
•additional
potentially relevant third-party patent rights;
•complexities
and difficulties in obtaining, maintaining, protecting and
enforcing our intellectual property;
•difficulties
in staffing and managing foreign operations;
•complexities
associated with managing multiple payor reimbursement regimes,
government payors or patient self-pay systems;
•limits
on our ability to penetrate international markets;
•financial
risks, such as longer payment cycles, difficulty collecting
accounts receivable, the impact of inflation and local and regional
financial crises on demand and payment for our products and
exposure to foreign currency exchange rate
fluctuations;
•natural
disasters, political, geopolitical and economic instability,
including wars such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,
terrorism and political unrest, disease outbreaks, epidemics and
pandemics, including COVID-19 and related shelter-in-place orders,
travel, social distancing and quarantine policies, boycotts,
curtailment of trade and other business restrictions;
and
•regulatory
and compliance risks that relate to anti-corruption compliance and
record-keeping that may fall within the purview of the U.S. Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act, its accounting provisions or its
anti-bribery provisions or provisions of anti-corruption or
anti-bribery laws in other countries.
Any of these factors could harm our ongoing international clinical
operations and supply chain, as well as any future international
expansion and operations and, consequently, our business, financial
condition, prospects and results of operations.
Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur
substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of any
products that we may develop.
We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to
the testing of our product candidates in human clinical trials and
will face an even greater risk if we or our partner commercializes
any resulting products. Product liability claims may be brought
against us by subjects enrolled in our clinical trials, patients,
healthcare providers or others using, administering or selling our
products. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims
that our product candidates or products that we may develop caused
injuries, we could incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of
merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result
in:
•decreased
demand for any product candidates or products that we may
develop;
•termination
of clinical trial sites or entire trial programs;
•injury
to our reputation and significant negative media
attention;
•withdrawal
of clinical trial participants;
•significant
costs to defend the related litigation;
•substantial
monetary awards to trial subjects or patients;
•loss
of revenue;
•diversion
of management and scientific resources from our business
operations; and
•the
inability to commercialize any products that we may
develop.
Our clinical trial liability insurance coverage may not adequately
cover all liabilities that we may incur. We may not be able to
maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount
adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise. Our inability to
obtain product liability insurance at an acceptable cost or to
otherwise protect against potential product liability claims could
prevent or delay the commercialization of any products or product
candidates that we develop. 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. If we
are sued for any injury caused by our products, product candidates
or processes, our liability could exceed our product liability
insurance coverage and our total assets. Claims against us,
regardless of their merit or potential outcome, may also generate
negative publicity or hurt our ability to obtain physician
endorsement of our products or expand our business.
Our relationships with healthcare providers, customers and
third-party payors will be subject to applicable anti-kickback,
fraud and abuse, transparency and other healthcare laws and
regulations, which, if violated, could expose us to criminal
sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm,
administrative burdens and diminished profits and future
earnings.
Healthcare providers, including physicians, and third-party payors
will play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of
any product candidates for which we or our partner obtains
marketing approval. Our arrangements with healthcare providers,
third-party payors and customers may expose us to broadly
applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and
regulations that may constrain the business or financial
arrangements and relationships through which we research, market,
sell and distribute our products for which we or our partner obtain
marketing approval. Restrictions under applicable federal and state
healthcare laws and regulations, include the
following:
•the
federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits persons from, among other
things, knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or
providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind,
to induce or reward, or in return for, the referral of an
individual for the furnishing or arranging for the furnishing, or
the purchase, lease or order, or arranging for or recommending
purchase, lease or order, of any good or service for which payment
may be made under a federal healthcare program, such as Medicare
and Medicaid;
•the
federal False Claims Act, or FCA, imposes criminal and 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
federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or
HIPAA, imposes criminal liability for knowingly and willfully
executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program,
knowingly and willfully embezzling or stealing from a healthcare
benefit program, willfully obstructing a criminal investigation of
a healthcare offense or knowingly and willfully making false
statements relating to healthcare matters;
•HIPAA,
as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and
Clinical Health Act of 2009 and its implementing regulations, or
HITECH, also imposes obligations on certain covered entity
healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare clearinghouses,
and their business associates that perform certain services
involving the use or disclosure of individually identifiable health
information as well as their covered subcontractors, including
mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the
privacy, security, processing and transmission of individually
identifiable health information;
•the
federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, as amended, and its
implementing regulations, requires manufacturers of drugs, devices,
biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under
Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with
certain exceptions) to report annually to the HHS information
related to “payments or other transfers of value” made to
physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists,
podiatrists and chiropractors), other health care professionals
(such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and teaching
hospitals, as well as information regarding ownership and
investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family
members; and
•analogous
state and foreign laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback
and false claims laws, which may apply to sales or marketing
arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services
reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including
private insurers; state and foreign laws that require
pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical
industry’s voluntary compliance
guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the
federal government or otherwise restrict payments that may be made
to healthcare providers; state and local laws requiring the
registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives; state and
foreign laws that require drug manufacturers to report information
related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and
other healthcare providers, marketing expenditures or pricing; and
state and foreign laws that govern the privacy and security and
other processing of health information in certain circumstances,
many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often
are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance
efforts.
Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties
will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will
involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental
authorities will conclude that our business practices may not
comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law
interpreting applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws
and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of
any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may
apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and
administrative penalties, damages, fines, additional regulatory
oversight, litigation, imprisonment, exclusion from government
funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and the
curtailment or restructuring of our operations. If any of the
physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we
expect to do business is found not to be in compliance with
applicable laws, that person or entity may be subject to criminal,
civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from
government funded healthcare programs.
Outside the United States, interactions between pharmaceutical
companies and health care professionals are also governed by strict
laws, such as national anti-bribery laws of EU member states,
national sunshine rules, regulations, industry self-regulation
codes of conduct and physicians’ codes of professional conduct.
Failure to comply with these requirements could result in
reputational risk, public reprimands, administrative penalties,
fines or imprisonment.
Our business could be materially and adversely affected in the
future by the effects of disease outbreaks, epidemics and
pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19
pandemic, in regions where we have concentrations of clinical trial
sites or other business operations could adversely affect our
business, including by causing significant disruptions in our
operations and/or in the operations of third-party manufacturers
and CROs upon whom we rely. Disease outbreaks, epidemics and
pandemics have negative impacts on our ability to initiate new
clinical trial sites, to enroll new patients and to maintain
existing patients who are participating in our clinical trials,
which may include increased clinical trial costs, longer timelines
and delay in our ability to obtain regulatory approvals of our
product candidates, if at all. For example, our ability to attract
additional clinical trial sites and principal investigators to
conduct our clinical trials and to conduct the necessary clinical
trial site initiation procedures was impacted by COVID-19
quarantines, shelter-in-place and similar restrictions imposed by
federal, state and local governments. In addition, during the
COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced, from time to time, a slower pace
of clinical site initiation and clinical trial enrollment and a
higher subject dropout rate than originally anticipated in certain
of our clinical trials, which we believe may have been due to
factors such as the vulnerability of our studied patient
populations, site staff shortages, clinical trial site suspensions,
reallocation of medical resources and the challenges of working
remotely due to shelter-in-place and similar government orders and
guidelines, among other factors
General supply chain issues may be exacerbated during disease
outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics and may also impact the ability
of our clinical trial sites to obtain basic medical supplies used
in our trials in a timely fashion, if at all. For example, in 2022
we were made aware of a shortage of tubes required for taking blood
samples, requiring the use of tubes of a different size from those
specified in one of our protocols. In addition, our CMOs’
facilities and operations have been adversely affected by labor,
raw material and component shortages, high turnover of staff and
difficulties in hiring trained and qualified replacement staff
during the COVID-19 pandemic. These difficulties have resulted in
some delays in early development timelines and we could experience
more significant disruptions to our supply chain and operations as
a result of disease outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics in the
future. If our CMOs are required to obtain an alternative source of
certain raw materials and components, for example, additional
testing, validation activities and regulatory approvals may be
required which can also have a negative impact on timelines. Any
associated delays in the manufacturing and supply of drug substance
and drug product for our clinical trials could adversely affect our
ability to conduct ongoing and future clinical trials of our
product candidates on our anticipated development timelines.
Likewise, the operations of our third-party manufacturers may be
requisitioned, diverted or allocated by U.S. or foreign government
orders such as under emergency, disaster and civil defense
declarations in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise.
For example, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, our aldafermin drug
product CMO advised us that it could be required under orders of
the U.S. government to allocate manufacturing capacity to the
manufacture or distribution of
COVID-19 vaccines. If any of our CMOs or raw materials or
components suppliers become subject to acts or orders of U.S. or
foreign government entities to allocate or prioritize manufacturing
capacity, raw materials or components to the manufacture or
distribution of vaccines or medical supplies needed to test or
treat patients in a disease outbreak, epidemic or pandemic, this
could delay our clinical trials, perhaps substantially, which could
materially and adversely affect our business.
Moreover, COVID-19 continues to evolve, and the extent to which
COVID-19 may impact our business, results of operations and
financial position will depend on future developments, which are
highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as
the emergence, infectiousness and severity of new variants, travel
restrictions, quarantines and social distancing in the United
States and other countries, business closures or business
disruptions, global supply challenges, and the effectiveness of
actions in the United States and other countries to contain and
treat the disease. New health epidemics or pandemics may emerge
that result in similar or more severe disruptions to our business.
To the extent the effects of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, or
any future disease outbreak, epidemic or pandemic, adversely
affects our business and results of operations, it also may have
the effect of heightening many of the other risks and uncertainties
described elsewhere in this ‘‘Risk Factors’’ section.
Risks Related to Regulatory Approvals
The regulatory approval processes of the FDA and comparable foreign
health authorities are lengthy and inherently unpredictable. Our
inability to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates
would substantially harm our business.
Currently, none of our product candidates has received regulatory
approval and we do not expect our product candidates to be
commercially available for several years, if at all. The time
required to obtain approval from the FDA and comparable foreign
health authorities is unpredictable but typically takes many years
following the commencement of preclinical studies and clinical
trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial
discretion of the health authorities. In addition, approval
policies, regulations or the type and amount of preclinical and
clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the
course of a product candidate’s development and may vary among
jurisdictions. It is possible that none of our existing or future
product candidates will ever obtain regulatory
approval.
Our product candidates could fail to receive regulatory approval
from the FDA or a comparable foreign health authority for many
reasons, including:
•disagreement
with the design or implementation of our clinical
trials;
•failure
to demonstrate that a product candidate is safe and effective for
its proposed indication;
•failure
of results of clinical trials to meet the level of statistical
significance required for approval;
•failure
to demonstrate that a product candidate’s clinical and other
benefits outweigh its safety risks;
•disagreement
with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or
clinical trials;
•the
insufficiency of data collected from clinical trials to support the
submission and filing of a BLA or other submission or to obtain
regulatory approval;
•failure
to obtain approval of the manufacturing processes or facilities of
third-party manufacturers with whom we contract for clinical and
commercial supplies;
•unfavorable
quality review or audit/inspection findings; or
•changes
in the approval policies or regulations that render our preclinical
and clinical data insufficient for approval.
The FDA or a comparable foreign health authority may require more
information, including additional preclinical or clinical data, to
support approval, which may delay or prevent approval and
commercialization, or we may decide to abandon the development
program for other reasons. If we obtain approval, regulatory
authorities may approve any of our product candidates for fewer or
more limited indications than we request, may grant accelerated
approval or conditional marketing authorization based on a
surrogate endpoint and contingent on the successful outcome of
costly post-marketing confirmatory clinical trials or may approve a
product candidate with a label that does not include the labeling
claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization
of that product candidate.
The FDA has a Fast Track program that is intended to expedite or
facilitate the process for reviewing new drug products that meet
certain criteria. Specifically, new drugs are eligible for Fast
Track designation if they are intended to treat a serious or
life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrate the potential
to address unmet
medical needs for the disease or condition, and the FDA may grant
accelerated approval based on a surrogate endpoint reasonably
likely to predict clinical benefit. However, Fast Track designation
does not guarantee, or in any way change the standards for, full
product approval.
Many agents in development for NASH have, or are expected to, opt
for an accelerated approval pathway and rely on surrogate endpoints
for initial approval. If we or a future partner seek accelerated
approval for one of our product candidates based on a surrogate
endpoint, the FDA may not accept such endpoint, may require
additional studies or analysis or may not approve our product
candidate on an accelerated basis, or at all. For example, in June
2020, Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Intercept, announced that
it had received a complete response letter regarding its new drug
application, or NDA, for obeticholic acid for the treatment of
NASH, in which the FDA indicated that it had determined that the
predicted benefit of obeticholic acid based on a surrogate
histopathologic endpoint was uncertain and did not sufficiently
outweigh the potential risks to support accelerated approval for
the treatment of patients with liver fibrosis due to NASH. The FDA
recommended that Intercept submit additional post-interim analysis
efficacy and safety data from its ongoing Phase 3 study in support
of potential accelerated approval and that the long-term outcomes
phase of the study should continue. In addition, if full approval
is granted for another product in the same indication for which we
are seeking accelerated approval for one of our product candidates,
the accelerated approval pathway may no longer be available to us
or a future partner for our product candidate.
In the EU, innovative products that target an unmet medical need
and are expected to be of major public health interest may be
eligible for a number of expedited development and review programs,
such as the Priority Medicines, or PRIME, scheme, which provides
incentives similar to the breakthrough therapy designation in the
United States.
Sponsors that benefit from PRIME designation are potentially
eligible for accelerated assessment of their marketing
authorization applications, although this is not guaranteed. If a
product for which PRIME designation was granted is the subject of
an accelerated assessment, the product may be placed on the market
in the EU before our product candidate with a similar therapeutic
indication.
Our failure to obtain health authority approval in foreign
jurisdictions would prevent us from marketing our product
candidates outside the United States.
If we or our partners succeed in developing any products, we intend
to market them in the EU and other foreign jurisdictions in
addition to the United States. In order to market and sell our
products in other jurisdictions, we must obtain separate marketing
approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory
requirements. The approval procedure varies among countries and can
involve additional testing. The time required to obtain approval
may differ substantially from that required to obtain FDA approval.
The regulatory approval process outside the United States generally
includes all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval.
In addition, in many countries outside the United States, we must
secure product pricing and reimbursement approvals before health
authorities will approve the product for sale in that country.
Obtaining foreign regulatory approvals and compliance with foreign
regulatory requirements could result in significant delays,
difficulties and costs for us and could delay or prevent the
introduction of our products in certain countries. Further,
clinical trials conducted in one country may not be accepted by
health authorities in other countries and regulatory approval in
one country does not ensure approval in any other country, while a
failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country
may have a negative effect on the regulatory approval process in
others. If we fail to obtain approval of any of our product
candidates by health authorities in another country, we will be
unable to commercialize our product in that country, and the
commercial prospects of that product candidate and our business
prospects could decline.
Even if our product candidates receive regulatory approval, they
may still face future development and regulatory
difficulties.
Even if we obtain regulatory approval for a product candidate, it
would be subject to ongoing requirements by the FDA and comparable
foreign health authorities governing the manufacture, quality
control, further development, labeling, packaging, storage,
distribution, safety surveillance, import, export, advertising,
promotion, recordkeeping and reporting of safety and other
post-market information. The FDA and comparable foreign health
authorities will continue to closely monitor the safety profile of
any product even after approval. If the FDA or comparable foreign
health authorities become aware of new safety information after
approval of any of our product candidates, they may require
labeling changes or establishment of a Risk Evaluation and
Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, or similar strategy, impose
significant restrictions on a product’s indicated uses or marketing
or impose ongoing requirements for potentially costly post-approval
studies or post-market surveillance. Failure to comply with any
related obligations may result in the suspension or withdrawal of
an obtained approval and in civil and/or criminal penalties.
Receipt of approval for narrower indications than sought,
restrictions on marketing through a
REMS or similar strategy imposed in an EU member state or other
foreign country, or significant labeling restrictions or
requirements in an approved label such as a boxed warning, could
have a negative impact on our ability to recoup our R&D costs
and to successfully commercialize that product, any of which could
materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition,
results of operations and growth prospects. In any event, if we are
unable to comply with our post-marketing obligations imposed as
part of the marketing approvals in the United States, the EU, or
other countries, our approval may be varied, suspended or revoked,
product supply may be delayed and our sales of our products could
be materially adversely affected.
In addition, manufacturers of drug substance and drug products and
their facilities are subject to continual review and periodic
inspections by the FDA and comparable foreign health authorities
for compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP,
regulations. If we or a regulatory agency discover 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, a regulatory agency may impose
restrictions on that product, the manufacturing facility or us,
including requiring recall or withdrawal of the product from the
market or suspension of manufacturing. If we or the manufacturing
facilities for our product candidates fail to comply with
applicable regulatory requirements, or if our product candidates
are found to cause undesirable or unacceptable side effects, a
regulatory agency may:
•issue
safety alerts, Dear Healthcare Provider letters, press releases or
other communications containing warnings about such
product;
•mandate
modifications to promotional materials or require us to provide
corrective information to healthcare practitioners;
•require
that we conduct and complete post-marketing studies;
•require
us to enter into a consent decree, which can include imposition of
various fines, reimbursements for inspection costs, required due
dates for specific actions and penalties for
noncompliance;
•seek
an injunction or impose civil or criminal penalties or monetary
fines;
•suspend
marketing of, withdraw regulatory approval of or initiate a recall
of such product;
•suspend
any ongoing clinical trials;
•refuse
to approve pending applications or supplements to applications
filed by us;
•suspend
or impose restrictions on operations, including costly new
manufacturing requirements; or
•seize
or detain products or refuse to permit the import or export of
products.
The occurrence of any event or penalty described above may inhibit
our ability to commercialize our products and generate
revenue.
Advertising and promotion of any product candidate that obtains
approval in the United States will be heavily scrutinized by the
FDA, Department of Justice, HHS, Office of Inspector General, state
attorneys general, members of Congress and the public. Violations,
including promotion of our products for unapproved (or off-label)
uses, are subject to enforcement letters, inquiries and
investigations and civil and criminal sanctions by the government.
Additionally, comparable foreign health authorities, public
prosecutors, industry associations, healthcare professionals and
other members of the public will heavily scrutinize advertising and
promotion of any product candidate outside of the United
States.
In the United States, engaging in the impermissible promotion of
our products for off-label uses can subject us to false claims
litigation under federal and state statutes, which can lead to
civil and criminal penalties and fines and agreements that
materially restrict the manner in which a company promotes or
distributes drug products. These false claims statutes include the
federal FCA, which allows any individual to bring a lawsuit against
a pharmaceutical company on behalf of the federal government
alleging submission of false or fraudulent claims, or causing to
present such false or fraudulent claims, for payment by a federal
program such as Medicare or Medicaid. If the government prevails in
the lawsuit, the individual will share in any fines or settlement
funds. Since 2004, these FCA lawsuits against pharmaceutical
companies have increased significantly in volume and breadth,
leading to several substantial civil and criminal settlements
regarding certain sales practices promoting off-label drug uses
involving fines in excess of $1 billion. This growth in litigation
has increased the risk that a pharmaceutical company will have to
defend a false claim action, pay settlement fines or restitution,
agree to comply with burdensome reporting and compliance
obligations and be excluded from Medicare, Medicaid and other
federal and state healthcare programs. If we do not lawfully
promote our approved products, we may become subject to such
litigation and, if we do not successfully defend against such
actions, those actions may have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition and results of
operations.
The FDA’s policies may change, and additional government
regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay
regulatory approval of our product candidates. If we are slow or
unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption
of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain
regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we
may have obtained, which would adversely affect our business,
prospects and ability to achieve or sustain
profitability.
In the EU, the advertising and promotion of medicinal products are
subject to both EU and EU member state laws governing promotion of
medicinal products, interactions with physicians and other
healthcare professionals, misleading and comparative advertising
and unfair commercial practices. Although general requirements for
advertising and promotion of medicinal products are established
under EU directives, the details are governed by regulations in
each member state and can differ from one country to another. For
example, applicable laws require that promotional materials and
advertising in relation to medicinal products comply with the
product’s Summary of Product Characteristics, or SmPC, as approved
by the competent authorities in connection with a marketing
authorization. The SmPC is the document that provides information
to physicians concerning the safe and effective use of the product.
Promotional activity that does not comply with the SmPC is
considered off-label and is prohibited in the EU.
Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicinal products
is also prohibited in the EU.
Failure to comply with EU, EU member state, and other country laws
that apply to the conduct of clinical trials, manufacturing
approval, marketing authorization of medicinal products and
marketing of such products, both before and after grant of a
marketing authorization, or with other applicable regulatory
requirements, may result in administrative, civil or criminal
penalties. These penalties could include delays or refusal to
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 addition, legislation adopted at the EU level may be implemented
differently by individual member states. These regulations, and
their differing implementations in member states, increase our
legal and financial compliance costs and may make some activities
more time-consuming and expensive.
Even if we are able to obtain regulatory approvals for any of our
product candidates, if they exhibit harmful side effects after
approval, our regulatory approvals could be revoked or otherwise
negatively impacted.
Even if we receive regulatory approval for any of our product
candidates, we will have tested them in only a small number of
patients during our clinical trials. If an application for
marketing is approved for any of our product candidates and more
patients begin to use our product, new risks and side effects
associated with our products may be discovered. As a result, health
authorities may revoke their approvals. Additionally, we may be
required to conduct additional clinical trials, make changes in
labeling of our product, reformulate our product or make changes
and obtain new approvals for our and our suppliers’ manufacturing
facilities for our product candidates. Equivalent obligations could
be imposed by the foreign health authorities. We might have to
withdraw or recall our products from the marketplace. We may also
experience a significant drop in the potential sales of our product
if and when regulatory approvals for such product are obtained,
experience harm to our reputation in the marketplace or become
subject to lawsuits, including class actions. Any of these results
could decrease or prevent any sales of our approved product or
substantially increase the costs and expenses of commercializing
and marketing our product.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
Our success depends in significant part upon our ability to obtain
and maintain intellectual property protection for our products and
technologies.
Our success depends in significant part on our ability and the
ability of our current or future licensors, licensees, partners or
collaborators to establish and maintain adequate intellectual
property covering the product candidates that we plan to develop.
In addition to taking other steps designed to protect our
intellectual property, we have applied for, and intend to continue
applying for, patents with claims covering our technologies,
processes and product candidates when and where we deem it
appropriate to do so. However, the patent prosecution process is
expensive and time-consuming, and we and our current or future
licensors, licensees, partners or collaborators may not be able to
prepare, file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent
applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also
possible that we or our current or future licensors, licensees,
partners or collaborators will fail to identify patentable aspects
of inventions made in the course of development and
commercialization activities before it is too late to obtain patent
protection for them. Pending and future patent applications filed
by us or our current or future licensors’, licensees’, partners' or
collaborators’ may not result in patents being issued that
protect
our technology or product candidates, or products resulting
therefrom, in whole or in part, or that effectively prevent others
from commercializing competitive technologies and
products.
We have filed numerous patent applications both in the United
States and in certain foreign jurisdictions to obtain patent rights
to our inventions, with claims directed to compositions-of-matter,
methods of use, formulations, combination therapy and other
technologies relating to our product candidates. There can be no
assurance that any of these patent applications will issue as
patents or, for those applications that do mature into patents,
whether the claims of the patents will exclude others from making,
using or selling our product or product candidates, or products or
product candidates that are substantially similar to ours. In
countries where we have not and do not seek patent protection,
third parties may be able to manufacture and sell products that are
substantially similar or identical to our products or product
candidates without our permission, and we may not be able to stop
them from doing so.
Similar to other biotechnology companies, our patent position is
generally highly uncertain and involves complex legal and factual
questions. In this regard, we cannot be certain that we or our
current or future licensors, licensees, partners or collaborators
were the first to make an invention, or the first inventors to file
a patent application claiming an invention in our owned or licensed
patents or pending patent applications. In addition, even if
patents are issued, given the amount of time required for the
development, testing and regulatory review of our product
candidates, any patents protecting such candidates might expire
before or shortly after the resulting products are commercialized.
Moreover, the laws and regulations governing patents could change
in unpredictable ways that could weaken the ability of us and our
current or future licensors, licensees, partners or collaborators
to obtain new patents or to enforce existing patents and patents we
may obtain in the future. In any event, the issuance, scope,
validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights
and those of our current or future licensors, licensees, partners
or collaborators are highly uncertain and may not effectively
prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and
products.
In some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the
preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications, or to
maintain or enforce the patents, covering technology that we
license from or license to third parties and may be reliant on our
current or future licensors, licensees, partners or collaborators
to perform these activities, which means that these patent
applications may not be prosecuted, and these patents may not be
enforced, in a manner consistent with the best interests of our
business. If our current or future licensors, licensees, partners
or collaborators fail to establish, maintain, protect or enforce
such patents and other intellectual property rights, such rights
may be reduced or eliminated. If our current or future licensors,
licensees, partners or collaborators are not fully cooperative or
disagree with us as to the prosecution, maintenance or enforcement
of any patent rights, such patent rights could be
compromised.
In addition, the legal protection afforded to inventors and owners
of intellectual property in countries outside of the United States
may not be as broad or effective as that in the United States and
we may be unable to acquire and enforce intellectual property
rights outside the United States to the same extent as in the
United States, if at all. Accordingly, our efforts, and those of
our licensors, licensees, partners or collaborators, to enforce
intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to
obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual
property that we own or license.
We own one issued United States patent that covers our NGM621
product candidate, although the product and related
compositions-of-matter and methods of use are disclosed and claimed
in other pending U.S. non-provisional and/or national stage
applications in particular foreign countries. We do not currently
own or have a license to any issued patents that cover our NGM707,
NGM831 and NGM438 product candidates, although these product
candidates are disclosed and claimed in our pending U.S.
non-provisional and international applications. The patent
landscape surrounding all of our product candidates is crowded, and
there can be no assurance that we will be able to secure patent
protection that would adequately cover such product candidates,
that we will obtain sufficiently broad claims to be able to prevent
others from selling competing products or that we will be able to
protect and maintain any patent protection that we initially
secure.
Any changes we make to our product candidates to cause them to have
what we view as more advantageous properties may not be covered by
our existing patents and patent applications, and we may be
required to file new patent applications and/or seek other forms of
protection for any such altered product candidates. The patent
landscape surrounding the technology underlying our product
candidates is crowded, and there can be no assurance that we would
be able to secure patent protection that would adequately cover an
alternative to any of our product candidates.
We may be unable to obtain intellectual property rights or
technologies necessary to develop and commercialize our product
candidates.
Several third parties are actively researching and seeking and
obtaining patent protection in the fields of cancer, retinal
diseases, CVM-related diseases, including heart failure, and liver
and metabolic diseases, and there are issued third-party patents
and published third-party patent applications in these fields. The
patent landscape around our product candidates is complex, and we
are aware of several third-party patents and patent applications
containing claims directed to compositions-of-matter, methods of
use and related subject matter, some of which pertain, at least in
part, to subject matter that might be relevant to our product
candidates. However, we may not be aware of all third-party
intellectual property rights potentially relating to our product
candidates and technologies.
Depending on what patent claims ultimately issue and how courts
construe the issued patent claims, as well as the ultimate
formulation and method of use of our product candidates, we may
need to obtain a license to practice the technology claimed in such
patents. There can be no assurance that such licenses will be
available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If we are
unable to successfully obtain rights to required third-party
intellectual property rights or maintain the existing rights to
third-party intellectual property rights we have, we might be
unable to develop and commercialize one or more of our product
candidates, which could have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition, results of operations and
prospects.
We could lose the ability to continue the development and
commercialization of our products or product candidates if we
breach any license agreement related to those products or product
candidates.
Our commercial success depends upon our ability, and the ability of
our current and future licensors, licensees, partners and
collaborators, to develop, manufacture, market and sell our
products and product candidates and use our proprietary
technologies without infringing the proprietary rights of third
parties. A third party may hold intellectual property rights,
including patent rights that are important or necessary to the
development of our products. As a result, we are a party to a
number of technology and patent licenses that are important to our
business, and we expect to enter into additional licenses in the
future. If we fail to comply with the obligations under these
agreements, including payment and diligence obligations, our
licensors may have the right to terminate these agreements. In the
event of a termination of these agreements, we may not be able to
develop, manufacture, market or sell any product that is covered by
these agreements or to engage in any other activities necessary to
our business that require the freedom-to-operate afforded by the
agreements, or we may face other penalties under the agreements.
For example, we are party to license agreements with multiple
vendors, including our licenses with Horizon Discovery Ltd. and
Lonza Sales AG, under which we license cell lines and other
technology used to produce multiple product candidates, including
some that are currently subject to our collaboration with Merck. We
require prior consent from some of these vendors to grant
sub-licenses under these agreements. Therefore, these vendors may
be able to prevent us from granting sub-licenses to third parties,
which could affect our ability or Merck’s ability to use certain
desired manufacturers in order to manufacture our product
candidates. In the event of a termination of our license
agreements, our ability or Merck’s ability to manufacture or
develop any product candidates covered by these agreements may be
limited or halted unless we can develop or obtain the rights to
technology necessary to produce these product
candidates.
Any of the foregoing could materially adversely affect the value of
the product or product candidate being developed under any such
agreement. Termination of these agreements or reduction or
elimination of our rights under these agreements may result in our
having to negotiate new or amended agreements, which may not be
available to us on equally favorable terms, or at all, or cause us
to lose our rights under these agreements, including our rights to
intellectual property or technology important to our development
programs.
We may become involved in lawsuits or other proceedings to protect
or enforce our intellectual property, which could be expensive,
time-consuming and unsuccessful and have a material adverse effect
on the success of our business.
Third parties may infringe patents or misappropriate or otherwise
violate intellectual property rights owned or controlled by us or
our current or future licensors, licensees, partners or
collaborators. In the future, it may be necessary to initiate legal
proceedings to enforce or defend these intellectual property
rights, to protect trade secrets or to determine the validity or
scope of intellectual property rights that are owned or controlled
by us or our current or future licensors, licensees, partners or
collaborators. Litigation could result in substantial costs and
diversion of management resources, which could harm our business
and financial results.
If we or our current or future licensors, licensees, partners or
collaborators initiated legal proceedings against a third party to
enforce a patent covering a product candidate, the defendant could
counterclaim that such patent is invalid or unenforceable. In
patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims
alleging
invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a
validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of
several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty,
obviousness or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability
assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with
prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the
United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, or made a
misleading statement during prosecution. In an infringement or
declaratory judgment proceeding, a court may decide that a patent
owned by or licensed to us or our current or future licensors,
licensees, partners or collaborators is invalid or unenforceable,
or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at
issue on the grounds that the patent does not cover the technology
in question. An adverse result in any litigation proceeding could
put one or more of the patents at risk of being invalidated,
narrowed, held unenforceable or interpreted in such a manner that
would not preclude third parties from entering the market with
competing products.
Third parties may initiate legal proceedings against us or our
current or future licensors, licensees, partners or collaborators
to challenge the validity or scope of intellectual property rights
we own or control. For example, generic or biosimilar drug
manufacturers or other competitors or third parties may challenge
the scope, validity or enforceability of patents owned or
controlled by us or our current or future licensors, licensees,
partners or collaborators. These proceedings can be expensive and
time-consuming, and many of our adversaries may have the ability to
dedicate substantially greater resources to prosecuting these legal
actions than us. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we or our
current or future licensors, licensees, partners or collaborators
may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or
misappropriating intellectual property rights we own, control or
have rights to, particularly in countries where the laws may not
protect those rights as fully as in the United States.
There is a risk that some of our confidential information could be
compromised by disclosure during litigation because of the
substantial amount of discovery required. Additionally, many
foreign jurisdictions have rules of discovery that are different
than those in the United States and that may make defending or
enforcing our patents extremely difficult. There also could be
public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other
interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or
investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a
material adverse effect on the price of shares of our common
stock.
Third-party pre-issuance submission of prior art to the USPTO,
opposition, derivation, revocation, reexamination,
inter partes
review or interference proceedings, or other pre-issuance or
post-grant proceedings, as well as other patent office proceedings
or litigation in the United States or other jurisdictions brought
by third parties against patents or patent applications owned or
controlled by us or our current or future licensors, licensees,
partners or collaborators, may be necessary to determine the
inventorship, priority, patentability or validity of these patents
or patent applications. An unfavorable outcome could leave our
technology or product candidates without patent protection and
allow third parties to commercialize our technology or product
candidates without payment to us. Additionally, potential
licensees, partners or collaborators could be dissuaded from
collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current
or future product candidates if the breadth or strength of
protection provided by our patents and patent applications is
threatened. Even if we successfully defend such litigation or
proceeding, we may incur substantial costs and it may distract our
management and other employees.
Third parties may initiate legal proceedings against us alleging
that we infringe their intellectual property rights or we may
initiate legal proceedings against third parties to challenge the
validity or scope of the third-party intellectual property rights,
the outcome of which would be uncertain and could have a material
adverse effect on the success of our business.
Third parties may initiate legal proceedings against us or our
current or future licensors, licensees, partners or collaborators
alleging that we infringe their intellectual property rights.
Alternatively, we may initiate legal proceedings to challenge the
validity or scope of intellectual property rights controlled by
third parties, including in oppositions, interferences,
revocations, reexaminations,
inter partes
review or derivation proceedings before the USPTO or its
counterparts in other jurisdictions. In this regard, we are aware
of several third-party patents and patent applications containing
claims directed to compositions-of-matter, methods of use and
related subject matter, some of which pertain, at least in part, to
subject matter that might be relevant to our product candidates.
These proceedings can be expensive and time-consuming, and many of
our adversaries may have the ability to dedicate substantially
greater resources to prosecuting these legal actions than
us.
In addition, we may be subject to claims that we or our employees
have used or disclosed confidential information or intellectual
property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information,
of any such employee’s former employer, or that third parties have
an interest in our patents as an inventor or co-inventor. Likewise,
we and our current or future licensors, licensees, partners or
collaborators may be subject to claims that former employees,
partners, collaborators or other third parties have an interest in
our owned or in-licensed patents, trade secrets or other
intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. Litigation may
be necessary to defend against these claims.
Even if we believe third-party intellectual property claims are
without merit, there is no assurance that a court would find in our
favor on questions of infringement, validity, enforceability or
priority. In order to successfully challenge the validity of any
such U.S. patent in federal court, we would need to overcome a
presumption of validity in favor of the granted third-party patent.
This is a high burden, requiring us to present clear and convincing
evidence as to the invalidity of any such U.S. patent
claim.
An unfavorable outcome in any such proceeding could require us and
our current or future licensors, licensees, partners or
collaborators to cease using the related technology or developing
or commercializing the product or product candidate, or to attempt
to license rights to it from the prevailing party, which may not be
available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.
Additionally, we could be found liable for monetary damages,
including treble damages and attorneys’ fees, if we are found to
have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could
prevent us from commercializing our product candidates or force us
to cease some of our business operations, which could materially
harm our business.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights
throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting and defending patents in all countries
throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our
intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United
States can be less extensive than those in the United States. In
addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect
intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and
state laws in the United States, even in jurisdictions where we do
pursue patent protection. Consequently, we may not be able to
prevent third parties from practicing our or our licensors’
inventions in all countries outside the United States, even in
jurisdictions where we or our licensors do pursue patent
protection. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions
where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own
competing products and, further, may export otherwise infringing
products to territories where we have patent protection, but
enforcement is not as strong as that in the United
States.
Many countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent
owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In
addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents
against government agencies or government contractors. In these
countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could
materially diminish the value of such patent. If we are forced to
grant a license to third parties with respect to any patents
relevant to our business, our competitive position may be impaired,
and our business, financial condition, results of operations and
prospects may be adversely affected.
In Europe, expected by the end of 2023, European applications will
soon have the option, upon grant of a patent, of becoming a Unitary
Patent which will be subject to the jurisdiction of the Unitary
Patent Court, or the UPC. This will be a significant change in
European patent practice. As the UPC is a new court system, there
is no precedent for the court, increasing the uncertainty of any
litigation. It is our initial belief that the UPC, while offering a
cheaper streamlined process, has potential disadvantages to patent
holders, such as making a single European patent vulnerable in all
jurisdictions when challenged in a single
jurisdiction.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The market price of our common stock has been and may continue to
be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your
investment.
The market price for our common stock has fluctuated significantly
from time to time, for example, varying between a high of $32.12 on
March 17, 2021 and a low of $2.92 on October 17, 2022. The trading
price of our common stock has been and may continue to be highly
volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to various
factors, some of which we cannot control. In addition to the
factors discussed in this “Risk Factors” section, these factors
include:
•interim
or final results of clinical trials of our product candidates or
those of our competitors;
•our
ability to raise adequate capital through public or private equity
or debt offerings or negotiate potential BD Arrangements in a
timely manner or at all;
•the
success of competitive products or technologies;
•regulatory
actions with respect to our product candidates or our competitors’
product candidates or products;
•timeline
delays in our clinical trials, including delays resulting from the
effects of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic or
otherwise;
•the
level of expenses related to any of our product candidates or
clinical development programs;
•actual
or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our
competitors;
•announcements
by us or our competitors or partners of significant acquisitions,
strategic collaborations, joint ventures or capital
commitments;
•regulatory,
legal or payor developments in the United States and other
countries;
•developments
or disputes concerning patent applications, issued patents or other
proprietary rights;
•the
recruitment or departure of key personnel;
•the
results of our efforts to in-license or acquire additional product
candidates or products;
•actual
or anticipated changes in estimates as to financial results,
development timelines or recommendations by securities
analysts;
•variations
in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived
to be similar to us;
•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;
•announcement
or expectation of additional financing efforts;
•purchases
or sales of our common stock by us, our insiders or our other
stockholders;
•changes
in the structure of healthcare payment systems;
•market
conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;
and
•general
economic, industry and market conditions.
In addition, the stock market in general, and The Nasdaq Global
Select Market and biotechnology companies in particular, have
experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often
been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of
these companies, including in connection with the ongoing COVID-19
pandemic, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and recent and
potential future bank failures, which has resulted in decreased
stock prices for many companies notwithstanding the lack of a
fundamental change in their underlying business models or
prospects. Broad market and industry factors, including worsening
economic conditions and other adverse effects or developments
relating to the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and recent
and potential future bank failures, macroeconomic factors including
inflation and rising interest rates, and geopolitical instability,
including instability resulting from the conflict between Russia
and Ukraine and the related sanctions imposed against Russia, may
negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless
of our actual operating performance. The realization of any of the
above risks or any of a broad range of other risks, including those
described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section, could have a
dramatic and material adverse impact on the market price of our
common stock.
Because of volatility in our trading price and trading volume, we
may incur significant costs from class action securities
litigation.
Holders of stock in companies that have a volatile stock price
frequently bring securities class action litigation against the
company that issued the stock. We may be the target of this type of
litigation in the future. If any of our stockholders were to bring
a lawsuit of this type against us, even if the lawsuit is without
merit, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and
the time and attention of our management could be diverted from
other business concerns, either of which could seriously harm our
business. Refer to the risk factor titled “An
active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained and
sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the
public market could cause our stock price to
fall.”
Our principal stockholders, including entities affiliated with The
Column Group, Merck and management, own a substantial percentage of
our stock and collectively will be able to exert significant
control over matters subject to stockholder approval.
Our executive officers, directors, significant stockholders,
including entities affiliated with The Column Group and Merck, and
their respective affiliates, beneficially own a substantial amount
of our voting stock. These stockholders collectively may be able to
determine all matters requiring stockholder approval. For example,
these stockholders collectively may be able to control elections of
directors, amendments of our organizational documents or approval
of any merger, sale of assets or other major corporate transaction.
The interests of this group of stockholders may not always coincide
with your interests or the interests of other stockholders. In
addition, if any of our significant stockholders decide to sell a
meaningful amount of their ownership position and there is not
sufficient demand in the market for our common stock, our stock
price could fall.
An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained
and sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in
the public market could cause our stock price to fall.
Our common stock is currently listed on The Nasdaq Global Select
Market under the symbol “NGM” and trades on that market. We cannot
ensure that an active trading market for our common stock will be
sustained. Accordingly, we cannot ensure the liquidity of any
trading market, your ability to sell your shares of our common
stock when desired or the prices that you may obtain for your
shares.
For the trading days during the three months ended March 31,
2023, the average daily trading volume for our common stock on The
Nasdaq Global Select Market was only 338,500 shares. As a result,
sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the
public market, including pursuant to the Sales Agreement or by any
of our large stockholders, or even the perception in the market
that we or the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell
shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. In
addition, as a result of the low trading volume of our common
stock, the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our
stockholders could disproportionately influence the market price of
our common stock in either direction. The price for our shares
could, for example, decline significantly in the event that a large
number of shares of our common stock are sold on the market without
commensurate demand, as compared to an issuer with a higher trading
volume that could better absorb those sales without an adverse
impact on its stock price. Moreover, certain holders of our common
stock have rights, subject to certain conditions, to require us to
file registration statements covering their shares or to include
their shares in registration statements that we may file for
ourselves or other stockholders.
We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock so any
returns will be limited to the value of our stock.
We currently anticipate that we will retain future earnings for the
development, operation and expansion of our business and do not
anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends for the
foreseeable future. Any return to stockholders will therefore be
limited to the appreciation of their stock, if any.
Some provisions of our charter documents, Delaware law and our
agreement with Merck may have anti-takeover effects or could
otherwise discourage an acquisition of us by others, even if an
acquisition would benefit our stockholders, and may prevent
attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current
management.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
and amended and restated bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware
law, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us
or increase the cost of acquiring us, even if doing so would
benefit our stockholders, or to remove our current management.
These provisions include:
•a
board of directors divided into three classes serving staggered
three-year terms, such that not all members of the board will be
elected at one time;
•authorizing
the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock, the terms of which
we may establish and shares of which we may issue without
stockholder approval;
•prohibiting
cumulative voting in the election of directors, which would
otherwise allow for less than a majority of stockholders to elect
director candidates;
•prohibiting
stockholder action by written consent, thereby requiring all
stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our
stockholders;
•eliminating
the ability of stockholders to call a special meeting of
stockholders; 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.
These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our
stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making
it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board
of directors, who are responsible for appointing the members of our
management. Because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are
governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law which may discourage, delay or prevent someone from
acquiring us or merging with us whether or not it is desired by or
beneficial to our stockholders. In addition, Section 203 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits a publicly-held Delaware
corporation from engaging in a business combination with an
interested stockholder, which is generally a person that together
with its affiliates owns, or within the last three years has owned,
15% of our voting stock, for a period of three years after the date
of the transaction in which the person became an interested
stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a
prescribed manner.
Certain provisions in our agreement with Merck may also deter a
change of control. For example, under the Amended Collaboration
Agreement, a change of control gives Merck the right to terminate
the research phase of the collaboration as well as additional
rights if our acquirer is a qualifying large pharmaceutical company
or has a research, development or commercialization program that
competes with a program licensed by Merck, if any.
Any provision of our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation, amended and restated bylaws, Delaware law or our
agreement with Merck that has the effect of delaying or deterring a
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.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that
the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal
district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum
for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders,
which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable
judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or
employees.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that
the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive
forum for the following types of actions or proceedings under
Delaware statutory or common law: any derivative action or
proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of
a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to
us or our stockholders; any action asserting a claim against us or
any director or officer or other employee arising pursuant to the
Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws;
any action with respect to the validity of our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws; any
action as to which the Delaware General Corporation Law confers
jurisdiction to the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware; or
any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer
or other employee that is governed by the internal affairs
doctrine. This provision would not apply to suits brought to
enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities and Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, or any other claim
for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
or the Securities Act, creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal
and state courts over all such Securities Act actions. Accordingly,
both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such
claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple
jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by
different courts, among other considerations, our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation further provides that the
federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive
forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action
arising under the Securities Act. While the Delaware courts have
determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid,
a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue
other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions. In
such instance, we would expect to vigorously assert the validity
and enforceability of the exclusive forum provisions of our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation. This may require
significant additional costs associated with resolving such action
in other jurisdictions and there can be no assurance that the
provisions will be enforced by a court in those other
jurisdictions.
These exclusive forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability
to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for
disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees,
which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors,
officers and other employees. If a court were to find either
exclusive-forum provision in our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action,
we may incur further significant additional costs associated with
resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, all of which could
seriously harm our business.
General Risk Factors
We, our CROs, our CMOs, our current and potential future partners
and other third parties we rely on or partner with could experience
a cybersecurity incident that could harm our business.
We collect, store and transmit proprietary, confidential and
sensitive information, including personal information (such as
health-related data), in the course of our business. Our technology
systems and the information and data processed and stored in our
technology systems or otherwise by us or on our behalf, and the
technology systems of, and data accessed on our behalf by, our
research collaborators, partners, CROs, CMOs, contractors,
consultants and other third parties on which we depend to operate
our business, may be vulnerable to security breaches, loss, damage,
corruption, unauthorized access, use or disclosure or
misappropriation. Such incidents may result from the actions of a
wide variety of actors, including traditional hackers, our
personnel or the personnel of the third parties we work with,
sophisticated nation-states and nation-state-supported actors.
During times of war and other major conflicts, we, the third
parties upon which we rely, and our customers may be vulnerable to
a heightened risk of these attacks, including retaliatory
cyber-attacks, that could materially disrupt our
systems and operations, supply chain, and ability to produce, sell
and distribute our goods and services. Threats we and third parties
on which we rely may face are constantly evolving and include
(without limitation) malware, viruses, software vulnerabilities and
bugs, software or hardware failure, hacking, denial of service
attacks, social engineering (including phishing), ransomware,
inside threats, credential stuffing or other cyberattacks,
telecommunications failures, earthquakes, fires, floods and similar
threats. Threats such as ransomware attacks, for example, are
becoming increasingly prevalent and severe. Extortion payments may
alleviate the negative impact of a ransomware attack, but we may be
unwilling or unable to make such payments due to, for example,
applicable laws or regulations prohibiting such payments.
Supply-chain attacks have also increased in frequency and severity,
and we cannot guarantee that third parties’ infrastructure in our
supply chain or our third-party partners’ supply chains have not
been compromised. Our ability to monitor third parties on whom we
rely to operate our business is limited, and these third parties
may be subject to, and may expose us to, cyberattacks and other
security incidents.
We may, under certain data privacy and security obligations, be
required to, or we may choose to, expend significant resources or
modify our business activities (including our clinical trial
activities) in an effort designed to protect against security
incidents. While we have developed systems and processes designed
to protect the integrity, confidentiality and security of the
confidential and personal information under our control, we cannot
assure you that any security measures that we or our third-party
service providers implement will be effective in preventing
cybersecurity incidents. There are many different cyber-crime and
hacking techniques, and as such techniques continue to evolve, we
may be unable to anticipate attempted security breaches, identify
them before our information is exploited or react in a timely
manner.
Certain functional areas of our workforce work remotely on a full-
or part-time basis outside of our corporate network security
protection boundaries or otherwise utilize network connections,
computers and devices outside of our premises or network, which
imposes additional risks to our business, including increased risk
of industrial espionage, phishing and other cybersecurity attacks,
and unauthorized dissemination of proprietary or confidential
information, including personal information, any of which could
have a material adverse effect on our business.
Despite our efforts to strengthen security and authentication
measures, we have not always been able in the past, and may be
unable in the future, to detect vulnerabilities in our information
technology systems. We have experienced an overall increase in
cybersecurity incidents since 2020, none of which, to date, have
caused material disruption to our business, or to our knowledge,
involved a material security breach. For example, in December 2020,
we detected that an attacker had gained access to a single system
on our network and unsuccessfully attempted to use that access to
stage a broader attack against us. We or the third parties we rely
on or partner with could experience a material system failure,
security breach or other cybersecurity incident, including any
related to or in connection with any of the aforementioned threats,
in the future, which could interrupt our operations, disrupt our
development programs and have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition and results of operations. For
example, the loss or corruption of clinical trial data from
completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our
regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to
recover or reproduce the data. Likewise, we rely on third parties
for the manufacture of our product candidates, to analyze clinical
trial samples and to conduct clinical trials, and cybersecurity
incidents experienced by these third parties could have a material
adverse effect on our business. Security breaches and other
cybersecurity incidents affecting us or the third parties we rely
on or partner with could also result in substantial remediation
costs and expose us to litigation (including class claims),
regulatory enforcement action (for example, investigations, fines,
penalties, audits and inspections), additional reporting
requirements and/or oversight, fines, penalties, indemnification
obligations, negative publicity, reputational harm, monetary fund
diversions, interruptions in our operations (including availability
of data), financial loss and other liabilities and harms.
Additionally, such incidents may trigger data privacy and security
obligations requiring us to notify relevant stakeholders. These
disclosures are costly, and the disclosures or the failure to
comply with such requirements could lead to adverse
consequences.
Our contracts may not contain limitations of liability, and even
where they do, there can be no assurance that limitations of
liability in our contracts are sufficient to protect us from claims
related to our data privacy and security obligations. Additionally,
we cannot be certain that our insurance coverage will be adequate
for data security liabilities actually incurred, will continue to
be available to us on economically and commercially reasonable
terms, or at all, or that any insurer will not deny coverage as to
any future claim. The successful assertion of one or more large
claims against us that exceed available insurance coverage, or the
occurrence of changes in our insurance policies, including premium
increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance
requirements, could adversely affect our reputation, business,
financial condition and results of operations.
The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU, commonly referred
to as Brexit, could increase our cost of doing business, reduce our
gross margins or otherwise negatively impact our business and our
financial results.
The United Kingdom’s, or UK, withdrawal from the EU on January 31,
2020, commonly referred to as Brexit, has created significant
uncertainty concerning the future relationship between the UK and
the EU. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, or
MHRA, is now the UK’s standalone regulator.
On December 24, 2020, the EU and UK reached an agreement in
principle on the framework for their future relationship, the
EU-U.K. Trade and Cooperation Agreement, or the TCA. The TCA
primarily focuses on ensuring free trade between the EU and the UK
in relation to goods, including medicinal products. Although the
body of the TCA includes general terms which apply to medicinal
products, greater detail on sector-specific issues is provided in
an Annex to the TCA.
Among the changes that are now applied are that Great Britain
(England, Scotland and Wales) are treated as a third country.
Northern Ireland, with regard to EU regulations, continues to
follow many aspects of EU regulatory rules. As part of the TCA, the
EU and the UK recognize GMP inspections carried out by the other
party and accept official GMP documents issued by the other party.
The TCA also encourages, although it does not oblige, the parties
to consult one another on proposals to introduce significant
changes to technical regulations or inspection procedures. Among
the areas of absence of mutual recognition are batch testing and
batch release. The eventual adoption of the Retained EU Law
(Revocation and Reform) Bill that is currently going through the UK
adoption procedure may, however, result in substantial change to
the extent to which EU laws influence these and other actions in
the UK.
After running a public consultation which ended in December 2022,
the UK government unilaterally agreed to permanently accept EU
batch testing and batch release. However, it is not certain whether
the UK will continue this approach, particularly following adoption
of the current Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. If the
UK were to adopt an approach whereby re-testing and/or re-release
in the UK would be required, this could result in increased costs.
Furthermore, the EU continues to apply EU laws that require batch
testing and batch release to take place in the EU territory. This
means that medicinal products that are tested and released in the
UK must be retested and re-released when entering the EU market for
commercial use. As regards marketing authorizations, Great Britain
has a separate regulatory submission process, approval process and
a national marketing authorization. Northern Ireland, however,
continues to be covered by the marketing authorizations granted by
the European Commission.
The UK regulatory framework in relation to clinical trials is
derived from existing EU legislation (as implemented into UK law,
through secondary legislation) and, as such, it falls within the
scope of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill as
currently drafted. Adoption of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and
Reform) Bill as currently drafted would result in the regulatory
framework governing clinical trials in the UK being revoked unless
Ministerial action were taken to retain or replace it. It is
currently unclear to what extent the UK will seek to align its
regulations with the EU following entry into application of the
Clinical Trials Regulation in the EU which occurred on January 31,
2022.
Since January 1, 2021, an applicant for a marketing authorization
granted by the European Commission in accordance with the
centralized procedure based on the opinion of the Committee for
Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, of the EMA can no longer
be established in the UK. Since this date, companies established in
the UK cannot use the centralized procedure and instead must follow
one of the UK national authorization procedures to obtain a
marketing authorization to market products in the UK. For an
initial two-year period from January 1, 2021, MHRA could rely on a
decision taken by the European Commission on the approval of a new
centralized procedure marketing authorization when determining an
application for a Great Britain marketing authorization, or use the
MHRA’s decentralized or mutual recognition procedures which enable
marketing authorizations approved in EEA countries to be granted in
Great Britain. Post Brexit, the MHRA has been updating various
aspects of the regulatory regime for medicinal products in the UK.
These include: introducing the Innovative Licensing and Access
Procedure to accelerate the time to market and facilitate patient
access for innovative medicinal products; updates to the UK
national approval procedure, introducing a 150-day objective for
assessing applications for marketing authorizations in the UK,
Great Britain and Northern Ireland and a rolling review process for
marketing authorization applications (rather than a consolidated
full dossier submission). In September 2022, the MHRA extended the
procedure whereby it may rely on a decision taken by the European
Commission when determining an application for a Great Britain
marketing authorization until December 31, 2023.
Orphan designation in Great Britain following Brexit is, unlike in
the EU, not a pre-marketing authorization. Applications for orphan
designation are made at the same time as an application for a
marketing authorization. The
criteria to be granted an orphan drug designation are essentially
identical to those in the EU but based on the prevalence of the
condition in Great Britain. It is therefore possible that medical
conditions that were or would have been designated as orphan
conditions in Great Britain prior to the end of the Transition
Period are or would no longer be and that conditions that were not
or would not have been designated as orphan conditions in the EU
will be designated as such in Great Britain.
Since a significant part of the regulatory framework in the UK
applicable to our business and our product candidates is derived
from EU legislation, Brexit has the potential of materially
impacting the regulatory framework with respect to the development,
manufacture, approval, import and placement of our product
candidates on the market in the UK and the EU. The changes effected
by the TCA, as well as any future changes in the regulatory
framework governing medicinal products, including the adoption of
the Retain EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, could increase the
costs and complexity of doing business in or with the UK, which
could adversely affect our business.
We are subject to rapidly changing and increasingly stringent
foreign and domestic laws and regulations relating to privacy, data
protection and information security. The restrictions imposed by
these requirements or our actual or perceived failure to comply
with them could harm our business.
We may collect, use, transfer or otherwise process proprietary,
confidential and sensitive information, including personal
information (including health-related data), which subjects us to
numerous evolving and complex data privacy and security
obligations, including various laws, regulations, guidance,
industry standards, external and internal privacy and security
policies, contracts and other obligations that govern the
processing of such information by us and on our behalf. Outside the
United States, an increasing number of laws, regulations, and
industry standards may govern data privacy and security. For
example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation,
or EU GDPR, and the United Kingdom’s GDPR, or UK GDPR, impose
strict requirements for processing personal information. For
example, the EU GDPR, UK GDPR and other relevant laws that govern
patient confidentiality and storage of personal health data may
apply to our processing of personal information from clinical
trials participants and other individuals located in the European
Economic Area, or EEA, and/or the UK and, if any of our product
candidates are approved, we may seek to commercialize those
products in the EEA and/or the UK (as applicable). Companies that
violate the EU GDPR can face private litigation, prohibitions on
data processing, other administrative measures, reputational damage
and fines of up to the greater of 20 million Euros or 4% of their
worldwide annual revenue. The EU GDPR requires us to, among other
things: give detailed disclosures about how we collect, use and
share personal information; contractually commit to data protection
measures in our contracts with vendors; maintain adequate data
security measures; notify regulators and affected individuals of
certain data breaches; meet extensive privacy governance and
documentation requirements; and honor individuals’ data protection
rights, including their rights to access, correct and delete their
personal information. The UK has incorporated an amended version of
the EU GDPR into UK law, commonly referred to as the UK GDPR, which
is independent from, but at present materially aligned with, the EU
GDPR, which together with the UK Data Protection Act of 2018, or UK
DPA, covers the processing of personal information of UK residents.
Non-compliance with UK GDPR may result in substantially similar
adverse consequences to those in relation to the EU GDPR, including
monetary penalties of up to £17.5 million or 4% of worldwide
revenue, whichever is higher.
On June 28, 2021, the European Commission adopted an adequacy
decision permitting flows of personal data between the EU and the
UK to continue without additional requirements. The UK Government
also adopted a reciprocal adequacy decision in respect of EEA
member states permitting flows of personal data from the UK to the
EEA. However, the European Commission's UK adequacy decision will
automatically expire in June 2025 unless the European Commission
re-assesses and renews/extends that decision and remains under
review by the European Commission during this period. The entry
into force of the US-UK Data Access Agreement on October 3, 2022
may put at risk the European Commission’s adequacy decision granted
to the UK. If such adequacy decision were to be withdrawn, personal
data could not flow freely between the UK and the EU and additional
safeguards would need to be adopted, which could result in
additional costs for us.
The relationship between the UK and the EU in relation to certain
aspects of data protection laws remains unclear, and it is unclear
how UK data protection laws and regulations will develop in the
medium to longer term, and how data transfers to and from the UK
will be regulated in the long term. The UK’s Data Protection and
Digital Information Bill, or the Bill, was re-introduced before the
UK Parliament in March 2023, introducing reforms intended to update
and simplify the UK’s data protection framework, deviating from the
EU GDPR.
Certain jurisdictions have enacted data localization laws and laws
restricting cross-border transfers of personal information. In
particular, regulators and courts in the EEA and the UK have
significantly restricted the transfer of personal information to
the United States and other countries whose privacy laws it
believes are
inadequate. Other jurisdictions may adopt similarly stringent
interpretations of their data localization and cross-border data
transfer laws. Although there are currently various mechanisms that
may be used to transfer personal information from the EEA and UK to
the United States in compliance with law, such as the EEA’s
standard contractual clauses and the UK's international data
transfer agreement, these mechanisms are subject to legal
challenges, and there is no assurance that we can satisfy or rely
on these measures to lawfully transfer personal information to the
United States.
We continue to monitor changes in data protection laws related to
the cross-border transfer of personal information; however,
uncertainty remains regarding any future regulations,
interpretations of existing law or guidance that may be issued,
particularly by the EU authorities. If we are unable to implement a
valid compliance solution for cross-border transfers of personal
information, or if the requirements for a legally-compliant
transfer are too onerous, we will face increased exposure to
significant adverse consequences, including substantial fines,
regulatory actions, as well as injunctions against the export and
processing of personal information from the EEA. Our inability to
import personal information from the EEA, UK or Switzerland or
other countries may also restrict or prohibit our clinical trial
activities in those countries; limit our ability to collaborate
with CROs, service providers, contractors and other companies
subject to laws restricting cross-border data transfers; require us
to increase our data processing capabilities in other countries at
significant expense and may otherwise negatively impact our
business operations. We may also become subject to new laws in the
EEA that regulate cybersecurity and non-personal data, such as data
collected through the internet of things. Depending on how these
laws are interpreted, we may have to make changes to our business
practices and products to comply with such
obligations.
Additionally, other countries have enacted or are considering
enacting similar cross-border data transfer restrictions and laws
requiring local data residency, which could increase the cost and
complexity of delivering our services and operating our
business.
Privacy and data security laws in the United States at the federal,
state and local level are increasingly complex and changing
rapidly. For example, at the federal level, HIPAA, as amended by
HITECH, imposes specific requirements relating to the privacy,
security and transmission of individually identifiable health
information. Additionally, at the state level, the privacy and data
protection landscape is changing rapidly. For example, the
California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, or CCPA, took effect on
January 1, 2020. The CCPA gives California residents certain rights
similar to the individual rights given under the EU GDPR, including
the right to access and delete their personal information, opt-out
of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed
information about how their personal information is used. The CCPA
provides for civil penalties for violations, including statutory
fines for noncompliance and a limited private right of action in
connection with certain data breaches. In addition, the California
Privacy Rights Act of 2020, or CPRA, which became operative January
1, 2023, expands the CCPA’s requirements, including in that it
applies to personal information of business representatives and
employees and establishes a new regulatory agency to implement and
enforce the law. While the CCPA contains an exemption for certain
personal information processed in connection with clinical trials,
we may process other personal information that is subject to the
CCPA and CPRA. Other states, such as Virginia and Colorado, have
also passed comprehensive privacy laws, and similar laws are being
considered in several other states, as well as at the federal and
local levels. The evolving patchwork of differing state and federal
privacy and data security laws increases the cost and complexity of
operating our business and increase our exposure to
liability.
We may also be bound by contractual obligations related to data
privacy and security, and our efforts to comply with such
obligations may not be successful. We may publish privacy policies,
marketing materials and other statements, such as compliance with
certain certifications or self-regulatory principles, regarding
data privacy and security. If these policies, materials or
statements are found to be deficient, lacking in transparency,
deceptive, unfair or misrepresentative of our practices, we may be
subject to investigation, enforcement actions by regulators or
other adverse consequences.
Our obligations related to data privacy and security are quickly
changing in an increasingly stringent fashion. These obligations
may be subject to differing applications and interpretations, which
may be inconsistent or in conflict among jurisdictions. Preparing
for and complying with these obligations requires us to devote
significant resources (including, without limitation, financial and
time-related resources). These obligations may necessitate changes
to our information technologies, systems and practices and to those
of any third parties that process personal information on our
behalf. In addition, these obligations may require us to change
aspects of our business model. Although we endeavor to comply with
applicable data privacy and security obligations, we may at times
fail (or be perceived to have failed) to do so. Moreover, despite
our efforts, our personnel or third parties upon whom we rely may
fail to comply with such obligations, which could impact whether or
not we are in compliance.
If we (or third parties on which we rely) fail, or are perceived to
have failed, to address or comply with data privacy and security
obligations, we could face significant consequences, including
(without limitation): government
enforcement actions (e.g., investigations, fines, penalties,
audits, inspections and similar); litigation (including
class-related claims); additional reporting requirements and/or
oversight; bans on processing personal information; orders to
destroy or not use personal information; and imprisonment of
company officials. Any of these events could have a material
adverse effect on our reputation, business or financial condition,
including but not limited to: loss of customers; interruptions or
stoppages in our business operations (including clinical trials);
inability to process personal information or to operate in certain
jurisdictions; limited ability to develop or commercialize our
products; expenditure of time and resources to defend any claim or
inquiry; adverse publicity; or revision or restructuring of our
operations.
Our operations are vulnerable to interruption by fire, earthquake,
power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist activity and
other events beyond our control, which could harm our
business.
Our facilities have experienced electrical blackouts as a result of
a shortage of available electrical power. Future blackouts, which
may be implemented by the local electricity provider in the face of
high winds and dry conditions, could disrupt our operations. Our
facility is located in a seismically active region. We have not
undertaken a systematic analysis of the potential consequences to
our business and financial results from a major earthquake, fire,
power loss, terrorist activity or other disasters and do not have a
comprehensive recovery plan for such disasters. In addition, we do
not carry sufficient insurance to compensate us for actual losses
from interruption of our business that may occur, and any losses or
damages incurred by us could harm our business. In addition, the
sole supplier of clinical drug substances for NGM120, NGM707,
NGM831, NGM438 and MK-3655 (NGM313) is located in Lithuania, a
region that has experienced political unrest. Refer to the risk
factor titled “We
rely completely on CMOs for the manufacture of our product
candidates and are subject to many manufacturing risks, any of
which could substantially increase our costs and limit supply of
our product candidates and any future products.”
If our operations or the operations of third parties providing
services to us are disrupted by any such occurrences, our business
and future prospects may be negatively affected.
We use and generate materials that may expose us to material
liability.
Our research programs involve the use of hazardous materials,
chemicals and radioactive and biological materials. We are subject
to foreign, federal, state and local environmental and health and
safety laws and regulations governing, among other matters, the
use, manufacture, handling, storage and disposal of hazardous
materials and waste products. We may incur significant costs to
comply with these current or future environmental and health and
safety laws and regulations. In addition, we cannot completely
eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from hazardous
materials and may incur material liability as a result of such
contamination or injury. In the event of an accident, an injured
party may seek to hold us liable for any damages that result. Any
liability could exceed the limits or fall outside the coverage of
our workers’ compensation, property and business interruption
insurance and we may not be able to maintain insurance on
acceptable terms, if at all. We currently carry no insurance
specifically covering environmental claims.
Our ability to use net operating loss carryforwards and certain
other tax attributes to offset taxable income could be
limited.
We plan to use our current year operating losses to offset taxable
income from any revenue generated from operations, including BD
Arrangements. To the extent that our taxable income exceeds any
current year operating losses, we plan to use our net operating
loss carryforwards to offset income that would otherwise be
taxable. Our federal net operating loss carryforwards generated in
tax years beginning before January 1, 2018 are only permitted to be
carried forward for 20 years under applicable U.S. tax law. Under
the 2017 Tax Act, as modified by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and
Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, our federal net operating
losses generated in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 may
be carried forward indefinitely, but the ability to deduct such
federal net operating losses generated in tax years beginning after
December 31, 2020 is limited to 80% of taxable income. It is
uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the
2017 Tax Act or the CARES Act.
In addition, under Sections 382 and 383 of the U.S. Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, and corresponding
provisions of state law, if we experience an “ownership change,”
generally defined as a greater than 50% change, by value, in equity
ownership over a three-year period, our ability to use our
pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and certain other
pre-change tax attributes (such as R&D tax credits) to offset
our post-change income may be limited. Due to our initial public
offering and other shifts in our stock ownership, we have
experienced ownership changes in the past and may experience
ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent shifts in
our stock ownership, some of which are outside our control. As a
result, our use of federal net operating loss carryforwards and
certain other tax attributes could be limited. State net operating
loss carryforwards may be similarly limited. In addition, at the
state level, there may be periods during which the use
of
net operating losses is suspended or otherwise limited, which could
accelerate or permanently increase state taxes owed.
New tax laws or regulations, changes to existing tax laws or
regulations or changes in their application to us or our customers
may have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flows,
financial condition or results of operations.
New tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations, directives, decrees or
ordinances could be enacted at any time. Further, existing tax
laws, statutes, rules, regulations, directives, decrees or
ordinances could be interpreted, changed or modified. Any such
enactment, interpretation, change or modification could adversely
affect us, possibly with retroactive effect. For example, the
recently enacted IRA imposes, among other rules, a 15% minimum tax
on the book income of certain large corporations and a 1% excise
tax on certain corporate stock repurchases. In addition, for
certain research and experimental, or R&E, expenses incurred in
tax years beginning after December 31, 2021, the 2017 Tax Act
requires the capitalization and amortization of such expenses over
five years if incurred in the United States and fifteen years if
incurred outside the United States, rather than deducting such
expenses currently. Although there have been legislative proposals
to repeal or defer the capitalization requirement, there can be no
assurance that such requirement will be repealed, deferred or
otherwise modified. Changes in corporate tax rates, the realization
of net deferred tax assets relating to our operations, the taxation
of foreign earnings and the deductibility of expenses under the
2017 Tax Act, as amended by the CARES Act or any future tax reform
legislation could have a material impact on the value of our
deferred tax assets, result in significant one-time charges and
increase our future U.S. tax expense.
Future changes in financial accounting standards or practices may
cause adverse and unexpected revenue fluctuations and adversely
affect our reported results of operations.
Future changes in financial accounting standards may cause adverse,
unexpected revenue fluctuations and affect our reported financial
position or results of operations. Financial accounting standards
in the United States are constantly under review and new
pronouncements and varying interpretations of pronouncements have
occurred frequently in the past and are expected to occur again in
the future. As a result, we may be required to make changes in our
accounting policies. Those changes could affect our financial
condition and results of operations or the way in which such
financial condition and results of operations are reported.
Compliance with new accounting standards may also result in
additional expenses. As a result, we intend to invest all
reasonably necessary resources to comply with evolving standards,
and this investment may result in increased general and
administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and
attention from business activities to compliance
activities.
We continue to incur increased costs as a result of operating as a
public company, and our management devotes substantial time to new
compliance initiatives. In addition, we are obligated to develop
and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial
reporting. In the future, we may not complete our analysis of our
internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner, or
our internal control over financial reporting may not be determined
to be effective, which may adversely affect investor confidence in
our company and, as a result, the value of our common
stock.
As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting,
insurance and other expenses, and these expenses further increased
in connection with our loss of “emerging growth company” status as
of December 31, 2021. As a public company, we are subject to the
reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
and the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as rules adopted, and to be
adopted, by the SEC and The Nasdaq Global Select Market. Our
management and other personnel devote a substantial amount of time
to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and
regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs and
may make some activities more time-consuming and costly. The
increased costs will increase our net loss. For example, these
rules and regulations make it more difficult and more expensive for
us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be
required to incur substantial costs to maintain sufficient
coverage. We cannot predict or estimate the amount or timing of
additional costs we may incur in the future to respond to these
requirements. The impact of these requirements could also make it
more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to
serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as
executive officers.
Specifically, in order to comply with the requirements of being a
public company, we need to undertake various actions, including
maintaining effective internal controls and procedures. The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain
effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control
over financial reporting. We are continuing to develop and refine
our disclosure controls and other procedures that are designed to
ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the
reports that we file with the SEC is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time periods
specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that information
required to be disclosed in reports under the Exchange Act is
accumulated and communicated to our principal executive and
financial officers. In addition, we must perform system and process
evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial
reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our
internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section
404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and to allow our independent
registered public accounting firm to issue an attestation report on
the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
Our compliance with Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
requires that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend
significant management efforts. We currently do not have an
internal audit staff and outsource this function to a third party.
We have hired and will need to retain our current accounting and
financial staff who have the appropriate public company experience
and technical accounting knowledge. If we or our independent
registered public accounting firm identify deficiencies in our
internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be
material weaknesses, investors may lose confidence in our operating
results and the price of our common stock could decline. In
addition, if we are unable to continue to meet these requirements,
we may not be able to remain listed on The Nasdaq Global Select
Market.
Our ability to successfully implement our business plan and comply
with Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires us to be
able to prepare timely and accurate financial statements. We expect
that we will need to continue to improve existing, and implement
new operational and financial systems, procedures and controls to
manage our business effectively. Any delay in the implementation
of, or disruption in the transition to, new or enhanced systems,
procedures or controls may cause our operations to suffer, and we
may be unable to conclude that our internal control over financial
reporting is effective and to obtain an attestation report from our
independent registered public accounting firm as required under
Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This, in turn, could have
an adverse impact on the price for our common stock and could
adversely affect our ability to access the capital
markets.
Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect
all errors or acts of fraud.
We designed our disclosure controls and procedures to reasonably
assure that information we must disclose in reports we file or
submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to
management, and 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.
These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in
decision-making can be faulty and 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 due to error or fraud may occur and not be
detected.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or
publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, our
stock price and trading volume could decline.
Our stock price and trading volume is heavily influenced by the way
analysts and investors interpret our clinical trial results, any BD
Arrangements we may enter into, our financial information and other
disclosures. If securities or industry analysts do not publish
research or reports about our business, delay publishing reports
about our business or publish negative reports about our business,
regardless of accuracy, our stock price and trading volume could
decline.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds.
None.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
Not applicable.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information.
None.
Item 6. Exhibits.
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Incorporated by Reference |
Exhibit
Number |
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Exhibit Description |
Schedule
Form |
File Number |
Exhibit |
Filing
Date |
3.1 |
|
|
8-K |
001-38853 |
3.1 |
4/8/19 |
3.2 |
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S-1 |
333-227608 |
3.4 |
9/28/18 |
10.1+* |
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31.1+ |
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31.2+ |
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32.1+** |
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101.INS |
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Inline XBRL Instance Document |
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101.SCH |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document |
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101.CAL |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
Document |
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101.DEF |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
Document |
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101.LAB |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document |
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101.PRE |
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XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document |
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104 |
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Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and
contained in Exhibit 101) |
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+ Filed or furnished herewith.
* Indicates management contract or
compensatory plan or arrangement.
** The certifications attached as Exhibit
32.1 accompany this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not deemed
filed with the SEC and are not to be incorporated by reference into
any filing of NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q, irrespective of any general incorporation
language contained in such filing.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on
its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly
authorized.
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NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. |
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Date: May 4, 2023 |
By: |
/s/ David J. Woodhouse |
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David J. Woodhouse, Ph.D. |
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Chief Executive Officer and Director |
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(Principal Executive Officer) |
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Date: May 4, 2023 |
By: |
/s/ Siobhan Nolan Mangini |
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Siobhan Nolan Mangini |
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President and Chief Financial Officer |
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(Principal Financial Officer) |
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