UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended
OR
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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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.
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).
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.
Large accelerated filer ◻ | Accelerated filer ◻ |
Smaller reporting 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
As of July 31, 2023, the registrant had
Table of Contents
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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss | 2 | |
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 35 | |
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as “will,” “may,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue” or variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Any forward-looking statement involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements include statements, other than statements of historical fact, about, among other things:
● | the initiation, timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials, and our research and development programs; |
● | our ability to advance our product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical trials; |
● | our reliance on the success of our product candidates in our Bicycle® Toxin Conjugate, or BTCTM, Bicycle tumor-targeted immune cell agonist®, or Bicycle TICATM and other pipeline programs; |
● | our ability to utilize our screening platform to identify and advance additional product candidates into clinical development; |
● | the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; |
● | the commercialization of our product candidates, if approved; |
● | our ability to develop sales and marketing capabilities; |
● | the pricing, coverage and reimbursement of our product candidates, if approved; |
● | the implementation of our business model, strategic plans for our business, product candidates and technology; |
● | the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our product candidates and technology; |
● | our ability to operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights and proprietary technology of third parties; |
● | costs associated with defending intellectual property infringement, product liability and other claims; |
● | regulatory development in the United States, the United Kingdom and other jurisdictions and changes to laws and regulations of England and Wales, and other jurisdictions; |
● | estimates of our expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing; |
● | the amount of and our ability to satisfy interest and principal payments under our debt facility with Hercules Capital, Inc., or Hercules; |
● | the potential benefits of strategic collaboration agreements and our ability to enter into strategic arrangements; |
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● | our ability to maintain and establish collaborations or obtain additional grant funding; |
● | the rate and degree of market acceptance of any approved products; |
● | developments relating to our competitors and our industry, including competing therapies; |
● | our ability to effectively manage our anticipated growth; |
● | our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and key personnel; |
● | future revenue, hiring plans, expenses, capital expenditures, capital requirements and share performance; |
● | the impact of public health crises and other adverse global economic conditions on our operations and the potential disruption in the operations and business of our third-party manufacturers, contract research organizations, or CROs, other service providers, and collaborators with whom we conduct business; |
● | recent adverse developments affecting the financial services industry; |
● | potential business interruptions resulting from geo-political actions, such as war and terrorism or the perception that such hostilities may be imminent; |
● | our failure or perceived failure to comply with existing or future laws, regulations, contracts, self-regulatory schemes, standards, and other obligations related to data privacy and security (including security incidents) that could harm our business, increase the costs of our products or services, limit their use or adoption, and otherwise negatively affect our operating results and business; and |
● | other risks and uncertainties, including those listed under the caption “Risk Factors.” |
Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, these statements are based on our estimates or projections of the future that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance, experience or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. These risks, uncertainties and other factors are described in greater detail under the caption “Risk Factors” in Part II. Item 1A and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. As a result of the risks and uncertainties, the results or events indicated by the forward-looking statements may not occur. Undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statement.
In addition, any forward-looking statement in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q represents our views only as of the date of this quarterly report and should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments may cause our views to change. Although we may elect to update these forward-looking statements publicly at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, except as required by applicable law. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make.
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PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements.
Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
(Unaudited)
June 30, | December 31, | |||||
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Assets |
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Current assets: |
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Cash and cash equivalents | $ | | $ | | ||
Accounts receivable |
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Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
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Research and development incentives receivable |
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Total current assets |
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Property and equipment, net |
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Operating lease right-of-use assets |
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Other assets |
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Total assets | $ | | $ | | ||
Liabilities and shareholders’ equity |
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Current liabilities: |
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Accounts payable | $ | | $ | | ||
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities |
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Deferred revenue, current portion |
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Total current liabilities |
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Long-term debt, net of discount | | | ||||
Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion |
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Deferred revenue, net of current portion | | | ||||
Other long‑term liabilities |
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Total liabilities |
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Commitments and contingencies (Note 11) |
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Shareholders’ equity: |
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Ordinary shares, £ |
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Additional paid-in capital |
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Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income |
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Accumulated deficit |
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Total shareholders’ equity |
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Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity | $ | | $ | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements
1
Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||
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Collaboration revenues | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||
Operating expenses: |
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Research and development |
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General and administrative |
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Total operating expenses |
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Loss from operations |
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Other income (expense): |
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Interest income |
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Interest expense | ( | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
Total other income (expense), net |
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Net loss before income tax provision |
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Benefit from income taxes |
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Net loss | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||
Net loss per share, basic and diluted | ( | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding, basic and diluted |
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Comprehensives loss: |
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Net loss | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||
Other comprehensive income (loss): |
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Foreign currency translation adjustment |
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Total comprehensive loss | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements
2
Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity
(In thousands, except share data)
(Unaudited)
Accumulated | |||||||||||||||||
Additional | Other | Total | |||||||||||||||
Ordinary Shares | Paid‑in | Comprehensive | Accumulated | Shareholders’ | |||||||||||||
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| Capital |
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| Deficit |
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Balance at December 31, 2022 | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | | ||||||
Issuance of ADSs upon exercise of share options | | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
Issuance of ADSs, net of commissions and offering expenses of $ | | | | — | — | | |||||||||||
Issuance of ADSs upon vesting of restricted share units | | | — | — | — | | |||||||||||
Share-based compensation expense | — | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment | — | — | — | ( | — | ( | |||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | |||||||||||
Balance at March 31, 2023 | | | | | ( | | |||||||||||
Issuance of ADSs upon exercise of share options | | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
Issuance of ADSs, net of commissions and offering expenses of $ | | | | — | — | | |||||||||||
Issuance of ADSs upon vesting of restricted share units | | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
Share-based compensation expense | — | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment | — | — | — | ( | — | ( | |||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | |||||||||||
Balance at June 30, 2023 | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | |
Balance at December 31, 2021 | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | | ||||||
Issuance of ADSs upon exercise of share options | | | | — | — | | |||||||||||
Issuance of ADSs upon vesting of restricted share units | | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
Share-based compensation expense | — | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment | — | — | — | | — | | |||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | |||||||||||
Balance at March 31, 2022 | | | | ( | ( | | |||||||||||
Issuance of ADSs upon exercise of share options | | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
Share-based compensation expense | — | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment | — | — | — | | — | | |||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | |||||||||||
Balance at June 30, 2022 | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements
3
Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
Six Months Ended | ||||||
Ended | ||||||
June 30, | ||||||
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Cash flows from operating activities: |
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Net loss | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
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Share-based compensation expense |
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Depreciation and amortization |
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Non-cash interest | | | ||||
Deferred income tax benefit |
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Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
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Accounts receivable |
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Research and development incentives receivable |
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Prepaid expenses and other assets |
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Operating lease right‑of‑use assets |
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Accounts payable |
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Accrued expenses and other current liabilities |
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Operating lease liabilities |
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Deferred revenue |
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Other long-term liabilities |
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Net cash used in operating activities |
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Cash used in investing activities: |
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Purchases of property and equipment |
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Net cash used in investing activities |
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Cash flows from financing activities: |
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Proceeds from the issuance of ADSs, net of issuance costs | | — | ||||
Proceeds from the exercise of share options and sale of ordinary shares | | | ||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
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Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
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Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
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Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
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Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $ | | $ | | ||
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information |
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Cash paid for interest | $ | | $ | | ||
Cash paid for income taxes | $ | | $ | | ||
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities | $ | | $ | | ||
Changes in purchases of property and equipment in accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | ( | $ | | ||
Advance billings on deferred revenue included in accounts receivable | $ | | $ | — | ||
Non-cash impact right-of-use asset and operating lease liabilities | $ | | $ | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements
4
Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
1. Nature of the business and basis of presentation
Bicycle Therapeutics plc (collectively with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of medicines, which the Company refers to as Bicycles, for diseases that are underserved by existing therapeutics. Bicycles are a unique therapeutic modality combining the pharmacology usually associated with a biologic with the manufacturing and pharmacokinetic properties of a small molecule. The Company’s initial internal programs are focused on oncology indications with high unmet medical need. The Company is evaluating BT5528, a second-generation Bicycle® Toxin Conjugate (“BTCTM”) targeting Ephrin type-A receptor 2 (“EphA2”), in a Company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial, BT8009, a second-generation BTC targeting Nectin-4, in a Company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial, and BT7480, a Bicycle tumor-targeted immune cell agonist® (“Bicycle TICATM”) targeting Nectin-4 and agonizing CD137, in a Company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial. In addition, BT1718, a BTC that is being developed to target tumors that express Membrane Type 1 matrix metalloproteinase, is being investigated for safety, tolerability and efficacy in an ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial sponsored and fully funded by the Centre for Drug Development of Cancer Research UK. The Company’s discovery pipeline in oncology includes Bicycle-based systemic immune cell agonists and Bicycle TICAs. Beyond the Company’s wholly owned oncology portfolio, the Company is collaborating with biopharmaceutical companies.
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Bicycle Therapeutics plc and its wholly owned subsidiaries, BicycleTx Limited, BicycleRD Limited and Bicycle Therapeutics Inc. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated on consolidation.
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The Company has reclassified the deferred income tax benefit within its condensed consolidated statements of cash flows in prior periods to conform to current period presentation.
Liquidity
As of June 30, 2023, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the basis of continuity of operations, realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the ordinary course of business. Since inception, the Company has devoted substantially all of its efforts to business planning, research and development, recruiting management and technical staff, and raising capital. The Company has funded its operations primarily with proceeds from the sale of its ordinary shares, convertible preferred shares and American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”), including offerings pursuant to its at-the-market offering program (“ATM”), proceeds received from its collaboration arrangements (Note 9) and borrowings from the Loan Agreement with Hercules Capital, Inc. (“Hercules”) (Note 6). The Company has incurred recurring losses since inception, including net losses of $
5
The Company expects its expenses to increase substantially in connection with ongoing activities, particularly as the Company advances its preclinical activities and clinical trials for its product candidates in development. Accordingly, the Company will need to obtain additional funding in connection with continuing operations. If the Company is unable to raise funding when needed, or on attractive terms, it could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate its research or drug development programs or any future commercialization efforts. There is no assurance that the Company will be successful in obtaining sufficient funding on terms acceptable to the Company to fund continuing operations, if at all.
The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the biotechnology industry, including but not limited to, risks of delays in initiating or continuing research programs and clinical trials, risks of failure of preclinical studies and clinical trials, the need to obtain marketing approval for any drug product candidate that it may identify and develop, the need to successfully commercialize and gain market acceptance of its product candidates, if approved, dependence on key personnel and collaboration partners, protection of proprietary technology, compliance with government regulations, development by competitors of technological innovations, and the ability to secure additional capital to fund operations. Product candidates currently under development will require significant additional research and development efforts, including preclinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval prior to commercialization. Even if the Company’s research and development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will realize significant revenue from product sales.
2. Summary of significant accounting policies
The Company’s significant accounting policies are disclosed in the audited consolidated financial statements 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, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), on February 28, 2023 (the “2022 Annual Report”). Since the date of such consolidated financial statements, there have been no changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies, other than those disclosed below.
Use of estimates
The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting periods. Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in these condensed consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the accrual for research and development expenses, revenue recognition, share-based compensation expense, valuation of right-of-use assets and liabilities, and income taxes, including the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience, known trends and other market-specific or other relevant factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Estimates are periodically reviewed in light of reasonable changes in circumstances, facts and experience. Changes in estimates are recorded in the period in which they become known. Actual results could differ from those estimates or assumptions.
Significant risks and uncertainties
The Company currently operates in a period of economic uncertainty which has been significantly impacted by the global health crises, domestic and global monetary and fiscal policy, bank failures, geopolitical instability, the ongoing war in Ukraine, rising inflation and interest rates, and fluctuations in monetary exchange rates. While the Company has experienced limited financial impacts at this time, the Company continues to monitor these factors and events and the potential effects each may have on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
Unaudited interim financial information
Certain information in the footnote disclosures of these financial statements has been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be
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read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2022 included in the Company’s 2022 Annual Report.
The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2023, condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, condensed consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity, and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, and the related financial information disclosed in these notes are unaudited. The unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022, and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair statement of the Company’s financial position as of June 30, 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022. The results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2023, any other interim periods, or any future year or period.
Accounts receivable
Accounts receivable generally represents amounts due under the Company’s collaboration agreements. The Company makes judgments as to its ability to collect outstanding receivables and estimates credit losses at the reporting date resulting from the inability of its customers to make required payments. Provisions are made based upon a specific review of all significant outstanding invoices and the overall quality and age of those invoices. As of June 30, 2023, accounts receivable consists of amounts due under the collaboration agreement between BicycleTx Limited and Bayer Consumer Care AG (“Bayer”). To date, the Company has not had any write-offs of bad debt, and the Company did not have an allowance for credit losses as of June 30, 2023.
Recently adopted accounting pronouncements
There have been no recent accounting pronouncements, changes in accounting pronouncements or recently adopted accounting guidance during the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, that are of significance or potential significance to the Company.
3. Fair value of financial assets and liabilities
Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value are to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three levels of the fair value hierarchy, of which the first two are considered observable and the last is considered unobservable: Level 1, Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2, Observable inputs (other than Level 1 quoted prices), such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active for identical or similar assets or liabilities, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data; Level 3, unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity that are significant to determining the fair value of the assets or liabilities, including pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques.
The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, research and development incentives receivable, prepaid expenses other current assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these assets and liabilities. As of June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the carrying value of the long-term debt approximates its fair value, which was determined using unobservable Level 3 inputs, including quoted interest rates from a lender for borrowings with similar terms. As of June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, there were
Cash and cash equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash with original maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company’s cash equivalents consisted of interest-bearing money market funds and 30-day term
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deposits, which are considered Level 1 assets. The Company had $
4. Property and equipment, net
Property and equipment, net consisted of the following (in thousands):
June 30, | December 31, | |||||
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Laboratory equipment | $ | | $ | | ||
Leasehold improvements |
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Computer equipment and software |
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Furniture and office equipment |
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Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization |
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$ | | $ | |
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, approximately $
5. Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):
June 30, | December 31, | |||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 | |||
Accrued employee compensation and benefits | $ | | $ | | ||
Accrued external research and development expenses |
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Accrued professional fees |
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Accrued income tax | | | ||||
Other |
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$ | | $ | |
6. Long-term debt
On September 30, 2020 (the “Closing Date”), Bicycle Therapeutics plc and its subsidiaries (the “Borrowers”) entered into a loan and security agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Hercules, which provided for aggregate maximum borrowings of up to $
On March 10, 2021 (“the Amendment Closing Date”), the Borrowers entered into the First Amendment to the Loan and Security Agreement (the “First Amendment to LSA”) with Hercules, in its capacity as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the lenders named in the First Amendment to LSA. Pursuant to the First Amendment to LSA, payments on borrowings under the Company’s debt facility with Hercules were interest-only until the first payment was due on August 1, 2023, which date was extended from November 1, 2022, followed by equal monthly payments of principal and interest through the scheduled maturity date on October 1, 2024 (the “Maturity Date”). If the Company achieved certain performance milestones, the interest-only period could be extended, with the first principal payment due on February 1, 2024, which date was extended from May 1, 2023. On the Amendment Closing Date and pursuant to the terms of the First Amendment to LSA, the Company borrowed the additional term loan of $
8
available from September 30, 2020 to March 15, 2021. In November 2021, the performance milestones were achieved, and the interest only period was extended until February 1, 2024. On March 15, 2022, the additional term loan of $
On July 15, 2022, the Borrowers entered into the Second Amendment to the Loan and Security Agreement (the “Second Amendment to LSA”) with Hercules. Pursuant to the Second Amendment to LSA, the rate at which the borrowings under the Loan Agreement bear interest was decreased and capped. Under the Second Amendment to LSA, interest is paid at an annual rate of the Wall Street Journal prime rate plus
At the Borrowers’ option, the Borrowers may prepay all or any portion greater than $
The Company incurred fees and transaction costs totaling $
The Company assessed all terms and features of the Loan Agreement in order to identify any potential embedded features that would require bifurcation. As part of this analysis, the Company assessed the economic characteristics and risks of the debt. The Company determined that all features of the Loan Agreement are clearly and closely associated with a debt host and, as such, do not require separate accounting as a derivative liability. Interest expense associated with the Loan Agreement for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 was $
9
Long-term debt consisted of the following (in thousands):
June 30, | December 31, | |||||
| 2023 |
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Term loan payable | $ | | $ | | ||
End of term charge | | | ||||
Unamortized debt issuance costs | ( | ( | ||||
Carrying value of term loan | $ | | $ | |
Future principal payments, including the End of Term Charge, are as follows (in thousands):
Year Ending December 31, | |||
2023 | $ | | |
2024 | | ||
2025 | | ||
Total | $ | |
7. Ordinary shares
Each holder of ordinary shares is entitled to
As of June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the Company’s authorized share capital consisted of
On June 5, 2020, the Company entered into a Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (the “Sales Agents”) with respect to an ATM program pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell through the Sales Agents, from time to time at the Company’s sole discretion, ADSs, each ADS representing one ordinary share. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company issued and sold
8. Share-based compensation
Employee incentive pool
2020 Equity Incentive Plan
In June 2020, the Company’s shareholders first approved the Bicycle Therapeutics plc 2020 Equity Incentive Plan with Non-Employee Sub-Plan (the “2020 Plan”), under which the Company may grant market value options, market value stock appreciation rights or restricted shares, restricted share units (“RSUs”), performance RSUs and other
10
share-based awards to the Company’s employees. The Company’s non-employee directors and consultants are eligible to receive awards under the 2020 Non-Employee Sub-Plan to the 2020 Plan. All awards under the 2020 Plan, including the 2020 Non-Employee Sub-Plan, will be set forth in award agreements, which will detail the terms and conditions of awards, including any applicable vesting and payment terms, change of control provisions and post-termination exercise limitations. In the event of a change of control of the Company, as defined in the 2020 Plan, any outstanding awards under the 2020 Plan will vest in full immediately prior to such change of control.
The Company initially reserved up to
Share options issued under the 2020 Plan have a
The Company grants RSUs to non-employee directors and certain employees under the 2020 Plan. Each RSU represents the right to receive
As of June 30, 2023, there were options to purchase
2019 Share Option Plan
In May 2019, the Company adopted the 2019 Plan, which became effective in conjunction with the IPO. As of June 30, 2023, there were
Share options previously issued under the 2019 Plan have a
11
Employee Share Purchase Plan
In May 2019, the Company adopted the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”), which became effective in conjunction with the IPO. The Company initially reserved
Share-based compensation
The Company recorded share-based compensation expense in the following expense categories of its condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss (in thousands):
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
| 2023 |
| 2022 | |||||
Research and development expenses | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||
General and administrative expenses |
| |
| |
| |
| | ||||
$ | | $ | | $ | | $ | |
Share options
The following table summarizes the Company’s option activity since December 31, 2022:
Number of | Weighted | |||||||||
Shares | Weighted | Average | Aggregate | |||||||
Underlying | Average | Contractual | Intrinsic | |||||||
| Share Options |
| Exercise Price |
| Term |
| Value | |||
(in years) | (in thousands) | |||||||||
Outstanding as of December 31, 2022 |
| | $ | |
| $ | | |||
Granted |
| |
| |
| — |
| — | ||
Exercised |
| ( |
| |
| — |
| — | ||
Forfeited |
| ( |
| |
| — |
| — | ||
Outstanding as of June 30, 2023 |
| | $ | |
| $ | | |||
Vested and expected to vest as of June 30, 2023 |
| | $ | | $ | | ||||
Options exercisable as of June 30, 2023 |
| | $ | |
| $ | |
The weighted average grant-date fair value of share options granted during the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 was $
The aggregate intrinsic value of share options is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the share options and the fair value of the Company’s ordinary shares. The aggregate intrinsic value of share options exercised was $
Total share-based compensation expense for share options granted was $
12
The following table presents, on a weighted average basis, the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair value of share options granted to employees and directors:
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended |
| ||||||||
June 30, | June 30, |
| ||||||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
| ||
Risk-free interest rate |
| | % | | % | | % | | % | |
Expected volatility |
| | % | | % | | % | | % | |
Expected dividend yield |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| — | ||
Expected term (in years) |
|
|
|
|
As of June 30, 2023, total unrecognized compensation expense related to the unvested employee and director share options was $
Restricted share units
The following table summarizes the Company’s RSU activity under the 2020 Plan since December 31, 2022:
Number of Shares | Weighted-Average | ||||
Underlying RSUs | Grant Date Fair Value | ||||
Unvested at December 31, 2022 | | $ | | ||
Granted | | | |||
Vested | ( | | |||
Forfeited | ( | | |||
Unvested at June 30, 2023 | | $ | |
The fair value of RSUs that vested during the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, was $
Total share-based compensation expense for RSUs granted was $
9. Significant agreements
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized revenue for its collaborations with Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Ionis”), Genentech, Inc. (“Genentech”), the Dementia Discovery Fund (“DDF”), and AstraZeneca AB (“AstraZeneca”).
Three Months | Six Months | |||||||||||
Ended | Ended | |||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
| 2023 |
| 2022 | |||||
Collaboration revenues |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Ionis | | | | | ||||||||
Genentech | | | | | ||||||||
Dementia Discovery Fund |
| — |
| |
| — |
| | ||||
AstraZeneca | | | | | ||||||||
Total collaboration revenues | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | |
13
Bayer Collaboration Agreement
On May 4, 2023, the Company and Bayer entered into a collaboration and license agreement (the “Bayer Collaboration Agreement”), pursuant to which the parties will perform research and discovery activities under a mutually agreed upon research plan during a research term up to a specified number of years per target program to generate radiopharmaceutical compounds incorporating optimized Bicycle constructs directed to
For each collaboration program, Bayer may elect, at its sole discretion, to progress compounds arising from activities under the research programs into further preclinical development of potential products directed to the target of such collaboration program. On a target-by-target basis, if Bayer elects to progress development candidates directed to such target into further clinical development, Bayer will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and seek regulatory approval in certain major markets for products directed to the applicable target.
Bayer agreed to pay an upfront payment to the Company of $
On a target-by-target basis for the up to
14
The Bayer Collaboration Agreement will remain in force on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, unless earlier terminated by either party, until the expiration of the obligation for Bayer to make royalty payments to the Company for such product in such country, and will terminate in its entirety on the expiration of all such royalty terms in all countries. Either party may terminate the agreement upon
Accounting Analysis
At inception of the Bayer Collaboration Agreement, the Company identified the following performance obligations:
(i) |
(ii) | A material right associated with certain limited substitution rights with respect to either the first or second target; |
(iii) |
(iv) |
(v) | A material right related to the option to expand the collaboration to include a third target, which upon exercise includes research and development services during the research term associated with radiopharmaceutical compounds directed to the third target, as well as underlying options for: certain limited substitution rights; an option to progress a radiopharmaceutical candidate directed to the third target into further development; and an option to generate, develop, and commercialize non-radiopharmaceutical compounds directed to the third target, inclusive of an underlying option for research and development services and an option to progress a non-radiopharmaceutical candidate into further development. |
The Company’s participation in the joint research committee was assessed as immaterial in the context of the contract.
The Company concluded that the license granted at contract inception is not distinct from the research and development services as Bayer cannot obtain the benefit of the license without the Company performing the research and development services. The services incorporate proprietary technology and unique skills and specialized expertise, particularly as they relate to constrained peptide technology that is not available in the marketplace. As a result, for each target, the license has been combined with the research and development services into a single performance obligation which is the combined performance obligation comprised of the license and related research and development services.
15
In assessing whether the various options under the Bayer Collaboration Agreement represent material rights, the Company considered the additional consideration the Company would be entitled to upon option exercise and the standalone selling price of the underlying goods and services. For the material rights identified above, the Company concluded that each of the options provided Bayer with a discount that it otherwise would not have received.
The transaction price was initially determined to be $
Allocation of | |||
Performance Obligations | Transaction Price | ||
Two combined performance obligations related to the licenses and research and development services associated with radiopharmaceutical compounds directed to the first and second targets | $ | | |
Material right associated with limited substitution rights for either the first or second target | | ||
Two material rights associated with the option to progress radiopharmaceutical candidates directed to the first and second targets into further development | | ||
Two material rights associated with the option to progress a non-radiopharmaceutical compound directed to the first and second targets | | ||
Material right for the option to expand the collaboration to include a third target and the underlying additional option rights | | ||
$ | |
The Company will recognize revenue related to amounts allocated to the first and second target combined performance obligations as the underlying services are performed using a proportional performance model over the period of service using input-based measurements of full-time equivalent efforts and external costs incurred to date as a percentage of total expected full-time equivalent efforts and external costs, which best reflects the progress towards satisfaction of the performance obligations. The amounts allocated to the material rights are recorded as deferred revenue and the Company will commence revenue recognition upon exercise of or upon expiry of the respective option. The first and second target combined performance obligations are expected to be satisfied over a period of approximately
The Company did not recognize any revenue in connection with the Bayer Collaboration Agreement in any of the three or six months ended June 30, 2023 or 2022. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company recorded deferred revenue of $
Novartis Collaboration Agreement
On March 27, 2023, the Company and Novartis entered into a collaboration and license agreement (the “Novartis Collaboration Agreement”), pursuant to which the parties will perform research and discovery activities under
16
a mutually agreed upon research plan during a research term of up to a specified number of years per target program to generate compounds incorporating optimized Bicycle constructs directed to
Novartis agreed to pay a nonrefundable upfront payment to the Company of $
The Novartis Collaboration Agreement will remain in force on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, unless earlier terminated by either party, until the expiration of the obligation for Novartis to make royalty payments to Company for such product in such country, and will terminate in its entirety on the expiration of all such royalty payment obligations in all countries. Either party may terminate the agreement upon
days’ written notice for the other party’s uncured material breach, or upon the other party’s insolvency. In addition, Novartis may terminate the Collaboration Agreement (i) in its entirety or on a product-by-product or target-by-target basis for any reason upon days’ written notice to Company, and (ii) on a target-by-target basis on days’ written notice if Novartis determines that a safety or regulatory issue exists which would have a material adverse effect on the development, manufacture, or commercialization of any product with respect to a given target. The Company may terminate the Novartis Collaboration Agreement, (a) on a target-by-target basis upon days’ prior written notice if Novartis has not yet declared a development candidate for such target by the sixth anniversary of the commencement of research activities for such target and (b) if Novartis or any of its affiliates or sublicensees challenges the validity or enforceability of any of the patents in the Company’s licensed intellectual property.17
Accounting Analysis
Upon the execution of the Novartis Collaboration Agreement, the Company identified the following performance obligations:
(i) |
(ii) |
(iii) |
(iv) |
The Company concluded that certain rights that require the payment of additional consideration, which approximates the standalone selling of the underlying services to be provided, do not provide the customer with a material right and therefore, are not considered as performance obligations at the inception of the arrangement. The Company’s participation in the joint steering committee was assessed as immaterial in the context of the contract.
The Company has concluded that the Novartis Research License is not distinct from the research and development services as Novartis cannot obtain the benefit of the research license without the Company performing the research and development services. The services incorporate proprietary technology and unique skills and specialized expertise, particularly as they relate to constrained peptide technology that is not available in the marketplace. As a result, for each target, the research license has been combined with the research and development services into a single performance obligation.
In assessing whether the various options under the Novartis Collaboration Agreement represent material rights, the Company considered the additional consideration the Company would be entitled to upon option exercise and the standalone selling price of the underlying goods and services. For the material rights identified above the Company concluded that each of the options provided Novartis with a discount that it otherwise would not have received.
The total transaction price was initially determined to be $
The transaction price was allocated to the performance obligations based on the relative estimated standalone selling prices of each performance obligation. The estimated standalone selling prices for the combined performance obligations for each of the targets were based on the nature of the services to be performed and estimates of the associated effort and costs of the services, adjusted for a reasonable profit margin for what would be expected to be realized under similar contracts. The estimated standalone selling prices for the material rights were determined based on the fees Novartis would pay to exercise the options, the estimated value of the underlying goods and services, and the probability that Novartis would exercise the options.
18
Allocation of | |||
Performance Obligations |
| Transaction Price | |
Two combined performance obligations for the first and second targets | $ | | |
Two material rights associated with limited substitution rights |
| | |
Two material rights associated with options to progress development candidates incorporating radionuclides |
| | |
Two material rights associated with options to progress development candidates not incorporating radionuclides | | ||
$ | |
The Company will recognize revenue related to amounts allocated to the first and second target combined performance obligations as the underlying services are performed using a proportional performance model over the period of service using input-based measurements of total full-time equivalent efforts and external costs incurred to date as a percentage of total full-time equivalent efforts and expected external costs, which best reflects the progress towards satisfaction of the performance obligations. The amounts allocated to the material rights are recorded as deferred revenue and the Company will commence revenue recognition upon exercise of or upon expiry of the respective option. The first and second target combined performance obligations are expected to be satisfied over a period of approximately
The Company did
Ionis Agreements
Ionis Evaluation and Option Agreement
On December 31, 2020 (the “Effective Date”), the Company entered into an Evaluation and Option Agreement (the “Evaluation and Option Agreement”) with Ionis. Under the terms of the Evaluation and Option Agreement, the Company agreed to transfer Bicycles (the “Option Materials”) to Ionis in order to evaluate a particular application of the Company’s technology platform for a period of up to
At any point during the term of the agreement and continuing through
The Company concluded that the only performance obligation was a material right for the option to obtain an exclusive license. All other promises under the Evaluation and Option Agreement were immaterial in the context of the contract. The Company accounted for the $
Ionis Collaboration Agreement
Following the exercise by Ionis of the Ionis Option granted pursuant to the Evaluation and Option Agreement, on July 9, 2021, the Company and Ionis entered into a collaboration and license agreement (the “Ionis Collaboration Agreement”). Pursuant to the Ionis Collaboration Agreement, the Company granted to Ionis a worldwide exclusive
19
license under the Company’s relevant technology to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize products incorporating Bicycle peptides directed to the protein coded by the gene TFRC1 (transferrin receptor) (“TfR1 Bicycles”) intended for the delivery of oligonucleotide compounds directed to targets selected by Ionis for diagnostic, therapeutic, prophylactic and preventative uses in humans. Ionis will maintain exclusivity to all available targets unless it fails to achieve specified development diligence milestone deadlines. If Ionis fails to achieve one or more development diligence milestone deadlines, the Company has the right to limit exclusivity to certain specific collaboration targets, subject to the payment by Ionis of a low-single-digit million dollar amount per target as specified in the Ionis Collaboration Agreement. Each party will be responsible for optimization of such TfR1 Bicycles and other research and discovery activities related to TfR1 Bicycles, as specified by a research plan, and thereafter Ionis will be responsible for all future research, development, manufacture and commercialization activities. The Company will perform research and discovery activities including a baseline level of effort for a period of
The activities under the Ionis Collaboration Agreement are governed by a joint steering committee (“JSC”) with an equal number of representatives from the Company and Ionis. The JSC will oversee the performance of the research and development activities. Upon first commercial sales of a licensed product, the JSC will have no further responsibilities or authority under the Ionis Collaboration Agreement.
Under the Ionis Collaboration Agreement, Ionis made a non-refundable upfront payment of $
In December 2021, the Company and Ionis entered into an amendment to the Ionis Collaboration Agreement (the “Ionis Amendment”). Ionis paid the Company $
Either party may terminate the Ionis Collaboration Agreement for the uncured material breach of the other party or in the case of insolvency. Ionis may terminate the Ionis Collaboration Agreement for convenience on specified notice periods depending on the development stage of the applicable target, either in its entirety or on a target-by-target basis.
20
Ionis Share Purchase Agreement
Concurrently with the execution of the Ionis Collaboration Agreement on July 9, 2021, the Company entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Ionis Share Purchase Agreement”) with Ionis, pursuant to which Ionis purchased
Pursuant to the terms of the Ionis Share Purchase Agreement, Ionis agreed that until January 9, 2023, it would not, without the Company’s prior written consent and subject to certain conditions and exceptions, among other things, directly or indirectly acquire additional shares of the Company’s outstanding equity securities, seek or propose a tender or exchange offer, merger or other business combination involving the Company, solicit proxies or consents with respect to any matter, or undertake other specified actions related to the potential acquisition of additional equity interests in the Company. The Share Purchase Agreement also provided that, subject to limited exceptions, Ionis could not sell any of the Ionis Shares until July 2022.
The Company determined the fair value of the Ionis Shares to be $
Accounting analysis
Upon execution of the Ionis Collaboration Agreement, the Company identified the following promises in the arrangement: i) a worldwide exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize products incorporating TfR1 Bicycles intended for the delivery of oligonucleotide compounds directed to targets selected by Ionis for diagnostic, therapeutic, prophylactic and preventative uses in humans; ii) research and discovery activities to customize and optimize such TfR1 Bicycles; iii)
The Company’s participation in the JSC was deemed immaterial in the context of the contract. The Company has concluded that the exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize products is not distinct from the research and development services as Ionis cannot obtain the intended benefit of the license without the Company performing the agreed upon research and discovery services, including the optimization of such TfR1 Bicycles. The services incorporate proprietary technology, unique skills and specialized expertise to optimize Bicycles that are not available in the marketplace. As a result, the exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize products has been combined with the research and discovery activities into a single performance obligation. The Company concluded that the low-single-digit million dollar payments upon acceptance of an IND (and payment to extend the exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize a product candidate for certain specific collaboration targets if Ionis fails to achieve specified development diligence milestone deadlines) is a customer option, as Ionis has the contractual right to choose to make the payment in exchange for the continued exclusive right to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize the product candidate, and the Company is not presently obligated to provide, and does not have a right to consideration, for the additional goods or services prior to Ionis’s exercise of the option. In assessing whether the options under the Ionis Collaboration Agreement represent material rights, the Company considered the additional consideration the Company would be entitled to upon the option exercise and the standalone selling price of the underlying goods and services. For the material rights identified above, the Company concluded that each of the options to obtain credits provided Ionis with a discount that it otherwise would not have received without entering into the Ionis Collaboration Agreement.
The total transaction price was initially determined to be $
21
Share Purchase Agreement, and an estimated $
The transaction price was allocated to the performance obligations based on the relative estimated standalone selling prices of each performance obligation. The estimated standalone selling price of the Ionis combined licenses and research and discovery performance obligation was based on the nature of the licenses to be delivered, as well as the services to be performed and estimates of the associated effort and costs of the services, adjusted for a reasonable profit margin for what would be expected to be realized under similar contracts. The estimated standalone selling price for the material rights was determined based on the estimated value of the underlying goods and services, and the probability that Ionis would exercise the option.
Allocation of | |||
Performance Obligations |
| Transaction Price | |
Combined licenses and research and discovery performance obligation | $ | | |
Four material rights associated with credits for IND Acceptance fees |
| | |
$ | |
The Company is recognizing revenue related to amounts allocated to the combined licenses and research and discovery performance obligation using a proportional performance model over the period of service using input-based measurements including total full-time equivalent effort and CRO costs incurred to date as a percentage of total full-time equivalent effort and CRO costs expected, which best reflects the progress towards satisfaction of the performance obligation. The amount allocated to the material rights is recorded as deferred revenue and the Company commences revenue recognition upon exercise of or upon expiry of the respective option. The Company anticipates that the combined licenses and research and discovery performance obligation will be satisfied over a period of
The Company concluded that the Ionis Amendment will be accounted for as a separate contract, as the services are distinct from the Ionis Collaboration Agreement, and the price of the contract increased by an amount of consideration that reflects the Company’s standalone selling price. The Company concluded that the option does not contain a material right. The Company recognized the $
The Company concluded that the Third Ionis Amendment will be accounted for as a contract modification to the separate contract under the Ionis Amendment, as the services are not distinct from the services provided under the Ionis Amendment. The Company is recognizing the $
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company recognized revenue of $
22
million and $
Genentech Collaboration Agreement
On February 21, 2020, the Company entered into a Discovery Collaboration and License Agreement, as amended from time to time, with Genentech (the “Genentech Collaboration Agreement”). The collaboration is focused on the discovery and development of Bicycle peptides directed to biological targets selected by Genentech and aimed at developing up to
Under the terms of the Genentech Collaboration Agreement, the Company received a $
If Genentech elects for the Company to perform discovery and optimization services for certain Targeting Arms, the Company will be entitled to receive an additional advance payment for the additional research services. Genentech exercised its right to select a Targeting Arm for
The Company granted to Genentech a non-exclusive research license under the Company’s intellectual property solely to enable Genentech to perform any activities under the agreement. The activities under the Genentech Collaboration Agreement are governed by a joint research committee (“JRC”) with representatives from each of the Company and Genentech. The JRC will oversee, review and recommend direction of each Genentech Collaboration Program, achievement of development criteria, and variations of or modifications to the research plans.
After the Company performs the initial discovery and optimization activities in accordance with an agreed research plan and achieves specified criteria, Genentech will have the option to have the Company perform initial pre-clinical development and optimization activities in exchange for an additional specified milestone payment in the mid-single digit millions for each Genentech Collaboration Program (the “LSR Go Option”). Upon completion of such initial pre-clinical development and optimization activities for each Genentech Collaboration Program, Genentech will have the option to obtain an exclusive license to exploit any compound developed under such Genentech Collaboration Program in exchange for an additional specified payment in the mid to high single digit millions for each of the initial
On a Genentech Collaboration Program by Genentech Collaboration Program basis, if Genentech elects to obtain exclusive development and commercialization rights and pays the applicable LSR Go Option and Dev Go Option fees, Genentech will be required to make milestone payments to the Company upon the achievement of specified development, regulatory, and initial commercialization milestones for products arising from each collaboration program, totaling up to $
23
Company is also eligible to receive up to $
Accounting analysis
Upon the execution of the Genentech Collaboration Agreement, the Company has identified the following performance obligations:
(i) | Research license, and the related research and development and preclinical services through LSR Go for a first Genentech Collaboration Program (Genentech Collaboration Program #1); |
(ii) | Research license, and the related research and development and preclinical services through LSR Go for a second Genentech Collaboration Program with a specified Targeting Arm (Genentech Collaboration Program #2); |
(iii) | Material right associated with an option to a specified Targeting Arm for Genentech Collaboration Program #1; |
(iv) |
(v) | Material rights associated with certain limited substitution rights with respect to a limited number of collaboration targets; |
(vi) |
The Company concluded that certain substitution rights that require the payment of additional consideration, which approximate the standalone selling price of the underlying services to be provided, do not provide the customer with a material right and therefore, are not considered as performance obligations and are accounted for as separate contracts upon exercise, if ever. The Company’s participation in the JRC was assessed as immaterial in the context of the contract.
The Company has concluded that the research license is not distinct from the research and development services as Genentech cannot obtain the benefit of the research license without the Company performing the research and development services. The services incorporate proprietary technology and unique skills and specialized expertise, particularly as it relates to constrained peptide technology that is not available in the marketplace. As a result, for each research program, the research license has been combined with the research and development services into a single performance obligation. In addition, the Company concluded that the Dev Go Option is not distinct or separately exercisable from the LSR Go Option, as the customer cannot benefit from the Dev Go Option unless and until the LSR Go Option is exercised.
In assessing whether the various options under the Genentech Collaboration Agreement represent material rights, the Company considered the additional consideration the Company would be entitled to upon the option exercise, the standalone selling price of the underlying goods, services, and additional options. For the material rights identified
24
above the Company concluded that each of the options provided Genentech with a discount that it otherwise would not have received.
The total transaction price was initially determined to be $
The transaction price was allocated to the performance obligations based on the relative estimated standalone selling prices of each performance obligation. The estimated standalone selling prices for the Genentech Collaboration Programs was based on the nature of the services to be performed and estimates of the associated effort and costs of the services, adjusted for a reasonable profit margin for what would be expected to be realized under similar contracts. The estimated standalone selling price for the material rights was determined based on the fees Genentech would pay to exercise the options, the estimated value of the underlying goods and services, and the probability that Genentech would exercise the option and any underlying options.
Allocation of | |||
Performance Obligations |
| Transaction Price | |
Genentech Collaboration Program #1 Performance Obligation | $ | | |
Genentech Collaboration Program #2 Performance Obligation |
| | |
Specified Targeting Arm Material Right Arm for Genentech Collaboration Program #1 |
| | |
Two material rights associated with the LSR Go Option for Collaboration Programs #1 and #2 |
| | |
Material rights associated with limited substitution rights | | ||
Two material rights for Expansion Options | | ||
$ | |
The Company recognizes revenue related to amounts allocated to the Genentech Collaboration Program #1 and #2 Performance Obligations as the underlying services are performed using a proportional performance model over the period of service using input-based measurements of total full-time equivalent efforts and external costs incurred to date as a percentage of total full-time equivalent efforts and external costs expected, which best reflects the progress towards satisfaction of the performance obligation. The amount allocated to the material rights is recorded as deferred revenue and the Company will commence revenue recognition upon exercise of or upon expiry of the respective option. The Company anticipates that the Genentech Collaboration Performance Program #1 and #2 obligations will be performed over a period of approximately
In October 2021 and June 2022, respectively, Genentech exercised the first and second Expansion Options to add additional Genentech Collaboration Programs (Genentech Collaboration Program #3 and Genentech Collaboration Program #4) and paid to the Company an expansion fee of $
25
purchase additional goods and services contemplated in the original contract. For the first Expansion Option, the additional arrangement consideration of $
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company recognized revenue of $
AstraZeneca Collaboration Agreement
In November 2016, the Company entered into a Research Collaboration Agreement (the “AstraZeneca Collaboration Agreement”) with AstraZeneca. The collaboration activities initially focused on
Upon the execution of the Additional Four Target Option, the Company identified the following five performance obligations: (i) Research license and the related research and development services during the Bicycle Research Term for the third target (the “Target Three Research License and Related Services”); (ii) Material right associated with the development and exploitation license option for the third target (“Target Three Material Right”); (iii) Material right associated with the research services option, including the underlying development and exploitation license option for the fourth target (“Target Four Material Right”); (iv) Material right associated with the research services option, including the underlying development and exploitation license option for the fifth target (“Target Five Material Right”); and (v) Material right associated with the research services option, including the underlying development and exploitation license option for the sixth target (“Target Six Material Right”). The total transaction price was initially determined to be $
26
based on the relative estimated standalone selling prices of each performance obligation.
Allocation of | |||
Performance Obligations |
| Transaction Price | |
Target Three Research License and Related Services | $ | | |
Target 3 Material Right |
| | |
Target 4 Material Right |
| | |
Target 5 Material Right |
| | |
Target 6 Material Right |
| | |
$ | |
In June 2019, AstraZeneca selected a replacement target for the third target, and as such a new Research Term was started related to the Target Three Research License and Related Services. The total transaction price under the arrangement increased to $
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company recognized revenue of $
27
Summary of Contract Assets and Liabilities
The following table presents changes in the balances of the Company’s contract assets and liabilities (in thousands):
Beginning Balance | Impact of | Ending Balance | |||||||||||||
January 1, | Exchange | June 30, | |||||||||||||
| 2023 |
| Additions |
| Deductions |
| Rates |
| 2023 | ||||||
Contract liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||
Deferred revenue |
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||
Bayer collaboration deferred revenue | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | | |||||
Novartis collaboration deferred revenue | | | | | | ||||||||||
Ionis collaboration deferred revenue | | | ( | | | ||||||||||
Genentech collaboration deferred revenue | | | ( | | | ||||||||||
AstraZeneca collaboration deferred revenue |
| |
| |
| ( | |
| — | ||||||
Total deferred revenue | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | | $ | |
Beginning Balance |
| Impact of | Ending Balance | ||||||||||||
January 1, | Exchange | December 31, | |||||||||||||
| 2022 |
| Additions |
| Deductions |
| Rates |
| 2022 | ||||||
Contract liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||
Deferred revenue |
|
|
|
|
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Ionis collaboration deferred revenue | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | | |||||
Genentech collaboration deferred revenue | | | ( | ( | | ||||||||||
DDF collaboration deferred revenue |
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| |
| ( |
| ( |
| — | |||||
AstraZeneca collaboration deferred revenue |
| |
| |
| ( |
| ( |
| | |||||
Total deferred revenue | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | |
Contract assets represent research and development services which have been performed but have not yet been billed, and are reduced when they are subsequently billed. There were
As of June 30, 2023, the Bayer, Novartis, Ionis, and Genentech deferred revenue balances include $
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized the following revenues as a result of changes in the contract asset and the contract liability balances in the respective periods (in thousands):
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | ||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | ||||||||||
2023 |
| 2022 | 2023 |
| 2022 | ||||||
Revenue recognized in the period from: |
|
|
|
| |||||||
Revenue recognized based on proportional performance | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | |||
Revenue recognized based on expiration of material rights | |
| | |
| | |||||
Total | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | |
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Cancer Research UK
BT1718
On December 13, 2016, the Company entered into a Clinical Trial and License Agreement with Cancer Research Technology Limited (“CRTL”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cancer Research UK that Cancer Research UK’s commercial activities operate through, and Cancer Research UK (the “Cancer Research UK Agreement”). Pursuant to the Cancer Research UK Agreement, as amended in March 2017 and June 2018, Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development will sponsor and fund a Phase I/IIa clinical trial for BT1718, a Bicycle Toxin Conjugate, in patients with advanced solid tumors.
Cancer Research UK is responsible for designing, preparing, carrying out and sponsoring the clinical trial at its cost. The Company is responsible for supplying agreed quantities of GMP materials for the trial, the supply of which has been completed. In the event that additional quantities are needed, the Company will provide Cancer Research UK with all reasonable assistance to complete the arrangements necessary for the generation and supply of such additional GMP materials, but Cancer Research UK will be responsible for supplying and paying for such additional quantities of GMP materials.
The Company granted Cancer Research UK a license to its intellectual property in order to design, prepare for, sponsor, and carry out the clinical trial. The Company retains the right to continue the development of BT1718 during the clinical trial. Upon the completion of the Phase I/IIa clinical trial, the Company has the right to obtain a license to the results of the clinical trial upon the payment of a milestone, in cash and ordinary shares, with a combined value in the mid six digit dollar amount. If such license is not acquired, or if it is acquired and the license is terminated and the Company decides to abandon development of all products that deliver cytotoxic payloads to the MT1 target antigen, the Company will assign or grant to CRTL an exclusive license to develop and commercialize the product on a revenue sharing basis (in which case the Company will receive tiered royalties of
The Cancer Research UK Agreement can be terminated by either party upon an insolvency event, material breach of the terms of the contract, or upon a change in control (and the new controlling entity develops, sells or manufactures tobacco products or generates the majority of its profits from tobacco products or is an affiliate of such party). Cancer Research UK may also terminate the arrangement for safety reasons or if it determines that the objectives of the clinical trial will not be met. The Company was obligated to reimburse Cancer Research UK for certain costs if the Cancer Research UK agreement was terminated by Cancer Research UK prior to the completion of the dose escalation (Phase I) part of the clinical trial for an insolvency event of, or material breach by, the Company or upon termination for safety reasons or if Cancer Research UK determined that the objectives of the clinical trial would not be met, however, these reimbursement obligations expired unexercised upon the completion of the Phase I portion of the clinical trial in 2020. If the Company is subject to a change in control and the new controlling entity develops, sells or manufactures tobacco products or generates the majority of its profits from tobacco products or is an affiliate of such party prior to the last cycle of treatment under the Phase IIa clinical trial, the Company will reimburse Cancer Research UK in full for all costs paid or committed in connection with the clinical trial and no further license payments, where applicable, shall be due. In such case, Cancer Research UK will not be obliged to grant a license to the Company in respect of the results of the clinical trial and the Company will assign or grant to CRTL an exclusive license to develop and commercialize the product without CRTL being required to make any payment to the Company.
The Company concluded that the costs incurred by Cancer Research UK is a liability in accordance with ASC 730, Research and Development, as certain payments are not based solely on the results of the research and development having future economic benefit. As such, the Company recorded a liability of $
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BT7401
In December 2019, the Company entered into a clinical trial and license agreement with Cancer Research Technology Limited and Cancer Research UK. Pursuant to the agreement, Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development will fund and sponsor development of BT7401, a multivalent Bicycle CD137 agonist, from current preclinical studies through the completion of a Phase IIa trial in patients with advanced solid tumors.
The Company granted to Cancer Research UK a license to the Company’s intellectual property in order to design, prepare for, sponsor, and carry out the clinical trial and all necessary preclinical activities to support the trial. The Company retains the right to continue the development of BT7401 during the clinical trial. Upon the completion of the Phase I/IIa clinical trial, the Company has the right to obtain a license to the results of the clinical trial upon the payment of a milestone, in cash and ordinary shares, with a combined value in the mid six digit dollar amount. If such license is not acquired, or if it is acquired and the license is terminated and the Company decides to abandon development of all products that contain BT7401 or all the pharmaceutically active parts of BT7401, CRTL may elect to receive an exclusive license to develop and commercialize the product on a revenue sharing basis (in which case the Company will receive tiered royalties of
The BT7401 Cancer Research UK agreement can be terminated by either party upon an insolvency event, material breach of the terms of the contract, or upon a change in control (and the new controlling entity develops, sells or manufactures tobacco products or generates the majority of its profits from tobacco products or is an affiliate of such party), or upon written notice by Cancer Research UK prior to the last cycle of treatment has been completed under the clinical trial. If the trial is terminated by the Company prior to the filing of a clinical trial authorization, or by Cancer Research UK for an insolvency event or a material breach by the Company prior to the start of a clinical trial, the Company will reimburse Cancer Research UK for certain costs paid or committed prior to the start of the clinical trial. In such case where the Company is subject to a change of control and the new controlling entity develops, sells or manufactures tobacco products or generates the majority of its profits from tobacco products or is an affiliate of such party, Cancer Research UK will not be obliged to grant a license to the Company in respect of the results of the clinical trial and CRTL may elect to receive an exclusive license to develop and commercialize the product without CRTL being required to make any payment to the Company. The Company concluded that the BT7401 Cancer Research UK arrangement does not represent a liability in accordance with ASC 730, Research and Development, as the payments are based solely on the results of the research and development having future economic benefit and risk of repayment is substantive and genuine, and as such there was no accounting impact for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023.
10. Income taxes
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $
The Company regularly assesses its ability to realize its deferred tax assets. Assessing the realization of deferred tax assets requires significant judgment. In determining whether its deferred tax assets are more likely than not realizable, the Company evaluated all available positive and negative evidence, and weighed the evidence based on its objectivity. After consideration of the evidence, including the Company’s history of cumulative net losses in the U.K., the Company has concluded that it is more likely than not that the Company will not realize the benefits of its U.K.
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deferred tax assets and accordingly the Company has provided a valuation allowance for the full amount of the net deferred tax assets in the U.K. The Company has considered the Company’s history of cumulative net profits in the United States, estimated future taxable income and concluded that it is more likely than not that the Company will realize the benefits of its United States deferred tax assets and has not provided a valuation allowance against the net deferred tax assets in the United States. The Company recorded a valuation allowance against all of its U.K. deferred tax assets as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
The Company intends to continue to maintain a full valuation allowance on its U.K. deferred tax assets until there is sufficient evidence to support the reversal of all or some portion of these allowances. The release of the valuation allowance would result in the recognition of certain deferred tax assets and an increase to the benefit from income taxes for the period the release is recorded. However, the exact timing and amount of the valuation allowance release are subject to change on the basis of the level of profitability that the Company is able to actually achieve.
The benefit from income taxes shown on the condensed consolidated statements of operations differs from amounts that would result from applying the statutory tax rates to income before taxes primarily because of certain permanent expenses that were not deductible, U.K., federal and state research and development credits, as well as the application of valuation allowances against the U.K. deferred tax assets.
11. Commitments and contingencies
Leases
In January 2023, the Company entered into a lease agreement for office and laboratory space in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The lease has a contractual period of approximately
On December 6, 2021, the Company entered into a lease of new office and laboratory space in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The lease has a contractual period of
In October 2017, the Company entered into a lease agreement for office and laboratory space in Building 900, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, U.K., which was renewed in December 2021 for
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and are included in operating expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023.
In September 2017, Bicycle Therapeutics Inc. entered into a lease agreement for office and laboratory space in Lexington, Massachusetts, which commenced on January 1, 2018. In March 2022, Bicycle Therapeutics Inc. notified the landlord of its intent to exercise its option to extend the lease, originally set to expire on December 31, 2022, for a successive period through December 31, 2027. The successive period was not included in the original lease term as it was not reasonably certain that the option would be exercised. In March 2022, the Company accounted for the lease extension as a modification of the existing lease and remeasured the right of use asset and lease liability by calculating the present value of lease payments, discounted at
The components of the Company’s lease expense, which are recorded as a component of research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss are as follows (in thousands):
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | ||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | ||||||||||
2023 |
| 2022 | 2023 |
| 2022 | ||||||
Operating lease cost | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | |||
Variable lease cost | |
| | |
| | |||||
Total lease cost | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | |
The weighted average remaining operating lease term was
The following table summarizes the maturities of the Company’s operating leases as of June 30, 2023 (in thousands):
Year Ending December 31, |
| ||
2023 | | ||
2024 |
| | |
2025 |
| | |
2026 |
| | |
2027 | | ||
Present value adjustment |
| ( | |
Total lease liabilities | | ||
| ( | ||
Long term lease liabilities | $ | |
The Company has entered into various agreements with contract research organizations to provide clinical trial services, contract manufacturing organizations to provide clinical trial materials and with vendors for preclinical research studies, synthetic chemistry and other services for operating purposes. These payments are not included in the table of operating lease payments above since the contracts are generally cancelable at any time upon less than
Our arrangements with CRUK provide for additional future milestone payments upon the achievement of development, regulatory and commercial milestones, payable in cash and shares, with an aggregate total value of $
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million, as well as royalty payments based on a single digit percentage on net sales of products developed. In addition, we have a separate agreement with a third party that provides for additional future milestone payments by us upon the achievement of specified development, regulatory and commercial milestones, with an aggregate total value of $
Legal proceedings
From time to time, the Company or its subsidiaries may become involved in various legal proceedings and claims, either asserted or unasserted, which arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company is currently not subject to any material legal proceedings. At each reporting date, the Company evaluates whether or not a potential loss amount or a potential range of loss is probable and reasonably estimable under the provisions of ASC 450, Contingencies.
Founder royalty arrangements
At the time BicycleRD Limited was organized, BicycleRD Limited entered into a royalty agreement with its founders and initial investors (the “Founder Royalty Agreement”). Pursuant to the Founder Royalty Agreement, as amended, the Company will pay a royalty rate in the low single digit percentages on net product sales under the collaborations with Oxurion and AstraZeneca to its founders and initial investors, for a period of
Indemnification obligations
In the ordinary course of business, the Company may provide indemnification of varying scope and terms to vendors, lessors, business partners and other parties with respect to certain matters including, but not limited to, losses arising out of breach of such agreements or from intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties. In addition, the Company has indemnification obligations towards members of its board of directors and officers that will require the Company, among other things, to indemnify them against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification arrangements is, in many cases, unlimited. To date, the Company has not incurred any material costs as a result of such indemnification obligations. The Company is not aware of any claims under indemnification arrangements, and therefore it has not accrued any liabilities related to such obligations in its condensed consolidated financial statements as of June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022.
12. Net loss per share
Basic and diluted net loss per share was calculated as follows (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
| 2023 |
| 2022 | |||||
Numerator: | ||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||
Denominator: |
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Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding, basic and diluted |
| |
| |
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Net loss per share, basic and diluted | ( | ( | ( | ( |
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The Company’s potentially dilutive securities, which are options to purchase ordinary shares and restricted share units for ordinary shares, have been excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as the effect would be to reduce the net loss per share. Therefore, the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding used to calculate both basic and diluted net loss per share is the same. The Company excluded the following potentially dilutive ordinary shares, presented based on amounts outstanding at each period end, from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the periods indicated because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:
June 30, | ||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 | |
Restricted ordinary shares |
| |
| |
Options to purchase ordinary shares |
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13. Related party transactions
The Company has entered into the Founder Royalty Agreement, as amended, with its founders and initial investors (Note 11).
The Chairman of the Company’s board of directors is associated with Stone Sunny Isles Inc. and Stone Atlanta Estates LLC, the successor-in-interest to Stone Sunny Isles Inc., which provided consultancy services to the Company totaling $
14. Geographic information
The Company operates in
June 30, | December 31, | |||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 | |||
United States | $ | | $ | | ||
United Kingdom |
| |
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$ | | $ | |
The Company’s collaboration revenues are attributed to the operations of the Company in the United Kingdom.
15. Subsequent events
On July 17, 2023, the Company completed an underwritten public offering of its securities, pursuant to which the Company issued and sold
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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
You should read this discussion and analysis of our financial condition and consolidated results of operations together with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our audited financial statements and related notes for the year ended December 31, 2022, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, or the 2022 Annual Report, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on February 28, 2023. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this report, including statements of our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of this report, our actual results could differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. Please also see the section titled “Forward-Looking Statements.”
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of medicines, which we refer to as Bicycles, for diseases that are underserved by existing therapeutics. Bicycles are fully synthetic short peptides constrained to form two loops which stabilize their structural geometry. This constraint facilitates target binding with high affinity and selectivity, making Bicycles attractive candidates for drug development. Bicycles are a unique therapeutic modality combining the pharmacology usually associated with a biologic with the manufacturing and pharmacokinetic, or PK, properties of a small molecule. The relatively large surface area presented by Bicycles allow targets to be drugged that have historically been intractable to non-biological approaches. Bicycles are excreted by the kidney rather than the liver and have shown no signs of immunogenicity to date.
We have a novel and proprietary phage display screening platform which we use to identify Bicycles in an efficient manner. The platform initially displays linear peptides on the surface of engineered bacteriophages, or phages, before “on-phage” cyclization with a range of small molecule scaffolds which can confer differentiated physicochemical and structural properties. Our platform encodes quadrillions of potential Bicycles which can be screened to identify molecules for optimization to potential product candidates. We have used this powerful screening technology to identify our current portfolio of candidates in oncology and intend to use it in conjunction with our collaborators to seek to develop additional future candidates across a range of other disease areas.
Our product candidates, BT5528, BT8009, and BT1718, are each a Bicycle® Toxin Conjugate, or BTCTM. These Bicycles are chemically attached to a toxin that when administered is cleaved from the Bicycle and kills the tumor cells. We are evaluating BT5528, a second-generation BTC targeting Ephrin type A receptor 2, or EphA2, in a company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial and BT8009, a second-generation BTC targeting Nectin-4, in a company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial. In addition, BT1718 is being developed to target tumors that express Membrane Type 1 matrix metalloproteinase, or MT1 MMP, and is being investigated for safety, tolerability and efficacy in an ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial sponsored and fully funded by the Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development, or Cancer Research UK. In addition, our other product candidates, BT7480 and BT7455, are each a Bicycle tumor-targeted immune cell agonist®, or Bicycle TICATM. A Bicycle TICA links immune cell receptor binding Bicycles to tumor antigen binding Bicycles. We are evaluating BT7480, a Bicycle TICA targeting Nectin-4 and agonizing CD137, in a company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial, and we are conducting IND-enabling studies for BT7455, an EphA2/CD137 Bicycle TICA. Our discovery pipeline in oncology includes Bicycle-based systemic immune cell agonists and Bicycle TICAs.
In February 2023, results from the completed dose escalation portion of the Phase I/II clinical trial of BT8009 were presented at the 2023 ASCO Genitourinary (GU) Cancers Symposium. BT8009 demonstrated anti-tumor activity in heavily pre-treated urothelial, lung and breast cancer patients with signs of differentiation compared to antibody-based approaches. We announced that we dosed our first patient in the Phase II expansion portion of the clinical trial and established recommended Phase II doses of 5 mg/m2 weekly and 7.5 mg/m2 administered two-weeks on, one-week off over a 21-day cycle in November 2022. Enrollment in the clinical trial remains ongoing. On January 4, 2023, we announced that the FDA has granted Fast Track Designation, or FTD, to our BT8009 monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer. FTD is intended to facilitate and
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expedite development and review of new drugs to address unmet medical need in the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition.
Beyond our wholly owned oncology portfolio, we are collaborating with biopharmaceutical companies and organizations in therapeutic areas in which we believe our proprietary Bicycle screening platform can identify therapies to treat diseases with significant unmet medical need.
Financial Overview
Since our inception, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to developing our Bicycle platform and our product candidates, BT5528, BT8009, BT1718, BT7480, BT7455 and BT7401, conducting research and development of our product candidates and preclinical programs, raising capital and providing general and administrative support for our operations. To date, we have financed our operations primarily with proceeds from the sale of our ordinary shares, American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, and convertible preferred shares, proceeds received from upfront payments, research and development payments, and development milestone payments from our collaboration arrangements with Novartis Pharma AG, or Novartis, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Ionis, Genentech Inc., or Genentech, the Dementia Discovery Fund, or DDF, Sanofi (formerly Bioverativ Inc.), AstraZeneca AB, or AstraZeneca and Oxurion NV, or Oxurion; and borrowings pursuant to our Loan and Security Agreement, as amended, or the Loan Agreement with Hercules Capital, Inc., or Hercules. From our inception in 2009 through June 30, 2023, we have received gross proceeds of $579.9 million from the sale of ADSs, ordinary shares and convertible preferred shares; and $188.1 million of cash payments under our collaboration revenue arrangements, including, $50.0 million from Novartis, $47.4 million from Ionis, $56.0 million from Genentech, $10.3 million from AstraZeneca, and $6.6 million from Oxurion; and borrowings of $30.0 million pursuant to our Loan Agreement with Hercules. In July 2023, we also received a $45.0 million upfront payment for a collaboration and license agreement with Bayer Consumer Care AG, or Bayer as well as gross proceeds of $230.0 million from the issuance and sale of 6,117,648 ADSs and 4,705,882 non-voting ordinary shares. We do not have any products approved for sale and have not generated any revenue from product sales.
Since our inception, we have incurred significant operating losses. Our ability to generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend on the successful development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. Our net losses were $42.6 million and $81.7 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively. As of June 30, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $412.8 million. These losses have resulted primarily from costs incurred in connection with research and development activities and general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future.
We anticipate that our expenses and capital requirements will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance the preclinical activities and clinical trials of our product candidates and, if any product candidates are approved, pursue the commercialization of such product candidates by building internal sales and marketing capabilities. We expect that our expenses and capital requirements will increase substantially if and as we:
● | continue our development of our product candidates, including conducting future clinical trials of BT5528, BT8009, BT7480 and BT1718; |
● | progress the preclinical and clinical development of BT7455 and BT7401; |
● | seek to identify and develop additional product candidates; |
● | develop the necessary processes, controls and manufacturing data to obtain marketing approval for our product candidates and to support manufacturing to commercial scale; |
● | develop, maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio; |
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● | seek marketing approvals for our product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials, if any; |
● | hire and retain additional personnel, such as non-clinical, clinical, pharmacovigilance, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, distribution, legal, compliance, medical affairs, commercial and scientific personnel; |
● | acquire or in-license other products and technologies; |
● | expand our infrastructure and facilities to accommodate our growing employee base, including adding equipment and infrastructure to support our research and development; and |
● | add operational, financial and management information systems and personnel, including personnel to support our research and development programs and any future commercialization efforts. |
We do not expect to generate revenue from product sales unless and until we successfully complete development and obtain marketing approval for one or more of our product candidates, which we expect will take many years and is subject to significant uncertainty. We have no commercial-scale manufacturing facilities of our own, and all of our manufacturing activities have been and are planned to be contracted out to third parties. Additionally, we currently utilize third-party contract research organizations, or CROs, to carry out our clinical development activities. If we seek to obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates from which we obtain promising results in clinical development, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses as we prepare for product sales, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution.
As a result, we will need substantial additional funding to support our continuing operations and pursue our growth strategy. Until such time as we can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, charitable and governmental grants, monetization transactions or licensing arrangements. We may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other agreements or arrangements when needed on favorable terms, or at all. If we fail to raise capital or enter into such agreements as, and when, needed, we may have to significantly delay, scale back, or discontinue the development and commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, we are unable to predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or when or if we will be able to achieve or maintain profitability. Even if we are able to generate product sales, we may not become profitable. If we fail to become profitable or are unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, we may be unable to continue our operations at planned levels and be forced to reduce or terminate our operations.
As of June 30, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $340.4 million. We believe that our existing cash will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least 12 months from the date of filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could deplete our available capital resources sooner than we expect. See “— Liquidity and Capital Resources” and “Capital Resources and Funding Requirements.”
Components of Our Results of Operations
Collaboration Revenues
To date, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and we do not expect to generate any revenue from product sales for the foreseeable future. Our revenue primarily consists of collaboration revenue under our arrangements with our collaboration partners, including amounts that are recognized related to upfront payments, milestone payments and option exercise payments, and amounts due to us for research and development services. In the future, revenue may include additional milestone payments and option exercise payments, and royalties on any net product sales under our collaborations. We expect that any revenue we generate will fluctuate from period to period as a result of the timing and amount of license, research and development services, milestone and other payments.
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Expenses
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for our research and development activities, including our discovery efforts, and the development of our product candidates, which include:
● | employee-related expenses including salaries, benefits, and share-based compensation expense; |
● | expenses incurred under agreements with third parties that conduct research and development, preclinical activities, clinical activities and manufacturing on our behalf; |
● | the cost of consultants; |
● | the cost of lab supplies and acquiring, developing and manufacturing preclinical study materials and clinical trial materials; |
● | costs related to compliance with regulatory requirements; and |
● | facilities, depreciation, and other expenses, which include direct and allocated expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities, and other operating costs. |
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Costs for certain activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual agreements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and are reflected in our condensed consolidated financial statements as prepaid expenses or accrued research and development expenses. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are capitalized. The capitalized amounts are expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed.
U.K. research and development tax credits and government grant funding are recorded as an offset to research and development expenses. See “—Benefit from Income Taxes.”
Our direct external research and development expenses are tracked on a program-by-program basis and consist of costs, such as fees paid to consultants, contractors and contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs, in connection with our preclinical and clinical development activities. Costs incurred after a product candidate has been designated and that are directly related to the product candidate are included in direct research and development expenses for that program. Costs incurred prior to designating a product candidate are included in other discovery and platform related expense. We do not allocate employee costs, costs associated with our discovery efforts, laboratory supplies, and facilities, including depreciation or other indirect costs, to specific product development programs because these costs are deployed across multiple product development programs and, as such, are not separately classified.
In December 2016, we entered into a Clinical Trial and License Agreement with Cancer Research Technology Limited, or CRTL and Cancer Research UK, pursuant to which the Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development is sponsoring and funding a Phase I/IIa clinical trial for our product candidate, BT1718, in patients with advanced solid tumors. Cancer Research UK has designed and prepared and is carrying out and sponsoring the clinical trial at its own cost. Upon the completion of the Phase I/IIa clinical trial, we have the right to obtain a license to the results of the clinical trial upon the payment of a milestone, in cash and ordinary shares, with a combined value in the mid six digit dollar amount. If such license is not acquired, or if it is acquired and the license is terminated and we decide to abandon development of all products that deliver cytotoxic payloads to the MT1 target antigen, CRTL may elect to receive an assignment and exclusive license to develop and commercialize the product on a revenue sharing basis (in which case we will receive tiered royalties of 70% to 90% of the net revenue depending on the stage of development when the license is granted is less certain costs, as defined in the agreement). The Cancer Research UK Agreement contains additional future milestone payments upon the achievement of development, regulatory and commercial milestones,
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payable in cash and shares, with an aggregate total value of $50.9 million, as well as royalty payments based on a single digit percentage on net sales of products developed. The Cancer Research UK Agreement can be terminated by either party upon an insolvency event, material breach of the terms of the contract, upon a change in control involving a tobacco related entity, and in certain other specified circumstances, and includes provisions that require the repayment of costs to Cancer Research UK upon certain termination events. The costs incurred by Cancer Research UK are recorded as a liability in accordance with ASC 730, Research and Development as the payments are not based solely on the results of the research and development having future economic benefit. The accrual of the liability is recorded as incremental research and development expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Upon the completion of the Phase IIa part of the clinical trial, we expect research and development expenses to increase significantly as we expect to fund the continued development of BT1718, as well as incur additional development milestone payments.
Research and development activities are central to our business model. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. We expect that our research and development expenses will continue to increase for the foreseeable future as a result of our expanded portfolio of product candidates and as we: (i) continue the clinical development and seek to obtain marketing approval for our product candidates, including BT5528, BT8009, BT7480 and BT1718; (ii) initiate clinical trials for our product candidates, including BT7455; and (iii) build our in-house process development and analytical capabilities and continue to discover and develop additional product candidates.
The successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain. As such, at this time, we cannot reasonably estimate or know the nature, timing and estimated costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the remainder of the development of these product candidates. We are also unable to predict when, if ever, material net cash inflows will commence from our product candidates. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with developing products, including the uncertainty of:
● | completing research and preclinical and clinical development of our product candidates, including conducting future clinical trials of BT5528, BT8009, BT7480 and BT1718; |
● | progressing the preclinical and clinical development of BT7455 and BT7401; |
● | establishing an appropriate safety profile with IND-enabling studies to advance our preclinical programs into clinical development; |
● | identifying new product candidates to add to our development pipeline; |
● | successful enrollment in, and the initiation and completion of clinical trials; |
● | the timing, receipt and terms of any marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities; |
● | commercializing the product candidates, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others; |
● | establishing commercial manufacturing capabilities or making arrangements with third party manufacturers; |
● | the development and timely delivery of commercial-grade drug formulations that can be used in our clinical trials; |
● | addressing any competing technological and market developments, as well as any changes in governmental regulations; |
39
● | negotiating favorable terms in any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements into which we may enter and performing our obligations under such arrangements; |
● | maintaining, protecting and expanding our portfolio of intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets and know-how, as well as obtaining and maintaining regulatory exclusivity for our product candidates; |
● | continued acceptable safety profile of the drugs following approval; and |
● | attracting, hiring and retaining qualified personnel. |
A change in the outcome of any of these variables with respect to the development of a product candidate could mean a significant change in the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. For example, the FDA, EMA or another regulatory authority may require us to conduct clinical trials beyond those that we anticipate will be required for the completion of clinical development of a product candidate, or we may experience significant trial delays due to patient enrollment or other reasons in which case we would be required to expend significant additional financial resources and time on the completion of clinical development. In addition, we may obtain unexpected results from our clinical trials and we may elect to discontinue, delay or modify clinical trials of some product candidates or focus on others. Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical testing and clinical trials is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain marketing approval and achieve product sales. In addition, our product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial success. Moreover, if adopted in the form proposed, the recent European Commission proposals to revise the existing EU laws governing authorization of medicinal products may result in a decrease in data and market exclusivity for our product candidates in the EU.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and other related costs, including share-based compensation, for personnel in our executive, finance, corporate and business development and administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include professional fees for legal, patent, accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services, insurance, travel and facility-related expenses, which include direct depreciation costs and allocated expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities and other operating costs.
Foreign currency transactions in currencies different from the applicable functional currency are translated into the functional currency using the exchange rates prevailing at the dates of the transactions. Foreign exchange differences resulting from the settlement of such transactions and from the remeasurement at period-end exchange rates in foreign currencies are recorded in general and administrative expense in the statement of operations and comprehensive loss. As such, our operating expenses may be impacted by future changes in exchange rates. See “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risks” for further discussion.
We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we increase our general and administrative headcount to support our continued research and development and potential commercialization of our portfolio of product candidates. We also expect to continue to incur increased expenses associated with being a public company including costs of accounting, audit, information systems, legal, intellectual property, regulatory and tax compliance services, director and officer insurance and investor and public relations.
Other Income (Expense), net
Interest Income
Interest income consists primarily of interest earned on our cash held in operating accounts and our cash equivalents.
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Interest Expense
Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense for financing arrangements. As of June 30, 2023, we have borrowings of $30.0 million outstanding pursuant to our Loan Agreement with Hercules.
Benefit from Income Taxes
We are subject to corporate taxation in the United States and the United Kingdom. We have generated losses since inception and have therefore not paid U.K. corporation tax. The benefit from income taxes presented in our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss is mainly the result of deferred tax assets benefited in the United States that do not have a valuation allowance against them because of profits that will be generated by an intercompany service agreement.
The research and development tax credit received in the United Kingdom is recorded as a reduction to research and development expenses. The U.K. research and development tax credit, as described below, is fully refundable to us after surrendering tax losses and is not dependent on current or future taxable income. As a result, we have recorded the entire benefit from the U.K. research and development tax credit as a reduction to research and development expenses and is not reflected as part of the income tax provision. If, in the future, any U.K. research and development tax credits generated are needed to offset a corporate income tax liability in the United Kingdom, that portion would be recorded as a benefit within the income tax provision and any refundable portion not dependent on taxable income would continue to be recorded as a reduction to research and development expenses.
As a company that carries out extensive research and development activities, we seek to benefit from one of two U.K. research and development tax credit cash rebate regimes: The Small and Medium-sized Enterprises R&D Tax Relief program, or SME Program, and the Research and Development Expenditure Credit program, or RDEC Program. Qualifying expenditures largely comprise employment costs for research staff, consumables, expenses incurred under agreements with third parties that conduct research and development, preclinical activities, clinical activities and manufacturing on our behalf and certain internal overhead costs incurred as part of research projects.
Based on criteria established by U.K. law, a portion of expenditures being carried out in relation to our pipeline research and development, clinical trials management and manufacturing development activities were eligible for the SME Program for the year ended December 31, 2022. The payable credit claims under the SME Program in excess of £20,000 are subject to a cap, by reference to, broadly, of three times the total PAYE and NIC liability paid by the Company, unless an exception applies. That exception requires the Company to be creating, taking steps to create, or managing intellectual property, as well as having qualifying research and development expenditure in respect of connected parties which does not exceed 15% of the total amount claimed. We expect a portion of qualifying research and development expenditures that are subject to the research and development tax credit will decrease in future periods.
Unsurrendered U.K. losses may be carried forward indefinitely to be offset against future taxable profits, subject to numerous utilization criteria and restrictions. The amount that can be offset each year is limited to £5.0 million plus an incremental 50% of U.K. taxable profits.
Value Added Tax, or VAT, is broadly charged on all taxable supplies of goods and services by VAT-registered businesses. Under current rates, an amount of 20% of the value, as determined for VAT purposes, of the goods or services supplied is added to all sales invoices and is payable to HM Revenue & Customs, or HMRC. Similarly, VAT paid on purchase invoices is generally reclaimable from HMRC and is included as a component of prepaid and other current assets in our condensed consolidated balance sheets.
41
Results of Operations
Comparison of the Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022:
Three Months Ended | |||||||||
June 30, | |||||||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
| Change | ||||
(in thousands) | |||||||||
Collaboration revenues | $ | 11,397 | $ | 4,378 | $ | 7,019 | |||
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Research and development |
| 39,720 |
| 19,854 |
| 19,866 | |||
General and administrative |
| 14,788 |
| 11,824 |
| 2,964 | |||
Total operating expenses |
| 54,508 |
| 31,678 |
| 22,830 | |||
Loss from operations |
| (43,111) |
| (27,300) |
| (15,811) | |||
Other income (expense): |
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Interest income |
| 812 |
| 908 |
| (96) | |||
Interest expense | (821) | (883) | 62 | ||||||
Total other income (expense), net |
| (9) |
| 25 |
| (34) | |||
Net loss before income tax provision |
| (43,120) |
| (27,275) |
| (15,845) | |||
Benefit from income taxes |
| (517) |
| (447) |
| (70) | |||
Net loss | $ | (42,603) | $ | (26,828) | $ | (15,775) |
Collaboration Revenues
Collaboration revenues increased by $7.0 million in the three months ended June 30, 2023 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2022, primarily due to an increase of $6.8 million from our collaboration with Genentech which was primarily a result of the recognition of revenue associated with the expiration of a material right upon the termination of Genentech Collaboration Program #1.
42
Research and Development Expenses
The table below summarizes our research and development expenses for the period:
Three Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
| Change | ||||
(in thousands) | |||||||||
BT5528 (EphA2) | $ | 2,335 | $ | 2,544 | $ | (209) | |||
BT8009 (Nectin‑4) |
| 10,096 |
| 2,419 |
| 7,677 | |||
BT1718 (MT1) |
| 154 |
| 161 |
| (7) | |||
Bicycle tumor-targeted immune cell agonists | 6,234 | 3,175 | 3,059 | ||||||
Other discovery and platform related expense |
| 8,989 |
| 4,655 |
| 4,334 | |||
Employee and contractor related expenses |
| 11,369 |
| 7,168 |
| 4,201 | |||
Share-based compensation | 3,988 | 2,642 | 1,346 | ||||||
Facility expenses |
| 2,577 |
| 1,560 |
| 1,017 | |||
Research and development incentives and government grants |
| (6,022) |
| (4,470) |
| (1,552) | |||
Total research and development expenses | $ | 39,720 | $ | 19,854 | $ | 19,866 |
Research and development expenses increased by $19.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2023 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2022, due primarily to an increase of $14.9 million in direct program spend, primarily associated with clinical program expenses for BT8009 due to the ongoing Phase II expansion portion of the Phase I/II clinical trial, Bicycle TICA program development expenses, and other discovery and platform related expenses including costs of our collaboration agreements, as well as increases of $4.2 million in employee and contractor related expenses attributable to increased headcount, $1.3 million of incremental share-based compensation expense associated with equity grants issued since the same period in the prior year, and $1.0 million in facilities-related expenses primarily associated with our U.K. lease entered into in December 2021 as well as our U.S. lease entered into in January 2023. These increases were offset by $1.6 million of incremental research and development incentives, including U.K. research and development tax credit reimbursements due to the corresponding increase in research and development spending.
We begin to separately track program expenses at candidate nomination, at which point we accumulate all direct external program costs to support that program to date. Through June 30, 2023, we have incurred approximately $35.9 million, $45.3 million, and $15.3 million of direct external expenses for the development of the BT5528, BT8009, and BT1718, respectively, since their candidate nominations, and an aggregate of $33.7 million of direct external expenses for the development of the two named Bicycle TICA candidates since their nominations.
General and Administrative Expenses
The table below summarizes our general and administrative expenses for the period:
Three Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||
2023 |
| 2022 |
| Change | |||||
(in thousands) | |||||||||
Personnel-related costs | $ | 4,374 | $ | 3,640 | $ | 734 | |||
Professional and consulting fees |
| 4,060 |
| 2,314 |
| 1,746 | |||
Other general and administration costs |
| 2,539 |
| 2,159 |
| 380 | |||
Share-based compensation | 4,205 |
| 3,031 |
| 1,174 | ||||
Effect of foreign exchange rates |
| (390) |
| 680 |
| (1,070) | |||
Total general and administrative expenses | $ | 14,788 | $ | 11,824 | $ | 2,964 |
General and administrative expenses increased by $3.0 million in the three months ended June 30, 2023 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2022. This increase is primarily due to an increase of $1.7 million in professional and consulting fees that is primarily related to increased legal fees, an increase of $ 1.2 million in share-based compensation expense primarily associated with equity grants issued since the same period in the prior year, and
43
an increase of $0.7 million in personnel-related costs as a result of increased headcount. These increases were offset by a decrease of $1.1 million resulting from the effect of foreign exchange rates.
Comparison of the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022:
Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
| Change | ||||
(in thousands) | |||||||||
Collaboration revenues | $ | 16,293 | $ | 8,238 | $ | 8,055 | |||
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Research and development |
| 71,931 |
| 34,138 |
| 37,793 | |||
General and administrative |
| 29,276 |
| 28,783 |
| 493 | |||
Total operating expenses |
| 101,207 |
| 62,921 |
| 38,286 | |||
Loss from operations |
| (84,914) |
| (54,683) |
| (30,231) | |||
Other income (expense): |
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Interest income |
| 3,741 |
| 1,126 |
| 2,615 | |||
Interest expense | (1,629) | (1,701) | 72 | ||||||
Total other income (expense), net |
| 2,112 |
| (575) |
| 2,687 | |||
Net loss before income tax provision |
| (82,802) |
| (55,258) |
| (27,544) | |||
Benefit from income taxes |
| (1,135) |
| (866) |
| (269) | |||
Net loss | $ | (81,667) | $ | (54,392) | $ | (27,275) |
Collaboration Revenues
Collaboration revenues increased by $8.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022, primarily due to increases of $7.4 million from our collaboration with Genentech which was primarily a result of the recognition of revenue associated with the expiration of a material right upon the termination of Genentech Collaboration Program #1, and $0.8 million from our collaboration with Ionis.
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Research and Development Expenses
The table below summarizes our research and development expenses for the period:
Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
| Change | ||||
(in thousands) | |||||||||
BT5528 (EphA2) | $ | 5,528 | $ | 3,946 | $ | 1,582 | |||
BT8009 (Nectin‑4) |
| 15,465 |
| 3,633 |
| 11,832 | |||
BT1718 (MT1) |
| 314 |
| 348 |
| (34) | |||
Bicycle tumor-targeted immune cell agonists | 11,111 | 4,698 | 6,413 | ||||||
Other discovery and platform related expense |
| 17,194 |
| 9,094 |
| 8,100 | |||
Employee and contractor related expenses |
| 22,162 |
| 12,750 |
| 9,412 | |||
Share-based compensation |
| 8,584 |
| 5,006 |
| 3,578 | |||
Facility expenses | 4,764 | 2,350 | 2,414 | ||||||
Research and development incentives and government grants |
| (13,191) |
| (7,687) |
| (5,504) | |||
Total research and development expenses | $ | 71,931 | $ | 34,138 | $ | 37,793 |
Research and development expenses increased by $37.8 million in the six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022, due primarily to an increase of $27.9 million in direct program spend, primarily associated with clinical program expenses for BT8009 due to the ongoing Phase II expansion portion of the Phase I/II clinical trial, clinical program expenses for BT5528, Bicycle TICA program development expenses, and increased other discovery and platform related expenses, as well as increases of $9.4 million in employee and contractor related expenses attributable to increased headcount, $3.6 million of incremental share-based compensation expense primarily associated with equity grants issued since the same period in the prior year, and $2.4 million in facilities-related expenses primarily associated with our U.K. lease entered into in December 2021 as well as our U.S. lease entered into in January 2023. These increases were offset by $5.5 million of incremental research and development incentives, including U.K. research and development tax credit reimbursements due to the corresponding increase in research and development spending.
General and Administrative Expenses
The table below summarizes our general and administrative expenses for the period:
Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||
2023 |
| 2022 |
| Change | |||||
(in thousands) | |||||||||
Personnel-related costs | $ | 8,516 | $ | 6,892 | $ | 1,624 | |||
Professional and consulting fees |
| 7,192 |
| 5,998 |
| 1,194 | |||
Other general and administration costs |
| 4,854 |
| 4,235 |
| 619 | |||
Share-based compensation | 8,651 |
| 10,865 |
| (2,214) | ||||
Effect of foreign exchange rates | 63 |
| 793 |
| (730) | ||||
Total general and administrative expenses | $ | 29,276 | $ | 28,783 | $ | 493 |
General and administrative expenses increased by $0.5 million in the six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022. This increase is primarily due to a $1.6 million increase in personnel-related costs primarily due to increased headcount as well as an increase in professional and consulting fees that was primarily related to increased legal fees. These increases were offset by a decrease of $2.2 million in share-based compensation expense primarily associated with certain equity grants issued to our non-employee directors in January 2022 that were fully vested on the date of grant.
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Other Income (Expense), net
Other income (expense), net increased by $2.7 million in the six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022, primarily due to an increase of $2.6 million in interest income related to higher interest rates and interest earned on our cash equivalents.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity
From our inception through June 30, 2023, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and have incurred significant operating losses and negative cash flows from our operations. We do not expect to generate significant revenue from sales of any products for several years, if at all.
To date, we have financed our operations primarily with proceeds from the sale of our ADSs, ordinary shares, non-voting ordinary shares, and convertible preferred shares; proceeds received from upfront payments, payments for research and development services, and development milestone payments pursuant to collaboration agreements; and borrowings pursuant to our Loan Agreement with Hercules.
On July 17, 2023, we completed an underwritten public offering of our securities, pursuant to which the Company issued and sold 6,117,648 ADSs, representing the same number of ordinary shares, nominal value £0.01 per share, which included 1,411,764 ADSs sold upon the underwriters’ full exercise of their option to purchase additional ADSs, and 4,705,882 non-voting ordinary shares, nominal value £0.01 per share, at a public offering price of $21.25 per ADS or non-voting ordinary share, respectively. The transaction resulted in gross proceeds to the Company of $230.0 million, and after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and estimated offering expenses of $14.5 million, net proceeds to the Company of approximately $215.5 million.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for each of the periods presented:
| Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||
| 2023 |
| 2022 | |||
(in thousands) | ||||||
Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (12,315) | $ | (49,931) | ||
Net cash used in investing activities |
| (2,376) |
| (14,555) | ||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
| 15,010 |
| 645 | ||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash |
| 960 |
| (2,070) | ||
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,279 | $ | (65,911) |
Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2023 was $12.3 million as compared to $49.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The decrease in cash used in operations of $37.6 million is primarily due to an increase in net loss of $27.3 million as described in the Results of Operations above as well as a net increase in non-cash expenses, including an increase of $1.4 million in share-based compensation expense and an increase of $2.2 million in depreciation and amortization, offset by a decrease of $2.1 million in the deferred income tax benefit. These impacts were offset by an increase in cash flows from changes in our operating assets and liabilities of $63.5 million. The increase in cash flows from changes in operating assets and liabilities was primarily driven by increases resulting from changes in accounts receivable of $61.7 million, research and development incentives receivable of $14.0 million, accrued expenses and other current liabilities of $5.2 million, and prepaid expenses and other current assets of $1.8 million, offset by decreases resulting from changes in deferred revenue of $17.5 million, accounts payable of $1.3 million, and operating lease liabilities of $1.1 million.
46
Investing Activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, we used $2.4 million and $14.6 million, respectively, of cash in investing activities for purchases of property and equipment, consisting primarily of leasehold improvements and laboratory equipment. The decrease in cash used in investing activities of $12.2 million is primarily due to purchases of property and equipment associated with our U.K. lease entered into in December 2021.
Financing Activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2023, net cash provided by financing activities was $15.0 million, primarily consisting of net proceeds from our ATM program.
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, net cash provided by financing activities was $0.6 million, primarily consisting of net proceeds from the exercise of share options.
Loan Agreement with Hercules
Our Loan Agreement, as amended from time to time, with Hercules as agent, consisting of (i) outstanding term loans of $30.0 million and (ii) subject customary conditions, additional term loans of up to an aggregate of $45.0 million, which are available through December 31, 2024, but have not yet been drawn. Borrowings under the Loan Agreement bear interest at an annual rate equal to the prime rate as reported in the Wall Street Journal plus 4.55%, with a minimum annual rate of at least 8.05%, capped at a rate no greater than 9.05%. The interest-only period ends on April 1, 2025. We may prepay all or any portion greater than $5.0 million of the outstanding borrowings, subject to a prepayment premium equal to 1.5% prior to December 31, 2023. The Loan Agreement also provides for an end of term charge, payable upon maturity or the repayment of obligations under the Loan Agreement, equal to 5.0% of the principal amount repaid. In connection with the Loan Agreement, we granted Hercules a security interest in substantially all of our personal property and other assets, other than our intellectual property. In addition, the Loan Agreement contains customary affirmative and restrictive covenants and representations and warranties, as well as customary events of default. For additional information on the Loan Agreement, see Note 6. Long-term debt of our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Capital Resources and Funding Requirements
Our material cash requirements include expenses associated with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance the preclinical activities and clinical trials of our product candidates and as we:
● | continue our development of our product candidates, including continuing current clinical trials and conducting future clinical trials of BT5528, BT8009, BT7480 and BT1718; |
● | progress the preclinical and clinical development of BT7455 and BT7401; |
● | seek to identify and develop additional product candidates; |
● | develop the necessary processes, controls and manufacturing data to seek to obtain marketing approval for our product candidates and to support manufacturing of product to commercial scale; |
● | develop, maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio; |
● | seek marketing approvals for any of our product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials, if any; |
● | hire and retain additional personnel, such as non-clinical, clinical, pharmacovigilance, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, distribution, legal, compliance, medical affairs, finance, commercial and scientific personnel; |
47
● | acquire or in-license other products and technologies; |
● | expand our infrastructure and facilities to accommodate our growing employee base, including adding equipment and infrastructure to support our research and development; and |
● | add operational, financial and management information systems and personnel, including personnel to support our research and development programs, and any future commercialization efforts. |
If we obtain marketing approval for any product candidate that we identify and develop, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution to the extent that such sales, marketing, and distribution are not the responsibility of our collaboration partners.
The following table summarizes our material contractual obligations as of June 30, 2023, and the effects that such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods. For additional information, see Note 11. Commitments and continencies of our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Payments due by period | ||||||||||||
|
| Less than |
|
| ||||||||
Total | 1 year | 1 to 3 years | 3 years to 5 years | |||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||
Operating lease commitments(1) | $ | 18,631 | $ | 5,725 | $ | 11,124 | $ | 1,782 | ||||
Debt obligations(2) | 36,672 | 2,534 | 34,138 | — | ||||||||
Total | $ | 55,303 | $ | 8,259 | $ | 45,262 | $ | 1,782 |
(1) | Amounts reflect minimum payments due for our office and laboratory space leases. We have one office and laboratory lease in Cambridge, U.K. under an operating lease with a lease term through December 2026. We have two office and laboratory leases in Massachusetts, U.S.A. under operating leases with lease terms through March 2026 and December 2027. |
(2) | Amounts in table reflect the contractually required principal, interest, and the final payments under the Loan Agreement with Hercules as of June 30, 2023. |
In the ordinary course of business, we enter into various agreements with contract research organizations to provide clinical trial services, with contract manufacturing organizations to provide clinical trial materials, and with vendors for preclinical research studies, synthetic chemistry and other services for operating purposes. These payments are not included in the table above since the contracts are generally cancelable with advanced written notice, generally with a notice period of 90 days or less. From the time of notice until termination, we are contractually obligated to make certain minimum payments to the vendors, based on the timing of the notification and the exact terms of the agreement.
Our arrangements with CRUK provide for additional future milestone payments upon the achievement of development, regulatory and commercial milestones, payable in cash and shares, with an aggregate total value of $111.2 million, as well as royalty payments based on a single digit percentage on net sales of products developed. In addition, we have a separate agreement with a third party which provides for additional future milestone payments by us upon the achievement of specified development, regulatory and commercial milestones, with an aggregate total value of $92.4 million. We also have a separate agreement with a third party that provides for future milestone payments by us upon the achievement of specified regulatory, development, commercial, and sales-based milestones, with an aggregate total, on a product-by-product basis, of $1.3 million. We have not included future payments under this agreement in the table of contractual obligations above since these obligations are contingent upon future events. As of June 30, 2023, we were unable to estimate the timing or likelihood of achieving these milestones.
As of June 30, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $340.4 million. We expect that our existing cash will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least 12 months from the date of filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
48
We have based our estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we may use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development of product candidates and programs, and because the extent to which we may enter into collaborations with third parties for development of our product candidates is unknown, we are unable to estimate the timing and amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenses associated with completing the research and development of our product candidates. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
● | our ability to raise capital in light of the impacts of the unfavorable global economic and political conditions; |
● | the scope, progress, results, and costs of drug discovery, preclinical development, laboratory testing, and clinical trials for the product candidates we may develop; |
● | our ability to enroll clinical trials in a timely manner and to quickly resolve any delays or clinical holds that may be imposed on our development programs; |
● | the costs associated with our manufacturing process development and evaluation of third-party manufacturers and suppliers; |
● | the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates; |
● | the costs of preparing and submitting marketing approvals for any of our product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials, and the costs of maintaining marketing authorization and related regulatory compliance for any products for which we obtain marketing approval; |
● | the costs of preparing, filing, and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property and proprietary rights, and defending intellectual property-related claims; |
● | the costs of future activities, including product sales, medical affairs, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution, for any product candidates for which we receive marketing approval; |
● | the terms of our current and any future license agreements and collaborations; and the extent to which we acquire or in-license other product candidates, technologies and intellectual property. |
● | the success of our ongoing or future collaborations; |
● | our ability to establish and maintain additional collaborations on favorable terms, if at all; and |
● | the costs of operating as a public company. |
Until such time, if ever, that we can generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, monetization transactions, government contracts or other strategic transactions. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity, ownership interests of existing holders of our ADSs and ordinary shares will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares. If we raise additional funds through collaboration agreements, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements, monetization transactions, or marketing and distribution arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us or grant rights to develop and market products or product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves. Future debt financing, if available, may involve covenants restricting our operations or our ability to incur additional debt. Any debt or equity financing that we raise may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our shareholders.
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There have been significant disruptions to global financial markets that have contributed to a general global economic slowdown. The resulting high inflation rates may materially affect our business and corresponding financial position and cash flows. Inflationary factors, such as increases in the cost of our clinical trial materials and supplies, interest rates and overhead costs may adversely affect our operating results. Rising interest rates also present a recent challenge impacting the U.S. economy and could make it more difficult for us to obtain traditional financing on acceptable terms, if at all, in the future. Additionally, the general consensus among economists suggests that we should expect a higher recession risk to continue over the next year, which, together with the foregoing, could result in further economic uncertainty and volatility in the capital markets in the near term, and could negatively affect our operations. Furthermore, such economic conditions have produced downward pressure on share prices. Although we do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations to date, we may experience increases in the near future (especially if inflation rates remain high or begin to rise again) on our operating costs, including our labor costs and research and development costs, due to supply chain constraints, consequences associated with the global geopolitical tension as a result of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, worsening global macroeconomic conditions, and employee availability and wage increases, which may result in additional stress on our working capital resources. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce, or eliminate our research and development programs or future commercialization efforts.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on our condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of our condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs and expenses, and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Our critical accounting policies are described under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Estimates” in our 2022 Annual Report, which was filed with the SEC on February 28, 2023. If actual results or events differ materially from the estimates, judgments and assumptions used by us in applying these policies, our reported financial condition and results of operations could be materially affected. Other than as disclosed in Note 2 to the condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, there have been no significant changes to our critical accounting estimates from those described in our 2022 Annual Report.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk
Interest Rate Sensitivity
As of June 30, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $340.4 million. Our exposure to interest rate sensitivity is impacted by changes in the underlying U.K. and U.S. bank interest rates. Our surplus cash has been invested in interest-bearing savings accounts and money market funds. We have not entered into investments for trading or speculative purposes. Due to the conservative nature of our investment portfolio, which is predicated on capital preservation of investments with short-term maturities, we do not believe an immediate one percentage point change in interest rates would have a material effect on the fair market value of our portfolio, and therefore we do not expect our operating results or cash flows to be significantly affected by changes in market interest rates.
We are subject to interest rate risk in connection with our borrowings under our credit facility with Hercules, which were $30.0 million as of June 30, 2023. Our outstanding indebtedness with Hercules bears interest at an annual rate equal to the Wall Street Journal prime rate plus 4.55%, with a minimum annual rate of at least 8.05%, capped at a rate no greater than 9.05%. As of June 30, 2023, our outstanding indebtedness with Hercules bears interest at 9.05%. We currently do not engage in any interest rate hedging activity, and we have no intention to do so in the foreseeable future.
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Based on the current interest rate of the term loan and the scheduled payments thereunder, we do not believe a 1.0% increase in interest rates would have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
The functional currency is the currency of the primary economic environment in which an entity’s operations are conducted. The functional currency of Bicycle Therapeutics plc and Bicycle Therapeutics Inc. is the United States Dollar, or USD. The functional currency of Bicycle Therapeutics plc’s wholly owned non-U.S. subsidiaries, BicycleTx Limited and BicycleRD Limited, is the British Pound Sterling, and the condensed consolidated financial statements are presented in USD. The functional currency of our subsidiaries is the same as the local currency.
Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are remeasured into the functional currency at rates of exchange prevailing at the balance sheet dates. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are remeasured into the functional currency at the exchange rates prevailing at the date of the transaction. Exchange gains or losses arising from foreign currency transactions are included in the determination of net loss for the respective periods. Adjustments that arise from exchange rate changes on transactions denominated in a currency other than the local currency are included in general and administrative expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as incurred. We recorded a foreign exchange gain of $0.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and a foreign exchange loss of $0.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively. We recorded foreign exchange losses of $0.7 million and $0.8 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively.
For financial reporting purposes, our condensed consolidated financial statements have been translated into USD. We translate the assets and liabilities of BicycleTx Limited and BicycleRD Limited into USD at the exchange rate in effect on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rate in effect during the period and shareholders’ equity amounts are translated based on historical exchange rates as of the date of each transaction. Translation adjustments are not included in determining net loss but are included in our foreign exchange adjustment included in the condensed consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
We do not currently engage in currency hedging activities in order to reduce our currency exposure, but we may begin to do so in the future.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As required by Rule 13a-15(d) of the Exchange Act, our management, including our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, conducted an evaluation of the internal control over financial reporting to determine whether any changes occurred during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures at June 30, 2023, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rule 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that occurred during the quarter ended June 30, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
From time to time, we may become involved in various legal proceedings and claims, either asserted or unasserted, which arise in the ordinary course of business. We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described below. The following information about these risks and uncertainties, together with the other information appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on February 28, 2023, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto, should be carefully considered before a decision to invest in our American Depositary Shares, or ADSs. The occurrence of any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects or cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements we have made in this report and those we may make from time to time. Additional risks that are currently unknown to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also impair our business. In these circumstances, the market price of our ADSs could decline and holders of our ADSs may lose all or part of their investment. We cannot provide assurance that any of the events discussed below will not occur.
Summary of Selected Risk Factors
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, of which you should be aware before making a decision to invest in our ADSs. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the following:
● | We have a history of significant operating losses and expect to incur significant and increasing losses for the foreseeable future, and we may never achieve or maintain profitability. |
● | We may need substantial additional funding, and if we are unable to raise capital when needed, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our product discovery and development programs or commercialization efforts. |
● | Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing shareholders or holders of our ADSs, restrict our operations or cause us to relinquish valuable rights. |
● | Our failure to comply with the covenants or payment obligations under our existing term loan facility with Hercules Capital, Inc., or Hercules, could result in an event of default, which may result in increased interest charges, acceleration of our repayment obligations or other actions by Hercules, any of which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
● | We are substantially dependent on the success of our internal development programs and of our product candidates from our Bicycle® Toxin Conjugate, or BTCTM, and Bicycle tumor-targeted immune cell agonist®, or Bicycle TICATM, programs, which may not successfully complete clinical trials, receive regulatory approval or be successfully commercialized. |
● | We are at an early stage in our development efforts, and our product candidates and those of our collaborators represent a new category of medicines and may be subject to heightened regulatory scrutiny until they are established as a therapeutic modality. |
● | We may find it difficult to enroll patients in our clinical trials, which could delay or prevent us from proceeding with clinical trials of our product candidates. |
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● | Results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials may not be predictive of results of future clinical trials. |
● | Our current or future product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties when used alone or in combination with other approved products or investigational new drugs, or IND, that could halt their clinical development, prevent their marketing approval, limit their commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences. |
● | We may be delayed or not be successful in our efforts to identify or discover additional product candidates. |
● | We may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success. |
● | We may seek designations for our product candidates with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and other comparable regulatory authorities that are intended to confer benefits such as a faster development process or an accelerated regulatory pathway, but there can be no assurance that we will successfully obtain such designations. In addition, even if one or more of our product candidates are granted such designations, we may not be able to realize the intended benefits of such designations. |
● | Even if we complete the necessary preclinical studies and clinical trials, the marketing approval process is expensive, time consuming and uncertain and may prevent us or any collaborators from obtaining approvals for the commercialization of some or all of our product candidates. As a result, we cannot predict when or if, and in which territories, we, or any collaborators, will obtain marketing approval to commercialize a product candidate. |
● | The market opportunities for any current or future product candidate we develop, if and when approved may be limited to those patients who are ineligible for established therapies or for whom prior therapies have failed, and may be small. |
● | Even if we receive marketing approval of a product candidate, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense, and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our products, if approved. |
● | We face significant competition and if our competitors develop and market products that are more effective, safer or less expensive than the product candidates we develop, our commercial opportunities will be negatively impacted. |
● | The commercial success of any current or future product candidate will depend upon the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, payors and others in the medical community. |
● | The insurance coverage and reimbursement status of newly-approved products is uncertain. Failure to obtain or maintain adequate coverage and reimbursement for any of our product candidates, could limit our ability to market those products and decrease our ability to generate revenue. |
● | Healthcare legislative reform measures may have a negative impact on our business and results of operations. |
● | We are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws, regulations, rules, contractual obligations, policies and other obligations related to data privacy and security. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to regulatory investigations or actions, litigation, fines and penalties, |
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disruptions of our business operations, reputational harm, loss of revenue or profits, and other adverse business consequences. |
● | We rely on third parties, including independent clinical investigators and clinical research organizations, or CROs, to conduct and sponsor some of the clinical trials of our product candidates. Any failure by a third party to meet its obligations with respect to the clinical development of our product candidates may delay or impair our ability to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates. |
● | We intend to rely on third parties to manufacture product candidates, which increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of such product candidates or products or such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts. |
● | If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent and other intellectual property protection for our products and product candidates, or if the scope of the patent and other intellectual property protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, our competitors could develop and commercialize products similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our products and product candidates may be adversely affected. |
● | If we are sued for infringing intellectual property rights of third parties, such litigation could be costly and time consuming and could prevent or delay us from developing or commercializing our product candidates. |
● | The market price of our ADSs is highly volatile, and holders of our ADSs may not be able to resell their ADSs at or above the price at which they purchased their ADSs. |
● | As a company based outside of the United States, we are subject to economic, political, regulatory and other risks associated with international operations. |
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital
We have a history of significant operating losses and expect to incur significant and increasing losses for the foreseeable future, and we may never achieve or maintain profitability.
We do not expect to generate revenue or profitability that is necessary to finance our operations in the short term. Since inception, we have incurred recurring losses, including net losses of $81.7 million and $54.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. As of June 30, 2023, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $412.8 million. To date, we have not commercialized any products or generated any revenues from the sale of products, and absent the realization of sufficient revenues from product sales, we may never attain profitability in the future. We have devoted substantially all of our financial resources and efforts to research and development, including preclinical studies and our clinical trials. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. Net losses and negative cash flows have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our shareholders’ equity and working capital.
We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:
● | continue to develop and conduct clinical trials with respect to our BTC and Bicycle TICA programs and our other pipeline programs; |
● | initiate and continue research, preclinical and clinical development efforts for any future product candidates; |
● | seek to discover and develop additional product candidates and further expand our clinical product pipeline; |
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● | seek marketing and regulatory approvals for any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials; |
● | require the manufacture of larger quantities of product candidates for clinical development and, potentially, commercialization; |
● | maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio; |
● | expand our research and development infrastructure, including hiring and retaining additional personnel, such as clinical, quality control and scientific personnel; |
● | establish sales, marketing, distribution and other commercial infrastructure in the future to commercialize products for which we obtain marketing approval, if any; |
● | add operational, financial and management information systems and personnel, including personnel to support our product development and commercialization and help us comply with our obligations as a public company; and |
● | add equipment and physical infrastructure to support our research and development. |
Our ability to become and remain profitable depends on our ability to generate revenue. Generating product revenue will depend on our or any of our collaborators’ ability to obtain marketing approval for, and successfully commercialize, one or more of our product candidates. Successful commercialization will require achievement of key milestones, including completing clinical trials of our product candidates, obtaining marketing approval for these product candidates, manufacturing, marketing and selling those products for which we, or any of our collaborators, may obtain marketing approval, satisfying any post-marketing requirements and obtaining reimbursement for our products from private insurance or government payors. Because of the uncertainties and risks associated with these activities, we are unable to accurately predict the timing and amount of revenues, and if or when we might achieve profitability. We and any collaborators may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, or any collaborators do, we may never generate revenues that are large enough for us to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.
Our revenue to date has been primarily generated from our research collaborations with Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Ionis, Genentech Inc., or Genentech, Dementia Discovery Fund, or DDF, Sanofi (formerly Bioverativ Inc.), AstraZeneca AB, or AstraZeneca, and Oxurion NV, or Oxurion. There can be no assurance that we will generate revenue from our collaborations in the future.
Our failure to become and remain profitable would depress the market price of our ADSs and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, diversify our product offerings or continue our operations. If we continue to suffer losses, investors may not receive any return on their investment and may lose their entire investment.
Our limited operating history may make it difficult for holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.
Our business commenced operations in 2009. Our operations to date have been limited to financing and staffing our company, developing our technology, conducting preclinical research and early-stage clinical trials for our product candidates and pursuing strategic collaborations to advance our product candidates. We have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully conduct late-stage clinical trials, obtain marketing approvals, manufacture a commercial-scale product, or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf, or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful product commercialization. Accordingly, any current or prospective holder of our ADSs or ordinary shares should consider our prospects in light of the costs, uncertainties, delays and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in the early stages of development, especially clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies such as ours. Any
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predictions made about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they would be if we had a longer operating history or a history of successfully developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products.
We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known or unknown factors in achieving our business objectives. We will eventually need to transition from a company with a development focus to a company capable of supporting commercial activities. We may not be successful in such a transition.
We expect our financial condition and operating results to continue to fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control and reliance should not be made upon the results of any quarterly or annual periods as indications of future operating performance.
We may need substantial additional funding, and if we are unable to raise capital when needed, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our product discovery and development programs or commercialization efforts.
Developing pharmaceutical products, including conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, is a very time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete. We expect our expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we initiate new clinical trials of, initiate new research and preclinical development efforts for and seek marketing approval for, our current product candidates or any future product candidates. In addition, if we obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we may incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution to the extent that such sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution are not the responsibility of a collaborator. Furthermore, we expect to incur significant ongoing costs associated with operating as a public company. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we may be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our research and development programs or any future commercialization efforts.
We will be required to expend significant funds in order to advance the development of the product candidates in our pipeline, as well as other product candidates we may seek to develop. In addition, while we may seek one or more collaborators for future development of our product candidates, we may not be able to enter into a collaboration for any of our product candidates for such indications on suitable terms, on a timely basis or at all. In any event, our existing cash will not be sufficient to fund all of the efforts that we plan to undertake or to fund the completion of development of any of our product candidates. Accordingly, we will be required to obtain further funding through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations and licensing arrangements or other sources. We do not have any committed external source of funds. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to raise capital as and when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy.
We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents of $340.4 million as of June 30, 2023, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least 12 months from the date of filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Our estimate may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Further, changing circumstances, some of which may be beyond our control, could cause us to consume capital significantly faster than we currently anticipate, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned. Our future funding requirements, both short-term and long-term, will depend on many factors, including:
● | the scope, progress, timing, costs and results of clinical trials of, and research and preclinical development efforts for, our current and future product candidates; |
● | our ability to enter into, and the terms and timing of, any collaborations, licensing or other arrangements; |
● | our ability to identify one or more future product candidates for our pipeline; |
● | the number of future product candidates that we pursue and their development requirements; |
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● | the outcome, timing and costs of seeking regulatory approvals; |
● | the costs of commercialization activities for any of our product candidates that receive marketing approval to the extent such costs are not the responsibility of any collaborators, including the costs and timing of establishing product sales, marketing, distribution and manufacturing capabilities; |
● | subject to receipt of marketing approval, revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our current and future product candidates; |
● | our headcount growth and associated costs as we expand our research and development and establish a commercial infrastructure; |
● | the costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and protecting our intellectual property rights including enforcing and defending intellectual property related claims; and |
● | the costs of operating as a public company. |
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 United Kingdom, 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 and the global banking system, may further increase economic uncertainty and heighten these risks. On March 10, 2023, in addition to the failure of SVB UK, its parent company, Silicon Valley Bank, also failed, and Signature Bank failed on March 12, 2023. Although the U.K. and U.S. governments both took steps to guarantee all depositors at these banks, there is no guarantee that these governments or any other government would guarantee depositors in the event of further bank closures, and continued instability in the global banking system may adversely impact our business and financial condition. If the disruptions, instability and slowdown deepen or persist, we may not be able to access our cash as needed or to raise additional capital on favorable terms, or at all, which could in the future negatively affect our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy.
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing shareholders or holders of our ADSs, restrict our operations or cause us to relinquish valuable rights.
We may seek additional capital through a combination of public and private equity offerings, debt financings, strategic partnerships and alliances, licensing arrangements or monetization transactions. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity, convertible debt securities or other equity-based derivative securities, the ownership interest of existing holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares will be diluted and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect existing holders’ rights. Any indebtedness we incur would result in increased fixed payment obligations and could involve restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. Furthermore, the issuance of additional securities, whether equity or debt, by us, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our ADSs to decline and existing shareholders may not agree with our financing plans or the terms of such financings. If we raise additional funds through strategic partnerships and alliances, licensing arrangements or monetization transactions with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, or our product candidates, or grant licenses on terms unfavorable to us. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise additional funds when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
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Our failure to comply with the covenants or payment obligations under our existing term loan facility with Hercules could result in an event of default, which may result in increased interest charges, acceleration of our repayment obligations or other actions by Hercules, any of which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are party to a secured term loan facility with Hercules. As of June 30, 2023, our outstanding borrowings under this facility totaled $30.0 million. In connection with the Loan and Security Agreement, as amended, with Hercules, or the Loan Agreement, we granted Hercules a security interest in substantially all of our personal property and other assets, other than our intellectual property. The Loan Agreement contains customary affirmative and restrictive covenants and representations and warranties, including a covenant against the occurrence of a change in control (as defined by the Loan Agreement), financial reporting obligations, and certain limitations on indebtedness, liens (including a negative pledge on intellectual property and other assets), investments, distributions (including dividends), collateral, investments, transfers, mergers or acquisitions, taxes, corporate changes, and deposit accounts. The Loan Agreement also includes customary events of default, including payment defaults, breaches of covenants following any applicable cure period, the occurrence of certain events that could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect as set forth in the Loan Agreement, cross acceleration to third-party indebtedness and certain events relating to bankruptcy or insolvency. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, a default interest rate of an additional 5.0% may be applied to the outstanding principal and interest payments due, and Hercules may declare all outstanding obligations immediately due and payable and take such other actions as set forth in the Loan Agreement, including proceeding against the collateral securing such indebtedness. Such increased interest charges, accelerated repayment, proceedings against the collateral or other actions may have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our existing and any future indebtedness may limit our cash flow available to invest in the ongoing needs of our business.
As of June 30, 2023, we had $30.0 million of borrowings outstanding under the Loan Agreement with Hercules with an interest rate that is capped at 9.05%. We could also in the future incur additional indebtedness pursuant to additional loan agreements.
Our debt combined with our other financial obligations and contractual commitments could have significant adverse consequences, including:
● | requiring us to dedicate cash flow from operations or cash on hand to the payment of interest on, and principal of, our debt, which will reduce the amounts available to fund working capital, capital expenditures, product development efforts and other general corporate purposes; |
● | increasing our vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and market conditions; |
● | subjecting us to restrictive covenants that may reduce our ability to take certain corporate actions or obtain further debt or equity financing; |
● | limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our industry; and |
● | placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt or better debt servicing options. |
We intend to satisfy our current and future debt service obligations with our existing cash and funds from external sources. Nonetheless, we may not have sufficient funds or may be unable to arrange for additional financing to pay the amounts due under our existing or any future debt facility. Funds from external sources may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. In addition, a failure to comply with the covenants under the Loan Agreement or any future loan agreements we may enter into could result in an event of default and acceleration of amounts due. If an event of default occurs and the lenders accelerate the amounts due under such loan agreements, we may not be able to make accelerated payments, and such lenders could seek to enforce security interests in the collateral securing such indebtedness.
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Risks Related to the Discovery, Development and Regulatory Approval of Our Product Candidates
We are substantially dependent on the success of our internal development programs and of our product candidates from our BTCTM and Bicycle TICATM programs, which may not successfully complete clinical trials, receive regulatory approval or be successfully commercialized.
Our future success will depend heavily on the success of our internal development programs and of product candidates from our BTC and Bicycle TICA programs.
Within our BTC programs, we are evaluating BT5528, a second-generation BTC that targets Ephrin type-A receptor 2, or EphA2 and carries a monomethyl auristatin E, or MMAE cytotoxin payload, in an ongoing, company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial to assess safety, pharmacokinetics and preliminary clinical activity in patients with advanced malignancies associated with EphA2 expression, and BT8009, a second-generation BTC that targets Nectin-4 and carries a MMAE cytotoxin payload, in a company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial to assess safety, pharmacokinetics and preliminary clinical activity in patients with Nectin-4 expressing advanced malignancies. In addition, BT1718, a BTC designed to target tumors that express MT1-MMP, is being investigated for safety, tolerability and efficacy in an ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial sponsored and fully funded by the Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development, or Cancer Research UK. Upon the completion of the Phase I/IIa clinical trial for BT1718, we have the right to obtain a license to the results of the clinical trial from Cancer Research UK upon the payment of a milestone, in cash and ordinary shares with a combined value in a mid-six digit dollar amount. If we do not exercise our right to obtain a license to the results of the clinical trial or we fail to obtain a license, our ability to continue development of BT1718 would be negatively impacted. We are also evaluating BT7480, which is a Bicycle TICA targeting Nectin-4 and agonizing CD137, in a company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial to assess the safety and tolerability of BT7480, and to determine a recommended Phase II dose. There can be no assurance our BTCs or Bicycle TICAs will ever demonstrate evidence of safety or effectiveness for any use or receive regulatory approval in the United States, the European Union, or any other country in any indication. Even if clinical trials show positive results, there can be no assurance that the FDA in the United States, or the European Commission, whose decision is based on a recommendation from the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, in Europe or similar regulatory authorities will approve our BTCs or any of our other product candidates for any given indication for several potential reasons, including the failure to follow Good Clinical Practice, or GCP, a negative assessment of the risks and benefits, insufficient product quality control and standardization, failure to have Good Manufacturing Practices, or GMP, compliant manufacturing facilities, or the failure to agree with regulatory authorities on clinical endpoints.
Our ability to successfully commercialize our BTCs, Bicycle TICAs, and our other product candidates will depend on, among other things, our ability to:
● | successfully complete preclinical studies and clinical trials, which may be delayed; |
● | receive regulatory approvals from the FDA, the European Commission based on a recommendation from the EMA and other similar regulatory authorities; |
● | establish and maintain collaborations with third parties for the development and/or commercialization of our product candidates, or otherwise build and maintain strong development, sales, distribution and marketing capabilities that are sufficient to develop products and launch commercial sales of any approved products; |
● | obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement from payors such as government health care systems and insurance companies and achieve commercially attractive levels of pricing; |
● | secure acceptance of our product candidates from physicians, health care payors, patients and the medical community; |
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● | produce, through a validated process, in manufacturing facilities inspected and approved by regulatory authorities, including the FDA, sufficiently large quantities of our product candidates to permit successful commercialization; |
● | manage our spending as expenses increase due to clinical trials and commercialization; and |
● | obtain and enforce sufficient intellectual property rights for any approved products and product candidates and maintain freedom to operate for such products with respect to the intellectual property rights of third parties. |
Of the large number of drugs in development in the pharmaceutical industry, only a small percentage result in the submission of a new drug application, or NDA, to the FDA and even fewer are approved for commercialization. Furthermore, even if we do receive regulatory approval to market our product candidates, any such approval may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses or patient populations for which we may market the product. Accordingly, even if we are able to obtain the requisite financing to continue to fund our development programs, we cannot provide assurance that our product candidates will be successfully developed or commercialized. If we are unable to develop, or obtain regulatory approval for, or, if approved, to successfully commercialize our product candidates, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to continue our business. Moreover, if adopted in the form proposed, the recent European Commission proposals to revise the existing EU laws governing authorization of medicinal products may result in a decrease in data and market exclusivity for our product candidates in the EU.
We are at an early stage in our development efforts, and our product candidates and those of our collaborators represent a new category of medicines and may be subject to heightened regulatory scrutiny until they are established as a therapeutic modality.
Bicycles represent a new therapeutic modality of peptide compounds intended to combine targeting abilities of antibodies with performance of small molecules. Our product candidates may not demonstrate in patients any or all of the pharmacological benefits we believe they may possess. We have not yet succeeded and may never succeed in demonstrating efficacy and safety for these or any other product candidates in clinical trials or in obtaining marketing approval thereafter.
Regulatory authorities have limited experience with Bicycles and may require evidence of safety and efficacy that goes beyond what we and our collaborators have included in our development plans. In such a case, development of Bicycle product candidates may be more costly or time-consuming than expected, and our candidate products and those of our collaboration partners may not prove to be viable.
If we are unsuccessful in our development efforts, we may not be able to advance the development of our product candidates, commercialize products, raise capital, expand our business or continue our operations.
Our product candidates and those of our collaborators will need to undergo preclinical and clinical trials that are time consuming and expensive, the outcomes of which are unpredictable, and for which there is a high risk of failure. If preclinical or clinical trials of our or their product candidates fail to satisfactorily demonstrate safety and efficacy to the FDA, the EMA and any other comparable regulatory authority, additional costs may be incurred or delays experienced in completing, the development of these product candidates, or their development may be abandoned.
The FDA in the United States, the European Commission based on a recommendation from the EMA, or other European regulatory authorities, in the European Union and the European Economic Area, or EEA, and any other comparable regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions must approve new product candidates before they can be marketed, promoted or sold in those territories. We have not previously submitted an NDA to the FDA or similar drug approval filings to comparable foreign regulatory authorities for any of our product candidates. We must provide these regulatory authorities with data from preclinical studies and clinical trials that demonstrate that our product candidates are safe and effective for a specific indication before they can be approved for commercial distribution. We cannot be certain that our clinical trials for our product candidates will be successful or that any of our other product candidates
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will receive approval from the FDA, the European Commission based on a recommendation from the EMA or any other comparable regulatory authority.
Preclinical studies and clinical trials are long, expensive and unpredictable processes that can be subject to extensive delays. We cannot guarantee that any clinical trials will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all. It may take several years and require significant expenditures to complete the preclinical studies and clinical trials necessary to commercialize a product candidate, and delays or failure are inherently unpredictable and can occur at any stage. New or ongoing public health crises may also impact our and our collaboration partners’ abilities to activate trial sites or enroll patients in clinical trials or to otherwise advance those clinical trials. Interruptions resulting from such crises may reduce our, or our collaboration partners’, abilities to administer the investigational product to enrolled patients, present difficulties for enrolled patients to adhere to protocol-mandated visits and laboratory/diagnostic testing, increase the possibility of patient dropouts, or impact our, and our suppliers’, abilities to provide investigational product to trial sites, all of which could negatively impact the data we are able to obtain from our clinical trials and complicate regulatory review.
We may also be required to conduct additional clinical trials or other testing of our product candidates beyond the trials and testing that we contemplate, which may lead to us incurring additional unplanned costs or result in delays in clinical development. In addition, we may be required to redesign or otherwise modify our plans with respect to an ongoing or planned clinical trial, and changing the design of a clinical trial can be expensive and time consuming. An unfavorable outcome in one or more trials would be a major setback for our product candidates and for us. An unfavorable outcome in one or more trials may require us to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more product development programs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and future growth prospects.
Many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of marketing approval for our product candidates. The FDA, EMA or any other comparable regulatory authority may disagree with our clinical trial design and our interpretation of data from clinical trials, or may change the requirements for approval even after it has reviewed and commented on the design for our clinical trials.
In connection with clinical trials of our product candidates, we face a number of risks, including risks that:
● | a product candidate is ineffective or inferior to existing approved products for the same indications; |
● | a product candidate causes or is associated with unacceptable toxicity or has unacceptable side effects; |
● | patients may die or suffer adverse effects for reasons that may or may not be related to the product candidate being tested; |
● | the results may not confirm the positive results of earlier trials; |
● | the results may not meet the level of statistical significance required by the FDA, the EMA or other relevant regulatory agencies to establish the safety and efficacy of our product candidates for continued trial or marketing approval; and |
● | our collaborators may be unable or unwilling to perform under their contracts. |
Furthermore, we sometimes estimate for planning purposes the timing of the accomplishment of various scientific, clinical, regulatory and other product development objectives. These milestones may include our expectations regarding the commencement or completion of scientific studies, clinical trials, the submission of regulatory filings or commercialization objectives. From time to time, we may publicly announce the expected timing of some of these milestones, such as the completion of an ongoing clinical trial, the initiation of other clinical programs, the receipt of marketing approval or a commercial launch of a product. The achievement of many of these milestones may be outside of our control. All of these milestones are based on a variety of assumptions, which may cause the timing of
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achievement of the milestones to vary considerably from our estimates. If we fail to achieve milestones in the timeframes we expect, the commercialization of our product candidates may be delayed, we may not be entitled to receive certain contractual payments, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and future growth prospects.
We may find it difficult to enroll patients in our clinical trials, which could delay or prevent us from proceeding with clinical trials of our product candidates.
Identifying and qualifying patients to participate in clinical trials of our product candidates is critical to our success. The timing of our clinical trials depends on our ability to recruit patients to participate as well as the completion of required follow-up periods. Patients may be unwilling to participate in our clinical trials because of negative publicity from adverse events related to novel therapeutic approaches, competitive clinical trials for similar patient populations, the existence of current treatments or for other reasons. Enrollment risks are heightened with respect to certain indications that we may target for one or more of our product candidates that may be rare diseases, which may limit the pool of patients that may be enrolled in our planned clinical trials. The timeline for recruiting patients, conducting trials and obtaining regulatory approval of our product candidates may be delayed, which could result in increased costs, delays in advancing our product candidates, delays in testing the effectiveness of our product candidates or termination of the clinical trials altogether.
We may not be able to identify, recruit and enroll a sufficient number of patients, or those with the required or desired characteristics, to complete our clinical trials in a timely manner. For example, due to the nature of the indications that we are initially targeting, patients with advanced disease progression may not be suitable candidates for treatment with our product candidates and may be ineligible for enrollment in our clinical trials. Therefore, early diagnosis in patients with our target diseases is critical to our success. Patient enrollment and trial completion is affected by factors including the:
● | size of the patient population and process for identifying subjects; |
● | design of the trial protocol; |
● | eligibility and exclusion criteria; |
● | safety profile, to date, of the product candidate under study; |
● | perceived risks and benefits of the product candidate under study; |
● | perceived risks and benefits of our approach to treatment of diseases; |
● | availability of competing therapies and clinical trials; |
● | severity of the disease under investigation; |
● | degree of progression of the subject’s disease at the time of enrollment; |
● | proximity and availability of clinical trial sites for prospective subjects; |
● | ability to obtain and maintain subject consent; |
● | risk that enrolled subjects will drop out before completion of the trial; |
● | patient referral practices of physicians; and |
● | ability to monitor subjects adequately during and after treatment. |
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In addition, clinical testing of BT5528, BT8009, BT7480 and BT1718 is currently taking place outside of the United States. Our ability to successfully initiate, enroll and complete a clinical trial in any foreign country is subject to numerous risks unique to conducting business in foreign countries, including:
● | difficulty in establishing or managing relationships with academic partners or contract research organizations, or CROs, and physicians; |
● | different standards for the conduct of clinical trials; |
● | the absence in some countries of established groups with sufficient regulatory expertise for review of protocols related to our novel approach; |
● | our inability to locate qualified local consultants, physicians and partners; and |
● | the potential burden of complying with a variety of foreign laws, medical standards and regulatory requirements, including the regulation of pharmaceutical and biotechnology products and treatment. |
If we have difficulty enrolling a sufficient number of patients to conduct our clinical trials as planned, we may need to delay, limit or terminate ongoing or planned clinical trials, any of which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials may not be predictive of results of future clinical trials.
The outcome of preclinical studies and early clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, and preliminary or interim results of clinical trials do not necessarily predict success in the results of completed clinical trials. Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in late-stage clinical trials after achieving positive results in earlier development, and we could face similar setbacks. For example, our company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trials of BT5528, BT8009 and BT7480 and the Phase I/IIa trial of BT1718 being conducted by Cancer Research UK are ongoing, and the interim results of these trials, including specific patient responses we have observed and disclosed, may not be replicated in the completed data sets or in future trials at global clinical trial sites in a later stage clinical trial conducted by us or our collaborators. The design of a clinical trial can determine whether its results will support approval of a product and flaws in the design of a clinical trial may not become apparent until the clinical trial is well advanced. We have limited experience in designing clinical trials and may be unable to design and execute a clinical trial to support marketing approval.
Preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses. Many companies that believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval for the product candidates. Even if we, or any collaborators, believe that the results of clinical trials for our product candidates warrant marketing approval, the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree and may not grant marketing approval of our product candidates.
In some instances, there can be significant variability in safety or efficacy results between different clinical trials of the same product candidate due to numerous factors, including changes in trial procedures set forth in protocols, differences in the size and type of the patient populations, our ability to enroll trial participants, changes in and adherence to the dosing regimen and other clinical trial protocols and the rate of dropout among clinical trial participants. If we fail to receive positive results in clinical trials of our product candidates, the development timeline and regulatory approval and commercialization prospects for our most advanced product candidates, and, correspondingly, our business and financial prospects would be negatively impacted.
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Failure to successfully validate, develop and obtain regulatory approval for companion diagnostics could harm our drug development strategy.
We may employ companion diagnostics to help us more accurately identify patients within a particular subset, both during our clinical trials and in connection with the commercialization of our product candidates that we are developing or may in the future develop. Companion diagnostics are subject to regulation by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities as medical devices and require separate regulatory approval prior to commercialization. We do not develop companion diagnostics internally and thus we will be dependent on the sustained cooperation and effort of our third-party collaborators in developing and obtaining approval for these companion diagnostics. There can be no guarantees that we will successfully find a suitable collaborator to develop companion diagnostics. We and our collaborators may encounter difficulties in developing and obtaining approval for the companion diagnostics, including issues relating to selectivity/specificity, analytical validation, reproducibility, or clinical validation. Any delay or failure by our collaborators to develop or obtain regulatory approval of the companion diagnostics could delay or prevent approval of our product candidates. In addition, our collaborators may encounter production difficulties that could constrain the supply of the companion diagnostics, and both they and we may have difficulties gaining acceptance of the use of the companion diagnostics in the clinical community. If such companion diagnostics fail to gain market acceptance, our ability to derive revenues from sales of any products, if approved, will be adversely affected. In addition, the diagnostic company with whom we contract may decide to discontinue selling or manufacturing the companion diagnostic that we anticipate using in connection with development and commercialization of our product candidates or our relationship with such diagnostic company may otherwise terminate. We may not be able to enter into arrangements with another diagnostic company to obtain supplies of an alternative diagnostic test for use in connection with the development and commercialization of our product candidates or do so on commercially reasonable terms, which could adversely affect and/or delay the development or commercialization of our product candidates.
Our current or future product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties when used alone or in combination with other approved products or investigational new drugs that could halt their clinical development, prevent their marketing approval, limit their commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences.
Undesirable or clinically unmanageable side effects could occur and cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of marketing approval by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Results of our trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects or unexpected characteristics. If unacceptable side effect profiles arise, or side effects beyond those identified to date develop or worsen, as we continue development of our current or future product candidates, we, the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, the Institutional Review Boards, or IRBs, or independent ethics committees at the institutions in which our studies are conducted, or Safety Review Committees could suspend or terminate our clinical trials or the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities could order us to cease clinical trials or deny approval of our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. Treatment-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled subjects to complete the trial, cause delays in ongoing clinical trials, or result in potential product liability claims. In addition, these side effects may not be appropriately recognized or managed by the treating medical staff. We may be required to train medical personnel using our product candidates to understand the side effect profiles for our clinical trials and upon any commercialization of any of our product candidates. Inadequate training in recognizing or managing the potential side effects of our product candidates could result in patient injury or death. Any of these occurrences may prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the affected product candidate and may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.
Four of our product candidates are currently undergoing safety testing in the form of Phase I/IIa or Phase I/II clinical trials. None of our products have completed this testing to date. While our current and future product candidates will undergo safety testing to the extent possible and, where applicable, under such conditions discussed with regulatory authorities, not all adverse effects of drugs can be predicted or anticipated. Unforeseen side effects could arise either during clinical development or, if such side effects are rarer, after our products have been approved by regulatory authorities and the approved product has been marketed, resulting in the exposure of additional patients. So far, we have
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not demonstrated, and we cannot predict if ongoing or future clinical trials will demonstrate, that BT5528, BT8009, BT7480, BT1718 or any other of our product candidates are safe in humans.
Moreover, clinical trials of our product candidates are conducted in carefully defined sets of patients who have agreed to enter into clinical trials. Consequently, it is possible that our clinical trials may indicate an apparent positive effect of a product candidate that is greater than the actual positive effect, if any, or alternatively fail to identify undesirable side effects. If, following approval of a product candidate, we, or others, discover that the product is less effective than previously believed or causes undesirable side effects that were not previously identified, any of the following consequences could occur:
● | regulatory authorities may withdraw their approval of the product or seize the product; |
● | we, or any collaborators, may need to recall the product, or be required to change the way the product is administered or conduct additional clinical trials; |
● | additional restrictions may be imposed on the marketing of, or the manufacturing processes for, the particular product; |
● | we may be subject to fines, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties; |
● | regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, such as a boxed warning or a contraindication; |
● | we, or any collaborators, may be required to create a medication guide outlining the risks of the previously unidentified side effects for distribution to patients; |
● | we, or any collaborators, could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; |
● | the product may become less competitive; and |
● | our reputation may suffer. |
If any of our current or future product candidates fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy in clinical trials or do not gain marketing approval, we will not be able to generate revenue and our business will be harmed. Any of these events could harm our business and operations, and could negatively impact the price of our ADSs.
We may be delayed or may not be successful in our efforts to identify or discover additional product candidates.
Although we intend to utilize our Bicycle screening platform to explore other therapeutic opportunities in addition to the product candidates that we are currently developing, we may fail to identify other product candidates for clinical development for a number of reasons. For example, our research methodology may not be successful in identifying potential product candidates or those we identify may be shown to have harmful side effects or other characteristics that make them unmarketable or unlikely to receive regulatory approval. A key part of our strategy is to utilize our screening technology to identify product candidates to pursue in clinical development. Such product candidates will require additional, time-consuming development efforts prior to commercial sale, including preclinical studies, clinical trials and approval by the FDA and/or applicable foreign regulatory authorities. All product candidates are prone to the risks of failure that are inherent in pharmaceutical product development. If we fail to identify and develop additional potential product candidates, we may be unable to grow our business and our results of operations could be materially harmed.
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We may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.
Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we intend to focus on developing product candidates for specific indications that we identify as most likely to succeed, in terms of both their potential for marketing approval and commercialization. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that may prove to have greater commercial potential.
Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs and product candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable product candidates. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to the product candidate.
We face potential product liability, and, if successful claims are brought against us, we may incur substantial liability and costs. If the use of our product candidates harms patients, or is perceived to harm patients even when such harm is unrelated to our product candidates, our regulatory approvals could be revoked or otherwise negatively impacted and we could be subject to costly and damaging product liability claims.
The use of our product candidates in clinical trials and the sale of any products for which we obtain marketing approval expose us to the risk of product liability claims. Product liability claims might be brought against us by patients, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies or others selling or otherwise coming into contact with our products. There is a risk that our product candidates may induce adverse events. If we cannot successfully defend against product liability claims, we could incur substantial liability and costs. In addition, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims may result in:
● | the impairment of our business reputation; |
● | the withdrawal of clinical trial participants; |
● | substantial monetary awards to patients or other claimants; |
● | costs due to related litigation; |
● | the distraction of management’s attention from our primary business; |
● | the inability to commercialize our product candidates; and |
● | decreased demand for our product candidates, if approved for commercial sale. |
We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in sufficient amounts to protect us against losses due to liability. We intend to expand our insurance coverage each time we commercialize an additional product; however, we may be unable to obtain product liability insurance on commercially reasonable terms or in adequate amounts. On occasion, large judgments have been awarded in class action lawsuits based on drugs or medical treatments that had unanticipated adverse effects. A successful product liability claim or series of claims brought against us could cause our ADS price to decline and, if judgments exceed our insurance coverage, could adversely affect our results of operations and business.
Patients with the diseases targeted by certain of our product candidates, such as our lead indications in oncology, are often already in severe and advanced stages of disease and have both known and unknown significant pre-existing and potentially life-threatening health risks. During the course of treatment, patients may suffer adverse events, including death, for reasons that may be related to our product candidates. Such events could subject us to costly litigation, require us to pay substantial amounts of money to injured patients, delay, negatively impact or end our
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opportunity to receive or maintain regulatory approval to market our products, or require us to suspend or abandon our commercialization efforts. Even in a circumstance in which we do not believe that an adverse event is related to our products, the investigation into the circumstance may be time-consuming or inconclusive. These investigations may interrupt our sales efforts, delay our regulatory approval process, or impact and limit the type of regulatory approvals our product candidates receive or maintain. As a result of these factors, a product liability claim, even if successfully defended, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We may seek designations for our product candidates with the FDA and other comparable regulatory authorities that are intended to confer benefits such as a faster development process or an accelerated regulatory pathway, but there can be no assurance that we will successfully obtain such designations. In addition, even if one or more of our product candidates are granted such designations, we may not be able to realize the intended benefits of such designations.
The FDA and other comparable regulatory authorities offer certain designations for product candidates that are intended to encourage the research and development of pharmaceutical products addressing conditions with significant unmet medical need. These designations may confer benefits such as additional interaction with regulatory authorities, a potentially accelerated regulatory pathway and priority review. There can be no assurance that we will successfully obtain such designation for any of our other product candidates. In addition, while such designations could expedite the development or approval process, they generally do not change the standards for approval. Even if we obtain such designations for one or more of our product candidates, there can be no assurance that we will realize their intended benefits.
For example, we may seek a Breakthrough Therapy Designation for one or more of our product candidates. A breakthrough therapy is defined as a therapy that is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other therapies, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, if preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the therapy may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. For therapies that have been designated as breakthrough therapies, interaction and communication between the FDA and the sponsor of the trial can help to identify the most efficient path for clinical development while minimizing the number of patients placed in ineffective control regimens. Therapies designated as breakthrough therapies by the FDA are also eligible for accelerated approval. Designation as a breakthrough therapy is within the discretion of the FDA. Accordingly, even if we believe one of our product candidates meets the criteria for designation as a breakthrough therapy, the FDA may disagree and instead determine not to make such designation. In any event, the receipt of a Breakthrough Therapy Designation for a product candidate may not result in a faster development process, review or approval compared to therapies considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures and does not assure ultimate approval by the FDA. In addition, even if one or more of our product candidates qualify as breakthrough therapies, the FDA may later decide that such product candidates no longer meet the conditions for qualification.
We may also seek Fast Track Designation for some of our product candidates. If a therapy is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition and the therapy demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for this condition, the therapy sponsor may apply for Fast Track Designation. The FDA has broad discretion whether or not to grant this designation, so even if we believe a particular product candidate is eligible for this designation, there can be no assurance that the FDA would decide to grant it. Even if we do receive Fast Track Designation, we may not experience a faster development process, review or approval compared to conventional FDA procedures, and receiving a Fast Track Designation does not provide assurance of ultimate FDA approval. The FDA may withdraw Fast Track Designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program.
We may seek priority review designation for one or more of our product candidates, but we might not receive such designation, and even if we do, such designation may not lead to a faster regulatory review or approval process.
If the FDA determines that a product candidate offers a treatment for a serious condition and, if approved, the product would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness, the FDA may designate the product candidate for priority review. A priority review designation means that the goal for the FDA to review an application is
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six months, rather than the standard review period of ten months. We may request priority review for our product candidates. The FDA has broad discretion with respect to whether or not to grant priority review status to a product candidate, so even if we believe a particular product candidate is eligible for such designation or status, in particular if such product candidate has received a Breakthrough Therapy Designation, the FDA may decide not to grant it. Moreover, a priority review designation does not result in expedited development and does not necessarily result in expedited regulatory review or approval process or necessarily confer any advantage with respect to approval compared to conventional FDA procedures. Receiving priority review from the FDA does not guarantee approval within the six-month review cycle or at all.
Obtaining and maintaining marketing approval of our current and future product candidates in one jurisdiction does not mean that we will be successful in obtaining marketing approval of our current and future product candidates in other jurisdictions.
Obtaining and maintaining marketing approval of our current and future product candidates in one jurisdiction does not guarantee that we will be able to obtain or maintain marketing approval in any other jurisdiction, while a failure or delay in obtaining marketing approval in one jurisdiction may have a negative effect on the marketing approval process in others. For example, even if the FDA grants marketing approval of a product candidate, comparable regulatory authorities in foreign jurisdictions must also approve the manufacturing, marketing and promotion of the product candidate in those countries. Approval procedures vary among jurisdictions and can involve requirements and administrative review periods different from, and greater than, those in the United States, including additional preclinical studies or clinical trials as clinical studies conducted in one jurisdiction may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions. In many jurisdictions outside the United States, a product candidate must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that jurisdiction. In some cases, the price that we intend to charge for our products is also subject to approval. We do not have experience in obtaining reimbursement or pricing approvals in international markets.
Obtaining marketing approvals and compliance with 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 outside of the United States. If we fail to comply with the regulatory requirements in international markets and/or receive applicable marketing approvals, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of our product candidates will be harmed.
The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, commonly referred to as “Brexit,” may adversely impact our ability to obtain regulatory approvals of our product candidates in the European Union, result in restrictions or imposition of taxes and duties for importing our product candidates into the European Union, and may require us to incur additional expenses in order to develop, manufacture and commercialize our product candidates in the European Union.
Following the result of a referendum in 2016, the United Kingdom left the European Union on January 31, 2020, commonly referred to as Brexit. A trade and cooperation agreement, or the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which outlines the future trading relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, was agreed upon in December 2020 and formally entered into force on May 1, 2021.
The potential impact on our results of operations and liquidity resulting from Brexit remains unclear. The actual effects of Brexit will depend upon many factors and significant uncertainty remains.
Since a significant proportion of the regulatory framework in the United Kingdom applicable to our business and our product candidates is derived from European Union directives and regulations, Brexit has had, and will continue to have, a material impact on the regulatory regime with respect to the development, manufacture, importation, approval and commercialization of our product candidates in the United Kingdom or the European Union. For example, Great Britain is no longer covered by the centralized procedures for obtaining European Union-wide marketing authorization from the EMA, and a separate marketing authorization will be required to market our product candidates in Great Britain. Any delay in obtaining, or an inability to obtain, any marketing approvals, as a result of Brexit or otherwise, would prevent us from commercializing our product candidates in the United Kingdom and/or the European Union and
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restrict our ability to generate revenue and achieve and sustain profitability. If any of these outcomes occur, we may be forced to restrict or delay efforts to seek regulatory approval in the United Kingdom and/or European Union for our product candidates, which could significantly and materially harm our business.
While the Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides for the tariff-free trade of medicinal products between the United Kingdom and the European Union, there may be additional non-tariff costs to such trade which did not exist prior to the end of the transition period until December 31, 2020. Further, should the United Kingdom diverge from the European Union from a regulatory perspective in relation to medicinal products, tariffs could be put into place in the future. We could, therefore, both now and in the future, face significant additional expenses to operate our business, which could significantly and materially harm or delay our ability to generate revenues or achieve profitability of our business. Any further changes in international trade, tariff and import/export regulations as a result of Brexit or otherwise may impose unexpected duty costs or other non-tariff barriers on us. These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between the impacted nations and the United Kingdom. It is also possible that Brexit may negatively affect our ability to attract and retain employees, particularly those from the European Union.
Brexit may influence the attractiveness of the United Kingdom as a place to conduct clinical trials. The European Union’s regulatory environment for clinical trials has been harmonized as part of the Clinical Trials Regulation, which entered into application on January 31, 2022. The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, or MHRA, has conducted a consultation on proposed revisions to U.K. clinical trials legislation, but it is currently unclear as to what extent the United Kingdom will seek to align its regulations with the European Union. Failure of the United Kingdom to closely align its regulations with the European Union may have an effect on the cost of conducting clinical trials in the United Kingdom as opposed to other countries and/or make it harder to seek a marketing authorization for our product candidates on the basis of clinical trials conducted in the United Kingdom. Pursuant to the Regulation, clinical trial data arising from a clinical trial site in a country outside of the EEA that is used in applications for clinical trial approval in the European Union must adhere to standards that are equivalent to those found in the Regulation. In the short term, there will be few changes to clinical trials that only have sites in the United Kingdom. The MHRA has confirmed that the sponsor of a clinical trial can be based in the EEA for an initial period following Brexit. Further investigational medicinal products can be supplied directly from the European Union/EEA to either a trial site or a distribution hub in Great Britain. Such products will require oversight by the holder of a U.K. Manufacturing and Import Authorisation but do not currently require recertification. The United Kingdom is now a “third country” for the purpose of clinical trials that have sites in the EEA. For such trials the sponsor/legal representative must be based in the EEA, and the trial must be registered on the EU Clinical Trials Register (including data on sites outside of the EEA).
Risks Related to Commercialization of Our Product Candidates and Other Regulatory Compliance Matters
Even if we complete the necessary preclinical studies and clinical trials, the marketing approval process is expensive, time consuming and uncertain and may prevent us or any collaborators from obtaining approvals for the commercialization of some or all of our product candidates. As a result, we cannot predict when or if, and in which territories, we, or any collaborators, will obtain marketing approval to commercialize a product candidate.
The process of obtaining marketing approvals, both in the United States and abroad, is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. It may take many years, if approval is obtained at all, and can vary substantially based upon a variety of factors, including the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidates involved. Securing marketing approval requires the submission of extensive preclinical and clinical data and supporting information to regulatory authorities for each therapeutic indication to establish the product candidate’s safety and efficacy. Securing marketing approval also requires the submission of information about the product manufacturing process to, and inspection of manufacturing facilities by, the regulatory authorities. The FDA or other regulatory authorities may determine that our product candidates are not safe and effective, only moderately effective or have undesirable or unintended side effects, toxicities or other characteristics that preclude our obtaining marketing approval or prevent or limit commercial use. Any marketing approval we ultimately obtain may be limited or subject to restrictions or post-approval commitments that render the approved product not commercially viable.
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In addition, changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment or promulgation of additional statutes, regulations or guidance or changes in regulatory review for each submitted product application, may cause delays in the approval or rejection of an application. Regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and may refuse to accept any application or may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical or other studies. Varying interpretations of the data obtained from preclinical and clinical testing could delay, limit or prevent marketing approval of a product candidate. We cannot commercialize a product until the appropriate regulatory authorities have reviewed and approved the product candidate. Even if our product candidates demonstrate safety and efficacy in clinical trials, the regulatory agencies may not complete their review processes in a timely manner, or we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval. It is possible that we could experience delays in the timing of our interactions with regulatory authorities due to absenteeism by governmental employees, inability to conduct planned physical inspections related to regulatory approval, or the diversion of regulatory authority efforts, which could delay anticipated approval decisions and otherwise delay or limit our ability to make planned regulatory submissions or obtain new product approvals. Additional delays may result if an FDA Advisory Committee or other regulatory authority recommends non-approval or restrictions on approval. In addition, we may experience delays or rejections based upon additional government regulation from future legislation or administrative action, or changes in regulatory agency policy during the period of product development, clinical trials and the review process. Any marketing approval we ultimately obtain, if any, may be limited or subject to restrictions or post-approval commitments that render the approved product not commercially viable.
Moreover, principal investigators for our clinical trials may serve as scientific advisors or consultants to us from time to time and receive compensation in connection with such services. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to report some of these relationships to the FDA or other regulatory authority. The FDA or other regulatory authority may conclude that a financial relationship between us and a principal investigator has created a conflict of interest or otherwise affected interpretation of the trial. The FDA or other regulatory authority may therefore question the integrity of the data generated at the applicable clinical trial site and the utility of the clinical trial itself may be jeopardized. This could result in a delay in approval, or rejection, of our marketing applications by the FDA or other regulatory authority, as the case may be, and may ultimately lead to the denial of marketing approval of one or more of our product candidates.
In addition, regulatory agencies may not approve the labeling claims that are necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of our product candidates. For example, regulatory agencies may approve a product candidate for fewer or more limited indications than requested or may grant approval subject to the performance of post-marketing studies. Regulators may approve a product candidate for a smaller patient population, a different drug formulation or a different manufacturing process, than we are seeking. If we are unable to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, or more limited regulatory approvals than we expect, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations may suffer.
Any delay in obtaining or failure to obtain required approvals could negatively impact our ability to generate revenue from the particular product candidate, which likely would result in significant harm to our financial position and adversely impact the price of our ADSs.
We currently have no marketing, sales or distribution infrastructure with respect to our product candidates. If we are unable to develop our sales, marketing and distribution capability on our own or through collaborations with marketing partners, we will not be successful in commercializing our product candidates.
We currently have no marketing, sales or distribution capabilities and have limited sales or marketing experience within our organization. If one or more of our product candidates is approved, we intend either to establish a sales and marketing organization with technical expertise and supporting distribution capabilities to commercialize that product candidate, or to outsource this function to a third party. There are risks involved with either establishing our own sales and marketing capabilities and entering into arrangements with third parties to perform these services.
Recruiting and training an internal commercial organization is expensive and time consuming and could delay any product launch. Some or all of these costs may be incurred in advance of any approval of any of our product candidates. If the commercial launch of a product candidate for which we recruit a sales force and establish marketing
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capabilities is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses. This may be costly and our investment would be lost if we cannot retain or reposition our sales and marketing personnel. In addition, we may not be able to hire a sales force in the United States or other target market that is sufficient in size or has adequate expertise in the medical markets that we intend to target.
Factors that may inhibit our efforts to commercialize our product candidates on our own include:
● | the inability to recruit, train and retain adequate numbers of effective sales and marketing personnel; |
● | the inability of sales personnel to obtain access to physicians or persuade adequate numbers of physicians to prescribe any future product that we may develop; |
● | the lack of complementary treatments to be offered by sales personnel, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies with more extensive product lines; and |
● | unforeseen costs and expenses associated with creating an independent sales and marketing organization. |
If we enter into arrangements with third parties to perform sales, marketing and distribution services, our product revenue or the profitability to us from these revenue streams is likely to be lower than if we were to market and sell any product candidates that we develop ourselves. In addition, we may not be successful in entering into arrangements with third parties to sell and market our product candidates or may be unable to do so on terms that are favorable to us. We likely will have little control over such third parties and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our product candidates effectively. If we do not establish sales and marketing capabilities successfully, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we may not be successful in commercializing our product candidates.
The market opportunities for any current or future product candidate we develop, if and when approved, may be limited to those patients who are ineligible for established therapies or for whom prior therapies have failed, and may be small.
Cancer therapies are sometimes characterized as first-line, second-line, third-line or later-line therapies, and the FDA often approves new therapies initially only for third-line use. When cancer is detected early enough, first-line therapy, usually chemotherapy, hormone therapy, surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy or a combination of these, is sometimes adequate to cure the cancer or prolong life without a cure. Second- and third-line therapies are administered to patients when prior therapy is not effective. We may initially seek approval of BT5528, BT8009, BT7480, BT1718 and any other product candidates we develop as a therapy for patients who have received one or more prior treatments. Subsequently, for those products that prove to be sufficiently beneficial, if any, we would expect to seek approval potentially as a first-line therapy, but there is no guarantee that product candidates we develop, even if approved, would be approved for first-line therapy, and, prior to any such approvals, we may have to conduct additional clinical trials.
The number of patients who have the cancers we are targeting may turn out to be lower than expected. Additionally, the potentially addressable patient population for our current programs or future product candidates may be limited, if and when approved. Even if we obtain significant market share for any product candidate, if and when approved, if the potential target populations are small, we may never achieve profitability without obtaining marketing approval for additional indications, including use as first- or second-line therapy.
Even if we receive marketing approval of a product candidate, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our products, if approved.
Any marketing approvals that we receive for any current or future product candidate may be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly post-market testing and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the
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product candidate. The FDA may also require a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, as a condition of approval of any product candidate, which could include requirements for a medication guide, physician communication plans or additional elements to ensure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. If the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority approves a product candidate, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, import and export and record keeping for the product candidate will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include, among others, submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practice, or cGMP, and Good Clinical Practice, or GCP, for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval, and prohibitions on the promotion of an approved product for uses not included in the product’s approved labeling. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label may be subject to significant liability. However, physicians may, in their independent medical judgment, prescribe legally available products for off-label uses. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments but the FDA does restrict manufacturer’s communications on the subject of off-label use of their products.
Later discovery of previously unknown problems with any approved candidate, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our third-party manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in, among other things:
● | restrictions on the labeling, distribution, marketing or manufacturing of the product, withdrawal of the product from the market, or product recalls; |
● | untitled and warning letters, or holds on clinical trials; |
● | refusal by the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications we filed or suspension or revocation of license approvals; |
● | requirements to conduct post-marketing studies or clinical trials; |
● | restrictions on coverage by third-party payors; |
● | fines, restitution or disgorgement of profits or revenues; |
● | suspension or withdrawal of marketing approvals; |
● | product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of the product; and |
● | injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties. |
The FDA’s and other regulatory authorities’ policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay marketing approval of a product. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. 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 and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.
We face significant competition and if our competitors develop and market products that are more effective, safer or less expensive than the product candidates we develop, our commercial opportunities will be negatively impacted.
The life sciences industry is highly competitive. We are currently developing therapeutics that will compete, if approved, with other products and therapies that currently exist, are being developed or will in the future be developed, some of which we may not currently be aware.
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We have competitors both in the United States and internationally, including major multinational pharmaceutical companies, established biotechnology companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies, universities and other research institutions. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, manufacturing, marketing, product development, technical and human resources than we do. Large pharmaceutical companies, in particular, have extensive experience in clinical testing, obtaining marketing approvals, recruiting patients and manufacturing pharmaceutical products. These companies also have significantly greater research and marketing capabilities than we do and may also have products that have been approved or are in late stages of development, and collaborative arrangements in our target markets with leading companies and research institutions. Established pharmaceutical companies may also invest heavily to accelerate discovery and development of novel compounds or to in-license novel compounds that could make the product candidates that we develop obsolete. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. As a result of all of these factors, our competitors may succeed in obtaining patent protection and/or marketing approval or discovering, developing and commercializing products in our field before we do.
There are a large number of companies developing or marketing treatments for cancer, including many major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. These treatments consist both of small molecule drug products, such as traditional chemotherapy, as well as novel immunotherapies. For example, a number of multinational companies as well as large biotechnology companies, are developing programs for the targets that we are exploring for our BTC programs, including Seagen, Inc, which has a marketed Nectin-4 antibody-drug conjugate. Furthermore, many companies are developing programs for CD137 or CD137 bi-specific antibodies or antibody fragments.
Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe effects, are more convenient, have a broader label, are marketed more effectively, are reimbursed or are less expensive than any products that we may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA, European or other marketing approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. Even if the product candidates we develop achieve marketing approval, they may be priced at a significant premium over competitive products if any have been approved by then, resulting in reduced competitiveness.
Smaller and other early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. In addition, the biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by rapid technological change. If we fail to stay at the forefront of technological change, we may be unable to compete effectively. Technological advances or products developed by our competitors may render our product candidates obsolete, less competitive or not economical.
The commercial success of any current or future product candidate will depend upon the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, payors and others in the medical community.
We have never commercialized a product, and even if we obtain any regulatory approval for our product candidates, the commercial success of our product candidates will depend in part on the medical community, patients, and payors accepting products based on our Bicycle peptides in general, and our product candidates in particular, as effective, safe and cost-effective. Any product that we bring to the market may not gain market acceptance by physicians, patients, payors and others in the medical community. Physicians are often reluctant to switch their patients from existing therapies even when new and potentially more effective or convenient treatments enter the market. Further, patients often acclimate to the therapy that they are currently taking and do not want to switch unless their physicians recommend switching products or they are required to switch therapies due to lack of reimbursement for existing therapies.
The degree of market acceptance of these product candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:
● | the potential efficacy and potential advantages over alternative treatments; |
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● | the frequency and severity of any side effects, including any limitations or warnings contained in a product’s approved labeling; |
● | the frequency and severity of any side effects resulting from follow-up requirements for the administration of our product candidates; |
● | the relative convenience and ease of administration; |
● | the willingness of the target patient population to try new therapies and of physicians to prescribe these therapies; |
● | the strength of marketing and distribution support and timing of market introduction of competitive products; |
● | publicity concerning our products or competing products and treatments; and |
● | sufficient third-party insurance coverage and adequate reimbursement. |
Even if a product candidate displays a favorable efficacy and safety profile in preclinical studies and clinical trials, market acceptance of the product, if approved for commercial sale, will not be known until after it is launched. Our efforts to educate the medical community and payors on the benefits of our product candidates may require significant resources and may never be successful. Such efforts to educate the marketplace may require more resources than are required by the conventional technologies marketed by our competitors, particularly due to the novelty of our Bicycle approach. If these products do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant product revenue and may not become profitable.
If the market opportunities for our product candidates are smaller than we believe they are, our product revenues may be adversely affected and our business may suffer.
We currently focus our research and product development on treatments for oncology indications and our product candidates are designed to target specific tumor antigens. Our understanding of both the number of people who have these diseases, as well as the subset of people with these diseases who have the potential to benefit from treatment with our product candidates, are based on estimates. These estimates may prove to be incorrect and new studies may reduce the estimated incidence or prevalence of these diseases. Patient identification efforts also influence the ability to address a patient population. If efforts in patient identification are unsuccessful or less impactful than anticipated, we may not address the entirety of the opportunity we are seeking.
In addition, the tumor antigens that our product candidates target may not be expressed as broadly as we anticipate. Further, if companion diagnostics are not developed alongside our product candidates, testing patients for the tumor antigens may not be possible, which would hamper our ability to identify patients who could benefit from treatment with our product candidates.
As a result, the number of patients we are able to identify in the United States, the European Union and elsewhere may turn out to be lower than expected, may not be otherwise amenable to treatment with our products or patients may become increasingly difficult to access, all of which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
The insurance coverage and reimbursement status of newly approved products is uncertain. Failure to obtain or maintain adequate coverage and reimbursement for any of our product candidates, if approved, could limit our ability to market those products and decrease our ability to generate revenue.
We expect the cost of our product candidates to be substantial, when and if they achieve market approval. The availability and extent of reimbursement by governmental and private payors is essential for most patients to be able to afford expensive treatments. Sales of our product candidates will depend substantially, both domestically and abroad, on
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the extent to which the costs of our product candidates will be paid by private payors, such as private health coverage insurers, health maintenance, managed care, pharmacy benefit and similar healthcare management organizations, or reimbursed by government health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. We may not be able to provide data sufficient to gain acceptance with respect to coverage and reimbursement. If reimbursement is not available, or is available only at limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our product candidates, even if approved. Even if coverage is provided, the approved reimbursement amount may not be high enough to allow us to establish or maintain pricing sufficient to realize a sufficient return on our investment.
There is significant uncertainty related to the insurance coverage and reimbursement of newly approved products. In the United States, the principal decisions about coverage and reimbursement for new medicines are typically made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, as CMS decides whether and to what extent a new medicine will be covered and reimbursed under Medicare. Private payors tend to follow CMS to a substantial degree. It is difficult to predict what CMS will decide with respect to coverage and reimbursement for novel products such as ours, as there is no body of established practices and precedents for these new products. Coverage and reimbursement by a third-party payor may depend upon a number of factors, including the third-party payor’s determination that use of a product is: (1) a covered benefit under its health plan; (2) safe, effective and medically necessary; (3) appropriate for the specific patient; (4) cost-effective; and (5) neither experimental nor investigational. In the United States, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for products exists among third-party payors. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance. Even if we obtain coverage for a given product, the resulting reimbursement payment rates might not be adequate for us to achieve or sustain profitability or may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific drug products on an approved list, also known as a formulary, which might not include all of the approved drugs for a particular indication.
Additionally, third-party payors may not cover, or provide adequate reimbursement for, long-term follow-up evaluations required following the use of product candidates. Patients are unlikely to use our product candidates unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of our product candidates. Because our product candidates may have a higher cost of goods than conventional therapies, and may require long-term follow-up evaluations, the risk that coverage and reimbursement rates may be inadequate for us to achieve profitability may be greater. There is significant uncertainty related to insurance coverage and reimbursement of newly approved products. It is difficult to predict at this time what third-party payors will decide with respect to the coverage and reimbursement for our product candidates.
We or our collaborators will be required to obtain coverage and reimbursement for companion diagnostic tests separate and apart from the coverage and reimbursement we seek for our product candidates, once approved. There is significant uncertainty regarding our and our collaborators’ ability to obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement for any companion diagnostic test for the same reasons applicable to our product candidates.
Outside the United States, certain countries, including a number of member states of the European Union, set prices and reimbursement for pharmaceutical products, or medicinal products, as they are commonly referred to in the European Union. These countries have broad discretion in setting prices and we cannot be sure that such prices and reimbursement will be acceptable to us or our collaborators. If the regulatory authorities in these jurisdictions set prices or reimbursement levels that are not commercially attractive for us or our collaborators, our revenues from sales by us or our collaborators, and the potential profitability of our drug products, in those countries would be negatively affected. An increasing number of countries are taking initiatives to attempt to reduce large budget deficits by focusing cost-cutting efforts on pharmaceuticals for their state-run health care systems. These international price control efforts have impacted all regions of the world, but have been most drastic in the European Union. Additionally, some countries require approval of the sale price of a product before it can be lawfully marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or product licensing approval is granted. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we, or any collaborators, may be required to conduct a clinical trial that compares the cost-effectiveness of our product to other available therapies. As a result, we might obtain marketing approval for a product in a particular country, but then may experience delays in the reimbursement approval of our product or be subject to price regulations
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that would delay our commercial launch of the product, possibly for lengthy time periods, which could negatively impact the revenues we are able to generate from the sale of the product in that particular country.
Moreover, efforts by governments and payors, in the United States and abroad, to cap or reduce healthcare costs may cause such organizations to limit both coverage and level of reimbursement for new products approved and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate reimbursement for our product candidates. There has been increasing legislative and enforcement interest in the United States with respect to specialty drug practices. Specifically, there have been several recent U.S. Congressional inquiries and proposed federal and state 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. We expect to experience pricing pressures in connection with the sale of any of our product candidates, due to the trend toward managed healthcare, the increasing influence of health maintenance organizations and additional legislative changes. The downward pressure on healthcare costs in general, particularly prescription drugs and other treatments, has become very intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products.
If reimbursement of our products is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, our business could be harmed.
If the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities approve generic versions of any of our product candidates that receive marketing approval, or such authorities do not grant such products appropriate periods of data exclusivity before approving generic versions of such products, the sales of such products could be adversely affected.
Once an NDA is approved, the product covered thereby becomes a “reference-listed drug” in the FDA’s publication, “Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations,” or the Orange Book. Manufacturers may seek approval of generic versions of reference-listed drugs through submission of abbreviated new drug applications, or ANDAs, in the United States. In support of an ANDA, a generic manufacturer generally must show that its product has the same active ingredient(s), dosage form, strength, route of administration and conditions of use or labeling as the reference-listed drug and that the generic version is bioequivalent to the reference-listed drug, meaning, in part, that it is absorbed in the body at the same rate and to the same extent. Generic products may be significantly less costly to bring to market than the reference-listed drug and companies that produce generic products are generally able to offer them at lower prices. Thus, following the introduction of a generic drug, a significant percentage of the sales of any branded product or reference-listed drug may be typically lost to the generic product, and the price of the branded product may be lowered.
The FDA may not accept for review or approve an ANDA for a generic product until any applicable period of non-patent exclusivity for the reference-listed drug has expired. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, provides a period of five years of non-patent exclusivity for a new drug containing a new chemical entity, or NCE. Specifically, in cases where such exclusivity has been granted, an ANDA may not be filed with the FDA until the expiration of five years unless the submission is accompanied by a Paragraph IV certification that a patent covering the reference-listed drug is either invalid or will not be infringed by the generic product, in which case the applicant may submit its application four years following approval of the reference-listed drug. It is unclear whether the FDA will treat the active ingredients in our product candidates as NCEs and, therefore, afford them five years of NCE data exclusivity if they are approved. If any product we develop does not receive five years of NCE exclusivity, the FDA may approve generic versions of such product three years after its date of approval, subject to the requirement that the ANDA applicant certifies to any patents listed for our products in the Orange Book. Three year exclusivity is given to a non-NCE drug if the NDA includes reports of one or more new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability or bioequivalence studies, that were conducted by or for the applicant and are essential to the approval of the NDA. Manufacturers may seek to launch these generic products following the expiration of the applicable marketing exclusivity period, even if we still have patent protection for our product.
Competition that our products may face from generic versions of our products could negatively impact our future revenue, profitability and cash flows and substantially limit our ability to obtain a return on our investments in those product candidates.
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We may be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws health information privacy and security laws, and other health care laws and regulations. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.
If we obtain FDA approval for any of our product candidates and begin commercializing those products in the United States, our operations will be directly, or indirectly through our prescribers, customers and purchasers, subject to various U.S. federal and state fraud and abuse laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the federal Health Care Program Anti-Kickback Statute, or Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal civil and criminal False Claims Act and Physician Payments Sunshine Act and regulations. These laws will impact, among other things, our clinical research, proposed sales, marketing and educational programs and other interactions with healthcare professionals. In addition, we may be subject to patient privacy laws by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The laws that will affect our operations include, but are not limited to:
● | the Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons or entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce, or in return for, either the referral of an individual, or the purchase, lease, order, arrangement, or recommendation of any good, facility, item or service for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. “Remuneration” has been interpreted broadly to include anything of value. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the Anti-Kickback Statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal False Claims Act, or FCA, or federal civil money penalties. The Anti-Kickback Statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on the one hand and prescribers, purchasers, and formulary managers on the other. There are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common activities from prosecution; |
● | the U.S. federal civil and criminal false claims laws, including the FCA, and civil monetary penalty law, which impose criminal and civil penalties against individuals or entities for, among other things: knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent; knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used, a false statement of record material to a false or fraudulent claim or obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the federal government. Manufacturers can be held liable under the FCA even when they do not submit claims directly to government payors if they are deemed to “cause” the submission of false or fraudulent claims. The FCA also permits a private individual acting as a “whistleblower” to bring actions on behalf of the federal government alleging violations of the FCA and to share in any monetary recovery; |
● | the beneficiary inducement provisions of the civil monetary penalty law, which prohibits, among other things, the offering or giving of remuneration, which includes, without limitation, any transfer of items or services for free or for less than fair market value (with limited exceptions), to a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary that the person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s selection of a particular supplier of items or services reimbursable by a federal or state governmental program; |
● | the U.S. federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, which created new federal criminal statutes that prohibit a person from knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any healthcare benefit program, regardless of the payor (e.g., public or private) and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up by any trick or device a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services relating to healthcare matters; similar to the Anti- |
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Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation; |
● | HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH, and their respective implementing regulations, which impose requirements on certain healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses, known as covered entities, as well as their respective business associates, individuals and entities that perform services on their behalf that involve the use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information and their subcontractors that use disclose or otherwise process individually identifiable health information, relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information; |
● | the U.S. federal transparency requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or collectively, the ACA, including the provision commonly referred to as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which requires applicable 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 CMS information related to payments or other transfers of value made to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), other healthcare professionals (such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners), and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by the physicians described above and their immediate family members; |
● | U.S. federal government price reporting laws, which require us to calculate and report complex pricing metrics in an accurate and timely manner to government programs; and |
● | U.S. federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm consumers. |
Additionally, we are subject to U.S. state and foreign equivalents of each of the healthcare laws and regulations described above, among others, some of which may be broader in scope and may apply regardless of the payor. Many U.S. states have adopted laws similar to the Anti-Kickback Statute and FCA, and may apply to our business practices, including, but not limited to, research, distribution, sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental payors, including private insurers. In addition, some states have passed laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the April 2003 Office of Inspector General Compliance Program Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and/or the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals. Several states also impose other marketing restrictions or require pharmaceutical companies to make marketing or price disclosures to the state. Certain states and local jurisdictions also require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives. There are ambiguities as to what is required to comply with these state requirements, and if we fail to comply with an applicable state law requirement we could be subject to significant penalties. Finally, there are state and foreign laws governing the privacy and security of health information, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts. For further information concerning the data privacy and security laws we may be subject to and our processing of personal data, see the risk factor titled “We are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws, regulations, rules, contractual obligations, policies and other obligations related to data privacy and security. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to regulatory investigations or actions, litigation, fines and penalties, disruptions of our business operations, reputational harm, loss of revenues or profits, and other adverse business consequences.”
Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. Law enforcement authorities are increasingly focused on enforcing fraud and abuse laws, and it is possible that some of our practices may be challenged under these laws. Efforts to ensure that our current and future business arrangements with third parties, and our business generally, will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. If our operations, including our arrangements with physicians and other healthcare providers, some of whom receive share options as compensation for services provided, are found to be in violation of any of such laws or
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any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including, without limitation, significant administrative, civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs (such as Medicare and Medicaid), additional reporting requirements and/or oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and imprisonment, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. Any action for violation of these laws, even if successfully defended, could cause a pharmaceutical manufacturer to incur significant legal expenses and divert management’s attention from the operation of the business. Prohibitions or restrictions on sales or withdrawal of future marketed products could materially affect business in an adverse way.
Healthcare legislative reform measures may have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.
In the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been, and continue to be, several legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities, and affect our ability to profitably sell any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Changes in regulations, statutes or the interpretation of existing regulations could impact our business in the future by requiring, for example: (i) changes to our manufacturing arrangements, (ii) additions or modifications to product labeling, (iii) the recall or discontinuation of our products, (iv) restriction on coverage, reimbursement, and pricing for our products, (v) transparency reporting obligations regarding transfers of value to health care professionals or (vi) additional record-keeping requirements. If any such changes were to be imposed, they could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Among policy makers in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access. In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by major legislative initiatives. In March 2010, the ACA was passed, which substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both the government and private insurers, and significantly impacts the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The ACA, among other things, subjected biological products to potential competition by lower-cost biosimilars, created a new methodology by which rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program are calculated for drugs that are inhaled, infused, instilled, implanted or injected, increased the minimum Medicaid rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and extended the rebate program to individuals enrolled in Medicaid managed care organizations, established annual fees and taxes on manufacturers of certain branded prescription drugs, and created a new Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which manufacturers must agree to offer 70% point-of-sale discounts off negotiated prices of applicable brand drugs to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period, as a condition for the manufacturer’s outpatient drugs to be covered under Medicare Part D.
There have been executive, judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of ACA. For example, 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. Further, prior to the U.S. 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. On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or the IRA, into law, which among other things, extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in ACA marketplaces through plan year 2025. The IRA also eliminates the “donut hole” under the Medicare Part D program beginning in 2025 by significantly lowering the beneficiary maximum out-of-pocket costs and creating a newly established manufacturer discount program. It is possible that the ACA will be subject to judicial or Congressional challenges in the future. It is unclear how any such challenges and the healthcare reform measures of the Biden administration will impact the ACA and our business.
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In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the ACA was enacted. These changes include aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year pursuant to the Budget Control Act of 2011, which began in 2013, and due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, including the BBA and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, will remain in effect through 2032 unless additional Congressional action is taken. Additionally, on March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law, which eliminates the statutory Medicaid drug rebate cap, currently set at 100% of a drug’s average manufacturer price, for single source and innovator multiple source drugs, beginning January 1, 2024. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, among other things, further reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals and cancer treatment centers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.
There has been increasing legislative and enforcement interest in the United States with respect to specialty drug pricing practices. Specifically, there have been several recent U.S. Congressional inquiries, Presidential executive orders and proposed federal and state 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. At the federal level, in July 2021, the Biden administration released an executive order, “Promoting Competition in the American Economy,” with multiple provisions aimed at prescription drugs. In response to Biden’s executive order, on September 9, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or 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 as well as potential administrative actions HHS can take to advance these principles. In addition, the IRA, among other things, (i) allows HHS to negotiate the price of certain high-expenditure drugs and biologics covered under Medicare, and subjects drug manufacturers to civil monetary penalties and a potential excise tax by offering a price that is not equal to or less than the negotiated “maximum fair price” under the law, and (ii) imposes rebates under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation. The IRA permits HHS to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years. HHS has and will continue to issue and update guidance as these programs are implemented. These provisions will take effect progressively starting in 2023, although the Medicare drug pricing negotiation program is currently subject to legal challenges. It is currently unclear how the IRA will be effectuated but it is likely to have a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry. Further, in response to the Biden administration’s October 2022 executive order, on February 14, 2023, HHS released a report outlining three new models for testing by the CMS Innovation Center which will be evaluated on their ability to lower the cost of drugs, promote accessibility, and improve quality of care. It is unclear whether the models will be utilized in any health reform measures in the future. Similarly, individual states in the United States have also become increasingly aggressive in passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures.
We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation, administrative or executive action. We expect that these and other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for any approved drug, which could have an adverse effect on customers for our product candidates. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors.
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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. 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. 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.
We are subject to the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, or the Bribery Act, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or the FCPA, and other anti-corruption laws, as well as export control laws, import and customs laws, trade and economic sanctions laws and other laws governing our operations.
Our operations are subject to anti-corruption laws, including the Bribery Act, the FCPA, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. §201, the U.S. Travel Act, and other anti-corruption laws that apply in countries where we do business. The Bribery Act, the FCPA and these other laws generally prohibit us, our employees and our intermediaries from authorizing, promising, offering, or providing, directly or indirectly, improper or prohibited payments, or anything else of value, to government officials or other persons to obtain or retain business or gain some other business advantage. Under the Bribery Act, we may also be liable for failing to prevent a person associated with us from committing a bribery offense. We and our commercial partners operate in a number of jurisdictions that pose a high risk of potential Bribery Act or FCPA violations, and we participate in collaborations and relationships with third parties whose corrupt or illegal activities could potentially subject us to liability under the Bribery Act, FCPA or local anti-corruption laws, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities. In addition, we cannot predict the nature, scope or effect of future regulatory requirements to which our international operations might be subject or the manner in which existing laws might be administered or interpreted.
We are also subject to other laws and regulations governing our international operations, including regulations administered by the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States, and authorities in the European Union, including applicable export control regulations, economic sanctions and embargoes on certain countries and persons, anti-money laundering laws, import and customs requirements and currency exchange regulations, collectively referred to as the Trade Control laws.
There is no assurance that we will be completely effective in ensuring our compliance with all applicable anti-corruption laws, including the Bribery Act, the FCPA or other legal requirements, including Trade Control laws. If we are not in compliance with the Bribery Act, the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws or Trade Control laws, we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties, disgorgement and other sanctions and remedial measures, and legal expenses, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. Likewise, any investigation of any potential violations of the Bribery Act, the FCPA, other anti-corruption laws or Trade Control laws by the United Kingdom, United States or other authorities could also have an adverse impact on our reputation, our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws, regulations, rules, contractual obligations, policies and other obligations related to data privacy and security. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to regulatory investigations or actions, litigation, fines and penalties, disruptions of our business operations, reputational harm, loss of revenue or profits, and other adverse business consequences.
In the ordinary course of business, we collect, receive, store, process, generate, use, transfer, disclose, make accessible, protect, secure, dispose of, transmit, and share (collectively, processing) personal data and other sensitive information, including proprietary and confidential business data, trade secrets, intellectual property, data we collect about trial participants in connection with clinical trials, and sensitive third-party data. Our data processing activities may subject us to numerous data privacy and security obligations, such as various laws, regulations, guidance, industry standards, external and internal privacy and security policies, contractual requirements, and other obligations relating to data privacy and security.
In the United States, federal, state, and local governments have enacted numerous data privacy and security laws, including data breach notification laws, personal data privacy laws, consumer protection laws (e.g., Section 5 of
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the Federal Trade Commission Act), and other similar laws. For example, HIPAA, as amended by HITECH, imposes specific requirements relating to the privacy, security, and transmission of individually identifiable health information. Additionally, various U.S. states, including California, Virginia and Colorado, have passed comprehensive privacy laws, and similar laws are being considered in several other states, as well as at the federal and local levels. These developments may further complicate compliance efforts, and increase legal risk and compliance costs for us and the third parties upon whom we rely.
Outside of the U.S., 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 data. For example, under the EU GDPR, companies may face temporary or definitive bans on data processing and other corrective actions; fines of up to 20 million Euros or 4% of annual global revenue, whichever is greater; or private litigation related to processing of personal data brought by classes of data subjects or consumer protection organizations authorized at law to represent their interests.
In the ordinary course of business, we transfer personal data from the United Kingdom (UK) to the United States or other countries. The UK has enacted laws requiring data to be localized or limiting the transfer of personal data to the United States and other countries whose privacy laws it believes are inadequate. Although there are currently various mechanisms that may be used to transfer personal data from the UK to the United States in compliance with law, such as the UK 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 data to the United States. If there is no lawful manner for us to transfer personal data from the UK to the United States, or if the requirements for a legally-compliant transfer are too onerous, we could face significant adverse consequences, including the interruption or degradation of our operations, the need to relocate part of or all of our business or data processing activities to other jurisdictions at significant expense, increased exposure to regulatory actions, substantial fines and penalties, the inability to transfer data and work with partners, vendors, and other third parties, and injunctions against our processing or transferring of personal data necessary to operate our business. Additionally, companies that transfer personal data out of the UK to other jurisdictions, particularly to the United States, are subject to increased scrutiny from regulators, individual litigants, and activist groups.
In addition to data privacy and security laws, we are also bound by other 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, 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.
Obligations related to data privacy and security are quickly changing, becoming increasingly stringent, and creating regulatory uncertainty. Additionally, these obligations may be subject to differing applications and interpretations, which may be inconsistent or conflicting among jurisdictions. Preparing for and complying with these obligations requires us to devote significant resources and may necessitate changes to our services, information technologies, systems, and practices and to those of any third parties that process personal data on our behalf.
We may at times fail (or be perceived to have failed) in our efforts to comply with our data privacy and security obligations. Moreover, despite our efforts, our personnel or third parties on whom we rely may fail to comply with such obligations, which could negatively impact our business operations. If we or the third parties on which we rely fail, or are perceived to have failed, to address or comply with applicable data privacy or security obligations, we could face significant consequences, including but not limited to: government enforcement actions (e.g., investigations, fines, penalties, audits, inspections, and similar); litigation (including class-action claims); additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; bans on processing personal data; and orders to destroy or not use personal data. 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; inability to process personal data or operate in certain jurisdictions; limited ability to develop or
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commercialize our products; expenditure of time and resources to defend any claim or inquiry; adverse publicity; or substantial changes to our business model or operations.
Our activities subject us to various laws relating to foreign investment and the export of certain technologies, and our failure to comply with these laws or adequately monitor the compliance of our suppliers and others we do business with could subject us to substantial fines, penalties and even injunctions, the imposition of which on us could have a material adverse effect on the success of our business.
We are subject to laws that regulate certain transactions and access to technology. In the U.S., these laws include section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended by the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018, and the regulations at 31 C.F.R. Parts 800 and 801, as amended, administered by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States; and the Export Control Reform Act of 2018, which is being implemented in part through Commerce Department rulemakings to impose new export control restrictions on “emerging and foundational technologies” yet to be fully identified. Application of these laws, including as they are implemented through regulations being developed, may negatively impact our business in various ways, including by restricting our access to capital and markets; limiting the collaborations we may pursue; regulating the export our products, services, and technology from the United States and abroad; increasing our costs and the time necessary to obtain required authorizations and to ensure compliance; and threatening monetary fines and other penalties if we do not.
If we fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on the success of our business.
We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. Our operations involve the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals and biological materials. Our operations also produce hazardous waste products. We generally contract with third parties for the disposal of these materials and wastes. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from our use of hazardous materials, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties. Furthermore, environmental laws and regulations are complex, change frequently and have tended to become more stringent. We cannot predict the impact of such changes and cannot be certain of our future compliance. In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.
Although we maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of hazardous materials or other work-related injuries, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions or liabilities, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Risks Related to Our Business and Our International Operations
As a company based outside of the United States, we are subject to economic, political, regulatory and other risks associated with international operations.
As a company based in the United Kingdom, our business is subject to risks associated with conducting business outside of the United States. Many of our suppliers and clinical trial relationships are located outside the United States. Accordingly, our future results could be harmed by a variety of factors, including:
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● | economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability in particular non-U.S. economies and markets; |
● | differing and changing regulatory requirements for product approvals; |
● | differing jurisdictions could present different issues for securing, maintaining or obtaining freedom to operate in such jurisdictions; |
● | potentially reduced protection for intellectual property rights; |
● | difficulties in compliance with different, complex and changing laws, regulations and court systems of multiple jurisdictions and compliance with a wide variety of foreign laws, treaties and regulations, including, without limitation, restrictive regulations such as the EU GDPR and UK GDPR governing the use, processing, and cross-border transfer of personal data; |
● | changes in non-U.S. regulations and customs, tariffs and trade barriers; |
● | changes in non-U.S. currency exchange rates of the pound sterling, U.S. dollar, euro and currency controls; |
● | changes in a specific country’s or region’s political or economic environment, including the implications of the recent decision of the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union; |
● | trade protection measures, import or export licensing requirements or other restrictive actions by governments; |
● | differing reimbursement regimes and price controls in certain non-U.S. markets; |
● | negative consequences from changes in tax laws; |
● | compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad, including, for example, the variable tax treatment in different jurisdictions of options granted under our share option schemes or equity incentive plans; |
● | workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States; |
● | litigation or administrative actions resulting from claims against us by current or former employees or consultants individually or as part of class actions, including claims of wrongful terminations, discrimination, misclassification or other violations of labor law or other alleged conduct; |
● | difficulties associated with staffing and managing international operations, including differing labor relations; |
● | production shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad; and |
● | business interruptions resulting from geo-political actions, including war and terrorism, natural disasters, including earthquakes, typhoons, floods and fires, or public health crises. |
Any or all of these factors could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, global instability increased after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In response to the invasion, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, has deployed additional military forces to Eastern Europe, including to Lithuania, and the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States implemented certain sanctions against Russia. The invasion of Ukraine and the retaliatory measures that have been taken, or could be taken in
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the future, by the United States, NATO, and other countries have created global security concerns that could result in a regional conflict and otherwise have a lasting impact on regional and global economies, any or all of which could disrupt our supply chain and increase the costs associated with or otherwise adversely affect our ability to conduct ongoing and future clinical trials of our product candidates. In addition, the conflict has had significant ramifications on global financial markets, which may adversely impact our ability to raise capital in the future on favorable terms or at all.
Cyber-attacks or other failures in telecommunications or information technology systems and deficiency in our, or those of third parties upon which we rely, cybersecurity could result in information theft, data corruption and significant disruption of our business operations.
In the ordinary course of business, we and the third parties upon which we rely, may collect, receive, store, process, generate, use, transfer, disclose, make accessible, protect, secure, dispose of, transmit, and share (collectively, processing) proprietary, confidential, and sensitive data, including personal data (such as health-related data), intellectual property, and trade secrets (collectively, sensitive information). Cyber-attacks, malicious internet-based activity, online and offline fraud, and other similar activities threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our sensitive information and information technology systems, and those of the third parties upon which we rely. Such threats are prevalent and continue to rise, are increasingly difficult to detect, and come from a variety of sources, including traditional computer “hackers,” threat actors, “hacktivists,” organized criminal threat actors, personnel (such as through theft or misuse), sophisticated nation states, and nation-state-supported actors.
Some actors now engage and are expected to continue to engage in cyber-attacks, including without limitation nation-state actors for geopolitical reasons and in conjunction with military conflicts and defense activities. During times of war and other major conflicts, we and the third parties upon which we rely 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 conduct our research and development programs and our clinical trials. We and the third parties upon which we rely may be subject to a variety of evolving threats, including but not limited to social-engineering attacks (including through phishing attacks), malicious code (such as viruses and worms), malware (including as a result of advanced persistent threat intrusions), denial-of-service attacks (such as credential stuffing), credential harvesting, personnel misconduct or error, ransomware attacks, supply-chain attacks, software bugs, server malfunctions, software or hardware failures, loss of data or other information technology assets, adware, telecommunications failures, and other similar threats. In particular, severe ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly prevalent and can lead to significant interruptions in our operations, loss of sensitive data and income, reputational harm, and diversion of funds. Remote work has become more common and has increased risks to our information technology systems and data, as more of our employees utilize network connections, computers, and devices outside of our premises or network, including working at home, while in transit and in public locations. Future or past business transactions (such as acquisitions or integrations) could expose us to additional cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, as our systems could be negatively affected by vulnerabilities present in acquired or integrated entities’ systems and technologies. Furthermore, we may discover security issues that were not found during due diligence of such acquired or integrated entities, and it may be difficult to integrate companies into our information technology environment and security program.
In addition, our reliance on third-party service providers could introduce new cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, including supply-chain attacks, and other threats to our business operations. We may rely on third-party service providers and technologies to operate critical business systems to process sensitive information in a variety of contexts, including, without limitation, encryption and authentication technology, employee email, content delivery to customers, CROs for managing clinical trial data, and other functions. We may also rely on third-party service providers to provide other products, services, parts, or otherwise operate our business. Our ability to monitor these third parties’ information security practices is limited, and these third parties may not have adequate information security measures in place. If our third-party service providers experience a security incident or other interruption, we could experience adverse consequences. While we may be entitled to damages if our third-party service providers fail to satisfy their privacy or security-related obligations to us, the liability of such third party may be limited such that any award may be insufficient to cover our damages, or we may be unable to recover any such award. In addition, supply-chain attacks have 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.
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Any of the previously identified or similar threats could cause a security incident or other interruption that could result in unauthorized, unlawful, or accidental acquisition, modification, destruction, loss, alteration, encryption, disclosure of, or access to our sensitive information or our information technology systems, or those of the third parties upon whom we rely. A security incident or other interruption could disrupt our ability (and that of third parties upon whom we rely) to provide our services. We may expend significant resources or modify our business activities (including our clinical trial activities) to try to protect against security incidents. Certain data privacy and security obligations may require us to implement and maintain specific security measures or industry-standard or reasonable security measures to protect our information technology systems and sensitive information.
Applicable data privacy and security obligations may require us to notify relevant stakeholders of security incidents. Such disclosures are costly, and the disclosure or the failure to comply with such requirements could lead to adverse consequences. If we (or a third party upon whom we rely) experience a security incident or are perceived to have experienced a security incident, we may experience adverse consequences. These consequences may include: government enforcement actions (for example, investigations, fines, penalties, audits, and inspections); additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; restrictions on processing sensitive information (including personal data); litigation (including class-action claims); indemnification obligations; negative publicity; reputational harm; monetary fund diversions; interruptions in our operations (including availability of data); financial loss; and other similar harms. Security incidents and attendant consequences may cause customers to stop using our services, deter new customers from using our services, and negatively impact our ability to grow and operate our business. 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 liabilities, damages, or claims related to our data privacy and security obligations. We cannot be sure that our insurance coverage will be adequate or sufficient to protect us from or to mitigate liabilities arising out of our privacy and security practices, that such coverage will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that such coverage will pay future claims.
Social media platforms and artificial intelligence-based platforms present new risks and challenges to our business.
As social media continues to expand, it also presents us with new risks and challenges. Social media is increasingly being used to communicate information about us, our programs and the diseases our therapeutics are being developed to treat. Social media practices in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are evolving, which creates uncertainty and risk of noncompliance with regulations applicable to our business. For example, patients may use social media platforms to comment on the effectiveness of, or adverse experiences with, a product or a product candidate, which could result in reporting obligations or other consequences. Further, the accidental or intentional disclosure of non-public information by our workforce or others through media channels could lead to information loss. In addition, there is a risk of inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information or negative or inaccurate posts or comments about us, our products, or our product candidates on any social media platform. The nature of social media prevents us from having real-time control over postings about us on social media. We may not be able to reverse damage to our reputation from negative publicity or adverse information posted on social media platforms or similar mediums. If any of these events were to occur or we otherwise fail to comply with application regulations, we could incur liability, face restrictive regulatory actions or incur other harm to our business including quick and irreversible damage to our reputation, brand image and goodwill. Additionally, artificial intelligence, or AI, based platforms are increasingly being used in the biopharmaceutical industry. While we have undertaken measures to restrict the internal use of public AI platforms, their use by people, including our vendors, suppliers and contractors, with access to our proprietary and confidential information, including trade secrets, may continue to increase and may lead to the release of such information, which may negatively impact our company, including our ability to realize the benefit of our intellectual property.
Exchange rate fluctuations may materially affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Owing to the international scope of our operations, fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly between the pound sterling and the U.S. dollar, may adversely affect us. Although we are based in the United Kingdom, we source research and development, manufacturing, consulting and other services from the United States and the European Union and Asia that are billed in U.S. dollars. Further, potential future revenue may be derived from abroad, particularly from the United States. As a result, our business and the price of our ADSs may be affected by fluctuations in foreign exchange rates not only between the pound sterling and the U.S. dollar, but also the euro, which may have a significant
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impact on our results of operations and cash flows from period to period. Currently, we do not have any exchange rate hedging arrangements in place. Any fluctuation in the exchange rate of these foreign currencies may negatively impact our business, financial condition and operating results. Global economic events have and may continue to significantly impact local economies and the foreign exchange markets, which may increase the risks associated with sales denominated in foreign currencies.
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
For certain product candidates, we depend, or will depend, on development and commercialization collaborators to develop and conduct clinical trials with, obtain regulatory approvals for, and if approved, market and sell product candidates. If such collaborators fail to perform as expected, the potential for us to generate future revenue from such product candidates would be significantly reduced and our business would be harmed.
For certain products candidates, we depend, or will depend, on our development and commercial collaborators to develop, conduct clinical trials of, and, if approved, commercialize product candidates.
Under our collaborations with DDF, Genentech, Ionis, Novartis, Bayer and Oxurion, we are responsible for identifying and optimizing Bicycle peptides related to collaboration targets and our collaborators are responsible for further development and product commercialization after we complete the defined research screening and compound optimization. In addition, Cancer Research UK is sponsoring and funding a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BT1718, in patients with advanced solid tumors, and will sponsor and fund development of BT7401 from current preclinical studies through the completion of a Phase IIa trial in patients with advanced solid tumors. We depend on these collaborators to develop and, where applicable, commercialize products based on Bicycle peptides, and the success of their efforts directly impacts the milestones and royalties we will receive. We cannot provide assurance that our collaborators will be successful in or that they will devote sufficient resources to the development or commercialization of their products. If our current or future collaboration and commercialization partners do not perform in the manner we expect or fail to fulfill their responsibilities in a timely manner, or at all, if our agreements with them terminate or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised, the clinical development, regulatory approval and commercialization efforts related to their and our product candidates and products could be delayed or terminated and it could become necessary for us to assume the responsibility at our own expense for the clinical development of such product candidates.
Our current collaborations and any future collaborations that we enter into are subject to numerous risks, including:
● | collaborators have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to the collaborations; |
● | collaborators may not perform their obligations as expected or fail to fulfill their responsibilities in a timely manner, or at all; |
● | collaborators may not pursue development and commercialization of any product candidates that achieve regulatory approval or may elect not to continue or renew development or commercialization programs based on preclinical studies or clinical trial results, changes in the collaborators’ strategic focus or available funding or external factors, such as an acquisition, that divert resources or create competing priorities; |
● | collaborators may delay preclinical studies or clinical trials, provide insufficient funding for clinical trials, stop a preclinical study or 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; |
● | we may not have access to, or may be restricted from disclosing, certain information regarding product candidates being developed or commercialized under a collaboration and, consequently, may have limited ability to inform our shareholders about the status of such product candidates; |
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● | collaborators could independently develop, or develop with third parties, products that compete directly or indirectly with our product candidates if the collaborators believe that competitive products are more likely to be successfully developed or can be commercialized under terms that are more economically attractive than ours; |
● | the collaborations may not result in product candidates to develop and/or preclinical studies or clinical trials conducted as part of the collaborations may not be successful; |
● | product candidates developed with collaborators may be viewed by our collaborators as competitive with their own product candidates or products, which may cause collaborators to stop commercialization of our product candidates; |
● | a collaborator with marketing and distribution rights to one or more of our product candidates that achieve regulatory approval may not commit sufficient resources to the marketing and distribution of any such product candidate; |
● | public health crises and other adverse global economic events could materially affect our operations as well as causing significant disruption in the operations and business of our collaborators and the third-party manufacturers, CROs and other service providers that we and/or our collaborators conduct business with; and |
● | collaborators may 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 intellectual property or proprietary information or expose us to potential litigation. |
In addition, certain collaboration and commercialization agreements provide our collaborators with rights to terminate such agreements, which rights may or may not be subject to conditions, and which rights, if exercised, would adversely affect our product development efforts and could make it difficult for us to attract new collaborators. In that event, we would likely be required to limit the size and scope of efforts for the development and commercialization of such product candidates or products; we would likely be required to seek additional financing to fund further development or identify alternative strategic collaborations; our potential to generate future revenue from royalties and milestone payments from such product candidates or products would be significantly reduced, delayed or eliminated; and it could have an adverse effect on our business and future growth prospects. Our rights to recover tangible and intangible assets and intellectual property rights needed to advance a product candidate or product after termination of a collaboration may be limited by contract, and we may not be able to advance a program post-termination.
If conflicts arise with our development and commercialization collaborators or licensors, they may act in their own self-interest, which may be adverse to the interests of our company.
We may in the future experience disagreements with our development and commercialization collaborators or licensors. Conflicts may arise in our collaboration and license arrangements with third parties due to one or more of the following:
● | disputes with respect to milestone, royalty and other payments that are believed due under the applicable agreements; |
● | disagreements with respect to the ownership of intellectual property rights or scope of licenses; |
● | disagreements with respect to the scope of any reporting obligations; |
● | unwillingness on the part of a collaborator to keep us informed regarding the progress of its development and commercialization activities, or to permit public disclosure of these activities; and |
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● | disputes with respect to a collaborator’s or our development or commercialization efforts with respect to our products and product candidates. |
For example, we were previously involved in litigation with Pepscan Systems B.V., and its affiliates, or Pepscan, related to a non-exclusive patent license agreement that our subsidiary, BicycleRD Limited, or BicycleRD, entered into with Pepscan in 2009.
Conflicts with our development and commercialization collaborators or licensors could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations and future growth prospects. If we are unable to prevail against these challenges, our intellectual property estate may be materially harmed, which would impair our ability to establish competitive barriers to entry in the form of intellectual property protections.
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We rely on third parties, including independent clinical investigators and CROs, to conduct and sponsor some of the clinical trials of our product candidates. Any failure by a third party to meet its obligations with respect to the clinical development of our product candidates may delay or impair our ability to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates.
We have relied upon and plan to continue to rely upon third parties, including independent clinical investigators, academic partners, regulatory affairs consultants and third-party CROs, to conduct our preclinical studies and clinical trials, including in some instances sponsoring such clinical trials, and to engage with regulatory authorities and monitor and manage data for our ongoing preclinical and clinical programs. For example, Cancer Research UK currently sponsors and funds the Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BT1718 in patients with advanced solid tumors. We also utilize CROs to perform toxicology studies related to our preclinical activities. While we will have agreements governing the activities of such third parties, we will control only certain aspects of their activities and have limited influence over their actual performance. Given the breadth of clinical therapeutic areas for which we believe Bicycles may have utility, we intend to continue to rely on external service providers rather than build internal regulatory expertise.
Any of these third parties may terminate their engagements with us under certain circumstances. We may not be able to enter into alternative arrangements or do so on commercially reasonable terms. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new contract research organization begins work. As a result, delays would likely occur, which could negatively impact our ability to meet our expected clinical development timelines and harm our business, financial condition and prospects.
We remain responsible for ensuring that each of our preclinical studies and clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol and legal, regulatory and scientific standards, and our reliance on these third parties does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. We and our third-party contractors and CROs are required to comply with GCP requirements, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA, the Competent Authorities of the Member States of the EEA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities for all of our products in clinical development. Regulatory authorities enforce these GCP requirements through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and trial sites. If we fail to exercise adequate oversight over any of our academic partners or CROs or if we or any of our academic partners or CROs do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations, fail to meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements, or for any other reasons, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA, the EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. We cannot assure you that upon a regulatory inspection of us, our academic partners or our CROs or other third parties performing services in connection with our clinical trials, such regulatory authority will determine that any of our clinical trials complies with GCP regulations. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with product produced under applicable CGMP regulations. Our failure to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.
Furthermore, the third parties conducting clinical trials on our behalf are not our employees, and except for remedies available to us under our agreements with such contractors, we cannot control whether or not they devote
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sufficient time, skill and resources to our ongoing development programs. These contractors may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, for whom they may also be conducting clinical trials or other drug development activities, which could impede their ability to devote appropriate time to our clinical programs. If these third parties, including clinical investigators, do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, meet expected deadlines or conduct our clinical trials in accordance with regulatory requirements or our stated protocols, we may not be able to obtain, or may be delayed in obtaining, marketing approvals for our product candidates. If that occurs, we will not be able to, or may be delayed in our efforts to, successfully commercialize our product candidates.
In addition, with respect to investigator-sponsored trials that are being or may be conducted, we do not control the design or conduct of these trials, and it is possible that the FDA or EMA will not view these investigator-sponsored trials as providing adequate support for future clinical trials or market approval, whether controlled by us or third parties, for any one or more reasons, including elements of the design or execution of the trials or safety concerns or other trial results. We expect that such arrangements will provide us certain information rights with respect to the investigator-sponsored trials, including the ability to obtain a license to obtain access to use and reference the data, including for our own regulatory submissions, resulting from the investigator-sponsored trials. However, we do not have control over the timing and reporting of the data from investigator-sponsored trials, nor do we own the data from the investigator-sponsored trials. If we are unable to confirm or replicate the results from the investigator-sponsored trials or if negative results are obtained, we would likely be further delayed or prevented from advancing further clinical development. Further, if investigators or institutions breach their obligations with respect to the clinical development of our product candidates, or if the data proves to be inadequate compared to the firsthand knowledge we might have gained had the investigator-sponsored trials been sponsored and conducted by us, then our ability to design and conduct any future clinical trials ourselves may be adversely affected. Additionally, the FDA or EMA may disagree with the sufficiency of our right of reference to the preclinical, manufacturing or clinical data generated by these investigator-sponsored trials, or our interpretation of preclinical, manufacturing or clinical data from these investigator-sponsored trials. If so, the FDA or EMA may require us to obtain and submit additional preclinical, manufacturing, or clinical data.
We intend to rely on third parties to manufacture product candidates, which increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of such product candidates or products or such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.
We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities for the production of clinical or commercial supplies of the product candidates that we are developing or evaluating in our development programs. We have limited personnel with experience in drug manufacturing and lack the resources and the capabilities to manufacture any of our product candidates on a clinical or commercial scale. We rely on third parties for supply of our product candidates, and our strategy is to outsource all manufacturing of our product candidates and products to third parties.
In order to conduct clinical trials of product candidates, we will need to have them manufactured in potentially large quantities. Our third-party manufacturers may be unable to successfully increase the manufacturing capacity for any of our product candidates in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all. In addition, quality issues may arise during scale-up activities and at any other time. For example, ongoing data on the stability of our product candidates may shorten the expiry of our product candidates and lead to clinical trial material supply shortages, and potentially clinical trial delays. Additionally, our manufacturers may experience delays as a result of impacts due to the Russia-Ukraine war. If our third-party manufacturers are unable to successfully scale up the manufacture of our product candidates in sufficient quality and quantity, the development, testing and clinical trials of that product candidate may be delayed or infeasible, and regulatory approval or commercial launch of that product candidate may be delayed or not obtained, which could significantly harm our business.
Our use of new third-party manufacturers increases the risk of delays in production or insufficient supplies of our product candidates as we transfer our manufacturing technology to these manufacturers and as they gain experience manufacturing our product candidates. Even after a third-party manufacturer has gained significant experience in manufacturing our product candidates or even if we believe we have succeeded in optimizing the manufacturing process, there can be no assurance that such manufacturer will produce sufficient quantities of our product candidates in a timely manner or continuously over time, or at all.
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We may be delayed if we need to change the manufacturing process used by a third party. Further, if we change an approved manufacturing process, then we may be delayed if the FDA or a comparable foreign authority needs to review the new manufacturing process before it may be used.
We operate an outsourced model for the manufacture of our product candidates, and contract with GMP licensed pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organizations. While we have engaged several third-party vendors to provide clinical and non-clinical supplies and fill-finish services, we do not currently have any agreements with third-party manufacturers for long-term commercial supplies. In the future, we may be unable to enter into agreements with third-party manufacturers for commercial supplies of any product candidate that we develop, or may be unable to do so on acceptable terms. Even if we are able to establish and maintain arrangements with third-party manufacturers, reliance on third-party manufacturers entails risks, including:
● | reliance on third-parties for manufacturing process development, regulatory compliance and quality assurance; |
● | limitations on supply availability resulting from capacity and scheduling constraints of third-parties; |
● | the possible breach of manufacturing agreements by third-parties because of factors beyond our control; and |
● | the possible termination or non-renewal of the manufacturing agreements by the third-party, at a time that is costly or inconvenient to us. |
Third-party manufacturers may not be able to comply with cGMP requirements or similar regulatory requirements outside the United States. Our failure, or the failure of our third-party manufacturers, to comply with applicable requirements could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of product candidates or products, operating restrictions and/or criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect supplies of our product candidates. In addition, some of the product candidates we intend to develop, including BT5528, BT8009, and BT1718 use toxins or other substances that can be produced only in specialized facilities with specific authorizations and permits, and there can be no guarantee that we or our manufacturers can maintain such authorizations and permits. These specialized requirements may also limit the number of potential manufacturers that we can engage to produce our product candidates, and impair any efforts to transition to replacement manufacturers.
Our future product candidates and any products that we may develop may compete with other product candidates and products for access to manufacturing facilities. There are a limited number of manufacturers that operate under cGMP requirements that might be capable of manufacturing for us.
If the third parties that we engage to supply any materials or manufacture product for our preclinical tests and clinical trials should cease to continue to do so for any reason, including as a result of the impacts of public health crises on the global workforce and manufacturing operations, we likely would experience delays in advancing these tests and trials while we identify and qualify replacement suppliers or manufacturers and we may be unable to obtain replacement supplies on terms that are favorable to us. In addition, if we are not able to obtain adequate supplies of our product candidates or the substances used to manufacture them, it will be more difficult for us to develop our product candidates and compete effectively.
Our current and anticipated future dependence upon others for the manufacture of our product candidates may adversely affect our future profit margins and our ability to develop product candidates and commercialize any products that receive marketing approval on a timely and competitive basis.
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Our reliance on third parties requires us to share our trade secrets, which increases the possibility that a competitor will discover them or that our trade secrets will be misappropriated or disclosed.
Because we rely on third parties to manufacture our product candidates, and because we collaborate with various organizations and academic institutions on the development of our product candidates, we must, at times, share trade secrets with them. We seek to protect our proprietary technology in part by entering into confidentiality agreements and, if applicable, material transfer agreements, collaborative research agreements, consulting agreements or other similar agreements with our collaborators, advisors, employees and consultants prior to beginning research or disclosing proprietary information. These agreements typically limit the rights of the third parties to use or disclose our confidential information, such as trade secrets.
Despite the contractual provisions employed when working with third parties, the need to share trade secrets and other confidential information increases the risk that such trade secrets become known by our competitors, are inadvertently incorporated into the technology of others, or are disclosed or used in violation of these agreements. Given that our proprietary position is based, in part, on our know-how and trade secrets, a competitor’s discovery of our trade secrets or other unauthorized use or disclosure would impair our competitive position and may have a material adverse effect on our business.
In addition, these agreements typically restrict the ability of our collaborators, advisors, employees and consultants to publish data potentially relating to our trade secrets. Our academic collaborators typically have rights to publish data, provided that we are notified in advance and may delay publication for a specified time in order to secure our intellectual property rights arising from the collaboration. In other cases, publication rights are controlled exclusively by us, although in some cases we may share these rights with other parties. Despite our efforts to protect our trade secrets, our competitors may discover our trade secrets, either through breach of these agreements, independent development or publication of information including our trade secrets in cases where we do not have proprietary or otherwise protected rights at the time of publication. A competitor’s discovery of our trade secrets would impair our competitive position and have an adverse impact on our business.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent and other intellectual property protection for our products and product candidates, or if the scope of the patent and other intellectual property protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, our competitors could develop and commercialize products similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our products and product candidates may be adversely affected.
Our ability to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to maintain the proprietary nature of our technology and manufacturing processes. We rely on research, manufacturing and other know-how, patents, trade secrets, license agreements and contractual provisions to establish our intellectual property rights and protect our products and product candidates. These legal means, however, afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights.
In certain situations and as considered appropriate, we have sought, and we intend to continue to seek to protect our proprietary position by filing patent applications in the United States and, in at least some cases, one or more countries outside the United States relating to current and future products and product candidates that are important to our business. However, we cannot predict whether the patent applications currently being pursued will issue as patents, or whether the claims of any resulting patents will provide us with a competitive advantage or whether we will be able to successfully pursue patent applications in the future relating to our current or future products and product candidates. Moreover, the patent application and approval process is expensive and time-consuming. We may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. Furthermore, we, or any future partners, collaborators, or licensees, may 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 on them. Therefore, we may miss potential opportunities to seek additional patent protection. It is possible that defects of form in the preparation or filing of patent applications may exist, or may arise in the future, for example with respect to proper priority claims, inventorship, claim scope, or requests for patent term adjustments. If we fail to establish, maintain or protect such
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patents and other intellectual property rights, such rights may be reduced or eliminated. If there are material defects in the form, preparation, prosecution or enforcement of our patents or patent applications, such patents may be invalid and/or unenforceable, and such applications may never result in valid, enforceable patents.
Even if they are unchallenged, our patents and patent applications, if issued, may not provide us with any meaningful protection or prevent competitors from designing around our patent claims by developing similar or alternative technologies or therapeutics in a non-infringing manner. For example, a third party may develop a competitive therapy that provides benefits similar to one or more of our product candidates but that falls outside the scope of our patent protection. If the patent protection provided by the patents and patent applications we hold or pursue with respect to our product candidates is not sufficiently broad to impede such competition, our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates could be negatively affected.
Other parties, many of whom have substantially greater resources and have made significant investments in competing technologies, have developed or may develop technologies that may be related or competitive with our approach, and may have filed or may file patent applications and may have been issued or may be issued patents with claims that overlap or conflict with our patent applications, either by claiming the same compositions, formulations or methods or by claiming subject matter that could dominate our patent position. In addition, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. As a result, any patents we may obtain in the future may not provide us with adequate and continuing patent protection sufficient to exclude others from commercializing products similar to our products and product candidates.
The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain. No consistent policy regarding the breadth of claims allowed in biotechnology and pharmaceutical patents has emerged to date in the United States or in many foreign jurisdictions. In addition, the determination of patent rights with respect to pharmaceutical compounds commonly involves complex legal and factual questions, which has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are highly uncertain. Our competitors may also seek approval to market their own products similar to or otherwise competitive with our products. Alternatively, our competitors may seek to market generic versions of any approved products by submitting ANDAs to the FDA in which they claim that our patents are invalid, unenforceable or not infringed. In these circumstances, we may need to defend or assert our patents, or both, including by filing lawsuits alleging patent infringement. In any of these types of proceedings, a court or other agency with jurisdiction may find our patents invalid or unenforceable, or that our competitors are competing in a non-infringing manner. Thus, even if we have valid and enforceable patents, these patents still may not provide protection against competing products or processes sufficient to achieve our business objectives.
In the future, one or more of our products and product candidates may be in-licensed from third parties. Accordingly, in some cases, the availability and scope of potential patent protection is limited based on prior decisions by our licensors or the inventors, such as decisions on when to file patent applications or whether to file patent applications at all. Our failure to obtain, maintain, enforce or defend such intellectual property rights, for any reason, could allow third parties, in particular, other established and better financed competitors having established development, manufacturing and distribution capabilities, to make competing products or impact our ability to develop, manufacture and market our products and product candidates, even if approved, on a commercially viable basis, if at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
In addition to patent protection, we expect to rely heavily on trade secrets, know-how and other unpatented technology, which are difficult to protect. Although we seek such protection in part by entering into confidentiality agreements with our vendors, employees, consultants and others who may have access to proprietary information, we cannot be certain that these agreements will not be breached, adequate remedies for any breach would be available, or our trade secrets, know-how and other unpatented proprietary technology will not otherwise become known to or be independently developed by our competitors. If we are unsuccessful in protecting our intellectual property rights, sales of our products may suffer and our ability to generate revenue could be severely impacted.
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Issued patents covering our products and product candidates could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged in court or in administrative proceedings. We may not be able to protect our trade secrets in court.
If we initiate legal proceedings against a third-party to enforce a patent covering one of our products or product candidates, should such a patent issue, the defendant could counterclaim that the patent covering our product or product candidate 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, written description or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld information material to patentability from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. Third parties also may raise similar claims before administrative bodies in the United States or abroad, even outside the context of litigation. Such mechanisms include re-examination, post grant review, inter partes review and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions. An adverse determination in any of the foregoing proceedings could result in the revocation or cancellation of, or amendment to, our patents in such a way that they no longer cover our products or product candidates. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art, of which the patent examiner and we were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant or third party were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, we could lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on one or more of our products and product candidates. Such a loss of patent protection may materially harm our intellectual property estate, which would impair our ability to establish competitive barriers to entry in the form of intellectual property protections.
In addition to the protection afforded by patents, we rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary know-how that is not patentable or that we elect not to patent, processes for which patents are difficult to enforce and any other elements of our product candidate discovery and development processes that involve proprietary know-how, information or technology that is not covered by patents. However, trade secrets can be difficult to protect and some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. We seek to protect our proprietary technology and processes, in part, by entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, scientific advisors, and contractors. We cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party that may have or have had access to our trade secrets or proprietary technology and processes. We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data and trade secrets by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and electronic security of our information technology systems. While we have confidence in these individuals, organizations and systems, agreements or security measures may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach.
In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. Competitors and other third parties could purchase our products and product candidates and attempt to replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts, willfully infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate our intellectual property rights, design around our protected technology or develop their own competitive technologies that fall outside of our intellectual property rights. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, we would have no right to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate it, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If our trade secrets are not adequately protected or sufficient to provide an advantage over our competitors, our competitive position could be adversely affected, as could our business. Additionally, if the steps taken to maintain our trade secrets are deemed inadequate, we may have insufficient recourse against third parties for misappropriating our trade secrets.
We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship or ownership of the patents and other intellectual property.
We may be subject to claims that former employees, collaborators or other third parties have an ownership interest in the patents and intellectual property that we own or that we may own or license in the future. While it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be involved in the development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own or such assignments may not be self-executing or may be breached. We could be subject to ownership disputes arising, for example, from conflicting
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obligations of employees, consultants or others who are involved in developing our products or product candidates. Litigation may be necessary to defend against any claims challenging inventorship or ownership. If we fail in defending any such claims, we may have to pay monetary damages and may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, intellectual property, which could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Obtaining and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.
Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other governmental fees on patents and applications are required to be paid to the USPTO and various governmental patent agencies outside of the United States in several stages over the lifetime of the patents and applications. The USPTO and various non-U.S. governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process and after a patent has issued. There are situations in which non-compliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. The terms of one or more licenses that we enter into the future may not provide us with the ability to maintain or prosecute patents in the portfolio, and must therefore rely on third parties to do so.
If we do not obtain patent term extension and data exclusivity for our products and product candidates, our business may be materially harmed.
Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date. Various extensions may be available, but the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our product candidates are obtained, once the patent life has expired for a product candidate, we may be open to competition from competitive products. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours.
In the future, if we obtain an issued patent covering one of our present or future product candidates, depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of any FDA marketing approval of such product candidates, such patent may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, or Hatch-Waxman Amendments. The Hatch-Waxman Amendments permit a patent extension term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during the FDA regulatory review process. A patent term extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval, only one patent may be extended and only those claims covering the approved drug, a method for using it or a method for manufacturing it may be extended. A patent may only be extended once and only based on a single approved product. However, we may not be granted an extension because of, for example, failure to obtain a granted patent before approval of a product candidate, failure to exercise due diligence during the testing phase or regulatory review process, failure to apply within applicable deadlines, failure to apply prior to expiration of relevant patents or otherwise our failure to satisfy applicable requirements. A patent licensed to us by a third party may not be available for patent term extension. Moreover, the applicable time period or the scope of patent protection afforded could be less than we request. If we are unable to obtain patent term extension or the term of any such extension is less than we request, our competitors may obtain approval of competing products following our patent expiration, and our revenue could be reduced, possibly materially.
Changes in patent law in the United States and other jurisdictions could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our products and product candidates.
Changes in either the patent laws or the interpretation of the patent laws in the United States or other jurisdictions could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of patent applications and the enforcement or defense of issued patents. On September 16, 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the Leahy-Smith Act, was signed into law. When implemented, the Leahy-Smith Act included several significant changes to U.S.
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patent law that impacted how patent rights could be prosecuted, enforced and defended. In particular, the Leahy-Smith Act also included provisions that switched the United States from a “first-to-invent” system to a “first-to-file” system, allowed third-party submission of prior art to the USPTO during patent prosecution and set forth additional procedures to attack the validity of a patent by the USPTO administered post grant proceedings. Under a first-to-file system, assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application generally will be entitled to the patent on an invention regardless of whether another inventor had made the invention earlier. The USPTO developed new regulations and procedures governing the administration of the Leahy-Smith Act, and many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the Leahy-Smith Act, and in particular, the first to file provisions, only became effective on March 16, 2013. It remains unclear what, if any, impact the Leahy-Smith Act will have on the operation of our business. However, the Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
In addition, the patent positions of companies in the development and commercialization of biologics and pharmaceuticals are particularly uncertain. Recent rulings from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court have narrowed the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances and weakened the rights of patent owners in certain situations. This combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the validity and enforceability of patents, once obtained. Depending on future actions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts, and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that could have a material adverse effect on our existing patent portfolio and our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property in the future.
We cannot provide assurance that our efforts to seek patent protection for one or more of our products and product candidates will not be negatively impacted by the decisions described above, rulings in other cases or changes in guidance or procedures issued by the USPTO. We cannot fully predict what impact courts’ decisions in historical and future cases may have on the ability of life science companies to obtain or enforce patents relating to their products in the future. These decisions, the guidance issued by the USPTO and rulings in other cases or changes in USPTO guidance or procedures could have a material adverse effect on our existing patent rights and our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property in the future.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending and enforcing patents on products and product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States could be less extensive than those in the United States. The requirements for patentability may differ in certain countries, particularly in developing countries; thus, even in countries where we do pursue patent protection, there can be no assurance that any patents will issue with claims that cover our products. There can be no assurance that we will obtain or maintain patent rights in or outside the United States under any future license agreements. 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. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the United States, even in jurisdictions where we pursue patent protection, or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not pursued and obtained patent protection to develop their own 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. These products may compete with our products and product candidates and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.
Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology and pharmaceutical products, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. For example, many foreign countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner must grant licenses to third parties. Proceedings to enforce
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our patent rights, even if obtained, in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. While we intend to protect our intellectual property rights in major markets for our products, we cannot ensure that we will be able to initiate or maintain similar efforts in all jurisdictions in which we may wish to market our products. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop.
If we are sued for infringing intellectual property rights of third parties, such litigation could be costly and time consuming and could prevent or delay us from developing or commercializing our product candidates.
Our commercial success depends, in part, on our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell our product candidates without infringing the intellectual property and other proprietary rights of third parties. Third parties may have U.S. and non-U.S. issued patents and pending patent applications relating to compounds, methods of manufacturing compounds and/or methods of use for the treatment of the disease indications for which we are developing our product candidates. If any third-party patents or patent applications are found to cover our product candidates or their methods of use or manufacture, we and our collaborators or sublicensees may not be free to manufacture or market our product candidates as planned without obtaining a license, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. We may also be required to indemnify our collaborators or sublicensees in such an event.
There is a substantial amount of intellectual property litigation in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and we were previously party to protracted litigation with Pepscan, which we settled in 2020. We may become party to, or be threatened with, litigation or other adversarial proceedings regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our products candidates, including interference and post-grant proceedings before the USPTO. There may be third-party patents or patent applications with claims to materials, formulations, methods of manufacture or methods for treatment related to the composition, use or manufacture of our product candidates. We cannot guarantee that any of our patent searches or analyses including, but not limited to, the identification of relevant patents, the scope of patent claims or the expiration of relevant patents are complete or thorough, nor can we be certain that we have identified each and every patent and pending application in the United States and abroad that is relevant to or necessary for the commercialization of our product candidates in any jurisdiction. Because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending patent applications which may later result in issued patents that our product candidates may be accused of infringing. In addition, third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies infringes upon these patents. Accordingly, third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on intellectual property rights that exist now or arise in the future. The outcome of intellectual property litigation is subject to uncertainties that cannot be adequately quantified in advance. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have produced a significant number of patents, and it may not always be clear to industry participants, including us, which patents cover various types of products or methods of use or manufacture. The scope of protection afforded by a patent is subject to interpretation by the courts, and the interpretation is not always uniform. If we were sued for patent infringement, we would need to demonstrate that our product candidates, products or methods either do not infringe the patent claims of the relevant patent or that the patent claims are invalid or unenforceable, and we may not be able to do this. Proving invalidity is difficult. For example, in the United States, proving invalidity requires a showing of clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption of validity enjoyed by issued patents. Even if we are successful in these proceedings, we may incur substantial costs and the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel could be diverted in pursuing these proceedings, which could significantly harm our business and operating results. In addition, we may not have sufficient resources to bring these actions to a successful conclusion.
If we are found to infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights, we could be forced, including by court order, to cease developing, manufacturing or commercializing the infringing product candidate or product. Alternatively, we may be required to obtain a license from such third party in order to use the infringing technology and continue developing, manufacturing or marketing the infringing product candidate or product. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us; alternatively or additionally, it could include terms that impede or destroy our ability to compete successfully in the commercial
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marketplace. In addition, 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 harm our business. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative impact on our business.
We may be subject to claims by third parties asserting that our employees or we have misappropriated their intellectual property, or claiming ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.
Many of our current and former employees, including our senior management, were previously employed at universities or at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including some which may be competitors or potential competitors. Some of these employees may be subject to proprietary rights, non-disclosure and non-competition agreements, or similar agreements, in connection with such previous employment. Although we try to ensure that our employees do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we have been in the past and may be subject in the future to claims that we or these employees have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such third party. Litigation may be necessary to defend against such claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel or sustain damages. Such intellectual property rights could be awarded to a third party, and we could be required to obtain a license from such third party to commercialize our technology or products. Such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.
In addition, while we typically require our employees, consultants and contractors who may be involved in the development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own, which may result in claims by or against us related to the ownership of such intellectual property. If we fail in prosecuting or defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights. Even if we are successful in prosecuting or defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to our senior management and scientific personnel.
We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents and other intellectual property rights, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe our patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time consuming and divert the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel. In addition, our patents may become involved in inventorship, priority, or validity disputes. To counter or defend against such claims can be expensive and time-consuming, and our adversaries may have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to prosecuting these legal actions than we can. Any claims we assert against perceived infringers could provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their patents, in addition to counterclaims asserting that our patents are invalid or unenforceable, or both.
In an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent is invalid or unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating intellectual property rights we own or control. An adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put one or more of our owned or in-licensed patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly. Further, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation.
Even if resolved in our favor, the court may decide not to grant an injunction against further infringing activity and instead award only monetary damages, which may or may not be an adequate remedy. Litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us to incur significant expenses and could distract our
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personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions, or other interim proceedings or developments, and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our ADSs. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing, or distribution activities.
We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to conduct such litigation or proceedings adequately. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources and more mature and developed intellectual property portfolios. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace.
If we fail to comply with our obligations under any future intellectual property licenses with third parties, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.
In connection with our efforts to build our product candidate pipeline, we may enter into license agreements in the future. We expect that such license agreements will impose, various diligence, milestone payment, royalty, insurance and other obligations on us. If we fail to comply with our obligations under these licenses, our licensors may have the right to terminate these license agreements, in which event we might not be able to market any product that is covered by these agreements, or our licensors may convert the license to a non-exclusive license, which could negatively impact the value of the product candidate being developed under the license agreement. Termination of these license agreements or reduction or elimination of our licensed rights may also result in our having to negotiate new or reinstated licenses with less favorable terms.
If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, then we may not be able to build name recognition in our marks of interest and our business may be adversely affected.
Our trademarks or trade names may be challenged, infringed, circumvented or declared invalid, generic or determined to be infringing on other marks. We rely on both registration and common law protection for our trademarks. We may not be able to protect our rights to these trademarks and trade names or may be forced to stop using these names, which we need for name recognition by potential partners or customers in our markets of interest. During trademark registration proceedings, we may receive objections. Although we would be given an opportunity to respond to those objections, we may be unable to overcome such objections. In addition, in the USPTO and in comparable Intellectual Property Offices in many foreign jurisdictions, third parties are given an opportunity to oppose pending trademark applications and to seek to cancel registered trademarks. Opposition or cancellation proceedings have been and may in the future be filed against our trademarks, and our trademarks may not survive such proceedings. For example, our U.K. trademark application for “TICA” was successfully opposed in the U.K., Japan and the European Union for the majority of goods and services for which we originally applied, and we have abandoned our trademark application for “TICA” in the United States as a result. If we are unable to establish name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, we may not be able to compete effectively and our business may be adversely affected.
Risks Related to Employee Matters and Managing Growth
Our future success depends on our ability to retain key employees, consultants and advisors and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.
We are highly dependent on principal members of our executive team and key employees, the loss of whose services may adversely impact the achievement of our objectives. While we have entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers, any of them could leave our employment at any time. We do not maintain “key person” insurance policies on the lives of these individuals or the lives of any of our other employees. The loss of the services of one or more of our current key employees might impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives. Furthermore, replacing executive officers or other key employees may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to develop, gain marketing approval of and commercialize products successfully.
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Recruiting and retaining other qualified employees, consultants and advisors for our business, including scientific and technical personnel, will also be critical to our success. There is currently a shortage of skilled executives and personnel in our industry, which is likely to continue. As a result, competition for skilled personnel is intense and the turnover rate can be high. We may not be able to attract and retain personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for individuals with similar skill sets. In addition, failure to succeed in preclinical or clinical trials may make it more challenging to recruit and retain qualified personnel.
In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by other entities and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with those entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates will be limited.
The inability to recruit or the loss of the services of any executive, key employee, consultant or advisor may impede the progress of our research, development and commercialization objectives.
Our employees, independent contractors, consultants, collaborators and CROs may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements, which could cause significant liability for us and harm our reputation.
We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, consultants, collaborators and contract research organizations may engage in fraudulent conduct or other illegal activity. Misconduct by those parties could include intentional, reckless and/or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates: (1) FDA regulations or similar regulations of comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to such authorities; (2) manufacturing standards; (3) federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations and similar laws and regulations established and enforced by comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities; and (4) laws that require the reporting of financial information or data accurately. In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing, bribery and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Employee or collaborator misconduct could also involve the improper use of, including trading on, information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. Further, because of our hybrid work environment, information that is normally protected, including company confidential information, may be less secure. We have adopted a code of conduct and business ethics to which all of our employees must adhere, but it is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws, standards or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business and results of operations, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, additional reporting requirements and/or oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, imprisonment, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment of our operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.
We have recently expanded our organization significantly and we expect to continue to expand our organization, and as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.
We have recently experienced significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations and expect to continue to expand, particularly in the areas of drug manufacturing, supply chain, clinical development, sales, marketing, as well as to support our public company operations. To manage these growth activities,
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we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Our management may need to devote a significant amount of its attention to managing these growth activities. Moreover, our expected growth could require us to relocate to geographic areas beyond those where we have been historically located. For example, we maintain office and laboratory space in Cambridge, U.K. and in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at which many of our finance, management and administrative personnel work. Due to our limited resources, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion or relocation of our operations, retain key employees, or identify, recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Our inability to manage the expansion or relocation of our operations effectively may result in weaknesses in our infrastructure, give rise to operational mistakes, loss of business opportunities, loss of employees and reduced productivity among remaining employees. Our expected growth could also require significant capital expenditures and may divert financial resources from other projects, such as the development of additional product candidates. If we are unable to effectively manage our expected growth, our expenses may increase more than expected, our ability to generate revenues could be reduced and we may not be able to implement our business strategy, including the successful commercialization of our product candidates.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Securities
The market price of our ADSs is highly volatile, and holders of our ADSs may not be able to resell their ADSs at or above the price at which they purchased their ADSs.
The market price of our ADSs is highly volatile. Since our initial public offering, or IPO, in May 2019, through July 31, 2023, the trading price of our ADSs has ranged from $6.24 to $62.08. The stock market in general, and the market for biopharmaceutical companies in particular, has experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, holders of our ADSs may not be able to sell their ADSs at or above price at which they purchased their ADSs. The market price for our ADSs may be influenced by many factors, including:
● | adverse results or delays in preclinical studies or clinical trials; |
● | reports of adverse events in products similar or perceived to be similar to those we are developing or clinical trials of such products; |
● | an inability to obtain additional funding; |
● | failure by us to successfully develop and commercialize our product candidates; |
● | failure by us to maintain our existing strategic collaborations or enter into new collaborations; |
● | failure by us to identify additional product candidates for our pipeline; |
● | failure by us or our licensors and strategic partners to prosecute, maintain or enforce our intellectual property rights; |
● | changes in laws or regulations applicable to future products; |
● | changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems; |
● | an inability to obtain adequate product supply for our product candidates or the inability to do so at acceptable prices; |
● | adverse regulatory decisions; |
● | the introduction of new products, services or technologies by our competitors; |
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● | failure by us to meet or exceed financial projections we may provide to the public; |
● | failure by us to meet or exceed the financial projections of the investment community; |
● | the perception of the pharmaceutical industry by the public, legislatures, regulators and the investment community; |
● | announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by us, our strategic partners or our competitors; |
● | disputes or other developments relating to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for our technologies; |
● | additions or departures of key scientific or management personnel; |
● | significant lawsuits, including patent or shareholder litigation; |
● | changes in the market valuations of similar companies; |
● | sales of our ADSs or ordinary shares by us or our shareholders in the future; and |
● | the trading volume of our ADSs. |
The global economy, including credit and financial markets, has experienced extreme volatility and disruptions, including, among other things, severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates, supply chain shortages, increases in inflation rates, higher interest rates and uncertainty about economic stability. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread unemployment, economic slowdown and extreme volatility in the capital markets. Similarly, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has created extreme volatility in the global capital markets and is expected to have further global economic consequences, including disruptions of the global supply chain and energy markets. Any such volatility and disruptions may have adverse consequences on us or the third parties on whom we rely. If the equity and credit markets continue to deteriorate, it may make any necessary debt or equity financings more difficult to obtain in a timely manner or on favorable terms, more costly or more dilutive. Increased inflation rates can adversely affect us by increasing our costs, including labor and employee benefit costs. In addition, higher inflation and macro turmoil and uncertainty could also adversely affect our buyers and sellers, which could reduce demand for our products. These factors may negatively affect the market price of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance.
The dual class structure of our shares may limit your ability to influence corporate matters and may limit your visibility with respect to certain transactions.
As of July 31, 2023, we had 36,714,816 ordinary shares, nominal value £0.01 per share, and 4,705,882 non-voting ordinary shares, nominal value £0.01 per share, outstanding. The dual class structure of our shares may limit your ability to influence corporate matters. Holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of our non-voting ordinary shares are not entitled to any votes. Nevertheless, non-voting ordinary shares may be re-designated at any time as ordinary shares at the option of the holder by providing written notice to us, subject to certain restrictions as summarized in Exhibit 4.1 of our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 13, 2023.
Consequently, if holders of our non-voting ordinary shares exercise their option to make this re-designation, this will have the effect of increasing the relative voting power of those prior holders of our non-voting ordinary shares, and correspondingly decreasing the voting power of the holders of our ordinary shares, which may limit your ability to influence corporate matters. For example, the ordinary shares currently have 100% of the voting power, but if the holders of non-voting ordinary shares were to re-designate all of their shares as ordinary shares, the prior ordinary shares
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would have 88% of the voting power, and the former non-voting ordinary shares would represent 12% of the voting power.
There is no public market for our non-voting ordinary shares.
There is no public trading market for our non-voting ordinary shares, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to list the non-voting ordinary shares on The Nasdaq Global Select Market or any other securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system. Without an active trading market, the liquidity of the non-voting ordinary shares will be limited.
Future sales, or the possibility of future sales, of a substantial number of our securities could adversely affect the price of our ADSs and dilute shareholders.
Sales of a substantial number of our ADSs in the public market could occur at any time, subject to certain restrictions described below. If our existing shareholders sell, or indicate an intent to sell, substantial amounts of our securities in the public market, the trading price of the ADSs could decline significantly and could decline below the current trading prices of the ADSs. In addition, ordinary shares subject to outstanding options under our equity incentive plans and the ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plans will become eligible for sale in the public market in the future, subject to certain legal and contractual limitations.
Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our ADSs in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be the sole source of gains for holders of our ADSs, and they may never receive a return on their investment.
Under current English law, a company’s accumulated realized profits must exceed its accumulated realized losses (on a non-consolidated basis) before dividends can be declared and paid. Therefore, we must have distributable profits before declaring and paying a dividend. In addition, the terms of our indebtedness with Hercules prohibit us from paying dividends. We have not paid dividends in the past on our ordinary shares. We intend to retain earnings, if any, for use in our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, on our ADSs will be a holder’s sole source of gains for the foreseeable future, and holders will suffer a loss on their investment if they are unable to sell their ADSs at or above the original purchase price.
Risks Related to Our Incorporation Under the Laws of England and Wales
Claims of U.S. civil liabilities may not be enforceable against us.
We are incorporated under English law. Certain members of our board of directors and senior management are non-residents of the United States, and all or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of such persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible to serve process on such persons or us in the United States or to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts against them or us based on civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States.
The United States and the United Kingdom do not currently have a treaty providing for recognition and enforcement of judgments (other than arbitration awards) in civil and commercial matters. Consequently, a final judgment for payment given by a court in the United States, whether or not predicated solely upon U.S. securities laws, would not automatically be recognized or enforceable in the United Kingdom. In addition, uncertainty exists as to whether U.K. courts would entertain original actions brought in the United Kingdom against us or our directors or senior management predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. Any final and conclusive monetary judgment for a definite sum obtained against us in U.S. courts would be treated by the courts of the United Kingdom as a cause of action in itself and sued upon as a debt at common law so that no retrial of the issues would be necessary, provided that certain requirements are met. Whether these requirements are met in respect of a judgment based upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. securities laws, including whether the award of monetary damages under such laws would constitute a penalty, is an issue for the court making such decision. If an English court gives judgment for the sum payable under a U.S. judgment, the English judgment will be enforceable by methods
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generally available for this purpose. These methods generally permit the English court discretion to prescribe the manner of enforcement.
As a result, U.S. investors may not be able to enforce against us or our senior management, board of directors or certain experts named herein who are residents of the United Kingdom or countries other than the United States any judgments obtained in U.S. courts in civil and commercial matters, including judgments under the U.S. federal securities laws.
If we are a controlled foreign corporation, there could be adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to certain U.S. holders.
Each “Ten Percent Shareholder” (as defined below) in a non-U.S. corporation that is classified as a “controlled foreign corporation,” or a CFC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes generally is required to report annually and include in income for U.S. federal tax purposes such Ten Percent Shareholder’s pro rata share of the CFC’s “Subpart F income,” “global intangible low-taxed income,” and investment of earnings in U.S. property, even if the CFC has made no distributions to its shareholders. In addition, a Ten Percent Shareholder that realizes gain from the sale or exchange of shares in a CFC may be required to classify a portion of such gain as dividend income rather than capital gain. An individual that is a Ten Percent Shareholder with respect to a CFC generally would not be allowed certain tax deductions or foreign tax credits that would be allowed to a U.S. corporate that is a Ten Percent Shareholder with respect to a CFC. Failure to comply with these reporting and tax paying obligations may subject a Ten Percent Shareholder to significant monetary penalties and may prevent the statute of limitations from starting with respect to such shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax return for the year for which reporting was due. A non-U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a CFC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if Ten Percent Shareholders own (directly, indirectly or constructively through the application of attribution rules) more than 50% of either the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of such corporation entitled to vote or of the total value of the stock of such corporation. A “Ten Percent Shareholder” is a United States person (as defined by the Code) who owns or is considered to own (directly, indirectly or constructively through the application of attribution rules) 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote or 10% or more of the total value of all classes of stock of such corporation.
Each Ten Percent Shareholder should also be aware that because our group includes a U.S. subsidiary, certain of our non-U.S. subsidiaries will be treated as CFCs (regardless of whether or not we are treated as a CFC). We cannot provide any assurances that we will assist shareholders in determining whether we are or any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries is treated as a CFC or whether any shareholder is treated as a Ten Percent Shareholder with respect to any such CFC or furnish to any shareholders information that may be necessary to comply with reporting and tax paying obligations. The Internal Revenue Service has provided limited guidance on situations in which investors may rely on publicly available information to comply with their reporting and tax paying obligations with respect to foreign-controlled CFCs.
The determination of CFC status is complex and includes attribution rules, the application of which is not entirely certain. United States persons should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the potential adverse U.S. tax consequences of becoming a Ten Percent Shareholder in a CFC.
If we are a passive foreign investment company, there could be adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. holders.
Under the Code, we will be a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year in which (1) 75% or more of our gross income consists of passive income or (2) 50% or more of the average quarterly value of our assets consists of assets that produce, or are held for the production of, passive income, including cash. For purposes of these tests, passive income includes dividends, interest, gains from the sale or exchange of investment property and certain rents and royalties. In addition, for purposes of the above calculations, a non-U.S. corporation that directly or indirectly owns at least 25% by value of the shares of another corporation is treated as holding and receiving directly its proportionate share of assets and income of such corporation. If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a United States person holds our shares, such U.S. shareholder may be subject to adverse tax consequences regardless of whether we continue to qualify as a PFIC, including ineligibility for any preferred tax rates on capital gains or on actual or deemed dividends, interest charges on certain taxes treated as deferred and additional reporting requirements.
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Based on our analysis of our income, assets, activities and market capitalization, we believe that we were not a PFIC in the 2022 taxable year. However, no assurances can be provided that we will not be a PFIC for the current or any future taxable year or that we have not been a PFIC in any prior taxable years. The determination of whether we are a PFIC is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis applying principles and methodologies that in some circumstances are unclear and subject to varying interpretation. As a result, there can be no assurance regarding if we will be PFIC or will not be a PFIC in the future. In addition, the total value of our assets for PFIC testing purposes may be determined in part by reference to the market price of our ordinary shares or ADSs from time to time, which may fluctuate considerably. Under the income test, our status as a PFIC depends on the composition of our income which will depend on the transactions we enter into and our corporate structure.
We may be unable to use net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards and certain built-in losses to reduce future tax payments or benefit from favorable U.K. tax legislation.
As an entity incorporated and tax resident in the United Kingdom, we are subject to U.K. corporate taxation. Due to the nature of our business, we have generated losses since inception and therefore have not paid any U.K. corporation tax. Subject to numerous utilization criteria and restrictions (including the Corporate Income Loss Restriction and the Corporate Capital Loss Restriction that, broadly, restrict the amount of carried forward losses that can be utilized to 50% of group profits or gains arising above £5.0 million per tax year, we expect losses to be eligible for carry forward and utilization against future operating profits. In addition, if we were to have a major change in the nature of the conduct or the conduct of our trade, loss carryforwards may be restricted or extinguished.
As a group that carries out extensive research and development activities, we seek to benefit from one of two U.K. research and development tax relief programs, the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises R&D Tax Relief program, or SME Program, and for certain specific categories of expenditure the Research and Development Expenditure Credit program, or RDEC Program. The SME Program may be particularly beneficial to us, as under such program the trading losses that arise from our qualifying R&D activities can be surrendered for a cash rebate of up to 33.35% of qualifying expenditure incurred prior to April 1, 2023, and up to 18.6% of qualifying expenditure incurred thereafter (unless we qualify as “R&D intensive” for an accounting period (broadly, a loss making SME whose qualifying R&D expenditure for an accounting period represents 40% or more of its total expenditure for that accounting period), in which case the cash rebate that may be claimed will be 26.97% of qualifying expenditure). Further, amendments to the U.K. R&D tax credit regime have recently been proposed that may (unless limited exceptions apply) introduce restrictions on the tax relief that can be claimed for expenditure incurred on sub-contracted R&D activities or externally provided workers, where such sub-contracted activities are not carried out in the U.K. or such workers are not subject to U.K. payroll taxes. These amendments are expected to take effect from April 1, 2024. In addition, the U.K. Government is currently considering a proposal to merge the SME Program and the RDEC Program into a single scheme with effect from April 2024; if such proposal is implemented, it may be the case that we are no longer able to make claims in respect of sub-contracted R&D activities, and that different (and potentially lower) caps are imposed on the amount of tax relief that we can claim. These and other potential future changes to the U.K. research and development tax relief programs may be made which mean we may no longer qualify or have a material impact on the extent to which we can make claims.
We may benefit in the future from the United Kingdom’s “patent box” regime, which allows certain profits attributable to revenues from patented products (and other qualifying income) to be taxed at an effective rate of 10% by giving an additional tax deduction. We are the exclusive licensee or owner of several patent applications which, if issued, would cover our product candidates, and accordingly, future upfront fees, milestone fees, product revenues and royalties could be eligible for this tax deduction. When taken in combination with the enhanced relief available on our research and development expenditures, we expect a long-term rate of corporation tax lower than the statutory rate to apply to us. If, however, there are unexpected adverse changes to the U.K. research and development tax relief programs or the “patent box” regime, or for any reason we are unable to qualify for such advantageous tax legislation, or we are unable to use net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards and certain built-in losses to reduce future tax payments then our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected. This may impact our ongoing requirement for investment and the timeframes within which additional investment is required.
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Future changes to tax laws could materially adversely affect our company and reduce net returns to our shareholders.
The tax treatment of the company is, and our ADSs and ordinary shares are, subject to changes in tax laws, regulations and treaties, or the interpretation thereof, tax policy initiatives and reforms under consideration and the practices of tax authorities in jurisdictions in which we operate, as well as tax policy initiatives and reforms related to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s, or OECD, Base Erosion and Profit Shifting, or BEPS, Project (including “BEPS 2.0”), the European Commission’s state aid investigations and other initiatives. Such changes may include (but are not limited to) the taxation of operating income, investment income, dividends received or (in the specific context of withholding tax) dividends paid, or the stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax treatment of our ADSs or ordinary shares.
In the United States on August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the IRA, which includes a minimum tax equal to 15% of the adjusted financial statement income of certain corporations, as well as a 1% excise tax on share buybacks. In addition, beginning in 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminates the option to deduct research and development expenditures and requires taxpayers to amortize them over five years pursuant to IRC Section 174, 15 years for expenditures attributable to research and development conducted outside the United States. Although Congress is considering legislation that would defer the amortization requirement to later years, we have no assurance that the provision will be repealed or otherwise modified. If the requirement is not modified or deferred, it may materially reduce our cash flows. We are unable to predict what tax reform may be proposed or enacted in the future or what effect such changes would have on our business, but such changes, to the extent they are brought into tax legislation, regulations, policies or practices, could affect our financial position and overall or effective tax rates in the future in countries where we have operations, reduce post-tax returns to our shareholders, and increase the complexity, burden and cost of tax compliance.
Tax authorities may disagree with our positions and conclusions regarding certain tax positions, or may apply existing rules in an unforeseen manner, resulting in unanticipated costs, taxes or non-realization of expected benefits.
A tax authority may disagree with tax positions that we have taken, which could result in increased tax liabilities. For example, while we believe that we operate in compliance with applicable transfer pricing laws and intend to continue to do so, our transfer pricing procedures are not binding on applicable tax authorities. HMRC, the Internal Revenue Service or another tax authority could challenge our allocation of income by tax jurisdiction and the amounts paid between our affiliated companies pursuant to our intercompany arrangements and transfer pricing policies, including amounts paid with respect to our intellectual property development. Similarly, a tax authority could assert that we are subject to tax in a jurisdiction where we believe we have not established a taxable connection, often referred to as a “permanent establishment” under international tax treaties and, such an assertion, if successful, could increase our expected tax liability in one or more jurisdictions. A tax authority may take the position that material income tax liabilities, interest and penalties are payable by us, in which case, we expect that we might contest such assessment. Contesting such an assessment may be lengthy and costly and if we were unsuccessful in disputing the assessment, the implications could increase our anticipated effective tax rate, where applicable.
Provisions in the U.K. City Code on Takeovers and Mergers that may have anti-takeover effects do not apply to us.
The U.K. City Code on Takeovers and Mergers, or the Takeover Code, applies to an offer for, among other things, a public company whose registered office is in the United Kingdom if the company is considered by the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, or the Takeover Panel, to have its place of central management and control in the United Kingdom (or the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man). This is known as the “residency test.” The test for central management and control under the Takeover Code is different from that used by the U.K. tax authorities. Under the Takeover Code, the Takeover Panel will determine whether we have our place of central management and control in the United Kingdom by looking at various factors, primarily where the directors are resident.
In September 2019, the Takeover Panel Executive confirmed that, based on our current circumstances, we are not subject to the Takeover Code. As a result, our shareholders are not entitled to the benefit of certain takeover offer protections provided under the Takeover Code. We believe that this position is unlikely to change at any time in the near future but, in accordance with good practice, we will review the situation on a regular basis and consult with the
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Takeover Panel if there is any change in our circumstances which may have a bearing on whether the Takeover Panel would determine our place of central management and control to be in the United Kingdom.
The rights of our shareholders may differ from the rights typically offered to shareholders of a U.S. corporation.
We are incorporated under English law. The rights of holders of ordinary shares and, therefore, certain of the rights of holders of ADSs, are governed by English law, including the provisions of the U.K. Companies Act 2006, or the Companies Act, and by our Articles of Association. These rights differ in certain respects from the rights of shareholders in typical U.S. corporations. The principal differences include the following:
● | under English law and our articles of association, each shareholder present at a meeting has only one vote unless demand is made for a vote on a poll, in which case each holder gets one vote per share owned. Under U.S. law, each shareholder typically is entitled to one vote per share at all meetings; |
● | under English law, the number of shares determines the number of votes a holder may cast only on a poll. However, that the voting rights of ADSs are also governed by the provisions of a deposit agreement with our depositary bank; |
● | under English law, subject to certain exceptions and disapplications, each shareholder generally has preemptive rights to subscribe on a proportionate basis to any issuance of ordinary shares or rights to subscribe for, or to convert securities into, ordinary shares for cash. Under U.S. law, shareholders generally do not have preemptive rights unless specifically granted in the certificate of incorporation or otherwise; |
● | under English law and our articles of association, certain matters require the approval of 75% of the shareholders who vote (in person or by proxy) on the relevant resolution (or on a poll of shareholders representing 75% of the ordinary shares voting (in person or by proxy)), including amendments to the articles of association. This may make it more difficult for us to complete corporate transactions deemed advisable by our board of directors. Under U.S. law, generally only majority shareholder approval is required to amend the certificate of incorporation or to approve other significant transactions; |
● | in the United Kingdom, takeovers may be structured as takeover offers or as schemes of arrangement. Under English law, if we were to be subject to the Takeover Code, a bidder seeking to acquire us by means of a takeover offer would need to make an offer for all of our outstanding ordinary shares/ADSs. If acceptances are not received for 90% or more of the ordinary shares/ADSs under the offer, under English law, the bidder cannot complete a “squeeze out” to obtain 100% control of us. Accordingly, acceptances of 90% of our outstanding ordinary shares/ADSs will likely be a condition in any takeover offer to acquire us, not 50% as is more common in tender offers for corporations organized under Delaware law. By contrast, a scheme of arrangement, the successful completion of which would result in a bidder obtaining 100% control of us, requires the approval of a majority of shareholders voting at the meeting and representing 75% of the ordinary shares voting, as well as the sanction of the U.K. court; |
● | under English law and our articles of association, shareholders and other persons whom we know or have reasonable cause to believe are, or have been, interested in our shares may be required to disclose information regarding their interests in our shares upon our request, and the failure to provide the required information could result in the loss or restriction of rights attaching to the shares, including prohibitions on certain transfers of the shares, withholding of dividends and loss of voting rights. Comparable provisions generally do not exist under U.S. law; and |
● | the quorum requirement for a shareholders’ meeting is a minimum of two shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting and present in person or by proxy or, in the case of a shareholder that is a corporation, represented by a duly authorized officer. Under U.S. law, a majority of the shares eligible to vote must generally be present (in person or by proxy) at a shareholders’ meeting in order to constitute a quorum. The minimum number of shares required for a quorum can be reduced pursuant to a provision in a company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, but typically not below one-third of the shares entitled to vote at the meeting. |
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General Risks
Effective as of December 31, 2023, we will be a large accelerated filer, which may increase our costs and demands on management.
As a result of the market value of our ordinary shares and ADSs held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2023, we will be a large accelerated filer as of December 31, 2023 and we will no longer qualify as a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Exchange Act. However, we are not required to reflect the change in our smaller reporting company status and comply with the associated increased disclosure obligations, until our first quarterly report in our next fiscal year (i.e., the quarterly report for the three-month period ending March 31, 2024).
As a large accelerated filer, we will be subject to certain disclosure and compliance requirements that apply to other public companies. These requirements include, but are not limited to:
● | the requirement that our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; |
● | compliance with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements; and |
● | the requirement that we provide full and more detailed disclosures regarding executive compensation. |
Compliance with the additional requirements of being a large accelerated filer may increase our legal and financial compliance costs and may cause management and other personnel to divert attention from operational and other business matters to devote increased time to public company reporting requirements. In addition, if we are not able to comply with the changing requirements in a timely manner, the market price of our ADSs could decline, and we could be subject to sanctioning or investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, shareholders could lose confidence in our financial and other public reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our ADSs.
Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Our management is required to assess the effectiveness of our controls over financial reporting annually. Pursuant to Section 404, we are also required to furnish a report by our management on our internal control over financial reporting, including an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm at such time when we are no longer a smaller reporting company. Any testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404, or any subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our ADSs.
Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.
We are subject to certain reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to reasonably assure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute,
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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 that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements or insufficient disclosures due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
We could be subject to securities class action litigation.
In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities. This risk is especially relevant for us because pharmaceutical companies have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years. If we face such litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our ADS price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our ADSs depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. Although we have obtained research coverage from certain analysts, there can be no assurance that analysts will continue to cover us or provide favorable coverage. If one or more analysts downgrade our ADSs or change their opinion of our ADSs, our ADS price would likely decline. In addition, if one or more analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our ADS price or trading volume to decline.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
Not Applicable.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
Not Applicable.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not Applicable.
Item 5. Other Information.
Not Applicable.
Item 6. Exhibits.
Exhibit Number |
| Description |
---|---|---|
3.1 | ||
10.1*+ | ||
10.2*† | ||
10.3*† | ||
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Exhibit Number |
| Description |
---|---|---|
10.4* | ||
31.1* | ||
31.2* | ||
32.1# | ||
101.INS | XBRL Instance Document – the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document | |
101.SCH | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | |
101.CAL | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document | |
101.DEF | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document | |
101.LAB | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document | |
101.PRE | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document | |
104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File – the cover page XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document (included in Exhibit 101) |
* Filed herewith.
+ Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan.
† | Pursuant to Item 601(b)(10)(iv) of Regulation S-K, certain portions of this exhibit have been omitted because the identified information is not material and is the type that the registrant treats as private or confidential. |
# The certification attached as Exhibit 32.1 accompanying this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company 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.
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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.
BICYCLE THERAPEUTICS PLC | ||
Date: August 3, 2023 | By: | /s/ Kevin Lee |
Kevin Lee, Ph.D., MBA | ||
Chief Executive Officer | ||
(Principal Executive Officer) | ||
Date: August 3, 2023 | By: | /s/ Alethia Young |
Alethia Young | ||
Chief Financial Officer | ||
(Principal Financial Officer) |
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Exhibit 10.1
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This Employment Agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into effective as of June 22, 2023_____ (the “Effective Date”), by and between Alethia Young (“Executive”) and Bicycle Therapeutics Inc. (the “Company”).
The Company desires to employ Executive and, in connection therewith, to compensate Executive for Executive’s personal services to the Company; and
Executive wishes to be employed by the Company and provide personal services to the Company in return for certain compensation.
Accordingly, in consideration of the mutual promises and covenants contained herein, the parties agree to the following:
2. | Compensation. |
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In Witness Whereof, the parties have executed this Employment Agreement on the day and year first written above.
BICYCLE THERAPEUTICS INC.
By: /s/ Pierre Legault
Name: Pierre Legault
Title: Chairman of the board
EXECUTIVE:
/s/ Alethia Young
Alethia Young
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Exhibit A
CHANGE IN CONTROL
“Change in Control” means and includes each of the following:
The Compensation Committee of the Board of BTL shall have full and final authority, which shall be exercised in its sole discretion, to determine conclusively whether a Change in Control has occurred pursuant to the above definition, the date of the occurrence of such Change in Control and any incidental matters relating thereto; provided that any such Change in Control also qualifies as a “change in control event” as defined in Section 409A of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and the regulations and other guidance thereunder and any state law of similar effect, and any exercise of authority in conjunction with a determination of whether a Change in Control is a “change in control event” is consistent with such regulation.
“Control” shall have the meaning given to that word by Section 719 of the UK Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 and “Controlled” shall be construed accordingly.
“Sale” means the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of BTL.
“Takeover” means circumstances in which any person (or a group of persons acting in concert) (the “Acquiring Person”):
(a) | obtains Control of BTL as the result of making a general offer to:- |
i. | acquire all of the issued ordinary share capital of BTL, which is made on a condition that, if it is satisfied, the Acquiring Person will have Control of BTL; or |
ii. | acquire all of the shares in BTL; or |
(b) | obtains Control of BTL as a result of a compromise or arrangement sanctioned by a court under Section 899 of the UK Companies Act 2006, or sanctioned under any other similar law of another jurisdiction; or |
(c) | becomes bound or entitled under Sections 979 to 985 of the UK Companies Act 2006 (or similar law of another jurisdiction) to acquire shares in BTL or |
(d) | obtains Control of BTL in any other way, including but not limited to by way of a merger. |
Exhibit B
Employee Proprietary Information, Inventions, and Non-Solicitation Agreement
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Exhibit 10.2
RESTRICTED
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Contents
Page
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Collaboration and Licence Agreement (the "Agreement")
Dated May 4,2023 (the "Execution Date")
Between:
BicycleTx and Bayer are referred to herein individually as a "Party" and collectively as the "Parties".
Recitals:
Now, therefore, in consideration of the mutual promises and conditions set out in this Agreement, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties, intending to be legally bound, do hereby agree as follows:
1 | Definitions |
1.1 | "Accounting Standards" means, with respect to a Party and its Affiliates, either: |
(a) | the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in respect of Bayer; or |
(b) | the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) in respect of BicycleTx, |
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in either case ((a) or (b)) that are used by the relevant Party at the applicable time, and as consistently applied by such Party or any of its Affiliates;
1.2 | "Acquisition" means with respect to Bayer: |
(c) | that Bayer or any of its Affiliates consolidates or combines with or merges or reorganises into another corporation or entity not being an Affiliate of Bayer, or any corporation or entity not being an Affiliate of Bayer, consolidates or combines with or merges or reorganised into Bayer or any of its Affiliates, or there is a share exchange or other similar transaction, in each event pursuant to a transaction in which more than fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power of the outstanding voting securities of the surviving, purchasing or continuing entity (or, if applicable, the ultimate parent of such entity) is held by the Persons which held at least fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding voting securities of Bayer or its respective Affiliate (or, if applicable, the ultimate parent of such entity) preceding such consolidation, combination, reorganisation or merger; or |
1.3 | "Active Internal Program" means [***]; |
1.4 | "Acquired Principal Assets" has the meaning set forth in Clause 1.2(d); |
1.5 | "Additional Nominated Target" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.4; |
1.6 | "Additional Nominated Target Availability Notice" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.4; |
1.7 | "Additional Nominated Target Research Plan" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.4; |
1.8 | "Additional Target Nomination Effective Date" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.4; |
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1.10 | "Agreement" has the meaning set forth in the preamble hereto; |
1.11 | "Alliance Manager" has the meaning set forth in Clause 3.6; |
1.14 | "Bayer Background Patents" means Patents which Cover Bayer Background IP, including [***] and any Patent claiming priority, issued or granted from such Patents; |
1.15 | "Bayer Competitive Activities" has the meaning given to it in Clause 5.3.5; |
1.16 | "Bayer Exclusivity Obligations" has the meaning set forth in Clause 5.3.3; |
1.17 | "Bayer Indemnitees" has the meaning set forth in Clause 11.2; |
1.18 | "Bayer In-Licence Agreement" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.6.3(c) |
1.19 | "Bayer Linker" means a Linker in which [***]; |
1.20 | "Bayer Linker Know-How" means any Know-How Controlled by Bayer that relates to a Linker; |
1.21 | "Bayer Linker Patents" means Patents which Cover Bayer Linker Know-How; |
1.22 | "Bayer New Affiliates" has the meaning given to it in Clause 5.3.3; |
1.23 | "Bayer Non-RLT Collaboration Program Fee" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.3.2; |
1.24 | "Bayer Non-RLT Option" has the meaning set forth in Clause 4.2.1; |
1.25 | "Bayer Non-RLT Option Fee" has the meaning set forth in 7.3.1; |
1.26 | "Bayer Non-RLT Program" has the meaning set forth in Clause 4.2.1; |
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1.27 | "Bayer Sole IP" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.1.2(e); |
1.28 | "Bayer Sole Patents" means Patents which Cover the Bayer Sole IP; |
1.29 | "Bayer Specific Collaboration IP" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.1.2(b); |
1.30 | "Bayer Specific Collaboration Patents" means Patents which Cover the Bayer Specific Collaboration IP; |
1.31 | "BCC" means a compound that has been generated or optimised under the Research Activities of the Research Plan comprising [***]; |
1.32 | "Bicycle" means a monomeric peptide or peptide derivative crosslinked via a central scaffold to form a conformationally constrained structure with more than one cyclic component; |
1.33 | "BicycleTx" has the meaning set forth in the preamble hereto; |
1.35 | "BicycleTx Background Patents" means Patents which Cover BicycleTx Background IP, including [***] and any Patent claiming priority, issued or granted from such Patents; |
1.36 | "BicycleTx Competitive Activities" has the meaning given to it in Clause 5.3.2; |
1.37 | "BicycleTx Bicycle IP" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.1.2(a); |
1.38 | "BicycleTx Bicycle Patents" means Patents which Cover BicycleTx Bicycle IP; |
1.39 | "BicycleTx Exclusivity Obligations" has the meaning set forth in Clause 5.3.1; |
1.40 | "BicycleTx Indemnitees" has the meaning set forth in Clause 11.1; |
1.41 | "BicycleTx New Affiliates" has the meaning given to it in Clause 5.3.2; |
1.42 | "BicycleTx Sole IP" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.1.2(e); |
1.43 | "BicycleTx Sole Patents" means Patents which Cover BicycleTx Sole IP; |
1.44 | "BicycleTx Specific Collaboration IP" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.1.2(a); |
1.45 | "BicycleTx Specific Collaboration Patents" means Patents which Cover BicycleTx Specific Collaboration IP; |
1.46 | "BicycleTx Trademarks" means the Trademarks listed in Schedule 3; |
1.47 | "BRC" means a compound that has been generated or optimised under the Research Activities of the Research Plan comprising [***]; |
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1.48 | "Breach Notice" has the meaning set forth in Clause 12.2.1; |
1.49 | "Business Day" means a day other than a Saturday or Sunday on which banking institutions in London, England, in Berlin, Germany and Basel, Switzerland are open for business; |
1.52 | "Change of Control" means with respect to a Party: |
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1.54 | "Clinical Trial" means a human clinical study: |
(a) | in which a Licensed Product is administered to human subjects; and |
(b) | that is designed to: |
1.55 | "Co-Chair(s)" has the meaning set forth in Clause 3.1.1; |
1.57 | "Collaboration Phage Display Platform IP" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.1.2(a); |
1.58 | "Collaboration Program" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.1; |
1.61 | "Company Core Data Sheet" means the global reference labelling document used to direct the content of country-specific labelling for Licensed Products; |
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1.65 | "DC Preparation Period" has the meaning set forth in Clause 4.1.4; |
1.67 | "Development Candidate" means a BRC or Non-BRC (as applicable) that has been elected for further Development as a Licensed Product pursuant to Clause 4.1.6; |
1.68 | "Development Candidate Election" has the meaning set forth in Clause 4.1.6; |
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1.69 | "Development Candidate IP" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.1.2(b); |
1.70 | "Development Candidate Patents" means Patents which Cover Development Candidate IP; |
1.71 | "Development Milestone Event" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.4.1; |
1.72 | "Development Milestone Payment" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.4.1; |
1.73 | "Disclosing Party" has the meaning set forth in Clause 9.1; |
1.74 | "Dispute" has the meaning set forth in Clause 13.5; |
1.75 | "Dollars" or "$" means United States Dollars; |
1.77 | "Effective Date" has the meaning set forth in paragraph 1(a) of Schedule 6 hereto; |
1.78 | "EMA" means the European Medicines Agency and any successor agency(ies) or authority having substantially the same function; |
1.79 | "European Major Market" means each of the [***]; |
1.80 | “Execution Date” has the meaning set forth in the preamble hereto; |
1.82 | "Extended Development Term" has the meaning set forth in Clause 4.1.3; |
1.83 | "Extended PCC Research Term" has the meaning set forth in Clause 4.1.3; |
1.84 | "Extended Research Term" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.6.2; |
1.85 | "FDA" means the United States Food and Drug Administration and any successor agency(ies) or authority having substantially the same function; |
1.87 | "Field" means all therapeutic (including the treatment or prevention of any disease) and diagnostic uses for humans or animals; |
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1.89 | "FPFD" means, with respect to a Licensed Product and a Clinical Trial, the first dosing of the first patient with such Licensed Product in such Clinical Trial; |
1.91 | "Futility Decision" means a decision that a compound or product is unlikely to achieve the [***]; |
1.92 | "Gatekeeper" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.5.4; |
1.94 | "Hit Bicycle" means a Bicycle that binds to the applicable Target of the respective Collaboration Program; |
1.95 | "IND" means an application filed with a Regulatory Authority for authorization to commence Clinical Trials, including: |
1.96 | "Indemnification Claim Notice" has the meaning set forth in Clause 11.3; |
1.97 | "Indemnified Party" has the meaning set forth in Clause 11.3; |
1.98 | "Indemnifying Party" has the meaning set forth in Clause 11.3; |
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1.99 | "Indication" means [***]. For clarity, [***]: |
1.100 | "Initial Research Term" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.6.1; |
1.101 | "Initial Target(s)" means each of the targets set forth in Schedule 1; |
1.102 | "Initial Target Substitute" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.5.1; |
1.103 | "Initial Target Substitution Notice" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.5.1; |
1.104 | "Insolvency Event" has the meaning set forth in Clause 12.4; |
1.107 | "IP Challenge" has the meaning set forth in Clause 12.2.2; |
1.108 | "Joint Collaboration IP" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.1.2(e); |
1.109 | "Joint Collaboration Patents" means Patents which Cover Joint Collaboration IP; |
1.110 | "JPC" has the meaning set forth in Clause 3.8; |
1.111 | "JRC" has the meaning set forth in Clause 3.1.1; |
1.112 | "JRC Member" has the meaning set forth in Clause 3.1.1; |
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1.114 | [***]; |
1.116 | "Licensed IP" means the BicycleTx Background IP, BicycleTx Sole IP and the BicycleTx Specific Collaboration IP, excluding [***]; |
1.117 | "Licensed Non-RLT Product" means a product that contains or incorporates (i) a Licensed Compound, or (ii) a [***], that is a Non-BRC; |
1.118 | "Licensed Product" means a Licensed RLT-Product or a Licensed Non-RLT Product, as applicable; |
1.119 | "Licensed RLT-Product" means a product that contains or incorporates (i) a Licensed Compound, or (ii) a [***], that is a BRC whether in its radioactive or non-radioactive state; |
1.120 | "Linker" means any chemical matter bridging or capable of acting as a bridging moiety between the Bicycle and any other moiety; |
1.121 | "Linker Specific Collaboration IP" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.1.2(c); |
1.122 | "Losses" has the meaning set forth in Clause 11.1; |
1.123 | "MAA" has the meaning set forth in Clause 1.76; |
1.124 | "Macrocyclic Peptide" means peptide or peptidomimetic structures comprising one or more rings spanning multiple amino acid residues; |
1.125 | "Major Market" means each of the [***]; |
1.128 | "Materials" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.8.2; |
1.129 | [***]; |
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any Regulatory Authority, including all documents, data, and other information concerning Licensed Products, which are necessary for gaining Regulatory Approval to market and sell Licensed Product in the relevant jurisdiction; |
1.132.1 | [***]; |
1.132.2 | [***]; |
1.132.3 | [***]; |
1.132.4 | [***]; |
1.132.5 | [***]; and |
1.132.6 | [***]. |
[***]:
1.132.7 | [***]; |
1.132.8 | [***]; |
1.132.9 | [***]; |
1.132.10 | [***]; |
[***].
1.133 | "Nomination Fee" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.2; |
1.134 | "Non-BRC" means a compound (i) comprising of one or more Bicycles that bind to a Target that (ii) does not contain a radionuclide [***]; |
1.135 | "Non-RLT Collaboration Program" has the meaning set forth in Clause 4.2.1; |
1.136 | "Non-RLT Option Period" has the meaning set forth in Clause 4.2.2; |
1.137 | "Non-Specific Collaboration IP" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.1.2(d); |
1.138 | "Optimised Bicycle" means a Hit Bicycle that has [***]; |
1.139 | [***]; |
1.140 | "Party" and "Parties" has the meaning set forth in the preamble hereto; |
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1.143 | [***]; |
1.145 | "Phage Display Platform IP" means [***]; |
1.146 | "Phage Platform" means (a) [***], (b) [***], and (c) any improvements or enhancements to (a) and (b); |
1.149 | "Phase II Clinical Trial" means a Clinical Trial in any country that would satisfy the requirements of 21 C.F.R. § 312.21(b) or any of its foreign equivalents; |
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1.151 | "Pounds" or "GBP" or "£" means British pounds sterling; |
1.152 | "Product Labelling" means, with respect to a Licensed Product in a country or other jurisdiction in the Territory: |
1.154 | "Progress Report" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.3.6; |
1.155 | "Publishing Notice" has the meaning set forth in Clause 9.5; |
1.156 | "Publishing Party" has the meaning set forth in Clause 9.59.5; |
1.157 | "Receiving Party" has the meaning set forth in Clause 9.1; |
1.158 | "Redacted Agreement" has the meaning set forth in Clause 9.2.29.2.2; |
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1.162 | "Research Activities" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.2.1; |
1.163 | "Research Plan" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.2.12.2.1; |
1.164 | "Research Term" means, in respect of each Collaboration Program, the Initial Research Term and any Extended Research Term or Extended PCC Research Term, as applicable; |
1.165 | "Royalty Patent" means [***]; |
1.166 | "Royalty Payment" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.6.1(a); |
1.167 | "Royalty Term" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.6.2; |
1.168 | "Rules" has the meaning set forth in Clause 13.6.2; |
1.169 | "Sales Milestone Event" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.5.1; |
1.170 | "Sales Milestone Payment" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.5.1; |
1.171 | "Scientific Program Lead" has the meaning set forth in Clause 3.5; |
1.173 | "Sold Principal Assets" has the meaning set forth in Clause 1.52; |
1.174 | "Sublicensee" means a Person, other than a Third Party Service Provider, who has been granted a sublicence by Bayer under the licence grants in Clause 6.1 as provided in Clause 6.5; |
1.175 | "Substitute Nominated Target" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.5.2; |
1.176 | "Substitute Nominated Target Fee" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.2.2; |
1.177 | "Substitute Target" means an Initial Target Substitute or a Substitute Nominated Target, as applicable; |
1.178 | "Substitute Target Availability Notice" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.5.3; |
1.179 | "Substitute Target Research Plan" has the meaning set forth in Clause 2.5.3; |
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1.180 | "Target" means the Initial Targets, the Additional Nominated Target, and the Substitute Targets, in each case as applicable; |
1.181 | "target" means a protein identified by its gene name, UniProt ID and its amino acid sequence, or other similar information; |
1.182 | "Target Substitute Fee" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.2.3; |
1.183 | "Term" has the meaning set forth in Clause 12.1; |
1.184 | "Terminated Asset" means, on a Collaboration Program-by-Collaboration Program basis, with respect to a Collaboration Program that is terminated by [***] under Clause 12 or expires pursuant to Clause 12.1.2, each Licensed Compound, Development Candidate and Licensed Product, that is the subject of such Collaboration Program; |
1.185 | "Terminated Target" means a Target that (i) is the subject of a Collaboration Program or, as applicable, a Bayer Non-RLT Program that has expired pursuant to Clause 12.1.2; (ii) is the subject of a Collaboration Program that has been terminated pursuant to Clause 12 where all other Collaboration Programs in respect of such Target have expired or been terminated pursuant to Clause 12; (iii)12.1.2 to which a Licensed Product is directed that has been terminated pursuant to Clause 12 where all other Licensed Products directed to such Target have expired or been terminated pursuant to Clause 12; (iv) has been terminated for any reason pursuant to Clause 12; or (v) has been substituted pursuant to Clause 2.5; |
1.186 | "Territory" means the entire world; |
1.187 | "Third Party" means any Person other than BicycleTx, Bayer and their respective Affiliates; |
1.188 | "Third Party Claims" has the meaning set forth in Clause 11.1; |
1.189 | "Third Party Infringement" has the meaning set forth in Clause 8.4.1; |
1.190 | "Third Party Service Provider" has the meaning set forth in Clause 6.6; |
1.193 | "United States" or "U.S.A." means the United States of America and its territories and possessions (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico); |
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1.194 | "Upfront Fee" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.1; |
1.196 | "VAT" means: |
(a) | any tax imposed in compliance with the Value Added Tax Act 1994 or Directive 2006/112/EC; and |
(b) | any tax of a similar nature, wherever imposed); and |
1.197 | "Withholding Tax Action" has the meaning set forth in Clause 7.10.3. |
| |
2 | Collaboration Program and Research Activities |
2.1 | Collaboration Overview |
The Parties agree that, during the Research Term, each Party shall perform the applicable Research Activities for the purpose of developing Licensed Compounds and Licensed Products in respect of each Target for use in the Field. The Research Activities in respect of a Target shall each be a collaboration program between the Parties pursuant to a Research Plan (each a "Collaboration Program"). [***]. The Parties shall commence after the Effective Date two Collaboration Programs each directed against a different Initial Target. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, Bayer may exercise its right to commence a third Collaboration Program directed against an Additional Nominated Target or to commence an additional Collaboration Program or Bayer Non-RLT Program per Target for the Development of Licensed Non-RLT Products.
2.2 | Research Plan |
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Target Substitute Fee (as applicable), each Party, as applicable, shall commence the Research Activities allocated to it under the Research Plan at Schedule 2 within [***] after the Effective Date and shall commence the Research Activities under any Additional Nominated Target Research Plan or Substitute Target Research Plan within [***] of the relevant Research Plan being mutually agreed. |
2.2.3 | During the Research Term, the Parties may amend the Research Plan in accordance with Clause 3.1.2(a). [***], this Clause 2.2.3 prevails and [***] |
2.2.5 | In no event shall BicycleTx be required to work on [***] Collaboration Programs at the same time during the Research Term, except where the JRC decides by unanimous vote that BicycleTx shall work on more than [***] Collaborations Programs at the same time. |
2.3 | Research Diligence Efforts and Reporting |
2.3.1 | The Parties shall perform the Research Activities in good scientific manner, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, and in compliance with all Applicable Law. |
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any substantial difficulties or delays), results and next steps of such Research Activities at such JRC meetings. |
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2.4 | Additional Target Nomination Right |
2.5 | Target Substitution Rights |
For the avoidance of doubt, Bayer may only propose [***] Initial Substitute Target at a time.
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2.5.4 | Gatekeeper mechanism |
If either Party desires, at any time following the Effective Date, to make confidential inquiries regarding the availability of an Additional Nominated Target or a Substitute Target (i.e. through the process set forth in Clauses 2.4.1, 2.5.1, 2.5.2 and 2.5.3), such Party shall notify the other Party in writing thereof. As soon as reasonably practicable following receipt of such notice, and in any case within [***] following receipt of such notice, [***] shall engage an independent Third Party mutually agreeable to the Parties (the "Gatekeeper") for the purposes of performing the applicable functions set forth in Clauses 2.4.1 and 2.5.3, including (a) maintaining a list of Unavailable Targets, and (b) issuing the Substitute Target Availability Notice or the Additional Nominated Target Availability Notice. The costs of the Gatekeeper shall be [***]. Such engagement shall be on terms consistent with this Agreement and mutually agreeable to the Parties, including provisions relating to confidentiality. The identity of the Unavailable Targets shall be deemed the Confidential Information of BicycleTx, and the identity of the proposed Additional Nominated Target, Initial Target Substitute, and Substitute Nominated Target shall be deemed the Confidential Information of Bayer. Following the appointment of a Gatekeeper, (i) all references in Clauses 2.4.1, 2.5.1, 2.5.2 and 2.5.3 regarding disclosure by one Party to the other Party shall instead be deemed to refer to disclosure to or by the Gatekeeper by or to the applicable Party, mutatis mutandis, and (ii) BicycleTx shall notify the Gatekeeper of the Unavailable Targets promptly, but in no event later than [***] after any target becomes an Unavailable Target. Upon
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receipt of such notification, the Gatekeeper shall update the list of Unavailable Targets accordingly.
2.6 | Research Term |
2.6.1 | Subject to Clauses 2.6.2, 4.1.3, 4.1.4 and 12, each Collaboration Program in respect of: |
(in each case an "Initial Research Term").
2.7 | Supply of Bicycles |
2.7.2 | BicycleTx shall be permitted to use contract development and manufacturing organisations pursuant to Clause 6.6 for the purpose of its Manufacturing pursuant to Clause 2.7.1. |
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2.7.4 | For clarity, Bayer shall not use the Bicycles provided by or on behalf of BicycleTx to Bayer for purposes outside of this Agreement or in contravention of Applicable Law. |
2.8 | Supply of chemical chelates and radionuclide material |
2.8.3 | Each Party acknowledges that all Materials exchanged hereunder are experimental and their properties are not completely known. The receiving Party shall use, store and handle such Materials with prudence and appropriate caution and in accordance with the Applicable Law relating thereto. Unless agreed otherwise, any unused portion of the Materials shall be, at the providing Party's option, either returned to the providing Party at its cost or destroyed, provided, however, that such obligation shall not apply to the extent rights to the relevant Materials are obtained or retained by either Party pursuant to the express provisions of this Agreement. |
2.8.4 | Both Parties agree that animal welfare is considered important for ethical reasons as well as for the sake of quality of studies. If the Research Activities comprise in vivo testing, the Parties agree to apply high standards of animal care and shall in any event comply with the Applicable Law in that regard. |
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3 | Collaboration Management |
3.1 | Joint Research Committee |
3.1.1 | Formation |
Within [***] after the Effective Date, the Parties shall establish a joint research committee (the "JRC"). The JRC shall be comprised of an equal number of representatives from each of Bayer and BicycleTx. The JRC shall consist of up to [***] representatives from each of the Parties (a "JRC Member"). Each JRC Member shall have the requisite experience and seniority to enable such person to make decisions on behalf of the applicable Party with respect to the issues falling within the decision-making authority of the JRC. From time to time, each Party may substitute [***] or more of its JRC Members on written notice to the other Party. Each Party shall select from its JRC Members a representative who will chair the JRC jointly with the selected representative from the other Party (the "Co-Chairs"). Each Party may replace its Co-Chair from time to time by informing the other Party in writing. The Co-Chairs of the JRC shall not have any greater authority than any other JRC Members.
3.1.2 | Specific Responsibilities |
The JRC shall oversee the Research Activities undertaken in accordance with the applicable Research Plan for each Collaboration Program and serve as a consultative and information-exchange for the ongoing Collaboration Programs. In particular, the JRC shall:
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3.2 | General Provisions Applicable to the JRC |
3.2.1 | Meetings and Minutes |
The JRC shall hold meetings at such time as agreed between the Co-Chairs, but in no event less frequently than [***], approximately [***] every [***] during the Research Term. Subject to Clause 3.11, the JRC shall meet either in person or by tele-/videoconference with the venue of the in person meetings alternating between locations designated by BicycleTx and locations designated by Bayer. At least [***] the JRC Members shall meet in person, unless otherwise agreed by the Co-Chairs. The Alliance Manager shall be permitted to attend any such JRC meetings. The Co-Chairs of the JRC shall be responsible for calling meetings on no less than [***] notice, unless the JRC Members agree to convene on shorter notice. Each Party shall make all proposals for agenda items and shall provide all appropriate information with respect to such proposed items at least [***] in advance of the applicable meeting; provided that under exigent circumstances requiring input by the JRC, a Party may provide its agenda items to the other Party within a shorter period of time in advance of the meeting, and provided that the other Party will endeavour to prepare for such agenda item on short notice but will not be expected to provide its conclusive input or final opinion thereon. The Co-Chairs of the JRC (or their designee) shall prepare and circulate minutes of each meeting within [***] after the meeting for the Parties' review and approval. The Parties shall agree on the minutes of each meeting promptly, but in no event later than within [***] following circulation of the draft minutes.
3.2.2 | Procedural Rules |
The JRC shall have the right to adopt such standing rules as shall be necessary for its work, so long as such rules are not inconsistent with this Agreement. A quorum of the JRC shall exist whenever there is present at a meeting at least [***] JRC Members appointed by each Party. Representation by proxy shall be allowed. The JRC shall take action by unanimous decision at a meeting at which a quorum exists, with each Party having a single vote irrespective of the number of representatives of such Party in attendance as JRC Members, or by a written resolution signed by at least [***] JRC Member appointed by each Party.
3.2.3 | Non-Member Attendance |
Each Party may from time to time invite a reasonable number of participants, in addition to the JRC Members, to attend JRC meetings in a non-voting capacity; provided that:
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3.3 | Decisions |
3.3.1 | Decision Making Authority |
The JRC shall decide matters within its responsibilities pursuant to Clause 3.1.2.
3.3.2 | Consensus; Good Faith |
The JRC Members shall in good faith cooperate with one another and shall endeavour to seek agreement with respect to issues to be decided by the JRC.
3.3.3 | Final Decision Right; Dispute Resolution |
If the JRC cannot, or does not, reach consensus on an issue within its purview, then Bayer shall have final say on [***] provided that in exercising such final decision making authority, Bayer may not (a) [***] shall be mutually agreed between the Parties and not subject to [***] (b) amend the [***], the [***] or the [***] and in such event the status quo shall persist unless and until the Parties' mutually agree in writing, (c) require BicycleTx to work on more than [***] at the same time during the Research Term, (d) have final decision making authority on any matter which is [***], or (e) impose any requirement on BicycleTx to undertake obligations beyond those for which it is responsible or to forgo any of its rights under this Agreement, or require BicycleTx to violate any Applicable Law, ethical requirement, or any agreement it may have with any Third Party, or amend the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
3.4 | Limitations on Authority |
Each Party shall retain the rights, powers, and discretion granted to it under this Agreement and no such rights, powers, or discretion shall be delegated to or vested in the JRC unless such delegation or vesting of rights is expressly provided for in this Agreement. The JRC shall not have the power to amend, modify, or waive compliance with this Agreement, which may only be amended or modified as provided in Clause 13.8 or compliance with which may only be waived as provided in Clause 13.10.
3.5 | Scientific Program Lead |
Each Party shall appoint a project leader for each Collaboration Program who shall be responsible for the day-to-day dealings under the applicable Collaboration Program and shall be the primary point of contact for the other Party for the exchange of information relating to the operation and scientific matters with respect to the Research Activities of the applicable Collaboration Program (the "Scientific Program Lead"). The Scientific Program Leads shall report on the progress of the Collaboration
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Program for which they are the project leader to the JRC during the Research Term. Further, BicycleTx shall provide the Progress Reports as set forth in Clause 2.3.6. For the avoidance of doubt, irrespective of the reports to the JRC or the written Progress Reports, the Scientific Program Leads shall exchange information relating to the operational and scientific matters with respect to the Research Activities of the applicable Collaboration Program as reasonably necessary to coordinate and conduct the Research Activities assigned to the Parties under the Research Plan.
3.6 | Alliance Manager |
Each Party shall appoint a person who shall act as the primary point of contact for general matters concerning the Collaboration Programs and this Agreement to assure a successful relationship between the Parties and shall have such other responsibilities as the Parties may agree in the JRC and as documented in the respective JRC minutes after the Effective Date (each, an "Alliance Manager"). The Alliance Managers shall be permitted to attend JRC meetings as appropriate but shall not become voting members of such committee during their role as Alliance Managers. Each Party may replace its Alliance Manager at any time by notice in writing to the other Party.
3.7 | Discontinuation of the JRC |
The JRC shall subsist until, on a Collaboration Program-by-Collaboration Program basis, the earlier of (i) [***], (ii) [***] or the early termination of the Collaboration Program or the discontinuation of the Research Activities, each in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, or (iii) [***]. Thereafter, each Party shall designate, to the extent necessary, a contact person for the exchange of information under this Agreement or such exchange of information shall be made through the Alliance Managers.
3.8 | Joint Patent Committee |
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3.9 | Expenses |
[***].
3.10 | Future Collaboration |
The Parties shall discuss, no earlier than [***] after the Effective Date, if the Parties are interested in the Development of radioligand compounds directed to further targets outside the scope of the Collaboration Programs.
3.11 | Location of Meetings |
Generally, the regular meetings of the JRC according to Clause 3.2.1 and the JPC according to Clause 3.8.2 shall [***].
4 | Development and Regulatory Matters |
4.1 | Production and Selection of Development Candidate |
4.1.1 | The Parties shall use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to produce a BRC that meets the [***] during the Initial Research Term of the applicable Collaboration Program. |
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required to use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to produce a Non-BRC that meets the [***] in respect of a Bayer Non-RLT Program). |
4.2 | Non-RLT Option |
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on its own outside of a Collaboration Program (the "Bayer Non-RLT Program") ((i) and (ii) collectively referred to as the "Bayer Non-RLT Option"). |
4.2.2 | Bayer may exercise the Bayer Non-RLT Option on a Target-by-Target basis by providing written notice to BicycleTx: |
collectively referred to as the "Non-RLT Option Period".
4.2.6 | On a Target-by-Target basis, any exercise by Bayer of the Bayer Non-RLT Option in respect of a Bayer Non-RLT Program shall not be subject to an option exercise fee. |
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4.3 | Development of Licensed Products |
4.3.1 | For each Target for which Bayer made a Development Candidate Election pursuant to Clause 4.1.5, with respect to such Target, Bayer shall: |
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4.4 | Regulatory Matters |
4.4.1 | Regulatory Activities |
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4.4.2 | Recalls |
Bayer shall notify BicycleTx without undue delay following its determination that any event, incident, or circumstance has occurred that will result in the need for a recall, market suspension, or market withdrawal of a Licensed Product in the Territory and shall include in such notice the reasoning behind such determination. Bayer (or its Affiliate or Sublicensee) shall have the right to make the final determination whether to voluntarily implement any such recall, market suspension, or market withdrawal in the Territory. If such recall, market suspension, or market withdrawal is mandated by a Regulatory Authority in the Territory and is to be mandatorily implemented without suspensory effect irrespective of any legal remedies or appeals that are pursued by Bayer against the Regulatory Authority's decision, Bayer (or its Affiliate or Sublicensee) shall initiate such recall, market suspension, or market withdrawal in compliance with Applicable Law. For all recalls, market suspensions or market withdrawals undertaken pursuant to this Clause 4.4.24.4.2, Bayer (or its Affiliate or Sublicensee) shall be solely responsible for the execution thereof. Bayer shall inform BicycleTx with regards to the progress of any such recalls, market suspensions or market withdrawals.
4.5 | Records |
Bayer shall maintain records in sufficient detail and in good scientific manner appropriate for patent and regulatory purposes, and in compliance with Applicable Law, which shall [***]. Such records shall be retained by Bayer, as the case may be, for at least [***] after the termination or expiry of this Agreement for the respective Licensed Product, or [***].
5 | Commercialisation |
5.1 | In General |
Bayer (itself or through its Affiliates or Sublicensees) shall have the sole right, control and responsibility to Commercialise the Licensed Products in the Territory at its own cost and expense.
5.2 | Commercialisation Diligence |
For each Target for which Bayer made a Development Candidate Election pursuant to Clause 4.1.6, with respect to such Target, Bayer shall use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to Commercialise [***] for therapeutic purposes directed to the applicable Target for humans and in each [***] following receipt of Regulatory Approval thereof in such [***].
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5.3 | Exclusivity |
5.3.2 | [***]. |
5.3.5 | [***]. |
6 | Grant of Rights |
6.1 | Grants to Bayer |
6.1.2 | BicycleTx hereby grants to Bayer a non-exclusive, fully-paid-up, royalty-free, sublicensable only in conjunction with a sublicence under Clause 6.1.1, licence |
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under the BicycleTx Trademarks for use only as an element of a Product Trademark. |
6.2 | Grants to BicycleTx |
Bayer hereby grants to BicycleTx a non-exclusive, fully-paid-up, royalty-free, non-sublicensable (except to its Affiliates or Third Party Service Providers acting on its behalf and approved in accordance with Clause 6.6) licence under the Bayer Background IP, Bayer Sole IP and Bayer Specific Collaboration IP in the Territory and in the Field solely as and to the extent necessary for BicycleTx to carry out its Research Activities as set out in the Research Plan during the Research Term.
6.3 | [***] |
[***].
6.4 | General Knowledge and Public Domain Information |
Nothing in this Agreement will preclude or limit either Party from utilising the non-patented general knowledge gained by it (other than through disclosure to it by the other Party) during the course of the Research Plan to conduct development or commercialisation activities outside the scope of this Agreement.
6.4.1 | For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall prevent either Party or its Affiliates from using for any purpose any Know-How or other Confidential Information that falls under any of the exceptions for Confidential Information set forth in Clause 9.1. |
6.5 | Sublicences |
6.5.1 | Bayer shall have the right to grant sublicences, through multiple tiers of sublicensees, under the licences granted in Clause 6.1 6.1to its Affiliates and Third Parties, provided that: |
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6.6 | Third Party Service Providers |
Without limiting Clause 6.1 and Clause 6.2, each Party (and their Affiliates) shall have the right to appoint a Third Party [***] to provide research, Development, Manufacturing and Commercialisation services to that Party in connection with the Research Activities assigned to it or such other activities assigned to it with respect to the Licensed Compound or Licensed Products, including contract research organisations, contract manufacturers, academic institutions, service providers and distributors (a "Third Party Service Provider"). Where a Party appoints a Third Party Service Provider during the Research Term of the respective Collaboration Program, such Party shall inform the other Party in writing (for which an email suffices) [***]. For the avoidance of doubt, after the Research Term of a Collaboration Program for which Bayer made a Development Candidate Election, Bayer shall have no obligation to inform BicycleTx of any Third Party Service Providers contracted by or on behalf of Bayer or its Affiliates. Each Party shall enter into a written agreement with each Third Party Service Provider it appoints on terms and conditions that ensure that the subcontracting Party complies with its obligations of this Agreement including its confidentiality obligations and non-use restrictions in Clause 9, the Intellectual Property provisions in Clause 8 and licence grants in this Clause 6 and each Party shall be responsible for the acts and omissions of their Third Party Service Providers.
6.7 | BicycleTx Retention of Rights |
Notwithstanding the exclusive licence granted to Bayer pursuant to Clause 6.1.1, BicycleTx shall retain all rights under the Licensed IP and BicycleTx's share in the Joint Collaboration IP:
6.7.1 | to perform, and to subcontract pursuant to Clause 6.6 its obligations under this Agreement; and |
6.7.2 | for any purpose outside the scope of the licences and rights granted under Clause 6.1, including to develop, manufacture, commercialise and otherwise |
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exploit any products or services other than the Licensed Products, subject to Clause 5.3. |
6.8 | Bayer Retention of Rights |
Subject to Clause 5.3.3 and the licence granted to BicycleTx pursuant to Clause 6.2, Bayer shall retain all rights under Bayer Background IP, Bayer Sole IP, Bayer Specific Collaboration IP and its share in the Joint Collaboration IP.
6.9 | No Implied Licences |
Except as expressly provided herein, BicycleTx grants no other right or licence to Bayer hereunder, including any rights or licences under the Licensed IP and BicycleTx's share in the Joint Collaboration IP or any other Intellectual Property rights not otherwise expressly granted herein. Except as expressly provided herein, Bayer grants no other right or licence to BicycleTx hereunder, including any rights or licences to Bayer Background IP, any Bayer Sole IP, Bayer Specific Collaboration IP and Bayer’s share in the Joint Collaboration IP or any other Intellectual Property rights not otherwise expressly granted herein. Bayer shall not Exploit the Licensed IP and BicycleTx's share in the Joint Collaboration IP or any other Intellectual Property of BicycleTx except as expressly authorised under the terms of this Agreement and BicycleTx shall not Exploit the Bayer Background IP, Bayer Sole IP or Bayer Specific Collaboration IP and Bayer’s share in the Joint Collaboration IP or any other Intellectual Property of Bayer except as expressly authorised under the terms of this Agreement.
7 | Payments, Taxes and Records |
7.1 | Upfront Payment |
In partial consideration of the rights granted to Bayer under this Agreement during the Research Term, within [***] of Bayer's receipt of the relevant invoice from BicycleTx sent on or after the Effective Date, Bayer shall pay BicycleTx a one-time[***] payment in the amount of forty-five million Dollars ($45,000,000) (the "Upfront Fee").
7.2 | Nomination Fee, Substitute Nominated Target Fee and Target Substitute Fee |
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Program within [***] of its receipt of the relevant invoice from BicycleTx sent on or after the agreement of the Research Plan for that Collaboration Program. From, and including the [***] of such Collaboration Program, Bayer shall pay the amount due to BicycleTx within [***] of Bayer's receipt of the corresponding invoice from BicycleTx, but not before the [***] Business Day of such [***]. If Bayer’s payments pursuant to this Clause 7.2.2 have reached in aggregate the maximum amount for the Substitute Nominated Target Fee prior to BicycleTx having completed the Research Activities allocated to it under the applicable Research Plan, BicycleTx shall complete such remaining Research Activities without further payments being due pursuant to this Clause 7.2.2 for the remainder of the Initial Research Term with regard to such Substitute Target as set out in Clause 2.6.1(c). |
7.3 | Bayer Non-RLT Option Fee and Bayer Non-RLT Collaboration Program Fee |
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receipt of the corresponding invoice from BicycleTx, but not before the [***] Business Day of such [***]. |
7.4 | Development Milestones |
7.4.1 | Development Milestone Payments |
In partial consideration of the rights granted by BicycleTx to Bayer hereunder, Bayer shall make a one-time, [***] payment to BicycleTx in the amount corresponding to such Development Milestone Event (each a "Development Milestone Payment") on the first achievement by Bayer, its Affiliates, or their Sublicensees, of each of the milestone events set out in the table below for each Target and for up to two Indications per Target, where applicable (each, a "Development Milestone Event"):
| | Development Milestone Payment | |
---|---|---|---|
| Development Milestone Event (per Target) | [***] Amount | [***] Amount |
1. | [***]4.1.5 | [***] | - |
2. | [***] | [***] | - |
3. | [***] | [***] | - |
4. | [***] | [***] | - |
5. | [***] | [***] | [***] |
6. | [***] | [***] | [***] |
7. | [***] | [***] | [***] |
8. | [***] | [***] | [***] |
7.4.2 | [***]. |
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7.5 | Sales-Based Milestones |
| Sales Milestones Event | Sales Milestone Payment Amount |
---|---|---|
1. | [***] | [***] |
2. | [***] | [***] |
3. | [***] | [***] |
4. | [***] | [***] |
| | TOTAL = £194,494,000 per Target |
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#1 in respect of a Target then Sales Milestone Payment #1 shall be payable at the same time as Sales Milestone #2. |
For the avoidance of doubt, each Sales Milestone may be achieved on a Target-by-Target basis once in respect of a therapeutic Licensed Product and once in respect of a diagnostic Licensed Product. By way of non-exhaustive example, upon the aggregated Net Sales in the Territory of a diagnostic Licensed Product in respect of a Target in a given Calendar Year exceeding [***], Bayer shall pay to BicycleTx [***]. By way of further non-exhaustive example, if Bayer, its Affiliates, or their Sublicensees hits aggregated Net Sales in a Calendar Year in excess of [***] in respect of a therapeutic Licensed Product for the purpose of such Target, Bayer shall also pay to BicycleTx [***].
7.6 | Royalties |
7.6.1 | Royalty Rates |
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Net Sales in the Territory of a Licensed Product in a Calendar Year | Royalty Rate |
---|---|
[***] | [***] |
[***] | [***] |
[***] | [***] |
For the avoidance of doubt, royalties on Net Sales of therapeutic Licensed Products shall be calculated separately from royalties on diagnostic Licensed Products. By way of non-exhaustive example, if the aggregated Net Sales in the Territory of a diagnostic Licensed Product in respect of a Target in a given Calendar Year are [***], Bayer shall pay to BicycleTx a Royalty Rate on those Net Sales of [***], i.e. [***]. By way of further non-exhaustive example, if Bayer, its Affiliates, or their Sublicensees hits aggregated Net Sales in a Calendar Year of [***] in respect of a therapeutic Licensed Product for the purpose of such Target, Bayer shall also pay to BicycleTx a Royalty Rate on those Net Sales of [***] i.e. [***].
7.6.2 | Royalty Term |
The Parties agree that royalties will be payable by Bayer on a Licensed Product-by-Licensed Product and country-by-country basis, commencing on the First Commercial Sale of such Licensed Product in such country and ending on the latest to occur of: (a) the expiration of the last Valid Claim of [***] such Licensed Product in such country; (b) [***] after First Commercial Sale of such Licensed Product for use in humans in such country; or (c) the expiration of Market Exclusivity for such Licensed Product in such country (the "Royalty Term"). For the avoidance of doubt, the expiry of the Royalty Term with respect to a particular country for a given Licensed Product shall not result in the termination of the Royalty Term in any other country or for any other Licensed Product with respect to that country or any other country.
7.6.3 | Royalty Reductions |
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With respect to the rest of the world excluding the United States, on a country-by-country basis, following the first market entry of a Generic Product of a Licensed Product in the applicable country, during the Royalty Term for such Licensed Product in such country, except as set forth in Clause 7.6.4 below, the applicable royalty rate on the Net Sales of such Licensed Product in such country shall be reduced by [***] for such Licensed Product in such country.
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7.6.4 | Royalty Floor |
In no event shall any deduction to Royalty Payments described in one of the subsections in Clause 7.6.37.6.3 (whether alone or in aggregate) reduce the Royalty Payments owed by Bayer to BicycleTx under Clause 7.6.1 by more than [***] in any Calendar Quarter.
7.7 | Royalty Payments and Reports |
Bayer shall calculate all amounts payable to BicycleTx pursuant to Clause 7.6 7.6following the end of each Calendar Quarter. Within [***] after the end of each Calendar Quarter, Bayer shall provide BicycleTx with a statement showing [***].
Bayer shall pay to BicycleTx the royalty amounts due with respect to a given Calendar Quarter within [***] after receipt of a respective invoice.
7.8 | Payment Details |
All payments due to BicycleTx under this Agreement shall be paid upon the receipt of a respective invoice in [***], in accordance with Clause 7.9, except for the Upfront Fee which shall be paid in [***]. All such payments shall be made by wire transfer to the following bank account, or to such other bank account specified in writing by BicycleTx to Bayer at least [***] prior to the due date for payment:
Payment of [***]:
[***]
Payment of [***]:
[***]
Each invoice for payments shall be sent by email only to the below email address and be addressed to:
[***]
mentioning such other information reasonably required and as may be reasonably amended or provided by Bayer to BicycleTx from time to time.
Each invoice for payments mentioning the aforementioned address and reference shall be sent electronically in portable document format (pdf) via email without electronic signature ("pdf-invoicing") to:
[invoice.bhc.cc.ch@bayer.com]
thus, replacing a corresponding paper form.
7.9 | Currency Conversion |
All payments under this Agreement will be made in Pounds except the Up-Front Fee which shall be paid in Dollars. Where the payments due under this Agreement are calculated based on a currency other than [***], the amount due will be converted to [***] using the average quarter to date exchange rate for the applicable Calendar Quarter as consistently applied per Bayer’s internal accounting and reporting process
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in accordance with IFRS and being part of the regular review of a certified public auditing company.
7.10 | Taxes |
7.10.1 | VAT |
All sums payable under this Agreement are exclusive of any amount in respect of VAT. If, in respect of any sum payable under this Agreement, the Party receiving the payment (the "Payee") (or a member of its VAT group) is or will be required to account to any tax authority for VAT, the Party making the payment (the "Paying Party") shall, in addition to any other amounts payable under this Agreement, pay to the Payee, against delivery of a valid VAT invoice, an amount equal to such VAT.
7.10.2 | Withholding Tax |
When a Party is required to make a payment to the other Party pursuant to this Agreement, the Paying Party shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from the amount payable any tax which the Paying Party is required by law to withhold or deduct ("Withholding Tax").
BicycleTx herewith confirms as of the Effective Date that any Intellectual Property licensed by BicycleTx to Bayer under this Agreement, in particular the Licensed IP, is not for tax purposes allocated to or held by a permanent establishment of BicycleTx in Germany. BicycleTx will inform Bayer reasonably in advance in case such Intellectual Property is for tax purposes to be allocated to or held by a permanent establishment of BicycleTx in Germany.
If the applicable tax rate for Withholding Tax is actually reduced according to the regulations in an applicable double tax treaty or under local law, no withholding or deduction shall be made or shall be made at a reduced amount, as the case may be, only if the Paying Party is timely furnished with the necessary documents by the Payee. These documents issued by the competent tax authority must certify that the payment is exempt from tax or subject to a reduced tax rate and allow the Paying Party to refrain from making any withholding or deduction or to make the withholding or deduction at a reduced tax rate. The Payee will inform the Paying Party at least [***] before the payment due date if the requirements for an exemption from Withholding Tax or an application of a reduced tax rate for Withholding Tax are no longer satisfied, and not having received such information from the Payee within such time shall be deemed as confirmation by the Payee that such requirements are still satisfied.
Any Withholding Tax deducted by the Paying Party shall be treated as having been paid by the Paying Party to the Payee for all purposes of this Agreement. The Paying Party shall timely forward the receipts certifying the payments of Withholding Tax to the Payee. If and to the extent the Paying Party has not deducted Withholding Tax but is still required by law to pay Withholding Tax to the tax authorities, the Paying Party shall inform the Payee immediately after becoming aware of such obligation and the Payee shall reasonably assist
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the Paying Party with regard to all reasonable procedures required in order to achieve an exemption / release from such payment obligation. In case the Paying Party must pay or is held liable for Withholding Tax and an exemption or release from such payment obligation or liability is not possible after the Parties have made reasonable efforts and cooperated (see Clause 7.10.4), the Payee will pay an amount equal to the amount of Withholding Tax to the Paying Party separately and timely in advance of any payment due date of such Withholding Tax if the Paying Party has given written notice to the Payee of the amount of Withholding Tax that is due at least [***] before any payment due date. If the notification by the Paying Party has not been made at least [***] prior to any payment due date the Payee will pay an amount equal to the amount of Withholding Tax to the Paying Party [***] after the notification by the Paying Party. The Payee shall indemnify and hold the Paying Party harmless from any associated costs if, but only to the extent, they are caused by the Payee's actions (in particular, but not limited to, caused by the Payee's late payment, or the Payee's missing information).
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7.10.3 | Withholding Tax Actions |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Parties acknowledge and agree that if Bayer (or its assignee pursuant to Clause 13.313.3) is required by Applicable Law to withhold taxes in respect of any amount payable under this Agreement ("Withholding Obligation"), then if, but only to the extent that: (i) such Withholding Obligation arises as a result of an action of Bayer, including any assignment of this Agreement by Bayer as permitted under Clause 13.313.3, a change in tax residency of Bayer or payments arise or are deemed to arise through a branch of Bayer, and (ii) the amount of such Withholding Tax exceeds the amount of Withholding Tax that would have been applicable if such action of Bayer had not occurred (a "Withholding Tax Action"), then, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, any such amount payable by Bayer under this Agreement shall be increased to take into account such Withholding Tax as may be necessary so that, after making all required withholdings, BicycleTx (or its assignee pursuant to Clause 13.313.3) receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such Withholding Tax Action occurred (the "Gross-Up Mechanism"). For the avoidance of doubt, the Parties acknowledge and agree that any Withholding Obligation for Bayer which arises only as a result of any change in any applicable tax law by any competent tax legislator is not to be considered a Withholding Tax Action. However, if the Gross-Up Mechanism applies and BicycleTx has received a credit or refund for the full or partial amount of the applicable payable Withholding Tax, BicycleTx shall pay to Bayer an amount equal to the amount BicycleTx assesses (acting reasonably) which would leave it, after such payment, in the same position as it would have been in the absence of the Withholding Tax and the credit or refund of such payment to be made by BicycleTx within [***] after receiving the tax credit or refund.
7.10.4 | Cooperation |
BicycleTx and Bayer shall use their reasonable efforts and cooperate to avoid any Withholding Tax and failing that to obtain the maximum exemption, credit or refund (as applicable) available in relation to any Withholding Tax in either case to the extent practicable and reasonable under Applicable Law.
7.11 | Interest on Late Payments |
All payments not made by the respective payment date set out in this Agreement, with the exception of payments not paid within [***] of the respective payment date for technical reasons that are outside of the paying party's control, shall be subject to late payment interest thereon [***].
7.12 | Records |
Bayer shall retain, and shall procure that all Sublicensees retain, true and accurate records and books of account containing all data necessary for the calculation of the amounts payable by it to BicycleTx pursuant to the Agreement. Those records and books of account shall be kept for [***] following the end of the period to which they relate.
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7.13 | Audits |
To validate Bayer's, or any of its Affiliates or Sublicensees compliance with its obligations under or in connection with this Agreement, BicycleTx may, during the course of this Agreement and for [***] after expiry or termination of this Agreement, appoint auditors, at BicycleTx's [***] (except as otherwise contemplated below), to carry out an audit of Bayer's records from time to time on behalf of BicycleTx. The auditors selected by BicycleTx shall be subject to acceptance by Bayer, such acceptance not to be unreasonably withheld. Audits may be undertaken subject to the following conditions:
7.13.1 | any such audits shall be undertaken by an independent certified public accountant; |
7.13.3 | the auditor may inspect records for up to [***] after the end of the period to which they pertain; |
7.13.4 | audits may not take place more than [***] per [***] and no period may be audited more than once; |
7.13.7 | the auditor shall not be permitted to include any extrapolation calculations (based on sampling of the underlying data) in the calculation of amounts underpaid to BicycleTx; |
7.13.8 | if an audit reveals that Bayer has underpaid royalties due, BicycleTx may invoice Bayer for the underpaid amount and Bayer shall pay such invoice within [***] of receiving the invoice; |
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8 | Intellectual Property |
8.1 | Ownership of lntellectual Property |
8.1.1 | Ownership of Background IP |
As between the Parties:
8.1.2 | Ownership of Collaboration IP |
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8.2 | Assignment of IP |
8.3 | Patent Prosecution and Maintenance |
8.3.1 | BicycleTx Responsibility |
Subject to Clause 8.3.4(b), BicycleTx shall have the right, but not the obligation, [***], to file, prosecute and maintain worldwide any [***]. With respect to any BicycleTx Bicycle Patents, BicycleTx:
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8.3.2 | Bayer Responsibility |
Subject to Clause 8.3.4(b), Bayer shall have the right, but not the obligation, [***], to prosecute and maintain worldwide any [***]. With respect to the [***], Bayer:
If during the Term, Bayer no longer wishes to file, prosecute or maintain a [***] Bayer shall notify BicycleTx of such intention at least [***] prior to any final deadline with respect to such Patent to enable BicycleTx to decide whether it wishes to obtain ownership of the [***] and, if it does, Bayer shall assign its right, title and interest in and to such [***] to BicycleTx and BicycleTx shall have the right, but not the obligation, to assume responsibility for the prosecution and maintenance thereof at [***] with counsel of its choice.
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8.3.3 | Joint Collaboration Patents |
Any Joint Collaboration Patents shall be filed in the joint names of the Parties and the Parties shall be responsible for sharing the costs (on a fifty/fifty basis) of the filing, prosecution and maintenance of the Joint Collaboration Patents. The Parties shall, through the JPC, cooperate in the filing, prosecution and maintenance of the Joint Collaboration Patents and Bayer, acting through patent counsel of Bayer's choice, shall take the responsibility for implementing the actions decided by the JPC and:
If during the Term, either Party no longer wishes to file, prosecute or maintain a Joint Collaboration Patent, it shall notify the other Party of such intention at least [***] prior to any final deadline with respect to such Patent to enable the other Party to decide whether it wishes to obtain ownership of the first Party's share in the Joint Collaboration Patent and, if it does, the first Party shall assign its right, title and interest in and to such Joint Collaboration Patent to the other Party and the other Party shall have the right, but not the obligation, to assume responsibility for the filing, prosecution and maintenance thereof at [***] with counsel of its choice.
8.3.4 | Cooperation |
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8.4 | Patent Enforcement |
8.4.1 | Collaboration Patents |
8.4.2 | Joint Collaboration Patents |
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8.5 | Cooperation |
8.5.1 | At the request and expense of the Party bringing a claim in respect of a Third Party Infringement action pursuant to Clause 8.4 the other Party shall provide assistance in connection therewith, including by executing reasonably appropriate documents, providing access to the other Party's employees, cooperating reasonably in discovery and joining as a party to the action if |
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required. The Party commencing the litigation shall provide the other Party with copies of all pleadings and other documents filed with the court and shall consider reasonable input from the other Party during the course of the proceedings. Unless otherwise set forth herein, the Party entitled to bring a claim in respect of a Third Party Infringement in accordance with Clause 8.4 shall have the right to settle such claim; provided that neither Party shall have the right to settle any claim in respect of the Third Party Infringement under Clause 8.4 in a manner that diminishes or has an adverse effect on the rights or interest of the other Party, or in a manner that imposes any costs or liability on, or involves any admission by, the other Party, without the express written consent of such other Party. |
8.5.2 | Any recoveries resulting from such an action relating to a claim of Third Party Infringement described in Clause 8.4 shall be [***]. Any [***]; provided, however, that [***]. |
8.6 | Patent Extensions |
8.6.2 | Bayer shall in [***] determine which, if any, [***] it will apply to extend. |
8.7 | Product Trademarks |
As between the Parties, Bayer shall own all right, title, and interest to the Product Trademarks in the Territory, and shall be responsible for the development, selection, registration, prosecution, maintenance and enforcement thereof. [***]. BicycleTx shall [***]. Subject to Clauses 6.1.2 and 6.1.3, Bayer shall ensure that the Product Trademarks do not include any Trademarks that are the same as or confusingly similar to the BicycleTx Trademarks.
8.8 | Inventor's Remuneration |
Each Party shall be solely responsible for any remuneration that may be due such Party's inventors under any applicable inventor remuneration laws.
8.9 | Common Interest |
All information exchanged between the Parties regarding the prosecution, maintenance, enforcement and defence of Patents under this Clause 8 will be deemed to be Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party. In addition, the Parties acknowledge and agree that, [***]. The Parties agree and acknowledge [***]. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, to the extent a Party has a good faith belief that any information required to be disclosed by such Party to the other Party under this Clause 8 is protected by attorney-client privilege or any other applicable legal privilege or immunity, such Party shall not be required to disclose such information and the Parties shall in good faith cooperate to agree upon a procedure (including entering into a specific common interest agreement or disclosing such
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information on a "for counsel eyes only" basis or similar procedure) under which such information may be disclosed without waiving or breaching such privilege or immunity.
9 | Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure |
9.1 | Confidentiality Obligations |
Each Party (the "Receiving Party") shall, and shall cause its officers, directors, employees and agents to, keep confidential and not publish or otherwise disclose to a Third Party and not use, directly or indirectly, for any purpose, any Confidential Information disclosed to it or otherwise made known to it, directly or indirectly, by the other Party (the "Disclosing Party"), except to the extent such disclosure or use is expressly permitted by the terms of this Agreement or is necessary for the performance of its obligations, or the exercise of such Receiving Party's rights under, this Agreement. Each Party will use at least the same standard of care as it uses to protect its own proprietary or Confidential Information (but no less than reasonable care) to ensure that its employees, agents, consultants, contractors, and other representatives do not disclose or make any unauthorised use of the other Party's Confidential Information. Each Party will promptly notify the other upon discovery of any loss or unauthorised use or disclosure of the other Party's Confidential Information. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent the Receiving Party can demonstrate by documentation or other competent proof, the confidentiality and non-use obligations under this Clause 9.1 with respect to any Confidential Information shall not include any information that:
9.1.4 | is generally made available to Third Parties by the Disclosing Party without restriction on disclosure; or |
9.1.5 | has been independently developed by or for the Receiving Party without reference to, or use or disclosure of, the Disclosing Party's Confidential Information. |
Specific aspects or details of Confidential Information shall not be deemed to be within the public domain or in the possession of the Receiving Party merely because the
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Confidential Information is embraced by more general information in the public domain or in the possession of the Receiving Party. Further, any combination of Confidential Information shall not be considered in the public domain or in the possession of the Receiving Party merely because individual elements of such Confidential Information are in the public domain or in the possession of the Receiving Party unless the combination and its principles are in the public domain or in the possession of the Receiving Party.
9.2 | Permitted Use or Disclosures |
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9.3 | Use of Name |
Except as expressly provided herein, neither Party shall mention or otherwise use the name, logo, or trademark of the other Party or any of its Affiliates (or any abbreviation or adaptation thereof) in any publication, press release, marketing and promotional material, or other form of publicity without the prior written approval of such other Party in each instance. The restrictions imposed by this Clause 9.39.3 shall not prohibit either Party from making any disclosure identifying the other Party that is required by Applicable Law.
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9.4 | Press Releases |
The Parties may, on or following the Execution Date, issue a joint press release in the form provided in Schedule 4 to this Agreement. Either Party may desire or be required to issue further press releases concerning this Agreement. The Parties agree to consult with each other reasonably and in good faith with respect to the text and timing of any such press releases prior to the issuance thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither Party may unreasonably withhold, condition, or delay consent to such releases by more than [***], and either Party may issue such press releases as it determines, based on advice of counsel, is reasonably necessary to comply with Applicable Laws or for appropriate market disclosure. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, neither Party shall disclose the Confidential Information of the other Party in a press release without the other Party's prior written consent (for which an email suffices) or unless otherwise permitted under Clause 9.2 (Permitted Use or Disclosures). Each Party shall provide the other Party with advance notice of legally required disclosures to the extent reasonably practicable, and to the extent possible, at least [***] prior to such disclosure. To the extent that a press release requires the approval of the other Party and to the extent that such approval was obtained, after such approved press release has been issued by a Party, the precise or substantially similar wording may be re-issued by either Party unless (i) the content of such press release becomes misleading, outdated or otherwise inadequate as to subsequent developments; or (ii) the Parties have expressly agreed that a certain press release should exclusively be issued on one or more defined occasions.
9.5 | Publications |
The disclosure by either Party relating to any Licensed Compound or Licensed Product in any publication or presentation shall be in accordance with the procedure set forth in this Clause 9.59.5. A Party ("Publishing Party") shall provide the other Party with a copy of: (i) any proposed publication at least [***] prior to submission for publication, and (ii) any proposed presentation at least [***] prior to the date of that presentation, so as to provide such other Party with an opportunity to recommend any changes to the Publishing Party that it reasonably believes are necessary to continue to maintain that other Party's Confidential Information in accordance with the requirements of this Agreement. The incorporation of such recommended changes shall not be unreasonably refused; and if such other Party notifies ("Publishing Notice") the Publishing Party in writing, within the applicable time period as stated above, that such publication or presentation in its reasonable judgment (a) contains an Invention, solely or jointly owned by the other Party, for which the other Party desires to obtain patent protection, or (b) contains any Confidential Information of the other Party, the Publishing Party shall prevent such publication or delay such publication for a mutually agreed period of time. In the case of Inventions, a delay shall be for a period reasonably sufficient to permit the timely preparation and filing of a patent application(s) on such Invention, and in no event less than [***] from the date of the Publishing Notice. Further, BicycleTx agrees not to make publications without Bayer's prior written consent (not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), by which it would disclose the Know-How which relates exclusively to Licensed Products that it has exclusively licensed to Bayer pursuant to Clause 6.1.1 such that it would undermine Bayer's exclusivity under such licence. After the expiry of the Research Term and for the duration of the licence granted to Bayer under Clause
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6.1, Bayer shall be permitted, without consulting with and without the consent of BicycleTx, to make publications relating to a Development Candidate or Licensed Product in pursuance of its efforts to Develop and Commercialise Licensed Products, provided that Bayer does not disclose Confidential Information of BicycleTx therein, including any Confidential Information covered by [***].
9.6 | Destruction of Confidential Information |
Upon the effective date of the termination or expiry of this Agreement, on a Target by Target basis, for any reason, the Receiving Party shall, with respect to Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party (in the event of termination or expiry of this Agreement with respect to one (1) terminated Collaboration Program but not in its entirety, solely to the extent relating specifically and exclusively to such terminated Collaboration Programs or Terminated Targets, as applicable) to which the Receiving Party does not retain rights under the surviving provisions of this Agreement, as soon as reasonably practicable, destroy all copies of such Confidential Information in the possession of the Receiving Party and confirm such destruction in writing to the Disclosing Party, provided, that the Receiving Party shall be permitted to retain [***] copy of such Confidential Information for the sole purpose of performing any continuing obligations hereunder, as required by Applicable Law, or for archival purposes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Receiving Party also shall be permitted to retain such additional copies of or any computer records or files containing such Confidential Information that have been created solely by the Receiving Party's automatic archiving and back-up procedures, to the extent created and retained in a manner consistent with the Receiving Party's standard archiving and back-up procedures, but not for any other use or purpose. If the termination or expiry of this Agreement is with respect to one or more Terminated Targets or the termination of a Collaboration Program but not in its entirety, to the extent that such Confidential Information cannot be separated from information that relates to Targets and Licensed Products and Licensed Compounds other than the Terminated Targets and terminated Collaboration Programs, the Receiving Party shall have no rights to use or disclose (but will not be required to destroy) such Confidential Information in connection with Terminated Targets or terminated Collaboration Programs following the effective date of termination.
10 | Representations and Warranties |
10.1 | Mutual Representations and Warranties |
BicycleTx and Bayer each represents and warrants to the other, as of the Execution Date as follows:
10.1.1 | Organisation |
It is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, and has all requisite corporate power and authority, to execute, deliver, and perform this Agreement.
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10.1.2 | Authorisation |
The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the performance by it of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorised by all necessary corporate action and do not violate (a) such Party's charter documents, bylaws, or other organisational documents, (b) any agreement, instrument, or contractual obligation to which such Party is bound, (c) any requirement of any Applicable Law, or (d) any order, writ, judgment, injunction, decree, determination, or award of any court or governmental agency presently in effect and applicable to such Party.
10.1.3 | Binding Agreement |
This Agreement is a legal, valid, and binding obligation of such Party enforceable against it in accordance with its terms and conditions, subject to the effects of bankruptcy, insolvency, or other laws of general application affecting the enforcement of creditor rights, judicial principles affecting the availability of specific performance, and general principles of equity (whether enforceability is considered a proceeding at law or equity).
10.1.4 | No Inconsistent Obligation |
It is not under any obligation, contractual or otherwise, to any Person that conflicts with the terms of this Agreement or that would impede the diligent and complete fulfilment of its obligations hereunder.
10.2 | Additional Representations and Warranties of BicycleTx |
BicycleTx further represents and warrants to Bayer, as of the Execution Date (unless explicitly stated otherwise) as follows:
10.2.1 | BicycleTx has the right to grant the licences to Bayer specified herein; |
10.2.2 | other than the Patents with numbers [***], [***]; |
10.2.3 | to BicycleTx's actual knowledge, there are no judgments against BicycleTx or any of its Affiliates relating to BicycleTx Background IP; |
10.2.5 | to BicycleTx's actual knowledge, no claim or litigation has been brought or threatened in writing by any Person alleging that any BicycleTx Background Patent is invalid or unenforceable; |
10.2.6 | to BicycleTx's actual knowledge, no Person is infringing or threatening to infringe or misappropriating or threatening to misappropriate BicycleTx Background IP; |
10.2.7 | BicycleTx or its Affiliates, as applicable, have obtained [***]; |
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10.2.8 | [***] |
10.2.9 | [***] |
10.2.11 | BicycleTx is resident for tax purposes [***]. |
10.3 | Additional Representations and Warranties of Bayer |
Bayer further represents and warrants to BicycleTx, as of the Execution Date (unless explicitly stated otherwise) as follows:
10.3.1 | other than the Patents with numbers [***], [***]; |
10.3.2 | to Bayer's actual knowledge, there are no judgments against Bayer or any of its Affiliates relating to the Bayer Background IP; |
10.3.4 | to Bayer's actual knowledge, no claim or litigation has been brought or threatened in writing by any Person alleging that any Bayer Background Patent is invalid or unenforceable; |
10.3.5 | to Bayer's actual knowledge, no Person is infringing or threatening to infringe or misappropriating or threatening to misappropriate the Bayer Background IP; |
10.3.6 | Bayer has the right to grant the licences to BicycleTx as specified herein; |
10.3.7 | Bayer or its Affiliates, as applicable, have obtained [***]; |
10.3.8 | [***]; |
10.3.9 | [***]; |
10.3.10 | to Bayer's actual knowledge, neither Bayer nor any of its employees, have ever been, or are currently the subject of a proceeding that could lead to it or |
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10.3.11 | Bayer is resident for tax purposes [***]. |
10.4 | Disclaimer Of Warranties |
Except for the express warranties, representations and covenants set forth herein, neither Party makes any representations or grants any warranties, representations or covenants, express or implied, either in fact or by operation of law, by statute or otherwise, and each Party specifically disclaims any other warranties, representations and covenants, whether written or oral, or express or implied, including any warranty, representations or covenants of quality, merchantability, or fitness for a particular use or purpose or any warranty as to the validity of any Patents or the noninfringement of any Intellectual Property rights of Third Parties. Nothing in this Clause 10.4 limits or excludes any liability for fraud or wilful misconduct.
11 | Indemnification; Insurance |
11.1 | Indemnification of BicycleTx |
Bayer shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless BicycleTx, its Affiliates and [***] (the "BicycleTx Indemnitees") from and against any and all losses, damages, liabilities, penalties, settlements, costs, taxes (including penalties and interest) and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and other expenses of litigation) (collectively, "Losses") in connection with any and all suits, investigations, claims, or demands of Third Parties (collectively, "Third Party Claims") incurred by or rendered against the BicycleTx Indemnitees arising from or occurring as a result of: (a) the breach by Bayer or its Affiliates or Sublicensees of this Agreement; (b) the negligence or wilful misconduct on the part of Bayer or its Affiliates or [***] in performing its or their obligations under this Agreement; or (c) the Exploitation of any Licensed Compounds or Licensed Products by Bayer or its Affiliates or [***]; except, in the case of Clauses (a) through (c) above, to the extent BicycleTx has an obligation to indemnify Bayer pursuant to Clause 11.211.2.
11.2 | Indemnification of Bayer |
BicycleTx shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Bayer, its Affiliates and [***] (the "Bayer lndemnitees") from and against any and all Losses in connection with any and all Third Party Claims incurred by or rendered against the Bayer Indemnitees arising from or occurring as a result of: (a) the breach by BicycleTx or its Affiliates of this Agreement; or (b) the negligence or wilful misconduct on the part of BicycleTx or its Affiliates or [***] in performing its or their obligations under this Agreement;
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except, in the case of Clauses (a) through (b) above, to the extent Bayer has an obligation to indemnify BicycleTx pursuant to Clause 11.111.1.
11.3 | Notice of Claim |
All indemnification claims in respect of BicycleTx Indemnitees or Bayer Indemnitees shall be made solely by BicycleTx or Bayer respectively (the "Indemnified Party"). The Indemnified Party shall give the indemnifying Party (the "Indemnifying Party") prompt written notice (an "Indemnification Claim Notice") of any Losses or discovery of fact upon which such Indemnified Party intends to base a request for indemnification under this Clause 1111 but in no event shall the Indemnifying Party be liable for any Losses that result from any delay by the Indemnified Party in providing such notice. Each Indemnification Claim Notice must contain a description of the claim and the nature and amount of such Loss (to the extent that the nature and amount of such Loss is known at such time). The Indemnified Party shall furnish promptly to the Indemnifying Party copies of all papers and official documents received in respect of any Losses and Third Party Claims.
11.4 | Control of Defence |
The Indemnifying Party shall have the right, but not the obligation, to conduct and control, through counsel of its choosing, any action for which indemnification is sought, and if the Indemnifying Party elects to assume the defence thereof, the Indemnifying Party shall not be liable to the Indemnified Party for any legal expenses of other legal counsel, or any other expenses subsequently incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with the defence thereof. The Indemnifying Party may settle any action, claim or suit for which the Indemnified Party is seeking indemnification; provided that the Indemnifying Party shall first give the Indemnified Party advance written notice of any proposed compromise or settlement and such Indemnified Party provides prior written approval, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. The Parties and their employees shall cooperate fully with each other and their legal representatives in the investigation, defence, prosecution, negotiation, or settlement of any such claim or suit. Each Party's indemnification obligations under this Clause 1111 shall not apply to amounts paid by an Indemnified Party in settlement of any action with respect to a Third Party claim, if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Indemnifying Party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. In no event shall the Indemnifying Party settle or abate any Third Party Claim in a manner that would diminish the rights or interests of the Indemnified Party, admit any liability, fault or guilt by the Indemnified Party or obligate the Indemnified Party to make any payment, take any action, or refrain from taking any action, without the prior written approval of the Indemnified Party.
11.5 | Limitation of Liability |
Except for [***] or required to be paid pursuant to [***] and except in cases of [***], neither Party nor any of its Affiliates shall be liable for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages including loss of profits or business interruption, however caused, whether in contract, tort, negligence, breach of statutory duty or otherwise in connection with this Agreement or the exercise of any licence granted hereunder, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
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11.6 | Insurance |
Each Party shall, during the term of this Agreement, at [***], obtain, carry and keep in force liability insurance and other appropriate insurance covering such risks as are appropriate in accordance with sound business practice and the Parties' obligations under this Agreement. In lieu of such insurance coverage, Bayer shall have the right to undertake self-insurance to cover its obligations hereunder, with financial protection comparable to that arranged by it for its own protection with regard to other products in its portfolio. It is understood that no insurance or self-insurance shall be construed to create any limit of either Party's obligations or liabilities with respect to its indemnification obligations under this Agreement.
12 | Term and Termination |
12.1 | Term |
From the Execution Date or the Effective Date, as applicable, the terms of this Agreement shall, subject to Clause 12.1.2, continue in full force and effect, unless earlier terminated in accordance herewith, until the expiration of the Royalty Term for all Licensed Products in the Territory (such period, the "Term"). On the expiration of the Royalty Term 12.1.1 for a particular Licensed Product, on a country-by-country basis, the licences granted to Bayer in Clauses 6.1.1 and 6.1.2 shall become non-exclusive, fully-paid, royalty-free and irrevocable with respect to such Licensed Product in such country.
12.1.2 | This Agreement shall expire, on a Target-by-Target basis, in respect of: |
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12.2 | BicycleTx's Termination Rights |
12.2.2 | BicycleTx shall have the right to terminate this Agreement in its entirety if Bayer or any of its Affiliates or Sublicensees challenges, opposes or otherwise |
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12.3 | Bayer Termination Rights |
12.4 | Termination for Insolvency |
If either Party (a) files for protection under bankruptcy or insolvency laws, (b) makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, (c) appoints or suffers appointment of a receiver or trustee over substantially all of its property that is not discharged within [***] after such filing, (d) is a party to any dissolution or liquidation (other than for
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the purpose of a solvent amalgamation or reconstruction), (e) files a petition under any bankruptcy or insolvency act or has any such petition filed against it that is not discharged within [***] of the filing thereof, or (f) admits in writing its inability generally to meet its obligations as they fall due in the general course (each a "Insolvency Event"), then the other Party may terminate this Agreement in its entirety immediately on written notice to such Party.
12.5 | Effects of Termination |
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12.5.3 | Upon termination or expiry of this Agreement for any reason in its entirety or partially with respect to, as applicable, any Target, Collaboration Program or Licensed Product: |
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12.5.4 | Upon termination pursuant to Clause 12.2 or 12.3.2, if the termination occurs with respect to a Terminated Asset [***]. |
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13 | Miscellaneous |
13.1 | Force Majeure |
Neither Party shall be held liable or responsible to the other Party or be deemed to have defaulted under or breached this Agreement for failure or delay in fulfilling or performing any term of this Agreement, other than [***], when such failure or delay is caused by or results from events beyond the reasonable control of the non-performing Party, including fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, embargoes, epidemics, pandemics, quarantines, war, terrorist acts, insurrections, strikes, lockouts, acts of God, or acts or delays in acting by any governmental authority and which it has been unable to overcome by the exercise of its due diligence, provided that the Party unable to perform its obligations shall (i) promptly notify the other Party within [***] of such occurrence by giving written notice to the other Party stating the nature of the event, its anticipated duration, and any action being taken to avoid or minimise its effect; (ii) use reasonable efforts to avoid or remove such causes of non-performance; (iii) suspend performance only for such period of time as is necessary as a result of such force majeure event; and (iv) resume performance as quickly as possible.
13.2 | Export Control |
This Agreement is made subject to any restrictions concerning the export of products or technical information from the United States or other countries that may be imposed on the Parties from time to time. Each Party agrees that it will not export, directly or indirectly, any technical information acquired from the other Party under this Agreement or any products using such technical information to a location or in a manner that at the time of export requires an export licence or other governmental approval, without first obtaining the written consent to do so from the appropriate agency or other governmental entity in accordance with Applicable Law.
13.3 | Assignment |
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13.4 | Severability |
If any provision or part provision of this Agreement is held to be or becomes illegal, invalid, or unenforceable under any current applicable law, it is the intention of the Parties that it shall be deemed deleted, but the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby. If any provision or part-provision of this Agreement is deemed deleted under Clause 13.4, the Parties shall negotiate in good faith to agree a replacement provision that, to the greatest extent possible, achieves the intended result of the original provision.
13.5 | Dispute Resolution |
Any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or relating to this Agreement that has not been resolved at the JRC or otherwise under the terms of this Agreement (a "Dispute"), shall be resolved pursuant to this Clause 13.5.
13.5.1 | Referral to Senior Officers |
In the event of a Dispute, the Parties will refer the Dispute to the Alliance Managers for discussion and resolution. If the Alliance Managers are unable to resolve such a Dispute within [***] of the Dispute being referred to them, either Party may refer the Dispute to the Senior Officers of the Parties, who shall confer in good faith on the resolution of the issue. Any final decision mutually agreed to by the Senior Officers shall be conclusive and binding on the Parties. If the Senior Officers are not able to agree on the resolution of any such Dispute within [***] (or such other period of time as mutually agreed in writing by the Senior Officers) after such Dispute was first referred to them, then either Party shall have the right to refer the Dispute to be settled as set forth in Clause 13.6.2 or Clause 13.6.3 (as applicable).
13.5.2 | Adverse Ruling |
Any determination pursuant to this Clause 13.5 that a Party is in material breach of its material obligations hereunder shall specify a (non-exclusive) set of actions to be taken to cure such material breach, if feasible.
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13.5.3 | Interim Relief |
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary in this Clause 13.5, in the event that a Party reasonably requires relief on a more expedited basis than would be possible pursuant to the procedure set forth in this Clause 13, such Party may seek interim or provisional relief, including a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction or other interim equitable relief concerning a Dispute, if necessary to protect the interests of such Party. This Clause 13.5.3 shall be specifically enforceable.
13.5.4 | Pending Dispute, Good Faith Performance of Activities |
During a pending Dispute, where this Agreement has not yet been terminated, each Party shall continue to perform in good faith its obligations under this Agreement.
13.6 | Governing Law, Arbitration and Service |
13.6.1 | Governing Law |
This Agreement and any Dispute shall be governed by and construed in accordance with [***].
13.6.2 | Arbitration |
Subject to Clause 13.5, any Dispute shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration under the then-current Rules of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (the "Rules"), which Rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Clause 13.6.2. The number of arbitrators shall be three. The arbitrators shall be appointed in accordance with the Rules, save that the third arbitrator, who will act as president of the arbitral tribunal, shall not be appointed by the International Court of Arbitration, but by the two arbitrators which have been appointed by either of the Parties in accordance with Article 12 paragraph 4 of the Rules. The legal place of arbitration pursuant to Article 18 paragraph 1 of the Rules shall be [***]. Any meetings and hearings of the arbitral tribunal related to the arbitration pursuant to Article 18 paragraph 2 of the Rules shall be conducted in [***]. The language to be used in the arbitral proceedings (and for all testimony, evidence and written documentation) shall be English. The IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration shall apply on any evidence to be taken up in the arbitration.
13.6.3 | Disputes Related to Patent Rights |
Without prejudice to the generality of Clause 13.6.2, if a Dispute arises in respect to the validity, construction, scope, enforceability or infringement, of any Patents, and such Dispute cannot be resolved in accordance with Clause 13.5.1 then, unless otherwise agreed by the Parties in writing, such Dispute shall not be subject to an arbitration proceeding pursuant to Clause13.6.2 and instead either Party may bring an action in any court or administrative agency of competent jurisdiction in which such rights apply, to resolve such Dispute.
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13.6.4 | Service |
Each Party further agrees that service of any process, summons, notice or document by registered mail to its address set forth in Clause 13.7.2 shall be effective service of process for any action, suit, or proceeding brought against it under this Agreement in any such court.
13.7 | Notices |
13.7.1 | Notice Requirements |
Unless otherwise agreed by the Parties or specified in this Agreement, all notices, requests and communications between the Parties, and all written documentation to be prepared and provided under, this Agreement shall be in writing in the English language and shall be (a) personally delivered; (b) sent by registered or certified mail; (c) sent by international express courier service providing evidence of receipt (e.g., Federal Express), or (d) by email (with confirmation by registered mail or courier, unless expressly indicated hereunder that written documentation, consent or notification by email suffices) where applicable to the following addresses of the Parties, or such other address for a Party as may be specified in writing pursuant to this Clause 13.7.
13.7.2 | Address for Notice |
[***]
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
and
[***]
[***]
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
[***]
13.8 | Entire Agreement; Amendments |
This Agreement, together with the Schedules attached hereto, sets forth and constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and all prior agreements, understandings, promises, and representations, whether written or oral, with respect thereto are superseded hereby. Each Party acknowledges that, in agreeing to enter into this Agreement, it has not
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relied on any express or implied representation, warranty, collateral contract or other assurance except those set out in this Agreement. Nothing in this Clause 13.8 limits or excludes any liability for fraud. No amendment, modification, release, or discharge with respect to this Agreement shall be binding upon the Parties unless in writing and duly executed by authorised representatives of both Parties.
13.9 | English Language |
This Agreement shall be written and executed in, and all other communications under or in connection with this Agreement shall be in, the English language. Any translation into any other language shall not be an official version thereof, and in the event of any conflict in interpretation between the English version and such translation, the English version shall control.
13.10 | Waiver and Non-Exclusion of Remedies |
Any term or condition of this Agreement may be waived at any time by the Party that is entitled to the benefit thereof, but no such waiver shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument duly executed by or on behalf of the Party waiving such term or condition. The waiver by either Party hereto of any right hereunder or of the failure to perform or of a breach by the other Party shall not be deemed a waiver of any other right hereunder or of any other breach or failure by such other Party whether of a similar nature or otherwise. The rights and remedies provided herein are cumulative and do not exclude any other right or remedy provided by Applicable Law or otherwise available except as expressly set forth herein.
13.11 | No Benefit to Third Parties |
Except as provided in Clause 11, covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement are for the sole benefit of the Parties hereto and their successors and permitted assigns, and they shall not be construed as conferring any rights on any other Persons.
13.12 | Further Assurance |
Each Party shall duly execute and deliver, or cause to be duly executed and delivered, such further instruments and do and cause to be done all such other acts as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out and give full effect to this Agreement.
13.13 | Relationship of the Parties |
It is expressly agreed that the relationship of the Parties is that of independent contractors, and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to create a partnership, joint venture, franchise, employment, or agency relationship including for all tax purposes, between the Parties. Neither Party shall be considered the agent of the other Party for any purpose whatsoever and neither Party shall have the authority to enter into any contract or assume any obligation for the other Party or to make any statements, representations or warranty, or commitments of any kind, or to take any action, on behalf of the other Party. All persons employed by a Party shall be employees of such Party and not of the other Party and all costs and obligations incurred by reason of any such employment shall be for the account and expense of such Party. The Parties (and any successor, assignee, transferee, or Affiliate of a Party) shall (a) use reasonable efforts to structure the arrangement and activities
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contemplated by this Agreement to avoid the arrangement contemplated by this Agreement being treated as a partnership that is engaged in a "United States trade or business" for United States tax purposes and (b) not treat or report the relationship between the Parties arising under this Agreement as a partnership for United States tax purposes, without the prior written consent of the other Party unless required by a final "determination" as defined in Section 1313 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
13.14 | Performance by Affiliates |
Each Party may use one (1) or more of its Affiliates to perform its obligations and duties hereunder and such Affiliates are expressly granted certain rights herein to perform such obligations and duties; provided that each Party shall procure that each such Affiliate shall be bound by the corresponding obligations of such Party; and provided further that the assigning Party, subject to an assignment to such Affiliate pursuant to Clause 13.3, shall remain liable hereunder for the prompt payment and performance of its obligations hereunder.
13.15 | Non-Solicitation |
Neither Party may, during the Term and for [***] thereafter, directly or indirectly approach or induce with offers of employment, a contract of service or for services or engagement, any of the employees of the other Party that it comes into contact with in performing this Agreement, without first obtaining the prior written approval of the other Party. This Clause 13.15 shall not apply to recruitment achieved through specific local or national placed advertisements where there has been no direct or targeted contact with the individual in question.
13.16 | Counterparts; Electronic Execution |
This Agreement may be executed in one (1) or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one (1) and the same instrument. This Agreement including any amendments hereto may be executed by electronically transmitted signatures and such signatures shall be deemed to bind each Party hereto as if they were original signatures.
13.17 | References |
Unless otherwise specified, (a) references in this Agreement to any Clause or Schedule shall mean references to such Clause or Schedule of this Agreement, and (b) references to any agreement, instrument, or other document in this Agreement refer to such agreement, instrument, or other document as originally executed or, if subsequently amended, replaced, or supplemented from time to time, as so amended, replaced, or supplemented and in effect at the relevant time of reference thereto.
13.18 | Order of Precedence |
The Schedules to this Agreement form part of this Agreement. In the event of a conflict or inconsistency between the terms set forth in the body of this Agreement and any schedules or other attachments hereto, the terms of the body of this Agreement shall control.
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13.19 | Construction |
The terms of this Agreement represent the results of negotiations between the Parties and their representatives, each of which has been represented by counsel of its own choosing, and neither of which has acted under duress or compulsion, whether legal, economic, or otherwise. Accordingly, the terms of this Agreement will be interpreted and construed in accordance with their usual and customary meanings, and each Party hereby waives the application in connection with the interpretation and construction of this Agreement of any rule of law to the effect that ambiguous or conflicting terms contained in this Agreement will be interpreted or construed against the Party whose attorney prepared the executed draft or any earlier draft of this Agreement. Except as otherwise explicitly specified to the contrary, (a) the word "including" (in its various forms) means "including without limitation", (b) the words "will" and "shall" have the same meaning, (c) references to a particular statute or regulation include all rules and regulations thereunder and any predecessor or successor statute, rules or regulation, in each case as amended or otherwise modified from time to time, (d) words in the singular or plural form include the plural and singular form, respectively, (e) references to a particular Person include such Person's successors and assigns to the extent not prohibited by this Agreement, (f) the headings contained in this Agreement, in any exhibit, appendix, or schedule to this Agreement are for convenience only and will not in any way affect the construction of or be taken into consideration in interpreting this Agreement, (g) the word "or" means "and/or" unless the context dictates otherwise because the subjects of the conjunction are mutually exclusive, (h) the words "herein", "hereof", and "hereunder" and other words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular Clause or other subdivision, (i) all references to days mean calendar days, unless otherwise specified, and (j) all references to 'therapeutic', 'therapeutic use' or 'therapeutic purposes' shall include the treatment or prevention of any disease.
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]
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THIS COLLABORATION AND LICENCE AGREEMENT is executed by the authorised representatives of the Parties as of the Execution Date.
By: | /s/ Pascal Buergin | |
Name: | Pascal Buergin | |
Title: | Head of Law, Patents and Compliance Switzerland | |
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Exhibit 10.3
AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO COLLABORATION AND LICENSE AGREEMENT
This Amendment No. 3 to Collaboration and License Agreement (“Third Amendment”) is made and entered into effective as of 27th April 2023 (“Third Amendment Effective Date”) by and between BicycleTx Limited, a company incorporated in England and Wales with a place of business at Blocks A & B, Portway Building Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge, United Kingdom, CB21 6GS (“BicycleTx”), and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation with a principal place of business at 2855 Gazelle Court, Carlsbad, California 92010, USA (“Ionis”).
BicycleTx and Ionis are referred to herein individually as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties”.
WHEREAS, BicycleTx and Ionis entered into that certain Collaboration and License Agreement dated as of July 9, 2021, as amended (the “Agreement”), pursuant to which the Parties agreed to collaborate in the research and development of products incorporating TfR1 Bicycles directed against certain Targets;
WHEREAS, the Agreement provides for BicycleTx to perform the Research Activities, subject to certain terms and conditions, including [***] at BicycleTx’s cost, with the allocation of costs for any additional BicycleTx work requested by Ionis over and above [***] to be discussed in good faith and mutually agreed by the Parties;
WHEREAS, the Parties amended the Agreement by the First Amendment effective as of 17 December 2021, to enable the Parties to conduct certain Additional Research Activities during the Additional Research Period to evaluate the potential for TfR1 Bicycles [***];
WHEREAS, the Parties further amended the Agreement by the Second Amendment effective as of 28 July 2022 to extend the Additional Research Term and the Initial Period;
WHEREAS, the Parties now seek to conduct certain further additional activities to [***], and the Parties thus desire to amend the Agreement to provide for BicycleTx to perform such further additional activities [***], as further set forth in this Third Amendment; and
WHEREAS, Section 12.3 of the Agreement provides that the Agreement may only be modified by a written instrument duly executed by authorized representatives of each Party.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties desire, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, to amend the Agreement as set forth in this Third Amendment.
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THIS AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO COLLABORATION AND LICENSE AGREEMENT is executed by the authorized representatives of the Parties as of the Third Amendment Effective Date.
BICYCLETX LIMITED | |
By: /s/ Michael Skinner Name: Michael Skinner Title: CTO | By: /s/ Brett Monia Name: Brett Monia Title: CEO |
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Schedule 1
Further Additional Activities
[***]
5
Exhibit 10.4
THIRD AMENDMENT TO LOAN AND SECURITY AGREEMENT
THIS THIRD AMENDMENT TO LOAN AND SECURITY AGREEMENT (this “Amendment”), dated as
of May 15, 2023, is entered into by and among BICYCLE THERAPEUTICS PLC, a public limited company organized under the laws of England and Wales (“Parent”), BICYCLETX LIMITED, a private company limited by shares organized under the laws of England and Wales (“BicycleTx”), BICYCLERD LIMITED, a private company limited by shares organized under the laws of England and Wales (“BicycleRD”), BICYCLE THERAPEUTICS INC., a Delaware corporation (“Bicycle US”) and each of Parent’s Subsidiaries that delivers a Joinder Agreement pursuant to Section 7.13 of the Loan Agreement (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Borrowers” and each, “Borrower”), the several banks and other financial institutions or entities from time to time parties to the Loan Agreement (as defined below) (collectively, referred to as the “Lenders”) and HERCULES CAPITAL, INC., a Maryland corporation, in its capacity as administrative agent and collateral agent for the Lenders (in such capacity, “Agent”).
Borrowers, Lenders and Agent are parties to that certain Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2020, as amended by that certain First Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of March 10, 2021 and that certain Second Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of July 15, 2022 (the “Existing Loan Agreement”; and the Existing Loan Agreement, as amended by this Amendment and as further amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Loan Agreement”). Borrowers have requested that the Lenders agree to certain amendments to the Loan Agreement. Lenders have agreed to such request, subject to the terms and conditions hereof.
Accordingly, the parties hereto agree as follows:
SECTION 1Definitions; Interpretation.
SECTION 2Amendments to the Loan Agreement.
(i) | New Definition. The following definition is added to Section 1.1 in its proper alphabetical |
order:
“Third Amendment Effective Date” means May 15, 2023.
“Excluded Accounts” means (i) any Deposit Account that is used solely as a payroll account for the employees of any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries or the funds in which consist solely of funds held in trust for any director, officer or employee of such Loan Party or Subsidiary or any employee benefit plan maintained by such Loan Party or Subsidiary or funds representing deferred compensation for the directors and employees of such Loan Party or Subsidiary, collectively not to exceed 150% of the amount to be paid in the ordinary course of business in the then-next payroll cycle, (ii) escrow accounts, Deposit Accounts and trust accounts, in each case holding assets that are pledged or otherwise encumbered as set forth on Schedule 1C to the Disclosure Letter or pursuant to clauses (vi), (xiv), (xvii) or (xviii) of the definition of Permitted Liens (but only to the extent required to be excluded pursuant to the underlying documents entered into in connection with such Permitted Liens in the ordinary course of business); (iii) accounts
containing no (zero) balance; (iv) so long as Borrower’s total consolidated Cash balances are no less than 150% of the outstanding Secured Obligations, any Deposit Account domiciled in the United States of America which is not subject to an Account Control Agreement in favor of Agent on or after the Third Amendment Effective Date; provided, that the aggregate balance of all such Deposit Accounts excluded pursuant to this clause (iv) shall at no time exceed 20% of Borrower’s total consolidated Cash balances; and (v) prior to the lapse of any grace period set forth therein, accounts described in the Schedule 4.4 to the Disclosure Letter.
(iii) | Exhibit E. Exhibit E is hereby replaced with Exhibit E attached hereto as Annex A. |
SECTION 3 Conditions of Effectiveness. The effectiveness of Section 2 of this Amendment shall be subject to the satisfaction of each of the following conditions precedent:
(b) | Agent shall have received: |
(i) | this Amendment, executed by Agent, Lenders and Borrowers; and |
(ii) | such other documents as Agent may reasonably request. |
SECTION 4 Representations and Warranties. To induce Agent and Lenders to enter into this Amendment, each Borrower hereby confirms, as of the date hereof, that (a) the representations and warranties made by it in Section 5 of the Loan Agreement and in the other Loan Documents are true and correct in all material respects; provided, however, that such materiality qualifier shall not be applicable to any representations and warranties that already are qualified or modified by materiality in the text thereof provided, further, that to the extent such representations and warranties by their terms expressly relate only to a prior date such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such prior date; (b) there has not been and there does not exist a Material Adverse Effect; (c) the information included in the Perfection Certificate delivered to Agent on the Closing Date remains true and correct; (d) Agent has and shall continue to have valid, enforceable and perfected first-priority liens, subject only to Permitted Liens, on and security interests in the Collateral and all other collateral heretofore granted by Borrowers to Agent, pursuant to the Loan Documents or otherwise granted to or held by Agent; (e) the agreements and obligations of Borrowers contained in the Loan Documents and in this Amendment constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of Borrowers, enforceable against Borrowers in accordance with their respective terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar laws of general application affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights or by the application of general principles of equity; (f) the execution, delivery and performance of this Amendment by Borrowers will not violate any law, rule, regulation, order, contractual obligation or organizational document of Borrowers and will not result in, or require, the creation or imposition of any lien, claim or encumbrance of any kind on any of its properties or revenues; and (g) no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
(a) | Loan Documents Otherwise Not Affected; Reaffirmation; No Novation. |
2
A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS THAT THE CREDITOR OR RELEASING PARTY DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE AND THAT, IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER, WOULD HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR OR RELEASED PARTY.
Each Borrower understands, acknowledges and agrees that the release set forth above may be pleaded as a full and complete defense and may be used as a basis for an injunction against any action, suit or other proceeding which may be instituted, prosecuted or attempted in breach of the provisions of such release. Each Borrower agrees that no fact, event, circumstance, evidence or transaction which could now be asserted or which may hereafter be discovered shall affect in any manner the final, absolute and unconditional nature of the release set forth above. The provisions of this
3
section shall survive payment in full of the Secured Obligations, full performance of all the terms of this Amendment and the other Loan Documents.
[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]
4
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Amendment, as of the date first above
written.
BORROWERS:
BICYCLE THERAPEUTICS PLC
Signature:/s/ Kevin Lee
Print Name: Kevin Lee
Title:CEO & Director
BICYCLETX LIMITED
Signature:/s/ Kevin Lee
Print Name:Kevin Lee
Title:Director
BICYCLERD LIMITED
Signature:/s/ Kevin Lee
Print Name:Kevin Lee
Title:Director
BICYCLE THERAPEUTICS INC.
Signature:/s/ Lee Kalowski
Print Name:Lee Kalowski
Title:President & Director
[SIGNATURES CONTINUE ON THE NEXT PAGE]
[Signature Page to Third Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement]
AGENT:
HERCULES CAPITAL, INC.
Signature:/s/ Jennifer Choe
Print Name:Jennifer Choe
Title:Associate General Counsel
LENDERS:
HERCULES CAPITAL, INC.
Signature:/s/ Jennifer Choe
Print Name:Jennifer Choe
Title:Associate General Counsel HERCULES FUNDING IV, LLC
Signature:/s/ Jennifer Choe
Print Name:Jennifer Choe
Title:Associate General Counsel HERCULES PRIVATE CREDIT FUND 1 L.P.
By:Hercules Adviser LLC, its sole member Signature:/s/ Jennifer Choe
Print Name:Jennifer Choe
Title:Authorized Signatory
HERCULES PRIVATE GLOBAL VENTURE GROWTH FUND I L.P.
By:Hercules Adviser LLC, its sole member Signature:/s/ Jennifer Choe
Print Name:Jennifer Choe
Title:Authorized Signatory
[Signature Page to Third Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement]
Annex A
EXHIBIT E COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
Hercules Capital, Inc. (as “Agent”) 400 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 310 Palo Alto, CA 94301
Reference is made to that certain Loan and Security Agreement dated September 30, 2020 and the Loan Documents (as defined therein) entered into in connection with such Loan and Security Agreement all as may be amended from time to time (hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Loan Agreement”) by and among Hercules Capital, Inc. (the “Agent”), the several banks and other financial institutions or entities from time to time party thereto (collectively, the “Lender”) and Bicycle Therapeutics plc, a public limited company organized under the laws of England and Wales (the “Company”) and each other Borrower and Guarantor party thereto (collectively, the “Loan Parties”). All capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the same meaning as defined in the Loan Agreement.
The undersigned is an Officer of the Company, knowledgeable of all Company financial matters, and is authorized to provide certification of information regarding the Company; hereby certifies, in such capacity, that in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Loan Agreement, except as set forth below, each Loan Party is in compliance for the period ending of all covenants, conditions and terms and hereby reaffirms that all representations and warranties contained therein are true and correct in all material respects on and as of the date of this Compliance Certificate with the same effect as though made on and as of such date, except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date. Attached are the required documents supporting the above certification. The undersigned further certifies the attached financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP (except for the absence of footnotes with respect to unaudited financial statement and subject to normal year-end adjustments) and are consistent from one period to the next except as explained below.
REPORTING REQUIREMENT | REQUIRED | CHECK IF ATTACHED |
Interim Financial Statements | Monthly within 30 days | |
Interim Financial Statements | Quarterly within 45 days | |
Audited Financial Statements | FYE within 90 days | |
ACCOUNTS OF THE LOAN PARTIES AND THEIR SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES
The undersigned hereby also confirms the below disclosed accounts represent all depository accounts and securities accounts presently open in the name of each Loan Party or Subsidiary, as applicable.
Each new account that has been opened since delivery of the previous Compliance Certificate is designated below with a “*”.
Depository AC # | Financial Institution | Account Type | Last Month Ending | Purpose of Account |
Annex A
| | | | (Depository / Securities) | Account Balance | |
LOAN PARTY Name/Address: | | |||||
| 1 | | | | | |
2 | | | | | | |
3 | | | | | | |
4 | | | | | | |
5 | | | | | | |
6 | | | | | | |
7 | | | | | | |
| ||||||
LOAN PARTY SUBSIDIARY Name/Address | | |||||
| 1 | | | | | |
2 | | | | | | |
3 | | | | | | |
4 | | | | | | |
5 | | | | | | |
6 | | | | | | |
7 | | | | | | |
|
Excluded Accounts
Yes No
Annex A
Yes No
If Borrower’s response is “Yes” to question (1) above, then Borrower is in compliance with clause (iv) of the Excluded Accounts definition so long as Borrower’s response is “Yes” to questions (2) and (3) above.
[Signature page follows.]
Annex A
Very Truly Yours,
BICYCLE THERAPEUTICS PLC
By:
Name:
Its:
Exhibit 31.1
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
I, Kevin Lee, certify that:
1. | I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Bicycle Therapeutics plc; |
2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
(a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
(b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
(c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
(d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
(a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
(b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
Date: August 3, 2023 | By: | /s/ Kevin Lee |
| | Kevin Lee, Ph.D., MBA |
| | Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
Exhibit 31.2
Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
I, Alethia Young, certify that:
1. | I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Bicycle Therapeutics plc; |
2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
(a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
(b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
(c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
(d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
(a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
(b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
Date: August 3, 2023 | By: | /s/ Alethia Young |
| | Alethia Young |
| | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) |
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
Pursuant to the requirement set forth in Rule 13a-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”) and Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. §1350), Kevin Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Bicycle Therapeutics plc (the “Company”), and Alethia Young, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, each hereby certifies that, to the best of their knowledge:
1. | The Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2023, to which this Certification is attached as Exhibit 32.1 (the “Periodic Report”), fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; and |
2. | The information contained in the Periodic Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
Dated: August 3, 2023
| By: | /s/ Kevin Lee |
| | Kevin Lee, Ph.D., MBA |
| | Chief Executive Officer |
| | |
| By: | /s/ Alethia Young |
| | Alethia Young |
| | Chief Financial Officer |
This certification accompanies the Form 10-Q to which it relates, is not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Bicycle Therapeutics plc 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 the Form 10-Q), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.