10-K
Table of Contents
s
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
(Mark One)
☒
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
☐
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 001-39787
BIOATLA, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
85-1922320
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
11085 Torreyana Road , San Diego , California
92121
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
( 858 ) 558-0708
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Trading
Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange
on which registered
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share
BCAB
The Nasdaq Capital Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ or No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ or No ☒
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 ☒ or 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, a 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 has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
As of June 30, 2025, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $ 18.7 million based on the closing sales price of $0.40 per share as reported on the Nasdaq Global Market.
As of March 25, 2026, the number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding was 82,846,317 and the number of shares of the registrant’s Class B common stock outstanding was 0 .
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Part III incorporates by reference certain information from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) relating to its 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Proxy Statement will be filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this report relates.
Table of Contents
BIOATLA, INC.
Annual Report on Form 10-K
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
PART I
Item 1.
Business
2
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
27
Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
73
Item 1C.
Cybersecurity
73
Item 2.
Properties
74
Item 3.
Legal Proceedings
74
Item 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
74
PART II
Item 5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
75
Item 6.
Selected Financial Data
75
Item 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
76
Item 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
83
Item 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
84
Item 9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
110
Item 9A.
Controls and Procedures
110
Item 9B.
Other Information
111
PART III
Item 10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
112
Item 11.
Executive Compensation
112
Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
112
Item 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
112
Item 14.
Principal Accountant Fees and Services
112
PART IV
Item 15.
Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
113
Item 16.
Form 10-K Summary
113
SIGNATURES
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PAR T I
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. We may, in some cases, use words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” or the negative of those terms, and similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements.
We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy short-term and long-term business operations and objectives and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including risks described in the section titled “Risk Factors” set forth in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the future events and trends discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may not occur, and actual results may differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include, but are not limited to, statements about:
• our ability to develop and advance our current product candidates and programs into, and successfully complete, clinical trials;
• the ability of our clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy of our product candidates and other positive results;
• the size of the market opportunity for our product candidates, including our estimates of the number of patients who suffer from the diseases we are targeting;
• our manufacturing, commercialization and marketing capabilities and strategy;
• our plans and strategies to develop and commercialize our CAB antibodies;
• our plans to further develop our technology platform and expand our pipeline of product candidates;
• our plans regarding the formal process to explore and evaluate strategic options, the timing of such process and expected costs related thereto, and our expectations regarding the workforce reduction implemented in connection with the concurrent restructuring plan;
• the potential benefits and advantages of our current and future product candidates that we may develop from our patented technology platform;
• the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals for our product candidates;
• regulatory developments in the United States and Europe and other foreign countries;
• our expectations and plans to obtain funding for our operations, including from our existing and potential future collaboration and licensing agreements;
• our ability to continue as a going concern;
• the timing of and the possible results from the review of the Delist Determination (as defined herein) by the Listing Council (as defined herein);
• our expectations regarding our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our technology platform and product candidates;
• the potential benefits of our strategic relationships and our plans to pursue additional strategic relationships;
• our continued reliance on third parties to conduct additional clinical trials of our product candidates and for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical studies and clinical trials;
• our ability to achieve the expected benefits of our workforce reduction;
• our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; and
• the impact of health epidemics and outbreaks on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
We caution you that the foregoing list may not contain all of the forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Except as required by law, we do not intend to
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update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or to conform these statements to actual results or revised expectations.
You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business and the markets for our product candidates. We obtained the industry, market and similar data set forth in this report from our own internal estimates and research and from academic and industry research, publications, surveys and studies conducted by third parties, including governmental agencies. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances that are assumed in this information. While we believe that the data we use from third parties are reliable, we have not separately verified these data. Further, while we believe our internal research is reliable, such research has not been verified by any third party. You are cautioned not to give undue weight to any such information, projections and estimates.
Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “BioAtla,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to BioAtla, Inc.
ITEM 1. Business
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing our novel class of highly specific and selective antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of solid tumor cancers. Our conditionally active biologics (“CAB” or “CABs”) capitalize on our proprietary discoveries with respect to tumor biology, enabling us to target known and widely validated tumor antigens that have previously been difficult or impossible to target. Our novel CAB therapeutic candidates exploit characteristic pH differences between the tumor microenvironment and healthy tissue. Unlike healthy tissue, the tumor microenvironment is acidic, and we have designed our antibodies to selectively bind to their targets on cancer cells under acidic pH conditions but not on targets in normal tissues. Our approach is to identify the necessary targeting and potency required for cancer cell destruction, while aiming to eliminate or greatly reduce on-target, off-tumor toxicity—one of the fundamental challenges of existing cancer therapies. The enhanced selectivity of our CAB technology has the potential to greatly improve the benefit-risk ratio for the patient and allows us to deliver desired drug levels either as monotherapy or utilizing unique multi-targeted or combination therapies that are currently difficult or impossible to develop. Additionally, the combination of reversible binding with the selective, precision capability of our CAB technology enables both increased antibody potency and reduced toxicity. By exploiting our novel understanding of tumor biology, we believe that our proprietary CAB technology has the potential to transform antibody-based cancer therapy.
Our goal is to develop well-tolerated, novel cancer therapies that provide cures or extended survival to ensure patients’ improved quality of life. Studies have shown that, as a drug class, antibodies have transformed oncology treatment and include some of the best-selling therapies on the biopharmaceutical market. The broad applicability of our CAB technology allows us to develop a wide array of product candidate modalities, such as monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, (“ADCs”), T cell-engaging bispecific antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor T cells, or CAR-T cells. In 2021, we published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describing a novel mechanism using physiological chemicals as Protein-activated Chemical Switches TM (“PaCS”) for generating CAB antibodies. Initially, we applied the reversible binding and precision capability of our CAB technology to advance next-generation ADC therapies. We have also developed antibodies for immuno-oncology and for bispecific, T cell engagement.
On March 2, 2026, we announced that our Board of Directors initiated a formal process to explore and evaluate strategic options to maximize shareholder value, including the sale of preclinical and clinical assets, licensing transactions, strategic partnerships or other corporate transactions. There can be no assurance that this process will result in any agreements or transactions. We do not intend to provide updates until our Board of Directors approves a specific action or otherwise determines whether disclosure is appropriate or required.
In connection with the evaluation of strategic options, we also implemented a reduction in force and other cost-containment measures intended to better align resources with our near-term priorities. In order to continue to preserve capital during this period, we are re-evaluating the timing and scope of our clinical development programs, including the appropriate timeline and pacing of additional enrollment in the Phase 1 study of BA3182 (CAB-EpCAM x CAB-CD3) and the timeline to commence a Phase 3 study for ozuriftamab vedotin (BA3021) (CAB-ROR2-ADC) in 2L+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). While we remain focused on conducting the ongoing Phase 1 study and are committed to our clinical development programs, there can be no assurances that clinical development of our programs will not be limited or delayed pending the outcome of the strategic process.
Our strategy
Our mission is to develop and commercialize innovative antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of solid tumors that are designed to bind depending on the physical and chemical properties of tumors and their microenvironment. We believe that our proprietary CAB technology and approach have the potential to transform cancer therapy by decreasing systemic toxicities and improving efficacy. Our strategy to achieve this mission is as follows:
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• Enter into collaborations to maximize the value of our platform and pipeline. We have initiated a formal process to explore and evaluate strategic options to maximize shareholder value, including the sale of preclinical and clinical assets, licensing transactions, strategic partnerships or other corporate transactions. As part of this process, we may enter into strategic collaborations around specific geographic regions, indications, combinations and companion diagnostics. We may also explore collaboration arrangements to commercialize any product candidates where we believe the resources and expertise of the third party could be beneficial. We are currently seeking partnering opportunities across our portfolio, including for our clinical-stage programs. These collaborations could advance and accelerate our programs to maximize their market potential and expand the worldwide commercial potential of our CAB technology and assets.
• Continued prioritization of our lead product candidates.
o BA3182 (CAB-EpCAM x CAB-CD3) : Our first bispecific candidate demonstrated in its investigational new drug (“IND”)-enabling studies a more than 100-fold improvement in the therapeutic window, as compared to a non-CAB anti-EpCAM bispecific antibody. We are conducting a Phase 1 study in advanced adenocarcinoma. Carcinoma is the most common form of cancer and adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype. Adenocarcinoma is most prevalent in the lung, prostate, breast, pancreas, esophagus, colon/rectum and stomach. Almost all prostate and breast cancers are adenocarcinoma, and about 96% of colorectal cancers are adenocarcinoma (American Cancer Society 2022).
o Ozuriftamab vedotin (BA3021): Having observed multiple durable responses among patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) we are planning a Phase 3 trial for patients with OPSCC who have previously received anti-PD-(L)1 therapy and platinum-containing therapy. We have received guidance from FDA that 1.8 mg/kg of ozuriftamab vedotin delivered every other week satisfies dose optimization requirements.
o In connection with the strategic process, we are re-evaluating the timing and scope of our clinical development programs, including the appropriate timeline and pacing of additional enrollment in the Phase 1 study of BA3182 and the timeline to commence a Phase 3 study for ozuriftamab vedotin.
• Continue to leverage our CAB platform. We have shown in preclinical experiments, including for our Phase 1 clinical asset, BA3182, that our CAB bispecific molecules meet or exceed the activity of conventional bispecifics and reduce systemic activation of potentially fatal immune responses. For example, BA3182 demonstrated in its IND-enabling studies a more than 100-fold improvement in the therapeutic window as compared to a non-CAB anti-EpCAM bispecific antibody.
We believe that our next generation CAB-ADC platform further widens that therapeutic window by enhancing the linker-payload system. Combining our CAB technology with our next generation CAB-ADC platform replaces the traditional peptide linker with a novel sugar-based linker to deliver the MMAE payload. It is expected that this new CAB-ADC system will further reduce off-target, off-tumor toxicity and thereby expand the therapeutic window.
• Maintain and leverage our intellectual property portfolio. As of February 1, 2026, we had a total of 868 patents and patent applications with 597 issued patents, 13 allowed applications and 258 pending applications covering our technologies, including the CAB technology and product candidates. This broad patent coverage was designed such that protection of our product candidates is not dependent on any single patent but rather, each product candidate is covered by several layers of protection. We plan to continue to maintain, monitor, enforce and defend our intellectual property.
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Our pipeline
We believe that there is significant potential to improve therapeutics for our patients with our proprietary CAB antibody technology across well-validated oncology targets in solid tumors. The following table summarizes our current product candidate pipeline.
BA3182 (CAB-EpCAM x CAB-CD3): Our bispecific candidate, BA3182, is currently being investigated in a Phase 1 dose escalation study in advanced adenocarcinoma. We have leveraged our CAB technology to develop bispecific antibodies, which bind both a tumor-specific antigen and a T cell receptor using dual CAB antigen-binding domains. A bispecific antibody is a type of engineered antibody that can simultaneously bind two separate and unique antigens, unlike conventional monospecific antibodies that only bind to one type of target.
A common design feature for a bispecific antibody is to include a T cell engager component ( e.g. , CD3 receptor), such that one antigen-binding domain recognizes a surface-expressed tumor antigen and the other antigen-binding domain binds to and activates CD3+ T cells. With this design, bispecific antibodies can induce potent T cell responses against tumors expressing the tumor target antigen in a simplified manner relative to even off-the-shelf or allogeneic CAR-T therapies. The first FDA-approved bispecific antibody was a T cell engager, blinatumomab, which contained antigen-binding domains for CD19, an antigen found on B-cell leukemias, and CD3, a T cell activating receptor.
There are many structural variants of antibodies and other antigen-binding domains being used by others to construct bispecific product candidates, some of which are being tested clinically. However, similar to CAR-T cells and blinatumomab, many of these bispecific product candidates have increased risks of generating life-threatening cytokine release syndrome and other potential adverse events due to systemic immune activation.
We have applied our CAB antibody technology to develop bispecific CAB antibodies in which both antigen-binding domains are active only in the tumor microenvironment. An example of this approach is our BA3182 bispecific. Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (“EpCAM”) is a protein that is over-expressed in many cancers including carcinomas derived from colon, intestine, breast, lung and prostate. Expression of EpCAM has been extensively associated with cell growth and proliferation of both healthy and cancer cells.
EpCAM was one of the first cancer-associated antigens discovered; however, in the forty years since, its clinical impact as a target for therapeutic antibodies in cancer has been limited. One of the problems with targeting EpCAM is its broad expression in the basolateral membranes of normal epithelial cells. Conventional approaches of avoiding systemic toxicities, including deliberately selecting antibodies with low affinity for EpCAM with the intention of generating some degree of selectivity for tumors that express very high levels of EpCAM, have not been successful. Bispecific constructs targeting EpCAM have also not lived up to expectations. Solitomab, a third-party, non-CAB EpCAM x CD3 bispecific tested in the clinical by Amgen, led to over 95% of patients in a Phase 1 dose-escalation trial to experience at least one Grade 3 or above adverse event. Over 20% of patients experienced dose-limiting toxicities, and at tolerated doses only one unconfirmed partial response was observed among 65 patients.
In our Phase 1 dose escalation study, we have observed several patients with tumor reduction, including one patient with cholangiocarcinoma who achieved a confirmed partial response, and we continue to explore higher doses that integrate treatment free intervals with the goal of limiting T cell exhaustion. In connection with the strategic process, we are re-evaluating the timeline and pacing of additional enrollment in the Phase 1 study.
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Ozuriftamab vedotin (BA3021): We have advanced our clinical stage product candidate, ozuriftamab vedotin or BA3021, a CAB antibody drug conjugate directed against Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Like Orphan Receptor 2 (“ROR2”). ROR2 is overexpressed across many different solid tumors, including breast, lung, pancreatic, renal, ovarian, and colorectal cancers, SCCHN, and melanoma; its tumoral expression is further enhanced among those treated with PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors. Cancer cell expression of ROR2 has been associated with enhanced cancer cell migration, EMT, increased associated risk for relapse, metastasis and unfavorable prognosis. In breast cancer, for example, ROR2 was found to be expressed in the majority of patient samples, with those expressing ROR2 having decreased overall survival. A similar correlation between ROR2 expression level and overall survival was observed in NSCLC and metastatic melanoma. Genetic inactivation of ROR2 in metastatic melanoma cells was shown to prevent metastases of these tumor cells in mice. ROR2 also has essential roles in normal cells and in early development. Inactivation of ROR2 is lethal in mice with defects observed in the heart, nervous system and skeleton. Less severe mutations in ROR2 in humans is associated with skeletal diseases such as Robinow syndrome and brachydactyly type B.
Ozuriftamab vedotin is a CAB anti-ROR2 ADC consisting of a CAB anti-ROR2 humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody conjugated to MMAE using a cleavable linker. Ozuriftamab vedotin is designed to specifically and reversibly bind to ROR2 in conditions found within the tumor microenvironment, thus conferring a selectivity binding advantage for tumors over normal cells. Upon binding of ozuriftamab vedotin to ROR2 on the surface of tumor cells, it is internalized and the MMAE cytotoxin is released, thus killing the cancer cell.
Ozuriftamab vedotin has shown promising overall response rates in SCCHN and the FDA has granted Fast-Track designation for ozuriftamab vedotin in SCCHN. Having observed multiple durable responses including a confirmed complete response among patients with HPV-associated OPSCC we are planning a Phase 3 trial for patients with OPSCC who have previously received anti-PD-(L)1 therapy and platinum-containing therapy (the “Phase 3 Study”). We have received guidance from FDA that 1.8 mg/kg of ozuriftamab vedotin delivered every other week satisfies dose optimization requirements. However, in connection with the strategic process, we are re-evaluating the timeline to commence the Phase 3 Study.
Mecbotamab vedotin (BA3011): Our clinical stage product candidate, mecbotamab vedotin, or BA3011, is a CAB ADC that targets AXL, a protein kinase receptor that is expressed on the surface of many tumors. AXL is considered to be a driver of many cellular processes that are critical for the development, growth and spread of tumors, including proliferation, invasiveness and migration, stemness, which is related to core stem cell properties such as self-renewal and differentiation, angiogenesis, or the growth of blood vessels, and immune modulation. AXL has been shown to be involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, or EMT, a process by which epithelial cells lose their cell polarity and cell-cell adhesion, and gain migratory and invasive properties to become mesenchymal stem cells (“MSCs”). MSCs are home to developing aggressive tumors, where they exacerbate cancer cell proliferation, motility, invasion and metastasis, foster angiogenesis, promote tumor fibrosis and suppress antitumor immune responses. Several therapeutic agents that target AXL have been developed and investigated in clinical trials, and several small-molecule AXL kinase inhibitors have been developed by others; however, the majority of these inhibitors, including one that is approved, are not highly selective for AXL. Although other non-CAB anti-AXL antibodies and ADCs have shown encouraging clinical signs of antitumor activity, adverse events, such as high-grade constipation and peripheral neuropathy, were particularly pronounced and led to discontinuation of clinical development of some candidates.
Mecbotamab vedotin is an ADC consisting of a CAB humanized immunoglobulin G, (“IgG1”), anti-AXL monoclonal antibody. The core antibody is conjugated using a cleavable linker attached to the well-known and proven toxin monomethyl auristatin E, or MMAE. Mecbotamab vedotin is designed to specifically and reversibly bind to AXL in conditions found within the tumor microenvironment, thus conferring a selectivity binding advantage for tumors over normal cells. Upon binding of mecbotamab vedotin to AXL on the surface of tumor cells, it is internalized and the MMAE cytotoxin is released, thus killing the cancer cell.
We have conducted a Phase 2 study (BA3011-002) in NSCLC patients who have previously progressed on PD-1 / programmed cell death ligand 1 (“PD-L1”), epidermal growth factor receptor (“EGFR”), or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (“ALK”) inhibitor therapy. We also conducted a Phase 2 study in sarcoma in patients who were ineligible for chemotherapy or have received at least one regimen containing anthracycline. In both Phase 2 indications, we have enrolled patients either as a monotherapy or in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor, nivolumab. Both the monotherapy and combination treatment are broadly well tolerated with most events being low grade and reversible with no clinically meaningful on-target toxicity observed during the course of treatment. Drug-related adverse events appear likely to have been related to free-circulating MMAE payload-associated toxicity including reversible neutropenia, elevated liver function test and hyperglycemia which were all manageable and with low incidence. Our Phase 2 study in NSCLC has shown promising long-term survival in heavily pre-treated mutated KRAS NSCLC patients with mecbotamab vedotin at Q2W both as monotherapy and in combination with nivolumab.
We have conducted a Phase 2, single-arm trial with mecbotamab vedotin monotherapy in patients with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (“UPS”) who have experienced prior treatment failure. We continue to see encouraging efficacy in AXL positive UPS patients, however, there is a potential need for a companion diagnostic and a likely requirement of a randomized trial in UPS. As a result, we may prioritize the larger, mutated KRAS NSCLC opportunity which shows high correlation with AXL expression, thereby utilizing an approved readily available companion diagnostic for KRAS mutations. Both soft tissue and bone sarcoma, as well as other indications including mutated KRAS NSCLC, remain promising for potential future development through partnership with other companies.
Evalstotug (BA3071): Our clinical stage product candidate, evalstotug, is a CAB anti-CTLA-4 antibody that has been developed to the completion of Phase 1 and 2 as an immuno-oncology agent with the goal of delivering at least the efficacy of approved CTLA-4 antibodies, such as ipilimumab, but with lower toxicity rate as a result of the CAB’s unique tumor microenvironment-restricted binding. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (“CTLA-4”), is an immune checkpoint involved in regulating T-cell activation. The primary role of immune checkpoints is to prevent autoimmune attacks against normal tissue in the body; however, cancer cells often take advantage of this pathway to prevent immune destruction of the tumor. Ipilimumab and tremelimumab currently are the only anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibodies approved by the FDA.
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Ipilimumab is approved as a single agent for the treatment of melanoma, and in combination with an anti-PD-1 antibody for the treatment of several solid tumors, including melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, colorectal cancer and NSCLC, and tremelimumab is approved in combination with an anti-PD-L-1 antibody for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma and NSCLC. Patients treated with these checkpoint inhibitors face the risk of adverse events associated with inappropriate activation of the immune system beyond the tumor site including severe and sometimes fatal enterocolitis, hepatitis, dermatitis, neuropathy and endocrinopathy. Consequently, usage and dosage of these checkpoint inhibitors is highly limited due to their safety profile.
We have advanced evalstotug as a potential therapeutic for solid tumor indications. We have completed a dose-escalation trial of evalstotug as monotherapy and in combination with an anti-PD-1 antibody. We have reached the planned maximum dose of 1000 mg with maximum tolerated dose (“MTD”) not being reached. A Phase 2 study was initiated at a dose of either 350mg or 700mg in combination with the PD-1 inhibitor, pembrolizumab, for dose optimization. Evalstotug has shown promising efficacy in several indications. Most related adverse events in the Phase 1 and 2 were low grade with acceptable tolerability.
Preclinical candidates
We have several assets that are in varying stages of development and have been positioned for partnering.
BA3361 (CAB-Nectin-4-ADC)
Nectin-4 is widely expressed and has adhesive roles in normal tissues. The CAB selectivity to target Nectin-4 in the tumor microenvironment is critical in providing the necessary safety to deliver the drug conjugate selectively to cancerous tissue. A clinical candidate was selected from a set of lead molecules that were characterized by multiple assays including functional assays. In addition to the assay performance, the lead candidate demonstrated high binding under tumor conditions and little to no binding under normal physiological conditions. We have received FDA clearance of our IND for BA3361.
Bispecific preclinical candidates
We believe that our CAB technology opens up the opportunity for the creation of a broad set of bispecific product candidates with antitumor potential. Through these CAB bispecific antibodies, we believe we can activate T cells directly in tumors while minimizing systemic activation. We believe our CAB bispecific antibodies may allow for increased efficacy through more potent T cell activation, higher doses or administration in combination with other immuno-oncology therapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors. We have shown in preclinical experiments that our CAB bispecific molecules meet or exceed the activity of conventional bispecifics and reduce systemic activation of potentially fatal immune responses.
BA3142 (CAB-B7-H3 x CAB-CD3)
Our second bispecific product candidate, BA3142, is a dual-CAB T-cell engager targeting B7-H3, a protein expressed on many solid tumors. The lead molecule was characterized by multiple assays including functional assays, and by preclinical efficacy studies in a xenograft model of human pharyngeal cancer using mice with a humanized immune system. The lead molecule showed antitumor activity comparable to a non-CAB antibody while demonstrating lower binding and functional activity under physiological conditions, as expected for a CAB bispecific antibody. Cell line development and in vivo efficacy study are completed. We have manufactured sufficient supply of BA3142 to enable the Company to complete an IND and initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in the near term with additional funding or through a partnership.
CAB-Nectin 4 x CAB-CD3 (formerly BA3362)
We out-licensed a pre-clinical Nectin 4 T-cell engager to Context Therapeutics in 2024. See further discussion in the Licensing and Strategic Collaboration section below.
Our CAB technology
The fundamental specificity challenge with traditional monoclonal antibody-based therapy is that there are few known antigens that are specific to tumors and absent in non-cancerous tissues. Drug developers might develop an antibody that is exquisitely specific against its target, but due to the expression of the target on non-tumor cells, systemic administration can result in dose-limiting toxicities from on-target, off-tumor activity.
The majority of anticancer antibody-based drug products are consequently limited to a small subset of potential tumor antigens. We believe that our novel approach to increase the selectivity of antibody-based therapeutics while maintaining their potency may have the potential to fundamentally transform the development of anticancer therapeutics and expand the universe of targets for novel antibody-based therapies.
Our CABs are based on our patented protein discovery and engineering technology. We invented, developed, and refined this technology, which we believe selectively enables the binding of proteins and antibodies to targeted cells in the tumor microenvironment based on differences in local conditions such as pH, temperature, or chemical composition compared to normal healthy tissue. We have shown that activity of our CAB biologics is reversible; not only are they active due to the low pH levels of the tumor microenvironment, but also, unlike prodrugs, they are reversibly inactive when they leave the tumor microenvironment and are in a normal physiological environment.
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Our CAB technology capitalizes on the well-established Warburg Effect that through a glycolytic process leads to an acidic external tumor microenvironment. Extracellular pH levels in tumors have been measured to be as low as pH 5.8 compared to the tightly controlled, alkaline, pH 7.4 of blood, with even higher pH in healthy tissues. Glycolytic metabolism is also the basis of the established PET scanning technology for detection of cancerous tumors. CAB proteins have increased binding activity as the pH in the microenvironment becomes acidic, while being inactive in normal physiological environments. We discovered a novel chemical switch mechanism that underpins this binding activity that involves physiologically occurring chemicals, such as bicarbonate and hydrogen sulfide. These molecules are negatively charged at physiological conditions and interact with positive charged areas on the protein surface. Under acidic conditions found in the tumor microenvironment, these charged molecules are neutralized by the H+ ions and released from the protein surface, uniquely allowing CAB antibodies to bind to their target and attack the tumor cell. We refer to this novel physiological mechanism, used for generating CABs, as Protein-associated Chemical Switch(es) TM or PaCS mechanism. The ability to design conditionally active therapeutics with strong selectivity over narrower pH ranges using the PaCS mechanism offers the opportunity to greatly enhance both the safety and potency of future therapies for solid tumors.
We have used and continue to leverage our patented CAB technology to screen antibody candidates for multiple characteristics. By doing so, we can evolve specific regions on the antibody that will only bind in response to environmental conditions, either enhancing or eliminating binding. Our CAB technology allows us to select antibodies that preferentially bind to the target under the conditions of interest, such as high local acidity (i.e. low pH). CAB antibodies have human or humanized antibody sequences, a characteristic that reduces the risk of immunogenicity compared to emerging technologies in the field, which is supported by both our preclinical and clinical data.
Our CAB antibodies have been designed to be active in the acidic, lower pH of the tumor microenvironment and inactive under the alkaline pH of 7.4 and above found in normal physiological conditions. In a quantitative in vitro binding assay, we compared a CAB antibody and a non-CAB antibody that both bind to the target AXL with matched strength of binding to the target, or affinities, when measured at pH 6.0. The binding of the CAB antibody was highly sensitive to pH with binding becoming much weaker as pH approached 7.0 and almost undetectable at a physiological pH of 7.4. In contrast, a non-CAB antibody to AXL showed indiscriminate and experimentally equivalent binding across the entire pH range tested, including at pH 7.4 of normal cells. Our CAB development process is capable of identifying CAB antibodies with a range of sensitivities to pH.
Low pH-dependent CAB antibodies are far less likely to bind to targets outside of tumors, resulting in several potential advantages over traditional antibodies:
• Wide therapeutic window. Reduced binding to target antigens outside of the tumor has the potential to reduce toxicities that arise from systemic exposure. We believe this may enable higher doses or increased potency to be safely delivered to patients with the potential for increased efficacy.
• Opportunity to increase tumor-specific killing. The wide therapeutic window imparted by tumor-specific targeting enables CAB antibodies to be modified with cytotoxic drugs to create ADCs. Similarly, bispecific antibodies can be developed using CAB antibody domains targeting pairs of targets that direct T cells to attack the tumor, thereby reducing the likelihood of unacceptable normal tissue injury if constructed using traditional antibody domains.
• Increased drug exposure to tumors. Limited binding to targets outside of tumors allows more of the administered CAB antibodies to be available to bind to target sites in the tumor, potentially increasing the concentrations and exposure of these antibodies in tumors.
• Improved pharmacokinetics. Limited binding to targets outside of tumors effectively increases their half-life in plasma. The phenomenon of target-mediated drug disposition (“TMDD”), is a well-known limitation facing the development of many biologics, which CAB antibodies can significantly reduce.
• Broader universe of tumor-specific antigens that can be targeted. There are few highly prevalent tumor-specific antigens expressed on solid tumors, which represent approximately 90% of tumor types, that are not expressed at some level in normal tissues. While some targets, such as EGFR, can be targeted by traditional antibodies with some acceptable level of toxicity in a subset of patients, many other potential targets cannot. CAB antibodies with pH-dependent binding have the potential to significantly reduce the potential risk of systemic toxicities caused by expression of targets on normal tissues.
Through the use of our proprietary technology, we have developed CAB antibodies which we believe have specificity for tumors, while avoiding binding to the same antigen target expressed on many normal tissues. This allows us to develop therapeutics against targets that are expressed at high levels on tumor cells but are also present on normal cells and tissues, without the toxicities associated with traditional antibodies. While our lead product candidates primarily exploit the differences in pH between the tumor microenvironment and healthy tissue, there is a potential for other yet to be identified PaCS molecules in disease related microenvironments, whether controlled through pH concentration, or other molecular characteristics (intra- or intermolecularly) for enhancing a drug’s therapeutic index. Potential new therapeutic candidates addressing these opportunities are not limited to antibodies, but may also include small molecules, encompassing lipids, sugars and nucleic acid-based agents or drugs. Further, it is expected that PaCS protein-chemical systems are important naturally occurring regulatory systems linked to a range of disease-related microenvironments, including cancer, inflammation and cellular senescence.
Competition
The biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries, including the oncology subsector, are characterized by rapid evolution of technologies, competition and strong defense of intellectual property. Any product candidates that we successfully develop and commercialize may have to compete with existing therapies and new therapies that may become available in the future. While we believe that our patented
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technology platform, intellectual property, know-how and scientific expertise in the field of biologics and immuno-oncology provide us with certain competitive advantages, including the ability of our product candidates to be active under conditions representative of the tumor microenvironment and not in normal cell conditions, we face potential competition from a wide variety of institutions, including large biopharmaceutical companies, specialty biotechnology companies, academic research departments and public and private research institutions. In immuno-oncology, we face substantial competition in the form of competing approaches to targeted antibody therapy in general, as well as competing treatments for the same types of cancer that we would plan to address with our pipeline of product candidates.
There are several companies in various stages of clinical development of ADCs, one of the key features of our product candidates mecbotamab vedotin and ozuriftamab vedotin. Currently, there are several approved ADCs and many more in clinical development, the vast majority of which are being developed for the treatment of cancer. Certain other companies are also pursuing antibody therapies in immuno-oncology. Although we do not believe competing companies have selective CAB technology, there is a wide array of activity in immune-based cellular therapies for oncology.
In addition, if any of our product candidates are approved in oncology indications such as pancreatic, breast and other cancers, they may compete with existing biologics and small molecule therapies, or may be used in combination with existing therapies. There are also many other therapies under development that are intended to treat the same cancers that we are targeting or, although yet to be identified, may target with our CAB technology platform, including through approaches that could prove to be more effective, have fewer side effects, be cheaper to manufacture, be more convenient to administer or have other advantages over any products resulting from our technology.
Many of our competitors, either alone or with strategic partners, have substantially greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we do. Accordingly, our competitors may be more successful than us in obtaining approval for treatments and achieving widespread market acceptance, rendering our treatments obsolete or non-competitive. Accelerated merger and acquisition activity in the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. These companies also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials and acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. The level of generic competition and the availability of reimbursement from government and other third-party payors will also significantly affect the pricing and competitiveness of our products. In addition, our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market.
Manufacturing
Our CAB antibodies are designed and produced using our patented Comprehensive Integrated Antibody Optimization TM (“CIAO!”) technology. The successful evolution, design, and development of a CAB antibody with specific characteristics and qualities require that the development and manufacturing processes result in the CAB antibody with the desired properties. We have developed our patented process of CIAO! that integrates into the design process the critical features for subsequent development steps and manufacturing. A key element of the CIAO! process is that all design and development of the antibody is conducted in a mammalian cell line such as Chinese hamster ovary. This host cell is essentially identical to that used for manufacturing the majority of antibodies. This integrated and efficient approach is designed to provide consistency of the folding, glycosylation and other critical features throughout the development and commercialization process for improved activity, selectivity and yields in manufacturing.
To date, we have been able to successfully manufacture our investigational product candidates for our ongoing early-stage clinical trials with contract manufacturers. However, we currently do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities. We rely and expect to continue to rely for the foreseeable future, on third-party contract manufacturing organizations to produce our product candidates for preclinical and clinical testing, as well as for commercial manufacture if our product candidates receive marketing approval. We also expect to rely on third parties for the design, development and manufacture of companion diagnostic tests for our product candidates that require such tests. Furthermore, the raw materials for our product candidates may be sourced, in some cases, from a single-source supplier. As part of the manufacture and design process for our product candidates, we rely on internal, scientific and manufacturing know-how and trade secrets and the know-how and trade secrets of third-party manufacturers. We also contract with additional third parties for the filling, labeling, packaging, storage and distribution of investigational drug products. We believe that this strategy allows us to maintain a more efficient infrastructure by eliminating the need for us to invest in our own manufacturing facilities, equipment and personnel while also enabling us to focus our expertise and resources on the development of our product candidates. We maintain agreements with our manufacturers that include confidentiality and intellectual property provisions to protect our proprietary rights related to our product candidates. We have personnel with significant technical, manufacturing, analytical, quality, including current good manufacturing practices (“cGMPs”), and project management experience to oversee our third-party manufacturers and to manage manufacturing and quality data and information for regulatory compliance purposes.
Collaborations
We intend to selectively enter into collaborations with preclinical and/or clinical assets, particularly where potential collaborators can both accelerate and maximize a therapeutic's market potential.
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License Agreements and Strategic Collaborations
Collaboration and Supply Agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb
On January 5, 2022, we and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (“BMS”) entered into a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement (the “BMS Agreement”). Under the terms of the BMS Agreement, BioAtla and BMS will collaborate on clinical trials of separate combination therapies using two of BioAtla’s CAB ADCs, mecbotamab vedotin (BA3011) and ozuriftamab vedotin (BA3021), each in combination with Opdivo® (nivolumab), BMS’ proprietary anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody product. We serve as the study sponsor of the scheduled studies and are responsible for costs associated with the trial execution. BMS provides Opdivo® clinical drug supply at no cost for the combination study trials. After the completion of the combination therapy trials, we are obligated to provide BMS with a final report of the data resulting from the trial. The BMS agreement was amended in October 2022 to include additional territories for our combination study trials for mecbotamab vedotin and ozuriftamab vedotin.
Global Co-Development and Collaboration Agreement with BeOne Medicines, Ltd.
In April 2019, we entered into a Global Co-Development and Collaboration Agreement with BeOne Medicines, Ltd. (f/k/a BeiGene, Ltd.) (“BeOne”), which, as amended in December 2019 and October 2020, provided for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of BioAtla’s investigational CAB CTLA-4 antibody, evalstotug (BA3071). Under the terms of our BeOne collaboration, BeOne was generally responsible for developing evalstotug and for global regulatory filings and commercialization. We received a total of $25 million in payments from BeOne.
On November 19, 2021, we entered into Amendment No. 3 to the Global Co-Development and Collaboration Agreement (“Amendment No. 3”). Under Amendment No. 3, the collaboration agreement was terminated, subject to survival of certain provisions, and BeOne handed back rights to certain know-how and materials received under the collaboration agreement and we assumed responsibility for the development and commercialization of evalstotug, in addition to other standard provisions. As consideration for Amendment No. 3, we agreed to pay BeOne mid single digit royalties on sales worldwide and on a limited basis will share in any upfront and milestone payments received through a sublicense of evalstotug.
Amended and Restated Exclusive Rights Agreement with Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC
In January 2020, we entered into an Amended and Restated Exclusive Rights Agreement with Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC. Under the terms of the agreement, we granted Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC an exclusive, sublicensable license under certain patents and know-how controlled by us to develop, manufacture, conduct clinical trials, obtain regulatory approval of and commercialize 10 CAB-antibodies for the territory of the People's Republic of China, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan and a CAB-HER2-bispecific-antibody worldwide, in each case in the field of the treatment of cancer in humans. We also granted Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC an exclusive, sublicensable license under certain patents and know-how controlled by us to develop, manufacture, conduct clinical trials, obtain regulatory approval of and commercialize an IL-22 non-CAB-antibody worldwide, which option rights are subject to certain co-development plans in the agreement for the joint development and commercialization of the IL-22 non-CAB-antibody by Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC and us. The term of the agreement continues unless terminated by mutual written consent of the parties and also contains customary provisions for termination by either party. Payments to us may include upfront payments, milestone payments and royalties equal to the lower of (i) the low teens of annual net sales and (ii) the mid-twenties of the royalties and other comparable payments received by Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC from third parties, which represent a variable interest held by us, but no payments have been made to date. The royalty term, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, is the period of time commencing on the first commercial sale of such product in such country and expiring upon the latest of (i) the expiration of the last valid claim in a patent covering the composition of matter or method of use for such product licensed under the agreement in such country, (ii) the expiration of any other exclusivity protection of such licensed product in such country, and (iii) the 15th anniversary of the date of first commercial sale of such product in such country. We are eligible to receive up to $77.5 million in upfront payments and potential milestones.
License Agreement with Context Therapeutics Inc.
In September 2024, we entered into a License Agreement (the “Context License Agreement”) with Context Therapeutics Inc. (“Context”). Under the terms of the Context License Agreement, BioAtla granted Context an exclusive, worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize two licensed antibodies, including BA3362 (renamed by Context as CT-202), our Nectin-4 x CD3 T cell engaging (TCE) bispecific antibody (the “License”). We also transferred know-how, including any necessary materials Context would need to perform research and development. In exchange for the License, we are eligible to receive up to $133.5 million in aggregate payments, including an upfront cash payment and potential development, regulatory and commercial milestones, as well as tiered mid-single digit to low double-digit royalties on future net sales of the products. In connection with the execution of the Context License Agreement, the Company also entered into an agreement with Himalaya Therapeutics SECZ, a related party (See Note 10).
Investment Agreement with Inversagen AI
On December 30, 2025, we entered into an Investment Agreement (the “Investment Agreement”) with Inversagen AI, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Inversagen AI”), and Alliance International Resources Corp., a Nevada corporation (“AIRC”). Subject to completion of financings by Inversagen AI as set forth in the Investment Agreement, we agreed to sell common units in a subsidiary, BA 3021 SPV LLC (the “SPV”), to Inversagen AI in a private placement over multiple closings. Upon completion of the transaction, Inversagen AI would own an aggregate 35% of the common units in the SPV in exchange for an aggregate $40 million. Concurrently with the initial closing, we agreed to enter into an exclusive license agreement (the “License Agreement”) with the SPV in which we would grant to the SPV, an exclusive, worldwide, perpetual and irrevocable license to BioAtla’s intellectual property rights in ozuriftamab vedotin (“Oz-V”). We agreed to grant the SPV the right to develop and commercialize Oz-V for all human uses, other than diseases (in all cases excluding oncology) in humans involving senescent cell
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elimination therapy.
We planned to use the gross proceeds received from the sale of the SPV common units to Inversagen AI for general operating expenses and clinical trial expenses to advance Oz-V in the Phase 3 Study. However, in connection with recent events, including the recently announced formal process to explore and evaluate strategic options and related workforce reduction, the transaction has not closed and the timing of completing the transaction and initiation of the Phase 3 Study are being re-evaluated, and we are in discussions to potentially restructure the transaction pending the outcome of the strategic process.
As discussed in Note 10 of our consolidated financial statements, Inversagen, LLC holds an exclusive license to CAB senescence and longevity technologies from the Company. Inversagen, LLC subsequently contributed these rights to Inversagen AI. Inversagen, LLC and Inversagen AI are deemed to be related parties of the Company.
Intellectual property
Since inception, we have recognized the value of strong, defensible and relevant intellectual property protection. We seek to protect our technologies and products and the potential market for such technologies and products. To accomplish this goal, we apply for patents covering our processes and compositions. We also apply for patents covering developments and technologies for purpose of preventing third parties from developing competing products. Inventions related to various aspects of our core technologies have already been protected by issued and pending patent applications. As of February 1, 2026, we had 868 patents and patent applications with 597 issued patents, 13 allowed applications, and 258 pending applications.
We recognize that the ability to obtain patent protection and the degree of such protection depends on several factors, including the extent of the prior art, the novelty of the invention, the obviousness of the invention and the ability to satisfy the enablement and written description requirements of the patent laws. We file all relevant types of patent applications to protect our intellectual property, including patent applications with claims directed to our processes and products, and applications and uses thereof.
We file our applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”) to establish a priority filing date. Generally, we initially file provisional applications. Provisional applications are designed to provide a lower-cost first patent application filing in the United States. Corresponding non-provisional patent applications must be filed not later than 12 months after the filing date of the first provisional application filed for an invention. In some cases, multiple provisional applications have been filed within a 12-month period to capture incremental developments within the 12-month priority period while obtaining an early filing date for each development. The corresponding non-provisional patent applications benefit from the provisional applications(s) since the priority date(s) of these non-provisional patent applications is/are the earlier provisional application filing date(s), and because the patent term of the finally issued patents are calculated from the later, non-provisional patent application filing dates. This system allows us to obtain an early priority date, add material to the patent application(s) during the priority year, obtain a later start to the patent term and delay prosecution costs, which may save costs in the event that we decide not to pursue examination in an application.
Subsequently, when appropriate, we pursue patent applications in foreign countries. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT”) system for filing international patent applications is used. This system allows a single application to be filed within 12 months of the original priority date of the patent application designating all 157 PCT member states (including countries in South, Central and North America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia) in which national/regional patent applications can later be pursued based on the international patent application filed under the PCT. At the end of a period of 2 1/2 years from the first priority date of the PCT patent application, separate patent applications can be pursued in any of the 157 PCT member states either by direct national filing or, in some cases, by filing through a regional patent organization such as the European Patent Organization. The PCT system delays expenses, allows a limited evaluation of the chances of success for national/regional patent applications and enables substantial cost savings where applications are abandoned within the first 2 1/2 years of filing.
We continuously reassess the number and type of patent applications, as well as the pending and issued patent claims to ensure that maximum patent coverage and value are obtained for our processes, and compositions, given existing patent office rules and regulations. Further, pending patent claims may be modified during patent prosecution to meet our intellectual property and business needs.
We also perform non-infringement searches and analyses for our existing technologies and will continue to do so for future commercial processes and products. For our new developments, we regularly perform expert searches and reviews, and monitor patents and patent applications by third-party competitors. Our policy of avoiding patent infringement is diligently executed. To the best of our knowledge as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have freedom to operate on all of our technologies and product candidates.
The patent positions of biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies like ours are generally uncertain and involve complex legal, scientific and factual issues. In addition, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued, and the scope of an issued patent can be reinterpreted or further altered even after patent issuance. Consequently, we may not obtain or maintain adequate patent protection for any of our product candidates or for our technology platform. We cannot predict whether the patent applications we are currently pursuing will issue as patents in any particular jurisdiction or whether the claims of any issued patents will provide sufficient proprietary protection from competitors. Any patents that we hold may be challenged, circumvented or invalidated by third parties. For a more comprehensive discussion of the risks related to our patents, please see “Risk factors—Risks related to our intellectual property.”
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The term of individual patents depends upon the legal term of the patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we file, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest date of filing a non-provisional patent application related to the patent. A U.S. patent may be accorded a patent term adjustment (“PTA”), under certain circumstances to compensate for delays in granting the patent caused by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In some instances, such a PTA may result in a U.S. patent term extending beyond 20 years from the earliest date of filing a non-provisional patent application related to the U.S. patent. In addition, in the United States, the term of a U.S. patent that covers an FDA-approved drug may be eligible for a patent term extension, which permits patent term restoration as compensation for the patent term lost during the FDA regulatory review process. The Hatch-Waxman Act permits a patent term extension of up to five years beyond the expiration of the patent. The length of the patent term extension is related to the length of time the drug is under regulatory review. Patent term extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval and only one patent applicable to an approved drug may be extended. Similar provisions are available in Europe and other foreign jurisdictions to extend the term of a patent that covers an approved drug. In the future, if and when our products receive regulatory approval, we expect to apply for patent term extensions on patents covering those products. We plan to seek patent term extensions to any of our issued patents in any jurisdiction where these are available; however, there is no guarantee that the applicable authorities, including the FDA in the United States, will agree with our assessment of whether such extensions should be granted, and, if granted, the length of such extensions.
We further own trade secrets relating to our technology platform and product candidates, and we maintain the confidentiality of proprietary information to protect aspects of our business that are not amenable to, or that we do not consider appropriate for, patent protection. Although we take steps to protect our proprietary information and trade secrets, including through contractual means with our employees and consultants, third parties may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or disclose our technology. Thus, we may not be able to meaningfully protect our trade secrets. It is our policy to require our employees, consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements provide that all confidential information concerning our business or financial affairs developed or made known to the individual during the course of the individual’s relationship with us are to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. Our agreements with employees and consultants also provide that all inventions conceived by the employee in the course of employment or work with us or from the employee’s or consultant’s use of our confidential information are our exclusive property. For a more comprehensive discussion of the risks related to our trade secrets, please see “Risk factors—Risks related to our intellectual property.”
Company-owned patents
Mecbotamab vedotin is covered by many filings, including a published PCT application filed in 2017 that entered the national phase in 2018. Applications have been granted in Albania, Australia, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Europe, Greece, Hungary, Israel, India, Japan, Korea, Macedonia (former Yugoslav Republic), Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States and are pending in 8 jurisdictions, including most major market countries. Composition of matter claims issuing from this application would not expire before 2037.
Ozuriftamab vedotin is covered by many filings, including a published PCT application filed in 2017 that entered the national phase in 2018. Applications have been granted in Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Europe, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Macedonia (former Yugoslav Republic), Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States and are pending in 13 jurisdictions, including most major market countries. Composition of matter claims issuing from this application would not expire before 2037.
Evalstotug is covered by many filings, including a published PCT application filed in 2019 that entered the national phase in 2021. Applications have been granted in Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States and are pending in 16 jurisdictions, including most major market countries. Composition of matter claims issuing from this application would not expire before 2039.
Our CAB-anti-EpCAM antibody is covered by many filings, including a published PCT application filed in 2020 that entered the national phase in 2022. Applications have been granted in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States and are pending in 6 jurisdictions, including most major market countries. Composition of matter claims issuing from this application would not expire before 2040.
Our CAB-anti-Nectin-4 antibodies are covered by many filings, including 12 national phase filings and a granted and pending application in Taiwan. Composition of matter claims issuing from these applications would not expire before 2044.
Core components of our product candidates are protected by company-owned platform applications directed to novel methods of protein evolution, methods of making conditionally active biologics, integrated selection and evolution of antibodies and proteins in expression production hosts, multi-specific antibodies and methods of making, modified antibody regions, conditionally active biological proteins, proteins targeting orthologs, discovery of and production of conditionally active biologic proteins in eukaryotic cell production hosts, conditionally active chimeric antigen receptors for modified T-cells, diagnostics using conditionally active antibodies, conditionally active polypeptides, antibodies targeted to senescent cells, conditionally active proteins for neurodegenerative diseases, and conditionally active proteins with pH selectivity. We also have 30 issued U.S. patents covering various aspects of the manufacturing methods used to generate CAB antibodies that have patent terms expiring from 2030 to 2038, excluding potential patent term extensions.
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Out-licensed patents
Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC has exclusive rights to patents/patent applications in China, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan relating to ROR2 (patent application 2017800294276 (China) and patent application 106115891 (Taiwan), both titled “Anti-ROR2 antibodies and their immunoconjugates and uses thereof”) and relating to AXL (patent applications 201780023876X (China) and patent application 106112687 (Taiwan), both titled “Anti-AXL antibodies and their immunoconjugates and uses thereof”). Additionally, Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC has exclusive worldwide rights to patents/patent applications relating to IL-22 (Patent applications 108119613 and PCT/US19/35395, both titled “Anti-IL-22 antibodies, antibody fragments and their immunoconjugates and uses thereof”) and relating to HER2 (patent application USP 62/964,747 titled “Conditionally active anti-HER2 antibodies”).
In September 2024, the Company granted Context Therapeutics an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture, and commercialize two licensed antibodies, including a CAB Nectin-4 x CD3 T-Cell engaging bispecific antibody, and non-exclusive rights to BioAtla's enabling technology to the extent necessary to exploit the licensed antibodies. See Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements for further details.
BioAtla Holdings, LLC has exclusive worldwide rights to all patents for the field of adoptive cell immunotherapy “ACT” (chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell (“CAR-T”)), excluding the targets licensed to EXUMA Biotech Corp (“EXUMA”).
Inversagen, LLC has exclusive worldwide rights to all patents solely in the field of diseases associated with aging (outside of cancer), diagnostics related thereto and an immuno-oncology antibody.
EXUMA has an exclusive worldwide license to all patents solely to develop, make, have made, use, sell, have sold, offer for sale and import CAR-T products to four named targets for the treatment of cancer. EXUMA’s rights under the agreement exclude the right to grant sublicenses to third parties to discover, develop or manufacture any CAB ACT or any component of our CAB ACT technology, except as used in or incorporated into EXUMA’s ACTs for cancer.
Government Regulation and Product Approval
Government authorities in the United States, at the federal, state and local level and in other countries and jurisdictions, including the European Union, extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, import, export, safety, effectiveness, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, record keeping, approval, advertising, promotion, marketing, post-approval monitoring and post-approval reporting of biological product candidates such as those we are developing. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources and we may not be able to obtain the required regulatory approvals.
Licensure and Regulation of Biologics in the United States
In the United States, the FDA regulates biologic products under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”), the Public Health Service Act (“PHSA”), and regulations and guidance implementing these laws. The FDCA, PHSA and their corresponding regulations, and other federal and state statutes and regulations, govern, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacturing, safety, purity, potency, labeling, packaging, storage, record keeping, approval, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, sampling, import, export, advertising and other promotional practices involving biologic products. Biological products used for the prevention, treatment or cure of a disease or condition of a human being are subject to regulation under the FDCA, except the section of the FDCA that governs the approval of new drug applications (“NDAs”). Biological products are approved for marketing under provisions of the PHSA, via a BLA. However, the application process and requirements for approval of BLAs are very similar to those for NDAs, and biologics are associated with similar approval risks and costs as drugs. Failure to comply with applicable U.S. requirements may subject a company to a variety of administrative or judicial sanctions, such as clinical hold, FDA refusal to approve pending NDAs or BLAs, warning or untitled letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, civil penalties and criminal prosecution.
U.S. biologic products development process
Biological product candidates must be approved by the FDA pursuant to a BLA before they may be legally marketed in the United States. The process generally involves the following:
• Completion of extensive preclinical laboratory tests and in vivo studies in accordance with the FDA’s current good laboratory practice (“GLP”) regulations and applicable requirements for the humane use of laboratory animals or other applicable regulations;
• Submission to the FDA of an IND, which must become effective before clinical trials may begin;
• Approval by an independent institutional review board (“IRB”), reviewing each clinical site before each clinical trial may be initiated;
• Performance of adequate and well-controlled clinical trials in accordance with the FDA’s IND regulations, good clinical practice (“GCP”) requirements, and any additional requirements for the protection of human research subjects and their health information, to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed biologic product candidate for its intended use;
• Preparation and submission to the FDA of a BLA for marketing approval that includes substantial evidence of safety, purity and potency from results of nonclinical testing and clinical trials;
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• A determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of a BLA to file the application;
• Satisfactory completion of FDA pre-approval inspections of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the biologic product candidate is produced to assess compliance with cGMPs and to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the biologic product candidate’s identity, safety, strength, quality, potency and purity;
• Satisfactory completion of any potential FDA audits of the nonclinical and clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the BLA to assure compliance with GCPs and integrity of the clinical data;
• Payment of user fees for FDA review of the BLA;
• Review of the product by an FDA advisory committee, if applicable;
• FDA review and approval of the BLA.
Preclinical studies
Before testing any biologic product candidate in humans, the product candidate must undergo rigorous preclinical testing. Preclinical tests, also referred to as nonclinical studies, include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, toxicity and formulation, as well as in vivo animal studies to assess the potential safety and activity of the product candidate and to establish a rationale for therapeutic use. 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, among other things, to the FDA as part of an IND. An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational product to humans and must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. Some preclinical testing may continue even after the IND is submitted. An IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises concerns or questions related to a proposed clinical trial and places the trial on clinical hold, including concerns that human research subjects will be exposed to unreasonable health risks. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. Accordingly, submission of an IND may or may not result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to commence.
Clinical trials under an IND
Clinical trials involve the administration of the biologic product candidate to healthy volunteers or patients under the supervision of qualified investigators, who are generally physicians not employed by, or under, the control of the trial sponsor. Clinical trials must be conducted: (i) in compliance with federal regulations; (ii) in compliance with GCPs, an international standard meant to protect the rights and health of patients and to define the roles of clinical trial sponsors, administrators and monitors and (iii) under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the trial, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated in the trial. Further, each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an 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 items such 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, reviews and approves the study protocol, and must monitor the clinical trial until completed.
Clinical trials typically are conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
• Phase 1. The biologic product candidate initially is introduced into a small number of healthy human subjects and tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution or excretion. If possible, a Phase 1 clinical trial may also seek to gain an early understanding of the product candidate’s effectiveness. In the case of some product candidates for severe or life-threatening diseases, especially when the product candidate may be too inherently toxic to ethically administer to healthy volunteers, the initial human testing is often conducted in patients. Typically, during the development of oncology therapies, all subjects enrolled in Phase 1 clinical trials are disease-affected patients and, as a result, considerably more information on clinical activity may be collected during such trials than during Phase 1 clinical trials for non-oncology therapies.
• Phase 2. The biologic product candidate is evaluated in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product candidate a particular indication and to determine dosage tolerance, optimal dosage and dosing schedule. Multiple Phase 2 clinical trials may be conducted to obtain information prior to beginning larger and more expensive Phase 3 clinical trials.
• Phase 3. The biologic product candidate is administered to an expanded patient population at multiple sites to further evaluate dosage, to demonstrate efficacy and safety, generally at multiple geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk/benefit ratio of the investigational product and to provide an adequate basis for product approval and labeling.
These phases may overlap or be combined. For example, a Phase 1/2 clinical trial may contain both a dose-escalation stage and a dose-expansion stage, the latter of which may confirm tolerability at the recommended dose for expansion in future clinical trials (as in traditional Phase 1 clinical trials) and provide insight into the antitumor effects of the investigational therapy in selected subpopulation(s).
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In many cases, particularly for prevalent diseases, the FDA requires two adequate and well-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials to demonstrate the efficacy of a biologic. A single Phase 3 or Phase 2 trial may be sufficient in many other conditions, particularly for rare disease therapies, when in conjunction with confirmatory evidence. A single adequate and well-controlled trial may also be sufficient, though it is less common, when the trial is a large, multicenter trial demonstrating internal consistency and a statistically very persuasive finding of a clinically meaningful effect on mortality, irreversible morbidity or prevention of a disease with a potentially serious outcome and confirmation of the result in a second trial would be practically or ethically impossible. Approval on the basis of a single trial may be subject to the requirement of additional post-approval studies.
Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and other types of clinical trials may not be completed successfully within any specified period, if at all. The FDA, the IRB, or the sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including non-compliance with regulatory requirements or a finding that the patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the drug or biologic has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients. Additionally, some clinical trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee. This group provides authorization for whether a trial may move forward at designated checkpoints based on access to certain data from the trial.
Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually must complete some long-term preclinical testing, such as animal tests of reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity, and must also develop additional information about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the drug or biologic and finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product and, among other things, the manufacturer must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality, potency and purity of the final product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the product does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and completed clinical trial results to public registries. Sponsors of clinical trials of FDA-regulated products, including biologics, are required to register and disclose certain clinical trial information, which is publicly available at www.clinicaltrials.gov. Information related to the product, patient population, phase of investigation, study sites and investigators, and other aspects of the clinical trial is then made public as part of the registration. Sponsors are also obligated to discuss the results of their clinical trials after completion. Disclosure of the results of these trials can be delayed in certain circumstances for up to two years after the date of completion of the trial. Competitors may use this publicly available information to gain knowledge regarding the progress of development programs.
In addition, the manufacturer of an investigational biologic in a Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical trial for a serious or life-threatening disease is required to make available, such as by posting on its website, its policy on evaluating and responding to requests for expanded access to such investigational drug or biologic.
U.S. review and approval processes
FDA approval of a BLA must be obtained before commercial marketing of the biologic product. The results of the preclinical tests and clinical trials, together with detailed information relating to the product’s pharmacology, chemistry, manufacturing controls (“CMC”), and proposed labeling, among other things, are submitted to the FDA as part of the BLA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications.
The cost of preparing and submitting a BLA is substantial. Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (“PDUFA”), each BLA must be accompanied by a significant user fee. The FDA adjusts the PDUFA user fees on an annual basis. Fee waivers or reductions are available in certain circumstances, including a waiver of the application fee for the first application filed by a small business. Additionally, no user fees are assessed on BLAs for products designated as orphan drugs, unless the product also includes a non-orphan indication. The applicant under an approved BLA is also subject to an annual program fee.
The FDA reviews a BLA within 60 days of receipt to determine whether the application will be filed based on the FDA's determination that it is sufficiently complete to permit substantive review. The FDA may refuse to file any BLA that it deems incomplete or not properly reviewable at the time of submission and may request additional information. In that event, the BLA must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application also is subject to review before the FDA files it. Once the submission is filed by the FDA, the FDA begins an in-depth, substantive review of the BLA.
The FDA reviews the BLA to determine, among other things, whether the proposed product candidate is safe and effective for its intended use, has an acceptable purity profile and whether the product candidate is being manufactured in accordance with cGMPs to assure and preserve the product candidate’s identity, safety, strength, quality, potency and purity. The FDA may refer applications for novel biologic products or biologic products that present difficult questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee, typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts, for review, evaluation and a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions on approval. During the product approval process, the FDA also will determine whether a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (“REMS”), is necessary to assure the safe use of the product candidate. REMS involve additional risk minimization strategies to ensure that the benefits of the product outweigh the potential risks. A REMS can include medication guides, communication plans for healthcare professionals, and elements to assure safe use (“ETASU”). ETASU can include, but are not limited to, special training or certification for prescribing or dispensing the product,
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dispensing the product only under certain circumstances, special monitoring, and the use of patient-specific registries. If the FDA concludes a REMS is needed, the sponsor of the BLA must submit a proposed REMS; the FDA will not approve the BLA without a REMS, if required.
Before approving a BLA, the FDA will inspect the facilities at which the product candidate 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 candidate within required specifications. Additionally, before approving a BLA, the FDA typically will inspect one or more clinical sites to assure that the clinical trials were conducted in compliance with IND trial requirements and GCP requirements.
On the basis of the BLA and accompanying information, including the results of the inspection of the manufacturing facilities, the FDA may issue an approval letter or a complete response letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the biologic product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A complete response letter indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete, and the application will not be approved in its present form. A complete response letter generally outlines the deficiencies in the submission and may require substantial additional testing or information in order for the FDA to reconsider the application. If a complete response letter is issued, the applicant may either resubmit the BLA, addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter, or withdraw the application or request an opportunity for a hearing. The FDA has committed to reviewing such resubmissions in two or six months, depending on the type of information included. Even if such data and information are submitted, the FDA may decide that the BLA does not satisfy the criteria for approval.
The FDA has agreed to specified performance goals in the review of BLAs under PDUFA. One such goal is to review standard BLAs within 10 months after the FDA files the BLA, and priority BLAs within six months, whereupon a review decision is to be made. The review process and the PDUFA goal date for both standard and priority review BLAs may be extended by three months if the FDA deems information submitted by the applicant to be a major amendment to the BLA.
If a product candidate receives regulatory approval, the FDA may require post-marketing clinical trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, designed to further assess a biologic product’s safety and effectiveness, and testing and surveillance programs to monitor the safety of approved products that have been commercialized.
Compliance with cGMP requirements
Manufacturers of biologics must comply with applicable cGMP regulations, including quality control and quality assurance and maintenance of records and documentation. Manufacturers and others involved in the manufacture and distribution of such products also must register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies. Both domestic and foreign manufacturing establishments must register and provide additional information to the FDA upon their initial participation in the manufacturing process. Establishments may be subject to periodic, unannounced inspections by government authorities to ensure compliance with cGMP requirements and other laws. Discovery of problems may result in a government entity placing restrictions on a product, manufacturer or holder of an approved BLA, and may extend to requested product recalls or requiring withdrawal of the product from the market. The FDA will not approve a BLA 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 specification.
Expedited development and review programs
The FDA is authorized to designate certain products for expedited review if they are intended to address an unmet medical need in the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition.
Fast track designation may be granted for products that are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preclinical or clinical data demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the condition. Fast track designation applies to both the product and the specific indication for which it is being studied. The sponsor of a new biologic candidate can request the FDA to designate the candidate for a specific indication for fast track status concurrent with, or after, the submission of the IND for the candidate. The FDA must determine if the biologic candidate qualifies for fast track designation within 60 days of receipt of the sponsor’s request. For fast track products, sponsors may have greater interactions with the FDA and the FDA may initiate review of sections of a fast track product’s BLA before the application is complete. This “rolling review” is available if the FDA determines, after preliminary evaluation of clinical data submitted by the sponsor, that a fast track product may be effective. The sponsor must also provide, and the FDA must approve, a schedule for the submission of the remaining information and the sponsor must pay applicable user fees. Any product submitted to the FDA for marketing, including under a fast track program, may be eligible for other types of FDA programs intended to expedite development and review, such as priority review and accelerated approval.
Breakthrough therapy designation may be granted for products that are intended, alone or in combination with one or more other products, to treat a serious or life-threatening condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the product may demonstrate substantial improvement over currently approved therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints. Under the breakthrough therapy program, the sponsor of a new biologic candidate may request that the FDA designate the candidate for a specific indication as a breakthrough therapy concurrent with, or after, the submission of the IND for the biologic candidate. The FDA must determine if the biological product qualifies for breakthrough therapy designation within 60 days of receipt of the sponsor’s request. The FDA may take certain actions with respect to breakthrough therapies, including holding meetings with the sponsor throughout the development process, providing timely advice to the product sponsor regarding development and approval, involving more senior staff in the review process, assigning a cross-disciplinary project lead for the review team and taking other steps to design the clinical trials in an efficient manner.
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Priority review may be granted for products that are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening condition and, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety and effectiveness compared to available therapies. The FDA will attempt to direct additional resources to the evaluation of an application designated for priority review in an effort to facilitate the review.
Accelerated approval may be granted for products that are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening condition and that generally address an unmet medical need. A product eligible for accelerated approval may be approved on the basis of either a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. In clinical trials, a surrogate endpoint is a marker, such as a laboratory measurement, radiographic image, physical sign, or other measure that is thought to predict clinical benefit, but is not itself a measure of clinical benefit. The accelerated approval pathway is most often used in settings in which the course of a disease is long and an extended period of time is required to measure the intended clinical benefit of a product, even if the effect on the surrogate or intermediate clinical endpoint occurs rapidly. Thus, accelerated approval has been used extensively in the development and approval of products for treatment of a variety of cancers in which the goal of therapy is generally to improve survival or decrease morbidity and the duration of the typical disease course requires lengthy and sometimes large studies to demonstrate a clinical or survival benefit. The accelerated approval pathway is contingent on the verification and description of the product’s clinical benefit, which is generally in the form of at least one post-approval confirmatory trial. These confirmatory trials must be completed with due diligence and, in some cases, the FDA may require that the trial be designed, initiated and/or fully enrolled prior to submission of the application or approval. Failure to conduct required post-approval studies, or to confirm a clinical benefit during post-marketing studies, would allow the FDA to withdraw the product from the market on an expedited basis. All promotional materials for product candidates approved under accelerated regulations are subject to prior review by the FDA.
The FDA is authorized to require a post-approval study to be underway prior to approval or within a specified time period following approval. The FDA must also specify conditions of any required post-approval study, which may include milestones such as a target date of study completion. Sponsors must submit progress reports for required post-approval studies and any conditions required by the FDA not later than 180 days following approval and not less frequently than every 180 days thereafter until completion or termination of the study. The FDA can initiate an enforcement action for the failure to conduct with due diligence a required post-approval study, including a failure to meet any required conditions specified by the FDA or to submit timely reports.
Even if a product qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the product no longer meets the conditions for qualification or the time period for FDA review or approval may not be shortened. Furthermore, fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation, priority review and accelerated approval do not change the standards for approval but may expedite the development or approval process.
Post-approval requirements
Rigorous and extensive FDA regulation of biologic products continues after approval, particularly with respect to cGMP requirements. Manufacturers are required to comply with applicable requirements in the cGMP regulations, including quality control and quality assurance and maintenance of records and documentation, and are subject to periodic inspections by the FDA. In addition, changes to the manufacturing process or facility generally require prior FDA approval before being implemented and other types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications and additional labeling claims, are also subject to further FDA review and approval. Other post-approval requirements applicable to biologic products include reporting of cGMP deviations that may affect the identity, potency, purity and overall safety of a distributed product, record-keeping requirements, reporting of adverse effects, reporting updated safety and efficacy information and complying with electronic record and signature requirements. A sponsor also must comply with the FDA’s advertising and promotion requirements, such as those related to direct-to-consumer advertising, the prohibition on promoting products for uses or in patient populations that are not described in the product’s approved labeling (known as “off-label use”), industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities and promotional activities involving the internet. Discovery of previously unknown problems or the failure to comply with the applicable regulatory requirements may result in restrictions on the marketing of a product or withdrawal of the product from the market as well as possible civil or criminal sanctions.
Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval, may subject an applicant or manufacturer to administrative or judicial civil or criminal sanctions and adverse publicity. These actions could include refusal to approve pending applications or supplemental applications, withdrawal of an approval, clinical hold, suspension or termination of clinical trials by an IRB, warning or untitled letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines or other monetary penalties, refusals of government contracts, mandated corrective advertising or communications with healthcare providers, debarment, restitution, disgorgement of profits or other civil or criminal penalties.
Orphan drug designation
Orphan drug designation in the United States is designed to encourage sponsors to develop products intended for treatment of rare diseases or conditions. In the United States, pursuant to the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan designation to a drug or biological product intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is statutorily defined as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States or that affects more than 200,000 individuals in the United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available the biologic for the disease or condition will be recovered from sales of the product in the United States.
An application for designation as an orphan product can be made any time prior to the submission of an application for approval to market the product. The Office of Orphan Products Development at the FDA grants orphan drug designations based on acceptable confidential requests
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made under the regulatory provisions. The product must then go through the review and approval process like any other product. Orphan drug designation entitles a company to financial incentives, such as tax credits and user fee waivers, but does not convey any advantage in or shorten the duration of the regulatory review and approval process.
A sponsor may request orphan drug designation of a previously unapproved product or new orphan indication for an already marketed product. In addition, a sponsor of a product that is otherwise the same drug, which includes biologics, as an already approved orphan-designated drug may seek and obtain orphan drug designation for a subsequent product for the same rare disease or condition if it can present a plausible hypothesis that its product may be clinically superior to the first drug. More than one sponsor may receive orphan drug designation for the same product for the same rare disease or condition, but each sponsor seeking orphan drug designation must file a complete request for designation.
If a product with orphan designation receives the first FDA approval of the drug to treat the disease or condition for which it has such designation or for a select indication or use within the rare disease or condition for which it was designated, the product generally will receive orphan drug exclusivity. Orphan drug exclusivity means that the FDA may not approve another sponsor’s marketing application for the same drug for the same indication for seven years, except in certain limited circumstances, such as in instances of product supply issues. In the case of a biological product, the same drug is a drug that contains the same principal molecular features, except if it is clinically superior. A product is clinically superior if it is safer, more effective, or makes a major contribution to patient care. If a product designated as an orphan drug ultimately receives marketing approval for an indication broader than what was designated in its orphan drug application, it may not be entitled to orphan drug exclusivity.
The period of exclusivity begins on the date that the marketing application is approved by the FDA and applies only to the indication for which the product has been designated and approved. The FDA may approve a second application for the same drug for a different indication, a different drug for the same indication, or a second application for a clinically superior version of the same drug for the same indication. Because healthcare professionals are free to prescribe products for off-label uses, the competitor’s product could be used for the orphan indication despite another product’s orphan exclusivity. The FDA cannot, however, approve the same drug made by another manufacturer for the same indication during the market exclusivity period unless it has the consent of the sponsor, the new drug product has been demonstrated to be clinically superior, or the sponsor is unable to provide sufficient quantities.
The FDA’s determination of whether two ADCs are the same drug for purposes of orphan drug exclusivity is based on a determination of sameness of the monoclonal antibody element and the functional element of the conjugated molecule. Two ADCs are deemed to be the same product if the complementarity determining region sequences of the antibody and the functional element of the conjugated molecule are the same. A difference in either of those two elements can result in a determination that the molecules are different.
FDA approval and regulation of companion diagnostics
If use of an in vitro diagnostic is essential to the safe and effective use of a drug or biologic product, then the FDA generally will require approval or clearance of that diagnostic, known as a companion diagnostic, before or at the same time that the FDA approves the therapeutic product. In August 2014, the FDA issued final guidance clarifying the requirements that will apply to approval of therapeutic products and in vitro companion diagnostics. According to the guidance, if the FDA determines that a companion diagnostic device is essential to the safe and effective use of a biologic product or indication, the FDA generally will not approve the biologic product or new biologic product indication if the companion diagnostic device is not approved or cleared for that indication.
The FDA has also introduced the concept of a complementary diagnostic, which the FDA defines as a test that is not required but which provides significant information about the use of a drug. A complementary test can help guide treatment strategy and identify which patients are likely to derive the greatest benefit from therapy, and if approved by the FDA information regarding the in vitro diagnostic will be included in the therapeutic product labeling.
Approval or clearance of the companion or complementary diagnostic device will ensure that the device has been adequately evaluated and has adequate performance characteristics in the intended population. The review of in vitro companion or complementary diagnostics in conjunction with the review of our products will, therefore, likely involve coordination of review by the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and Office of In Vitro Diagnostics. We may partner with a diagnostic provider to develop a companion or complementary diagnostic for certain of our product candidates. Review and approval of a companion or complementary diagnostic is typically done in parallel with development of the therapeutic product. However, it is possible that the FDA may permit approval of the companion or complementary diagnostic as a post-marketing commitment following a potential regulatory approval.
Under the FDCA, in vitro diagnostics, including companion and complementary diagnostics, are regulated as medical devices. In the United States, the FDCA and its implementing regulations, and other federal and state statutes and regulations govern, among other things, medical device design and development, preclinical and clinical testing, premarket clearance or approval, registration and listing, manufacturing, labeling, storage, advertising and promotion, sales and distribution, export and import, and post-market surveillance. Unless an exemption applies, diagnostic tests require marketing clearance, authorization, or approval from the FDA prior to commercial distribution. The two primary types of FDA marketing authorization applicable to a medical device are premarket notification, also called 510(k) clearance, and premarket approval, or PMA. The FDA has generally required in vitro companion diagnostics intended to select the patients who will respond to cancer treatment to obtain a PMA for that diagnostic simultaneously with approval of the therapeutic.
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The PMA process, including the gathering of clinical and preclinical data and the submission to and review by the FDA, can take several years or longer. It involves a rigorous premarket review during which the applicant must prepare and provide the FDA with reasonable assurance of the device’s safety and effectiveness and information about the device and its components regarding, among other things, device design, manufacturing and labeling. PMA applications are subject to an application fee. In addition, PMAs for certain devices must generally include the results from extensive preclinical and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to establish the safety and effectiveness of the device for each indication for which FDA approval is sought. In particular, for a diagnostic, the applicant must demonstrate that the diagnostic has adequate sensitivity and specificity, has adequate specimen and reagent stability, and produces reproducible results when the same sample is tested multiple times by multiple users at multiple laboratories. As part of the PMA review, the FDA will typically inspect the manufacturer’s facilities for compliance with the Quality Management System Regulation (“QMSR”), which imposes elaborate testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance requirements.
PMA approval is not guaranteed, and the FDA may ultimately respond to a PMA submission with a not approvable determination based on deficiencies in the application and require additional clinical trial or other data that may be expensive and time-consuming to generate and that can substantially delay approval. If the FDA’s evaluation of the PMA application is favorable, the FDA typically issues an approvable letter requiring the applicant’s agreement to specific conditions, such as changes in labeling, or specific additional information, such as submission of final labeling, in order to secure final approval of the PMA. If the FDA’s evaluation of the PMA or manufacturing facilities is not favorable, the FDA will deny approval of the PMA or issue a not approvable letter. A not approvable letter will outline the deficiencies in the application and, where practical, will identify what is necessary to make the PMA approvable. The FDA may also determine that additional clinical trials are necessary, in which case the PMA approval may be delayed for several months or years while the trials are conducted and then the data submitted in an amendment to the PMA. If the FDA concludes that the applicable criteria have been met, the FDA will issue a PMA for the approved indications, which can be more limited than those originally sought by the applicant. The PMA can include post-approval conditions that the FDA believes necessary to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device, including, among other things, additional testing and/or restrictions on labeling, promotion, sale and distribution. Once granted, PMA approval may be withdrawn by the FDA if compliance with post approval requirements, conditions of approval or other regulatory standards are not maintained or problems are identified following initial marketing.
In 2024, FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (“CDRH”) announced that it intended to reclassify most high-risk in vitro diagnostic products from Class III to Class II medical devices and stated that it expected most future companion diagnostics would be regulated as Class II devices. Reclassification would allow companion diagnostic developers to seek marketing authorization through the FDA’s 510(k) or de novo classification pathways rather than the more costly and time-consuming PMA pathway. Since that time, CDRH has taken steps to begin the reclassification process for certain companion diagnostic products, such as in situ hybridization test systems and nucleic acid-based test systems intended for use with a corresponding approved oncology therapeutic product. However, these proposed reclassifications are not yet final and commercializing any such tests requires PMA approval until the reclassification is final.
The 510(k) and de novo submission processes are less burdensome than the PMA approval process. To obtain 510(k) clearance, a manufacturer must submit a premarket notification demonstrating that the proposed device is substantially equivalent to a legally marketed device, referred to as the predicate device. To be substantially equivalent, the proposed device must have the same intended use as the predicate device, and either have the same technological characteristics as the predicate device or have different technological characteristics and be shown to be equally safe and effective and not raise different questions of safety and effectiveness than the predicate device. The de novo classification process is used when there is no predicate device. In a de novo submission, the sponsor must demonstrate that the proposed device is of low or moderate risk and the benefits outweigh the risks. The type of data included in a de novo request is similar to the type of data included in a 510(k), although a larger proportion of de novo submissions require clinical data as compared to 510(k)s. The review time for a de novo request is longer as compared to the 510(k) process, and the outcome for de novo requests is more uncertain.
After a device is placed on the market, it remains subject to significant regulatory requirements. Medical devices may be marketed only for the uses and indications for which they are cleared, authorized, or approved. A modification that could significantly affect a device’s safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change in its intended use, requires a new 510(k) clearance, de novo authorization, or could require a PMA approval. Device manufacturers must also register their establishments and list their devices with the FDA. A medical device manufacturer’s manufacturing processes, and the processes of the device specification developer and repackager/relabeler (if different from the manufacturer) and initial importer (if manufactured outside of the United States) are required to comply with the applicable portions of the QMSR, which cover the methods and documentation of the design, testing, production, processes, controls, quality assurance, importation, labeling, packaging and shipping of medical devices. Facility records and manufacturing processes are subject to periodic unscheduled inspections by the FDA.
Pediatric information
Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act (“PREA”), a BLA or supplement to a BLA must contain data to assess the safety and effectiveness of the biologic product candidate for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product candidate is safe and effective. The FDA may grant deferrals for submission of data or full or partial waivers. Unless otherwise required by regulation, the PREA generally does not apply to any biologic product candidate for an indication for which orphan designation has been granted with the exception of orphan-designated biologics if the product contains a new active ingredient and is a molecularly targeted cancer product intended for the treatment of an adult cancer and is directed at a molecular target that FDA has determined is substantially relevant to the growth or progression of a pediatric cancer.
The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (“BPCA”) provides a six-month extension of any non-patent exclusivity for a biologic if certain conditions are met. Conditions for exclusivity include the FDA’s determination that information relating to the use of a new biologic in the
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pediatric population may produce health benefits in that population, the FDA making a written request for pediatric studies, and the applicant agreeing to perform, and reporting on, the requested studies that fairly respond to the written request within the statutory timeframe. Applications under the BPCA are treated as priority applications, with all of the benefits that designation confers.
Additional controls for biologics
To help reduce the increased risk of the introduction of adventitious agents, the PHSA emphasizes the importance of manufacturing controls for products whose attributes cannot be precisely defined. The PHSA also provides authority to the FDA to immediately suspend biologics licenses in situations where there exists a danger to public health, to prepare or procure products in the event of shortages and critical public health needs, and to authorize the creation and enforcement of regulations to prevent the introduction or spread of communicable diseases within the United States.
After a BLA is approved, the product may also be subject to official lot release as a condition of approval. As part of the manufacturing process, the manufacturer is required to perform certain tests on each lot of the product before it is released for distribution. If the product is subject to official release by the FDA, the manufacturer submits samples of each lot of the product to the FDA together with a release protocol showing a summary of the lot manufacturing history and the results of all of the manufacturer’s tests performed on the lot. The FDA may also perform certain confirmatory tests on lots of some products, such as viral vaccines, before allowing the manufacturer to release the lots for distribution. In addition, the FDA conducts laboratory research related to the regulatory standards on the safety, purity, potency, and effectiveness of biological products. As with drugs, after approval of a BLA, biologics manufacturers must address any safety issues that arise, are subject to recalls or a halt in manufacturing, and are subject to periodic inspection after approval.
Biosimilars and exclusivity
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”), includes a subtitle called the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (“BPCIA”), which created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA-licensed reference biological product. The FDA has licensed many biosimilars under the BPCIA, and has issued several guidance documents outlining an approach to review and approval of biosimilars.
Biosimilarity, which requires that there be no differences in route of administration, dosage form, and strength, and no clinically meaningful differences between the proposed biosimilar biological product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity and potency, can be shown through analytical studies, an assessment of toxicity, and a clinical trial or studies though the FDA has broad discretion to set or waive certain biosimilar licensure data requirements. Interchangeability requires that a product is biosimilar to the reference product and the product must demonstrate that it can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product in any given patient and, for products that are administered multiple times to an individual, the biologic and the reference biologic may be alternated or switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic. However, complexities associated with the larger, and often more complex, structures of biological products, as well as the processes by which such products are manufactured, pose some hurdles to biosimilar product implementation which is still being evaluated by the FDA.
Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product referencing an exclusivity-protected biological product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date that the reference product was first licensed by the FDA. In addition, the approval of a biosimilar product referencing an exclusivity-protected biological product may not be made effective by the FDA until 12 years from the date on which the reference product was first licensed. During this 12-year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full BLA for the competing product containing the applicant’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of its product. The BPCIA also created an exclusivity period for biosimilars approved as interchangeable products. At this juncture, it is unclear whether products deemed “interchangeable” by the FDA will, in fact, be readily substituted by pharmacies, which are governed by state pharmacy law.
The first biologic product submitted under the biosimilar abbreviated approval pathway that is determined to be interchangeable with the reference product has exclusivity against approval of an interchangeable biologic for the same condition of use for the earlier of (i) one year after first commercial marketing of the first interchangeable biosimilar, (ii) 18 months after the first interchangeable biosimilar is approved if there is no patent challenge, (iii) 18 months after resolution of a lawsuit over the patents of the reference biologic in favor of the first interchangeable biosimilar applicant, or (iv) 42 months after the first interchangeable biosimilar’s application has been approved if a patent lawsuit is ongoing within the 42-month period.
Patent term restoration and extension
In the United States, a patent claiming a new biologic product, its method of use or its method of manufacture may be eligible for a limited patent term extension under the Hatch-Waxman Act, which permits a patent extension of up to five years for patent term lost during product development and FDA regulatory review. Assuming grant of the patent for which the extension is sought, the restoration period for a patent covering a product is typically one-half the time between the effective date of the IND involving human beings and the submission date of the BLA, plus the time between the submission date of the BLA and the ultimate approval date. Patent term restoration cannot be used to extend the remaining term of a patent past a total of 14 years from the product’s approval date in the United States. Only one patent applicable to an approved product is eligible for the extension, and the application for the extension must be submitted prior to the expiration of the patent for
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which extension is sought. A patent that covers multiple products for which approval is sought can only be extended in connection with one of the approvals. The USPTO reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension in consultation with the FDA.
Regulation and procedures governing approval of medicinal products in the European Union
In order to market any product outside of the United States, a company must also comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries and jurisdictions regarding quality, safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials, marketing authorization, commercial sales, post-market surveillance and distribution of products. Whether or not it obtains FDA approval for a product, an applicant will need to obtain the necessary approvals by the comparable foreign regulatory authorities before it can commence clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries or jurisdictions. Specifically, the process governing approval of medicinal products in the European Union generally follows the same lines as in the United States. It entails satisfactory completion of preclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the product for each proposed indication. Except in limited cases of compassionate use, it also requires the submission to the relevant competent authorities of a marketing authorization application, or MAA, and granting of a marketing authorization by these authorities before the product can be marketed and sold in the European Union.
Clinical trial approval
Pursuant to the currently applicable Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC and the Directive 2005/28/EC on GCP, a system for the approval of clinical trials (excluding non-interventional trials) conducted in the European Union has been implemented through national legislation of the member states. Under this system, the sponsor of a clinical trial must submit a request for authorization to the competent national authority each European Union member state in which the clinical trial is to be conducted. Furthermore, the applicant must obtain a favorable opinion from the competent ethics committee before starting a clinical trial. The clinical trial application must be accompanied by an investigational medicinal product dossier with supporting information prescribed by Directive 2001/20/EC and Directive 2005/28/EC and corresponding national laws of the member states and further detailed in applicable guidance documents.
In April 2014, the European Union adopted a new Clinical Trials Regulation (EU) No 536/2014, but it has not yet become effective. Its application is subject to the full functionality of the European Union clinical trials portal and database. According to the most recent official communications, the audit aiming to confirm the full functionality of the portal and database will be conducted in December 2020. The new Clinical Trials Regulation will overhaul the current system of approvals for clinical trials in the European Union. Specifically, the new legislation, which will be directly applicable in all member states, aims at simplifying and streamlining the approval of clinical trials in the European Union. For instance, the new Clinical Trials Regulation provides for a streamlined application procedure via a single-entry point and shorter deadlines for the assessment of clinical trial applications. The scientific assessment of a clinical trial to be conducted in more than one member state would be carried out once for all the concerned member states while other aspects (e.g., informed consent requirements) are assessed by each member state for its territory. In addition, sponsors must post clinical trial information (e.g., a summary of trial results) at the EudraCT website.
PRIME designation in the European Union
In March 2016, the European Medicines Agency (the “EMA”) launched an initiative to facilitate development of product candidates of major interest from the point of view of public health and in particular from the point of view of therapeutic innovation. The PRIority MEdicines, (“PRIME”), scheme is intended to encourage drug development in areas of unmet medical need and provides accelerated assessment of products representing substantial innovation reviewed under the centralized procedure. Eligibility for the PRIME scheme depends on the availability of adequate preclinical and clinical data to justify a potential major public health interest prior to the initiation of confirmatory clinical trials at the proof-of-concept stage. Products from micro, small and medium-sized enterprises may qualify for earlier entry into the PRIME scheme than larger companies and benefit from fee reductions with the EMA. Many benefits accrue to sponsors of product candidates with PRIME designation, including early and proactive regulatory dialogue with the EMA, frequent discussions on clinical trial designs and other development program elements, scientific advice on key decision points for the preparation of the MAA and accelerated MAA assessment once a dossier has been submitted. More specifically, a kick-off meeting initiates these relationships and includes a team of multidisciplinary experts at the EMA to provide guidance on the overall development and regulatory strategies. Importantly, a dedicated EMA contact (rapporteur) from the Committee for Human Medicinal Products (“CHMP”), or Committee for Advanced Therapies in the case of an advanced therapy, are appointed early in the PRIME scheme to provide continuous support and help to build knowledge ahead of a MAA.
Marketing authorization
To obtain a marketing authorization for a product under the European Union regulatory system, an applicant must submit an MAA, either under a centralized procedure administered by the EMA or one of the procedures administered by competent authorities in European Union member states (decentralized procedure, national procedure, or mutual recognition procedure). A marketing authorization may be granted only to an applicant established in the European Union. In order to support the authorization of medicinal products for children, Regulation (EC) No 1901/2006 provides that prior to obtaining a marketing authorization in the European Union, an applicant must demonstrate compliance with all measures included in an EMA-approved Pediatric Investigation Plan (“PIP”), covering all subsets of the pediatric population, unless the EMA has granted a product-specific waiver, class waiver or a deferral for one or more of the measures included in the PIP. The requirement for a PIP also applies to applications for new indications, pharmaceutical forms or routes of administration for medicinal products that are already authorized.
The centralized procedure provides for the grant of a single marketing authorization by the European Commission that is valid for all European Union member states. Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No. 726/2004, the centralized procedure is compulsory for specific products, including for medicines produced by certain biotechnological processes, products designated as orphan medicinal products, advanced therapy
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products and products with a new active substance indicated for the treatment of certain diseases, including products for the treatment of cancer. For products with a new active substance indicated for the treatment of other diseases and products that are highly innovative or for which a centralized process is in the interest of patients, the centralized procedure is optional. Manufacturers must demonstrate the quality, safety and efficacy of their products to the EMA, which provides an opinion regarding the MAA through the CHMP responsible for conducting an initial assessment of the product.
The maximum timeframe for the evaluation of an MAA by the CHMP is 210 days, excluding clock stops when additional information or written or oral explanation is to be provided by the applicant in response to questions of the CHMP. Accelerated evaluation may be granted by the CHMP in exceptional cases, when a medicinal product is of major interest from the point of view of public health and, in particular, from the viewpoint of therapeutic innovation. If the CHMP accepts such a request, the time limit of 210 days will be reduced to 150 days, but it is possible that the CHMP may revert to the standard time limit for the centralized procedure if it determines that it is no longer appropriate to conduct an accelerated assessment. The final decision on the MAA is issued by the European Commission, in light of the opinion delivered by the EMA, and after the member states have had an opportunity to comment on it.
With respect to medicinal products for which a centralized authorization is not mandatory, the applicant may choose between: (i) the national procedure provided for by a specific member state, for the marketing of the product in its territory, (ii) the decentralized procedure, for drug candidates that are not marketed in any of the member states but the applicant wishes to market them on more than one EU national territories or (iii) the mutual recognition procedure, which applies to products already authorized in a member state and whose marketing in other member states’ territories is sought.
Regulatory data protection in the European Union
In the European Union, new chemical entities approved on the basis of a complete independent data package qualify for eight years of data exclusivity upon marketing authorization and an additional two years of market exclusivity pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 726/2004, as amended, and Directive 2001/83/EC, as amended.
These exclusivity periods apply only once from the first authorization granted to an applicant for a given active substance and they cannot be renewed when the same marketing authorization holder is granted new authorizations for new indications, strengths, pharmaceutical forms, administration routes or presentations of the same active substance. Data exclusivity prevents regulatory authorities in the European Union from referencing the innovator’s data to assess another product (either generic, hybrid or biosimilar) application for a period of eight years. During the additional two-year period of market exclusivity, a generic, hybrid or biosimilar marketing authorization application can be submitted, and the innovator’s data may be referenced, but no generic, hybrid or biosimilar medicinal product can be marketed until the expiration of the market exclusivity. The overall 10-year period will be extended to a maximum of 11 years if, during the first eight years of those 10 years, the marketing authorization holder obtains an authorization for one or more new therapeutic indications which, during the scientific evaluation prior to authorization, is held to bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with existing therapies. Even if a compound is considered to be a new chemical entity so that the innovator gains the prescribed period of data exclusivity, another company may market another version of the product if such company obtained marketing authorization based on an MAA with a complete independent data package of pharmaceutical tests, preclinical tests and clinical trials.
Patent term extensions in the European Union and other jurisdictions
The European Union also provides for patent term extension through Supplementary Protection Certificates (“SPCs”). The rules and requirements for obtaining a SPC are similar to those in the United States. An SPC may extend the term of a patent for up to five years after its originally scheduled expiration date. In certain circumstances, these periods may be extended for six additional months if pediatric exclusivity is obtained. Although SPCs are available throughout the European Union, sponsors must apply on a country-by-country basis. Similar patent term extension rights exist in certain other foreign jurisdictions outside the European Union.
Periods of authorization and renewals
A marketing authorization is valid for five years, in principle, and it may be renewed after five years on the basis of a reevaluation of the risk-benefit balance by the EMA or by the competent authority of the authorizing member state, depending on the procedure through which the marketing authorization has been granted. To that end, the marketing authorization holder must provide the EMA or the competent authority with a consolidated version of the file in respect of quality, safety and efficacy, including all variations introduced since the marketing authorization was granted, at least nine months before the marketing authorization ceases to be valid. Once renewed, the marketing authorization is valid for an unlimited period, unless the European Commission or the competent authority decides, on justified grounds relating to pharmacovigilance, to proceed with one additional five-year renewal period. Any authorization that is not followed by the placement of the drug on the European Union market (in the case of the centralized procedure) or on the market of the authorizing member state within three years after authorization is granted ceases to be valid.
Regulatory requirements after marketing authorization
Following approval, the holder of the marketing authorization is required to comply with a range of requirements applicable to the manufacturing, marketing, promotion and sale of the medicinal product. These include compliance with the European Union’s stringent pharmacovigilance or safety reporting rules, pursuant to which post-authorization studies and additional monitoring obligations can be imposed. In addition, the manufacturing of authorized products, for which a separate manufacturer’s license is mandatory, must also be conducted in strict
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compliance with the EMA’s good manufacturing practices (“GMP”) requirements and comparable requirements of other regulatory bodies in the European Union, which mandate the methods, facilities and controls used in the manufacturing, processing and packing of drugs to assure their safety and identity. Finally, the marketing and promotion of authorized products, including industry-sponsored continuing medical education and advertising directed toward the prescribers of drugs and/or the general public, are strictly regulated in the European Union under Directive 2001/83EC, as amended.
Orphan drug designation and exclusivity
Regulation (EC) No 141/2000 and Regulation (EC) No. 847/2000 provide that a product can be designated as an orphan drug by the European Commission if its sponsor can establish: that the product is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of (i) a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting not more than five in ten thousand persons in the European Union when the application is made, or (ii) a life-threatening, seriously debilitating or serious and chronic condition in the European Union and that without incentives it is unlikely that the marketing of the drug in the European Union would generate sufficient return to justify the necessary investment. For either of these conditions, the applicant must demonstrate that there exists no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of the condition in question that has been authorized in the European Union or, if such method exists, the drug for which the orphan designation is requested will be of significant benefit to those affected by that condition.
An orphan drug designation provides several benefits, including fee reductions, regulatory and scientific assistance and the possibility to apply for a centralized European Union marketing authorization. In particular, an orphan drug designation leads to a 10-year period of market exclusivity from the granting of the concerned medicinal product marketing authorization for the particular indication. During this market exclusivity period, neither the EMA nor the member states can accept an application or grant a marketing authorization for a “similar medicinal product.” A “similar medicinal product” is defined as a medicinal product containing a similar or identical active substance, or substances as contained in an authorized orphan medicinal product, and which is intended for the same therapeutic indication. The market exclusivity period for the authorized therapeutic indication may, however, be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is established that the product no longer meets the criteria for orphan drug designation because, for example, the product is sufficiently profitable so as to not justify market exclusivity.
General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”)
The collection, use, disclosure, transfer or other processing of personal data regarding individuals in the European Union, including personal health data, is subject to the Regulation (EU) No. 2016/679, the GDPR, which became effective on May 25, 2018. The GDPR is wide-ranging in scope and imposes numerous requirements on companies that process personal data, including requirements relating to processing health and other sensitive data, obtaining consent of the individuals to whom the personal data relates, providing information to individuals regarding data processing activities, implementing safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of personal data, providing notification of data breaches and taking certain measures when engaging third-party processors. The GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data to countries outside the European Union, including the United States, and permits data protection authorities to impose large penalties for violations of the GDPR, including potential fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is greater. The GDPR also confers a private right of action on data subjects and consumer associations to lodge complaints with supervisory authorities, seek judicial remedies and obtain compensation for damages resulting from violations of the GDPR. Compliance with the GDPR will be a rigorous and time-intensive process that may increase the cost of doing business or require companies to change their business practices to ensure full compliance.
Coverage and reimbursement
Sales of our product candidates, if approved, will depend, in part, on the extent to which such products will be covered by third-party payors, such as government healthcare programs, commercial insurance and managed healthcare organizations. These third-party payors are increasingly limiting coverage or reducing reimbursements for medical products and services. In the United States, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for products exists among third-party payors. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for products can differ significantly from payor to payor. In addition, the U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments have continued implementing cost-containment programs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products. Adoption of price controls and cost-containment measures, and adoption of more restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could further limit our net revenue and results. Decreases in third-party reimbursement for our product candidates or a decision by a third-party payor to not cover our product candidates could reduce physician usage of our product candidates, once approved, and have a material adverse effect on our sales, results of operations and financial condition.
Other U.S. healthcare laws and compliance requirements
In the United States, biotechnology company activities are potentially subject to regulation by various federal, state and local authorities in addition to the FDA, including but not limited to, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), other divisions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) (e.g., the Office of Inspector General and the Office for Civil Rights), the U.S. Department of Justice (the “DOJ”), and individual U.S. Attorney offices within the DOJ, and state and local governments. The laws biotechnology companies may have to comply with include the anti-fraud and abuse provisions of the Social Security Act, the federal false claims laws, the privacy and security provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), and similar state laws, each as amended, as applicable.
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The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, any person or entity, from knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving any remuneration, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering, recommending or arranging for the purchase, lease or order of any item or service reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs. The term remuneration has been interpreted broadly to include anything of value. The Anti-Kickback Statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on one hand and prescribers, purchasers, and/or formulary managers on the other. There are several statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common activities from prosecution. The exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly, and practices that involve remuneration that may be alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchasing or recommending may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exception or safe harbor. Failure to meet all of the requirements of a particular applicable statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor does not make the conduct per se illegal under the Anti-Kickback Statute. Instead, the legality of the arrangement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on a cumulative review of all of its facts and circumstances. Practices may not in all cases meet all the criteria for protection under a statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor. In addition, the statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors are subject to change. Additionally, the intent standard under the Anti-Kickback Statute was amended by the ACA, to a stricter standard such that a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. In addition, the ACA codified case law that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal False Claims Act.
Federal false claims laws, including the federal civil False Claims Act, prohibit, among other things, any person or entity from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment to, or approval by, the federal government or knowingly making, using, or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. As a result of a modification made by the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, a claim includes “any request or demand” for money or property presented to the U.S. government. In addition, manufacturers can be held liable under the civil False Claims Act even when they do not submit claims directly to government payors if they are deemed to “cause” the submission of false or fraudulent claims. Pharmaceutical and other biotechnology companies have been prosecuted under these laws for, among other things, allegedly providing free product to customers with the expectation that the customers would bill federal programs for the product. Other companies have been prosecuted for causing false claims to be submitted because of the companies’ marketing of the product for unapproved, and thus generally non-reimbursable, uses and purportedly concealing price concessions in the pricing information submitted to the government for government price reporting purposes.
HIPAA created additional federal criminal statutes that prohibit knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud or to obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises, any money or property owned by, or under the control or custody of, any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up by trick, scheme or device, a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the conditions of the Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation.
Also, many states have similar fraud and abuse statutes or regulations that apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs, or, in several states, apply regardless of the payor.
Additionally, the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act within the ACA, and its implementing regulations, require that certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biological and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) report annually to CMS information related to certain payments or other transfers of value made or distributed to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), physician assistants, certain types of advance practice nurses and teaching hospitals, or to entities or individuals at the request of, or designated on behalf of such providers, and to report annually certain ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members.
Violation of any of the federal and state healthcare laws described above or any other governmental regulations may result in penalties, including without limitation, significant civil, criminal and/or administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, exclusion from participation in government programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, imprisonment, injunctions, private “qui tam” actions brought by individual whistleblowers in the name of the government, refusal to enter into government contracts, oversight monitoring, contractual damages, reputational harm, administrative burdens, diminished profits and future earnings.
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Federal and state data privacy and security laws
Under HIPAA, HHS has issued regulations to protect the privacy and security of protected health information used or disclosed by covered entities including certain healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare clearinghouses. HIPAA also regulates standardization of data content, codes and formats used in healthcare transactions and standardization of identifiers for health plans and providers. HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (“HITECH”), and their regulations, including the final omnibus rule published on January 25, 2013, also imposes certain obligations on the business associates of covered entities that obtain protected health information in providing services to or on behalf of covered entities. In addition to federal privacy regulations, there are many state laws governing confidentiality and security of health information that are applicable to our business. In addition to possible federal administrative, civil and criminal penalties for HIPAA violations, state attorneys general are authorized to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce HIPAA and seek attorney’s fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions. Accordingly, state attorneys general have brought civil actions seeking injunctions and damages resulting from alleged violations of HIPAA’s privacy and security rules. New laws and regulations governing privacy and security may be adopted in the future as well.
Additionally, state laws govern the privacy and security of health information in specified circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), creates new individual privacy rights for consumers (as that word is broadly defined in the law) and places increased privacy and security obligations on entities handling personal data of consumers or households. The CCPA went into effect on January 1, 2020 and requires covered companies to provide new disclosures to California consumers, provide such consumers new ways to opt-out of certain sales of personal information, and allow for a new cause of action for data breaches. On November 3, 2020, California voters approved a new privacy law, the California Privacy Rights Act (the “CPRA”), which imposes additional obligations on covered companies and significantly modifies the CCPA, including by expanding consumers’ rights with respect to certain personal information and creating a new state agency to oversee implementation and enforcement efforts. The CCPA and CPRA provide for unlimited civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. The CPRA took effect in most material respects on January 1, 2023. CCPA enforcement thus far has been limited; it has not been subject to significant litigation and judicial interpretation. As a result, it remains unclear how various provisions of the CCPA will be interpreted and enforced. State laws are changing rapidly and there is discussion in the U.S. of a new comprehensive federal data privacy law to which we would become subject if it is enacted. In addition, Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act, which took effect on January 1, 2023, requires businesses subject to the legislation to conduct data protection assessments in certain circumstances and requires opt-in consent from consumers to acquire and process their sensitive personal information, which includes information revealing a consumer’s physical and mental health diagnosis and genetic and biometric information that can identify a consumer. Colorado enacted the Colorado Privacy Act, and Connecticut enacted the Connecticut Data Privacy Act, each of which took effect on July 1, 2023, and Utah enacted the Consumer Privacy Act, which became effective on December 31, 2023, and each of these laws may increase the complexity, variation in requirements, restrictions, and potential legal risks, and could require increased compliance costs and changes in business practices and policies. Other states have also enacted, proposed, or are considering proposing, data privacy laws.
Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors available under such laws, it is possible that some of our current or future business activities, including certain clinical research, sales and marketing practices and the provision of certain items and services to our customers, could be subject to challenge under one or more of such privacy and data security laws. The heightening compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and secure systems to comply with different privacy compliance and reporting requirements in multiple jurisdictions could increase the possibility that a healthcare company may fail to comply fully with one or more of these requirements. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the privacy or data security laws or regulations described above that are applicable to us, or any other laws that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including potentially significant criminal, civil and administrative penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a consent decree or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. To the extent that any product candidates we may develop, once approved, are sold in a foreign country, we may be subject to similar foreign laws.
Healthcare reform
Healthcare reforms that have been adopted, and that may be adopted in the future, could result in further reductions in coverage and levels of reimbursement for pharmaceutical products, increases in rebates payable under U.S. government rebate programs and additional downward pressure on pharmaceutical product prices. Several healthcare reform proposals culminated in the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IRA”) in August 2022, which, among other things, requires HHS to directly negotiate the selling price of a statutorily specified number of drugs and biologics each year that CMS reimburses under Medicare Part B and Part D. The negotiated price may not exceed a statutory ceiling price. Only high-expenditure single-source biologics that have been approved for at least 11 years (7 years for single-source drugs) are eligible to be selected by CMS for negotiation, with the negotiated price taking effect two years after the selection year. For 2026, the first year in which negotiated prices become effective, CMS selected 10 high-cost Medicare Part D products in 2023, negotiations took place in 2024, and the negotiated maximum fair price for each product has been announced. In addition, CMS has selected and announced the negotiated maximum fair price for 15 additional Medicare Part D drugs, which will become effective in 2027. For 2028, CMS has selected an additional 15 drugs, comprised of drugs covered under Medicare Part D and, for the first time, drugs payable under Medicare Part B. For 2029 and subsequent years, 20 Part B or Part D drugs will be selected. Currently, a drug or biological product that has an orphan drug designation for only one rare disease or condition will be excluded from the IRA’s price negotiation requirements, but will lose that exclusion if it receives designations for more than one rare disease or condition, or if it is approved for an indication that is not within that single designated rare disease or condition, unless such additional designation or such disqualifying approvals are withdrawn by the time CMS evaluates the drug for selection for negotiation. However, as a result of a statutory amendment enacted in July 2025, beginning with the 2028 negotiated price applicability year, a drug may be designated
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for more than one rare disease or condition and still be excluded from price negotiation, as long as the only approved indications are for such rare diseases or conditions. The IRA also imposes rebates on Medicare Part B and Part D drugs whose prices have increased at a rate greater than the rate of inflation, and in November 2024, CMS finalized regulations for the Medicare Part B and Part D inflation rebates. The IRA permits the Secretary of HHS to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years. Manufacturers that fail to comply with the IRA may be subject to various penalties, including significant civil monetary penalties. These provisions have been and may continue to be subject to legal challenges. For example, the provisions related to the negotiation of selling prices of high-expenditure single-source drugs and biologics have been challenged in several lawsuits brought by pharmaceutical manufacturers. Thus, while it is unclear how the IRA will be implemented, it will likely have a significant impact on the biopharmaceutical industry and the pricing of prescription drug products. Additional state and federal healthcare reform measures could be adopted in the future.
The federal administration is pursuing executive and regulatory actions directing HHS to pursue most favored nation (“MFN”) pricing targets for prescription drugs and to evaluate other potential reforms including, for example, an executive order tasking the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (“CMMI”) to consider new payment and healthcare models to limit drug spending, and promote MFN drug pricing, among other directives. For example, on December 23, 2025, CMS issued proposed regulations to establish, under CMMI, two mandatory MFN demonstration models under Medicare Parts B and D, respectively. If these rules or other MFN pricing rules are finalized, they are likely to reduce prices of at least some drugs in the United States, if they are also sold in comparator countries. Even if a company does not market drugs in such countries, the company could be indirectly affected if its drugs compete with drugs whose prices were reduced as a result of MFN pricing initiatives.
At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access, and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.
Human Capital Management
Employees . As of December 31, 2025, we employed 41 employees. None of our employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.
Compensation and Benefits Program . Our compensation program is designed to attract and reward talented individuals who possess the skills necessary to support our business objectives, assist in the achievement of our strategic goals and create long-term value for our stockholders. We provide employees with compensation packages that include base salary, annual incentive bonuses, and long-term equity awards tied to the value of our stock price. We believe that a compensation program with both short-term and long-term awards provides fair and competitive compensation and aligns employee and stockholder interests, including by incentivizing business and individual performance (pay for performance), motivating based on long-term company performance and integrating compensation with our business plans. In addition to cash and equity compensation, we also offer employees benefits such as life and health (medical, dental & vision) insurance, flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care needs, paid time off, paid parental leave, participation in our Employee Stock Purchase Plan and a 401(k) plan. In addition to our benefits, we offer wellness and stress management support which includes an on-site gym, company-wide wellness activities, wellness resources that are shared with employees each month, an Employee Assistance Program with counseling, and flexible work arrangements.
Employee Communication and Engagement. We believe that our employees perform at their best when they understand how their contributions align with our overall strategy. To foster this connection, we prioritize open and transparent communication through several channels, including all hands meetings, company-wide updates and posts on our intranet. To maintain employee morale, we assess engagement through our managers who gather valuable feedback on career development, work environment and supervisor performance. Additionally, we track employee turnover rates to gauge satisfaction. The insights from this feedback are used to shape initiatives that aim to boost employee engagement and enhance the overall employee experience.
Corporate Information
Our business and predecessor entity was founded in March 2007. In July 2020, we converted from a limited liability company into a Delaware corporation pursuant to a statutory conversion and changed our name to BioAtla, Inc. Our principal executive offices are located at 11085 Torreyana Road, San Diego, California 92121, and our telephone number is (858) 558-0708. Our corporate website address is www.bioatla.com. Information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and should not be considered a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We have obtained a registered trademark for BioAtla ® in the United States. This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains references to our trademarks and to trademarks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
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Available Information
We make available, free of charge through our website www.bioatla.com, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after they have been electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.
The SEC maintains an internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.
Recent Developments
Restructuring
On March 2, 2026, the Company announced that it has initiated a formal process to explore and evaluate strategic options to maximize shareholder value, including sale of preclinical and clinical assets, licensing transactions, strategic partnerships or other corporate transactions. In connection with the evaluation of strategic alternatives, the Company is implementing a restructuring plan that includes a workforce reduction of approximately 70%.
Merger and Related Share Consolidation
On March 23, 2026, the Company’s stockholders approved the Agreement and Plan of Merger, as amended from time to time, including pursuant to Amendment No. 1 to Agreement and Plan of Merger, pursuant to which (i) a wholly owned subsidiary (the “Merger Sub”) of the Company will merge with and into the Company, with the Company surviving (the “Merger”), and (ii) every fifty (50) shares of common stock of the Company issued and outstanding, or held as treasury stock, will be converted into one (1) share of common stock of the surviving corporation, which shall be the Company (the “Share Consolidation”). The Share Consolidation will not change the number of authorized shares of common stock. Common stock share and per share data, and exercise price data for applicable common stock equivalents, included in these financial statements have not been retroactively adjusted to reflect the Share Consolidation as the Merger has not yet been consummated. The Company plans to effect the Merger and the Share Consolidation as soon as possible subject to required Nasdaq notice periods. The effective date of the Merger is expected to be April 6, 2026.
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ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
Risk Factor Summary
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider all information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K before purchasing our common stock. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:
• We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history and no products approved for commercial sale, and we have a history of significant losses and expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future.
• We will require substantial additional capital to finance our operations, and if we fail to raise such capital when needed, or on acceptable terms, we may be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate one or more of our research and drug development programs or future commercialization efforts.
• We have incurred significant losses and negative cash flows from operations since our inception. We may incur losses over the next several years and may never achieve or maintain profitability. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern and we will need additional funding to continue development of our CAB technology platform and our CAB product candidates.
• Our product candidates may fail in development or suffer delays that adversely affect their commercial viability.
• We are substantially dependent on the success of our patented CAB technology platform, and our future success depends heavily on the successful development of this platform.
• Results from early-stage clinical trials may not be predictive of results from late-stage or other clinical trials, and the results of our clinical trials may not satisfy the requirements of the FDA, the European Medicine Agency (“EMA”) or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities.
• We may expend our resources to pursue particular product candidates and fail to capitalize on product candidates that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.
• The market may not be receptive to our product candidates because they are based on our novel therapeutic modality, and we may not generate any future revenue from the sale or licensing of product candidates.
• Preliminary, preplanned interim and topline 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.
• Delays in the commencement and completion of clinical trials could increase costs and delay or prevent regulatory approval and commercialization of our product candidates.
• We face competition from entities that have developed or may develop product candidates for cancer, including companies developing novel treatments and technology platforms.
• We are currently not in compliance with Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements. If we are unable to comply with Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, our common stock could be delisted.
• We may be unable to obtain U.S. or foreign regulatory approval and, as a result, unable to commercialize our product candidates.
• We intend to seek approval from the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities through the use of accelerated approval pathways, if available, and if we are unable to obtain such approval, we may be required to conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials beyond those that we contemplate, which could increase the expense of obtaining, and delay the receipt of, necessary marketing approvals.
• We may seek Fast Track designation for one or more of our product candidates but we might not receive such designation and, even if granted, such designation may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process and does not increase the likelihood that our product candidates will receive regulatory approval.
• Even if we receive regulatory approval for any of our product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense.
• There is substantial uncertainty regarding the new Administration’s initiatives and how these might impact the FDA, including its implementation of laws, regulations, policies and guidance and its personnel. Similar initiatives may also be directed toward other government agencies. These initiatives could prevent, limit or delay development and regulatory review and approval of our product candidates, which would negatively impact our business.
• We have initiated a formal process to explore and evaluate strategic options, and there is no guarantee that this strategic path will be successful.
• If we are unable to successfully complete a strategic transaction, we may be forced to cease operations altogether or file for bankruptcy protection.
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• If we fail to attract and retain qualified senior management and key scientific personnel, our business may be materially and adversely affected.
• If we are unable to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities on our own or through third parties, we may not be able to market and sell our product candidates, if approved, effectively in the United States and foreign jurisdictions or generate product revenue.
• A portion of our research and development activities take place in China, and uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws, rules and regulations, a trade war, deterioration of international relations, or political unrest in China could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
• We face risks related to health epidemics and outbreaks which could significantly disrupt our preclinical studies and could affect enrollment of patients in our clinical trials. Continuation and increasing severity of these conditions could delay or prevent our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals.
• If we fail to enter into collaborations with third parties for the development and commercialization of certain of our product candidates, or if our current and future collaborations are not successful, we may not be able to capitalize on the market potential of our patented technology platform and resulting product candidates.
• If we are not able to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights in any product candidates or technologies we develop, or if the scope of the intellectual property protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, third parties could develop and commercialize products and technology similar or identical to ours, and we may not be able to compete effectively in our market.
• Intellectual property rights of third parties could prevent or delay our drug discovery and development efforts and could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our product candidates, and we might be required to litigate or obtain licenses from third parties in order to discover, develop or market our product candidates.
• The future issuance of equity or of debt securities that are convertible into equity will dilute our share capital.
• Our principal stockholders and management own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval and their interests may conflict with your interests as an owner of our common stock.
Risk Factors
Risks related to our financial position and need for additional capital
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history and no products approved for commercial sale. We have a history of significant losses and we expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future, which together with our limited operating history, makes it difficult to assess our future viability.
We are a Phase 2 clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history upon which you can evaluate our business and prospects. We have no products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any revenue from product sales. Since the commencement of our operations, we have focused substantially all of our resources on conducting research and development activities, including drug discovery, preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates, including the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trials of mecbotamab vedotin (BA3011), ozuriftamab vedotin (BA3021), evalstotug (BA3071), and the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of BA3182 (CAB-EpCAM x CAB-CD3), establishing and maintaining our intellectual property portfolio, manufacturing clinical and research material through third parties, hiring personnel, establishing product development and commercialization collaborations with third parties, raising capital and providing general and administrative support for these operations. We have not yet demonstrated our ability to successfully obtain marketing approvals, manufacture a commercial-scale product or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful product commercialization. As a result, it may be more difficult for you to assess our future viability than it could be if we had a longer operating history.
We have incurred significant losses to date. Our ability to generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend on the successful development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our current and future product candidates. Our net losses were $59.6 million and $69.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. As of December 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of $545.6 million. These losses have resulted primarily from costs incurred in connection with research and development activities and general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We do not expect to generate meaningful revenue from product sales for the foreseeable future, and we expect to continue to incur significant operating expenses for the foreseeable future due to the cost of research and development, including identifying and designing product candidates and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, and the regulatory approval process for our product candidates. In the near term, we expect that these expenses will begin to decrease as we complete enrollment for certain clinical trials, however, these expenses, and the potential for losses, may generally increase as we progress our lead product candidates through the regulatory approval process. We also expect that our expenses will vary as a result of macroeconomic factors, including inflation. For example, recently, several of our vendors have passed along price increases they have experienced in their own business as a result of inflation.
However, the amount of our future expenses and potential losses is uncertain. Our ability to achieve profitability, if ever, will depend on, among other things, our successfully developing product candidates, obtaining regulatory approvals to market and commercialize product candidates, manufacturing any approved products on commercially reasonable terms and potentially establishing a sales and marketing organization or suitable third-party alternatives to commercialize any approved product. If we, or our existing or future collaborators, are unable to develop and commercialize one or more of our product candidates or if sales revenue from any product candidate that receives approval is
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insufficient, we will not achieve profitability, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We will require substantial additional capital to finance our operations. If we are unable to raise such capital when needed, or on acceptable terms, we may be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate one or more of our research and drug development programs or future commercialization efforts.
The development of biopharmaceutical products, including conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, is a very time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete. Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception, and we will continue to incur significant expenses in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we conduct clinical trials of, and seek marketing approval for mecbotamab vedotin, ozuriftamab vedotin, evalstotug, and BA3182. Even if one or more of the product candidates that we develop is approved for commercial sale, we anticipate incurring significant costs associated with sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution activities. Our expenses could increase beyond expectations if we are required by the FDA, the EMA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities to perform clinical trials or preclinical studies in addition to those that we currently anticipate. Other unanticipated costs may also arise. Because the design and outcome of our planned and anticipated clinical trials are highly uncertain, we cannot reasonably estimate the actual amount of resources and funding that will be necessary to successfully complete the development and commercialization of any product candidate we develop. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in order to continue our operations.
We plan to use our existing cash and cash equivalents to fund the research and development of our product candidates and development programs and to fund working capital and other general corporate purposes.
Advancing the development of our product candidates will require a significant amount of capital. Our existing cash and cash equivalents are not sufficient to fund any of our product candidates through regulatory approval. Because the length of time and activities associated with successful research and development of any individual product candidate are highly uncertain, we are unable to estimate the actual funds we will require for development, marketing approval and commercialization activities. The timing and amount of our operating expenditures will depend largely on:
• the timing and progress of our ongoing and planned clinical trials;
• the number and scope of preclinical and clinical programs we decide to pursue;
• the progress of our collaborators with whom we have entered, or may in the future enter, into collaboration agreements and research and development agreements;
• our ability to maintain our current licenses, collaboration and research and development programs or possibly establish new collaboration arrangements;
• the costs involved in prosecuting and enforcing patent and other intellectual property claims;
• the cost and timing of regulatory approvals; and
• our efforts to enhance operational systems and attract and retain personnel, including personnel to support development of our product candidates and satisfy our obligations as a public company.
If we are unable to obtain funding on a timely basis, including under our current or future collaborations, or on acceptable terms, we may have to delay, reduce or terminate our research and development programs and preclinical studies or clinical trials, limit strategic opportunities or undergo reductions in our workforce or other corporate restructuring activities. We may seek to raise any necessary additional capital through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements and other marketing and distribution arrangements. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available at acceptable terms to us, if at all. Failure to generate sufficient cash flows from operations, raise additional capital, and reduce discretionary spending should additional capital not become available could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our intended business objectives. To the extent that we raise additional capital through collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our product candidates. We may also have to forego future revenue streams of research programs at an earlier stage of development or on less favorable terms than we would otherwise choose or have to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. Our ability to raise additional funds will depend on financial, economic and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our financial condition could be adversely affected by general conditions in the global economy and in the global financial markets. For example, global financial crises have caused extreme volatility and disruptions in the capital and credit markets. If banks and financial institutions enter receivership or become insolvent in the future in response to financial conditions affecting the banking system and financial markets, our ability to access our existing cash, cash equivalents and investments may be threatened and could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. A severe or prolonged economic downturn, such as a global financial crisis, could result in a variety of risks to our business, including our ability to raise additional capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at all. There can be no assurance that further deterioration in credit and financial markets and confidence in economic conditions will not occur. If we do raise additional capital through public or private equity or convertible debt offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financings, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures, licensing product rights, entering into product development collaborations, acquiring other businesses, products or technology or declaring dividends. If we are unable to obtain additional funding from these or other sources, it may be necessary to significantly reduce our rate of spending through reductions in staff and delay, scale back or stop certain research and development programs.
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We have incurred significant losses and negative cash flows from operations since our inception. We may incur losses over the next several years and may never achieve or maintain profitability. Without taking other actions, these factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern and we will need additional funding to continue development of our CAB technology platform and our CAB product candidates.
We are exploring and evaluating strategic options to maximize shareholder value, including the sale of preclinical and clinical assets, licensing transactions, strategic partnerships or other corporate transactions. We may be forced to wind-down our operations if we are unable to consummate a strategic transaction and/or obtain sufficient funding.
We have incurred significant operating losses to date and expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future as we continue the development of our CAB technology platform and our CAB product candidates. Our recurring losses from operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for the 12 months from the date that our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report are issued. As a result, our independent public accounting firm included an explanatory paragraph regarding the same in its report on this Annual Report. Our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2025 do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately $7.1 million in cash and cash equivalents. Based upon our current operating plan and assumptions, we estimate that our cash and cash equivalents will not fund our operations past the first half of 2026. Our estimate as to how long we expect our existing cash and cash equivalents to be able to continue to fund our operations is based on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Changing circumstances, some of which may be beyond our control, could cause us to consume capital significantly faster than we currently anticipate, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned.
We expect to finance our future cash needs through equity or debt financings, strategic collaborations transactions, or a combination of these approaches. We believe that data from our ongoing clinical trials will enable us to raise additional capital which will address this doubt and enable us to continue as a going concern. However, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in acquiring additional funding at levels sufficient to fund our operations or on terms favorable or acceptable to us, if at all. In addition, our ability to raise additional funds may be adversely impacted by negative global economic conditions and any disruptions to and volatility in the credit and financial markets in the United States and worldwide or other factors. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing when needed or on terms favorable or acceptable to us, we may be forced to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our research and development programs. Moreover, the terms of any financing may adversely affect the holdings or the rights of our stockholders and the issuance of additional securities by us, whether equity or debt, or the market perception that such issuances are likely to occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. If we are unable to raise sufficient capital when needed, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be harmed, and we will need to significantly modify our operational plans to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to continue as a going concern, we might have to liquidate our assets and the values we receive for our assets in liquidation or dissolution could be significantly lower than the values reflected in our consolidated financial statements.
Any additional capital raising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize our current and future product candidates, if approved. The perception that we might be unable to continue as a going concern may also make it more difficult to obtain financing for the continuation of our operations on terms that are favorable to us, or at all, and could result in the loss of confidence by investors and employees.
We invest a portion of our cash in a money market fund, which is vulnerable to market-specific risks that could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
We invest a portion of our cash in a money market fund backed by U.S. government securities. All securities are subject to risk, including fluctuations in interest rates, credit risk, market risk and systemic economic risk. Changes or movements in any of these investment-related risk items may result in a loss or impairment to our invested cash and may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
Risks related to the discovery, development and commercialization of our product candidates
Our current product candidates are in various stages of development. Our product candidates may fail in development or suffer delays that adversely affect their commercial viability. If we or our existing or future collaborators are unable to complete development of, obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our product candidates or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
We have no products on the market and our product candidates are in various stages of development. We are currently conducting Phase 2 clinical trials of mecbotamab vedotin, ozuriftamab vedotin, and evalstotug, and a Phase 1 trial of BA3182. Various other product candidates are in earlier stages of development. Our ability to achieve and sustain profitability depends on obtaining regulatory approvals for and, if approved, successfully commercializing our product candidates, either alone or with third parties. Before obtaining regulatory approval for the commercial distribution of our product candidates, we or an existing or future collaborator must conduct extensive preclinical tests and clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, efficacy, purity and potency of our product candidates. Any product candidate can unexpectedly fail at any stage of preclinical or clinical development and the historical failure rate for product candidates is high. The results from preclinical testing of a product candidate may not predict the results that will be obtained in later clinical trials of the product candidate. We or our existing or future
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collaborators may experience issues that delay or prevent clinical testing and regulatory approval of, or our ability to commercialize, product candidates, including, among others:
• delays in our clinical trials resulting from external factors including global conflicts and health epidemics;
• negative or inconclusive results from preclinical testing or clinical trials leading to a decision or requirement to conduct additional preclinical testing or clinical trials or abandon a program;
• side effects experienced by participants in clinical trials or by individuals using therapeutic biologics that share characteristics with our product candidates;
• delays in submitting INDs or comparable foreign applications or delays or failure in obtaining the necessary approvals from regulators or institutional review boards (“IRBs”), to commence a clinical trial, or a suspension or termination of a clinical trial once commenced;
• conditions imposed by the FDA or comparable foreign authorities, including the EMA, regarding the scope or design of clinical trials;
• delays in enrolling patients in clinical trials;
• high drop-out rates of patients;
• inadequate drug materials or other supplies necessary for the conduct of our clinical trials;
• inability to obtain alternative sources of supply for which we have a single source for product candidate components or materials, if necessary;
• greater than anticipated clinical trial costs;
• poor effectiveness of our product candidates during clinical trials;
• unfavorable FDA or other regulatory authority inspection and review of a clinical trial site;
• deficiencies in our third-party manufacturers’ manufacturing processes or facilities;
• success or further approval of competitor products approved in indications in which we undertake development of our product candidates, which may change the standard of care or change the standard for approval of our product candidates in our proposed indications;
• failure of any third-party contractors, investigators or contract research organizations (“CROs”), to comply with regulatory requirements or otherwise meet their contractual obligations in a timely manner, or at all;
• delays and changes in regulatory requirements, policy and guidelines, including the imposition of additional regulatory oversight around clinical testing generally or with respect to our technology or product candidates in particular; or
• varying interpretations of data by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, including the EMA.
Because CABs represent a new generation of antibodies, a delay or failure in development of any CAB product candidate could represent a major set-back for our patented technology platform and for our company generally.
Results from early-stage clinical trials may not be predictive of results from late-stage or other clinical trials, and the results of our clinical trials may not satisfy the requirements of the FDA, EMA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities.
Positive and promising results from preclinical studies and early-stage clinical trials may not be predictive of results from late-stage clinical trials or from clinical trials of the same product candidates for the treatment of other indications. Product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy traits despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical trials. Late-stage clinical trials could differ in significant ways from early-stage clinical trials, including changes to inclusion and exclusion criteria, efficacy endpoints, dosing regimen and statistical design.
Moreover, success in clinical trials in a particular indication does not guarantee that a product candidate will be successful for the treatment of other indications. Many companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in late-stage clinical trials after achieving encouraging or positive results in early-stage development. We cannot assure you that we will not face similar setbacks in our ongoing or planned clinical trials or in any subsequent or post-marketing confirmatory clinical trials. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses and many companies that believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials nonetheless failed to obtain FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authority approval. We cannot guarantee that the FDA will agree with our clinical trial plans, and we cannot assure you that the FDA will agree that the results from our trials will be sufficient to support approval of any of our product candidates. For example, the objective response rates on our primary endpoints may not be sufficient, we may not demonstrate a sufficient duration of response, or there may be limitations with the total sample size of our studies and dose selection strategy. Recently, the FDA has increasingly scrutinized oncology clinical trial results where a substantial portion of the enrollment took place outside the U.S. on the basis that the results from these sites are not applicable to the U.S. population due at least in part to choice of comparator. While we intend to enroll sufficient numbers of U.S. patients to address these concerns, the FDA may disagree and question the applicability of
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the clinical trial results to the U.S. population. To the extent that the results of the trials are not satisfactory to the FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities for support of a marketing application, we may be required to expend significant resources, which may not be available to us, to conduct additional trials in support of potential approval of our product candidates. Even if regulatory approval is secured for any of our product candidates, the terms of such approval may limit the scope and use of our product candidate, which may also limit its commercial potential. Furthermore, the approval policies or regulations of the FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient for approval, which may lead to the FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities delaying, limiting or denying approval of our product candidates.
Furthermore, there have been in the past, and may be in the future, investigator-initiated clinical trials using our investigational products. We do not control the design or administration of these or any other investigator-initiated trials that may be conducted, nor the submission or approval of any IND or foreign equivalent required to conduct any such trials. Any investigator-initiated trials could, depending on the actions of such third parties, jeopardize the validity of the clinical data generated, identify significant concerns with respect to our product candidates that could impact our findings or clinical trials, and adversely affect our ability to obtain marketing approval from the FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. To the extent the results of these or other investigator-initiated trials are inconsistent with, or different from, the results of our ongoing or planned company-sponsored trials or raise concerns regarding our product candidates, the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority may question the results of the company-sponsored trial, or subject such results to greater scrutiny than it otherwise would. In these circumstances, the FDA or such foreign regulatory authorities may require us to obtain and submit additional clinical data, which could delay clinical development or marketing approval of our product candidates. In addition, while investigator-initiated trials could be useful to inform our own clinical development efforts, there is no guarantee that we will be able to use the data from these trials to support regulatory approval of our product candidates.
We are substantially dependent on the success of our patented CAB technology platform, and our future success depends heavily on the successful development of this platform.
We use our CAB technology platform to develop product candidates for cancer. Any failures or setbacks involving our CAB technology platform, including adverse events, could have a detrimental impact on all of our product candidates and our research pipeline. For example, we may uncover a previously unknown risk associated with CABs or other issues that may be more problematic than we currently believe, which may prolong the period of observation required for obtaining, necessitate additional clinical testing or result in the failure to obtain, regulatory approval. If our CAB technology is not safe in certain product candidates, we could be required to abandon or redesign all of our current product candidates, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We may not be successful in our efforts to use and expand our patented CAB technology platform to continue to build a pipeline of product candidates and develop marketable products.
We have used our patented technology platform to develop CABs in oncology indications with our lead product candidates mecbotamab vedotin, ozuriftamab vedotin, evalstotug, BA3182, and other preclinical product candidates. We may also in the future continue to build our pipeline of CAB product candidates. Our business depends not only on our ability to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for, and commercialize the product candidates we currently have in clinical and preclinical development, but to continue to generate new product candidates through our platform. Even if we are successful in continuing to build our pipeline and further progress the clinical development of our current product candidates, any additional product candidates may not be suitable for clinical development, including as a result of harmful side effects, manufacturing issues, limited efficacy or other characteristics that indicate that they are unlikely to be products that will succeed in clinical development, receive marketing approval or achieve market acceptance. If we cannot validate our technology platform by successfully
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commercializing CAB product candidates, we may not be able to obtain product, licensing or collaboration revenue in future periods, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We may expend our resources to pursue particular product candidates and fail to capitalize on product candidates that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.
As a result of our limited financial and managerial resources, we must make strategic decisions as to which targets and product candidates to pursue and may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other targets or product candidates or for other indications that later prove to have greater commercial potential. For example, we are exploring potential strategic collaboration with third parties to accelerate development of certain assets. In addition, we may decide to further prioritize development of certain programs and certain indications. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Failure to properly assess potential product candidates could result in our focus on product candidates with low market potential, which would harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Our spending on current and future research and development programs and product candidates for specific targets or indications may not yield any commercially viable products. Our understanding and evaluation of biological targets for the discovery and development of new CAB product candidates may fail to identify challenges encountered in subsequent preclinical and clinical development. If we do not accurately evaluate the likelihood of clinical trial success, commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights.
If the market opportunities for any product that we develop are smaller than we believe they are, our revenue may be adversely affected and our business may suffer.
We focus our product candidate development on therapeutic CAB antibodies for the treatment of various oncology indications, such as sarcoma, NSCLC, melanoma, colorectal carcinoma, and head and neck cancer among others. Our projections of addressable patient populations that may benefit from treatment with our product candidates are based on our estimates. These estimates, which have been derived from a variety of sources, including scientific literature, surveys of clinics, physician interviews, patient foundations and market research, may prove to be incorrect. Further, new studies may change the estimated incidence or prevalence of these cancers. Additionally, the potentially addressable patient population for our product candidates may not ultimately be amenable to treatment with our product candidates. Our market opportunity may also be limited by future competitor treatments that enter the market. If any of our estimates prove to be inaccurate, the market opportunity for any product candidate that we or our strategic partners develop could be significantly diminished and have an adverse material impact on our business.
The market may not be receptive to our product candidates because they are based on our novel therapeutic modality, and we may not generate any future revenue from the sale or licensing of product candidates.
The product candidates that we are developing are primarily based on our patented CAB technology platform, which uses new technologies to create our novel therapeutic approach. Market participants with significant influence over acceptance of new treatments, such as physicians and third-party payors, may not adopt a product or treatment based on our patented technology platform, and we may not be able to convince patients, the medical community and third-party payors to accept and use, or to provide favorable reimbursement for, any product candidates developed by us or our existing or future collaborators. Market acceptance of our product candidates will depend on, among other factors:
• the timing of our receipt of any marketing and commercialization approvals;
• the terms of any approvals and the countries in which approvals are obtained;
• the safety and efficacy of our product candidates;
• the prevalence and severity of any adverse side effects associated with our product candidates;
• limitations or warnings contained in any labeling approved by the FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities;
• the willingness of patients to obtain new biopsies or consent to provide existing tumor tissue specimens;
• relative convenience and ease of administration of our product candidates;
• the willingness of patients to accept any new methods of administration;
• the success of any physician education programs;
• the availability of adequate government and third-party payor reimbursement;
• the pricing of our products, particularly as compared to alternative treatments; and
• availability of alternative effective treatments for the disease indications our product candidates are intended to treat and the relative risks, benefits and costs of those treatments.
If any product candidate we commercialize fails to achieve market acceptance, it could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
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Preliminary, preplanned interim and topline 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, preplanned interim or topline data from our clinical trials. These data and related findings and conclusions may only reflect certain endpoints rather than all endpoints and are subject to change. For example, we may report tumor responses in certain patients that are unconfirmed at the time and which do not ultimately result in confirmed responses to treatment after follow-up evaluations. 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. As a result, the 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. Topline data remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the preliminary data we previously published. As a result, topline data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available. In addition, we may report preplanned interim analyses of the clinical trials we may complete, which 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 changes between interim data and final data could significantly harm our business and prospects. Further, additional disclosure of interim data by us or by our competitors in the future could result in volatility in the price of our common stock.
In addition, the information we choose to publicly disclose regarding a particular study or clinical trial is typically selected from a more extensive amount of available information. You or others may not agree with what we determine is the material or otherwise appropriate information to include in our disclosure, and any information we determine not to disclose may ultimately be deemed significant with respect to future decisions, conclusions, views, activities or otherwise regarding a particular product candidate or our business. If the preliminary preplanned interim or topline data that we report differ from later, final or 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, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Delays in the commencement and completion of clinical trials could increase costs and delay or prevent regulatory approval and commercialization of our product candidates.
We cannot guarantee that clinical trials of our product candidates will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of the clinical trial process, and other events may cause us to temporarily or permanently stop a clinical trial. Events that may prevent successful or timely commencement and completion of clinical development include:
• negative preclinical data;
• delays in receiving the required regulatory clearance from the appropriate regulatory authorities to commence clinical trials or amend clinical trial protocols, including any objections to our INDs or protocol amendments from the FDA;
• delays in reaching, or a failure to reach, a consensus with regulatory authorities on study design;
• delays in reaching, or failure to reach, agreement on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites;
• difficulties in obtaining IRB approval at each site;
• challenges in recruiting suitable patients to participate in a trial;
• the inability to enroll a sufficient number of patients in clinical trials to ensure adequate statistical power to detect statistically significant treatment effects;
• difficulties in having patients complete a trial or return for post-treatment follow-up;
• our CROs or clinical trial sites failing to comply with regulatory requirements or meet their contractual obligations to us in a timely manner, or at all, deviating from the protocol or dropping out of a clinical trial;
• unforeseen safety issues, including occurrence of treatment emergent adverse events (“TEAEs”) associated with the product candidate that are viewed to outweigh the product candidate’s potential benefits;
• difficulties in adding new clinical trial sites;
• ambiguous or negative interim results;
• lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial;
• difficulties in manufacturing sufficient quantities of product candidate acceptable for use in clinical trials in a timely manner, or at all; or
• health epidemics and outbreaks, which in the past has resulted in, and in the future may result in, delays to patient enrollment, patients discontinuing their treatment or follow up visits or changes to trial protocols.
We could encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, by the IRBs of the institutions in which such trials are being conducted, by a Data Safety Monitoring Board (“DSMB”), for such trial or by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Such authorities may impose such a suspension or termination due to several factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with
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regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using a drug, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial. If we experience delays in the completion of, or termination of, any clinical trial of our product candidates, the commercial prospects of our product candidates will be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenues from any of these product candidates will be delayed or lost. In addition, any delays in completing our clinical trials will increase our costs, slow down our product candidate development and approval process and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenues. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects significantly. In addition, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates.
In addition, data obtained from trials and studies are susceptible to varying interpretations, and regulators may not interpret our data as favorably as we do, which may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. Our clinical trial results may not be successful, or even if successful, may not lead to regulatory approval.
Enrollment and retention of patients in clinical trials is an expensive and time-consuming process and could be made more difficult or rendered impossible by multiple factors outside our control.
We may encounter delays or difficulties in enrolling, or be unable to enroll, a sufficient number of patients to complete any of our clinical trials on our current timelines, or at all, and even once enrolled, we may be unable to retain a sufficient number of patients to complete any of our trials. Enrollment in our clinical trials may be slower than we anticipate, leading to delays in our development timelines.
Patient enrollment and retention in clinical trials depends on many factors, including the size and nature of the patient population, the nature of the trial protocol, our ability to recruit clinical trial investigators with the appropriate competencies and experience, delays in enrollment due to travel or quarantine policies, or other factors related to health epidemics or pandemics, the existing body of safety and efficacy data with respect to the study drug, the number and nature of competing treatments and ongoing clinical trials of competing drugs for the same indication, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, the eligibility criteria for the trial and the proportion of patients screened that meets those criteria, including criteria related to biomarkers, our ability to obtain and maintain patient consents, including any additional consents necessary for enrollment of adolescent patients, and our ability to successfully complete prerequisite studies before enrolling certain patient populations. Furthermore, any negative results or new safety signals we may report in clinical trials of our product candidates may make it difficult or impossible to recruit and retain patients in other clinical trials we are conducting. Similarly, results reported by our competitors about their drug candidates may negatively affect patient recruitment in our clinical trials. Also, marketing authorization of competitors in this same class of drugs may impair our ability to enroll patients into our clinical trials, delaying or potentially preventing us from completing recruitment of one or more of our trials.
Delays or failures in planned patient enrollment or retention may result in increased costs, program delays or both, which could have a harmful effect on our ability to develop our product candidates or could render further development impossible. In addition, we rely on clinical trial sites to ensure timely conduct of our clinical trials and, while we have entered into agreements governing their services, we are limited in our ability to compel their actual performance.
Our product candidates may cause undesirable and unforeseen side effects or have other properties impacting safety that could halt their clinical development, delay or 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, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities and potential product liability claims. Such side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial. Many compounds developed in the biopharmaceutical industry that initially showed promise in early-stage testing for treating cancer have later been found to cause side effects that prevented their further development. Any of these occurrences may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
In our clinical trials for our antibody-drug conjugates mecbotamab vedotin and ozuriftamab vedotin, we have observed adverse events such as reversible myelosuppression, transient liver enzyme elevations, pyrexia, or fever, metabolic disturbances and peripheral neuropathy. In our clinical trial for evalstotug, we have observed infusion-related reactions, cytokine release syndrome, and immune-related adverse events. In our clinical trial for BA3182, we have observed reversible non-febrile neutropenia, diarrhea, cytokine release syndrome, and transient liver enzyme and bilirubin elevations. We may also observe undesirable side effects in clinical trials for our other product candidates.
For our current and future clinical trials, we have contracted with and expect to continue to contract with CROs experienced in the assessment and management of toxicities arising during clinical trials. Nonetheless, they may have difficulty observing patients and treating toxicities, which may be more challenging due to personnel changes, shift changes, house staff coverage or related issues. This could lead to more severe or prolonged toxicities or even patient deaths, which could result in us or the FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities delaying, suspending or terminating one or more of our clinical trials and which could jeopardize regulatory approval.
Further, clinical trials by their nature test product candidates in only samples of the potential patient populations. With a limited number of patients and limited duration of exposure in such trials, rare and severe side effects of our product candidates may not be uncovered until a significantly larger number of patients are exposed to the product candidate. For example, while we believe that mecbotamab vedotin,
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ozuriftamab vedotin, evalstotug, and BA3182 have demonstrated manageable tolerability profiles thus far, we cannot assure you that these and our other product candidates will not cause more severe side effects in a greater proportion of patients.
In addition, mecbotamab vedotin, ozuriftamab vedotin, and evalstotug have been studied in combination with other therapies, which may exacerbate adverse events associated with the therapy. Patients treated with these or our other product candidates may have recently received surgical, radiation or chemotherapy treatments, which can cause side effects or adverse events that are unrelated to our product candidate but may still impact the success of our clinical trials.
The inclusion of critically ill patients in our clinical trials may result in deaths or other adverse medical events due to other therapies or medications that such patients may be using or due to the gravity of such patients’ illnesses. For example, some of the late-stage patients enrolled in the clinical trials may die or experience major clinical events either during the course of our clinical trials or after participating in such trials due mainly to the gravity of their illness, which has occurred in the past.
In the event that any of our product candidates receive regulatory approval, and we or others later identify undesirable and unforeseen side effects caused by such product, negative consequences, including any of the following, could occur:
• regulatory authorities may suspend, limit or withdraw their approval of such product, or seek an injunction against its manufacture or distribution;
• we may be required to conduct additional clinical trials or post-approval studies;
• we may be requested or required to recall a product or change the way such product is administered to patients;
• additional restrictions may be imposed on the marketing of the particular product or the manufacturing processes for the product or any component thereof;
• regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, such as a boxed warning or a contraindication, or issue safety alerts, Dear Healthcare Provider letters, press releases or other communications containing warnings or other safety information about the product;
• we may be required to implement a REMS and/or create a Medication Guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients, a communication plan for healthcare providers and/or other elements to assure safe use;
• we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients;
• we may be subject to fines, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties;
• the product may become less competitive; and
• our reputation may suffer.
Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular product candidate, if approved, and result in the loss of significant revenues to us, which would materially and adversely affect our results of operations and business. In addition, if one or more of our product candidates prove to be unsafe, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
We are developing certain of our product candidates in combination with other therapies, and regulatory approval, safety or supply issues with these other therapies may delay or prevent the development and approval of our product candidates.
We have investigated the use of each of mecbotamab vedotin, ozuriftamab vedotin, and evalstotug in combination with an anti-PD-1 antibody. In the future, we may explore the use of these or our other product candidates in combination with other therapies. If we choose to develop a product candidate for use in combination with an approved therapy, we are subject to the risk that the FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions could revoke approval of, or that safety, efficacy, manufacturing or supply issues could arise with, the therapy used in combination with our product candidate. If the therapies we use in combination with our product candidates are replaced as the standard of care, the FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions may require us to conduct additional clinical trials. The occurrence of any of these risks could result in our product candidates, if approved, being removed from the market or being less successful commercially.
Where we develop a product candidate for use in combination with a therapy that has not been approved by the FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions, we will not be able to market our product candidate for use in combination with such an unapproved therapy, unless and until the unapproved therapy receives regulatory approval. In addition, other companies may also develop their products or product candidates in combination with the unapproved therapies with which we are developing our product candidates for use in combination. Any setbacks in these companies’ clinical trials, including the emergence of serious adverse effects, may delay or prevent the development and approval of our product candidates.
If the FDA, EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions do not approve or revoke their approval of, or if safety, efficacy, manufacturing, or supply issues arise with, therapies we choose to evaluate in combination with any of our product candidates, we may
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be unable to obtain regulatory approval of or to commercialize such product candidates in combination with these therapies.
If safe and effective use of any of our product candidates, such as mecbotamab vedotin and ozuriftamab vedotin, depends on a companion diagnostic test, then the FDA generally will require approval or clearance of that companion diagnostic before or at the same time that the FDA approves our product candidates, if at all. If we are unable to successfully develop companion diagnostic tests for our product candidates, experience significant delays in doing so, rely on third parties in the development of such companion diagnostic tests, or do not obtain or face delays in obtaining FDA approval of a companion diagnostic test, the full commercial potential of our product candidates and our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired.
If use of a companion diagnostic test is determined to be essential for the safe and effective use of any of our product candidates, such as mecbotamab vedotin and ozuriftamab vedotin, then the FDA generally will require approval, authorization, or clearance of that companion diagnostic before or at the same time that the FDA approves our product candidates, if at all. The FDA has generally required in vitro companion diagnostics intended to select the patients who will respond to cancer treatment to obtain a PMA for that diagnostic simultaneously with approval of the therapeutic. The process of obtaining or creating such diagnostic and obtaining a PMA is time-consuming and costly and a delay in diagnostic approval could delay drug approval.
In 2024, CDRH announced that it intended to reclassify most high-risk in vitro diagnostic products from Class III to Class II medical devices and stated that it expected most future companion diagnostics would be regulated as Class II devices. Reclassification would allow companion diagnostic developers to seek marketing authorization through the FDA’s 510(k) or de novo classification pathways rather than the more costly and time-consuming PMA pathway. Since that time, CDRH has taken steps to begin the reclassification process for certain companion diagnostic products, such as in situ hybridization test systems and nucleic acid-based test systems intended for use with a corresponding approved oncology therapeutic product. However, these proposed reclassifications are not yet final and commercializing any such tests requires PMA approval until the reclassification is final. While the 510(k) and de novo submission processes are less burdensome than the PMA process, there is no guarantee that the diagnostics test that would be used with our product candidates will be reclassified or that they would obtain marketing authorization through either process more quickly than through the PMA process.
According to FDA guidance, if the FDA determines that a companion diagnostic device is essential to the safe and effective use of a novel therapeutic product or indication, the FDA generally will not approve the therapeutic product or new therapeutic product indication if the companion diagnostic is not also approved, authorized, or cleared for that indication. If a satisfactory companion diagnostic is not commercially available, we may be required to create or obtain one that would be subject to regulatory approval requirements. For example, we have in the past explored predictive biomarkers, such as the Tumor Membrane Percent Score (“TmPS”), which measures AXL and ROR2 expression levels on the tumor membrane, to help inform which patients may be most suitable for treatment with mecbotamab vedotin and ozuriftamab vedotin. Currently, patients with negative or only 1% TmPS scores appear to have experienced clinical benefit in our ongoing clinical trials. However, if the AXL and/or ROR2 TmPS scores predict those most likely to experience clinical benefit, we may be required to pursue the further use of a companion diagnostic in our mecbotamab vedotin or ozuriftamab vedotin clinical trials, and the available market for mecbotamab vedotin or ozuriftamab vedotin, both in patient numbers and patient acceptance of the protocol, could be limited. In addition, we expect to rely on third parties for the design, development and manufacture of companion diagnostic tests for any of our product candidates that require such tests.
On April 13, 2020, the FDA issued new guidance on developing and labeling companion diagnostics for a specific group of oncology therapeutic products, including recommendations to support a broader labeling claim rather than individual therapeutic products. We will continue to evaluate the impact of this guidance on our companion diagnostic development and strategy. This guidance and future policies from the FDA and other regulatory authorities may impact our development of a companion diagnostic for our product candidates and result in delays in regulatory approval. We may be required to conduct additional studies to support a broader claim. Also, to the extent other approved diagnostics are able to broaden their labeling claims to include our approved drug products, we may be forced to abandon our companion diagnostic development plans or we may not be able to compete effectively upon approval, which could adversely impact our ability to generate revenue from the sale of our approved products and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
If the FDA, EMA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority requires approval of a companion diagnostic for any of our product candidates, whether before or after it obtains marketing approval, we, and/or future collaborators, may encounter difficulties in developing and obtaining approval for such product candidate. If we or our third-party collaborators experience any delay in developing or obtaining regulatory approval of a companion diagnostic, we may be unable to enroll enough patients for our current and planned clinical trials, the development of our product candidates may be adversely affected or we may not obtain marketing approval, and we may not realize the full commercial potential of our product candidates, including mecbotamab vedotin and ozuriftamab vedotin.
We face competition from entities that have developed or may develop product candidates for cancer, including companies developing novel treatments and technology platforms. If these companies develop technologies or product candidates more rapidly than we do or their technologies are more effective, our ability to develop and successfully commercialize product candidates may be adversely affected.
The development and commercialization of drugs and therapeutic biologics is highly competitive. We compete with a variety of multinational biopharmaceutical companies and specialized biotechnology companies, as well as technology being developed at universities and other research institutions. Our competitors have developed, are developing and will develop product candidates and processes competitive with our product candidates. We believe that a significant number of products are currently under development, and may become commercially available in the future, for the treatment of conditions for which we are developing product candidates. We believe that while our patented CAB technology platform, its associated intellectual property and our scientific and technical know-how give us a competitive advantage in this space,
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competition from many sources remains. Our success will partially depend on our ability to develop and protect therapeutics that are perceived to be safer and more effective than competing products. Our commercial opportunity and success will be reduced or eliminated if competing products are perceived to be safer, more effective or less expensive than the therapeutics we develop.
Although we do not believe competing companies have selective CAB technology, there is a wide array of activity in several areas of immune-based cellular therapies for oncology including CAR-T and T-cell receptor therapies. Certain companies are also pursuing antibody therapies in immuno-oncology, ADCs and various prodrug biologic products designed to be preferentially activated at tumor sites. There are several FDA approved ADC products and several companies in various stages of clinical development of ADCs mostly directed at oncology indications, a key feature of our product candidates mecbotamab vedotin and ozuriftamab vedotin. There are also companies developing technologies designed to deliver biologics and chemotherapeutic agents with some targeting capabilities. In addition, if any of our product candidates are approved in oncology indications, they may compete with existing biologics and small molecule therapies, or may be used in combination with existing therapies. There are also many other therapies under development that are intended to treat the same cancers that we are targeting or may target with our CAB platform, including through approaches that could prove to be more effective, have fewer side effects, be cheaper to manufacture, be more convenient to administer or have other advantages over any products resulting from our technologies.
Many of our competitors, either alone or with strategic partners, have significantly greater financial, technical, manufacturing, marketing, sales and supply resources or experience than we do. Accordingly, our competitors may be more successful than us in obtaining approval for treatments and achieving widespread market acceptance, rendering our treatments obsolete or non-competitive. Accelerated merger and acquisition activity in the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. These companies also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials and acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. The level of generic competition and the availability of reimbursement from government and other third-party payors will also significantly affect the pricing and competitiveness of our products. In addition, our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market.
There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and completed clinical trial results to public registries. Sponsors of clinical trials of FDA-regulated products, including biologics, are required to register and disclose certain clinical trial information, which is publicly available at www.clinicaltrials.gov. Information related to the product, patient population, phase of investigation, study sites and investigators, and other aspects of the clinical trial is then made public as part of the registration. Sponsors are also obligated to discuss the results of their clinical trials after completion. Disclosure of the results of these trials can be delayed in certain circumstances for up to two years after the date of completion of the trial. Competitors may use this publicly available information to gain knowledge regarding the progress of development of our programs.
Our commercial opportunity could be substantially limited in the event that our competitors develop and commercialize products that are perceived to be more effective, safer, less toxic or more convenient than products we may develop. In geographies that are critical to our commercial success, competitors may also obtain regulatory approvals before us, resulting in our competitors building a strong market position in advance of our products’ entry. Such competitors could also recruit our employees, which could negatively impact our level of expertise and our ability to execute our business plan.
Our biologic product candidates for which we intend to seek approval may face competition through an abbreviated pathway.
The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (the “BPCIA”), enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”), created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA-licensed reference biological product. Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product referencing an exclusivity-protected product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date that the reference product was first licensed by the FDA. In addition, the approval of a biosimilar product referencing an exclusivity-protected biological product may not be made effective by the FDA until 12 years from the date on which the reference product was first licensed. During this 12-year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full Biologics License Application (“BLA”) for the competing product containing the sponsor’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of their product. 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. While it is uncertain when such processes intended to implement BPCIA may be fully adopted by the FDA, any such processes could have an adverse effect on the future commercial prospects for our product candidates.
There is a risk that any product candidates we may develop that are approved by FDA as a biological product under a BLA would not qualify for the 12-year period of exclusivity or that this exclusivity could be shortened due to congressional action or otherwise, potentially creating the opportunity for generic competition sooner than anticipated.
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Our business entails a significant risk of product liability, and if we are unable to obtain sufficient insurance coverage, such failure could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We expect to be exposed to significant product liability risks inherent in the development, testing and manufacturing of our product candidates and products, if approved. Product liability claims could delay or prevent completion of our development programs. If we succeed in marketing products, such claims could result in an FDA investigation of the safety and effectiveness of our products, our third-party manufacturer’s manufacturing processes and facilities or our marketing programs and potentially a recall of our products or more serious enforcement action, including limitations on the approved indications for which our product candidates may be used or suspension or withdrawal of approvals. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may also result in decreased demand for our products, injury to our reputation, costs to defend the related litigation, a diversion of management’s time and our resources, substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients and a decline in our stock price. We currently have product liability insurance that we believe is appropriate for our stage of development and may need to obtain higher levels prior to marketing any of our product candidates. Any insurance we have or may obtain may not provide sufficient coverage against potential liabilities. In addition, we may be subject to liability based on the actions of our existing or future collaborators in connection with their development of products using our CAB technology. Furthermore, clinical trial and product liability insurance is becoming increasingly expensive. As a result, we may be unable to maintain sufficient insurance at a reasonable cost to protect us against losses caused by product liability claims that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Risks related to regulatory approval, other legal compliance matters and taxation
We are currently not in compliance with Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements. If we are unable to comply with Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, our common stock could be delisted, which could affect the price of our common stock and liquidity and reduce our ability to raise capital.
Our common stock is currently listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market. The Nasdaq Capital Market has established certain quantitative criteria and qualitative standards that companies must meet to remain listed for trading on this market.
On August 6, 2025, the Listing Qualifications Staff (the “Staff”) of Nasdaq issued a delist determination to the Company, indicating that the Company did not satisfy Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Minimum Bid Price Requirement”) and Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(1)(A) (the “Minimum Stockholders’ Equity Requirement”) (or the alternative standards of $50 million in market value of listed securities (“MVLS”) or $50 million in total assets and $50 million in total revenue). The Company requested a hearing (the “Hearing”) before the Nasdaq Hearing Panel (the “Panel”), at which the Company presented its plan to evidence compliance with all applicable criteria for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550, including the Minimum Bid Price Requirement and the Minimum Stockholders’ Equity Requirement, the alternatives to which are $35 million in MVLS (the “MVLS Rule”) or $500,000 in net income (and, together, the “Equity/MVLS Rule”). On September 16, 2025, the Panel granted the Company’s request for continued listing (the “Panel Decision”), subject to the Company’s timely submission of an application to transfer its listing to The Nasdaq Capital Market, and the Company’s compliance with the Equity/MVLS Rule and the Minimum Bid Price Requirement by December 31, 2025 and February 2, 2026, respectively.
Beginning September 24, 2025, through the close of business on December 31, 2025 (the deadline for compliance with the Minimum Stockholders’ Equity Requirement as set forth in the Panel Decision), the Company evidenced a minimum $35 million MVLS for 69 consecutive trading days, ranging from a low MVLS of $36.03 million to a high MVLS of $71.73 million. Having evidenced compliance with the MVLS Rule for 57 consecutive business days as of December 18, 2026, on December 19, 2025, the Company requested that Nasdaq issue a determination that the Company had regained compliance with the MVLS Rule as an alternative to the Equity Rule.
On January 13, 2026, Nasdaq denied the Company’s request for a compliance determination given that the Company no longer satisfied the MVLS Rule (or the alternative Equity Rule) as of that date. Nasdaq provided the Company with the opportunity to update its plan to evidence compliance with either the Equity/MVLS Rule, which update the Company submitted on January 20, 2026. Nasdaq notified the Company on January 27, 2026, that the Panel had granted the Company an extension through February 2, 2026 to evidence compliance with all applicable criteria for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market.
On February 6, 2026, the Company received notice that Nasdaq had determined to suspend trading in the Company’s securities effective February 10, 2026 (the “Delist Determination”), based upon (i) the Company’s non-compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement and (ii) the Company’s failure to demonstrate compliance with the Minimum Stockholders’ Equity Requirement, the latter notwithstanding the Company’s prior compliance with the alternative threshold of $35 million in MVLS under the MVLS Rule for 69 consecutive trading days. Immediately upon receipt of the Delist Determination, and in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5820(b), the Company submitted a request to the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council (the “Listing Council”) that the Listing Council call for immediate review of the Delist Determination and stay any suspension or delisting action pending completion of the Listing Council’s review. The Company was notified on February 8, 2026 that the Listing Council had determined to call for review the Delist Determination. In rendering its decision, the Listing Council also determined to stay any suspension and delisting action pending the outcome of the Listing Council’s review. Accordingly, the Company’s common stock continues to trade on Nasdaq during the Listing Council review process. The review process is currently ongoing, and it is the Company’s understanding that the review process may take several weeks to a few months to complete.
The Company can provide no assurance that the Listing Council’s review will result in the continued listing of the Company’s common stock on Nasdaq after the outcome of such review. Any delisting of our common stock could adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock, and the market price of our common stock could decrease. In addition, delisting of our common stock could result in the loss of confidence by investors and adversely affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, and would also make it more difficult for our
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stockholders to sell or purchase our common stock when they wish to do so. If trading in the Company’s common stock is ultimately suspended or delisted from Nasdaq, the Company should be eligible to trade on the OTC Markets system, which may have a material adverse effect on the trading price and volume for the common Stock, and the Company’s stockholders may find it more difficult to sell their shares.
The Share Consolidation may not be sufficient to regain or maintain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, and the re-pricing mechanism contained in our outstanding warrants may substantially limit the proceeds we receive from the exercise of such warrants following the Share Consolidation.
The purpose of the Share Consolidation disclosed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is to help regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, as well as to increase the trading price of our common stock to enhance overall liquidity of the common stock by attracting new investors. However, once the Share Consolidation is effected, the effect of the Share Consolidation on the market price of our common stock cannot be predicted with any certainty, and we cannot assure you that the Share Consolidation will accomplish these objectives for any meaningful period of time, or at all. While we expect that the reduction in the number of outstanding shares of common stock will proportionally increase the market price of our common stock, we cannot assure you that the Share Consolidation will increase the market price of our common stock by a multiple of the Share Consolidation ratio, or result in any permanent or sustained increase in the market price of our common stock. The market price of our common stock may be affected by other factors which may be unrelated to the number of shares outstanding, including our business and financial performance, general market conditions and prospects for future success.
In addition, the Share Consolidation will effect a reduction in the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of our outstanding warrants exercisable for shares of common stock in proportion to the Share Consolidation ratio. The exercise price of outstanding warrants will increase in proportion to the Share Consolidation ratio. Furthermore, if the lowest volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) of our common stock during the eleven (11) trading days commencing five (5) trading days immediately preceding the Share Consolidation and ending five (5) trading days immediately following the Share Consolidation is less than the warrant’s adjusted exercise price, then the exercise price of the warrant will be reduced to match that lowest VWAP, as adjusted for the Share Consolidation. Because we expect that the re-pricing mechanism will be triggered, our ability to receive significant proceeds from the exercise of the outstanding warrants will be substantially limited.
We may be unable to obtain U.S. or foreign regulatory approval and, as a result, unable to commercialize our product candidates.
Our product candidates are subject to extensive governmental regulations relating to, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, import, export, safety, effectiveness, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, record keeping, approval, advertising, promotion, marketing, post-approval monitoring and post-approval reporting of drugs and therapeutic biologics. Rigorous preclinical testing and clinical trials and an extensive regulatory approval process are required to be successfully completed in the United States and in many foreign jurisdictions before a new drug or therapeutic biologic can be marketed. Satisfaction of these and other regulatory requirements is costly, lengthy, time-consuming, uncertain and subject to unanticipated delays. We have not previously submitted a BLA to the FDA, or similar drug approval filings to comparable foreign regulatory authorities, for any product candidate, and it is possible that none of the product candidates we may develop will obtain the regulatory approvals necessary for us or our existing or future collaborators to begin selling them.
We have not completed any large-scale or pivotal clinical trials nor managed the regulatory approval process with the FDA or any other comparable foreign regulatory authority. The time required to obtain FDA and other approvals is unpredictable but typically takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials, depending upon the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidate, and numerous other factors including the substantial discretion of regulatory authorities. The standards that the FDA and its foreign counterparts, including the EMA, use when regulating us and our existing or future collaborators require judgment and can change, which makes it difficult to predict with certainty how they will be applied. Any analysis we perform of data from preclinical and clinical activities is subject to confirmation and interpretation by regulatory authorities, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. We may also encounter unexpected delays or increased costs due to new government regulations, for example, from future legislation or administrative action, or from changes in FDA policy during the period of product development, clinical trials and FDA regulatory review. It is impossible to predict whether legislative changes will be enacted, or whether FDA or foreign regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes, if any, may be. For example, the Oncology Center of Excellence within the FDA has advanced Project Optimus, which is an initiative to reform the dose optimization and dose selection paradigm in oncology drug development to emphasize selection of an optimal dose, which is a dose or doses that maximizes not only the efficacy of a drug but the safety and tolerability as well. This shift from the prior approach, which generally determined the maximum tolerated dose, may require sponsors to spend additional time and resources to further explore a product candidate’s dose-response relationship to facilitate optimum dose selection in a target population. Other Oncology Center of Excellence initiatives have included Project FrontRunner, an initiative with a goal of developing a framework for identifying candidate drugs for initial clinical development in the earlier advanced setting rather than for treatment of patients who have received numerous prior lines of therapies or have exhausted available treatment options. We are considering these and other policy changes as they relate to our programs.
In addition, our product candidates could fail to receive regulatory approval for many reasons including the following:
• the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with the design or implementation of our clinical trials;
• we may be unable to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities that a product candidate is safe, pure and potent for its proposed indication;
• the results of clinical trials may fail to achieve the level of statistical significance required by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities for approval;
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• we may be unable to demonstrate that a product candidate’s clinical and other benefits outweigh its safety risks;
• we may be unable to demonstrate that the dose for the product candidate has been optimized;
• we may be unable to demonstrate a sufficient response rate or duration of response for a product candidate;
• the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation of data submitted in support of regulatory approval;
• the data collected from preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates may not be sufficient to support the submission of a BLA or other regulatory submission necessary to obtain regulatory approval in the United States or elsewhere; and
• we or our contractors may not meet the current Good Manufacturing Practices (“cGMPs”) and other applicable requirements for manufacturing processes, procedures, documentation and facilities necessary for approval by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities.
Any delay or failure in obtaining required approvals could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to generate revenues from the particular product candidate for which we are seeking approval. Furthermore, any regulatory approval to market a drug may be subject to significant limitations on the approved uses or indications for which we may market the drug or the labeling or other restrictions. In addition, the FDA has the authority to require a REMS as part of approving a BLA, or after approval, which may impose further requirements or restrictions on the distribution or use of an approved drug. These requirements or restrictions might include limiting prescribing to certain physicians or medical centers that have undergone specialized training, limiting treatment to patients who meet certain safe-use criteria and requiring treated patients to enroll in a registry. These limitations and restrictions may significantly limit the size of the market for the drug and affect reimbursement by third-party payors.
We are also subject to numerous foreign regulatory requirements governing, among other things, the conduct of clinical trials, manufacturing and marketing authorization, pricing and third-party reimbursement. The foreign regulatory approval process varies among countries and may include all of the risks associated with FDA approval described above as well as risks attributable to the satisfaction of local regulations in foreign jurisdictions. Moreover, the time required to obtain approval may differ from that required to obtain FDA approval. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities outside the United States and vice versa. From time to time during the development and regulatory approval process for our therapeutic candidates, we engage in discussions with the FDA and other regulatory authorities regarding our development programs, including discussions about the regulatory requirements for approval. Sometimes different regulatory authorities provide different or conflicting advice. While we attempt to harmonize the advice we receive from multiple regulatory authorities, it is not always practical to do so. Also, we may choose not to harmonize conflicting advice when harmonization would significantly delay clinical trial data or when we believe it is otherwise inappropriate. In addition, regulatory authorities may change their views on aspects of the clinical programs, including study designs, or the ability of the studies as designed to support approval of a product. If we are unable to effectively and efficiently resolve and comply with the inquiries and requests of the FDA and other regulatory authorities, the approval of our therapeutic candidates may be delayed, and their value may be reduced.
We intend to seek approval from the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities through the use of accelerated approval pathways, if available. If we are unable to obtain such approval, we may be required to conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials beyond those that we contemplate, which could increase the expense of obtaining, and delay the receipt of, necessary marketing approvals. Even if we receive accelerated approval from the FDA, if our confirmatory trials do not verify clinical benefit or if we do not comply with rigorous post-marketing requirements, the FDA may seek to withdraw accelerated approval.
We intend to seek accelerated approval for one or more of our product candidates. Under the accelerated approval program, the FDA may grant accelerated approval to a product candidate designed to treat a serious or life-threatening condition that addresses an unmet medical need upon a determination that the product candidate has an effect on a surrogate endpoint or intermediate clinical endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. The FDA considers a clinical benefit to be a positive therapeutic effect that is clinically meaningful in the context of a given disease, such as irreversible morbidity or mortality. For the purposes of accelerated approval, a surrogate endpoint is a marker, such as a laboratory measurement, radiographic image, physical sign, or other measure that is thought to predict clinical benefit but is not itself a measure of clinical benefit. An intermediate clinical endpoint is a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit. The accelerated approval pathway may be used in cases in which the advantage of a new drug over available therapy may not be a direct therapeutic advantage but is a clinically important improvement from a patient and public health perspective. We intend to seek accelerated approval for some of our product candidates on the basis of objective response rate, a surrogate endpoint that we believe is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. For products granted accelerated approval, sponsors are required to verify and describe the product’s clinical benefit generally in the form of confirmatory trials. These confirmatory trials must be completed with due diligence, and the FDA may require that the trial be designed, initiated, and/or fully enrolled prior to approval. If we were to pursue accelerated approval for a product candidate for a disease or condition, we would likely do so on the basis that there is no available therapy for that disease or condition. If any of our competitors were to receive full approval on the basis of a confirmatory trial for a drug for a disease or condition for which we are seeking accelerated approval before we receive accelerated approval, the disease or condition would no longer qualify as one for which there is no available therapy, and accelerated approval of our product candidate would not occur, unless we were able to demonstrate that our product candidate addresses an unmet medical need. Many cancer therapies rely on accelerated approval, and the treatment landscape can change quickly as the FDA converts accelerated approvals to full approvals on the basis of successful confirmatory trials. Failure to conduct required post-approval studies, or to confirm a clinical benefit during post-marketing studies, would allow the FDA to withdraw the product from the market on an expedited basis. All promotional materials for product candidates approved under accelerated regulations are subject to prior review by the FDA.
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Prior to seeking accelerated approval for any of our product candidates, we intend to seek feedback from the FDA and will otherwise evaluate our ability to seek and receive accelerated approval. For example, we received feedback from the FDA in November 2025 on the design of our planned Phase 3 trial of ozuriftamab vedotin for the treatment of oropharyngelal squamous cell carcinoma to support potential accelerated approval. We cannot assure you that after our evaluation of the feedback and other factors we will decide to pursue or submit a BLA for accelerated approval or any other form of expedited development, review or approval. Similarly, we cannot assure you that after subsequent FDA feedback we will continue to pursue accelerated approval or any other form of expedited development, review or approval, even if we initially decide to do so. Furthermore, if we decide to submit an application for accelerated approval or receive an expedited regulatory designation (e.g., breakthrough therapy designation) for our product candidates, we cannot assure you that such application will be accepted or that any expedited development, review or approval will be granted on a timely basis, or at all. The FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities could also require us to conduct further studies prior to considering our application or granting approval of any type.
Recently, the accelerated approval pathway has come under scrutiny within the FDA and by Congress. The FDA has put increased focus on ensuring that confirmatory studies are conducted with diligence and, ultimately, that such studies confirm the anticipated clinical benefit. For example, the FDA has convened its Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee to review what the FDA has called dangling or delinquent accelerated approvals where confirmatory studies have not been completed or where results did not confirm benefit.
The FDA is authorized to require a post-approval study to be underway prior to approval or within a specified time period following approval. The FDA must also specify conditions of any required post-approval study, which may include milestones such as a target date of study completion. Sponsors must submit progress reports for required post-approval studies and any conditions required by the FDA not later than 180 days following approval and not less frequently than every 180 days thereafter until completion or termination of the study. The FDA can initiate an enforcement action for the failure to conduct with due diligence a required post-approval study, including a failure to meet any required conditions specified by the FDA or to submit timely reports. In addition, the Oncology Center of Excellence has announced Project Confirm, which is an initiative to promote the transparency of outcomes related to accelerated approvals for oncology indications and provide a framework to foster discussion, research and innovation in approval and post-marketing processes, with the goal to enhance the balance of access and verification of benefit for therapies available to patients with cancer and hematologic malignancies.
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We may seek Fast Track designation for one or more of our product candidates but we might not receive such designation and, even if granted, such designation may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process and does not increase the likelihood that our product candidates will receive regulatory approval.
In July 2024, the FDA granted Fast Track designation for ozuriftamab vedotin in recurrent or metastatic SCCHN, and we may seek Fast Track designation in the future for other product candidates. If a drug is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease and the drug demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for this disease, the drug may qualify for Fast Track designation. The FDA has broad discretion whether or not to grant this designation. Even if we believe a particular product candidate is eligible for this designation, we cannot assure you that the FDA would decide to grant it. Even if product candidates do receive Fast Track designation, as ozuriftamab vedotin has in recurrent or metastatic SCCHN, we may not experience a faster development process, review or approval compared to conventional FDA procedures. The FDA may withdraw Fast Track designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from its clinical development programs. Many drugs that have received Fast Track designation have failed to obtain approval, and there can be no assurance that such Fast Track designation would lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process, or increase the likelihood of receiving regulatory approval.
If we decide to seek Orphan Drug Designation for some of our product candidates, we may be unsuccessful or may be unable to maintain the benefits associated with Orphan Drug Designation, including the potential for orphan drug exclusivity.
As part of our business strategy, we may seek Orphan Drug Designation for our product candidates, and we may be unsuccessful. Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States and Europe, may designate drugs and therapeutic biologics for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a drug or therapeutic biologic as an orphan drug if it is a drug or therapeutic biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or a patient population greater than 200,000 in the United States where there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing the drug or therapeutic biologic will be recovered from sales in the United States. In the United States, Orphan Drug Designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as tax advantages and user fee waivers. In addition, if a product that has Orphan Drug Designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval of the drug to treat the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications, including a full BLA, to market the same product for the same condition for seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity or where the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient product quantity.
Even if we obtain Orphan Drug Designation for our product candidates in specific conditions, we may not be the first to obtain marketing approval of these product candidates for the orphan-designated condition due to the uncertainties associated with developing pharmaceutical products; in such case, no orphan drug exclusivity would be available unless we could demonstrate “clinical superiority.” In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be limited if we seek approval for an indication broader than the orphan-designated condition or 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. Further, even if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different drugs or therapeutic biologics with different principal molecular structural features can be approved for the same condition. Even after an orphan product is approved, the FDA can subsequently approve the same drug or therapeutic biologic with the same principal molecular structural features for the same condition if the FDA concludes that the later drug or therapeutic biologic is safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care. Orphan Drug Designation neither shortens the development time or regulatory review time of a drug or therapeutic biologic nor gives the drug or therapeutic biologic any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process. In addition, while we may seek Orphan Drug Designation for our product candidates, we may not receive such designations.
Even if we receive regulatory approval for any of our product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense. Additionally, our product candidates, if approved, could be subject to labeling and other restrictions and market withdrawal and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our products.
Any regulatory approvals that we or our existing or future collaborators obtain for our product candidates may also be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which a product may be marketed or to conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing, including “Phase 4” clinical trials, and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product candidate. Additionally, we may receive approval for indications or patient populations that are not as broad as intended or desired. Furthermore, any regulatory approval to market a product may be subject to limitations on the labeling of the product or may require safety warnings or other restrictions. In addition, the FDA has the authority to require a REMS plan as part of a BLA or after approval, which may impose further requirements or restrictions on the distribution or use of an approved biologic, such as limiting prescribing to certain physicians or medical centers that have undergone specialized training, limiting treatment to patients who meet certain safe-use criteria and requiring treated patients to enroll in a registry. These limitations and restrictions may limit the size of the market for the product and affect reimbursement by third-party payors.
In addition, if the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority approves any of our product candidates, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, import, export, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for the product 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. The manufacturer and manufacturing facilities we use to make a future product, if any, will also be subject to periodic review and inspection by the FDA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities, including for continued compliance with cGMP requirements. Any product
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promotion and advertising will also be subject to regulatory requirements and continuing regulatory review. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our third-party manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in, among other things:
• restrictions on the labeling, marketing, or manufacturing of the product;
• restrictions on product distribution or use;
• requirements to conduct post-marketing studies or clinical trials;
• withdrawal of the product from the market or voluntary or mandatory product recalls;
• fines, warning or untitled letters or holds on clinical trials;
• delay of approval or refusal by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us, our current collaborator or any future strategic partners;
• suspension or revocation of product license approvals;
• product seizure or detention or refusal to permit the import or export of products; and
• injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
The FDA’s policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates. We also 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 these regulations impose constraints on the FDA’s ability to engage in oversight and implementation activities in the normal course, our business may be negatively impacted. 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, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Even if we are able to commercialize any product candidate, such product candidate may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations or third-party coverage and reimbursement policies, which would harm our business.
The regulations that govern regulatory approvals, pricing and reimbursement for new drugs and therapeutic biologics vary widely from country to country. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug or therapeutic biologic before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing approval is granted. In some foreign markets, prescription biopharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we might obtain regulatory approval for a product in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay our commercial launch of the product, possibly for lengthy time periods, and negatively impact the revenues we are able to generate from the sale of the product in that country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability to recoup our investment in one or more product candidates, even if our product candidates obtain regulatory approval.
Our ability to commercialize any products successfully also will depend in part on the extent to which reimbursement for these products and related treatments will be available from government authorities, private health insurers and other organizations. Even if we succeed in bringing one or more products to the market, these products may not be considered cost-effective, and the amount reimbursed for any products may be insufficient to allow us to sell our products on a competitive basis. At our programs’ current stages of development, we are unable at this time to determine their cost effectiveness or the likely level or method of reimbursement. Increasingly, the third-party payors who reimburse patients or healthcare providers, such as government and private insurance plans, are requiring that drug companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are seeking to reduce the prices charged or the amounts reimbursed for biopharmaceutical products. If the price we are able to charge for any products we develop, or the reimbursement provided for such products, is inadequate in light of our development and other costs, our return on investment could be adversely affected.
There is significant uncertainty related to third-party payor coverage and reimbursement of newly approved products. For example, in the United States, principal decisions about reimbursement for new products are typically made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”). CMS decides whether and to what extent a new product will be covered and reimbursed under Medicare, and private third-party payors often follow CMS’s decisions regarding coverage and reimbursement to a substantial degree. State Medicaid agencies and Medicaid managed care plans make coverage and payment decisions under Medicaid within federal guidelines. However, one third-party payor’s determination to provide coverage for a product candidate does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage for the product candidate. As a result, the coverage determination process is often time-consuming and costly. This process will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each third-party payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance.
Moreover, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny recently over the manner in which drug manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. On May 12, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order that, among other things, required HHS, within 30 days, to establish and communicate to drug manufacturers most-favored-nation (“MFN”) price targets designed to bring drug prices for American patients in line with those in comparably developed nations. If significant progress towards
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MFN pricing is not achieved, the Executive Order requires HHS to propose a rulemaking to implement MFN pricing. Recently, on December 23, 2025, CMS issued proposed regulations to establish, under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, two mandatory MFN pricing demonstration models under Medicare Part B and Part D.. If these rules or other MFN pricing rules are finalized, they are likely to mandate reduced prices of at least some drugs in the United States, if they are also sold in comparator countries. Even if we do not market drugs in such countries, we will be indirectly affected if our drugs competed with drugs that were reduced by MFN pricing. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.
In some countries, particularly member states of the European Union (EU), the pricing of prescription drugs is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after receipt of marketing approval for a product. In addition, there can be considerable pressure by governments and other stakeholders on prices and reimbursement levels, including as part of cost containment measures. Political, economic and regulatory developments may further complicate pricing negotiations, and pricing negotiations may continue after reimbursement has been obtained. Reference pricing used by various EU member states and parallel distribution, or arbitrage between low-priced and high-priced member states, can further reduce prices. In some countries, we or our existing or future collaborators may be required to conduct a clinical trial or other studies that compare the cost-effectiveness of our product candidates to other available therapies in order to obtain or maintain reimbursement or pricing approval. Publication of discounts by third-party payors or authorities may lead to further pressure on the prices or reimbursement levels within the country of publication and other countries.
There may be significant delays in obtaining reimbursement for newly approved drugs or therapeutic biologics, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the drug or therapeutic biologic is approved by the FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside of the United States. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not guarantee that any drug or therapeutic biologic will be reimbursed in all cases or at a rate that permits us to cover our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Interim reimbursement levels for new drugs or therapeutic biologics, if applicable, may also be insufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent. Reimbursement rates may be based on payments allowed for lower-cost drugs or therapeutic biologics that are already reimbursed, may be incorporated into existing payments for other services and may reflect budgetary constraints or imperfections in Medicare data. Net prices for drugs or therapeutic biologics 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 or therapeutic biologics from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement rates. If reimbursement of any product candidate approved for marketing is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects could be materially and adversely affected, and our ability to commercialize such products, once approved, could be materially impaired.
The FDA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses.
If any of our product candidates are approved and we are found to have improperly promoted off-label uses of those products, we may become subject to significant liability. The FDA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities strictly regulate the promotional claims that may be made about prescription products, such as our product candidates, if approved. In particular, a product may not be promoted for uses that are not approved by the FDA or such other comparable foreign regulatory authorities as reflected in the product’s approved labeling. For example, if we receive marketing approval for mecbotamab vedotin as a treatment for mKRAS NSCLC, and we are found to have promoted off-label uses, we may become subject to significant liability. Physicians may nevertheless use our product for their patients in a manner that is inconsistent with the approved labeling. Moreover, although we believe that our product candidates may be safer or more effective than other therapies, unless we conduct head-to-head comparative studies, we will not be able to make any claims of superiority. The U.S. federal government has levied large civil and criminal fines against companies for alleged improper promotion of off-label use and has enjoined several companies from engaging in off-label promotion. The FDA has also requested that companies enter into consent decrees or permanent injunctions under which specified promotional conduct is changed or curtailed. If we cannot successfully manage the promotion of our product candidates, if approved, we could become subject to significant liability, which would materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Disruptions at the FDA, the SEC and other government agencies caused by, among other factors, funding shortages or global health concerns could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, otherwise prevent new or modified products from being developed, approved or commercialized in a timely manner or at all, or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the operation of our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business.
The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, statutory, regulatory and policy changes and other events that may otherwise affect the FDA’s ability to perform routine functions. In addition, government funding of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities, is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.
Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. Furthermore, the application of newly developed artificial intelligence (“AI”) and other technologies may have the impact of reducing the development time to bring new products to market, which may materially increase the volume of applications for product approval to the FDA compared to historical application levels. If this increased application volume
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materializes and funding for additional staff and resources are not allocated to the FDA, the FDA may not be able to continue its current pace of application reviews and review timelines could be extended. Regulatory authorities outside the U.S. facing similar increases in application volume may also experience delays in their regulatory activities.
Similar consequences would also result in the event of a significant shutdown of the federal government. For example, over the last several years, including for 35 days beginning on December 22, 2018, and most recently beginning on October 1, 2025, the U.S. government has shut down several times and certain regulatory authorities, such as the FDA, have had to furlough critical employees and stop critical activities to the extent they are not funded by existing available user fees. Additionally, starting in January 2025, the new Trump administration has reduced the number of federal employees by establishing voluntary termination programs, by position eliminations or by involuntary terminations.
If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, if funding for the FDA, including for user-fee funded activities or other federal agencies (including their workforce) is reduced or exhausted, if global health concerns prevent the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities from conducting their regular inspections, reviews, or other regulatory activities, or if the volume of applications to the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities for new product candidates increases materially, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, and could even result in a complete cessation of such activities until appropriations legislation or a continuing resolution is passed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, future government shutdowns or delays could impact our ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue our operations.
There is substantial uncertainty regarding the new Administration’s initiatives and how these might impact the FDA, its implementation of laws, regulations, policies and guidance and its personnel. Similar initiatives may also be directed toward other government agencies. These initiatives could prevent, limit or delay development and regulatory approval of our product candidates, which would impact our business.
FDA-regulated industries, such as ours, face substantial uncertainty in regard to the regulatory environment we will face as we proceed with research and development, and possibly in the future commercialization, efforts following the inauguration of President Trump in January 2025. Some of these efforts have manifested to date as efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, including large-scale reductions in force at FDA. The loss of key personnel at the FDA, including those in leadership positions, is likely to impact operations at the FDA, which could result in, among other things, delays or limitations on our ability to obtain guidance from the FDA on our product candidates in development, longer review times, and delays in obtaining regulatory approvals for our product candidates. Moreover, the new Administration has paused payments by, reduced the budget of, and terminated grants provided by the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) as related to its funding for medical research, which has decreased, and may continue to decrease, the ability of facilities that rely on NIH funding to enroll and conduct clinical trials. Some of these actions have been challenged in court and there remains general uncertainty regarding future activities. The new Administration could issue or promulgate executive orders, regulations, policies or guidance that adversely affects us or create a more challenging or costly environment to pursue the development of new therapeutic products. Alternatively, state governments may attempt to address or react to changes at the federal level with changes to their own regulatory frameworks in a manner that is adverse to our operations. If we or our collaborators become negatively impacted by future governmental orders, regulations, policies or guidance as a result of the new Administration, there could be a material adverse effect on us and our business.
The FDA, EMA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities may not accept data from trials conducted in locations outside of their jurisdiction.
We may choose to conduct international clinical trials in the future. The acceptance of study data by the FDA, EMA or other comparable foreign regulatory authority from clinical trials conducted outside of their respective jurisdictions may be subject to certain conditions. In cases where data from foreign clinical trials are intended to serve as the basis for marketing approval in the United States, the FDA will generally not approve the application on the basis of foreign data alone unless (i) the data are applicable to the United States population and United States medical practice; (ii) the trials are performed by clinical investigators of recognized competence and pursuant to current GCP requirements; and (iii) the FDA is able to validate the data through an on-site inspection or other appropriate means. Additionally, the FDA’s clinical trial requirements, including the adequacy of the patient population studied and statistical powering, must be met. In addition, such foreign trials would be subject to the applicable local laws of the foreign jurisdictions where the trials are conducted. We cannot assure you that the FDA, EMA or any applicable foreign regulatory authority will accept data from trials conducted outside of its applicable jurisdiction. If the FDA, EMA or any applicable foreign regulatory authority does not accept such data, it would result in the need for additional trials, which would be costly and time-consuming and delay aspects of our business plan, and which may result in our product candidates not receiving approval for commercialization in the applicable jurisdiction.
Healthcare legislative reform measures may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Existing regulatory 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.
Legislative and regulatory proposals have been made to expand post-approval requirements and restrict sales and promotional activities for pharmaceutical products. We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes on the marketing approvals of our product candidates, if any, may be. In
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addition, increased scrutiny by the U.S. Congress of the FDA’s approval process may significantly delay or prevent marketing approval, as well as subject us to more stringent product labeling and post-marketing testing and other requirements.
In addition, in the United States, there have been and continue to be several legislative initiatives to contain healthcare costs. Previously, in March 2010, the ACA was enacted, which was intended to broaden access to health insurance, reduce or constrain the growth of healthcare spending, enhance remedies against fraud and abuse, add new transparency requirements for healthcare and health insurance industries, impose new taxes and fees on the health industry and impose additional health policy reforms.
Later healthcare reform initiatives culminated in the enactment of the IRA in August 2022, which, among other things, requires HHS to directly negotiate the selling price of a statutorily specified number of drugs and biologics each year that CMS reimburses under Medicare Part B and Part D. The negotiated price may not exceed a statutory ceiling price. Only high-expenditure single-source biologics that have been approved for at least 11 years (7 years for single-source drugs) are eligible to be selected by CMS for negotiation, with the negotiated price taking effect two years after the selection year. For 2026, the first year in which negotiated prices become effective, CMS selected 10 high-cost Medicare Part D products in 2023, negotiations began in 2024, and the negotiated maximum fair price for each product has been announced. These negotiations resulted in significant price reductions for the products from their 2023 list prices, ranging from 38 to 79 percent, with an average price reduction of 59.4 percent. In addition, CMS has selected and negotiated maximum fair pricing for 15 additional Medicare Part D drugs, which will become effective in 2027. For 2028, CMS has selected an additional 15 drugs, comprised of drugs covered under Medicare Part D and, for the first time, drugs payable under Medicare Part B. For 2029 and subsequent years, 20 Part B or Part D drugs will be selected. Currently, a drug or biological product that has an orphan drug designation for only one rare disease or condition is excluded from the IRA’s price negotiation requirements, as long as it is approved only for an indication within that disease or condition. However, as a result of a statutory amendment enacted in July 2025, beginning with the 2028 negotiated price applicability year, a drug may be designated for more than one rare disease or condition and still be excluded from price negotiation, as long as the only approved indications are for such rare diseases or conditions. The negotiated prices have represented, and will continue to represent, a significant discount from average prices to wholesalers and direct purchasers. The law also imposes rebates on Medicare Part D and Part B drugs whose prices have increased at a rate greater than the rate of inflation. Manufacturers that fail to comply with the IRA may be subject to various penalties, including civil monetary penalties. The IRA permits the Secretary of HHS to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years. These provisions may be subject to legal challenges. For example, the provisions related to the negotiation of selling prices of high-expenditure single-source drugs and biologics have been challenged in several lawsuits. Thus, while it is unclear how certain provisions of the IRA will be implemented, the IRA will likely have a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry. It is unclear to what extent other statutory, regulatory, and administrative initiatives will be enacted and implemented, and to what extent these or any future legislation or regulations by the current administration or subsequent administrations will have on our business, including market acceptance, and sales, of our products and product candidates.
Further, on May 30, 2018, the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Beilina Right to Try Act of 2017, or the Right to Try Act, was signed into law. The law, among other things, provides a federal framework for certain patients to access certain investigational new product candidates that have completed a Phase 1 clinical trial and that are undergoing investigation for FDA approval. Under certain circumstances, eligible patients can seek treatment without enrolling in clinical trials and without obtaining FDA permission under the FDA expanded access program. There is no obligation for a drug manufacturer to make its products available to eligible patients as a result of the Right to Try Act.
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”), which, among other things, contains a number of provisions designed to reduce the number of Americans insured under Medicaid and health exchange plans established under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The provisions intended to reduce Medicaid enrollment include a work requirement, under which applicants and current beneficiaries will be required to demonstrate that they are engaged for at least 80 hours per month in work, community service, an educational program, or some combination of these. Parents and caregivers of dependent children 13 years old or less and certain other beneficiaries are exempted. In addition, the OBBBA establishes more frequent eligibility verification requirements, restrictions on how states can finance their share of Medicaid, elimination of coverage for undocumented immigrants, and elimination of coverage for gender affirming care and certain family planning clinics. A Congressional Budget Office (“CBO”) analysis of the Act estimates that 7.8 million adults will lose Medicaid coverage by 2034, of which 5.2 million will be due to the work requirement. In addition, the OBBBA makes changes to the ACA insurance marketplaces, including, among other measures, greater limitations on enrollment periods, which will result in an additional 3.6 million Americans being uninsured by 2034 according to CBO’s estimate. These significant decreases in the numbers of insured Americans will reduce the ability of patients, especially those of modest means, to afford medications, which could reduce the demand for our products.
At the state level, individual states are increasingly aggressive in passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. For example, the FDA released a final rule in September 2020 providing guidance for states to build and submit plans for importing drugs from Canada, and the FDA authorized the first such plan in Florida in January 2024, which has been extended until May 2026. It is unclear whether this program will be extended, how it will be implemented, including which drugs will be chosen, and whether it will be subject to legal challenges in the United States or Canada. Other states have also submitted proposals that are pending review by the FDA. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs. This could reduce the ultimate demand for our drug products that we successfully commercialize or put pressure on our product pricing. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs. These measures could reduce the ultimate demand for our products, once approved, or put pressure on our product pricing.
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We expect that additional state and federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our current product candidates and any future product candidates or additional pricing pressures.
Our relationships with healthcare professionals, clinical investigators, CROs and third-party payors in connection with our current and future business activities may be subject to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, transparency laws, government price reporting and health information privacy and security laws, which could expose us to significant losses, including, among other things, criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, exclusion from governmental healthcare programs, reputational harm, administrative burdens and diminished profits and future earnings.
Healthcare providers, physicians 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 healthcare professionals, clinical investigators, CROs, third-party payors and customers may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we market, sell and distribute our product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Restrictions under applicable federal and state healthcare laws and regulations, include the following:
• the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering, or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind to induce or reward, or in return for, either the referral of an individual, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, any good or service, for which payment may be made under federal and state healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation;
• the U.S. federal false claims and civil monetary penalties laws, including the U.S. federal False Claims Act, which imposes criminal and civil penalties, including through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, against individuals or entities for knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. In addition, a claim including items and services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act;
• HIPAA, which imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services; similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation;
• HIPAA, as amended by HITECH, which imposes obligations on certain covered entity healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses as well as their business associates that perform certain services involving the use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information, including mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security, and transmission of individually identifiable health information, and require notification to affected individuals and regulatory authorities of certain breaches of security of individually identifiable health information;
• federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm customers;
• the U.S. Physician Payments Sunshine Act created under the ACA, and its implementing regulations, which require that certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, medical supplies and therapeutic biologics that are reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Programs report annually to the Department of Health and Human Services information related to certain payments and other transfers of value to physicians, as defined by such law, physician assistants, certain types of advance practice nurses and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by the physicians described above and their immediate family members; and
• analogous state laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws that may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers; some state laws require that pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government in addition to requiring drug and therapeutic biologics manufacturers to report information related to payments to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures, and information related to drug pricing, including price increases. Certain state and local laws also require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives.
Foreign and state laws also govern the privacy and security of health information in some circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts. For instance, the collection and use of health data in the EU is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) which extends the geographical scope of EU data protection law to non-EU entities under certain conditions, tightens existing EU data protection principles and creates new obligations for companies and new rights for individuals. Failure to comply with the GDPR may result in substantial fines and other administrative penalties. The GDPR may increase our responsibility and liability in relation to personal data that we possess and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance with the GDPR. We comply with the GDPR and the UK GDPR, which, together with the amended UK Data Protection Act 2018, retains the GDPR in United Kingdom national law, the latter regime having the ability to separately fine and penalize violations. The relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU in relation to certain aspects of data protection law remains unclear, and it is
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unclear how United Kingdom data protection laws and regulations will develop in the medium to longer term, and how data transfers to and from the United Kingdom will be regulated in the long term. Ongoing developments in the United Kingdom have created additional uncertainty regarding personal data transfers from the European Economic Area (“EEA”) to the United Kingdom following the termination of the personal data transfer grace period set out in the EU and United Kingdom Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which ended on June 30, 2021. It is not clear whether (and when) an adequacy decision may be granted by the European Commission enabling data transfers from EU member states to the United Kingdom long term without additional measures. Moreover, in July 2020 the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework (“Privacy Shield”) under which personal data could be transferred from the EEA and the United Kingdom to entities in the United States who had self-certified under the Privacy Shield scheme. This has led to uncertainty about the adequate transfer mechanisms for other personal data transfers from the EEA and the United Kingdom to the United States or interruption of such transfers. In the event that any court of law orders the suspension of personal data transfers to or from a particular jurisdiction this could give rise to operational interruption in the performance of services for customers, greater costs to implement alternative data transfer mechanisms that are still permitted, regulatory liabilities or reputational harm.
In addition, state laws govern the privacy and security of health information in specified circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts. Certain state laws may be more stringent or broader in scope, or offer greater individual rights, with respect to personal information, and such laws may differ from each other, all of which may complicate compliance efforts. For example, the CCPA, as modified by the CPRA, creates individual privacy rights for California consumers and increases the privacy and security obligations of entities handling certain personal information. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. The CCPA and CPRA may increase our compliance costs and potential liability, and similar laws have been proposed at the federal level and in other states. In addition, Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act, which took effect on January 1, 2023, requires businesses subject to the legislation to conduct data protection assessments in certain circumstances and requires opt-in consent from consumers to acquire and process their sensitive personal information, which includes information revealing a consumer’s physical and mental health diagnosis and genetic and biometric information that can identify a consumer. Colorado enacted the Colorado Privacy Act, and Connecticut enacted the Connecticut Data Privacy Act, each of which took effect on July 1, 2023, and Utah enacted the Consumer Privacy Act, which became effective on December 31, 2023, and each of these laws may increase the complexity, variation in requirements, restrictions, and potential legal risks, and could require increased compliance costs and changes in business practices and policies. Other states have also enacted, proposed, or are considering proposing, data privacy laws, which could further complicate compliance efforts, increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business.
Ensuring that our internal operations and future business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable healthcare, privacy and securities laws and regulations worldwide will involve substantial costs. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental laws and regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, as well as civil private plaintiff litigation, which could mean significant penalties, including civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, exclusion from participation in government-funded healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid or similar programs in other countries or jurisdictions, disgorgement, imprisonment, reputational harm and diminished profits. Responding to regulatory inquiries and defending against any such actions can be costly, time-consuming and may require significant financial and personnel resources. Therefore, even if we are successful in defending against any such actions that may be brought against us, our business may be impaired.
If we fail to comply with U.S. and foreign regulatory requirements, regulatory authorities could limit or withdraw any marketing or commercialization approvals we may receive and subject us to other penalties that could materially harm our business.
Even if we receive marketing and commercialization approval of a product candidate, we will be subject to continuing regulatory requirements, including in relation to adverse patient experiences with the product and clinical results that are reported after a product is made commercially available, both in the United States and any foreign jurisdiction in which we seek regulatory approval. The FDA has significant post-market authority, including the authority to require labeling changes based on new safety information and to require post-market studies or clinical trials to evaluate safety risks related to the use of a product or to require withdrawal of the product from the market. The FDA also has the authority to require a REMS after approval, which may impose further requirements or restrictions on the distribution or use of an approved drug or therapeutic biologic. The manufacturer and manufacturing facilities we use to make a future product, if any, will also be subject to periodic review and inspection by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, including for continued compliance with cGMP requirements. The discovery of any new or previously unknown problems with our third-party manufacturers, manufacturing processes or facilities may result in restrictions on the product, manufacturer or facility, including withdrawal of the product from the market. We rely, and expect we will continue to rely, on third-party manufacturers, and we will not have control over compliance with applicable rules and regulations by such manufacturers. Any product promotion and advertising will also be subject to regulatory requirements and continuing regulatory review. If we or our existing or future collaborators, manufacturers or service providers fail to comply with applicable continuing regulatory requirements in the United States or foreign jurisdictions in which we seek to market our products, we or they may be subject to, among other things, fines, warning or untitled letters, holds on clinical trials, delay of approval or refusal by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approval, product recalls and seizures, administrative detention of products, refusal to permit the import or export of products, operating restrictions, injunctions, civil penalties and criminal prosecution.
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Our research and development activities could be affected or delayed as a result of possible restrictions on animal testing.
Certain laws and regulations may require us to conduct preclinical testing, which is routinely conducted in animals, before initiating clinical trials involving humans. Animal testing activities have been the subject of controversy and adverse publicity. Animal rights groups and other organizations and individuals have attempted to stop animal testing activities by pressing for legislation and regulation in these areas and by disrupting these activities through protests and other means. To the extent the activities of these groups are successful, our research and development activities may be interrupted, delayed or become more expensive.
In April 2025, the FDA announced a plan to phase out animal testing requirements for monoclonal antibodies and other drugs. This plan involves replacing animal testing with scientifically validated new approach methodologies (“NAMs”), including computational modeling and in vitro human-based systems. A roadmap published at the time of the announcement lays out an implementation plan over the next three years, which includes encouraging sponsors to submit NAM data in parallel with animal data, efforts to encourage the reduction and duration of animal testing, and exploration of the feasibility of replacing animal testing with NAMs. This roadmap also identified a long-term goal (3-5 years) to make animal studies the exception, rather than the norm. There is substantial uncertainty regarding the steps the FDA may ultimately take to encourage or require companies to reduce the use of animal testing for any type of investigational product, when such steps might be taken, and what consequences these might have for development programs such as ours. Furthermore, animal testing may still be required for drug approval outside of the U.S. which could impact our development timelines and cost.
We are subject to U.S. and certain foreign export and import controls, sanctions, embargoes, anti-corruption laws and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Compliance with these legal standards could impair our ability to compete in domestic and international markets. We can face criminal liability and other serious consequences for violations, which can harm our business.
We are subject to export control and import laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations, various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (“FCPA”), the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act and other state and national anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in the countries in which we conduct activities. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and prohibit companies and their employees, agents, contractors and other collaborators from authorizing, promising, offering or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or anything else of value to recipients in the public or private sector. We may engage third parties to sell our products outside the United States, to conduct clinical trials and/or to obtain necessary permits, licenses, patent registrations and other regulatory approvals. We have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or government-affiliated hospitals, universities and other organizations. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees, agents, contractors and other collaborators, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities. Any violations of the laws and regulations described above may result in substantial civil and criminal fines and penalties, imprisonment, the loss of export or import privileges, debarment, tax reassessments, breach of contract and fraud litigation, reputational harm and other consequences.
We and our third-party contractors must comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. A failure to comply with these laws and regulations could expose us to significant costs or liabilities.
We and our third-party contractors are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the use, generation, manufacture, distribution, storage, handling, treatment, remediation and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. Hazardous chemicals, including flammable and biological materials, are involved in certain aspects of our business, and we cannot eliminate the risk of injury or contamination from the use, generation, manufacture, distribution, storage, handling, treatment or disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. In the event of contamination or injury, or failure to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, fines and penalties associated with such liability which could exceed our assets and resources.
Although we maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses, we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of biological or hazardous materials or wastes arising out of and in the course of employment, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. We do not maintain insurance for environmental liability that may be asserted against us in connection with our storage or disposal of biological, hazardous or radioactive materials.
Environmental, health and safety laws and regulations are becoming increasingly more stringent. We may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.
Changes in tax laws or in their implementation or interpretation may adversely affect us or our investors.
The rules dealing with the U.S. federal, state and local income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and the U.S. Treasury Department. Changes to tax laws (which changes may have retroactive application) could adversely affect us or holders of our common stock. In recent years, many changes have been made and changes are likely to continue to occur in the future. For example, the OBBBA was signed into law on July 4, 2025, and extends many of the tax law provisions that were set to expire in 2025, allows for the immediate expensing of domestic U.S. research and development expenses, and makes changes to the U.S. taxation of profits derived from foreign operations. The impact of this newly enacted law on our tax position is currently
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under review and will depend on how the provision is implemented and interpreted by the IRS and other regulatory authorities. It cannot be predicted whether, when, in what form, or with what effective dates, new tax laws may be enacted, or regulations and rulings may be enacted, promulgated or issued under existing or new tax laws, which could result in an increase in our or our stockholders’ tax liability or require changes in the manner in which we operate in order to minimize or mitigate any adverse effects of changes in tax law or in the interpretation thereof.
Risks related to the formal process to explore and evaluate strategic options
We have initiated a formal process to explore and evaluate strategic options, and there is no guarantee that this strategic path will be successful.
We are exploring and evaluating strategic options to maximize shareholder value, including sale of preclinical and clinical assets, licensing transactions, strategic partnerships or other corporate transactions. We expect to devote substantial time and resources to exploring such strategic options; however, there is no set time frame and there can be no assurance that such activities will result in any agreements or transactions that will enhance shareholder value. Evaluating a strategic option may divert the attention of our management from ordinary operating matters. The identification, negotiation and completion of any such transaction may also require more time and cash resources than we anticipate. In addition, potential strategic options that require stockholder approval may not be approved by our stockholders.
There can be no assurance that our process to identify and evaluate potential strategic options will result in any definitive offer to consummate a strategic transaction, or if made that the terms thereof will be acceptable to us. If any definitive offer to consummate a strategic transaction is received, there can be no assurance that a definitive agreement will be executed or that, if a definitive agreement is executed, the transaction will be consummated. In addition, there can be no assurance that any transaction involving us and/or our assets that is consummated would enhance shareholder value.
If we are successful in completing a strategic transaction, we may be exposed to other operational and financial risks, including increased near-term or long-term expenditures, exposure to unknown liabilities, incurrence of substantial debt, higher-than-expected acquisition and integration costs, write-downs of assets or impairment charges and increased amortization expenses. If a strategic transaction is not completed, we may be subject to a number of material risks or suffer a number of consequences that may adversely affect our business, financial results and operations.
If we are unable to successfully complete a strategic transaction, we may be forced to cease operations altogether or file for bankruptcy protection.
There can be no assurance that any of our plans will be successful or that additional capital will be available to us on reasonable terms, or at all, when needed or that we will successfully complete a strategic transaction. If we are unable to obtain sufficient additional capital or to conclude a successful strategic transaction, we may be forced to defer, reduce or eliminate significant planned expenditures, dispose of technology or assets including intangible assets, conclude a strategic transaction that is unfavorable to stockholders, enter into arrangements that may require us to relinquish rights to certain of our products or product candidates, technologies or potential markets, delay or stop ongoing clinical trials, cease operations altogether or file for bankruptcy protection.
Our board of directors remains dedicated to diligently deliberating upon and making informed decisions that the directors believe are in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. There can be no assurance, however, that our current strategic direction, or our board of director’s evaluation of strategic options, will result in any initiatives, agreements, transactions or plans that will further enhance shareholder value.
In addition, given the current restructuring of our operations and recent workforce reduction, it may be difficult to evaluate our current business and future prospects on the basis of historical operating performance.
We may not realize any additional value in a strategic transaction.
Potential counterparties in a strategic transaction involving the Company may place minimal or no value on our assets. Further, the development and any potential commercialization of our product candidates will require substantial additional cash to fund the costs associated with conducting the necessary preclinical and clinical testing and obtaining regulatory approval. Consequently, any potential counterparty in a strategic transaction involving the Company may choose not to spend additional resources for the development of our product candidates and may attribute little or no value, in such a transaction, to those product candidates.
If we are successful in completing a strategic transaction, we may be exposed to other operational and financial risks.
Although there can be no assurance that a strategic transaction will result from the process we have undertaken to identify and evaluate strategic options, the negotiation and consummation of any such transaction will require significant time on the part of our management, and the diversion of management’s attention may disrupt our business. The negotiation and consummation of any such transaction may also require more time or greater cash resources than we anticipate and expose us to other operational and financial risks, including:
• inability to retain our key employees;
• increased near-term and long-term expenditures;
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• exposure to unknown liabilities;
• higher than expected acquisition or integration costs;
• incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of equity securities to fund future operations;
• write-downs of assets or incurrence of non-recurring, impairment or other charges;
• increased amortization expenses; and
• possibility of future litigation.
Any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.
We may not fully realize the expected cost savings and/or operating efficiencies from our restructuring activities and our ability to consummate a strategic transaction depends on our ability to retain our employees required to consummate such transaction.
On March 2, 2026, we announced that we have initiated a formal process to explore and evaluate strategic options to maximize shareholder value, including sale of preclinical and clinical assets, licensing transactions, strategic partnerships or other corporate transactions. In connection with the evaluation of strategic alternatives, we are implementing a restructuring plan that includes a workforce reduction of approximately 70%.
We believe that these changes were needed to streamline our organization and reallocate our resources to better align with our current strategic goals, including our current focus on pursuing strategic options. However, these expense reduction measures have and may continue to yield unintended consequences and costs, such as the loss of institutional knowledge and expertise, attrition beyond our intended reductions in workforce, and the risk that we may not achieve the anticipated benefits, all of which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
Our ability to consummate a strategic transaction depends upon our ability to retain our employees required to consummate such a transaction, the loss of whose services may adversely impact the ability to consummate such transaction. There is no set timetable for the process we have initiated to explore strategic options and there can be no assurance that this process will result in the Company pursuing a transaction or that any transaction, if pursued, will be completed on attractive terms. If we are unable to complete a transaction, we may be required to seek a reorganization, liquidation or other restructuring. In addition, our cash conservation activities, as well as the announcement that we are seeking strategic options, may yield unintended consequences.
Transactions that we have previously entered into may be re-evaluated or restructured as part of the strategic process, and there can be no assurance that clinical development of our programs will not be limited or delayed as a result of the strategic process.
As part of the strategic process, transactions we have previously entered into may be re-evaluated or restructured. For example, the transaction with Inversagen AI described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is being re-evaluated and may not close, or if it does close, may close on materially different terms than originally contemplated. As a result, we may fail to realize the anticipated benefits of such transactions, which could adversely affect our research and development capabilities, competitive position and long-term business prospects.
In addition, there can be no assurance that clinical development of our programs will not be limited or delayed as a result of the strategic process. We are actively re-evaluating the timing and scope of our clinical development programs, and clinical trial timelines may be adjusted, extended or paused pending the outcome of the strategic process. Any such limitation, delay or suspension of our clinical development activities could harm our ability to advance our product candidates, generate meaningful clinical data and achieve key development milestones on a timely basis, or at all.
Risks related to employee matters, managing our growth and other risks related to our business
If we fail to attract and retain qualified senior management and key clinical and scientific personnel, our business may be materially and adversely affected.
Our success depends in part on our continued ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified management and clinical and scientific personnel. We are highly dependent upon members of our senior management, including Jay M. Short, Ph.D., our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, as well as our clinical development leaders, senior scientists, and other members of our senior management team. The loss of services of any of these individuals could delay or prevent the successful development of our product pipeline, the initiation and completion of our planned clinical trials or the commercialization of product candidates or any future product candidates.
There is competition for qualified personnel in the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biotechnology field due to the limited number of individuals who possess the skills and experience required by our industry. We will need to hire additional personnel as we expand our clinical development and if we initiate commercial activities. We may not be able to attract and retain quality personnel on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, to the extent we hire personnel from competitors, we may be subject to allegations that they have been improperly solicited or that they have divulged proprietary or other confidential information, or that their former employers own their research output.
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We currently have no sales organization. If we are unable to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities on our own or through third parties, we may not be able to market and sell our product candidates, if approved, effectively in the United States and foreign jurisdictions or generate product revenue.
We currently do not have a marketing or sales organization. In order to commercialize our product candidates in the United States and foreign jurisdictions on our own, we must build our marketing, sales, distribution, managerial and other non-technical capabilities or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services, and we may not be successful in doing so. If any of our product candidates receives regulatory approval, we will need to develop internal sales, marketing and distribution capabilities to commercialize such products, which would be expensive and time-consuming, or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services. If we decide to market our products directly, we will need to commit significant financial and managerial resources to develop a marketing and sales force with technical expertise and supporting distribution, administration and compliance capabilities. If we rely on third parties with such capabilities to market our products or decide to co-promote products with existing or future collaborators, we will need to establish and maintain marketing and distribution arrangements with third parties, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to enter into such arrangements on acceptable terms, or at all. In entering into third-party marketing or distribution arrangements, any revenue we receive will depend upon the efforts of the third parties, and we cannot assure you that such third parties will establish adequate sales and distribution capabilities or be successful in gaining market acceptance of any approved product. If we are not successful in commercializing any product approved in the future, either on our own or through arrangements with one or more third parties, we may not be able to generate any future product revenue and we would incur significant additional losses.
In order to successfully implement our plans and strategies, we will need to grow the size of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth.
As of December 31, 2025, we had 41 employees, including part-time employees. In order to successfully implement our development and commercialization plans and strategies, and operate as a public company, we expect to need additional development, managerial, operational, financial, sales, marketing and other personnel. Future growth would impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including, among others:
• identifying, recruiting, integrating, maintaining and motivating additional employees;
• managing our internal development efforts effectively, including the clinical and regulatory review process for mecbotamab vedotin, ozuriftamab vedotin, evalstotug, BA3182 and any other product candidates, while complying with our contractual obligations to contractors and other third parties; and
• improving our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures.
Our future financial performance and our ability to successfully develop and, if approved, commercialize mecbotamab vedotin, ozuriftamab vedotin, evalstotug, BA3182, and any future product candidates will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage any future growth, and our management may also have to divert a disproportionate amount of its attention away from day-to-day activities in order to devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities. In addition, as a smaller organization, we may face limitations in our ability to successfully implement and manage our plans and strategies due to resource constraints and limited personnel. These limitations may hinder our ability to execute multiple initiatives simultaneously, respond quickly to market or regulatory changes, and effectively compete with larger organizations that have greater resources and infrastructure. If we are unable to overcome the challenges associated with operating as a smaller organization, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
To date, we have used the services of outside vendors to augment our capabilities in performing certain tasks, including preclinical and clinical trial management, manufacturing, statistics and analysis and research and development functions. Our growth strategy may also entail expanding our group of such contractors or consultants to assist in implementing these tasks going forward. Because we rely on numerous consultants, we will need to be able to effectively manage these consultants to ensure that they successfully carry out their contractual obligations and meet expected deadlines. However, if we are unable to effectively manage our outsourced activities or if the quality or accuracy of the services provided by consultants is compromised for any reason, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for mecbotamab vedotin, ozuriftamab vedotin, evalstotug, BA3182, and any future product candidates or otherwise advance our business. We may not be able to manage our existing outside contractors or find other competent outside contractors and consultants on economically reasonable terms, or at all. If we are not able to effectively expand our organization by hiring new employees and expanding our groups of consultants and contractors, we may not be able to successfully implement the tasks necessary to further develop and commercialize mecbotamab vedotin, ozuriftamab vedotin, evalstotug, BA3182, and any future product candidates and, accordingly, may not achieve our research, development and commercialization goals.
Our employees and independent contractors, including principal investigators, CROs, consultants and vendors, may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements.
We are exposed to the risk that our employees and independent contractors, including principal investigators, CROs, consultants and vendors may violate (intentionally or unintentionally) our internal processes and procedures, or engage in misconduct or other illegal activity. Such actions could include intentional, reckless and/or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violate: (1) the laws and regulations of the FDA and other similar regulatory requirements, including those laws that require the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to such authorities, (2) manufacturing standards, including cGMP requirements, (3) data privacy, security, fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations in the United States and abroad, (4) laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data or (5) company policies on the use of social media and disclosure of confidential information. Activities subject to
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these laws also involve the improper use or misrepresentation of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, the creation of fraudulent data in our preclinical studies or clinical trials, or illegal misappropriation of drug product, which could result in regulatory sanctions and cause serious harm to our reputation. It is not always possible to identify, prevent and deter these activities and/or misconduct by employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. In addition, we are subject to the risk that a person or government could allege such actions, including fraud or other misconduct, even if none occurred. If any such actions are instituted against us, we may incur significant costs to respond, and if we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business and financial results, including, without limitation, the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, disgorgements, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, individual imprisonment, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and curtailment of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.
We depend on our information technology systems and those of our CROs, manufacturers, contractors and consultants. Our internal computer systems, such as our enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system, or those of any of our CROs, manufacturers, other contractors, consultants, existing or future collaborators, may fail or suffer security or data privacy breaches or other unauthorized or improper access to, use or acquisition of or destruction of our proprietary and confidential data, employee data or personal data, which could result in additional costs, loss of revenue, significant liabilities, harm to our reputation and material disruption of our operations.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, store and transmit large amounts of confidential information, including intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information. Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and infrastructure and those of our current and any future CROs, manufacturers, other contractors, consultants, existing or future collaborators and other third-party service providers are vulnerable to unauthorized access, impairment, or damage from various methods, including cybersecurity attacks, ransomware attacks, breaches, intentional or accidental mistakes or errors, or other technological failures, which can include, among other things, computer viruses, malware, exploit of unpatched product or service vulnerabilities, unauthorized access attempts (including third parties gaining access to systems using stolen or inferred credentials), denial-of-service attacks, phishing attempts, service disruptions, natural disasters, fire, terrorism, war, telecommunication and electrical failures, and attacks enhanced or facilitated by AI. As the cyber-threat landscape evolves, these attacks are growing in frequency, levels of persistence, sophistication and intensity, are becoming increasingly difficult to detect, and are being conducted by sophisticated groups and individuals with a wide range of motives and expertise. We may also face increased cybersecurity risks due to our reliance on internet technology and the number of our employees who are working remotely, which may create additional opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. Furthermore, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to, or to sabotage, systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. We may also experience security breaches that may remain undetected for an extended period. If such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, impact to critical data or systems, or result in the unauthorized acquisition of or access to personally identifiable information or individually identifiable health information (violating certain privacy, cybersecurity or data protection laws such as HIPAA, HITECH, the CCPA and GDPR), it could result in a material disruption of our product candidate development programs and our business operations and we could incur significant liabilities. There also could be requirements that we notify individuals and regulators in the event of unauthorized access to, acquisition, destruction, alteration, or misuse of, personal or health information, which could result from breaches experienced by us or by our vendors, contractors or organizations with which we have formed strategic relationships. Notifications and follow-up actions related to a security breach could impact our reputation and cause us to incur significant costs, including legal expenses and remediation costs, and result in the loss of confidence by our partners, customers, and stakeholders, and thereby have longer term adverse impact on our business operations and revenue. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed, ongoing or future clinical trials involving our product candidates could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the lost data. In addition, because of our approach of running multiple clinical trials in parallel, any breach of our computer systems may result in a loss of data or compromised data integrity across many of our programs in various stages of development.
We also rely on third parties to manufacture our product candidates, and similar events relating to their computer systems could also have a material adverse effect on our business. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could be exposed to litigation and governmental investigations, the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed and we could be subject to significant fines or penalties for any noncompliance with certain state, federal or international privacy and security laws.
We operate our ERP system and other key business systems on SaaS platforms. Accordingly, we depend on these systems, and the third-party providers of these services, for several aspects of our operations. If these service providers or these systems fail, or if we are unable to continue to have access to these systems on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, operations could be severely disrupted until an equivalent system(s) could be identified, licensed or developed, and integrated into our operations. This disruption could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our insurance policies may not be adequate to compensate us for the potential losses arising from any such disruption, failure or security breach. In addition, such insurance may not be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms, or at all. Further, our insurance may not cover all claims made against us and could have high deductibles in any event, and defending a suit, regardless of its merit, could be costly and divert management attention.
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In addition to experiencing a security incident, third parties may gather, collect, or infer sensitive data about us from public sources, data brokers, or other means that reveal competitively sensitive details about our organization and could be used to undermine our competitive advantage or market position. Additionally, sensitive data of the Company could be leaked, disclosed, or revealed as a result of or in connection with our employees’, personnel’s, or vendors’ use of generative AI technologies. The increasing adoption of AI tools and platforms introduces additional risks, including the potential for unauthorized access to proprietary information, generation of inaccurate or misleading content, and exposure to new cybersecurity threats. AI-generated outputs may also inadvertently violate regulatory requirements or intellectual property rights, which could result in legal liability or reputational harm. As AI technologies evolve rapidly, it may be challenging to anticipate and mitigate all associated risks, and our existing controls may not be sufficient to address emerging threats. Any failure to effectively manage AI-related risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
A portion of our research and development activities take place in China. Uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws, rules and regulations, a trade war, deterioration of international relations, or political unrest in China could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We previously conducted preclinical research and development activities in China through BioDuro-Sundia, which is U.S. owned, but governed by Chinese laws, rules and regulations, and we may in the future conduct similar research and development activities in China. Additionally, our agreement with Himalaya Therapeutics Limited Company is for the initiation of clinical trials of evalstotug in the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. In addition, the Chinese legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or not published at all, and which may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until after the occurrence of the violation. Any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Since Chinese administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in U.S. or EU legal systems.
We do some business with companies in China, and it is possible some of our contractual counterparties could be impacted by the legislation targeting China. One particular executive order titled Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy signed on September 12, 2022 will likely impact the pharmaceutical industry to encourage U.S. domestic manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. Moreover, there have been Congressional legislative proposals, such as the bill titled the BIOSECURE Act, which was recently signed into law in December 2025, prohibits U.S. federal agencies from entering into or renewing any contract with any entity that uses biotechnology equipment or services produced or provided by a “biotechnology company of concern” to perform that contract as well as authorize the U.S. government to name additional Chinese “biotechnology companies of concern.” While prior versions of the BIOSECURE Act explicitly named “biotechnology companies of concern,” the revised version defines a “biotechnology company of concern” as an entity that is identified on the annual 1260H List of Chinese military companies (the “1260H List”) issued by the U.S. Department of Defense, any entity designated by the U.S. Government as such, and certain affiliates of the foregoing. In addition, the BIOSECURE Act provides a grandfathering period of five years for entities that are designated by the U.S. Government; however, entities identified on the 1260H List are not eligible for such grandfathering period. It is possible for the legislation to be amended. If this law, or similar laws that are passed impact Chinese biotechnology manufacturing companies that may be or may become contractors of ours or provide biotechnology equipment or services in the manufacture of our products or products candidates, we may be restricted in our ability to work with such Chinese biotechnology manufacturing companies to the extent we would contract with, or otherwise receive funding from, the U.S. government. As a result, we may need to seek alternative CMO relationships. While we believe we will be able to identify and contract with such alternative CMOs, we cannot predict the terms of any such alternative arrangement nor what actions may ultimately be taken with respect to trade relations between the United States and China or other countries, what products and services may be subject to such actions or what actions may be taken by China or the other countries in retaliation. In addition, any unfavorable government policies on international trade, such as export controls, capital controls or tariffs, new legislation or regulations, renegotiation of existing trade agreements, or any retaliatory trade actions due to recent or future trade tension, may impede, delay, limit, or increase the cost of manufacturing our product candidates. Such events could result in our clinical or commercial supply, packaging and other services being interrupted or limited, which could harm our business.
Furthermore, we are exposed to the possibility of disruption of our research and development activities in the event of changes in the policies of the United States or Chinese governments, political unrest or unstable economic conditions in China, including the escalation of tensions between China and Taiwan. In addition, disagreements between the United States and China with respect to their political, military or economic policies toward Taiwan may contribute to further controversies. For example, a trade war could lead to increased costs for clinical materials that are manufactured in China. These interruptions or failures and any restrictive measures resulting from a deterioration of U.S.- China relations could also result in impeding the commercialization of our product candidates and impair our competitive position. Further, we may be exposed to fluctuations in the value of the local currency in China. Future appreciation of the local currency could increase our costs. These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into and our ability to continue our research and development activities and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our current operations are concentrated in one location. We or the third parties upon whom we depend may be adversely affected by earthquakes, wildfires or other natural disasters, and our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not adequately protect us from a serious disaster.
While our current operations are located in our facilities in San Diego, California, we have in the past conducted and may in the future conduct a portion of our research and development activities in other countries. Any unplanned event, such as flood, fire, explosion, earthquake, extreme weather condition, medical epidemics or pandemics, power shortage, telecommunication failure or other natural or manmade accidents or
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incidents that result in us being unable to fully utilize our facilities, or the manufacturing facilities of our third-party contract manufacturers, may have a material and adverse effect on our ability to operate our business, particularly on a daily basis, and have significant negative consequences on our financial and operating conditions. Loss of access to these facilities may result in increased costs, delays in the development of our product candidates or interruption of our business operations. Earthquakes, wildfires or other natural disasters could further disrupt our operations and have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. If a natural disaster, power outage or other event prevented us from using all or a significant portion of our headquarters, damaged critical infrastructure, such as our research facilities or the manufacturing facilities of our third-party contract manufacturers, or otherwise disrupted operations, it may be difficult or, in certain cases, impossible, for us to continue our business for a substantial period of time. The disaster recovery and business continuity plans we have in place may prove inadequate in the event of a serious disaster or similar event. We may incur substantial expenses as a result of the limited nature of our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. As part of our risk management policy, we maintain insurance coverage at levels that we believe are appropriate for our business. However, in the event of an accident or incident at these facilities, we cannot assure you that the amounts of insurance will be sufficient to satisfy any damages and losses. If our facilities, or the manufacturing facilities of our third-party contract manufacturers, are unable to operate because of an accident or incident or for any other reason, even for a short period of time, any or all of our research and development programs may be harmed. Any business interruption may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, all of our therapeutic antibodies are manufactured by starting with cells from a master cell bank which are stored in multiple locations to reduce the risk of loss. While we believe we will have adequate backup should any cell bank be lost in a catastrophic event, and we take precautions when transporting our cell banks, it is possible that we could lose several cell banks and have our manufacturing severely impacted by the need to replace the cell banks.
Our business is subject to economic, political, regulatory and other risks associated with conducting business internationally.
We, our collaborators or licensees may seek regulatory approval of our product candidates outside of the United States including in China, the EU, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Additionally, pursuant to our agreement with Himalaya Therapeutics Limited Company, we conduct clinical trials in the People’s Republic of China. Accordingly, we expect that we will be subject to additional risks related to operating in foreign countries if we obtain the necessary approvals, including, among others:
• differing regulatory requirements and reimbursement regimes in foreign countries;
• unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers, price and exchange controls and other regulatory requirements;
• economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability in particular foreign economies and markets;
• compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad;
• foreign taxes, including withholding of payroll taxes;
• foreign currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenue, and other obligations incident to doing business in another country;
• difficulties staffing and managing foreign operations;
• workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States;
• potential liability under the FCPA or comparable foreign regulations;
• challenges enforcing our contractual and intellectual property rights, especially in those foreign countries that do not respect and protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the United States;
• production shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad; and
• business interruptions resulting from geo-political actions, including war and terrorism.
Furthermore, changes in laws or policies governing the terms of trade, and in particular increased trade restrictions, tariffs or taxes on imports from countries where we manufacture products, such as China, could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. The impact of these tariffs is subject to several factors, including the effective date and duration of such tariffs, changes in the amount, scope and nature of the tariffs in the future, any retaliatory responses to such actions that the target countries may take and any mitigating actions that may become available. Under the current U.S. administration, there is significant and increasing uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States, China, and other exporting countries, including with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations, and tariffs. On April 9, 2025, President Trump announced a pause to previously announced tariffs on most countries for 90 days while the United States works with its trade partners to negotiate new trade agreements. On May 12, 2025, a new executive order was issued by President Trump to (i) suspend the previously imposed 34% reciprocal tariff on imports from China for a period of 90 days, through approximately August 12, 2025; (ii) eliminate the retaliatory tariff increases imposed on April 8 and April 9, which had raised the reciprocal tariff rate from 34% to 125%; and (iii) reinstate the 10% baseline tariff on imports originating from China, Hong Kong, and Macau for the duration of the 90-day period. On July 7, 2025, President Trump delayed imposition of new tariff rates until August 1, 2025, and sent letters to leaders of 14 countries with warnings that new higher tariff rates will come into effect unless they reach a trade agreement with the United States by August 1, 2025. Effective as of August 7, 2025, the United States implemented additional “reciprocal” duties on most imports, generally ranging from 15% to 40%. Notably with respect to China, the temporary 10% reciprocal rate was extended for an additional 90 days on August 12, 2025 through November 10, 2025, so Chinese-origin goods remain subject to the 10% reciprocal tariff (in addition to other applicable duties).
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Despite recent trade negotiations between the U.S. and the Mexican, Canadian and Chinese governments, given the uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of any new tariffs, as well as the potential for additional tariffs or trade barriers by the U.S., Mexico, Canada, China or other countries, we can provide no assurance that any strategies we implement to mitigate the impact of such tariffs or other trade actions will be successful.
Additionally, geopolitical tensions and disruptions, such as the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the wars between Israel and the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating conflict and tensions with Iran, could impact our current and future international operations or our ability to seek approval of our product candidates outside of the United States. It is not possible to predict the broader consequences of these conflicts, which could include further sanctions, embargoes, greater regional instability, geopolitical shifts and other adverse effects on macroeconomic conditions, such as tariffs and trade disputes with other countries, inflation, rising interest rates, currency exchange rates, supply chain challenges and financial market conditions. These and other risks associated with our international operations may materially adversely affect our ability to attain or maintain profitable operations.
We face risks related to health epidemics and outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our preclinical studies, affect enrollment of patients in our clinical trials or delay or prevent our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals.
We face risks related to health epidemics or outbreaks of communicable diseases. The outbreak of communicable diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect general commercial activity and the economies and financial markets of many countries. Health pandemics in the past have resulted in, and in the future may result in, governments implementing numerous containment measures, such as travel bans and restrictions, particularly quarantines, shelter-in-place or total lock-down orders and business limitations and shutdowns.
We are following, and plan to continue to follow, recommendations from federal, state and local governments regarding workplace policies, practices and procedures. We are complying with all applicable guidelines for our clinical trials, including remote clinical monitoring.
In addition, health epidemics in the past have had, and in the future may have, a severe effect on the clinical trials of many drug candidates of several sponsors. The extent to which any future health epidemics may impact our preclinical and clinical trial operations is uncertain and will depend on future developments. Disruptions or restrictions on our ability to travel to monitor data from our clinical trials, or to conduct clinical trials, or the ability of patients enrolled in our studies to travel, or the ability of staff at study sites to travel, as well as temporary closures of our facilities or the facilities of our clinical trial partners and their contract manufacturers, would negatively impact our clinical trial activities. In addition, we rely on independent clinical investigators, CROs and other third-party service providers to assist us in managing, monitoring and otherwise carrying out our preclinical studies and clinical trials, including the collection of data from our clinical trials, and an outbreak may affect their ability to devote sufficient time and resources to our programs or to travel to sites to perform work for us. Similarly, the expected timeline for data readouts of our preclinical studies and clinical trials and certain regulatory filings may be negatively impacted, which would adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approval for and to commercialize our product candidates, increase our operating expenses and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Risks related to our dependence on third parties
We have entered, and may in the future seek to enter, into collaborations with third parties for the development and commercialization of certain of our product candidates. If we fail to enter into such collaborations, or such collaborations are not successful, we may not be able to capitalize on the market potential of our patented technology platform and resulting product candidates.
We have entered, and may in the future seek to enter, into collaborations with third parties for the development and commercialization of certain of our product candidates. For example, in September 2024 we entered into an agreement to license BA3362, a Nectin-4 x CD3 T cell engaging (“TCE”) bispecific CAB antibody to Context Therapeutics. In addition, we are currently exploring potential third-party collaborators for development and commercialization of select CAB product candidates. With respect to our collaborations, and what we expect will be the case with any future license or collaboration agreements, we have, and would expect to have, limited control over the amount and timing of resources that our existing or future collaborators dedicate to the development or commercialization of our product candidates. Our ability to generate revenues from these arrangements will depend on our existing or future collaborators’ willingness to select additional product candidates to license and their abilities and willingness to fulfill their payment obligations and successfully perform the functions assigned to them in these arrangements.
Our existing collaboration arrangements currently pose, and future collaborations involving our product candidates will pose, the following risks to us:
• collaborators have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to these collaborations;
• collaborators may not pursue development and commercialization of our product candidates or may elect not to continue or renew development or commercialization programs based on preclinical or clinical trial results, changes in the collaborators’ strategic focus due to their acquisition of competitive products or their internal development of competitive products, available funding or other external factors, such as a business combination that diverts resources or creates competing priorities;
• collaborators may delay clinical trials, provide insufficient funding for a clinical trial program, stop a clinical trial or abandon a product candidate, repeat or conduct new clinical trials or require a new formulation of a product candidate for clinical testing;
• collaborators and other alliances could independently develop, or develop with third parties, products that compete directly or
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indirectly with our product candidate, particularly if the collaborators believe that competitive products are more likely to be successfully developed or can be commercialized under terms that are more economically attractive than ours;
• collaborators with marketing, manufacturing and distribution rights to one or more products may not commit sufficient resources to or otherwise not perform satisfactorily in carrying out these activities;
• we could grant exclusive rights to our collaborators that would prevent us from collaborating with others;
• collaborators may not properly maintain or defend our intellectual property rights or may use our intellectual property or proprietary information in a way that gives rise to actual or threatened litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property or proprietary information or expose us to potential liability;
• collaborators may infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties, which may expose us to litigation and potential liability;
• disputes may arise between the collaborators and us that result in the delay or termination of the research, development or commercialization of our product candidate or that result in costly litigation or arbitration that diverts management attention and resources;
• disputes may arise with respect to the ownership of any intellectual property developed pursuant to our collaborations;
• collaborators may not provide us with timely and accurate information regarding development, regulatory or commercialization status or results, which could adversely impact our ability to manage our own development efforts, accurately forecast financial results or provide timely information to our stockholders regarding our out-licensed product candidates;
• collaborations may be terminated and, if terminated, this may result in a need for additional capital to pursue further development or commercialization of the applicable current or future product candidates; and
• collaborators’ sales and marketing activities or other operations may not be in compliance with applicable laws resulting in civil or criminal proceedings.
Collaboration agreements may not lead to development or commercialization of our product candidates in the most efficient manner or at all. If a collaborator of ours were to be involved in a business combination, the continued pursuit and emphasis on our product development or commercialization program could be delayed, diminished or terminated.
If our existing or future collaborators cease development efforts under our existing or future collaboration agreements, or if any of those agreements are terminated, we may lose committed funding under those agreements and these collaborations may fail to lead to commercial products and the reputation of our patented CAB technology platform may suffer.
Revenue from research and development collaborations depend upon continuation of the collaborations, initiation and expansion of the number of programs subject to the collaborations, the achievement of milestones and royalties, if any, derived from future products developed from our research. If we are unable to successfully advance the development of our product candidates or achieve milestones, revenue and cash resources from milestone payments under our existing or future collaboration agreements will be substantially less than expected.
Our ability to advance our product candidates may be limited by third parties on which we rely for certain technologies which we use in certain of our programs. If any third party developing our product candidates or other candidates based on our patented CAB technology platform experiences a delay or failure in development, regulatory approval or commercialization, even if such failure is not due to our CAB technology, it could reflect negatively on us, our other product candidates and our patented CAB technology platform. In addition, if one of our current or future collaborators terminates its agreement with us, we may find it more difficult to attract new collaborators and our perception in the business and financial communities and our stock price could be adversely affected.
We may not be successful in establishing commercialization collaborations, which could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our product candidates, if approved.
From time to time, we may evaluate and, if strategically attractive, seek to enter into additional collaborations, including with major biotechnology or biopharmaceutical companies. The competition for collaborators is intense, and such arrangements are complex and time-consuming to negotiate, document, and implement and they may require substantial resources to maintain. Any new collaboration may be on terms that are not optimal for us, and we may not be able to maintain any new collaboration if, for example, development or approval of a product candidate is delayed, sales of an approved product candidate do not meet expectations or the collaborator terminates the collaboration.
In addition, it is possible that a collaborator may not devote sufficient resources to the commercialization of our product candidates or may otherwise fail in its commercialization efforts, in which event the commercialization of such product candidates could be delayed or terminated and our business could be substantially harmed. In addition, the terms of any collaboration or other arrangement that we establish may not be favorable to us or may not be perceived as favorable, which may negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
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If third parties on which we rely to conduct our preclinical and clinical trials, do not perform as contractually required, fail to satisfy regulatory or legal requirements or miss expected deadlines, our development programs could be delayed with material and adverse effects on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We rely, and expect we will continue to rely, on third-party investigators, CROs, data management organizations and consultants to conduct, supervise and monitor our ongoing clinical trials and preclinical studies. Because we rely on these third parties and do not have the ability to conduct preclinical studies or clinical trials independently, we have less control over the timing, quality and other aspects of preclinical studies and clinical trials than we would have had we conducted them on our own. These investigators, CROs and consultants are not our employees, and we will have limited control over the amount of time and resources that they dedicate to our development programs. These third parties may have contractual relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors, which may draw time and resources from our development programs. The third parties with whom we contract might not be diligent, careful or timely in conducting our preclinical studies or clinical trials, resulting in the preclinical studies or clinical trials being delayed or unsuccessful.
If we do not contract with acceptable third parties on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or if these third parties do not carry out their contractual duties, satisfy legal and regulatory requirements for the conduct of preclinical studies or clinical trials or meet expected deadlines, our development programs could be delayed and otherwise adversely affected. Furthermore, we depend on the availability of various animals to conduct certain preclinical studies that we are required to complete prior to submitting an IND and initiating clinical development or to continue clinical development, including pharmacological and toxicology evaluations. The availability of suitable animals can vary and impact our development timelines and cost. In all events, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our preclinical studies and clinical trials are conducted in accordance with the general investigational plan, protocols for the trial and regulatory requirements. The FDA requires preclinical studies to be conducted in accordance with GLPs and clinical trials to be conducted in accordance with GCPs, including for designing, conducting, recording and reporting the results of preclinical studies and clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of clinical trial participants are protected. Our reliance on third parties that we do not control does not relieve us of these responsibilities and requirements. Any adverse development or delay in our preclinical studies and clinical trials could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We rely on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical studies and our ongoing clinical trials, and we expect to continue to do so for additional clinical trials and ultimately commercialization. This reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or products, if approved, or such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.
We rely, and expect we will continue to rely, on third-party contract manufacturers to manufacture our preclinical and clinical trial product supplies and the raw materials used to create our product candidates. We do not own manufacturing facilities for producing such supplies, and we do not have long-term manufacturing agreements. Furthermore, the raw materials for our product candidates may be sourced, in some cases, from a single-source supplier. If we were to experience an unexpected loss of supply of any of our product candidates or any of our future product candidates for any reason, whether as a result of manufacturing, supply or storage issues or otherwise, we could experience delays, disruptions, suspensions or terminations of, or be required to restart or repeat, any pending or ongoing clinical trials. We cannot assure you that our preclinical and clinical development product supplies or raw materials will not be limited, interrupted, or be of satisfactory quality or continue to be available at acceptable prices. In particular, any replacement of a manufacturer could require significant effort and expertise because there are a limited number of qualified replacements. The technical skills or technology required to manufacture our product candidates may be unique or proprietary to the original manufacturer and we may have difficulty transferring such skills or technology to another third party and a feasible alternative may not exist. These factors would increase our reliance on such manufacturer or require us to obtain a license from such manufacturer in order to have another third-party manufacture our product candidates.
If we apply for regulatory approval of any of our product candidates, the facilities used by our contract manufacturers to manufacture our product candidates will be subject to inspection by the FDA or other regulatory authorities. If our contract manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material that conforms to our specifications and the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA or others or if they are unable to maintain a compliance status acceptable to the FDA or other regulatory authorities, approval of our product candidates may be delayed or 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.
We expect to continue to rely on third-party manufacturers if we receive regulatory approval for any product candidate. If we are unable to obtain or maintain third-party manufacturing for product candidates, or to do so on commercially reasonable terms, we may not be able to develop and commercialize our product candidates successfully. Even if we are able to establish agreements with third-party manufacturers, reliance on third-party manufacturers entails additional risks, including:
• the failure of the third party to manufacture our product candidates according to our schedule, or at all, including if our third-party contractors give greater priority to the supply of other products over our product candidates or otherwise do not satisfactorily perform according to the terms of the agreements between us and them;
• the reduction or termination of production or deliveries by suppliers, or the raising of prices or renegotiation of terms;
• the termination or nonrenewal of arrangements or agreements by our third-party contractors at a time that is costly or inconvenient for us;
• the breach by the third-party contractors of our agreements with them;
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• the failure of third-party contractors to comply with applicable regulatory requirements;
• the failure of the third party to manufacture our product candidates according to our specifications;
• the mislabeling of clinical supplies, potentially resulting in the wrong dose amounts being supplied or active drug not being properly identified;
• clinical supplies not being delivered to clinical sites on time, leading to clinical trial interruptions, or of drug supplies not being distributed to commercial vendors in a timely manner, resulting in lost sales; and
• the misappropriation of our proprietary information, including our trade secrets and know-how.
In addition, we have no material long-term contracts with our suppliers, and we compete with other companies for raw materials and production. We may experience a significant disruption in the supply of raw materials from current sources or, in the event of a disruption, we may be unable to locate alternative materials suppliers of comparable quality at an acceptable price, or at all. In addition, if we experience significant increased demand, or if we need to replace an existing supplier, we may be unable to locate additional supplies of raw materials on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or we may be unable to locate any supplier with sufficient capacity to meet our requirements or to fill our orders in a timely manner. Identifying a suitable supplier is an involved process that requires us to become satisfied with their quality control, responsiveness and service, financial stability and labor and other ethical practices. Even if we are able to expand existing sources, we may encounter delays in production and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train suppliers in our methods, products and quality control standards.
The manufacture of biotechnology products is complex, and manufacturers often encounter difficulties in production. If we or any of our third-party manufacturers encounter any loss of materials or if any of our third-party manufacturers encounter other difficulties, or otherwise fail to comply with their contractual or regulatory obligations, our ability to provide product candidates for clinical trials or our products to patients, once approved, the development or commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed or stopped.
The manufacture of biotechnology products is complex and requires significant expertise and capital investment, including the development of advanced manufacturing techniques and process controls. We and our contract manufacturers must comply with cGMPs, regulations and guidelines for the manufacturing of biologics used in clinical trials and, if approved, marketed products. In order to conduct clinical trials of our product candidates, we and existing and future collaborators will need to manufacture them in large quantities and in accordance with cGMPs. Manufacturers of biotechnology products often encounter difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up and validating initial production. In addition, if microbial, viral or other contaminations are discovered in our products or in the manufacturing facilities in which our products are made, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination. Delays in raw materials availability and supply may also extend the period of time required to develop our products. Furthermore, changes in our manufacturing methods may require comparability studies, including clinical bridging studies, which may result in delays to the approval process for our product candidates.
All of our therapeutic antibodies are manufactured by starting with cells from a cell bank. In accordance with cGMPs, we produce one master cell bank for each antibody manufactured, which is then stored in multiple locations to reduce the risk of loss. We have also created a working cell bank for certain manufactured antibodies. While we believe we will have adequate backup should any cell bank be lost in a catastrophic event, and we take precautions when transporting our cell banks, it is possible that we could lose multiple cell banks and have our manufacturing severely impacted by the need to replace the cell banks.
We cannot assure you that any stability or other issues relating to the manufacture of any of our product candidates or products will not occur in the future. Additionally, our manufacturers may experience manufacturing difficulties due to resource constraints or as a result of labor dispu
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.