Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with the section titled “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this annual report. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth in other parts of this annual report contain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth in the section titled “Risk Factors,” our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors.” Please also see the section titled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements.”
Overview
We believe that the surest path to a better future is through technological advancement and that the new frontier of technology lies at the interface of computation, engineering and biology. Our mission is to improve health with technologies that transform the way that antibody-based therapies are discovered. We aim to become the centralized operating system for next generation antibody discovery.
Our full-stack, artificial intelligence-, or AI, powered antibody discovery platform searches and analyzes the database of natural immune systems to find antibodies that can be developed as drugs. We believe our technology increases the speed and the probability of success of therapeutic antibody discovery, including enabling discovery against targets that may otherwise be intractable. We forge partnerships with drug developers of all sizes, from large cap pharmaceutical to small biotechnology companies. We empower them to move quickly, reduce cost and tackle the toughest problems in drug development. As of December 31, 2021, we had 156 discovery programs that are either completed, in progress or under contract with 36 partners. As a recent example, in a collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company, or Lilly, we applied our technology stack to co-develop bamlanivimab, a potential antibody therapy to treat and prevent COVID-19. Starting from a single blood sample obtained from a convalescent patient, we and our partners identified a viable antibody drug candidate within three weeks that advanced into clinical testing 90 days after initiation of the program. Lilly progressed into these clinical trials at a greatly accelerated pace as a result of the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program, which is a special emergency program for possible coronavirus therapies created by the FDA in 2020 to expedite the development of potentially safe and effective life-saving treatments to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. With respect to other or future product candidates, there is no assurance that any of our partners or collaborators will be able to advance a product candidate into clinical development on this timeframe again in the future, or at all. We initiated our partnering program in 2015 and have only had this one program result in clinical milestone payments to us to date and we have not yet had a program receive marketing approval.
We structure our agreements in a way that is designed to align our partners’ economic interests with our own. We forge partnerships with large cap pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies of all sizes and non-profit and government organizations. Our partners select a target and define the antibody properties needed for therapeutic development. We provide discovery solutions to partners that have a range of discovery capabilities, from the highly enabled to the less enabled. We enable discovery against targets that have traditionally been intractable, and we accelerate programs against less difficult targets.
Our deals emphasize participation in the success and upside of future antibody therapeutics. Our partnership agreements include near-term payments for technology access, research and intellectual property rights, and downstream payments in the form of clinical and commercial milestones, and royalties on net sales. We also participate in alternative investment opportunities including equity in our business partner and various rights for deeper involvement in moving molecules forward. Longer-term we are eligible to receive additional payments upon satisfaction of clinical and commercial milestones, which we refer to as milestone payments, as well as royalties on sales of products derived from antibodies that we discover for our partners. Our discovery partnerships generally include royalty payments on net sales in the single digit to low-double digit range.
We generated revenue of $233.2 million and $375.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, we had a total of 36 partners for whom we were conducting antibody discovery activities. For the year ended December 31, 2020, three of our partners accounted for 35%, 25% and 14% of our research fees revenue and eight partners accounted for the remaining 26% of research fees revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2020 we recognized our first clinical milestone payments and royalty revenue streams, totaling $213.3 million, exclusively from our partnership with Lilly. For the year ended December 31, 2021, four of our partners accounted for 29%, 17%, 11% and 10% of our research fees revenue and 12 partners accounted for the remaining 33% of research fees revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we recognized milestone payments of $7.0 million and royalty revenue of $327.3 million exclusively from our partnership with Lilly. Our partnership with Lilly constituted one of the partnerships that generated 10% or more of our consolidated revenues during the one or more periods described above. With respect to the other partners, we do not believe the loss of any one or more of such partners would have a material
76
adverse effect on us and our subsidiaries taken as a whole. We have also grown the number of programs that we have under contract with our partners, as illustrated by the following charts.
We incurred sales and marketing expenses of $3.8 million and $6.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively. We are increasing investment into our business development team and into marketing our solutions to new and existing partners.
We focus a substantial portion of our resources on research and development efforts towards deepening our technology and expertise along our technology stack, and we expect to continue to make significant investments in this area for the foreseeable future. We incurred research and development expenses of $29.4 million and $62.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively. We incurred general and administrative expenses of $11.9 million and $41.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses, and we expect such expenses to increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, including as we:
•
invest in research and development activities to improve our technology stack and platform;
•
market and sell our solutions to existing and new partners;
•
expand and enhance operations to deliver programs, including investments in manufacturing;
•
acquire businesses or technologies to support the growth of our business;
•
attract, hire and retain qualified personnel;
•
continue to establish, protect and defend our intellectual property and patent portfolio, including our ongoing litigation; and
•
operate as a public company.
To date, we have financed our operations primarily from revenue from our antibody discovery partnerships in the form of revenue, government funding from grants, external borrowings, and from the issuance and sale of convertible preferred shares and notes, and common shares.
Our net earnings for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $118.9 million and our net earnings for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $153.5 million. As of December 31, 2021, we had accumulated earnings of $267.7 million and we had balance of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities totaling $723.0 million.
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Recent Developments
In February 2022, we announced that bebtelovimab (LY-CoV1404), the second antibody developed through our collaboration with Lilly, received EUA from the FDA for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Lilly announced in February 2022 that they entered into a purchase agreement with the U.S. government to supply up to 600,000 doses of bebtelovimab no later than March 31, 2022, with an option of 500,000 additional doses no later than July 31, 2022, for at least $720 million.
Key Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations and Future Performance
We believe that our financial performance has been, and in the foreseeable future will continue to be, primarily driven by multiple factors as described below, each of which presents growth opportunities for our business. These factors also pose important challenges that we must successfully address in order to sustain our growth and improve our results of operations. Our ability to successfully address these challenges is subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described in the section of this prospectus titled “Risk Factors.”
•
Securing additional programs under contract. Our potential to grow revenue, in both the near and long term, is dependent on our ability to secure additional programs under contract from new and existing partners. For existing partners, we seek to expand our relationships with them to cover multi-year, multi-target programs. Since our first commercial partnership in 2015, as of December 31, 2021, we had 156 discovery programs that are either completed, in progress or under contract with 36 partners. We are building our business development team across the major biotechnology geographic hubs in order to bring in new partners and new programs under contract, and we believe that we have a significant opportunity to continue to increase the number of partners who have programs based on our platform. Our ability to continue to grow our number of programs under contract is dependent upon our ability to educate the market and support the business through investment in our sales and marketing efforts and through further research and development to enhance our technological differentiation.
•
Our partners successfully developing and commercializing the antibodies that we discover. We estimate that, based on the terms of our existing contracts and estimates of historical rates of success of antibody drug development, the vast majority of the potential value for each program under contract is represented by potential future milestone payments and royalties rather than research fees. As a result, we believe our business and our future results of operations will be highly reliant on the degree to which our partners successfully develop and commercialize the antibodies that we discover based on contracts with our partners. As our partners continue to advance development of the antibodies that we have discovered, we expect to start receiving additional milestone payments and royalties if any partners commence commercial sales of such antibodies.
•
Rate and timing of selecting and initiating discovery projects by our partners. Once programs are secured under contract, partners must select targets and agree on a detailed statement of work before we commence discovery research on any antibodies. The rate and timing of such selection and initiation differs from partner to partner. Research fees that we recognize under our partnerships depend on our delivery of antibodies for development by our partners and delays by our partners in selecting targets and agreeing on statements of work may impact revenue recognition.
•
Investing in enhancements to our technology stack. Our ability to maintain and expand our partnerships is dependent on the advantages our technology stack delivers to our partners. We intend to maintain our leading position through research and development investments to refine and add capabilities in areas such as computation, protein engineering, immunization technologies, genetically engineered rodents and cell line selection. We have successfully closed and will continue to look for strategic technology acquisitions to improve, broaden and deepen our capabilities and expertise in antibody discovery and development, or those that offer opportunities to expand our partnership business into adjacent therapeutic modalities. We intend to devote substantial resources to continue to improve our technological differentiation which will impact our financial performance.
•
Scaling our operations to execute on discovery programs . As we secure additional programs under contract and as our partners initiate discovery programs, our operational capacity to execute such research activities may become strained. We are making significant investments in capital and time to increase our ability to address future growth, including building new headquarters through our Dayhu and Beedie joint ventures, building a new small-scale manufacturing plant, investing in research and development and hiring more talented personnel across functions. We have new facilities under development scheduled to take occupancy in early 2022 and 2023 that are intended to materially expand capacity. As we expand our workforce, we expect a significant increase in our operating expenses, including stock - based compensation.
Key Business Metrics
We regularly review the following key business metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate financial projections and make strategic decisions. We believe that the following metrics are important to understand our current business. These metrics may change or may be substituted for additional or different metrics as
78
our business develops. For example, as our business matures and to the extent programs are discontinued, we anticipate updating these metrics to reflect such changes.
Year Ended December 31,
Change
Cumulative Metrics
2020
2021
%
Number of discovery partners
27
36
33
%
Programs under contract
103
156
51
%
Program starts
52
78
50
%
Programs in the clinic
1
5
400
%
The table below outlines the details of molecules in the clinic as of December 31, 2021:
Molecule
Most advanced stage
Partner
Therapy areas
Program type
Bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555)
Marketed, Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)
Eli Lilly and Company
Infectious disease – COVID-19
Discovery partnership
Bebtelovimab (LY-CoV1404)
Phase 2
Eli Lilly and Company
Infectious disease – COVID-19
Discovery partnership
NBL-012
Phase 1
NovaRock Biotherapeutics Inc.
Dermatology, gastrointestinal, immunology
Trianni license
NBL-015
IND approved
NovaRock Biotherapeutics Inc.
Oncology
Trianni license
IVX-01
Clinical field study
Invetx
Animal health
Discovery partnership
Number of discovery partners represents the unique number of partners with whom we have executed partnership contracts. We view this metric as an indication of the competitiveness of our technology stack and our current level of market penetration. The metric also relates to our opportunities to secure programs under contract from existing customers through repeat business opportunities.
Programs under contract represent the number of antibody development programs that are under contract for delivery of discovery research activities. A program under contract is counted when a contract is executed with a partner under which we commit to discover antibodies against one selected target. A target is any relevant antigen for which a partner seeks our support in developing binding antibodies. We view this metric as an indication of commercial success and technological competitiveness. It further relates to revenue from technology access fees. The cumulative number of programs under contract with downstream participation is related to our ability to generate future revenue from milestone payments and royalties.
Program starts represent the number of unique programs under contract for which we have commenced the discovery effort. The discovery effort commences on the later of (i) the day on which we receive sufficient reagents to start discovery of antibodies against a target and (ii) the day on which the kick-off meeting for the program is held. We view this metric as an indication of our operational capacity to execute on programs under contract. It is also an indication of the selection and initiation of discovery projects by our partners and the resulting near-term potential to earn research fees. Cumulatively, program starts with downstream participation indicate our total opportunities to earn downstream revenue from milestone fees and royalties in the mid- to long-term.
Molecules in the clinic represent the count of unique molecules for which an Investigational New Drug, or IND, New Animal Drug, or equivalent under other regulatory regimes, application has been approved based on an antibody that was discovered either by us or by a partner using licensed AbCellera technology. Where the date of such application approval is not known to us, the date of the first public announcement of a clinical trial will be used for the purpose of this metric. We view this metric as an indication of our near- and mid-term potential revenue from milestone fees and potential royalty payments in the long term.
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Summary partnership agreements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that include downstream participation from 2016 to Dec ember 3 1 , 2021 :
Partner
# of Targets & Duration
Therapeutic Indication or Modality
Date Announced
Everest Medicines
Up to 10 targets, multi-year
Oncology and undisclosed
September 22, 2021
Moderna
Up to 6 targets, multi-year
RNA-encoded antibodies
September 15, 2021
EQRx
Multi-target, multi-year
Oncology and immunology (initially)
August 4, 2021
Tachyon
Single target
Oncology
August 3, 2021
Undisclosed biotech
Up to 4 targets, multi-year
Undisclosed
June 30, 2021
*
Angios
Multi-target, multi-year
Ophthalmology
May 6, 2021
Undisclosed biotech
Multi-target, multi-year
Oncology
May 6, 2021
*
Empirico
Up to 5 targets, multi-year
Undisclosed
April 14, 2021
Gilead Sciences
8 targets, multi-year
Undisclosed
April 1, 2021
Abdera Therapeutics
9 targets, multi-year
Oncology
January 14, 2021
Invetx
Multi-target, multi-year
Animal Health
November 19, 2020
Kodiak Sciences
Multi-target, multi-year
Ophthalmology
October 29, 2020
IGM Biosciences
Multi-target, multi-year
Oncology and immunology
September 24, 2020
Undisclosed
Single target
Bispecific
June 3, 2020
*
Eli Lilly
Up to 9 targets, multi-year
COVID-19 program and additional indications
May 22, 2020
*
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Multi-target, multi-year
Multiple undisclosed
March 16, 2020
*
Invetx
Multi-target, multi-year
Animal health
February 23, 2020
Undisclosed
Multi-target, multi-year
Cell therapy
September 25, 2019
*
Gilead Sciences
Single target
Infectious disease
June 13, 2019
Denali Therapeutics
8 targets, multi-year
Neurological diseases
February 28, 2019
Novartis
Up to 10 targets, multi-year
Undisclosed
February 14, 2019
Autolus Therapeutics
Single target
Cell therapy (CAR-T)
November 29, 2018
Denali Therapeutics
Single target
Neurological diseases
June 12, 2018
Undisclosed mid-cap biopharma
Undisclosed
Undisclosed
January 25, 2018
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
Single target
Membrane protein
June 13, 2017
Pfizer
Multi-target, multi-year
Membrane protein
January 5, 2017
Undisclosed global biotech
Multi-target, multi-year
Undisclosed
November 4, 2016
Kodiak Sciences
Single target
Ophthalmology
August 24, 2016
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
Undisclosed
Undisclosed
February 2, 2016
* Effective date of agreement
Components of Results of Operations
Revenue
Our revenue is comprised of partnership research fees, licensing revenue, development milestones, and royalty payments from commercial products. Research fees consist primarily of technology access fees, which are generally generated upon execution of our partnership agreements, and discovery research fees, which are generated through our performance of antibody discovery research for our partners. Licensing revenue is primarily from our licensing of our humanized rodent platform, Trianni™. Our partnership agreements also entitle us to receive payments upon the satisfaction of clinical, approval, and commercial milestones as well as royalties on our partners’ commercial sales of the molecules that we discover.
We expect that our revenue, particularly revenue arising from royalties of antibodies sold by our partners, will fluctuate from period to period due to variances in demand for such antibodies and the status of regulatory approvals or emergency use authorizations for such antibodies. We expect that our overall revenue will fluctuate from period to period due to the timing of securing additional programs under contract, the inherently uncertain nature of the timing of milestone achievement, our dependence on the program decisions of our partners and uncertainty in sales of our antibodies by our partners that generate royalty revenue.
Operating Expenses
Royalty fees. Royalty fees consist of certain contractual royalty payments to our strategic partners upon receipt of royalty revenue based on our customers third-party net sales. Royalty fees are not included in every program. For royalties received from
80
Lilly for commercial sales of bamlanivimab , royalty fees were due to collaboration partners in AbCellera’s DARPA P3 (Pandemic Preparedness Program) project focused on rapid pandemic response. Royalty fees are recorded when the third-party sale occurs.
Research and development expenses. Research and development expenses primarily consist of salaries, benefits, incentive compensation, stock-based compensation, laboratory supplies and materials expenses for employees and contractors engaged in research and product development. These expenses are exclusive of depreciation and amortization. Research and development activities consist of discovery research for partners as well as our internal platform development. We derive improvements to our technology stack from both types of activities. We have not historically tracked our research and development expenses on a partner-by-partner basis or on a product candidate-by-product candidate basis.
We expect to continue to incur substantial research and development expenses as we conduct discovery research for our partners. In addition, we plan to continue to invest in research and development to enhance our solutions and offerings to our partners, including hiring additional employees and continuing research and development projects obtained through strategic technology acquisitions. As a result, we expect that our research and development expenses will continue to increase in absolute dollars in future periods and vary from period to period as a percentage of revenue.
Sales and marketing expenses. Our sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries, benefits, incentive compensation and stock-based compensation costs for employees within our commercial sales functions, as well as marketing, travel expenses and information technology costs that are directly associated with sales and marketing efforts, such as client relationship management tools and other information technology data tools to provide insight into market segments and trends. We expect our sales and marketing expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we expand our commercial sales, marketing and business development teams; increase our presence globally; and increase marketing activities to drive awareness and adoption of our platform. While these expenses may vary from period to period as a percentage of revenue, we expect these expenses to increase as a percentage of sales in the short term as we continue to grow our commercial organization to drive anticipated growth in the business.
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses primarily consist of salaries, benefits, incentive compensation and stock-based compensation costs for employees in our executive, accounting and finance, project management, corporate development, office administration, legal and human resources functions as well as professional services fees, such as consulting, audit, tax and legal fees, general corporate costs and allocated overhead expenses. General and administrative expenses also include all rent and facilities expenses for all employees, regardless of department or function. We expect that our general and administrative expenses will continue to increase in absolute dollars in future periods, primarily due to increased headcount to support anticipated growth in the business and due to incremental costs associated with operating as a public company, including costs to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to companies listed on a securities exchange and costs related to compliance and reporting obligations pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC and stock exchange listing standards, public relations, insurance and professional services. We expect these expenses to vary from period to period as a percentage of revenue.
Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation expense consists of the depreciation of property and equipment used actively in the business, primarily by research and development activities. Amortization expense includes the amortization of intangible assets over their respective useful lives.
Other (Income) Expense
Interest income. Interest income consists primarily of interest earned on cash, cash equivalent, and marketable securities balances.
Interest and other expense. Interest expense consists primarily of financing fees, fair value adjustments of contingent consideration and investments, and includes interest on borrowings under any credit agreements.
Foreign exchange (gain) loss, net. Foreign exchange (gain) loss, net, consists of income or loss due to fluctuation in exchange rates in the foreign jurisdictions that we operate in. All of our historical revenue has been generated in U.S. dollars.
Grants and incentives. Grants and incentives include cost recovery on activities that qualified for approved projects supported by grant funding or tax credits. Grants primarily include the benefit from programs administered by the Canadian government’s Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Strategic Innovation Fund. To the extent that grant funding covers capital expenditures, a deferred credit is recorded on the balance sheet and recognized ratably over the benefit period of the related expenditure for which the grant was intended to compensate.
Tax credits include benefits from the Canadian Scientific Research and Experimental Development, or SR&ED, program, the Australian R&D Tax Incentive program and U.S. federal and state research and experimentation tax credits. Where we qualify for refundable tax credits, these are included in grants and incentives in the year the qualifying expenditure is made. Non-refundable tax
81
credits are recognized as a reduction to income tax expense in the year they are earned and are included in a note in the financial statements. We expect to continue to benefit from these tax programs in the future.
Results of Operations
The results of operations presented below should be reviewed in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included elsewhere in this annual report. The following tables set forth our results of operations for the periods presented:
Year Ended December 31,
2019
2020
2021
Revenue:
Research fees
$
11,612
$
19,848
$
19,076
Licensing revenue
-
-
20,778
Milestone payments
-
15,000
8,000
Royalty revenue
-
198,307
327,349
Total revenue
11,612
233,155
375,203
Operating expenses:
Royalty fees
-
27,143
45,516
Research and development ( 1)
10,113
29,393
62,062
Sales and marketing ( 1)
1,263
3,842
6,913
General and administrative ( 1)
2,749
11,910
41,848
Depreciation and amortization
1,604
4,836
14,451
Total operating expenses
15,729
77,124
170,790
Income (loss) from operations
(4,117
)
156,031
204,413
Other (income) expense:
Interest income
(155
)
(293
)
(3,330
)
Interest and other expense
209
6,511
5,225
Foreign exchange (gain) loss
(186
)
300
855
Grants and incentives
(1,774
)
(8,320
)
(17,486
)
Total other income
(1,906
)
(1,802
)
(14,736
)
Net earnings (loss) before income tax
(2,211
)
157,833
219,149
Income tax expense
-
38,915
65,685
Net earnings (loss)
$
(2,211
)
$
118,918
$
153,464
Foreign currency translation adjustment
-
-
280
Comprehensive income (loss)
$
(2,211
)
$
118,918
$
153,744
Net earnings (loss) per share attributable to common shareholders
Basic
$
(0.01
)
$
0.53
$
0.56
Diluted
$
(0.01
)
$
0.45
$
0.48
Weighted-average common shares outstanding
Basic
151,327,560
159,195,023
275,763,745
Diluted
151,327,560
263,129,765
318,294,236
(1)
Amounts are exclusive of depreciation and amortization. Amounts include stock-based compensation as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
2019
2020
2021
Research and development expenses
$
606
$
5,365
$
15,663
Sales and marketing expenses
85
1,691
2,120
General and administrative expenses
199
1,341
12,863
Total stock-based compensation
$
890
$
8,397
$
30,646
82
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2021
Revenue
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Revenue
Research fees
$
19,848
$
19,076
$
(772
)
(4
)%
Licensing revenue
-
20,778
20,778
N/A
Milestone payments
15,000
8,000
(7,000
)
(47
)%
Royalty revenue
198,307
327,349
129,042
65
%
Total revenue
$
233,155
$
375,203
$
142,048
61
%
Revenue increased by $142.0 million from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021. In 2021, we received milestone revenue upon the first commercial sale in Europe by Lilly relating to molecule bamlanivimab for treatment of COVID-19 in the amount of $7.0 million and $1.0 million in milestone payments from Trianni licenses. Royalty revenue of $327.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 are directly associated with the specified percentage of proceeds that Lilly received from the sales of bamlanivimab. We earned $20.8 million in licensing revenue related to the Trianni humanized rodent platform business. The significant growth we delivered in program starts drove higher research fees in the year on non-COVID-19 discovery programs, offset by fees earned last year against our COVID-19 discovery program leading to a net decrease in research fees of $0.8 million.
Operating Expenses
Royalty fees
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Royalty fees
$
27,143
$
45,516
$
18,373
68
%
Royalty fees increased by $18.4 million from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021. Royalty fees are directly attributable to the royalty revenues received by the Company from sales of bamlanivimab by Lilly due to AbCellera’s collaborators in pandemic response.
Research and Development, Exclusive of Depreciation and Amortization
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Research and development
$
29,393
$
62,062
$
32,669
111
%
Research and development expenses increased by $32.7 million, or 111%, from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021 reflecting continuing strong investments in the capacity and capabilities of AbCellera’s antibody discovery and development platform. $13.2 million of the increase is due to the increase in compensation expense consistent with increased headcount. $10.2 million of the increase relates to stock-based compensation expense. $13.6 million of the increase is attributed to an increase in facilities, research materials, supplies and services consistent with the overall increase in research and development activities. The overall increase was partly offset by the decrease in IPR&D expense of $4.2 million attributable to the 2020 purchase of the OrthoMab bispecific platform, and licensing fees incurred during the prior period.
Sales and Marketing
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Sales and marketing
$
3,842
$
6,913
$
3,071
80
%
83
Sales and marketing expenses increased by $3.1 million, or 80%, from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily driven by increased headcount in business development and marketing staff which resulted in an increase of $1.5 million in compensation expenses. $0.8 million of the increase is attributable to a donation made to Surrey Hospital to fund a study related to bamlanivimab in Canada. The remaining increase of $0.5 million is attributable to increased recruiting and consulting fees.
General and Administrative
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
General and administrative
$
11,910
$
41,848
$
29,938
251
%
General and administrative expenses increased by $29.9 million, or 251%, from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021. $11.7 million of the increase in general and administrative expense is related to the increased impact of non-cash stock-based compensation expense. $4.1 million of the increase is related to increased compensation expense, excluding stock-based compensation, which was driven by increased headcount within the general and administrative function. $7.3 million is attributable to legal fees and other corporate matters relating to being a public company and protecting our intellectual property. $6.7 million of the increase in general and administrative expense is due to increased expenditures related to rent and facilities expense, software, insurance premiums, and increased general office and expenses to support the growth of the Company.
Depreciation and Amortization
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Depreciation and amortization
$
4,836
$
14,451
$
9,615
199
%
Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $9.6 million, or 199%, from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021. Depreciation expense increased by $2.1 million due to the depreciation of equipment and facilities related to capital equipment purchases of $8.4 million in the year. Amortization expense increased by $7.5 million due to the amortization of acquired intangible assets over their respective useful lives.
Other (Income) Expense
Interest Income
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Interest income
$
(293
)
$
(3,330
)
$
(3,037
)
1037
%
Interest income increased by $3.0 million, or 1037%, from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily driven by a larger average cash and cash equivalents balances maintained in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the prior period.
Interest and Other Expense
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Interest and other expense
$
6,511
$
5,225
$
(1,286
)
(20
)%
Interest and other expense decreased by $1.3 million, or 20% from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021. $4.9 million of the decrease relates to combined interest, and cancellation fees and legal fees on early retirement of the OrbiMed credit agreement in July 2020, in addition to interest expense on the credit facility for the period before retirement. This was offset by a $3.4 million increase in fair value adjustments of contingent consideration and investments.
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Foreign Exchange (Gain) Loss
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss
$
300
$
855
$
555
185
%
Foreign exchange (gain) loss increased by $0.6 million from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021. Foreign exchange gains and losses are driven primarily by foreign denominated cash balances that we maintain and the relative exchange rates against the U.S. dollar.
Grants and Incentives
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Grants and incentives
$
(8,320
)
$
(17,486
)
$
(9,166
)
110
%
Grants and incentives increased by $9.2 million, or 110%, from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in activity relating to research and development expenditures that are eligible for the SIF project.
Income Tax Expense
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2020
2021
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Income tax expense
$
38,915
$
65,685
$
26,770
69
%
Income taxes increased by $26.8 million, or 69%, from the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our provision for income taxes is $65.7 million primarily relating to current net earnings and partly offset by deferred income taxes due to timing of differences between accounting net income and taxable income.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2019 and 2020
Revenue
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2019
2020
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Revenue
Research fees
$
11,612
$
19,848
$
8,236
71
%
Licensing revenue
-
-
Milestone payments
-
15,000
15,000
N/A
Royalty revenue
-
198,307
198,307
N/A
Total revenue
$
11,612
$
233,155
$
221,543
1908
%
Revenue increased by $221.5 million from the year ended December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020. We received milestone payments upon achieving Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 clinical milestones and for the first commercial sale in the United States by Lilly relating to molecule bamlanivimab for treatment of COVID-19 in the amount of $15.0 million. Royalty payments of $198.3 million are directly associated with the specified percentage of proceeds that Lilly received from the sales of bamlanivimab. Research fees recognized increased by $8.2 million, or 71%. $5.3 million of the increase is associated with research fees from new partnerships agreements entered into in 2020. The remaining increase is attributable to additional targets and project activities from ongoing projects or new projects with existing partners.
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Operating Expenses
Royalty fees
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2019
2020
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Royalty fees
$
—
$
27,143
$
27,143
N/A
Royalty fees for the year ended December 31, 2020 were $27.1 million. These were directly attributable to the royalty revenues received by the Company from sales of bamlanivimab by Lilly due to AbCellera’s collaborators in pandemic response.
Research and Development, Exclusive of Depreciation and Amortization
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2019
2020
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Research and development
$
10,113
$
29,393
$
19,280
191
%
Research and development expenses increased by $19.3 million, or 191%, from the year ended December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020. $5.1 million of the increase relates to licensing fees due in relation to research activity. $5.1 million of the increase is due to the increase in compensation expense consistent with increased headcount. $4.3 million of the increase relates to stock-based compensation expense related to Liability Classified Options (LCOs). This $4.3 million in LCOs will be settled with equity when the employees exercise the associated options. In June 2020, the Company acquired the OrthoMab bispecific platform from Dualogics in the amount of $4.0 million. This transaction is accounted for as an acquisition of an asset and was expensed upon completion of the transaction, as the platform acquired is intended to be further utilized and expanded in our research and development efforts. The remaining increase is attributed to research materials and supplies consistent with increased research and development activities.
Sales and Marketing
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2019
2020
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Sales and marketing
$
1,263
$
3,842
$
2,579
204
%
Sales and marketing expenses increased by $2.6 million, or 204%, from the year ended December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily driven by increased headcount in business development and marketing staff which resulted in an increase of $2.4 million in compensation expenses, including increased expenditures on new hires, external consultants for public relations and graphic design activities. Sales and marketing expenses related to travel were significantly lower for the year ended December 31, 2020 due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions.
General and Administrative
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2019
2020
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
General and administrative
$
2,749
$
11,910
$
9,161
333
%
General and administrative expenses increased by $9.2 million, or 333%, from the year ended December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020. $1.9 million of the increase is related to the closing of our 2020 preferred share financing and IPO including legal, accounting and other professional services which are not expected to recur in future periods. $2.9 million of the increase was driven by increased headcount within the general and administrative function and the associated compensation expenses. This investment in the general and administrative function was necessary to support both the overall growth of the Company as well as to prepare for being a listed company. $2.1 million is attributable to legal fees incurred with respect to Berkeley litigation and legal IP matters.
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Depreciation and Amortization
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2019
2020
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Depreciation and amortization
$
1,604
$
4,836
$
3,232
201
%
Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $3.2 million, or 201%, from the year ended December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020. Depreciation expense increased by $0.7 million due to the depreciation of equipment and facilities related to capital equipment purchases of $9.7 million in the year. Amortization expense increased by $2.5 million due to the amortization of acquired intangible assets over their respective useful lives.
Other (Income) Expense
Interest Income
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2019
2020
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Interest income
$
(155
)
$
(293
)
$
(138
)
89
%
Interest income increased by $0.1 million, or 89%, from the year ended December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily driven by a larger average cash balance maintained in the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the prior period.
Interest and Other Expense
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2019
2020
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Interest and other expense
$
209
$
6,511
$
6,302
3015
%
Interest and other expense increased by $6.3 million, or 3015% from the year ended December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020. $4.2 million of the increase relates to combined interest, and cancellation fees and legal fees on early retirement of the OrbiMed credit agreement in July 2020, in addition to interest expense on the credit facility for the period before retirement. Given the nature of these cancellation costs and the Company not having any material debt due to its strong liquidity position at the end of 2020, these expenses are not expected to recur in future periods.
Foreign Exchange (Gain) Loss
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2019
2020
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss
$
(186
)
$
300
$
486
(261
)%
Foreign exchange (gain) loss increased by $0.5 million from the year ended December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020. Foreign exchange gains and losses are driven primarily by the Canadian dollar cash balances that we maintain and the relative exchange rates between Canadian dollars and U.S. dollars.
Grants and Incentives
Year Ended December 31,
Change
2019
2020
Amount
%
(in thousands, except percentages)
Grants and incentives
$
(1,774
)
$
(8,320
)
$
(6,546
)
369
%
Grants and incentives increased by $6.5 million, or 369%, from the year ended December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily driven by expenses for which there was cost recovery related to the SIF project
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entered into between us and the Government of Canada in April 2020, in the amount of $6.8 million. Any additional cash from the SIF project that we receive for eligible capital expenditure activities will result in recognition of a deferred credit on the balance sheet. Subsequent to the third quarter , a number of expenditures incurred were identified as not being eligible under the SIF project which directly impacted the grant and incentives recovery amounts recognized in the year. These expenditures did not impact the commitment under the SIF project for $125 .6 million of funding from the Government of Canada to AbCellera . Future eligible expenditures for the project and associated reimbursement will be recognized in a subsequent reporting period .
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021, we had $723.0 million of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, comprising $476.1 million in cash and cash equivalents and $246.8 million in marketable securities. The increase of $128.9 million since December 30, 2020 was primarily from cash flow from operations and driven by the receipt of accounts receivable relating to royalties from bamlanivimab in the year ended December 31, 2021.
We have generated positive operating cash flow cumulatively since our inception in 2012 and in every year since 2018. We intend to significantly invest in our business, and as a result may incur operating losses in future periods. We will continue to invest in research and development efforts towards expanding our capabilities and expertise along our technology stack, the building of our business development team and marketing our solutions to new and existing partners, and the expansion of our future office headquarters, and related infrastructure, including execution of long-term office-lease arrangements. Based on our current business plan, we believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents and anticipated cash flows from operations, will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure needs over at least the next 24 months following the date of this report.
Sources of Liquidity
Since our inception, we have financed our operations primarily from revenue in the form of research fees, milestone payments, and royalty payments from partners, government grants, and debt and equity financings.
Financings and Option Exercises
As of December 31, 2020, we raised a total of $688.4 million from the issuance of common shares in our IPO, the issuance and sale of convertible preferred shares and notes, common shares, net of costs associated with such financings, and exercises of employee share options. As of December 31, 2021, we raised proceeds of $4.0 million from the exercise of employee share options.
Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund
In April 2020, we entered into a multi-year agreement with the Canadian government’s Strategic Innovation Fund, or SIF. Under this agreement, up to CAD $175.6 million ($125.6 million) was committed by the Government of Canada to be directed towards two key stages of a project.
The first stage will provide financial support to our operations during the work that we perform for the discovery of antibodies against COVID-19. The funding supports investment into equipment, teams and physical space to advance our platform for future pandemic preparedness. The Canadian government has committed up to CAD $63.9 million ($45.7 million) towards this stage of the project, based on costs incurred and paid and such funding is non-repayable. As of December 31, 2021, we have claimed a total of $37.9 million under this first stage of the project.
The second stage of the project is intended to fund the expansion of research and development; building out process development and chemistry, manufacturing and control, or CMC, capabilities; constructing a facility for GMP manufacturing; and all related supporting laboratory and office requirements. The project related budget includes project costs for the land and building, the fit out for offices, labs, GMP cleanrooms as well as the equipment required to develop fully functional CMC and GMP capabilities as required to support clinical trials. The Canadian government has committed up to CAD $111.7 million ($79.9 million) for this project, contingent upon costs incurred and paid, with the rest to be co-funded by us through partnering with a developer and taking a co-ownership position in the resulting facilities. SIF funding for this project is expected to occur between 2021 and 2025. Repayment of SIF assistance received for this stage of the project will be calculated as a percentage rate of AbCellera’s revenue, with payment made to the Government of Canada on an annual basis during the repayment period of fifteen years starting in 2027. Repayment on this stage of the project is conditional on revenue thresholds being achieved in seven years, a year following the completion of the project and over the subsequent ten-year period. If the revenue threshold is not met, the SIF funding contribution will be non-repayable. This funding and its associated conditional repayment is not secured by any of our assets or that of the project, and includes certain non-financial covenants and restrictive covenants on dividend payments or other shareholder distributions that would prevent the Company in satisfying its obligations under the arrangement. As of December 31, 2021, we have claimed a total of $21.6 million under this
88
second stage of the project. No amounts have been accrued related to the repayment terms as the conditions are estimated to be non-probable at December 31, 2021.
We conduct work, incur expenses and fund all costs from our own cash resources. On a quarterly basis, we submit claims to the SIF for eligible reimbursable expenses. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we claimed a total of $47.1 million under SIF.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:
Year Ended December 31,
2019
2020
2021
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities
$
2,694
$
22,690
$
244,584
Investing activities
(5,780
)
(119,780
)
(332,247
)
Financing activities
195
683,653
(3,886
)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
-
-
(1,425
)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash
$
(2,891
)
$
586,563
$
(92,974
)
Operating Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities increased from $22.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2020 to $244.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase resulted primarily from increased revenue from royalty and licensing streams, satisfaction of clinical milestones under our partnership with Eli Lilly, and continued discovery research activities, as well as upfront payments from securing new multi-year, multi-target contracts with partners.
Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $20.0 million from $2.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2019 to $22.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase resulted primarily from increased revenue from discovery research activities, securing new multi-year, multi-target contracts with partners that involved up front technology access fees upon execution of the contract, and payments resulting from the satisfaction of clinical milestones under our partnership with Lilly.
Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities increased from $119.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2020 to $332.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in investing activities during 2021 were directly attributed to our investment in marketable securities in addition to real estate, particularly our land purchase related to our future GMP facility. Additional investing activities during the period were related to facilities and equipment expenditures in our Vancouver offices, the acquisition of TetraGenetics, and investment in equity accounted investees, offset by grant funding received in the period.
Net cash used in investing activities was $5.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $119.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in cash used was primarily driven by the acquisition of Trianni, an investment in equity investees related to future facility expansion and investment in a fully paid up license for access to a humanized rodent platform for discovery projects with Alloy Therapeutics. By contrast, in the year ended December 31, 2019, investments were limited to equipment used primarily in our research and development activities.
Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities decreased from $683.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 to net cash used by financing activities of $3.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. This was primarily due to proceeds from Series A2 financing, convertible debentures, and common stock from the IPO in 2020.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $683.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 related primarily to the IPO, SIF funding, convertible note, and the Series A2 financing round closed in March 2020. By contrast, no major equity financing was completed in 2019.
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Contractual Obligations and Commitments
The following table summarizes our commitments to settle contractual obligations at December 31, 2021, other than leases which are recognized as operating lease liabilities in our consolidated balance sheet:
Payments Due by Period
Total
Less than
1 year
1 to 3 Years
3 to 5 Years
More than
5 years
Commitments ( 1)
257,711
314
10,434
24,538
222,425
Royalty fees payable
22,506
22,506
-
-
-
Contingent consideration payable ( 2)
58,820
22,934
30,595
2,360
2,931
Total
$
339,037
$
45,754
$
41,029
$
26,898
$
225,356
(1)
Includes several leased facilities where the lease commencement dates are subsequent to December 31, 2021.
(2)
As of December 31, 2021, the contingent consideration payable had an estimated fair value of approximately $58.8 million, which has been included as a liability on our consolidated balance sheet.
The commitment amounts in the table above are associated with contracts that are enforceable and legally binding and that specify all significant terms, including fixed or minimum services to be used, fixed, minimum or variable price provisions, and the approximate timing of the actions under the contracts.
Purchase and Other Obligations
In the normal course of business, we enter into contracts with third parties for research and development supplies and other services. These contracts generally do not contain minimum purchase commitments and are cancellable contracts. These payments are not included in the table above as the amount and timing of such payments are not known as of December 31, 2021.
The Company may enter into certain agreements with strategic partners in the ordinary course of operations that may include contractual milestone payments related to the achievement of pre-specified research, development, regulatory and commercialization events and indemnification provisions, which are common in such agreements. Pursuant to the agreements, the Company may be obligated to make research and development and regulatory milestone payments upon the occurrence of certain events and upon receipt of royalty payments in the low single-digits to mid-twenties based on certain net sales targets. Other than the amounts included in the above table, these contingent future payments are not included in the table above as they entail uncertainties in relation to the amount and timing of such payments as they are contingent upon future events, such as achieving certain commercial milestones or generating future product sales.
Berkeley Lights Litigation
See Item 3 “Legal Proceedings” for detailed information. The timing of the incurrence of legal expenses relating to pending litigation is difficult to predict and the outcome of litigation is inherently uncertain. Related costs and outcomes could materially affect our financial condition and operating results in future periods.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
We have prepared our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses and related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could therefore differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 3 to our audited consolidated financial statements, we believe the following accounting policies to be critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Revenue Recognition
Our revenue primarily consists of research fees, milestone payments and royalty revenue, which are generated through our performance of antibody discovery research for our partners, and licensing revenue, which we generated from our Trianni humanized
90
rodent platform . Promised deliverables to our global partners include research and development and licenses . The Company applied ASC 606 to all arrangements to date.
We recognize revenue when we satisfy the performance obligations under the terms of a contract and control of our services is transferred to our customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive from our customers in exchange for those services.
When applying the revenue recognition criteria of ASC 606 to research fees and milestone payments, management applies significant judgment when evaluating whether contractual obligations represent distinct performance obligations, including whether options for additional goods or services represent a material right; allocating the transaction price to performance obligations within a contract; and assessing the recognition and possible future reversal of variable consideration.
Research Fees. The transaction price generally includes fixed fees due at contract inception as well as fixed fees payable at the beginning and end of different phases of the discovery research services performed. Revenue is recognized based on the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to each respective performance obligation when or as the performance obligation is satisfied by transferring a promised good and/or service to the customer. We allocate the transaction price to each distinct performance obligation identified in the contract based on relative observable standalone selling prices.
Milestone Payments. At the inception of the arrangement and at each reporting date thereafter, we evaluate whether the associated event is considered probable of achievement and estimate the amount to be included in the transaction price using the most likely amount method. Whether the criteria for achieving the milestone payments will be met in the future is highly uncertain. Consequently, there is a significant risk that we may not earn all of the milestone payments from each of our arrangements. This uncertainty is considered resolved when the associated event giving rise to the milestone payment occurs.
Royalty Revenue. Royalty revenue is recognized in the period in which the obligation is satisfied and the corresponding sales by our corporate partners occur. The sales are based on sales data reported by our partners. Differences between actual and estimated royalty revenue will be adjusted for in the period in which they become known, which is generally expected to be the following quarter.
Business Combination, Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Acquisitions of businesses are accounted for using the acquisition method. The consideration of a business combination is measured, at the date of the exchange, as the aggregate of the fair value of assets given, liabilities incurred or assumed and equity instruments issued by us to the former owners of the acquiree in exchange for control of the acquiree. Acquisition related costs incurred for the business combination are expensed. The acquiree’s identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities are recognized at their fair value at the acquisition date.
Goodwill arising on acquisition is recognized as an asset and initially measured at cost, being the excess of the consideration of the acquisition over our interest in the fair value of the net identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities recognized. If our interest in the fair value of the acquiree’s net identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities exceeds the cost of the acquisition, the excess is recognized in earnings or loss immediately. Goodwill, which is not amortized, will be evaluated for impairment on an annual basis on October 1 or more frequently if an indicator of impairment is present.
As part of our acquisitions of Trianni in 2020, and TetraGenetics in 2021, Goodwill, License, Technology and In-Process Research and Development Intangible (“IPR&D”) intangible assets were recognized. The fair value of the aggregate intangible assets was determined to be $103.6 million and $43.3 million and goodwill was $30.9 million and $16.9 million at the acquisition dates related to Trianni and TetraGenetics, respectively.
IPR&D is classified as indefinite-lived, is not amortized, and is evaluated for impairment on an annual basis on October 1 or more frequently if an indicator of impairment is present. IPR&D becomes definite-lived upon the completion or abandonment of the associated research and development efforts. At December 31, 2021, our IPR&D was $72.4 million. To test our IPR&D for impairment we first perform a qualitative assessment to determine if it is more likely than not that the carrying amount of our indefinite-lived intangible assets exceeds its fair value. If it is, a quantitative assessment is required. Based on our qualitative assessment, we determined there were no potential indicators of impairment of our indefinite-lived intangible assets at October 1, 2021 and during the remainder of 2021.
For our annual goodwill impairment test, we begin with a qualitative assessment to determine whether a quantitative impairment test is necessary. If we determine, after performing an assessment based on the qualitative factors, that the fair value of the reporting unit is more likely than not less than the carrying amount, or that a fair value of the reporting unit substantially in excess of the carrying amount cannot be assured, then a quantitative impairment test would be performed. The quantitative test for impairment
91
requires us to make judgments relating to future cash flows, growth rates and economic and market conditions. These evaluations are based on determining the fair value of the reporting unit using a valuation method such as discounted cash flow or a relative, market-based approach. At October 1, 2021, we performed a qualitative assessment for our annual impairment test of goodwill after concluding that it was not more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit was less than its carrying value. Consequently, the quantitative impairment test was not required. The Company concluded that there were no impairment indicators related to goodwill during the remainder of 2021.
As part of our ongoing planned research and development and execution of our programs under contract, changes to our plans due to internal and external factors out of our control could impact the amount and timing of projected future cash flows. As a result, these unplanned changes could result in us performing a quantitative impairment test in the future, which could result in a potential non-cash impairment charge associated with our goodwill or intangible assets, which would reduce our future earnings.
In connection with our acquisition of Trianni, we may be required to make future payments to former shareholders of Trianni upon the achievement of certain earn-out provisions related to a specific customer license ending on April 9, 2024. As of December 31, 2021, the contingent consideration payable had an estimated fair value of approximately $22.9 million, which has been included as a current liability on our consolidated balance sheet. In connection with our acquisition of TetraGenetics, contingent consideration payable at December 31, 2021 is 35.9 million, all of which is a long-term liability. Contingent consideration payable is a financial liability and measured at its fair value at each reporting period, with any changes in fair value from the previous reporting period recorded in the statement of income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss).
In estimating the fair value of the intangible assets and contingent consideration, we applied an income approach based on the present value of the relevant future estimated after-tax cash flows. The key assumptions include the amount and timing of revenues, success probability, and discount rates. A 10% change in these key assumptions associated with the recognition of intangible assets and contingent consideration would not have a material impact on the amounts recognized.
See Note 21 to our consolidated financial statements for further information related to the accounting for the above acquisitions.
Stock-Based Compensation
We measure stock-based compensation based on the grant date fair value of the stock-based awards and recognize stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. For non-employee awards, compensation expense is recognized as the services are provided, which is generally ratably over the vesting period. Awards with an exercise price which is not denominated in: (a) the currency of a market in which a substantial portion of our equity securities are traded, (b) the currency in which the individual’s pay is denominated, or (c) our functional currency, are classified as liabilities, and are subsequently re-measured to fair value at each balance sheet date until exercised or cancelled, with changes in fair value recognized as compensation cost for the period.
Stock-based compensation expense is classified in our consolidated statements of income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss) based on the function to which the related services are provided. We recognize stock-based compensation expense for the portion of awards that have vested. Forfeitures are accounted for as they occur.
The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires inputs based on certain subjective assumptions, including the expected share price volatility, the expected term of the option, the risk-free interest rate for a period that approximates the expected term of the option, and our expected dividend yield.
Prior to our IPO, as there was no public market for our common shares, we determined the volatility for awards granted with reference to an analysis of reported data for a group of guideline companies that issued options with substantially similar terms. We expect to continue to do so until we have adequate historical data regarding the volatility of the trading price of our common shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The risk-free interest rate is determined by reference to government treasury yield curves in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award. The expected term represents the period that the stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding. We use the simplified method to determine the expected term, which is based on the average of the time-to-vesting and the contractual life of the options. We have not paid, and do not anticipate paying, dividends on our common shares; therefore, the expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero.
As there has been no public market for our common shares prior to our IPO, the historical estimated fair value of our common shares has been approved by our board of directors. Our board of directors determined the per-share fair value of our common shares in connection with option grants as equal to the per-share issuance price of our common shares in the then-most recent arms’ length financing transaction, and when appropriate, considered our most recently available independent third-party valuations of common shares and our operating results and financial performance.
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In accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation , third-party valuation firms prepared valuations of our common shares. From November 2019 until March 2020, such valuations used a discounted cash flow, or DCF, analysis, which is based on management’s projection of future revenues and costs. The future cash flows are adjusted to arrive at a risk-adjusted present-day value of the future cash flows and fair value of equity. From March 2020 to July 2020, such valuations used a methodology that calculated the implied total value of an enterprise by accounting for all share class rights and preferences, as of the date of the latest financing. The total equity value implied by this transaction was then applied in the context of an option pricing model to determine the value of each class of our shares. The analysis used an option pricing method, or OPM, which treats common shares and preferred shares as call options on the total equity value of a company, with exercise prices based on the value thresholds at which the allocation among the various holders of a company’s securities changes. The OPM takes into account the preferred shareholders’ liquidation preferences, participation rights, dividend policy and conversion rights to determine how proceeds from a liquidity event will be distributed among various ownership classes at a future date. A discount for lack of marketability of the common shares is then applied to arrive at an indication of value for the common shares. After July 2020, in contemplation of this offering, such valuations estimated the enterprise value of our business using a hybrid approach in determining the fair value of our common shares that includes a probability-weighted expected return method, or PWERM and the OPM. Under a PWERM, the fair market value of our common shares is estimated based upon an analysis of future values for the enterprise assuming various future outcomes. Based on the timing and nature of an assumed liquidity event in each scenario, a discount for lack of marketability would be applied to each scenario, as appropriate. The probability-weighted the value of each expected outcome would then be used to arrive at an estimate of fair value per common share.
Our third-party valuation reports estimated a valuation of our common shares of $1.24 per share as of June 30, 2020, $2.37 per share as of September 30, 2020 and $2.71 per share as of October 31, 2020. No third-party valuation report was prepared for any period after October 31, 2020.
In addition to considering the results of the third-party valuations, our board of directors considered various objective and subjective factors to determine the fair value of our common shares as of each grant date, which may be a date other than the most recent third-party valuation date, including:
•
the prices at which we most-recently sold preferred shares and the superior rights and preferences of the preferred shares relative to our common shares at the time of each grant;
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the lack of liquidity of our equity as a private company;
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our stage of development and business strategy and the material risks related to our business and industry;
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our financial condition and operating results, including our levels of available capital resources and forecasted results;
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developments in our business, including the achievement of milestones such as entering into partnering agreements;
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the valuation of publicly traded companies in the life sciences, biopharmaceutical and healthcare technology sectors, as well as recently completed mergers and acquisitions of peer companies;
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any external market conditions affecting our industry, and trends within our industry;
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the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event for the holders of our preferred shares and holders of our common shares, such as an initial public offering, or IPO, or a sale of our company, given prevailing market conditions; and
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the analysis of IPOs and the market performance of similar companies in our industry.
For purposes of determining the fair value of our common shares for the awards granted in October, 2020, we also considered the applicability of the following factors and determined not to assign probability weightings to the potential occurrence of such events for the reasons discussed below:
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The application by Eli Lilly on October 7, 2020 for EUA for the bamlanivimab single agent therapy to the FDA was not assigned a probability weighting due to the significant general risks and uncertainties in drug therapy applications with the FDA, in addition to the binary nature and outcome of the EUA application assessment. While we were aware that an EUA application was submitted to the FDA, we were not a party to the application, nor did we have control over its contents. In addition, we were not involved in any interactions with the FDA in relation to this application and therefore had little insight into the status of the application, the nature of any questions or comments raised by the agency in its review or any likelihood of the grant of the EUA.
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The October 28, 2020 announcement by Eli Lilly of an agreement with the U.S. government to supply 300,000 vials of bamlanivimab for $375.0 million for which we are eligible to receive royalties in the low- to mid-twenties was not assigned a probability weighting due to the substantial uncertainty as to the likelihood of receipt of the EUA that is a precondition for any sales of the antibody to occur and upon which our eligibility to receive royalties depends.
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The process of acquiring Trianni , Inc. was not assigned a probability weighting because the proposed acquisition was to be made at fair value of the net assets acquired, the acquisition was not completed until November 3, 2020 and not publicly announced until November 18, 2020. Until such announcement, we had no insight into market reaction to this acquisition and its perceived impact on our valuation.
The assumptions underlying these valuations represented management’s best estimates, which involved inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if factors or expected outcomes change and we use significantly different assumptions or estimates, the fair value of our common shares and our stock-based compensation expense could be materially different.
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Stock options granted after October 2020 and prior to our IPO, the awards had a per-share exercise price based on the factors described above. The EUA application for the bamlanivimab single agent therapy was granted by the FDA on November 9, 2020 and on December 2, 2020, the U.S government announced the purchase of an additional 650,000 doses of bamlanivimab for $812.5 million.
Following the completion of our IPO, the fair value of our common shares are determined based on the quoted market price of our common shares.
See Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements concerning additional stock-based compensation expense and certain specific assumptions we used in applying the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the estimated fair value of our stock options granted in the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 4 to our annual consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report for a description of recent accounting pronouncements applicable to our consolidated financial statements.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of a novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, as a pandemic, which continues to spread throughout the world. As with many companies around the world, our day to day operations evolved to include work from home policies and requirements for physical distancing for any personnel present in our offices and laboratories. The pandemic impacted our business development activities as shelter-in-place orders, quarantines, travel restrictions and other public health safety measures limited our ability to interact with our existing and potential partners. The impact of the pandemic continues to raise uncertainties which may impact our business going forward. We could be materially and adversely affected by the risks, or the public perception of the risks, related to the COVID-19 pandemic or similar public health crises. Such crises could adversely impact our ability to conduct on-site laboratory activities, expand our laboratory facilities, secure critical supplies such as reagents, laboratory tools or immunized animals required for discovery research activities, and hire and retain key personnel. In addition, the sustainability of an economic recovery remains unclear as inflationary pressures have increased in Canada, U.S. and globally and efforts to combat the virus have been complicated by new variants. The ultimate extent of the impact of any epidemic, pandemic, outbreak, or other public health crisis on our business, financial condition and results of operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of such epidemic, pandemic, outbreak, or other public health crisis and actions taken to contain or prevent the further spread, among others. Accordingly, we cannot predict the extent to which our business, financial condition and results of operations will be affected. We remain focused on maintaining our operations, liquidity and financial flexibility and continue to monitor developments as we deal with the disruptions and uncertainties from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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