UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
☒
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the quarterly period ended June 30, 2021
or
☐
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from __________ to __________
Commission
File Number: 001-36374
ACTINIUM
PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 74-2963609
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization) (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
275
Madison Ave, 7 th Floor
New
York , NY
10016
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
( 646 )
677-3870
(Registrant’s
Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol Name of exchange on which registered
Common stock, par value $0.001 ATNM NYSE American
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2)
has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒ Yes ☐ No
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to submit such files). ☒ Yes ☐ No
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company,
or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller
reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒
Emerging growth company ☐
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards, provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
☐ Yes ☒ No
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of July 28, 2021: 21,331,314
Actinium
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
FORM
10-Q
For
the six months ended June 30, 2021
INDEX
PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1.
Financial Statements
1
Item 2.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
15
Item 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
26
Item 4.
Controls and Procedures
27
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1.
Legal Proceedings
28
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
28
Item 2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
56
Item 3.
Defaults Upon Senior Securities
56
Item 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
56
Item 5.
Other Information
56
Item 6.
Exhibits
56
SIGNATURES
57
i
PART
I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM
1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company and are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all
adjustments (which include only normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the financial position at June 30, 2021 and
December 31, 2020, and the results of operations and cash flows for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively,
have been made. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted. It is suggested that these financial statements
be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s audited financial statements for
the year ended December 31, 2020 in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations for the three and six months
ended June 30, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full year.
1
Actinium
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(amounts
in thousands, except share and per share data)
June 30,
2021
December 31,
2020
(Unaudited)
Assets
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 81,912
$ 63,560
Restricted cash – current
48
48
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
1,211
1,317
Total Current Assets
83,171
64,925
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $ 339 and $ 291
329
312
Operating leases right-of-use assets
413
579
Finance leases right-of-use assets
99
140
Security deposit
50
50
Restricted cash
392
391
Total Assets
$ 84,454
$ 66,397
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ 3,426
$ 4,340
Operating leases current liability
357
342
Finance leases current liability
90
85
Total Current Liabilities
3,873
4,767
Long-term operating leases obligations
62
245
Long-term finance leases obligations
20
66
Total Liabilities
3,955
5,078
Commitments and contingencies (Note 2)
Stockholders’ Equity:
Preferred stock, $ 0.001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized, 0 shares issued and outstanding
—
—
Common stock, $ 0.001 par value; 1,000,000,000 shares authorized; 21,090,931 and 17,532,893 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
21
18
Additional paid-in capital
321,793
292,275
Accumulated deficit
( 241,315 )
( 230,974 )
Total Stockholders’ Equity
80,499
61,319
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
$ 84,454
$ 66,397
See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated
financial statements.
2
Actinium
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
(amounts
in thousands, except share and per share data)
For the
Three
Months Ended
June 30,
For the
Six Months Ended
June 30,
2021
2020
2021
2020
Revenue
Revenue
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
Other revenue
266
-
888
-
Total revenue
266
-
888
-
Operating expenses:
Research and development, net of reimbursements
3,631
3,508
7,907
7,659
General and administrative
1,710
1,154
3,428
2,686
Total operating expenses
5,341
4,662
11,335
10,345
Loss from operations
( 5,075 )
( 4,662 )
( 10,447 )
( 10,345 )
Other income:
Interest income - net
54
37
106
50
Total other income
54
37
106
50
Net loss
$ ( 5,021 )
$ ( 4,625 )
$ ( 10,341 )
$ ( 10,295 )
Deemed dividend for warrant down-round protection provision
-
( 1 )
-
( 1 )
Net loss applicable to common stockholders
$ ( 5,021 )
$ ( 4,626 )
$ ( 10,341 )
$ ( 10,296 )
Net loss per share of common stock – basic and diluted
$ ( 0.25 )
$ ( 0.41 )
$ ( 0.54 )
$ ( 1.20 )
Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding, including outstanding pre-funded warrants– basic and diluted
20,231,278
11,379,345
19,308,487
8,559,385
See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated
financial statements.
3
Actinium
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Condensed
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity
For
the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2021
(Unaudited)
(amounts
in thousands, except share amounts)
Common Stock
Additional
Paid-In
Accumulated
Stockholders’
Shares
Amount
Capital
Deficit
Equity
Balance, January 1, 2021
17,532,893
$ 18
$ 292,275
$ ( 230,974 )
$ 61,319
Stock-based compensation
-
-
376
-
376
Sale of common stock, net of costs
1,712,745
1
14,360
-
14,361
Net loss
-
-
-
( 5,320 )
( 5,320 )
Balance, March 31, 2021
19,245,638
$ 19
$ 307,011
$ ( 236,294 )
$ 70,736
Stock-based compensation
8,705
-
459
-
459
Sale of common stock, net of costs
1,835,688
2
14,317
-
14,319
Issuance of shares from exercise of stock options
900
-
6
-
6
Net loss
-
-
-
( 5,021 )
( 5,021 )
Balance, June 30, 2021
21,090,931
$ 21
$ 321,793
$ ( 241,315 )
$ 80,499
See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated
financial statements.
4
Actinium
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Condensed
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity
For
the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2020
(Unaudited)
(amounts
in thousands, except share amounts)
Common Stock
Additional
Paid-In
Accumulated
Stockholders’
Shares
Amount
Capital
Deficit
Equity
Balance, January 1, 2020
5,490,038
$ 5
$ 214,397
$ ( 208,758 )
$ 5,644
Stock-based compensation
-
-
372
-
372
Sale of common stock, net of costs
337,944
1
2,673
-
2,674
Net loss
-
-
-
( 5,670 )
( 5,670 )
Balance, March 31, 2020
5,827,982
$ 6
$ 217,442
$ ( 214,428 )
$ 3,020
Stock-based compensation
5,240
-
210
-
210
Issuance of common stock from exercise of pre-funded warrants
1,200,000
1
3
-
4
Sale of common stock and pre-funded warrants, net of costs
6,138,602
6
52,159
-
52,165
Deemed dividend for warrant down-round protection provision
-
-
1
( 1 )
-
Net loss
-
-
-
( 4,625 )
( 4,625 )
Balance, June 30, 2020
13,171,824
$ 13
$ 269,815
$ ( 219,054 )
$ 50,774
See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated
financial statements.
5
Actinium
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
(amounts
in thousands)
For
the
Six Months Ended
June 30,
2021
2020
Cash Flows From Operating Activities:
Net loss
$ ( 10,341 )
$ ( 10,295 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Stock-based compensation expense
835
582
Depreciation & amortization expenses
254
216
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
106
( 208 )
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
( 913 )
( 506 )
Operating lease liabilities
( 167 )
( 154 )
Net Cash Used In Operating Activities
( 10,226 )
( 10,365 )
Cash Flows Used In Investing Activities:
Purchase of property and equipment
( 65 )
-
Net Cash Used In Investing Activities
( 65 )
-
Cash Flows From Financing Activities:
Payments on note payable
-
( 227 )
Payments on finance leases
( 42 )
( 39 )
Sales of shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants, net of costs
54,839
Sales of shares of common stock, net of costs
28,680
-
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
6
Proceeds from exercise of pre-funded warrants
-
4
Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities
28,644
54,577
Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash
18,353
44,212
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period
63,999
9,693
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period
$ 82,352
$ 53,905
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest on note payable
$ -
$ 6
Cash paid for taxes
$ -
$ -
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash flow information:
Deemed dividend for warrant down-round protection provision
$ -
$ 1
See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated
financial statements.
6
Actinium
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
Note
1 - Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Nature of Business
- Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”, “Actinium”, or “We”) is a clinical-stage,
biopharmaceutical company applying its proprietary platform technology and deep understanding of radiobiology to the development of
novel targeted therapies known as ARCs or Antibody Radiation-Conjugates. Radiation is an effective therapeutic modality that is used
in the treatment of over fifty percent of all cancer patients and often combined with chemotherapy and immunotherapy for greater
therapeutic effect. ARCs combine the cell-killing ability of a radioisotope payload with a targeting agent, such as a monoclonal
antibody, or mAb, to deliver radiation inside the body to specific cells, to potentially generate greater efficacy and less
toxicity. ARCs usage is broader than externally delivered radiation as they can be used for both solid tumors and blood cancers.
Blood or hematologic cancers are highly sensitive to radiation and our clinical pipeline is focused on ARCs targeting the antigens
CD45 and CD33, both of which are expressed in multiple hematologic cancers. The Company’s clinical programs are focused on two
primary areas: targeted conditioning prior to bone marrow transplant, adoptive cell or gene therapies and therapeutics, in
combination with other therapeutic modalities. The Company’s product development strategy is actively informed by clinical
data with its ARCs in over 500 patients, including the ongoing pivotal Phase 3 SIERRA trial for the Company’s lead asset
Iomab-B. The clinical pipeline has emanated from its Antibody Warhead Enabling (“AWE”) technology platform, which is
protected by over 160 issued patents and pending patent applications, trade secrets and know-how and is being utilized in a
collaborative research partnership with Astellas Pharma, Inc., (“Astellas”). The AWE technology platform is also being
used to advance Actinium’s research objectives focused on developing next-generation targeted radiotherapies. To accelerate
development efforts the Company is undertaking an expansion of its R&D organization and research laboratories to enable it to
more effectively leverage its drug development experience to advance candidates to clinical trials.
Basis
of Presentation - Unaudited Interim Financial Information - The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements
and related notes have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S.
GAAP”) for interim financial information, and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) with respect to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include
all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The unaudited interim consolidated financial
statements furnished reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary
for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods presented. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results
for the full year. These unaudited interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated
financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Principles
of Consolidation - The consolidated financial statements include the Company’s accounts and those of the Company’s wholly
owned subsidiaries.
Use
of Estimates in Financial Statement Presentation - The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with
U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date
of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ
from those estimates.
Impact
of COVID–19 Pandemic on Financial Statements - The global health crisis caused by the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”)
pandemic and its resurgences has and may continue to negatively impact global economic activity, which, despite progress in vaccination
efforts, remains uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence. In addition, a new Delta variant of COVID-19, which appears to be
the most transmissible variant to date, has begun to spread globally. The impact of the Delta variant cannot be predicted at this time,
and could depend on numerous factors, including vaccination rates among the population, the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against
the Delta variant and the response by governmental bodies and regulators.
Many countries around the
world have continued to impose quarantines and restrictions on travel and mass gatherings to slow the spread of the virus. Accordingly,
the Company’s ability to continue to operate its business may also be limited. Such events may result in a period of business, supply
and drug product manufacturing disruption, and in reduced operations, any of which could materially affect the Company’s business,
financial condition and results of operations. In response to COVID-19, the Company implemented remote working and thus far, has not experienced
a significant disruption or delay in its operations as it relates to the clinical development or drug production of our drug candidates. A
continuation or worsening of the levels of market disruption and volatility seen in the recent past could have an adverse effect on the
Company’s ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect the Company’s liquidity. In addition, a recession
or market correction resulting from the spread of COVID-19 could materially affect the Company’s business and the value of the Company’s
common stock.
7
Additionally,
COVID-19 may result in delays in receiving approvals from local and foreign regulatory authorities, delays in necessary interactions
with IRB’s or Institutional Review Boards, local and foreign regulators, ethics committees and other important agencies and contractors
due to limitations in employee resources or forced furlough of government employees.
To date, COVID-19 has not
had a financial impact on the Company. The Company continues to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and on its business
operations. However, at this time, it is difficult to predict how long the potential operational impacts of COVID-19 will last or to what
degree further disruption might impact the Company’s operations and financial results.
Cash,
Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash - The Company considers all highly liquid accounts with original maturities of three months
or less to be cash equivalents. Balances held by the Company are typically in excess of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured
limits.
The
following is a summary of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020:
(in thousands)
June 30,
2021
December 31,
2020
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 81,912
$ 63,560
Restricted cash – current
48
48
Restricted cash – long-term
392
391
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
$ 82,352
$ 63,999
Current
restricted cash relates to credit card accounts, while long-term restricted cash relates to a certificate of deposit held as collateral
for a letter of credit issued in connection with the Company’s lease for corporate office space.
Leases
- The Company has operating and finance leases for corporate office space, office equipment and furniture located at the corporate
office space. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet; lease expense for these leases
is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. See Note 3 for additional information.
Fair
Value of Financial Instruments - Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset, or paid to transfer
a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants. A fair value hierarchy has been established for valuation inputs
that gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable
inputs.
Revenue
Recognition - The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 606, Revenue From
Contracts With Customers (“ASC 606”). Under ASC 606, an entity recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of
promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration that the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods
or services. To determine revenue recognition for arrangements within the scope of ASC 606, the entity performs the following five steps:
(i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction
price, including variable consideration, if any; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract;
and (v) recognize revenue as the entity satisfies a performance obligation. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts
when it is probable that the entity will collect the consideration to which it is entitled in exchange for the goods or services it transfers
to the customer.
8
At
contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, the Company assesses whether the promised goods
or services promised within each contract are distinct and, therefore, represent a separate performance obligation. Goods and services
that are determined not to be distinct are combined with other promised goods and services until a distinct bundle is identified. In
determining whether goods or services are distinct, the Company evaluates certain criteria, including whether (i) the customer can
benefit from the good or service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer (capable
of being distinct) and (ii) the good or service is separately identifiable from other goods or services in the contract (distinct
in the context of the contract).
The
Company then determines the transaction price, which is the amount of consideration it expects to be entitled from a customer in exchange
for the promised goods or services for each performance obligation and recognizes the associated revenue as each performance obligation
is satisfied. The Company’s estimate of the transaction price for each contract includes all variable consideration to which it
expects to be entitled. Variable consideration includes payments in the form of collaboration milestone payments. If an arrangement includes
collaboration milestone payments, the Company evaluates whether the milestones are considered probable of being reached and estimates
the amount to be included in the transaction price using the most likely amount method. If it is probable that a significant revenue
reversal would not occur, the associated milestone value is included in the transaction price.
ASC
606 requires the Company to allocate the arrangement consideration on a relative standalone selling price basis for each performance
obligation after determining the transaction price of the contract and identifying the performance obligations to which that amount should
be allocated. The relative standalone selling price is defined in the revenue standard as the price at which an entity would sell a promised
good or service separately to a customer. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated
to the respective performance obligation as each performance obligation is satisfied, either at a point in time or over time, and if
over time, recognition is based on the use of an output or input method.
Collaborative
Arrangements - The Company follows the accounting guidance for collaboration agreements with third parties, which requires that certain
transactions between the Company and collaborators be recorded in its consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss on
either a gross basis or net basis, depending on the characteristics of the collaborative relationship, and requires enhanced disclosure
of collaborative relationships. The Company evaluates its collaboration agreements for proper classification in its consolidated statements
of operations and comprehensive loss based on the nature of the underlying activity. When the Company has concluded that it has a customer
relationship with one of its collaborators, the Company follows the guidance of ASC 606 .
Research
and Development Costs - Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. These costs include the costs of manufacturing drug
product, the costs of clinical trials, costs of employees and associated overhead, and depreciation and amortization costs related to
facilities and equipment. Research and development reimbursements are recorded by the Company as a reduction of research and development
costs.
Share-Based
Payments - The Company estimates the fair value of each stock option award at the grant date by using the Black-Scholes option pricing
model. The fair value determined represents the cost for the award and is recognized over the vesting period during which an employee
is required to provide service in exchange for the award. The Company accounts for forfeitures of stock options as they occur.
Net Loss Per Common Share
- Basic loss per common share is computed by dividing the net loss available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of
shares of common stock outstanding during the reporting period. For periods of net income, and when the effects are not anti-dilutive,
diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares
outstanding plus the impact of all potential dilutive common shares, consisting primarily of common shares underlying common stock options
and warrants using the treasury stock method. The Company issued pre-funded warrants in April 2020 and June 2020 that were considered
outstanding shares for the purposes of calculating net loss per common share for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2020,
see Note 5 for additional information. As of December 31, 2020, all of the pre-funded warrants were exercised and there were no pre-funded
warrants outstanding during the six months ended June 30, 2021.
9
For
periods of net loss, diluted loss per share is calculated similarly to basic loss per share because the impact of all potential dilutive
common shares is anti-dilutive. For the three months and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company’s potentially dilutive
shares, which include outstanding common stock options and warrants have not been included in the computation of diluted net loss per
share as the result would have been anti-dilutive. As of June 30, 2021 and 2020, outstanding options and warrants are as follows:
(in thousands)
June 30,
2021
June 30,
2020
Options
859
365
Warrants
2,114
2,871
Total
2,973
3,236
Accounting
Standards Recently Adopted - In August 2020, FASB issued ASU 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic
470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments
and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity , which, among other things, provides guidance on how to account for contracts on an
entity’s own equity. This ASU simplifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and
equity. Specifically, the ASU eliminated the need for the Company to assess whether a contract on the entity’s own equity (1) permits
settlement in unregistered shares, (2) whether counterparty rights rank higher than shareholder’s rights, and (3) whether collateral
is required. In addition, the ASU requires incremental disclosure related to contracts on the entity’s own equity and clarifies
the treatment of certain financial instruments accounted for under this ASU on earnings per share. This ASU may be applied on a full
retrospective of modified retrospective basis. This ASU is effective January 1, 2022 and interim periods presented, although early adoption
of this ASU was permitted effective January 1, 2021. The Company early adopted this standard effective January 1, 2021 and the standard
did not have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.
Accounting
Standards Recently Issued - In May 2021, FASB issued ASU 2021-04, Earnings Per Share (topic 260), Debt — Modifications and
Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50), Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718) and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts
in an Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) – Issuer’s Accounting for Certain Modifications or Exchanges of Freestanding
Equity-Classified Written Call Options , which provides guidance of a modification or an exchange of a freestanding equity-classified
written call option that remains equity classified after modification or exchange as (1) an adjustment to equity and, if so, the related
earnings per share (EPS) effects, if any, or (2) an expense and, if so, the manner and pattern of recognition. The amendments in this
ASU are effective January 1, 2022, including interim periods. Early adoption is permitted. The Company will apply the amendments prospectively
to modifications or exchanges occurring on or after January 1, 2022. The Company will evaluate the impact of ASU 2017-09 on any future
changes to the terms and conditions of its warrants.
Note
2 - Commitments and Contingencies
Agreements
The
Company has entered into agreements with third parties for the rights to certain intellectual property, manufacturing and clinical
trial services under which the Company may incur obligations to make payments including upfront payments as well as milestone
and royalty payments. A notable inclusion in this category is:
On June 15, 2012, the Company entered
into a license and sponsored research agreement with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (“FHCRC”) to build upon previous
and ongoing clinical trials with BC8 (licensed antibody). FHCRC has completed both a Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trial with BC8. The
Company has been granted exclusive rights to the BC8 antibody and related master cell bank developed by FHCRC. A milestone payment of
$ 1 million will be due to FHCRC upon FDA approval of the first drug utilizing the licensed BC 8 antibody. Upon commercial sale of the
drug, royalty payments of 2% of net sales will be due to FHCRC.
10
Note
3 - Leases
The
Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. This determination generally depends on whether the arrangement conveys
to the Company the right to control the use of a fixed asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Control of an underlying
asset is conveyed to the Company if the Company obtains the rights to direct the use of and to obtain substantially all of the economic
benefits from using the underlying asset. The Company has lease agreements which include lease and non-lease components, which the Company
has elected to account for as a single lease component for all classes of underlying assets. Lease expense for variable lease components
are recognized when the obligation is probable.
Right-of-use
assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. ASC 842
requires a lessee to discount its unpaid lease payments using the interest rate implicit in the lease or, if that rate cannot be readily
determined, its incremental borrowing rate. As an implicit interest rate is not readily determinable in the Company’s leases, the
incremental borrowing rate is used based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease
payments.
The
lease term for all of the Company’s leases includes the non-cancellable period of the lease plus any additional periods covered
by either a Company option to extend (or not to terminate) the lease that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise, or an option
to extend (or not to terminate) the lease controlled by the lessor. Options for lease renewals have been excluded from the lease term
(and lease liability) for the majority of the Company’s leases as the reasonably certain threshold is not met.
At
June 30, 2021, the Company has an operating lease for corporate office space and two finance leases for office equipment and furniture
located in the corporate office space. In addition, the Company has auxiliary corporate office space that it rents on a month-to-month
basis; this rental is accounted for as an operating lease with the same term as the Company’s main office in the same building.
The
components of lease expense are as follows:
Three months ended
Six months ended
(in thousands)
June 30,
2021
June 30,
2020
June 30,
2021
June 30,
2020
Operating lease expense
$ 93
$ 93
$ 186
$ 186
Finance lease cost
Amortization of right-to-use assets
$ 21
$ 21
$ 41
$ 41
Interest on lease liabilities
$ 2
$ 4
$ 5
$ 9
Total finance lease cost
$ 23
$ 25
$ 46
$ 50
Supplemental
cash flow information related to leases are as follows:
Cash flow information:
Six months ended
(in thousands)
June 30,
2021
June 30,
2020
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flow use from operating leases
$ 188
$ 188
Operating cash flow use from finance leases
$ 5
$ 9
Financing cash flow use from finance leases
$ 42
$ 39
Non-cash activity:
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations:
Operating leases
$ -
$ 83
Finance Leases
$ -
$ -
11
Weighted
average remaining lease terms are as follows at June 30, 2021:
Weighted average remaining lease term:
Operating leases
1.2 years
Finance Leases
1.3 years
As
the Company’s leases did not provide an implicit rate, the Company used its incremental borrowing rate based on the information
available in determining the present value of lease payments. The Company’s incremental borrowing rate was based on the term of
the lease, the economic environment of the lease and reflect the rate the Company would have had to pay to borrow on a secured basis.
Below is information on the weighted average discount rates used at the time that the leases were evaluated:
Weighted average discount rates:
Operating leases
8 %
Finance Leases
8 %
Maturities
of lease liabilities are as follows:
(in thousands)
Year ending December 31,
Operating
Leases
Finance
Leases
2021 (excluding six months ended June 30, 2021)
$ 188
$ 47
2022
252
64
2023
-
4
Total lease payments
$ 440
$ 115
Less imputed interest
( 21 )
( 5 )
Present value of lease liabilities
$ 419
$ 110
Note
4 - Other revenue
The Company determined that
certain collaborations with a third-party are within the scope of ASC 606. The collaboration agreement is made up of multiple modules
related to various research activities. The Company identified a single performance obligation to provide research services within each
module for which the Company receives monetary consideration. The third-party can choose to proceed with each module or can terminate
the agreement at any time. The Company recognizes revenue for each module on a straight-line basis over the expected module period. Revenue
for succeeding modules is not recognized until all contingencies are resolved, inclusive of the third-party’s ability to terminate
the module. The consideration is recognized to revenue over each module and revenue recognized during the three months and six months
ended June 30, 2021 was $ 0.3 million and $ 0.9 million, respectively.
Note
5 - Equity
In August 2020, the Company
entered into the Capital on Demand™ Sales Agreement with JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC (“JonesTrading”), pursuant
to which the Company may sell, from time to time, through or to JonesTrading, up to an aggregate of $ 200 million of its common stock.
Shares of common stock are offered pursuant to the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the SEC on August
7, 2020. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had sold 2.1 million shares of common stock, resulting in gross proceeds of $ 22.6 million
and net proceeds of $ 21.7 million. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company sold 3.5 million shares of common stock, resulting
in gross proceeds of $ 29.6 million and net proceeds of $ 28.7 million.
On
April 24, 2020, the Company issued and sold 4.3 million shares of common stock and 2.8 million pre-funded warrants to purchase shares
of common stock. The price to the public in this offering for each share of common stock was $ 4.50 and for each pre-funded warrant was
$ 4.497 . Each pre-funded warrant has an exercise price of $ 0.003 per share and was exercisable immediately upon issuance. Gross proceeds
from this offering to Actinium were $ 31.6 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses
payable by the Company. Net proceeds from this offering were $ 29.1 million.
12
In
June 2020, holders of 1.2 million pre-funded April 2020 warrants exercised their warrants at $ 0.003 per share and received 1.2 million
shares of common stock.
On
June 19, 2020, the Company issued and sold 1.9 million shares of common stock and 0.7 million pre-funded warrants to purchase shares
of common stock. The price to the public in this offering for each share of common stock was $ 9.75 and for each pre-funded warrant was
$ 9.747 . Each pre-funded warrant has an exercise price of $ 0.003 per share and was exercisable immediately upon issuance. Gross proceeds
from this offering to Actinium were $ 25.0 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses
payable by the Company. Net proceeds from this offering were $ 23.0 million.
Stock
Options
The
following is a summary of stock option activity for the six months ended June 30, 2021:
(in thousands, except for per-share amounts)
Number of Shares
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(in years)
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding, January 1, 2021
815
$ 21.53
8.51
$ 120
Granted
95
8.33
Exercised
( 1 )
6.69
Cancelled
( 50 )
67.99
Outstanding, June 30, 2021
859
17.38
8.23
156
Exercisable, June 30, 2021
308
30.97
6.80
59
During
the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company granted new employees options to purchase 95 thousand shares of the Company’s
common stock with an exercise price ranging from $ 7.32 to $ 9.25 per share, a term of 10 years, and a vesting period of 4 years.
The options have an aggregated fair value of $ 0.6 million that was calculated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Variables
used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model include: (1) discount rate range from 0.65% to 1.07% (2) expected life of 6 years,
(3) expected volatility range from 83.1% to 85.1%, and (4) no expected dividends. During the six months ended June 30, 2021, options
to purchase 1 thousand shares were exercised and options to purchase 50 thousand shares were cancelled upon the termination of
employment for several employees.
The
fair values of all options issued and outstanding are being amortized over their respective vesting periods. The unrecognized compensation
expense at June 30, 2021 was $ 3.6 million related to unvested options, which is expected to be expensed over a weighted average of 3.0
years. During the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company recorded compensation expense related to stock options of $ 0.7
million and $ 0.5 million, respectively.
Pre-funded
Warrants
As
part of the April 2020 offering and the June 2020 offering, the Company issued pre-funded warrants. Each pre-funded warrant had an exercise
price of $ 0.003 per share and was exercisable immediately upon issuance. Management determined that the pre-funded warrants were freestanding
instruments and that the pre-funded warrants should be classified as permanent equity. As of December 31, 2020, all of the pre-funded
warrants were exercised and there were no pre-funded warrants outstanding during the six months ended June 30, 2021. As of June 30, 2020,
there were 2.3 million pre-funded warrants outstanding.
13
Warrants
Following
is a summary of warrant activity for the six months ended June 30, 2021:
(in thousands, except for per-share amounts)
Number of Shares
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(in years)
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding, January 1, 2021
2,113
$ 20.55
2.76
$ 362
Granted
1
8.30
Exercised
-
-
Cancelled/Expired
-
-
Outstanding, June 30, 2021
2,114
$ 20.54
2.27
$ 368
Exercisable, June 30, 2021
2,111
$ 20.55
2.26
$ 368
The Company has an outstanding
warrant to purchase 1,907 shares of common stock, issued on March 14, 2017 to Sandesh Seth, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer. The warrant included down-round protection up until it was amended on August 11, 2020. For warrants with down-round protection,
a deemed dividend is recorded for the change in fair value of the warrants when the down-round provision is triggered. As a result of
the April 2020 offering and June 2020 offering, the exercise price of the warrant was reset from $ 26.40 per share to $ 15.62 per share.
The down-round protection provision in the above warrants created a deemed dividend to common stockholders of $ 1 thousand in the nine
months ended September 30, 2020 which is reflected in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and consolidated statement
of changes in stockholders’ equity. On August 11, 2020, the Company and Mr. Seth agreed to amend the warrant to remove the anti-dilution
provision that had been in the warrant. Accordingly, pursuant to the amendment, as of August 11, 2020, the exercise price of the warrant
will no longer be subject to a proportional adjustment if and when the Company issues any shares of its common stock for a consideration
less than the exercise price of the warrant. All other terms of the warrant remained the same.
Note
6 - Subsequent Event
Since
June 30, 2021, the Company has sold 0.2 million shares of common stock under its Capital on Demand™ Sales Agreement with JonesTrading,
resulting in net proceeds of $ 1.8 million.
14
ITEM
2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATION
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENT NOTICE
This
Form 10-Q contains certain forward-looking statements. For this purpose, any statements contained in this Form 10-Q that are not
statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, words such as
“may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate”
or “continue” or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements by
their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of
factors, many of which are not within our control. These factors include but are not limited to economic conditions generally and in
the industries in which we may participate; competition within our chosen industry, including competition from much larger
competitors; technological advances and failure to successfully develop business relationships.
Description
of Business
Actinium Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. is a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company applying its proprietary platform technology and deep understanding of radiobiology
to the development of novel targeted therapies known as Antibody Radiation-Conjugates (“ARCs”). ARCs combine the cell-killing
ability of radiation via a radioisotope payload with a targeting agent, such as a monoclonal antibody, to deliver radiation in a precise
manner inside the body to specific, targeted cells, to potentially achieve greater efficacy with lower toxicity than with external beam
radiation. ARCs enable a broader usage of radiation than external beam radiation as they can be used in the treatment of both solid tumors
and blood cancers. Blood or hematologic cancers are known to be highly sensitive to radiation. Our clinical pipeline is focused on ARCs
targeting the antigens CD45 and CD33, both of which are expressed in multiple hematologic cancers. Our clinical programs are focused on
two primary areas: (1) targeted conditioning prior to a bone marrow transplant (“BMT”), adoptive cell therapy (“ACT”)
such as CAR-T or gene therapy and (2) ARC therapeutic combinations with other agents. Our product development strategy is actively informed
by clinical data with our ARCs in over 500 patients, including our ongoing Pivotal Phase 3 SIERRA trial. Our clinical pipeline has emanated
from our Antibody Warhead Enabling (“AWE”) technology platform, which is protected by over 160 issued and pending patents,
trade secrets and know-how and is being utilized in a collaborative research partnership with Astellas Pharma, Inc. (“Astellas”).
We are also utilizing our AWE technology platform to advance our research objectives focused on developing next-generation targeted radiotherapies.
To accelerate development efforts we are undertaking an expansion of our R&D organization and research laboratories to enable us to
more effectively leverage our drug development experience to advance candidates to clinical trials.
Targeted
Conditioning
To
the best of our knowledge, we are advancing the only multi-target, multi-indication, clinical-stage pipeline for targeted conditioning
and the only ARC-based targeted conditioning regimens in development. Our ARCs for targeted conditioning are intended to potentially
enable improved access and outcomes to cell-based therapies with curative potential, including BMT, ACT, and gene therapy Conditioning
in the context of BMT, ACT or gene therapy is the act of depleting certain blood and immune-forming cells, including bone marrow stem
cells and, in some cases, cancer cells prior to transplanting new cells into a patient. Currently, conditioning is accomplished using
a combination of cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents and external radiation. These non-targeted conditioning regimens are highly toxic
and may prevent a patient from receiving a potentially curative therapy and hinder outcomes. ARCs have the potential to increase patient
access and outcomes by way of their ability to selectively deplete targeted cells while sparing normal healthy cells, resulting in potentially
lower systemic and off-target toxicities. We use our ARCs both at high isotope dose levels to achieve myeloablation, which fully depletes
bone marrow stem cells and at lower isotope dose levels to achieve lymphodepletion, which spares bone marrow stem cells from depletion.
In addition, dosing may be titrated downward from myeloablative doses to achieve partial myeloablation, which may be appropriate for
certain gene therapy programs.
15
CD45
Targeted Conditioning Program
Our
CD45 ARC is comprised of the anti-CD45 monoclonal antibody known as apamistamab (formerly BC8) and the radioisotope Iodine-131 (“I-131”).
CD45 is an antigen expressed on leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma cancer cells, as well as nucleated immune cells including bone marrow
stem cells, but is not expressed outside of the hematopoietic, or blood forming, system. This unique expression on blood cancer and immune
cells enables simultaneous depletion of both cell types, making CD45 an optimal antigen for targeted conditioning applications. CD45
is a cell surface antigen with an average expression of 200,000 copies per cell, however, it only internalizes at a rate of 10-15%. We
believe our ARC approach is the most effective method to target CD45 positive cells, as the radioisotope payload linear energy transfer
can readily ablate a targeted cell without requiring payload internalization like an antibody drug conjugate or without relying on biological
effector function processes like a naked antibody. Furthermore, since CD45 expression level varies from low to high antigen density as
the immune cells become more terminally differentiated, we can selectively condition depending on the therapeutic application, from full
myeloablation to transient lymphodepletion, by adjusting the dose or intensity of the I-131 isotope payload. Full myeloablation can be
achieved with high doses of I-131, as its energy pathlength and crossfire effect can penetrate into bone marrow niches to target and
deplete blood and immune system forming bone marrow stem cells. Myeloablation is applicable to autologous or allogeneic BMT and to autologous
gene-edited or modified therapies that can reconstitute a patient’s blood and immune systems. Alternatively, low doses of I-131
can be transiently lymphodepleting and spare a patient’s bone marrow stem cells, which we believe is ideal for ACT applications
such as CAR-T. We intend to develop our CD45 targeted conditioning program for BMT, ACT and gene therapy applications for malignant and
non-malignant diseases and believe that multiple radioisotopes beyond I-131 may be utilized including alpha and beta emitters.
Our
lead CD45 targeted conditioning product candidate is Iomab-B, which uses high doses of I-131 to achieve myeloablative conditioning prior
to a BMT. Iomab-B is currently being studied in the pivotal Phase 3 Study of Iomab-B in Elderly Relapsed or Refractory AML (“SIERRA”),
clinical trial for targeted conditioning prior to an allogeneic BMT for patients with active, relapsed or refractory (“r/r”)
Acute Myeloid Leukemia, (“AML”), who are age 55 or older. Patients with active, r/r AML are not normally considered eligible
for BMT and the SIERRA trial is the only randomized Phase 3 trial to offer BMT as a treatment option for this patient population. The
SIERRA trial compares outcomes of patients randomized to receive Iomab-B and a BMT (the “study arm”) to those patients randomized
to receive physician’s choice of salvage therapy (the “control arm”). The control arm is also defined as conventional
care, as no standard of care exists for this patient population and includes over 20 agents that may be used as single agents or in combination
including venetoclax, a targeted Bcl-2 inhibitor, Midostaurin and Sorafenib, targeted FLT3 inhibitors, hypomethylating agents and cytotoxic
chemotherapies. Patients who fail to achieve a Complete Remission (“CR”) on the control arm are ineligible to proceed to
a BMT, but the trial design permits these patients to “cross over” to receive the study arm treatment if they meet the eligibility
criteria. The primary endpoint of the SIERRA trial is durable Complete Remission (“dCR”) of 180 days and the secondary endpoint
is Overall Survival (“OS”). When the crossover patients receive Iomab-B and BMT, they have not achieved remission with their
salvage therapy and are considered to be failures for the primary endpoint of the study. The SIERRA trial is currently active at 24 sites
in the United States and Canada, which includes many of the leading BMT sites based on volume. We expect to complete enrollment of the
SIERRA trial and have topline data that we believe will support the submission of a Biologics License Application (“BLA”)
with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”). If approved, we expect our initial commercial launch would target the
leading 50-100 BMT and medical centers that perform the vast majority of BMT’s in the United States. In the European Union (“EU”),
we received favorable feedback from the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) via their scientific advice program that the trial
design, primary endpoint and planned statistical analysis from the SIERRA trial are acceptable as the basis for a Marketing Authorization
Application, or MAA. Additionally, the EMA commented that it does not anticipate the need for further standalone preclinical toxicology
or safety studies. Overall, transplant procedures in the EU are approximately fifty percent higher than in the United States with a similar
market dynamic, with a majority of BMT volume being conducted in a concentrated number of leading medical centers. Currently we intend
to secure a partner for Iomab-B in the EU.
16
The
SIERRA trial is powered to show a two-times difference in the primary endpoint of dCR of at least 180 days at complete enrollment of
the planned 150 patients. The SIERRA trial design allowed for up to two interim analyses of the primary endpoint, exercisable at our
discretion and triggered by an enrollment range of 70 to 110 patients. In April 2020, we exercised a single ad hoc analysis on a number
of patients representing less than two thirds of full trial enrollment of 150 patients, which required a higher success threshold compared
to the two-time difference in dCR rate at full trial enrollment. In December 2020, we announced that the independent Data Monitoring
Committee (“DMC”) completed the single ad hoc interim analysis. Based on the DMC’s review of unblinded data, including
the study’s primary endpoint of dCR of at least 180 days, it was recommended that the study continue as planned to full enrollment
of 150 patients. We did not receive the unblinded primary and secondary endpoint efficacy data from SIERRA. By exercising only a single
interim analysis, there was a minimal alpha spend resulting in a p-value threshold of 0.046 for the primary endpoint evaluation at full
enrollment of 150 patients. The SIERRA trial reached 75% enrollment, representing 113 patients, in the third quarter of 2020.
Data
from the first 113 patients enrolled in the SIERRA trial, which represents 75% of the total of 150 patients to be enrolled in the trial,
was presented in oral presentations at the American Society of Hematology (“ASH”) Annual Meeting in December 2020 and at
the Transplantation & Cellular Therapy (“TCT”) Meetings of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular
Therapy (“ASTCT”) and Center for International Bone & Marrow Transplant Research (“CIBMTR”) in February
2021. It was reported that 100% of patients (49/49) on the study arm that received a therapeutic dose of Iomab-B received a BMT, with
a median time to BMT of 30 days, and all patients achieved neutrophil and platelet engraftment in a median time of 18 days despite a
high median blast count of 29%. On the control arm, only 18% of patients (10/57) achieved remission after salvage therapy, and then received
a BMT with a median time to BMT of 67 days and median blast count of 20%. Of the 82% of patients failing to achieve a CR with conventional
care (47/57), 30 patients were eligible to cross over to receive Iomab-B followed by transplant. These patients are considered as having
failed the primary endpoint of the study. All crossover patients who received the therapeutic dose of Iomab-B (30/30) received a BMT,
with a median time to BMT of 24 days and they achieved engraftment in a median time of 19 days despite high median blast count of 22%
at time of crossover. It was also reported that 100-day non-relapse transplant-related mortality (100-day TRM) of the study or Iomab-B
arm was only 4% (2/45) of patients that received a BMT compared to 20% of patients (2/10) who received a BMT after salvage therapy on
the control arm. The universal engraftment rate and low 100-day TRM rate of the Iomab-B arm resulted in 43 patients potentially evaluable
for the primary endpoint compared to 8 patients in the control arm, a greater than five times difference.
Our
Iomab-ACT program is intended for targeted conditioning prior to ACT or gene therapy and uses the same I-131-apamistamab ARC
construct as Iomab-B at varying doses. At lower doses of one-eighth to one-sixth of the myeloablative dose, it is applicable for
lymphodepletion prior to CAR-T or certain gene therapy applications where stem cell myeloablation is not necessary. At higher doses
it is applicable for gene therapy applications where stem cell myeloablation is necessary.
We
believe our Iomab-ACT program is highly differentiated when compared to Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide (“Flu/Cy”) or other
chemotherapy-based regimens that are used as the standard of practice today for lymphodepletion prior to CAR-T. CD45 is an antigen expressed
on certain immune cell types that are relevant to the mechanism of CAR-T therapies including lymphocytes, regulatory T-cells and macrophages
that have been associated with clinical responses that may limit the safety, efficacy and durability of response of these CAR-T therapies
including cytokine release syndrome (“CRS”) and neurotoxicity. Some of these limitations may be attributable to the chemotherapy-based
conditioning agents that are being used prior to CAR-T therapies. Preclinical data supporting the rational for our Iomab-ACT program
was presented at multiple medical conferences in 2019. Unlike chemotherapy, Iomab-ACT is targeted in nature and, due to this CD45-directed
targeting, we expect we can improve CAR-T cell expansion, potentially resulting in responses that are more durable, but also resulting
in reduced CAR-T related toxicities. Importantly, we expect the Iomab-ACT program construct to enable lymphodepletion through a single-dose,
outpatient administration versus Flu/Cy or other chemotherapy-based lymphodepletion regimens that can require multiple infusion cycles
over several days. Because of this potentially superior profile, the Iomab-ACT construct could result in improved access to CAR-T therapy
and better outcomes.
17
We
are studying Iomab-ACT in a clinical collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (“MSKCC”) for targeted conditioning
prior to administration of MSKCC’s 19-28z CD19 targeting CAR-T in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic
leukemia (“ALL”) or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (“DLBCL”). We received grant funding from the National Institute
of Health (“NIH”) to fund this trial with MSKCC being a co-recipient on this grant. This is a first of its kind study to
use an ARC-based conditioning regimen with CAR-T therapy. The hypothesized rationale for this study is that Iomab-ACT will exert an anti-tumor
effect on the chemotherapy-refractory B-ALL cells that are sensitive to radiation resulting in reduced disease burden and simultaneously
deplete CD45 expressing immune cells implicated in CAR-T related toxicities, resulting in an optimal homeostatic environment for the
CAR-T cells. Results with MSKCC’s 19-28z CD-19 CAR-T in 53 patients with r/r B-ALL published in the New England Journal of Medicine
reported complete remissions in 83% (44/53) of patients, which compares favorably to standard chemotherapy regimens that have complete
remission rates of 18% - 45% in this patient population. Median event-free survival (EFS) was 6.1 months and median overall survival
(OS) was 12.9 months at a median follow up period of 29 months (range 1 – 65 months). There was a 26% (14/53) rate of Grade 3 or
greater CRS and a 42% rate of Grade 3 or 4 neurotoxicity reported. The study will evaluate the feasibility of using an ARC-based conditioning
regimen with CAR-T therapy and will evaluate safety measures including incidence of CRS and neurotoxicity and efficacy measures including
responses and survival outcomes. In March 2021, we announced that patient enrollment was initiated, and the first patient was administered
Iomab-ACT followed by their 19-28z CAR-T therapy. We expect proof of concept data from this study in the second half of 2021.
In
addition, we are working in collaboration with University of California Davis to utilize Iomab-ACT conditioning in an ongoing Phase 1/2
trial with a novel anti-HIV autologous stem cell gene therapy for patients with HIV-related lymphoma. We believe this would be the first
gene therapy trial to use an ARC-based conditioning regimen. I-131-Apamistamab has clinical proof of concept as a targeted conditioning
regimen for patients with high-risk, relapsed or refractory lymphoma prior to an autologous stem cell transplant from a previous study,
where a favorable safety profile with no dose-limiting toxicities and minimal non-hematologic toxicities were observed and promising
efficacy with median overall survival not reached (range: 29 months to not reached) and 31% of patients in prolonged remission at a median
of 36 months follow up (range: 25 – 41 months). In this study, Iomab-ACT is intended to replace the chemotherapy-based condition
regimen known as BEAM (BCNU/carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan) to simultaneously kill the patient’s lymphoma cells
and deplete the patient’s stem cells to make room for the transplant. Upon engraftment, the transplanted gene-modified autologous
stem cells containing three anti-HIV genes are intended to equip the patient with a new immune system that is resistant to the HIV virus.
We continue to identify additional gene therapies for which Iomab-ACT can be used for targeted conditioning with the goal of collaborating
with multiple academic or industry developers to establish Iomab-ACT as a non-chemotherapy universal targeted conditioning solution.
We
are also exploring an Ac-225-based CD45 ARC, as a potential next-generation targeted conditioning agent. Dosimetry results with this
Ac-225-based alpha emitting ARC showed selective accumulation in immune cell target organs such as bone marrow, spleen, and liver with
the potential for lower exposure to non-target tissues from longer path length beta emitter radioisotopes like Iodine-131 and Lutetium-177.
Preclinical data demonstrated that conditioning with this Ac-225-based CD45-targeting agent result in depletion of peripheral immune
cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells, thereby enabling engraftment of donor cells. A dose dependent response was observed with low
doses depleting white blood cells without affecting hematopoietic progenitor cells, representing a lymphodepletive dose that is relevant
for adoptive cell therapies such as CAR-T, while higher doses eliminated peripheral immune cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells,
which is applicable to ex vivo gene therapies and BMT.
CD33
Program: Targeted Conditioning, Combinations and Therapeutics
Our
CD33 program is evaluating the clinical utility of Actimab-A, an ARC comprised of the anti-CD33 mAb lintuzumab linked to the potent alpha-emitting
radioisotope Actinium-225 (“Ac-225”). CD33 is expressed in the majority of patients with AML and myelodysplastic syndrome
(“MDS”) as well as approximately one-third of patients with multiple myeloma. Ac-225 emits four alpha particles and can kill
a cell with one alpha-particle hit, making it one of the most powerful cell-killing agents with no know resistance mechanism to the double
strand DNA breaks it can cause. We source Ac-225 from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory through an annual
supply agreement, which we expect to renew annually.
18
Our
CD33 development program is driven by data obtained from nearly one hundred fifty treated patients, including results from a Phase 1/2
trial that was conducted in 58 patients with newly diagnosed AML, which was completed in 2018. This clinical data, as well as our experience
with Iomab-B, is shaping a two-pronged approach with our CD33 program, where at high doses we are exploring its use for targeted conditioning
and at low doses we are exploring its use for therapeutic combinations with other treatment modalities.
We
believe that radiation via an ARC can be synergistic when used in combination with chemotherapy, targeted agents and immunotherapy based
on mechanistic rationales supported by our own clinical data, preclinical research and scientific and clinical evidence in the literature.
We have prioritized our efforts and resources in favor of combination trials for our CD33 program development strategy rather than single
agent trials at this time. Our CD33 ARC development program encompasses the following ongoing trials:
Combination
Trials :
●
Phase 1
investigator initiated Actimab-A + CLAG-M combination trial with the salvage chemotherapy regimen CLAG-M (cladribine, cytarabine,
filgrastim and mitoxantrone) for fit patients age 18 and above with relapsed or refractory AML at the Medical College of Wisconsin
(“MCW”). The combination of Actimab-A + CLAG-M is supported by mechanistic rationale for combining inhibitors of DNA
replication and/or repair processes such as mitoxantrone, a topoisomerase-II inhibitor, and radiation, as imparted by tumor-targeting
of Ac-225 with Actimab-A. Thus far, we have reported preliminary data from dose cohorts one, two and the third and planned final
dose cohort of 0.75 µCi/kg of Actimab-A. At the 2020 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, it was reported that 100%
of patients (3/3) receiving 0.75 µCi/kg of Actimab-A, and CLAG-M achieved a complete remission, which is nearly 85% greater
than the 55% remission rate observed in a study of CLAG-M alone conducted at MCW in the same r/r AML patient population. Complete
Remission or Complete Remission with Incomplete blood count recovery (“CRi”) were observed in all dose cohorts (0.25,
0.50 and 0.75 µCi/kg) with 67% of patients (10/15) achieving CR or CRi. The 0.25 and 0.50 µCi/kg doses of Actimab-A have
been shown to be subtherapeutic as a single agent. Of the 10 patients achieving CR or Cri, 70% achieved negative minimal residual
disease (“MRD”) status with no detectable disease via flow cytometry, indicating that these are deep remissions. No dose-limiting
toxicities (“DLTs”) were reported in the third dose cohort of 0.75 µCi/kg and therefore maximum tolerable dose
(“MTD”) was not reached. As a result, MCW amended the study protocol to allow for continued dose escalation and the trial is now enrolling
patients at a dose of 1.0 µCi/kg. Upon completion of this Phase 1 trial, we will work to develop a regulatory and development
pathway that can potentially support a registration for the Actimab-A + CLAG-M combination. In addition, the Actimab-A + CLAG-M combination
study has provided proof of principle that the addition of subtherapeutic doses of Actimab-A to other AML therapies can lead to well-tolerated
regimens with improved responses.
●
Phase
1/2 Actimab-A + Ven combination trial with the BCL-2 inhibitor Venetoclax (“ven”) for fit and unfit patients age 18 and
above with relapsed or refractory AML. This multi-center trial is being led by UCLA Medical Center. This combination is supported
by mechanistic evidence in preclinical studies using ven-resistant AML tumor cell lines. In these models, we have demonstrated that
Actimab-A can deplete Mcl-1 and Bcl-XL, two proteins implicated in mediating resistance to venetoclax, in addition to causing potentially
lethal double-stranded DNA breaks in these CD33 expressing cells. Furthermore, in vivo studies in animal models of ven-resistant
AML demonstrated robust tumor regression and improved survival in cohorts receiving the Actimab-A ven combination compared to ven
alone. The rationale for this clinical study is that the addition of Actimab-A will; 1) have a direct anti-tumor effect via double-stranded
DNA breaks and 2) deplete Mcl-1 and BCL-XL making the AML cells more susceptible to ven. At the 2020 ASH annual meeting, data from
the first dose cohort of 0.50 µCi/kg Actimab-A in combination with ven were presented. There was a 67% overall response rate
(2/3 patients), including one CR and one partial response (“PR”) with blast count reduction of 50%. All 3 patients were
poor risk with adverse cytogenetics and each patient had an additional high-risk marker (FLT3-ITD+, antecedent JAK2+ myelofibrosis,
or TP53 mutation). The patient achieving a CR was in second relapse and a TP53 mutation as well as multiple other high-risk markers.
The trial is now active and recruiting at 4 trial sites in dose escalation cohorts. We expect to have Phase 1 safety and preliminary
proof of concept clinical data from this combination study in 2021.
In
addition to these active trials, we are working to identify additional modalities and agents that can be the basis for Actimab-A therapeutic
combinations.
19
Antibody
Warhead Enabling Technology Platform
Our proprietary AWE technology
platform is supported by intellectual property, know-how and trade secrets that cover the generation, development, methods of use and
manufacture of ARCs and certain of their components. Our AWE technology patent portfolio presently includes 35 patent families comprised
of 160 issued patents and pending patent applications, of which 9 are issued and 25 are pending in the United States, and 126 are issued
or pending internationally. The effective life of the patents in our portfolio range from expirations between 2021 and 2040. Our technology
enables the direct labeling, or conjugation and labeling, of a biomolecular targeting agent to a radionuclide warhead and its development
and use as a therapeutic regimen for the treatment of diseases such as cancer. Our AWE intellectual property covers various methods of
use for ARCs in multiple diseases, including indication, dose and scheduling, radionuclide warhead, and therapeutic combinations. We have
particular expertise in the area of ARCs utilizing the alpha emitting isotope Ac-225 including clinical experience in treating approximately
150 patients with our alpha-emitter ARCs, “gold standard” linker technology and 5 issued patents in the United States and
49 patents internationally related to the manufacturing or Ac-225 in a cyclotron, which we believe has the potential to produce higher
quantities of Ac-225 than currently utilized methods.
We
have enhanced our research and development capabilities around AWE by securing and staffing research facilities. Our research laboratories
are focused on applying our AWE technology platform to the development of radiation conjugates and to execute on research collaborations.
Our R&D efforts employ a multidisciplinary approach leveraging our team’s knowledge and experience in cancer cell biology,
radiochemistry, radiation sciences, immunology and oncology drug development. We intend to focus on generating ARCs using our existing
intellectual property, evaluating assets for in-licensing to complement our existing clinical pipeline and securing collaborations and
partnerships with biopharmaceutical companies. By adding research and development capabilities to our clinical development and clinical
supply chain capabilities, we seek to enable the rapid translation of radiotherapies. We have formed a wholly owned research subsidiary
for the purposes of advancing certain of our R&D objectives.
Our
AWE technology platform is being utilized in our ongoing research collaboration with Astellas to arm select targeting agents owned by
Astellas with alpha-emitting AC-225 for the development of theranostics for solid tumor indications, which combine the ability of radioisotopes
to be used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Recent
Developments
Impact
of COVID–19 Pandemic
The global health crisis caused by the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its resurgences has and may continue
to negatively impact global economic activity, which, despite progress in vaccination efforts, remains uncertain and cannot be predicted
with confidence. In addition, a new Delta variant of COVID-19, which appears to be the most transmissible variant to date, has begun to
spread globally. The impact of the Delta variant cannot be predicted at this time, and could depend on numerous factors, including vaccination
rates among the population, the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against the Delta variant and the response by governmental bodies and
regulators. Given the ongoing and dynamic nature of the circumstances, it is difficult to predict the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
on our business.
Many countries around the
world have continued to impose quarantines and restrictions on travel and mass gatherings to slow the spread of the virus. Accordingly,
our ability to continue to operate our business may also be limited. Such events may result in a period of business, supply and drug product
manufacturing disruption, and in reduced operations, any of which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results
of operations. In response to COVID-19, we implemented remote working and thus far have not experienced a significant disruption or delay
in our operations as it relates to the clinical development of our drug candidates. Such government-imposed precautionary measures may
have been relaxed in certain countries or states, but there is no assurance that more strict measures will be put in place again due to
a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, including those involving new variants of the coronavirus, which may be more contagious and deadly than
prior strains. Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to affect our operation, may further divert the attention and efforts of
the medical community to coping with COVID-19 and disrupt the marketplace in which we operate and may have a material adverse effect on
our operations.
20
A continuation or worsening
of the levels of market disruption and volatility seen in the recent past could have an adverse effect on our ability to access capital,
which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity. In addition, a recession or market correction resulting from the spread of
COVID-19 could materially affect our business and the value of our common stock.
Currently,
the Phase 3 SIERRA trial for our lead program, Iomab-B, remains active at a majority of our clinical trial sites, with investigators
providing feedback that recruitment and enrollment will remain active because of the acute nature of the disease, the high unmet needs
of patients with relapsed or refractory AML, the potentially curative nature of BMT and the differentiated profile of Iomab-B. Certain
sites that had not been actively enrolling due to COVID-19 at the initial outbreak of the pandemic resumed recruitment and enrollment
in mid-2020, and we currently do not have any sites that are not recruiting and enrolling patients due to COVID-19. We also believe our
earlier stage CD33 clinical trials will continue to recruit and enroll patients given the acute nature of relapsed or refractory AML.
The continuation of the pandemic could adversely affect our planned clinical trial operations, including our ability to conduct the trials
on the expected timelines and recruit and retain patients and principal investigators and site staff who, as healthcare providers, may
have heightened exposure to COVID-19 if their geography is impacted by the pandemic. Further, the continuation and/or resurgence of the
COVID-19 pandemic could result in delays in our clinical trials due to prioritization of hospital resources toward the pandemic, restrictions
in travel, potential unwillingness of patients to enroll in trials at this time, or the inability of patients to comply with clinical
trial protocols if quarantines or travel restrictions impede patient movement or interrupt healthcare services. In addition, we rely
on independent clinical investigators, contract research organizations and other third-party service providers to assist us in managing,
monitoring and otherwise carrying out our preclinical studies and clinical trials, and the pandemic may affect their ability to devote
sufficient time and resources to our programs or to travel to sites to perform work for us.
Additionally,
COVID-19 may result in delays in receiving approvals from local and foreign regulatory authorities, delays in necessary interactions
with IRB’s or Institutional Review Boards, local and foreign regulators, ethics committees and other important agencies and contractors
due to limitations in employee resources or forced furlough of government employees.
To date, COVID-19 has not
had a financial impact on our company. We continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and on our business operations.
Although we expect that vaccinations for COVID-19 will continue to improve conditions, the ultimate impact from COVID-19 on our business
operations and financial results during 2021 will depend on, among other things, the ultimate severity and scope of the pandemic, including
the new variants of the virus, the pace at which governmental and private travel restrictions and public concerns about public gatherings
will ease, the rate at which historically large increases in unemployment rates will decrease, if at all, and whether, and the speed with
which the economy recovers. We are not able to fully quantify the impact that these factors will have on our financial results during
2021 and beyond, but developments related to COVID-19 may materially affect us in 2021.
21
Results
of Operations – Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 Compared to Three Months Ended June 30, 2020
The
following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, data derived from our statements of operations:
For the
Three
Months Ended
June 30,
(in thousands)
2021
2020
Revenue:
Revenue
$ -
$ -
Other revenue
266
-
Total revenue
266
-
Operating expenses:
Research and development, net of reimbursements
3,631
3,508
General and administrative
1,710
1,154
Total operating expenses
5,341
4,662
Other income:
Interest income – net
54
37
Total other income
54
37
Net loss
$ (5,021 )
$ (4,625 )
Revenue
We
recorded no commercial revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and June 30, 2020.
Other
revenue
We
determined that certain collaborations with a third-party are within the scope of ASC 606. The collaboration agreement is made up of
multiple modules related to various research activities. While the third party has the option to terminate the agreement at the conclusion
of any module, we identified a single performance obligation to provide research services within each module for which we receive monetary
consideration. The consideration is recognized to revenue over each module and revenue recognized during the three months ended June
30, 2021 was $0.3 million.
Research
and development expense
Research
and development expenses increased $0.1 million to $3.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 compared to $3.5 million for
the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher compensation expense resulting from the hiring of additional
employees and expenses related to our new laboratory space, mostly offset by lower expenses on our CD45 program.
General
and administrative expense
General
and administrative expenses of $1.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 increased $0.5 million compared to $1.2 million
for the three months ended June 30, 2020, primarily attributable to higher professional fees.
Other
income
Other
income is comprised of net interest income in both reporting periods. The amount for the three months ended June 30, 2021 of $54 thousand
increased from $37 thousand for the three months ended June 30, 2020, as a higher average balance of cash and cash equivalents offset
a lower average interest rate.
22
Net
loss
Net
loss of $5.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 increased by $0.4 million from $4.6 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2020, primarily due to higher research and development expenses and higher general and administrative expenses, partially offset
by other revenue.
Results
of Operations – Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Compared to Six Months Ended June 30, 2020
The
following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, data derived from our statements of operations:
For the
Six Months Ended
June 30,
(in thousands)
2021
2020
Revenue:
Revenue
$ -
$ -
Other revenue
888
-
Total revenue
888
-
Operating expenses:
Research and development, net of reimbursements
7,907
7,659
General and administrative
3,428
2,686
Total operating expenses
11,335
10,345
Other income:
Interest income – net
106
50
Total other income
106
50
Net loss
$ (10,341 )
$ (10,295 )
Revenue
We
recorded no commercial revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and June 30, 2020.
Other
revenue
We determined that certain
collaborations with a third-party are within the scope of ASC 606. The collaboration agreement is made up of multiple modules related
to various research activities. While the third party has the option to terminate the agreement at the conclusion of any module, we identified
a single performance obligation to provide research services within each module for which we receive monetary consideration. We recognized
revenue during the six months ended June 30, 2021 of $0.9 million from certain collaborations with a third-party.
Research
and development expense
Research
and development expenses increased $0.2 million to $7.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to $7.7 million for the
six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher compensation expense resulting from the hiring of additional
employees and expenses related to our new laboratory space, mostly offset by lower expenses on our CD45 program.
General
and administrative expense
General
and administrative expenses of $3.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 increased $0.7 million compared to $2.7 million for
the six months ended June 30, 2020, primarily attributable to higher professional fees.
Other
income
Other
income is comprised of net interest income in both reporting periods. The amount for the six months ended June 30, 2021 of $106 thousand
increased from $50 thousand for the six months ended June 30, 2020, as a higher average balance of cash and cash equivalents offset a
lower average interest rate.
23
Net
loss
Net
loss of $10.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was unchanged from the prior-year comparison period, primarily due to higher
research and development expenses and higher general and administrative expenses being offset by other revenue.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
We
have financed our operations primarily through sales of shares of our common stock and warrants. The following tables sets forth selected
cash flow information for the periods indicated:
For the
Six Months Ended
June 30,
(in thousands)
2021
2020
Cash used in operating activities
$ (10,226 )
$ (10,365 )
Cash used in investing activities
(65 )
-
Cash provided by financing activities
28,644
54,577
Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
$ 18,353
$ 44,212
Net
cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2021 of $10.2 million decreased by $0.2 million from $10.4 million
in the prior-year period, primarily due to the increase in other revenue.
Net
cash used in investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2021 of $65 thousand was primarily due to the purchase of equipment
for our new laboratory space.
Net cash provided by financing
activities for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $28.6 million, primarily from the sale of shares of our common stock. In August
2020 we entered into the Capital on Demand™ Sales Agreement with JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC, or JonesTrading, pursuant
to which we may sell, from time to time, through or to JonesTrading, up to an aggregate of $200 million of our common stock. Shares of
common stock are offered pursuant to our shelf registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission, or SEC, on August 7, 2020. As of December 31, 2020, we had sold 2.1 million shares of common stock, resulting in gross proceeds
of $22.6 million and net proceeds of $21.7 million. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, we sold 3.5 million shares of common stock,
resulting in gross proceeds of $29.6 million and net proceeds of $28.7 million.
During
the six months ended June 30, 2020, net cash provided by financing activities was $54.6 million, including sale of shares of our common
stock and pre-funded warrants. On April 24, 2020, we issued and sold 4.3 million shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase
2.8 million shares of common stock. The price to the public for each share of common stock sold in the offering was $4.50, and the price
to the public for each pre-funded warrant sold in the offering was $4.497. The pre-funded warrants were exercisable at an exercise price
of $0.003 per share. Gross proceeds from this offering were $31.6 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and
other offering expenses payable by us. Net proceeds from the offering were approximately $29.1 million. In June 2020, holders of 1.2
million pre-funded April 2020 warrants exercised their warrants and received 1.2 million shares of common stock.
On
June 19, 2020, we issued and sold 1.9 million shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase 0.7 million shares of common
stock. The price to the public in this offering for each share of common stock was $9.75 and for each pre-funded warrant was $9.747.
Each pre-funded warrant had an exercise price of $0.003 per share. Gross proceeds from this offering to us were $25.0 million, before
deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable us. Net proceeds from this offering were approximately
$23.0 million.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We
do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial
condition, changes in financial condition, revenue or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources
that is material to investors.
24
Critical
Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates
Our
management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial
statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the
reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our consolidated
financial statements during the reporting periods. These items are monitored and analyzed by us for changes in facts and
circumstances, and material changes in these estimates could occur in the future. We base our estimates on historical experience,
known trends and events, 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. Changes in estimates are reflected in reported results for the period in which they become known. Actual results may differ
materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Our
significant accounting policies are described in detail in the notes to our consolidated financial statements appearing in our Annual
Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Fair
Value of Financial Instruments
Fair
value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset, or paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly transaction between
market participants. A fair value hierarchy has been established for valuation inputs that gives the highest priority to quoted prices
in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs.
Revenue
Recognition
We
recognize revenue in accordance with ASC 606. Under ASC 606, we recognize revenue when our customer obtains control of promised goods
or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration that we expect to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To determine
revenue recognition for arrangements within the scope of ASC 606, we perform the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with
a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price, including variable consideration,
if any; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue as we satisfy a
performance obligation. We only apply the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that we will collect the consideration to
which we are entitled in exchange for the goods or services we transfer to the customer.
At
contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, we assess whether the promised goods or services
promised within each contract are distinct and, therefore, represent a separate performance obligation. Goods and services that
are determined not to be distinct are combined with other promised goods and services until a distinct bundle is identified. In determining
whether goods or services are distinct, we evaluate certain criteria, including whether (i) the customer can benefit from the good
or service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer (capable of being distinct)
and (ii) the good or service is separately identifiable from other goods or services in the contract (distinct in the context of
the contract).
ASC
606 requires us to allocate the arrangement consideration on a relative standalone selling price basis for each performance obligation
after determining the transaction price of the contract and identifying the performance obligations to which that amount should be allocated.
The relative standalone selling price is defined in the new revenue standard as the price at which an entity would sell a promised good
or service separately to a customer. We then recognize as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective
performance obligation as each performance obligation is satisfied, either at a point in time or over time, and if over time, recognition
is based on the use of an output or input method.
Collaborative
Arrangements
We
follow the accounting guidance for collaboration agreements, which requires that certain transactions between us and collaborators be
recorded in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss on either a gross basis or net basis, depending on the characteristics
of the collaborative relationship, and requires enhanced disclosure of collaborative relationships. We evaluate our collaboration agreements
for proper classification in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss based on the nature of the underlying activity.
When we conclude that we have a customer relationship with one of our collaborators, we follow the guidance of ASC 606 .
25
Research
and Development Costs
Research
and development costs are expensed as incurred. These costs include the costs of manufacturing drug product, the costs of clinical trials,
costs of employees and associated overhead, and depreciation and amortization costs related to facilities and equipment. Research and
development reimbursements are recorded by us as a reduction of research and development costs.
Share-Based
Payments
We
estimate the fair value of each stock option award at the grant date by using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The fair value
determined represents the cost for the award and is recognized over the vesting period during which an employee is required to provide
service in exchange for the award. We account for forfeitures of stock options as they occur.
Accounting
Standards Recently Adopted
In
August 2020, FASB issued ASU 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts
in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity ,
which, among other things, provides guidance on how to account for contracts on an entity’s own equity. This ASU simplifies the
accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity. Specifically, the ASU eliminated the need
for us to assess whether a contract on our own equity (1) permits settlement in unregistered shares, (2) whether counterparty rights
rank higher than shareholder’s rights, and (3) whether collateral is required. In addition, the ASU requires incremental disclosure
related to contracts on our own equity and clarifies the treatment of certain financial instruments accounted for under this ASU on earnings
per share. This ASU may be applied on a full retrospective of modified retrospective basis. This ASU is effective January 1, 2022 and
interim periods presented, although early adoption of this ASU was permitted effective January 1, 2021. We early adopted this standard
effective January 1, 2021 and the standard did not have a significant impact on our financial statements.
Accounting
Standards Recently Issued
In
May 2021, FASB issued ASU 2021-04, Earnings Per Share (topic 260), Debt — Modifications and Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50),
Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718) and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic
815-40) – Issuer’s Accounting for Certain Modifications or Exchanges of Freestanding Equity-Classified Written Call Options ,
which provides guidance of a modification or an exchange of a freestanding equity-classified written call option that remains equity
classified after modification or exchange as (1) an adjustment to equity and, if so, the related earnings per share (EPS) effects, if
any, or (2) an expense and, if so, the manner and pattern of recognition. The amendments in this ASU are effective January 1, 2022, including
interim periods. Early adoption is permitted. We will apply the amendments prospectively to modifications or exchanges occurring on or
after January 1, 2022. We will evaluate the impact of ASU 2017-09 on any future changes to the terms and conditions of its warrants.
Subsequent
Event
Since
June 30, 2021, we have sold 0.2 million shares of common stock under its Capital on Demand™ Sales Agreement with JonesTrading,
resulting in net proceeds of $1.8 million.
ITEM
3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.
We
are not currently exposed to significant market risk related to changes in interest rates. As of June 30, 2021, our cash equivalents
consisted primarily of short-term money market funds. Our primary exposure to market risk is interest rate sensitivity, which is affected
by changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates. Due to the short-term nature of the cash equivalents in our portfolio and the
low risk profile of our cash equivalents, an immediate 10% change in interest rates would not have a material effect on the fair market
value of our financial position or results of operations.
We
are not currently exposed to significant market risk related to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Our operations may be subject
to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates in the future.
Inflation
generally affects us by increasing our cost of labor and clinical trial costs. We do not believe that inflation had a material effect
on our business, financial condition or results of operations during the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020.
26
ITEM
4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures . Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our
principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness, as of
June 30, 2021, of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Based upon such evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial
and accounting officer have concluded that, as of June 30, 2021, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide
reasonable assurance that the information we are required to disclose in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or
SEC, under the Exchange Act (i) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s
rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal
financial and accounting officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes
in Internal Control over Financial Reporting . There were no changes in our system of internal controls over financial reporting during
the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over
financial reporting.
27
PART
II – OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM
1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
None.
ITEM
1A. RISK FACTORS
In
analyzing our company, you should consider carefully the following risk factors, together with all of the other information included
in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences in our actual results include those
discussed in the following subsection, as well as those discussed above in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations” and in our Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Each of
the following risk factors, either alone or taken together, could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition,
as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our company. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones
we face. Additional risks not currently known to us or other factors not perceived by us to present significant risks to our business
at this time also may impair our business operations.
Summary
of Risk Factors
We
are providing the following summary of the risk factors contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to enhance the readability and
accessibility of our risk factor disclosures. We encourage you to carefully review the full risk factors contained in our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 in their entirety for additional information regarding the material factors that make
an investment in our securities speculative or risky. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:
●
We
are a clinical-stage company and have generated no revenue from commercial sales to date;
●
We
have incurred net losses in every year since our inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses in the future;
●
If
we fail to obtain additional financing, we will be unable to continue or complete our product development and you will likely lose
your entire investment;
●
We
are highly dependent on the success of Iomab-B and the SIERRA trial and we many not able to complete the necessary clinical development
or our development efforts may not result in the data necessary to receive regulatory approval;
●
Our
business could be adversely affected by the effects of health epidemics, including the global COVID-19 pandemic;
●
We
have not demonstrated that any of our products are safe and effective for any indication and will continue to expend substantial
time and resources on clinical development before any of our current or future product candidates will be eligible for FDA approval,
if ever;
●
Our
clinical trials may fail to demonstrate adequately the efficacy and safety of our product candidates, which would prevent or delay
regulatory approval and commercialization;
●
Healthcare
legislative reform measures intended to increase pressure to reduce prices of pharmaceutical products paid for by Medicare or, otherwise,
affect the federal regulation of the U.S. healthcare system could have a material adverse effect our business, future revenue, if
any, and results of operations;
●
We
rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties
or meet expected deadlines or comply with regulatory requirements, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize
our product candidates;
28
●
We
currently depend on a single third-party manufacturer to produce our pre-clinical and clinical trial drug supplies. Any disruption
in the operations of our current third-party manufacturer, or other third-party manufacturers we may engage in the future, could
adversely affect our business and results of operations;
●
Our
product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could halt their clinical development, prevent
their regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential, or result in significant negative consequences;
●
Our
patent position is highly uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions;
●
The
use of hazardous materials, including radioactive and biological materials, in our research and development efforts imposes certain
compliance costs on us and may subject us to liability for claims arising from the use or misuse of these materials;
●
We
are highly dependent on our key personnel, and if we are not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, we
may not be able to successfully implement our business strategy;
●
Certain
provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Delaware law make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us
and make a takeover more difficult to complete, even if such a transaction were in our stockholders’ interest; and
●
Our
ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
Risks
Related to Our Business
We
are a clinical-stage company and have generated no revenue from commercial sales to date.
We
are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history. We have no products approved for commercial sale and
have not generated any revenue from product sales to date. We will encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by early-stage
companies in rapidly evolving fields. If we do not address these risks successfully, our business will suffer.
We
have incurred net losses in every year since our inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses in the future.
We
are not profitable and have incurred losses in each period since our inception. As of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had an
accumulated deficit of $241.3 million and $231.0 million, respectively. We reported a net loss of $10.3 million for the six months ended
June 30, 2021 and $10.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. We expect to continue to operate at a net loss as we continue
our research and development efforts, continue to conduct clinical trials and develop manufacturing, sales, marketing and distribution
capabilities. There can be no assurance that the products under development by us will be approved for sale in the United States or elsewhere.
Furthermore, there can be no assurance that if such products are approved, they will be successfully commercialized, which would have
an adverse effect on our business prospects, financial condition and results of operation.
If
we fail to obtain additional financing, we will be unable to continue or complete our product development and you will likely lose your
entire investment.
In August 2020, we entered
into the Capital on Demand™ Sales Agreement with JonesTrading, pursuant to which we may sell, from time to time, through or to JonesTrading,
up to an aggregate of $200 million of our common stock. Shares of common stock are offered pursuant to our shelf registration statement
filed with the SEC on August 7, 2020. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, we sold 3.5 million shares of common stock, resulting in
net proceeds of $28.7 million. As of the date of filing this report, we expect that our existing resources will be more than sufficient
to fund our planned operations for more than 12 months following the date of this report.
29
Our
business or operations may change in a manner that would consume available funds more rapidly than anticipated and substantial additional
funding may be required to maintain operations, fund expansion, develop new or enhanced products, acquire complementary products, business
or technologies or otherwise respond to competitive pressures and opportunities, such as a change in the regulatory environment or a
change in preferred cancer treatment modalities. However, we may not be able to secure funding when we need it or on favorable terms
or indeed on any terms. In addition, from time to time, we may not be able to secure enough capital in a timely enough manner which may
cause the generation of a going-concern opinion from our auditors which can and may impair our stock market valuation and also our ability
to finance on favorable terms or indeed on any terms.
To
raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable
for our common stock. We cannot assure you that we will be able to sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per
share that is equal to or greater than the price per share paid by investors, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in
the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders.
If
we cannot raise adequate funds to satisfy our capital requirements, we will have to delay, scale back or eliminate our research and development
activities, clinical studies or future operations. We may also be required to obtain funds through arrangements with collaborators, which
arrangements may require us to relinquish rights to certain technologies or products that we otherwise would not consider relinquishing,
including rights to future product candidates or certain major geographic markets. We may further have to license our technology to others.
This could result in sharing revenues which we might otherwise have retained for ourselves. Any of these actions may harm our business,
financial condition and results of operations.
The
amount of funding we will need depends on many factors, including the progress, timing and scope of our product development programs;
the progress, timing and scope of our preclinical studies and clinical trials; the time and cost necessary to obtain regulatory approvals;
the time and cost necessary to further develop manufacturing processes and arrange for contract manufacturing; our ability to enter into
and maintain collaborative, licensing and other commercial relationships; and our partners’ commitment of time and resources to
the development and commercialization of our products.
We
have limited access to the capital markets and even if we can raise additional funding, we may be required to do so on terms that are
dilutive to you.
We
have limited access to the capital markets to raise funds. The capital markets have been unpredictable in the recent past for radioisotope
and other oncology companies and unprofitable companies such as ours. In addition, it is generally difficult for development-stage companies
to raise capital under current market conditions. The amount of capital that a company such as ours is able to raise often depends on
variables that are beyond our control. As a result, we may not be able to secure financing on terms attractive to us, or at all. If we
are able to consummate a financing arrangement, the amount raised may not be sufficient to meet our future needs. If adequate funds are
not available on acceptable terms, or at all, our business, including our technology licenses, results of operations, financial condition
and our continued viability will be materially adversely affected.
We are highly dependent on the success of
Iomab-B and the SIERRA trial and we may not be able to complete the necessary clinical development or our development efforts may not
result in the data necessary to receive regulatory approval.
Iomab-B,
which we licensed from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (“FHCRC”) in June 2012 is our lead program to which we
allocate a significant portion of our resources. We are currently enrolling patients in the pivotal Phase 3 SIERRA trial (Study of Iomab-B
in Elderly Relapsed or Refractory AML), a 150-patient multi-center randomized trial that will compare outcomes of patients who receive
Iomab-B and a BMT to those patients receiving physician’s choice of salvage chemotherapy, defined as conventional care, as no standard
of care exists for this patient population. The SIERRA trial may be unsuccessful and fail to demonstrate a safety and efficacy profile
that is necessary to receive favorable regulatory approval. The DMC may recommend that the trial be stopped early for safety or
efficacy concerns, which could prevent us from completing the SIERRA trial. Even if Iomab-B receives favorable regulatory approval, we
may not be successful in securing adequate reimbursement or establishing successful commercial operations. Any or all of these factors
could have a material adverse impact on our business and ability to continue operations.
30
We
may be unable to establish sales, marketing and commercial supply capabilities.
We
do not currently have, nor have we ever had, commercial sales and marketing capabilities. If any of our product candidates become approved,
we would have to build and establish these capabilities in order to commercialize our approved product candidates. The process of establishing
commercial capabilities will be expensive and time consuming. Even if we are successful in building sales and marketing capabilities,
we may not be successful in commercializing any of our product candidates. Any delays in commercialization or failure to successfully
commercialize any product candidate may have material adverse impacts on our business and ability to continue operations.
Our
business could be adversely affected by the effects of health epidemics, including the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The global health crisis caused by the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic
and its resurgences has and may continue to negatively impact global economic activity, which, despite progress in vaccination efforts,
remains uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence. In addition, a new Delta variant of COVID-19, which appears to be the most
transmissible variant to date, has begun to spread globally. The impact of the Delta variant cannot be predicted at this time, and could
depend on numerous factors, including vaccination rates among the population, the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against the Delta
variant and the response by governmental bodies and regulators. Given the ongoing and dynamic nature of the circumstances, it is difficult
to predict the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business.
Accordingly, our ability to
continue to operate our business may also be limited. These restrictions may result in a period of business, supply and drug product manufacturing
disruption, and in reduced operations, any of which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
To date, we have not experienced a significant disruption or delay in our operations as it relates to the clinical development of our
drug candidates. Such government-imposed precautionary measures may have been relaxed in certain countries or states, but there is no
assurance that more strict measures will be put in place again due to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, including those involving new variants
of the coronavirus, which may be more contagious and deadly than prior strains. Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to affect
our operation, may further divert the attention and efforts of the medical community to coping with COVID-19 and disrupt the marketplace
in which we operate and may have a material adverse effect on our operations.
The
spread of COVID-19, which has caused a broad impact globally, may materially affect us economically. While the ultimate economic impact
brought by, and the duration of, the COVID-19 pandemic may be difficult to assess or predict, including new information which may emerge
concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others, the pandemic has resulted
in significant disruptions in the general commercial activity and the global economy and caused financial market volatility and uncertainty
in significant and unforeseen ways in the recent months. A continuation or worsening of the levels of market disruption and volatility
seen in the recent past could have an adverse effect on our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our
liquidity. In addition, a recession or market correction resulting from the spread of COVID-19 could materially affect our business and
the value of our common stock.
Currently,
the Phase 3 SIERRA trial for our lead program, Iomab-B, remains active at a majority of our clinical trial sites, with investigators
providing feedback that recruitment and enrollment will remain active because of the acute nature of the disease, the high unmet needs
of patients with relapsed or refractory AML, the potentially curative nature of BMT and the differentiated profile of Iomab-B. Certain
sites that had not been actively enrolling due to COVID-19 at the initial outbreak of the pandemic resumed recruitment and enrollment
in mid-2020, and we currently do not have any sites that are not recruiting and enrolling due to COVID-19. We also believe our earlier
stage CD33 clinical trials will continue to recruit and enroll patients given the acute nature of relapsed or refractory AML. The continuation
of the pandemic globally could adversely affect our planned clinical trial operations, including our ability to conduct the trials on
the expected timelines and recruit and retain patients and principal investigators and site staff who, as healthcare providers, may have
heightened exposure to COVID-19 if their geography is impacted by the pandemic. Further, the continuation and/or resurgence of the COVID-19
pandemic could result in delays in our clinical trials due to prioritization of hospital resources toward the pandemic, restrictions
in travel, potential unwillingness of patients to enroll in trials at this time, or the inability of patients to comply with clinical
trial protocols if quarantines or travel restrictions impede patient movement or interrupt healthcare services. In addition, we rely
on independent clinical investigators, contract research organizations and other third-party service providers to assist us in managing,
monitoring and otherwise carrying out our preclinical studies and clinical trials, and the pandemic may affect their ability to devote
sufficient time and resources to our programs or to travel to sites to perform work for us.
31
Additionally,
COVID-19 may result in delays in receiving approvals from domestic and foreign regulatory authorities, delays in necessary interactions
with Institutional Review Boards (“IRBs”), domestic and foreign regulators, ethics committees and other important agencies
and contractors due to limitations in employee resources or forced furlough of government employees.
We
continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and on our business operations. However, the ultimate impact from
COVID-19 on our business operations and financial results during 2021 will depend on, among other things, the ultimate severity and
scope of the pandemic, including the new variants of the virus, the pace at which governmental and private travel restrictions and
public concerns about public gatherings will ease, the rate at which historically large increases in unemployment rates will
decrease, if at all, and whether, and the speed with which the economy recovers. We are not able to fully quantify the impact that
these factors will have on our financial results during 2021 and beyond, but developments related to COVID-19 may materially affect
us in 2021.
Our
business is subject to cybersecurity risks.
Our
operations are increasingly dependent on information technologies and services. Threats to information technology systems associated
with cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents or attacks continue to grow, and include, among other things, storms and natural disasters,
terrorist attacks, utility outages, theft, viruses, phishing, malware, design defects, human error, and complications encountered as
existing systems are maintained, repaired, replaced, or upgraded. Risks associated with these threats include, among other things:
●
theft
or misappropriation of funds;
●
loss,
corruption, or misappropriation of intellectual property, or other proprietary, confidential or personally identifiable information
(including supplier, clinical data or employee data);
●
disruption
or impairment of our and our business operations and safety procedures;
●
damage
to our reputation with our potential partners, patients and the market;
●
exposure
to litigation;
●
increased
costs to prevent, respond to or mitigate cybersecurity events.
Although
we utilize various procedures and controls to mitigate our exposure to such risk, cybersecurity attacks and other cyber events are evolving
and unpredictable. Moreover, we have no control over the information technology systems of third parties conducting our clinical trials,
our suppliers, and others with which our systems may connect and communicate. As a result, the occurrence of a cyber incident could go
unnoticed for a period time.
We
have cybersecurity insurance coverage in the event we become subject to various cybersecurity attacks, however, we cannot ensure that
it will be sufficient to cover any particular losses we may experience as a result of such cyberattacks. Any cyber incident could have
a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
32
Risks
Related to Regulation
The
FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our regulatory plans and we may fail to obtain regulatory approval
of our product candidates.
Our
products are subject to rigorous regulation by the FDA and numerous other federal, state and foreign governmental authorities. The process
of seeking regulatory approval to market an antibody radiation-conjugate product is expensive and time-consuming, and, notwithstanding
the effort and expense incurred, approval is never guaranteed. If we are not successful in obtaining timely approval of our products
from the FDA, we may never be able to generate significant revenue and may be forced to cease operations. In particular, the FDA permits
commercial distribution of a new antibody radiation-conjugate product only after a BLA for the product has received FDA approval. The
BLA process is costly, lengthy and inherently uncertain. Any BLA filed by us will have to be supported by extensive data, including,
but not limited to, technical, preclinical, clinical trial, chemistry, manufacturing and controls (“CMC”) and labeling data,
to demonstrate to the FDA’s satisfaction the safety and efficacy of the product for its intended use. The lengthy approval process
as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market our
product candidates, which would significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects. In addition, even if we were to
obtain approval, regulatory authorities may approve any of our product candidates for fewer or more limited indications than we request,
may not approve the price we intend to charge for our products, may grant approval contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing
clinical trials, or may approve a product candidate with a label that does not include the labeling claims necessary or desirable for
the successful commercialization of that product candidate. Any of the foregoing scenarios could materially harm the commercial prospects
for our product candidates.
The
approval process in the United States and in other countries could result in unexpected and significant costs for us and consume management’s
time and other resources. The FDA and other foreign regulatory agencies could ask us to supplement our submissions, collect non-clinical
data, conduct additional clinical trials or engage in other time-consuming actions, or it could simply deny our applications. In addition,
even if we obtain approval to market our products in the United States or in other countries, the approval could be revoked, or other
restrictions imposed if post-market data demonstrates safety issues or lack of effectiveness. We cannot predict with certainty how, or
when, the FDA or other regulatory authorities will act. If we are unable to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals, our financial
condition and cash flow may be materially adversely affected, and our ability to grow domestically and internationally may be limited.
Additionally, even if we obtain approval, regulatory authorities may approve any of our product candidates for fewer or more limited
indications that we request. The Company’s products may not be approved for the specific indications that are most necessary or
desirable for successful commercialization or profitability.
We
have not demonstrated that any of our products are safe and effective for any indication and will continue to expend substantial time
and resources on clinical development before any of our current or future product candidates will be eligible for FDA approval, if ever.
We
expect that a substantial portion of our efforts and expenditures over the next few years will be devoted to development of our existing
and contemplated biological product candidates. Accordingly, our business currently depends heavily on the successful development, FDA
approval, and commercialization of such candidates, which may never receive FDA approval or be successfully commercialized even if FDA
approval is received. The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, sale, marketing, and distribution of our biological product
candidates are, and will remain, subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory authorities in the United States and
other countries, as applicable. We are currently not permitted to market any of our current or future product candidates in the United
States until we receive FDA approval (of each) via the BLA process. To date, we have two product candidates in clinical development and
have not-yet submitted a BLA for any of our candidates and, for many such candidates, do not expect to be in a position to do so for
the foreseeable future, as there are numerous developmental steps that must be completed before we can prepare and submit a BLA.
In
the United States, the FDA regulates pharmaceutical and biological product candidates under the FDCA and the Public Health Service Act
(“PHSA”), as well as their respective implementing regulations. Such products and product candidates are also subject to
other federal, state, and local statutes and regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance
with appropriate federal, state, local, and foreign statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial
resources. The process required by the FDA before a drug or biological product may be marketed in the United States generally involves
the following:
●
completion
of preclinical laboratory tests and animal studies in accordance with FDA’s good laboratory practices (“GLPs”)
and applicable requirements for the humane use of laboratory animals or other applicable regulations;
●
submission
to the FDA of an Investigational New Drug (“IND”), which must become effective before human clinical trials in the United
States may begin;
33
●
performance
of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials in accordance with FDA’s IND regulations, GCPs, and any additional requirements
for the protection of human research subjects and their health information, to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed
biological product for its intended use;
●
submission
to the FDA of a BLA for marketing approval that meets applicable requirements to ensure the continued safety, purity, and potency
of the product that is the subject of the BLA based on results of preclinical testing and clinical trials;
●
satisfactory
completion of an FDA inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the biological product is produced, to assess compliance
with cGMPs and assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the biological product’s identity,
strength, quality and purity;
●
potential
FDA audit of the nonclinical study and clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the BLA; and
●
FDA
review and approval, or denial, of the BLA.
Before
testing any biological product candidate in humans, the product candidate enters the preclinical testing stage. Preclinical tests include
laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, toxicity and formulation, as well as animal studies to assess the potential safety and activity
of the product candidate. The conduct of the preclinical tests must comply with federal regulations and requirements including GLPs.
The clinical trial sponsor must submit the results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information, analytical data,
any available clinical data or literature and a proposed clinical protocol, to the FDA as part of the IND. Some preclinical testing may
continue even after the IND is submitted. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA raises
concerns or questions regarding the proposed clinical trials and places the trial on a clinical hold within that 30-day time period.
In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. The FDA may also
impose clinical holds on a biological product candidate at any time before or during clinical trials due to safety concerns or non-compliance.
If the FDA imposes a clinical hold, trials may not recommence without FDA authorization and then only under terms authorized by the FDA.
Accordingly, we cannot be sure that submission of an IND will result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to begin or that, for those
that have already commenced under an active IND, that issues will not arise that suspend or terminate such trials.
Clinical
trials involve the administration of the biological product candidate to healthy volunteers or patients under the supervision of qualified
investigators, generally physicians not employed by or under the trial sponsor’s control. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols
detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria, and
the parameters to be used to monitor subject safety, including stopping rules that assure a clinical trial will be stopped if certain
adverse events should occur. Each protocol and any amendments to the protocol must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Clinical
trials must be conducted and monitored in accordance with the FDA’s regulations composing the GCP requirements, including the requirement
that all research subjects provide informed consent. Further, each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an independent institutional
review board, or IRB, at or servicing each institution at which the clinical trial will be conducted. An IRB is charged with protecting
the welfare and rights of trial participants and considers such items as whether the risks to individuals participating in the clinical
trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits. The IRB also approves the form and content of the informed
consent that must be signed by each clinical trial subject or his or her legal representative and must monitor the clinical trial until
completed. Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
●
Phase
1. The biological product is initially introduced into healthy human subjects and tested for safety. In the case of some products
for severe or life-threatening diseases, especially when the product may be too inherently toxic to ethically administer to healthy
volunteers, the initial human testing is often conducted in subjects.
●
Phase
2. The biological product is evaluated in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to
preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance, optimal dosage
and dosing schedule.
34
●
Phase
3. Clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy, potency, and safety in an expanded patient population
at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk to benefit ratio
of the product and provide an adequate basis for product labeling.
Post-approval
clinical trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, may be conducted after initial marketing approval. These clinical
trials are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication, particularly for
long-term safety follow-up.
After
the completion of clinical trials of a biological product, FDA approval of a BLA must be obtained before commercial marketing of the
biological product. The BLA must include results of product development, laboratory and animal studies, human trials, information on
the manufacture and composition of the product, proposed labeling and other relevant information. The FDA may grant deferrals for submission
of data, or full or partial waivers. The testing and approval processes require substantial time and effort and there can be no assurance
that the FDA will accept the BLA for filing and, even if filed, that any approval will be granted on a timely basis, if at all. Before
approving a BLA, the FDA will inspect the facilities at which the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve the product unless
it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent
production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, before approving a BLA, the FDA will typically inspect one or
more clinical sites to assure that the clinical trials were conducted in compliance with IND trial requirements and GCP requirements.
To assure cGMP and GCP compliance, an applicant must incur significant expenditure of time, money and effort in the areas of training,
record keeping, production, and quality control.
Notwithstanding
the submission of relevant data and information, the FDA may ultimately decide that the BLA does not satisfy its regulatory criteria
for approval and deny approval. Data obtained from clinical trials are not always conclusive and the FDA may interpret data differently
than we interpret the same data. Our product candidates are in the earliest stages of clinical development and, therefore, a long way
from BLA submission. We cannot predict with any certainty if or when we might submit a BLA for regulatory approval for our product candidates
or whether any such BLA will be approved by the FDA. Human clinical trials are very expensive and difficult to design and implement,
in part because they are subject to rigorous regulatory requirements. For example, the FDA may not agree with our proposed endpoints
for any clinical trial we propose, which may delay the commencement of our clinical trials. The clinical trial process is also lengthy
and requires substantial time and effort.
In
December 2015, the FDA cleared our IND filing for Iomab-B (for acute myeloid leukemia or AML), and we are currently enrolling patients
in a randomized, controlled, pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial under such IND to study Iomab-B in patients 55 years of age or older with
relapsed or refractory AML. Assuming the Phase 3 trial meets its endpoints and there are no unexpected issues or delays, it will form
the basis for a BLA in the reasonably near future for Iomab-B for use in preparing and conditioning AML patients for BMTs. Additionally,
there are physician IND trials at the FHCRC that have been conducted or are currently ongoing at FHCRC with Iomab-B (for other target
indications) and the BC8 antibody we licensed. And, we have multiple Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials ongoing and others that we have
planned but not-yet commenced, for our other drug candidates under our own sponsorship and multiple investigator-initiated trials ongoing.
Except for Iomab-B (for patients with AML), we expect that the clinical trials we need to conduct to be in a position to submit BLAs
for our product candidates currently in-development will take, at least, several years to complete. Moreover, failure can occur at any
stage of the trials, and we could encounter problems that cause us to abandon or repeat clinical trials. Also, the results of early preclinical
and clinical testing may not be predictive of the results of subsequent clinical trials. A number of companies in the biopharmaceutical
industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding
promising results in earlier studies. And, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to multiple interpretations and analyses.
Many companies that have believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials have,
nonetheless, failed to obtain marketing approval of their products. Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not
ensure that later clinical trials, which involve many more subjects, and the results of later clinical trials may not replicate the results
of prior clinical trials and preclinical testing. Any failure or substantial delay in our product development plans may have a material
adverse effect on our business.
35
We
may encounter substantial delays in our clinical trials or may not be able to conduct our trials on the timelines we expect.
We
cannot predict whether we will encounter problems with any of our ongoing or planned clinical trials that will cause us or regulatory
authorities to delay, suspend, or discontinue clinical trials or to delay the analysis of data from ongoing clinical trials. Any of the
following could delay or disrupt the clinical development of our product candidates and potentially cause our product candidates to fail
to receive regulatory approval:
●
conditions
imposed on us by the FDA or comparable foreign authorities regarding the scope or design of our clinical trials;
●
delays
in receiving, or the inability to obtain, required approvals from IRBs or other reviewing entities at clinical sites selected for
participation in our clinical trials;
●
delays
in enrolling patients into clinical trials;
●
a
lower than anticipated retention rate of patients in clinical trials;
●
the
need to repeat or discontinue clinical trials as a result of inconclusive or negative results or unforeseen complications in testing
or because the results of later trials may not confirm positive results from earlier preclinical studies or clinical trials;
●
inadequate
supply, delays in distribution, deficient quality of, or inability to purchase or manufacture drug product, comparator drugs or other
materials necessary to conduct our clinical trials;
●
unfavorable
FDA or other foreign regulatory inspection and review of a clinical trial site or records of any clinical or preclinical investigation;
●
serious
and unexpected drug-related side effects experienced by participants in our clinical trials, which may occur even if they were not
observed in earlier trials or only observed in a limited number of participants;
●
a
finding that the trial participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks;
●
the
placement by the FDA or a foreign regulatory authority of a clinical hold on a trial; or
●
delays
in obtaining regulatory agency authorization for the conduct of our clinical trials.
We
may suspend, or the FDA or other applicable regulatory authorities may require us to suspend, clinical trials of a product candidate
at any time if we or they believe the patients participating in such clinical trials, or in independent third-party clinical trials for
drugs based on similar technologies, are being exposed to unacceptable health risks including but not limited to unacceptable or suboptimal
factors related to toxicity, clinical efficacy, imbalances in safety and efficacy profiles or for other reasons.
Further,
individuals involved with our clinical trials may serve as consultants to us from time to time and receive stock options or cash compensation
in connection with such services. If these relationships and any related compensation to the clinical investigator carrying out the study
result in perceived or actual conflicts of interest, or the FDA concludes that the financial relationship may have affected interpretation
of the study, the integrity of the data generated at the applicable clinical trial site may be questioned and the utility of the clinical
trial itself may be jeopardized. The delay, suspension or discontinuation of any of our clinical trials, or a delay in the analysis of
clinical data for our product candidates, for any of the foregoing reasons, could adversely affect our efforts to obtain regulatory approval
for and to commercialize our product candidates, increase our operating expenses and have a material adverse effect on our financial
results.
36
Clinical
trials may also be delayed or terminated as a result of ambiguous or negative interim results. In addition, a clinical trial may be suspended
or terminated by us, the FDA, the IRBs at the sites where the IRBs are overseeing a trial, or a data safety monitoring board, or DSMB
(Data Safety Monitoring Board)/DMC (Data Monitoring Committee), overseeing the clinical trial at issue, or other regulatory authorities
due to a number of factors, including:
●
failure
to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols;
●
inspection
of the clinical trial operations or trial sites by the FDA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical
hold;
●
varying
interpretation of data by the FDA or similar foreign regulatory authorities;
●
failure
to achieve primary or secondary endpoints or other failure to demonstrate efficacy;
●
unforeseen
safety issues; or
●
lack
of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial.
Modifications
to our product candidates may require federal approvals.
The
BLA application is the vehicle through which the company may formally propose that the FDA approve a new pharmaceutical for sale and
marketing in the United States. Once a particular product candidate receives FDA approval, expanded uses or uses in new indications of
our products may require additional human clinical trials and new regulatory approvals, including additional IND and BLA submissions
and premarket approvals before we can begin clinical development, and/or prior to marketing and sales. If the FDA requires new approvals
for a particular use or indication, we may be required to conduct additional clinical studies, which would require additional expenditures
and harm our operating results. If the products are already being used for these new indications, we may also be subject to significant
enforcement actions.
Conducting
clinical trials and obtaining approvals is a time-consuming process, and delays in obtaining required future approvals could adversely
affect our ability to introduce new or enhanced products in a timely manner, which in turn would have an adverse effect on our business
prospects, financial condition and results of operation.
The
FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our regulatory plans, and we may fail to obtain regulatory approval
of our product candidates.
In June 2012, we acquired
rights to BC8 (Iomab), a clinical stage monoclonal antibody with safety and efficacy data in more than 300 patients in need of a BMT.
Iomab-B is our product candidate that links I-131 to the BC8 antibody that is being studied in an ongoing Phase 3 pivotal trial. Product
candidates utilizing this antibody would require BLA approval before they can be marketed in the United States. We are also evaluating
a lower dose of the BC8 antibody and I-131 for lymphodepletion prior to CAR-T or adoptive cell therapy. We are currently evaluating clinical
trials that would use our construct for lymphodepletion. Our lintuzumab-Ac-225 product candidate is also being studied in several Phase
1 trials under our sponsorship and investigator-initiated trials in patients with AML and has been studied in other hematologic malignancies.
Product candidates utilizing the lintuzumab antibody would require BLA approval before they can be marketed in the United States. We are
in the early stages of evaluating other product candidates consisting of conjugates of Ac-225 with human or humanized antibodies for pre-clinical
and clinical development in other types of cancer. The FDA may not approve these products for the indications that are necessary or desirable
for successful commercialization. The FDA may fail to approve any BLA we submit for new product candidates or for new intended uses or
indications for approved products or future product candidates. Failure to obtain FDA approval for our products in the proposed indications
would have a material adverse effect on our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
Clinical
trials necessary to support approval of our product candidates are time-consuming and expensive.
Initiating
and completing clinical trials necessary to support FDA approval of a BLA for Iomab-B, CD33 program candidates, and other product candidates,
is a time-consuming and expensive process, and the outcome is inherently uncertain. Moreover, the results of early clinical trials are
not necessarily predictive of future results, and any product candidate we advance into clinical trials may not have favorable results
in later clinical trials. We have worked with the FDA to develop a clinical trial designed to test the safety and efficacy of Iomab-B
in patients with relapsed or refractory AML who are age 55 and above prior to a BMT. This trial is designed to support a BLA filing for
marketing approval by the FDA, pending results from the trial. In addition to clinical data, a BLA filing encompasses preclinical, CMC,
labeling and other information. Even if the clinical data from the SIERRA trial is positive, there can be no assurances that the BLA
filing we produce will meet all of the FDA’s requirements or that they will not request additional information or studies, which
may delay the FDA’s review or we may not be able to produce. We have also worked with the FDA to develop a regulatory pathway for
our Actimab-MDS trial that consists of a dose-confirming Phase 1 trial that can be followed by a randomized, controlled pivotal trial
that could support a BLA filing. There can be no assurance that the data generated during the trial will meet our chosen safety and effectiveness
endpoints or otherwise produce results that will eventually support the filing or approval of a BLA. Even if the data from this trial
are favorable, the data may not be predictive of the results of any future clinical trials.
37
Preliminary,
Interim, and “top-line” data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient
data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.
From
time to time, we may publicly disclose preliminary, interim, and top-line data from our clinical trials, which is based on a
preliminary analysis of then-available data, and the results and related findings and conclusions are subject to change as more
patient data become available or following a more comprehensive review of the data related to the particular study or trial. For
example, on February 10, 2021, interim safety, and feasibility data from 75% patient enrollment from the SIERRA trial was presented
at the TCT Annual Meeting. We also make assumptions, estimations, calculations and conclusions as part of our analyses of data, and
we may not have received or had the opportunity to fully and carefully evaluate all data. Interim or preliminary results that we
report may differ from future results of the same studies, or different conclusions or considerations may qualify such results once
additional data have been received and fully evaluated. Preliminary, interim or top-line data also remain subject to audit and
verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the top-line, interim or preliminary data
we previously published. As a result, top-line, interim and preliminary data should be viewed with caution until the final data are
available.
From
time to time, we may also disclose interim data from our preclinical studies and clinical trials. Interim data from clinical trials that
we may complete are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues
and more patient data become available. Adverse differences between interim data and final data could significantly harm our business
prospects. Further, disclosure of interim data by us or by our competitors could result in volatility in the price of our common stock.
Further,
others, including regulatory agencies, may not accept or agree with our assumptions, estimates, calculations, conclusions or analyses
or may interpret or weigh the importance of data differently, which could impact the value of the particular program, the approvability
or commercialization of the particular product candidate or product and our company in general. In addition, the information we choose
to publicly disclose regarding a particular study or clinical trial is based on what is typically extensive information, and you or others
may not agree with what we determine is material or otherwise appropriate information to include in our disclosure.
If
the interim, top-line or preliminary data that we report differ from actual results, or if others, including regulatory authorities,
disagree with the conclusions reached, our ability to obtain approval for, and commercialize, our product candidates may be harmed, which
could harm our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition.
Our
clinical trials may fail to demonstrate adequately the efficacy and safety of our product candidates, which would prevent or delay regulatory
approval and commercialization.
Even
if our clinical trials are completed as planned, we cannot be certain that their results will support our product candidate claims or
that the FDA or foreign authorities will agree with our conclusions regarding them. Success in pre-clinical studies and early clinical
trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and we cannot be sure that the later trials will replicate the
results of prior trials and pre-clinical studies. The clinical trial process may fail to demonstrate that our product candidates are
safe and effective for the proposed indicated uses. If FDA concludes that the clinical trials for Iomab-B, lintzumab-Ac-225, or any other
product candidate for which we might seek approval, have failed to demonstrate safety and effectiveness, we would not receive FDA approval
to market that product candidate in the United States for the indications sought. In addition, such an outcome could cause us to abandon
the product candidate and might delay development of others. Any delay or termination of our clinical trials will delay or preclude the
filing of any submissions with the FDA and, ultimately, our ability to commercialize our product candidates and generate revenues. It
is also possible that patients enrolled in clinical trials will experience adverse side effects that are not currently part of a product
candidate’s profile.
38
The
intellectual property related to antibodies we have licensed has expired or likely expired.
The
key patents related to the humanized antibody, lintuzumab, which we use in our CD33 program product candidates have expired. It is generally
possible that others may be eventually able to use an antibody with the same sequence, and we will then need to rely on additional patent
protection covering alpha particle drug products comprising Ac-225. Our final drug construct consists of the lintuzumab antibody labeled
with the isotope Ac-225. We have licensed issued patents that relate to the linker technology we use to conjugate the isotope to the
antibody. Further, we own issued and pending patents related to methods for drug conjugation and isotope labeling and for methods of
isotope production. In addition, we possess trade secrets and know how related to the manufacturing and use of isotopes. Any competing
product based on the lintuzumab antibody is likely to require several years of development before achieving our product candidate’s
current status and may be subject to significant regulatory hurdles but is nevertheless a possibility that could negatively impact our
business in the future. We own 2 issued patents in the US and 1 in Europe relating to composition of the Iomab-B product candidate. Five
related patents are also pending in the US and internationally. We have and may continue to file patents related to Iomab-B that can
provide barriers to entry but there is no certainty that these patents will be granted or such granting thereof will adequately prevent
others from seeking to replicate and use the BC8 antibody or the construct. We have pending patents related to radioimmunoconjugate composition,
formulation administration, and methods of use in solid or liquid cancers. This matter includes composition, administration, and methods
of treatment for our products Actimab-A and Iomab-B. Any competing product based on the antibody used in Iomab-B is likely to require
several years of development before achieving our product candidate’s current status and may be subject to significant regulatory
hurdles but is nevertheless a possibility that could negatively impact our business in the future.
Our
CD33 program clinical trials are testing the same drug construct.
Our
CD33 program is comprised of several clinical trials including investigator-initiated trials in AML that are studying the same drug construct
consisting of lintuzumab-Ac-225. Negative results from any of these trials could negatively impact our ability to enroll or complete
our other trials studying lintzumab-Ac-225. Additionally, negative outcomes including safety concerns, may result in the FDA discontinuing
other trials utilizing lintuzumab-Ac-225.
We
may be unable to obtain a sufficient supply of isotopes to support clinical development or at commercial scale.
Iodine-131
is a key component of our Iomab-B drug candidate. We currently source medical grade I-131 from three suppliers including two leading
global manufacturers. Currently, there is sufficient supply of I-131 to advance our ongoing SIERRA clinical trial, support additional
trials we may undertake utilizing I-131 and for commercialization of Iomab-B. We continually evaluate I-131 manufacturers and suppliers
and intend to have multiple qualified suppliers prior to the commercial launch of Iomab-B. While we consider I-131 to be commoditized
and obtainable through several suppliers, there can be no guarantee that we will be able to secure I-131 or obtain I-131 on terms that
are acceptable to us.
Actinium-225 is a key component
of our CD33 ARC program, AWE platform and other drug candidates that we might consider for development with the Ac-225 payload. There
are adequate quantities of Ac-225 available today to meet our current needs via our present supplier, the Department of Energy (“DOE”).
The current Ac-225 currently supplied to Actinium’s clinical trials from the DOE is derived from the natural decay of thorium-229
from so-called ‘thorium-cows’ and is able to produce sufficient quantities that are several multiples of the amount of Ac-225
we require to supply our clinical programs through to early commercialization phase. The DOE is also producing Ac-225 from a recently
developed alternative route for Ac-225 production via a linear accelerator that is currently being evaluated by Actinium. Initial preclinical
and modelling results have indicated that the linear accelerator sourced Ac-225 does not impact labelling efficiency and expected distribution.
Per representations made by the DOE, the capacity of Ac-225 from this route is expected to be sufficient to supply all of Actinium’s
pipeline and commercial Ac-225 needs and support new program expansion by not just Actinium but also other companies that are developing
Ac-225 based products. Additional routes of Ac-225 production are being pursued by the DOE including the generation of new thorium cows
and production via a cyclotron. The cyclotron production method for Ac-225 production leverages Actinium’s proprietary technology
and know-how and presents an additional path towards production of high-quality Ac-225 that would be able to satisfy commercial needs.
In addition, we are aware of at least six other government and non-government entities globally including the U.S., Canada, Russia, Belgium,
France and Japan that have, or expect to have ability to supply Ac-225 or equipment for its production within the timeframes relevant
to the potential first commercial approval of our Ac-225 ARC.
39
Our
contract for supply of this isotope from the DOE must be renewed yearly, and the current contract extends through the end of 2021. While
we expect this contract will be renewed at the end of its term as it has since 2009, there can be no assurance that the DOE will renew
the contract or that change its policies that allow for the sale of isotope to us. Failure to acquire sufficient quantities of medical
grade Ac-225 would make it impossible to effectively complete clinical trials and to commercialize any Ac-225 based drug candidates that
we may develop and would materially harm our business.
Our
ability to conduct clinical trials to advance our ARC drug candidates is dependent on our ability to obtain the radioisotopes I-131,
Ac-225 and other isotopes we may choose to utilize in the future. Currently, we are dependent on third party manufacturers and suppliers
for our isotopes. These suppliers may not perform their contracted services or may breach or terminate their agreements with us. Our
suppliers are subject to regulations and standards that are overseen by regulatory and government agencies and we have no control over
our suppliers’ compliance to these standards. Failure to comply with regulations and standards may result in their inability to
supply isotope could result in delays in our clinical trials, which could have a negative impact on our business. We have developed intellectual
property, know-how and trade secrets related to the manufacturing process of Ac-225. While we have manufactured medical grade Ac-225
of a purity compared to the cyclotron sourced material in the past, this activity was terminated due to operating cost reasons and we
currently do not have experience in manufacturing medical grade Ac-225 and may not obtain the resources necessary to establish our own
manufacturing capabilities in future. Our inability to build out and establish our own manufacturing facilities would require us to continue
to rely on third party suppliers as we currently do. However, based on our current third-party suppliers and potential future suppliers
of Ac-225 we expect to have adequate isotope supply to support our current ongoing clinical trials, current AWE program activities and
commercialization should our drug candidates receive approval.
If
we encounter difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials, our clinical development activities could be delayed or otherwise
adversely affected.
The
timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with their protocols depends on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients
who remain in the trial until its conclusion. We may experience difficulties in patient enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety
of reasons, including:
●
the
size and nature of the patient population;
●
the
patient eligibility criteria defined in the protocol;
●
the
size of the study population required for analysis of the trial’s primary endpoints;
●
the
proximity of patients to trial sites;
●
the
design of the trial;
●
our
ability to recruit clinical trial investigators with the appropriate competencies and expertise;
●
competing
clinical trials for similar or alternate therapeutic treatments;
●
clinician’s
and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages and side effects of the product candidate being studied in relation
to other available therapies;
●
our
ability to obtain and maintain patient consents; and
●
the
risk that patients enrolled in clinical trials will not complete a clinical trial.
In
addition, refractory patients, which several of our trials are enrolling, participating in clinical trials are seriously and often terminally
ill and therefore may not complete the clinical trial due to reasons including comorbid conditions or occurrence of adverse medical events
related or unrelated to the investigational products, or death. Even if we are able to enroll a sufficient number of patients in our
clinical trials, delays in patient enrollment will result in increased costs or affect the timing of our planned trials, which could
adversely affect our ability to advance the development of our product candidates.
40
FDA
may take actions that would prolong, delay, suspend, or terminate clinical trials of our product candidates, which may delay or prevent
us from commercializing our product candidates on a timely basis.
There
can be no assurance that the data generated in our clinical trials will be acceptable to FDA or that if future modifications during the
trial are necessary, that any such modifications will be acceptable to FDA. Certain modifications to a clinical trial protocol made during
the course of the clinical trial have to be submitted to the FDA. This could result in the delay or halt of a clinical trial while the
modification is evaluated. In addition, depending on the quantity and nature of the changes made, FDA could take the position that some
or all of the data generated by the clinical trial is not usable because the same protocol was not used throughout the trial. This might
require the enrollment of additional subjects, which could result in the extension of the clinical trial and the FDA delaying approval
of a product candidate. If the FDA believes that its prior approval is required for a particular modification, it can delay or halt a
clinical trial while it evaluates additional information regarding the change.
Any
delay or termination of our current or future clinical trials as a result of the risks summarized above, including delays in obtaining
or maintaining required approvals from IRBs, delays in patient enrollment, the failure of patients to continue to participate in a clinical
trial, and delays or termination of clinical trials as a result of protocol modifications or adverse events during the trials, may cause
an increase in costs and delays in the filing of any submissions with the FDA, delay the approval and commercialization of our product
candidates or result in the failure of the clinical trial, which could adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.
Lengthy delays in the completion of our Iomab-B clinical trials would adversely affect our business and prospects and could cause us
to cease operations.
We
have obtained orphan drug designation from FDA for two of our current product candidates and intend to pursue such designation for other
candidates and indications in the future, but we may be unable to obtain such designations or to maintain the benefits associated with
any orphan drug designations we have received or may receive in the future.
We
have received orphan drug designation for Iomab-B and lintuzumab-CD33 ARC for treatment of AML in both the United States and the EU.
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan designation to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition,
which is a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or if it affects more than 200,000
individuals in the United States, there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available a drug or biologic
for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the United States for that drug or biologic. Similarly, the EMA
grants orphan drug designation to promote the development of products that are intended for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of
a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting not more than five in 10,000 persons in the EU.
Orphan
drug designation neither shortens the development time or regulatory review time of a drug or biologic nor gives the drug or biologic
any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process. In the United States, orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial
incentives, such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax advantages, and application fee waivers. In addition,
if a product candidate receives the first FDA approval for the indication for which it has orphan designation, such product is entitled,
upon approval, to seven years of orphan-drug exclusivity, during which the FDA may not approve any other application to market the same
drug for the same indication, unless a subsequently approved product is clinically superior to orphan drug or where the manufacturer
is unable to assure sufficient product quantity in the applicable patient population. In the EU, orphan drug designation entitles a party
to financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers and ten years of market exclusivity following drug or biological product
approval. This period may be reduced to six years if the orphan drug designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown
that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity.
Even
if we obtain (or have obtained) orphan drug designation for certain product candidates, we may not be the first to obtain marketing approval
for such candidates for the applicable indications due to the uncertainties inherent in the development of novel biologic products. And,
an orphan drug candidate may not receive orphan-drug exclusivity upon approval if such candidate is approved for a use that is broader
than the indication for which it received orphan designation. In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be lost
if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient
quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.
Finally,
even if we successfully obtain orphan-drug exclusivity for an orphan drug candidate upon approval, such exclusivity may not effectively
protect the product from competition because (i) different drugs with different active moieties can be approved for the same condition;
and (ii) the FDA or EMA can also subsequently approve a subsequent product with the same active moiety and for the same indication as
the orphan drug if the later-approved drug if deemed clinically superior to the orphan drug.
41
Even
if we receive regulatory approval of our product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory
review.
Any
regulatory approvals that we receive for our product candidates will require surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product
candidate. The FDA may also require a REMS in order to approve our product candidates, which could entail 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. In addition, if the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority approves our product candidates,
the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, import, export
and recordkeeping for our product candidates will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include
submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with cGMPs and
GCPs for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. In addition, the FDA could require us to conduct another study to obtain
additional safety or biomarker information. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our product candidates, including adverse
events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our third-party suppliers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with
regulatory requirements, may result in, among other things:
●
restrictions
on the marketing or manufacturing of our product candidates, withdrawal of the product from the market, or voluntary or mandatory
product recalls;
●
fines,
warning letters or holds on clinical trials;
●
refusal
by the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us or suspension or revocation of license
approvals;
●
product
seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of our product candidates; 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 regulatory approval of our product candidates. 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.
Coverage
and reimbursement may be limited or unavailable in certain market segments for our product candidates which could limit our sales of
our product candidates, if approved.
The
commercial success of our product candidates in both domestic and international markets will be substantially dependent on whether third-party
coverage and reimbursement is available for patients that use our products. However, the availability of insurance coverage and reimbursement
for newly approved cancer therapies is uncertain, and therefore, third-party coverage may be particularly difficult to obtain even if
our products are approved by the FDA as safe and efficacious. Patients using existing approved therapies are generally reimbursed all
or part of the product cost by Medicare or other third-party payors. Medicare, Medicaid, health maintenance organizations and other third-party
payors are increasingly attempting to contain healthcare costs by limiting both coverage and the level of reimbursement of new drugs,
and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for these products. Submission of applications for reimbursement approval
generally does not occur prior to the filing of a BLA for that product and may not be granted until many months after BLA approval. In
order to obtain coverage and reimbursement for these products, we or our commercialization partners may have to agree to a net sales
price lower than the net sales price we might charge in other sales channels. The continuing efforts of government and third-party payors
to contain or reduce the costs of healthcare may limit our revenue. Initial dependence on the commercial success of our products may
make our revenues particularly susceptible to any cost containment or reduction efforts.
42
Healthcare
legislative reform measures intended to increase pressure to reduce prices of pharmaceutical products paid for by Medicare or, otherwise,
affect the federal regulation of the U.S. healthcare system could have a material adverse effect our business, future revenue, if any,
and results of operations.
In
the United States, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory initiatives focused on containing the cost of healthcare. The
Affordable Care Act, for example, substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. The
Affordable Care Act contains a number of provisions that could impact our business and operations, primarily, once we obtain FDA approval
to commercialize one of our product candidates in the United States, if ever, and may also affect our operations in ways we cannot currently
predict. Affordable Care Act provisions that may affect our business include, among others, those governing enrollment in federal healthcare
programs, reimbursement changes, rules regarding prescription drug benefits under health insurance exchanges, expansion of the 340B program,
expansion of state Medicaid programs, fees and increased discount and rebate obligations, transparency and reporting requirements, and
fraud and abuse enforcement. Such changes may impact existing government healthcare programs, industry competition, formulary composition,
and may result in the development of new programs, including Medicare payment for performance initiatives, health technology assessments,
and improvements to the physician quality reporting system and feedback program.
There
have been significant ongoing judicial, administrative, executive, and legislative initiatives to modify, limit, replace, or repeal the
Affordable Care Act. For example, former President Trump issued several Executive Orders and other directives designed to delay the implementation
of certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act or otherwise circumvent some of the requirements for health insurance mandated by the
Affordable Care Act. Concurrently, Congress considered legislation that would repeal or replace all or part of the Affordable Care Act.
While Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal legislation, several bills affecting the implementation the Affordable Care Act have
been passed. For example, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the Affordable Care Act provision requiring individuals to purchase
and maintain health coverage, or the “individual mandate,” by reducing the associated penalty to zero, beginning in 2019.
In December 2018, a district court in Texas held that the individual mandate is unconstitutional and that the rest of the Affordable
Care Act is, therefore, invalid. On appeal, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the holding on the individual mandate but remanded
the case back to the lower court to reassess whether and how such holding affects the validity of the rest of the Affordable Care Act.
The U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing the case. Substantial uncertainty remains as to the future of the Affordable Care Act.
There is no way to predict whether, and to what extent, if any, the Affordable Care Act will remain in-effect in the future, and it is
unclear how these decisions, subsequent appeals, or other efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act will impact the United
States healthcare industry or our business.
Furthermore,
we cannot predict what reform measures the Biden administration will implement in connection with the Affordable Care Act or otherwise.
The adoption or implementation of new or amended legislation at the federal or state level could affect our ability to obtain regulatory
approval for any of our vaccine candidates and the commercial viability of our future approved products, if any. We cannot predict the
ultimate nature, timing, or effect of any changes to the Affordable Care Act or other federal and state reform efforts, and there is
no assurance that such efforts will not adversely affect our future business and financial results.
In
addition to the Affordable Care Act, there have been several recent Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state
legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer
patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. Pharmaceutical product prices have been
the focus of increased scrutiny by the government, including certain state attorneys general, members of Congress and the United States
Department of Justice. State or federal healthcare reform measures or other social or political pressure to lower the cost of pharmaceutical
products could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
43
Our
relationships with customers, health care professionals and third-party payors may be subject to applicable healthcare laws, which could
expose us to penalties, including administrative, civil or criminal penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion from participation
in federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, reputational harm, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations and
diminished future profits and earnings.
Healthcare
professionals and third-party payors will play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any product candidates for which
we obtain marketing approval. Our current and future arrangements with customers, healthcare professionals and third-party payors may
expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain the business or financial
arrangements and relationships through which we conduct research, market, sell and distribute any products for which we obtain marketing
approval. Federal and state healthcare laws and regulations that may affect our operations, directly or indirectly, include the following,
among others:
●
the
federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits persons and entities from, among other things, knowingly and willfully soliciting,
offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral
of an individual for, or the purchase, lease, order or recommendation of, any good, facility, item or service, for which payment
may be made under federal and state healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid;
●
the
federal false claims laws, including civil whistleblower or qui tam actions under the federal False Claims Act, 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 or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal
an obligation to pay money to the federal government;
●
the
federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for
Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH, which imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other things, executing
a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or making false statements relating to healthcare matters and also imposes obligations,
including mandatory contractual terms, on covered entities, including certain healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare
clearinghouses, and their respective business associates that create, receive, maintain or transmit individually identifiable health
information for or on behalf of the covered entity as well as their covered subcontractors, with respect to safeguarding the privacy,
security and transmission of individually identifiable health information;
●
the
federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which prohibits, among other things, the offering or transfer of remuneration to a Medicare
or state healthcare program beneficiary if the person knows or should know it is likely to influence the beneficiary’s selection
of a particular provider, practitioner, or supplier of services reimbursable by Medicare or a state healthcare program, unless an
exception applies;
●
the
federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, created under the Affordable Care Act, and its implementing regulations, which requires
certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid
or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) to report annually information related to certain payments
or other transfers of value provided to physicians and any ownership and investment interests held by physicians or their immediate
family members. Beginning in 2022, applicable manufacturers also will be required to report such information regarding payments and
other transfers of value to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, anesthesiologist assistants, certified
registered nurse anesthetists and certified nurse midwives during the previous year; and
●
analogous
state laws and regulations, including (among others) state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to our business practices,
including, but not limited to, research, distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or
services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including private insurers; state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply
with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the
United States federal government, or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral
sources; state laws and regulations that require drug manufacturers to file reports relating to pricing and marketing information
and that require tracking gifts and other remuneration and items of value provided to healthcare professionals and entities; state
and local laws that require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives; and state laws governing the privacy and security
of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted
by federal law, thus complicating compliance efforts.
44
Efforts
to comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. Interpretations of standards of compliance
under these laws and regulations are rapidly changing and subject to varying interpretations and it is possible that governmental authorities
will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable
fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any
other laws that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, exclusion
from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, reputational harm, imprisonment, additional reporting obligations
and oversight (if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with
these laws), and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could diminish our future profits or earnings. If any
of the physicians or other providers or entities with whom we expect to do business are found to be not in compliance with applicable
laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs.
Third-party
payors may not adequately reimburse customers for any of our products that we may commercialize or promote, and may impose coverage restrictions
or limitations such as prior authorizations and step edits that affect their use.
Our
ability to commercialize any product candidates successfully also will depend in part on the extent to which coverage and adequate reimbursement
for these products and related treatments will be available from government health programs, private health insurers, integrated delivery
networks and other third-party payors. Third-party payors decide which medications they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels.
A significant trend in the United States healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Government authorities and third-party
payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of payment for particular medications. Increasingly, third-party
payors are requiring that drug companies provide predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for
medical products. Coverage and reimbursement may not be available for any product that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available,
the level of reimbursement may not be sufficient for commercial success. Coverage and reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the
price of, any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval. If coverage and reimbursement is not available or is available
only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval.
Obtaining
reimbursement approval for any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval from any government or other third-party payor
is a time-consuming and costly process. There may be significant delays in obtaining coverage and adequate reimbursement for newly approved
products. Moreover, eligibility for coverage and reimbursement does not imply that any product will be paid for in all cases or at a
rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Even when a payor determines that a
product that we may commercialize or promote is eligible for reimbursement under its criteria, the payor may impose coverage limitations
that preclude payment for some uses that are approved by the FDA, or may impose restrictions, such as prior authorization requirements,
or may simply deny coverage altogether. Interim reimbursement levels for new drugs, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover
our costs and may not be made permanent. Coverage and reimbursement rates may vary according to the use of the drug and the medical circumstances
under which it is used may be based on reimbursement levels already set for lower cost products or procedures or may be incorporated
into existing payments for other services. Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government
healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from countries where
they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. Furthermore, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services frequently change
product descriptors, coverage policies, product and service codes, payment methodologies and reimbursement values. Commercial third-party
payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policies and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement policies. Our inability
to promptly obtain and maintain coverage and profitable payment rates from both government-funded programs and private payors for any
approved products that we develop could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed
to commercialize our approved products and our overall financial condition.
45
Risks
Related to Third Parties
We
rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or
meet expected deadlines or comply with regulatory requirements, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize
our product candidates.
We
do not have the ability to independently conduct our clinical trials for our product candidates and we must rely on third parties, such
as contract research organizations, medical institutions, clinical investigators and contract laboratories to conduct such trials. Our
reliance on these third parties for clinical development activities results in reduced control over these activities. Moreover, the FDA
requires us to comply with regulations and standards, commonly referred to as GCPs (good clinical practices), for conducting, recording
and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the trial participants
are adequately protected. Our reliance on third parties does not relieve us of these responsibilities and requirements. If we or any
of our third-party contractors fail to comply with applicable GCPs, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed
unreliable and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving
our marketing applications. We cannot assure you that upon inspection by a given regulatory authority, 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 current good manufacturing practice, or cGMP, regulations. Our failure to comply with these regulations may require us
to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.
If
our consultants, contract research organizations and other similar entities with which we are working do not successfully carry out their
contractual duties, meet expected deadlines, or comply with applicable regulations, we may be required to replace them. Although we believe
that there are a number of other third-party contractors, we could engage to continue these activities, we may not be able to enter into
arrangements with alternative third-party contractors or to do so on commercially reasonable terms, which may result in a delay of our
planned clinical trials and delayed development of our product candidates.
In
addition, our third-party contractors are not our employees, and except for remedies available to us under our agreements with such third-party
contractors, we cannot control whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our programs. If these third parties do not
successfully carry out their contractual duties or regulatory obligations or meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of
the data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for other reasons,
our pre-clinical development activities or clinical trials may be extended, delayed, suspended or terminated, and we may not be able
to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize, our product candidates on a timely basis, if at all, and our business,
operating results and prospects would be adversely affected.
The
antibodies we use in our antibody radiation-conjugate product candidates may be subject to generic competition.
We
are not aware of any existing or pending regulations or legislation that pertains to generic radiopharmaceutical products such as our
antibody radiation-conjugate product candidates. Our product candidates are regulated by the FDA as biologic products and we intend to
seek approval for these products pursuant to the BLA pathway. The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, created
an abbreviated pathway for the approval of biosimilar and interchangeable biologic products. The abbreviated regulatory pathway establishes
legal authority for the FDA to review and approve biosimilar biologics, including the possible designation of a biosimilar as “interchangeable”
based on its similarity to an existing brand product. Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product cannot be approved by
the FDA until 12 years after the original branded product was approved under a BLA. The law is complex and is still being interpreted
and implemented by the FDA. As a result, its ultimate impact, implementation, and meaning are subject to uncertainty. Even if a biosimilar
gets approved for one of the antibodies that we use, the final constructs of our drug candidates consist of an antibody, radioisotope
and in some cases a linker. Therefore, we do not believe that the final drug product of our candidates can be subject to competition
from a biosimilar as outlined in BPCIA.
46
Our
product candidates may never achieve market acceptance.
Iomab-B,
CD33 ARC program candidates and future product candidates that we may develop may never gain market acceptance among physicians, patients
and the medical community. The degree of market acceptance of any of our products will depend on a number of factors, including the actual
and perceived effectiveness and reliability of the product; the results of any long-term clinical trials relating to use of the product;
the availability, relative cost and perceived advantages and disadvantages of alternative technologies; the degree to which treatments
using the product are approved for reimbursement by public and private insurers; the strength of our marketing and distribution infrastructure;
and the level of education and awareness among physicians and hospitals concerning the product.
We
believe that oncologists and other physicians will not widely adopt a product candidate unless they determine, based on experience, clinical
data, and published peer-reviewed journal articles, that the use of that product candidate provides an effective alternative to other
means of treating specific cancers. Patient studies or clinical experience may indicate that treatment with our product candidates does
not provide patients with sufficient benefits in extension of life or quality of life. We believe that recommendations and support for
the use of each product candidate from influential physicians will be essential for widespread market acceptance. Our product candidates
are still in the development stage and it is premature to attempt to gain support from physicians at this time. We can provide no assurance
that such support will ever be obtained. If our product candidates do not receive such support from these physicians and from long-term
data, physicians may not use or continue to use, and hospitals may not purchase or continue to purchase, them.
Failure
of Iomab-B, CD33 ARC program candidates or any of our other product candidates to significantly penetrate current or new markets would
negatively impact our business financial condition and results of operations.
We
may be subject to claims that our third-party service providers, consultants or current or former employees have wrongfully used or disclosed
confidential information of third parties.
We
have received confidential and proprietary information from third parties. In addition, we employ individuals who were previously employed
at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies. We may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent
contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed confidential information of these third parties or our employees’
former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims,
litigation could result in substantial cost and be a distraction to our management and employees.
We
currently depend on single third-party manufacturers to produce our pre-clinical and clinical trial drug supplies. Any disruption in
the operations of our current third-party manufacturers, or other third-party manufacturers we may engage in the future, could adversely
affect our business and results of operations.
We
do not currently operate manufacturing facilities for pre-clinical or clinical production of any of our product candidates. We rely on
third-party manufacturers to supply, store, and distribute pre-clinical and clinical supply of the components of our drug product candidates
including monoclonal antibodies, linkers and radioisotopes, as well as the final construct which comprises our drug product candidates.
We expect to continue to depend on third-party manufacturers for the foreseeable future. Any performance failure on the part of our existing
or future manufacturers could delay clinical development, cause us to suspend or terminate development or delay or prohibit regulatory
approval of our product candidates or commercialization of any approved products. Further avenues of disruption to our clinical or eventual
commercial supply may also occur due to the sale, acquisition, business reprioritization, bankruptcy or other unforeseen circumstances
that might occur at any of our suppliers or contract manufacturing partners including an inability to come to terms on renewal of existing
contracts or new contracts.
We
currently rely on single manufacturers to manufacture our pre-clinical and clinical trial drug supplies. With a view to maintaining business
continuity we are evaluating alternatives and second and even third sources of supply or manufacturing for our core suppliers and manufacturing
partners, however there can be no assurances that we will be able to identify such suppliers or partners and assuming we did, that we
would be able to enter into contracts that are on favorable terms or on terms that will enable sufficient supply to ensure business continuity
and support our growth plans.
47
Our
product candidates require precise, high-quality manufacturing. Failure by our current contract manufacturer or other third-party manufacturers
we may engage in the future to achieve and maintain high manufacturing standards could result in patient injury or death, product recalls
or withdrawals, delays or failures in testing or delivery, cost overruns, or other problems that could seriously hurt our business. Contract
manufacturers may encounter difficulties involving production yields, quality control, and quality assurance. These manufacturers are
subject to ongoing periodic and unannounced inspections by the FDA and corresponding state and foreign agencies to ensure strict compliance
with cGMPs and other applicable government regulations and corresponding foreign standards; we do not have control over third-party manufacturers’
compliance with these regulations and standards.
We
depend on vendors with specialized operations, equipment and know-how to manufacture the respective components of our drug candidates.
We have entered into manufacturing and supply agreements with these third-parties, and in some instances, we have agreed that such vendor
be the exclusive manufacturer and supplier. If any of the third-parties we depend on encounter difficulties in their operations, fail
to comply with required regulations or breach their contractual obligations it may be difficult, or we may be unable to identify suitable
alternative third-party manufacturers. While we identify and evaluate third-party manufacturers from time to time, even if we do identify
suitable alternative third-parties, we may fail to reach agreement on contractual terms, it may be prohibitively expensive and there
can be no assurance that we can successfully complete technology transfer and development work necessary or complete the necessary work
in a timely manner. Any of which could prevent us from commencing manufacturing with third-parties which could cause delays or suspension
of our clinical trials and pre-clinical work that may have a negative impact on our business.
Furthermore,
these third-party contractors, whether foreign or domestic, may experience regulatory compliance difficulty, mechanical shut downs, employee
strikes, or any other unforeseeable acts that may delay or limit production. Our inability to adequately establish, supervise and conduct
(either ourselves or through third parties) all aspects of the formulation and manufacturing processes, and the inability of third-party
manufacturers to consistently supply quality product when required would have a material adverse effect on our ability to develop or
commercialize our products. We have faced delays and risks associated with reliance on key third party manufacturers in the past and
may be faced with such delays and risks in the future. Any future manufacturing interruptions or related supply issues could have an
adverse effect on our company, including delays in clinical trials.
If
we are successful in obtaining marketing approval from the FDA and/or other regulatory agencies for any of our product candidates, we
anticipate continued reliance on third-party manufacturers.
To
date, our product candidates have been manufactured in small quantities for preclinical and clinical testing by third-party manufacturers.
If the FDA or other regulatory agencies approve any of our product candidates for commercial sale, we expect that we would continue to
rely, at least initially, on third-party specialized manufacturers to produce commercial quantities of approved products. These manufacturers
may not be able to successfully increase the manufacturing capacity for any approved product in a timely or economic manner, or at all.
Significant scale-up of manufacturing may require additional validation studies, which the FDA must review and approve. Scale-up for
commercial product may require financial commitment or investment by us, which we may not have sufficient capital for or may elect not
to undertake. If third party manufacturers are unable to successfully increase the manufacturing capacity for a product candidate, or
we are unable to establish our own manufacturing capabilities, the commercial launch of any approved products may be delayed or there
may be a shortage in supply, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business.
In
addition, the facilities used by our contract manufacturers to manufacture our product candidates must be approved by the FDA pursuant
to inspections that will be conducted after we submit a BLA to the FDA. We do not control the manufacturing process of, and are completely
dependent on, our contract manufacturing partners for compliance with cGMPs. If our contract manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture
material that conforms to our specifications and the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA or other regulatory authorities, they
will not be able to secure and/or maintain regulatory approval for their manufacturing facilities. If the FDA or a comparable foreign
regulatory authority does not approve these facilities for the manufacture of our product candidates or if it withdraws any such approval
in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact our ability to develop, obtain
regulatory approval for or market our product candidates, if approved.
48
We
may have conflicts with our partners that could delay or prevent the development or commercialization of our product candidates.
We
may have conflicts with our partners, such as conflicts concerning the interpretation of preclinical or clinical data, the achievement
of milestones, the interpretation of contractual obligations, payments for services, development obligations or the ownership of intellectual
property developed during our collaboration. If any conflicts arise with any of our partners, such partner may act in a manner that is
averse to our best interests. Any such disagreement could result in one or more of the following, each of which could delay or prevent
the development or commercialization of our product candidates, and in turn prevent us from generating revenues: unwillingness on the
part of a partner to pay us milestone payments or royalties we believe are due under a collaboration; uncertainty regarding ownership
of intellectual property rights arising from our collaborative activities, which could prevent us from entering into additional collaborations;
unwillingness by the partner to cooperate in the development or manufacture of the product, including providing us with product data
or materials; unwillingness on the part of a partner to keep us informed regarding the progress of its development and commercialization
activities or to permit public disclosure of the results of those activities; initiating litigation or alternative dispute resolution
options by either party to resolve the dispute; or attempts by either party to terminate the agreement.
We
face significant competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
Our
product candidates face, and will continue to face, intense competition from large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well
as academic and research institutions. We compete in an industry that is characterized by (i) rapid technological change, (ii) evolving
industry standards, (iii) emerging competition and (iv) new product introductions. Our competitors have existing products and technologies
that will compete with our product candidates and technologies and may develop and commercialize additional products and technologies
that will compete with our product candidates and technologies. Because several competing companies and institutions have greater financial
resources than us, they may be able to (i) provide broader services and product lines, (ii) make greater investments in research and
development, or R&D, and (iii) carry on broader R&D initiatives. Our competitors also have greater development capabilities than
we do and have substantially greater experience in undertaking preclinical and clinical testing of product candidates, obtaining regulatory
approvals, and manufacturing and marketing pharmaceutical products. They also have greater name recognition and better access to customers
than us.
Our
product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could halt their clinical development, prevent their
regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential, or result in significant negative consequences.
Undesirable
side effects caused by our product candidates could 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 regulatory approval by the FDA or other comparable foreign authorities.
The drug-related side effects could affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial or result in
potential product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.
Even if any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, as greater numbers of patients use a product following its approval,
an increase in the incidence of side effects or the incidence of other post-approval problems that were not seen or anticipated during
pre-approval clinical trials could result in a number of potentially significant negative consequences, including:
●
regulatory
authorities may withdraw their approval of the product;
●
regulatory
authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, such as warnings or contraindications;
●
we
may be required to change the way the product is administered, conduct additional clinical trials or change the labeling of the product;
●
we
may elect, or we may be required, to recall or withdraw product from the market;
●
we
could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and
●
our
reputation may suffer.
Any
of these events could substantially increase the costs and expenses of developing, commercializing and marketing any such product candidates
or could harm or prevent sales of any approved products.
49
Risks
Related to Our Intellectual Property
We
depend upon securing and protecting critical intellectual property.
We
are dependent on obtaining and maintaining patents, trade secrets, copyright and trademark protection of our technologies in the United
States and other jurisdictions, as well as successfully enforcing this intellectual property and defending this intellectual property
against third-party challenges. The degree of future protection of our proprietary rights is uncertain for product candidates that are
currently in the early stages of development because we cannot predict which of these product candidates will ultimately reach the commercial
market or whether the commercial versions of these product candidates will incorporate proprietary technologies.
Our
patent position is highly uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions.
Accordingly,
we cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced under our patents or in third-party patents. For example, we
or our licensors might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by each of our pending patent applications and issued patents;
we or our licensors might not have been the first to file patent applications for these inventions; others may independently develop
similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies; it is possible that none of our pending patent applications
or the pending patent applications of our licensors will result in issued patents; our issued patents and issued patents of our licensors
may not provide a basis for commercially viable technologies, or may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or may be challenged
and invalidated by third parties; and, we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable.
As
a result, our owned and licensed patents may not be valid, and we may not be able to obtain and enforce patents and to maintain trade
secret protection for the full commercial extent of our technology. The extent to which we are unable to do so could materially harm
our business.
We
or our licensors have applied for and will continue to apply for patents for certain products. Such applications may not result in the
issuance of any patents, and any patents now held or that may be issued may not provide us with adequate protection from competition.
Furthermore, it is possible that patents issued or licensed to us may be challenged successfully. In that event, if we have a preferred
competitive position because of such patents, such preferred position would be lost. If we are unable to secure or to continue to maintain
a preferred position, we could become subject to competition from the sale of generic products. Failure to receive, inability to protect,
or expiration of our patents for medical use, manufacture, conjugation and labeling of Ac-225, the antibodies that we license from third
parties, or subsequent related filings, would adversely affect our business and operations.
Patents
issued or licensed to us may be infringed by the products or processes of others. The cost of enforcing our patent rights against infringers,
if such enforcement is required, could be significant, and we do not currently have the financial resources to fund such litigation.
Further, such litigation can go on for years and the time demands could interfere with our normal operations. There has been substantial
litigation and other proceedings regarding patent and other intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical industry. We may become
a party to patent litigation and other proceedings. The cost to us of any patent litigation, even if resolved in our favor, could be
substantial. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation more effectively than we can because of their
substantially greater financial resources. Litigation may also absorb significant management time.
Unpatented
trade secrets, improvements, confidential know-how and continuing technological innovation are important to our scientific and commercial
success. Although we attempt to and will continue to attempt to protect our proprietary information through reliance on trade secret
laws and the use of confidentiality agreements with our partners, collaborators, employees and consultants and other appropriate means,
these measures may not effectively prevent disclosure of our proprietary information, and, in any event, others may develop independently,
or obtain access to, the same or similar information.
Certain
of our patent rights are licensed to us by third parties. If we fail to comply with the terms of these license agreements, our rights
to those patents may be terminated, and we will be unable to conduct our business.
50
If
we are found to be infringing on patents or trade secrets owned by others, we may be forced to cease or alter our product development
efforts, obtain a license to continue the development or sale of our products, and/or pay damages.
Our
manufacturing processes and potential products may violate proprietary rights of patents that have been or may be granted to competitors,
universities or others, or the trade secrets of those persons and entities. As the pharmaceutical industry expands and more patents are
issued, the risk increases that our processes and potential products may give rise to claims that they infringe the patents or trade
secrets of others. These other persons could bring legal actions against us claiming damages and seeking to enjoin clinical testing,
manufacturing and marketing of the affected product or process. If any of these actions are successful, in addition to any potential
liability for damages, we could be required to obtain a license in order to continue to conduct clinical tests, manufacture or market
the affected product or use the affected process. Required licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all, and the results
of litigation are uncertain. If we become involved in litigation or other proceedings, it could consume a substantial portion of our
financial resources and the efforts of our personnel.
Our
ability to protect and enforce our patents does not guarantee that we will secure the right to commercialize our patents.
A
patent is a limited monopoly right conferred upon an inventor, and his successors in title, in return for the making and disclosing of
a new and non-obvious invention. This monopoly is of limited duration but, while in force, allows the patent holder to prevent others
from making and/or using its invention. While a patent gives the holder this right to exclude others, it is not a license to commercialize
the invention where other permissions may be required for commercialization to occur. For example, a drug cannot be marketed without
the appropriate authorization from the FDA, regardless of the existence of a patent covering the product. Further, the invention, even
if patented itself, cannot be commercialized if it infringes the valid patent rights of another party.
We
rely on confidentiality agreements to protect our trade secrets. If these agreements are breached by our employees or other parties,
our trade secrets may become known to our competitors.
We
rely on trade secrets that we seek to protect through confidentiality agreements with our employees and other parties. If these agreements
are breached, our competitors may obtain and use our trade secrets to gain a competitive advantage over us. We may not have any remedies
against our competitors and any remedies that may be available to us may not be adequate to protect our business or compensate us for
the damaging disclosure. In addition, we may have to expend resources to protect our interests from possible infringement by others.
The
use of hazardous materials, including radioactive and biological materials, in our research and development efforts imposes certain compliance
costs on us and may subject us to liability for claims arising from the use or misuse of these materials.
Our
research, development and manufacturing activities involve the controlled use of hazardous materials, including chemicals, radioactive
and biological materials, such as radioactive isotopes. We are subject to federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations
governing, among other matters, the handling, storage, use and disposal of these materials and some waste products. We cannot completely
eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from these materials and we could be held liable for any damages that result, which could
exceed our financial resources. We currently maintain insurance coverage for injuries resulting from the hazardous materials we use;
however, future claims may exceed the amount of our coverage. Also, we do not have insurance coverage for pollution cleanup and removal.
Currently the costs of complying with such federal, state, local and foreign environmental regulations are not significant, and consist
primarily of waste disposal expenses. However, they could become expensive, and current or future environmental laws or regulations may
impair our research, development, production and commercialization efforts.
51
We
may undertake international operations, which will subject us to risks inherent with operations outside of the United States.
Although
we do not have any international operations at this time, we intend to seek market clearances in foreign markets that we believe will
generate significant opportunities. However, even with the cooperating of a commercialization partner, conducting drug development in
foreign countries involves inherent risks, including, but not limited to difficulties in staffing, funding and managing foreign operations;
unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; export restrictions; tariffs and other trade barriers; difficulties in protecting, acquiring,
enforcing and litigating intellectual property rights; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; and potentially adverse tax consequences.
If
we were to experience any of the difficulties listed above, or any other difficulties, any international development activities and our
overall financial condition may suffer and cause us to reduce or discontinue our international development and registration efforts.
We
are highly dependent on our key personnel, and if we are not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, we may
not be able to successfully implement our business strategy.
Our
future operations and successes depend in large part upon the continued service of key members of our senior management team whom we
are highly dependent upon to manage our business. If any member of our current senior management terminates their employment with us
and we are unable to find a suitable replacement quickly, the departure could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our
future success also depends on our ability to identify, attract, hire or engage, retain and motivate other well-qualified managerial,
technical, clinical and regulatory personnel. There can be no assurance that such professionals will be available in the market, or that
we will be able to retain existing professionals or meet or continue to meet their compensation requirements. Furthermore, the cost base
in relation to such compensation, which may include equity compensation, may increase significantly, which could have a material adverse
effect on us. Failure to establish and maintain an effective management team and workforce could adversely affect our ability to operate,
grow and manage our business.
Managing
our growth as we expand operations may strain our resources.
We expect to need to grow
rapidly in order to support additional, larger, and potentially international, pivotal clinical trials of our product candidates, potential
future commercialization of our product candidates and expanded research and development activity, which will place a significant strain
on our financial, managerial and operational resources. In order to achieve and manage growth effectively, we must continue to improve
and expand our operational and financial management capabilities. Moreover, we will need to increase staffing and to train, motivate and
manage our employees. All of these activities will increase our expenses and may require us to raise additional capital sooner than expected.
Failure to manage growth effectively could materially harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We
may expand our business through the acquisition of rights to new product candidates that could disrupt our business, harm our financial
condition and may also dilute current stockholders’ ownership interests in our company.
Our
business strategy includes expanding our products and capabilities, and we may seek acquisitions of product candidates, antibodies or
technologies to do so. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including substantial cash expenditures; potentially dilutive issuance of
equity securities; incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities, some of which may be difficult or impossible to identify at the time
of acquisition; difficulties in assimilating acquired technologies or the operations of the acquired companies; diverting our management’s
attention away from other business concerns; risks of entering markets in which we have limited or no direct experience; and the potential
loss of our key employees or key employees of the acquired companies.
We
can make no assurances that any acquisition will result in short-term or long-term benefits to us. We may incorrectly judge the value
or worth of an acquired product, company or business. In addition, our future success would depend in part on our ability to manage the
rapid growth associated with some of these acquisitions. We cannot assure that we will be able to make the combination of our business
with that of acquired products, businesses or companies work or be successful. Furthermore, the development or expansion of our business
or any acquired products, business or companies may require a substantial capital investment by us. We may not have these necessary funds,
or they might not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. We may also seek to raise funds by selling shares of our preferred
or common stock, which could dilute each current stockholder’s ownership interest in the Company.
52
Risks
Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The
sale of securities by us in any equity or debt financing could result in dilution to our existing stockholders and have a material adverse
effect on our earnings.
We
have financed our operations primarily through sales of stock and warrants. It is likely that during the next twelve months we will seek
to raise additional capital through the sales of stock and warrants in order to expand our level of operations to continue our research
and development efforts.
Any
sale of common stock by us in a future offering could result in dilution to our existing stockholders as a direct result of our issuance
of additional shares of our capital stock. In addition, our business strategy may include expansion through internal growth or by establishing
strategic relationships with targeted customers and vendors. In order to do so, or to finance the cost of our other activities, we may
issue additional equity securities that could dilute our stockholders’ stock ownership. We may also assume additional debt and
incur impairment losses related to goodwill and other tangible assets if we acquire another company and this could negatively impact
our earnings and results of operations.
Our
common stock is subject to price volatility which could lead to losses by stockholders and potential costly security litigation.
The
trading volume of our common stock has been and may continue to be extremely limited and sporadic. We expect the market price of our
common stock to fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, including market perception of our ability to achieve our planned
growth, quarterly operating results of other companies in the same industry, trading volume in our common stock, changes in general conditions
in the economy and the financial markets or other developments affecting our competitors or us. This volatility has had a significant
effect on the market price of securities issued by many companies for reasons unrelated to their operating performance and could have
the same effect on our common stock.
The
trading price of our common stock may be highly volatile and could fluctuate in response to factors such as:
●
actual
or anticipated variations in our operating results;
●
announcements
of developments by us or our competitors;
●
the
timing of IND and/or BLA approval, the completion and/or results of our clinical trials;
●
regulatory
actions regarding our products;
●
announcements
by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
●
adoption
of new accounting standards affecting our industry;
●
additions
or departures of key personnel;
●
introduction
of new products by us or our competitors;
●
sales
of our common stock or other securities in the open market; and
●
other
events or factors, many of which are beyond our control.
The
stock market is subject to significant price and volume fluctuations. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant financial
market volatility and uncertainty in recent months. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s
securities, securities class action litigation has often been initiated against such a company. Litigation initiated against us, whether
or not successful, could result in substantial costs and diversion of our management’s attention and our resources, which could
harm our business and financial condition.
53
We
do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock, so any returns will be determined by the value of our common stock.
We
have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. For the foreseeable future, it is expected that earnings, if any,
generated from our operations will be used to finance the growth of our business, and that no dividends will be paid to holders of our
common stock. As a result, the success of an investment in our common stock will depend upon any future appreciation in its value. There
is no guarantee that our common stock will appreciate in value.
Certain
provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Delaware law make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us and
make a takeover more difficult to complete, even if such a transaction were in our stockholders’ interest.
Provisions
of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in our control
or change in our management, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares, or transactions
that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. Therefore, these provisions could adversely affect the price
of our stock. Among other things, the certificate of incorporation and bylaws:
●
provide
that the authorized number of directors may be changed by resolution of the board of directors;
●
provide
that all vacancies, including newly-created directorships, may, except as otherwise required by law, be filled by the affirmative
vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum;
●
divide
the board of directors into three classes;
●
provide
that stockholders seeking to present proposals before a meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors
at a meeting of stockholders must provide notice in writing in a timely manner, and meet specific requirements as to the form and
content of a stockholder’s notice;
In
addition, we are governed by Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a public Delaware
corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three
years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved
in a prescribed manner. A “business combination” includes mergers, asset sales or other transactions resulting in a financial
benefit to the stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or
within three years, did own, 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock. These provisions may have the effect of
delaying, deferring or preventing a change in our control.
Compliance
with the reporting requirements of federal securities laws can be expensive.
We
are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and other federal securities laws, and the compliance obligations
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The costs of preparing and filing annual and quarterly reports and other information with the Securities and
Exchange Commission and furnishing audited reports to stockholders are substantial. In addition, we will incur substantial expenses in
connection with the preparation of registration statements and related documents with respect any offerings of our common stock.
Our
ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
Our
ability to utilize our federal net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards may be limited under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. The limitations apply if we experience an “ownership change”, generally
defined as a greater than 50 percentage point change in the ownership of our equity by certain stockholders over a rolling three-year
period. Similar provisions of state tax law may also apply. We have not assessed whether such an ownership change has previously
occurred. If we have experienced an ownership change at any time since our formation, we may already be subject to limitations on
our ability to utilize our existing net operating losses and other tax attributes to offset taxable income. In addition, future changes
in our stock ownership, which may be outside of our control, may trigger an ownership change and, consequently, the limitations under
Sections 382 and 383 of the Code. As a result, if or when we earn net taxable income, our ability to use our pre-change net operating
loss carryforwards and other tax attributes to offset such taxable income may be subject to limitations, which could adversely affect
our future cash flows.
54
Failure
to establish and maintain adequate finance infrastructure and accounting systems and controls could impair our ability to comply with
the financial reporting and internal controls requirements for publicly traded companies.
As
a public company, we operate in an increasingly demanding regulatory environment, including with respect to more complex accounting rules.
Company responsibilities required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, include establishing and
maintaining corporate oversight and adequate internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Effective
internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to help prevent financial fraud.
Our
compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management
efforts. We complied with Section 404 at December 31, 2020 and 2019 and while our testing did not reveal any material weaknesses in our
internal controls, any material weaknesses in our internal controls in the future would be required us to remediate in a timely manner
so as to be able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 each year. If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section
404 in a timely manner each year, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC, NYSE American or other regulatory authorities
which would require additional financial and management resources and could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Furthermore,
if we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and results of operations could be harmed, and investors
could lose confidence in our reported financial information.
If
securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of
our common stock and trading volume could decline.
The
trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about
us or our business. Multiple securities and industry analysts currently cover us. If one or more of the analysts downgrade our common
stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If one or
more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which
could cause the price of our common stock and trading volume to decline.
Our
amended and restated bylaws, as amended, designate the U.S. federal district courts as the exclusive forum for
the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Our
amended and restated bylaws, as amended, provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum,
the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause
of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. In addition, our amended and restated bylaws, as amended, state that
any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in our security shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to
such provision. Such choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds
favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits, if successful, might
benefit our stockholders. Stockholders who do bring a claim in the federal district courts of the United States of America could face
additional litigation costs in pursuing any such claim.
55
ITEM
2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS.
None.
ITEM
3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES.
None.
ITEM
4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.
None.
ITEM
5. OTHER INFORMATION.
On July
26, 2021, Dale Ludwig resigned as the Company’s Chief Scientific and Technology Officer. Dr. Ludwig’s resignation is not
the result of any disagreement with the Company or its Board of Directors or any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies,
or practices.
ITEM
6. EXHIBITS
Copies
of the following documents are included as exhibits to this report pursuant to Item 601 of Regulation S-K.
Exhibit No.
Title of Document
Location
3.1
Certificate of Incorporation of Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 17, 2013).
3.2
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, filed January 7, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 to Form S-1 filed on January 31, 2014).
3.3
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, filed February 3, 2014. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed on February 7, 2014).
3.4
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, filed on February 26, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed on March 4, 2015).
3.5
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, filed on February 26, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed on February 26, 2018).
3.6
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, filed on March 6, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.7 to Form 10-K filed on March 15, 2019).
3.7
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, filed on June 16, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed on June 16, 2020).
3.8
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, filed on August 10, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed on August 14, 2020).
3.9
Amended and Restated Bylaws, dated August 8, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 10-Q filed on August 9, 2018).
3.10
Amendment to Amended and Restated Bylaws, dated May 7, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed on May 5, 2020).
31.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Attached
31.2
Certification of the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Attached
32.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*
Attached
32.2
Certification of the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer pursuant to U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*
Attached
101.INS
Inline
XBRL Instance Document
Attached
101.SCH
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
Attached
101.CAL
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document
Attached
101.DEF
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
Attached
101.LAB
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase Document
Attached
101.PRE
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase Document
Attached
104
Cover Page Interactive Data file (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained
in Exhibit 101)
Attached
* The
Exhibit attached to this Form 10-Q shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to liability under that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by
reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific
reference in such filing.
56
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.
ACTINIUM
PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Date:
July 30, 2021
By:
/s/
Sandesh Seth
Sandesh
Seth
Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer
(Duly Authorized Officer and
Principal Executive Officer)
By:
/s/
Steve O’Loughlin
Steve
O’Loughlin
Chief
Financial Officer
(Duly
Authorized Officer and
Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
57
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.