Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business
Overview
We are an established leader and fully integrated provider committed to innovative imaging diagnostics, targeted therapeutics, and artificial intelligence solutions to Find, Fight and Follow serious medical conditions. We classify our products in three categories: precision diagnostics, radiopharmaceutical oncology, and strategic partnerships and other revenue. Our leading precision diagnostic products assist healthcare professionals (“HCPs”) Find and Follow diseases in non-oncologic conditions. Our radiopharmaceutical oncology diagnostics and therapeutics help HCPs Find, Fight and Follow cancer. Our strategic partnerships focus on facilitating precision medicine through the use of biomarkers, digital solutions and radiotherapeutic platforms, and also includes our license of RELISTOR to Bausch Health Companies, Inc. (“Bausch”).
Our commercial products are used by cardiologists, internal medicine physicians, nuclear medicine physicians, oncologists, radiologists, sonographers, technologists and urologists working in a variety of clinical settings. We believe that our diagnostic products provide improved diagnostic information that enables HCPs to better detect and characterize, or rule out, disease, with the potential to achieve better patient outcomes, reduce patient risk and limit overall costs for payors and throughout the healthcare system.
We produce and market our products throughout the United States (the “United States” or the “U.S.”), selling primarily to clinics, group practices, hospitals, integrated delivery networks, and radiopharmacies. We sell our products outside the U.S. through a combination of direct distribution in Canada and third party distribution relationships in Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia-Pacific, Central America and South America.
Our headquarters are located in North Billerica, MA, with additional offices in Somerset, NJ; Montreal, Canada and Lund, Sweden.
In the first quarter of 2021, we completed the evaluation of our operating and reporting structure, including the impact on our business of the acquisition of Progenics and the sale of our Puerto Rico subsidiary, which resulted in a change in our operating segments to one reportable business segment.
On May 27, 2021, we announced that the FDA had approved PYLARIFY, an F 18-labeled PET imaging agent targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (“PSMA”). PYLARIFY is a product in our radiopharmaceutical oncology product category. We commercially launched PYLARIFY in the U.S. in June 2021.
During 2021, we announced that our subsidiary, EXINI, was granted 510(k) clearance by the FDA in the U.S. and a CE marking in Europe for aPROMISE. We commercially launched aPROMISE under the name PYLARIFY AI in the U.S. in November 2021.
Our Portfolio of Commercial Products
Precision Diagnostics
Our commercial products in our precision diagnostics category include the following:
• DEFINITY is an injectable microbubble ultrasound enhancing agent with perflutren-containing lipid microspheres that is used in ultrasound exams of the heart, also known as echocardiography exams. DEFINITY requires refrigerated storage and is indicated in the U.S. for use in patients with suboptimal echocardiograms to assist in imaging the left ventricular chamber and left endocardial border of the heart in ultrasound procedures. DEFINITY RT is a modified formulation of DEFINITY that allows both storage and shipment at room temperature and provides clinicians an additional choice for greater utility of this formulation in broader clinical settings. We believe we are currently the leading worldwide provider of ultrasound microbubble enhancing agents.
• TechneLite is a Technetium (“Tc-99m”) generator that provides the essential nuclear material used by radiopharmacies to radiolabel NEUROLITE, Cardiolite and other Tc-99m-based radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine procedures. TechneLite uses Mo-99 as its active ingredient.
• NEUROLITE is an injectable, Tc-99m-labeled imaging agent used with single-photon emission computed tomography (“SPECT”) technology to identify the area within the brain where blood flow has been blocked or reduced due to stroke. Although NEUROLITE’s patents and market exclusivity have expired, we are not currently aware of any generic competitors.
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• Xenon-133 (“Xenon”) is a radiopharmaceutical gas that is inhaled and used to assess pulmonary function and also to image cerebral blood flow. Our Xenon is manufactured by a third party as a bi-product of Mo-99 production and is processed and finished by us.
• Cardiolite, also known by its generic name sestamibi, is an injectable, Tc-99m-labeled imaging agent used in myocardial perfusion imaging (“MPI”) procedures to assess blood flow to the muscle of the heart using SPECT. Cardiolite was approved by the FDA in 1990 and its market exclusivity expired in July 2008. Included in Cardiolite revenues are branded Cardiolite and generic sestamibi revenues.
• Gallium-67 (“Gallium”) is an injectable radiopharmaceutical imaging agent used to detect certain infections and cancerous tumors, especially lymphoma. We manufacture Gallium using cyclotron technology.
• Thallium-201 (“Thallium”) is an injectable radiopharmaceutical imaging agent used in MPI studies to detect cardiovascular disease. We manufacture Thallium using cyclotron technology.
Radiopharmaceutical Oncology
Our commercial products in our radiopharmaceutical oncology category include the following:
• PYLARIFY (also known as piflufolastat F 18, 18F-DCFPyL or PyL) is an F 18-labelled PSMA-targeted PET imaging agent used with PET/computed tomography (“CT”) technology that enables visualization of lymph nodes, bone and soft tissue metastases to determine the presence or absence of recurrent and/or metastatic prostate cancer. PYLARIFY is indicated in the U.S. for PET imaging of PSMA-positive lesions in men with prostate cancer with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy and in men with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (“PSA”) levels.
• AZEDRA (iobenguane I 131) is a radiotherapeutic, approved for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older with iobenguane scan positive, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma who require systemic anticancer therapy. AZEDRA is the first and only FDA-approved therapy for this indication.
Strategic Partnerships and Other Revenue
Our commercial products in our strategic partnerships and other revenue product category include the following:
• RELISTOR (methylnaltrexone bromide) is a treatment for opioid-induced constipation (“OIC”) that decreases the constipating side effects induced by opioid pain medications such as morphine and codeine without diminishing their ability to relieve pain. RELISTOR is approved in two forms: a subcutaneous injection and an oral tablet. We have licensed RELISTOR to Bausch, and we collect quarterly royalties based on RELISTOR sales.
• Automated Bone Scan Index (“aBSI”) calculates the disease burden of prostate cancer by quantifying the hotspots on bone scans and automatically calculating the bone scan index value, representing the disease burden of prostate cancer shown on the bone scan. The Japanese rights to the stand-alone aBSI have been transferred and sold to FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical Co. Ltd. (“FUJIFILM”) under the name BONENAVI ® .
• PYLARIFY AI, which we also refer to as aPROMISE, is an artificial intelligence medical device software designed to allow healthcare professionals and researchers to perform standardized quantitative assessment of PSMA PET/CT images in prostate cancer, including those images obtained by using PYLARIFY.
Additional Information about our Product Categories
Precision Diagnostics
Anticipated Continued Growth of DEFINITY and Expansion of Our Ultrasound Microbubble Franchise
DEFINITY is the leading ultrasound enhancing agent based on revenue and usage in the U.S., and is indicated for use in patients with suboptimal echocardiograms. Numerous patient conditions can decrease the quality of images of the left ventricle, the primary pumping chamber of the heart. The term DEFINITY includes its activated and non-activated forms.
DEFINITY is a clear, colorless, sterile liquid that requires refrigerated storage, and which, upon activation in a VIALMIX apparatus, a medical device specifically designed for DEFINITY, becomes a homogenous, opaque, milky white injectable suspension of perflutren-containing lipid microspheres. After activation and intravenous injection, DEFINITY opacifies the left ventricular chamber and improves the delineation of the left ventricular endocardial border, or innermost layer of tissue that lines the chamber of the left ventricle. Better visualization of the left ventricle allows clinicians to make more informed decisions about disease status.
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Based on estimates from third party sources, we believe there were approximately 25 to 32 million echocardiograms performed in the U.S. in 2020 (the latest time period for which full year data is available and which also included the estimated impacts of COVID-19 on procedure volumes). Assuming that between 20% and 30% of echocardiograms produce suboptimal images, as stated in the clinical literature, we estimate that approximately 5 to 10 million echocardiograms in 2020 produced suboptimal images.
Since its launch in 2001, DEFINITY has been used in imaging procedures in more than 18.0 million studies throughout the world. We estimate that DEFINITY had over 80% share of the U.S. segment for ultrasound enhancing agents in echocardiography procedures as of December 2021. DEFINITY currently competes with Optison, a GE Healthcare product, Lumason, a Bracco Diagnostics Inc. (“Bracco”) product, as well as echocardiography without ultrasound enhancing agents and non-echocardiography imaging modalities. DEFINITY, Optison and Lumason all carry an FDA-required boxed warning, which has been modified over time, to notify physicians and patients about potentially serious safety concerns or risks posed by the products. See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors-Ultrasound enhancing agents may cause side effects which could limit our ability to sell DEFINITY.”
As we continue to pursue expanding our microbubble franchise, our activities include:
• Patents - We continue to actively pursue additional patents in connection with DEFINITY and DEFINITY RT, both in the U.S. and internationally. In the U.S. for DEFINITY, we have four Orange Book-listed method of use patents, one of which expires in 2035 and three of which expire in 2037, as well as additional manufacturing patents that are not Orange Book-listed expiring in 2023 and 2037. In the U.S. for DEFINITY RT, we have five Orange Book-listed patents, including a composition of matter patent which expires in 2035. Outside of the U.S., we are currently pursuing additional DEFINITY and DEFINITY RT patents to obtain similar patent protection as in the U.S. The Orange Book-listed patents include a patent on the use of VIALMIX RFID (see below) which expires in 2037; we have submitted additional VIALMIX RFID patent applications in major markets throughout the world.
• Hatch-Waxman Act - Even though our longest duration Orange Book-listed DEFINITY patent extends until March 2037, because our Orange Book-listed composition of matter patent expired in June 2019, we may face generic DEFINITY challengers in the near to intermediate term. Under the Hatch-Waxman Act, the FDA can approve Abbreviated New Drug Applications (“ANDAs”) for generic versions of drugs if the ANDA applicant demonstrates, among other things, that (i) its generic candidate is the same as the innovator product by establishing bioequivalence and providing relevant chemistry, manufacturing and product data, and (ii) either the marketing of that generic candidate does not infringe the Orange Book-listed patent(s) or the Orange Book-listed patent(s) is invalid. Similarly, the FDA can approve a Section 505(b)(2) NDA from an applicant that relies on some of the information required for marketing approval from studies which the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference. With respect to the Orange Book-listed patent(s) covering an innovator product, the ANDA or Section 505(b)(2) applicant (if relying on studies related to the innovator product) (each, the “Applicant”) must give a notice (a “Notice”) to the innovator of its certification that its generic candidate will not infringe the innovator’s Orange Book-listed patent(s) or that the Orange Book-listed patent(s) is invalid. The innovator can then file suit against the Applicant within 45 days of receiving the Notice, and FDA approval to commercialize the generic candidate will be stayed (that is, delayed) for up to 30 months (measured from the date on which a Notice is received) while the patent dispute between the innovator and the Applicant is resolved in court. The 30-month stay could potentially expire sooner if the courts determine that no infringement had occurred or that the challenged Orange Book-listed patent is invalid or if the parties otherwise settle their dispute.
As of the date of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have not received any Notice from an Applicant. If we were to (i) receive any such Notice in the future, (ii) bring a patent infringement suit against the Applicant within 45 days of receiving that Notice, and (iii) successfully obtain the full 30-month stay, then the Applicant would be precluded from commercializing a generic version of DEFINITY prior to the expiration of that 30-month stay period and, potentially, thereafter, depending on how the patent dispute is resolved. Solely by way of example and not based on any knowledge we currently have, if we received a Notice from an Applicant in March 2022 and the full 30-month stay were obtained, then the Applicant would be precluded from commercialization until at least September 2024. If we received a Notice some number of months in the future and the full 30-month stay were obtained, the commercialization date would roll forward in the future by the same number of months. In the event a 505(b)(2) applicant does not rely on studies related to the innovator product, the 30-month stay would not apply, but additional clinical studies may be required.
• DEFINITY RT - DEFINITY RT became commercially available in the fourth quarter of 2021. A modified formulation of DEFINITY that allows both storage and shipment at room temperature, DEFINITY RT provides clinicians an additional choice and allows for greater utility of this formulation in broader clinical settings. Given its physical characteristics, we believe DEFINITY RT is also well-suited for inclusion in kits requiring microbubbles for other indications and applications (including in kits developed by third parties of the type described in the paragraph entitled Microbubble Franchise below).
• VIALMIX RFID - VIALMIX RFID, our next-generation activation device designed specifically for both DEFINITY and DEFINITY RT, became commercially available in the fourth quarter of 2021. The activation rate and time are controlled by VIALMIX RFID through the use of radio-frequency identification technology (“RFID”) to ensure reproducible activation of
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DEFINITY and DEFINITY RT. The RFID tag, which is affixed to the vial label, enables the DEFINITY or DEFINITY RT vial to be appropriately activated with the VIALMIX RFID activation device.
• In-House Manufacturing - We have constructed a specialized in-house manufacturing facility at our North Billerica campus for purposes of producing DEFINITY and, potentially, other sterile vial products. On February 22, 2022, we received FDA approval of our supplemental new drug application (“sNDA”), authorizing commercial manufacturing of DEFINITY at our new facility. As of February 23, 2022, DEFINITY manufactured at this facility is commercially available. We believe this investment will allow us to better manage DEFINITY manufacturing and inventory, reduce our costs in a potentially more price competitive environment, and provide us with supply chain redundancy.
See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for information regarding certain risks associated with DEFINITY and see Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Comparison of the Periods Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 and Comparison of the Periods Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 - Revenues” for further information on total revenue contributed by DEFINITY in each of our last three fiscal years.
TechneLite
TechneLite is a self-contained system or generator of Tc-99m, a radioactive isotope with a six hour half-life, used by radiopharmacies to prepare various nuclear imaging agents. Tc-99m results from the radioactive decay of Mo-99, itself a radioisotope with a 66-hour half-life produced in nuclear research reactors around the world from enriched uranium. The TechneLite generator is a little larger than a coffee can in size, and the self-contained system houses a vertical glass column at its core that contains Mo-99. During our manufacturing process, Mo-99 is added to the column within the generator where it is adsorbed onto alumina powder. The column is sterilized, enclosed in a lead shield and further sealed in a cylindrical plastic container, which is then immediately shipped to our radiopharmacy customers. Because of the short half-lives of Mo-99 and Tc-99m, radiopharmacies typically purchase TechneLite generators on a weekly basis pursuant to standing orders.
The Tc-99m produced by our TechneLite generator is the medical radioisotope that can be attached to a number of imaging agents, including our own NEUROLITE and Cardiolite products, during the radiolabeling process. To radiolabel a Tc-99m-based radiopharmaceutical, a vial of sterile saline and a vacuum vial are each affixed to the top of a TechneLite generator. The sterile saline is pulled through the generator where it attracts Tc-99m resulting from the radioactive decay of Mo-99 within the generator column. The Tc-99m-containing radioactive saline is then pulled into the vacuum vial and subsequently combined by a radiopharmacist with the applicable imaging agent, and individual patient-specific radiolabeled imaging agent doses are then prepared. When administered, the imaging agent binds to specific tissues or organs for a period of time, enabling the Tc-99m to illuminate the functional health of the imaged tissues or organs in a diagnostic image. Our ability to produce and market TechneLite is highly dependent on our supply of Mo-99. See “Raw Materials and Supply Relationships—Molybdenum-99” below.
TechneLite is currently marketed primarily in North America, Central America and South America, largely to radiopharmacies that prepare unit doses of radiopharmaceutical imaging agents and ship these preparations directly to hospitals for administration to patients. In the U.S., we have supply contracts with large radiopharmacy groups, including Cardinal Health (“Cardinal”), PharmaLogic Holdings Corp (“PharmaLogic”), RLS (USA) Inc. (previously GE Healthcare) (“RLS”) and United Pharmacy Partners (“UPPI”). We also supply generators on a purchase order basis to other customers. We estimate that TechneLite had approximately one third of the U.S. generator market as of December 31, 2021, competing primarily with Tc-99m-based generators produced by Curium and NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC (“Northstar”). Outside of the U.S., we sell generators through supply agreements with radiopharmacy chains, through distributors or to separate customers.
The Mo-99 used in our TechneLite generators can be produced using targets made of either highly-enriched uranium (“HEU”) or low-enriched uranium (“LEU”). LEU consists of uranium that contains less than 20% of the uranium-235 isotope. HEU is considered weapons grade material, with 20% or more of uranium-235. The American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2012 encourages the domestic production of LEU Mo-99 and provides for the eventual prohibition of the export of HEU from the U.S. Although Medicare generally does not provide separate payment to hospitals for the use of diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals administered in an outpatient setting, since 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”), the federal agency responsible for administering the Medicare program, has provided an add-on payment of $10 under the hospital outpatient prospective payment system for every Tc-99m diagnostic dose produced from non-HEU sourced Mo-99, to cover the marginal cost for radioisotopes produced from non-HEU sources. Our LEU TechneLite generator satisfies the reimbursement requirements under the applicable CMS rules.
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We believe that our substantial capital investments in our highly automated TechneLite production line, which we have made over the years, and our extensive experience in complying with the stringent regulatory requirements for the handling of nuclear materials, create significant and sustainable competitive advantages for us in generator manufacturing and distribution. Given our significant know-how and trade secrets associated with the methods of manufacturing and assembling the TechneLite generator, we believe we have a substantial amount of valuable and defensible proprietary intellectual property associated with the product. In addition, TechneLite has patent protection in the U.S. and various foreign countries on certain component technology currently expiring in 2029, and we are pursuing additional patent protection in the U.S. and world-wide on other component technology that, if granted, would expire in 2040.
See Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Comparison of the Periods Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 and Comparison of the Periods Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 - Revenues” for further information on total revenue contributed by TechneLite in each of our last three fiscal years.
Radiopharmaceutical Oncology
PYLARIFY Approval and Commercial Launch
PYLARIFY is a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for PET imaging of PSMA-positive lesions in men with prostate cancer with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy and in men with suspected recurrence based on elevated PSA levels. PYLARIFY works by binding to PSMA, a protein that is overexpressed on the surface of more than 90% of primary and metastatic prostate cancer cells. PYLARIFY works with PET/CT technology to produce a combined PET/CT scan that enables the reader of the PET/CT scan to detect and locate the disease.
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in American men - one in eight American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes and over 3.1 million American men are living with prostate cancer today. Based on estimates from third party sources regarding the incidence of prostate cancer in men in the U.S., we believe the potential market size for PSMA PET imaging agents could be up to 220,000 annual scans, comprised of 90,000 scans for patients with intermediate, unfavorable or high/very high risk of suspected metastases of prostate cancer and 130,000 scans for patients with suspected recurrence of prostate cancer. Because we are in the process of launching this imaging agent, we can give no assurance as to how clinical practice may evolve or what our ultimate market penetration may be.
The approval of PYLARIFY was based on data from two Company-sponsored pivotal studies (“OSPREY” and “CONDOR”) designed to establish the safety and diagnostic performance of PYLARIFY across the prostate cancer disease continuum. Results from OSPREY (Cohort A) demonstrated improvement in specificity and positive predictive value of PYLARIFY PET imaging over conventional imaging in men at risk for metastatic prostate cancer prior to initial definitive therapy. CONDOR studied men with biochemical recurrent prostate cancer. In patients with biochemical recurrent prostate cancer and non-informative baseline imaging, PYLARIFY demonstrated high correct localization and detection rates, including in patients with early recurrent disease with low but rising PSA blood levels (median PSA 0.8 ng/mL).
Upon commercial launch in June 2021, PYLARIFY was immediately available in select parts of the U.S. Over the course of the remainder of 2021, PYLARIFY availability expanded into additional regions and is now broadly available nationwide. We continue to expand our geographic coverage, customer contracting and market access coverage to serve our customers and the U.S. prostate cancer community.
The commercial launch of PYLARIFY is complex and expensive. During 2021, we hired additional employees to assist us with the commercialization of PYLARIFY, including in sales, marketing, reimbursement, quality and medical affairs. To manufacture PYLARIFY, we assembled and are qualifying a nationwide network of PMFs with radioisotope-producing cyclotrons that make F 18, which has a 110-minute half-life, so PYLARIFY is manufactured and distributed rapidly to end-users. After being made on a cyclotron at a PMF, the F 18 is then combined with certain chemical ingredients in specially designed chemistry synthesis boxes to manufacture PYLARIFY. The finished PYLARIFY is then quality control tested and transferred to a radiopharmacist who prepares and dispenses patient-specific doses of the final product. Because each of the PMFs manufacturing these products is deemed by the FDA to be a separate manufacturing site, each has to be approved by the FDA. Although PYLARIFY is now broadly available nationwide and we continue to qualify additional PMFs, we can give no assurance that the FDA will continue to approve PMFs in accordance with our planned roll-out schedule. If FDA approval of manufacturing sites is delayed or withdrawn, our future business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected.
In addition to our network of PMFs, we have also been working with academic medical centers in the U.S. that have radioisotope-producing cyclotrons and which have expressed an interest in manufacturing PYLARIFY. Under this initiative, we would enter into a fee-for-service arrangement under which the academic medical center’s PMF would manufacture and supply batches of PYLARIFY, and its radiopharmacy would prepare patient-ready unit doses, in each case for and on behalf of us. We would then sell
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those unit doses to the academic medical center’s hospitals and clinics, and in some instances, to additional customers in the academic medical center’s geographic area, in each case, under separate purchase agreements. The academic medical center’s PMF’s ability to manufacture and supply batches of PYLARIFY will be subject to FDA approval, and we can give no assurance that the FDA will approve such PMFs in accordance with our planned roll-out schedule.
Our commercial launch also required us to obtain adequate coding, coverage and payment for PYLARIFY, including not only coverage from Medicare, Medicaid and other government payors, as well as private payors, but also appropriate payment levels to adequately cover our customers’ costs of using PYLARIFY in PET/CT imaging procedures. We received notification that our Healthcare Procedure Coding System (“HCPCS”) code, which enables streamlined billing, went into effect as of January 1, 2022. In addition, effective January 1, 2022, CMS granted Transitional Pass-Through Payment Status in the hospital outpatient setting (“TPT Status”) for PYLARIFY, enabling traditional Medicare to provide an incremental payment to our customers for PET/CT scans performed with PYLARIFY in that setting. TPT Status for PYLARIFY is expected to expire December 31, 2024. After TPT Status expires, under current Medicare rules, PYLARIFY, similar to other diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals, would not be separately reimbursed in the hospital outpatient setting but rather would be included as part of the facility fee a hospital otherwise receives for a PET/CT imaging procedure, and the facility fee does not always cover the cost of a drug used in the procedure. We can give no assurance that any CMS reimbursement in the hospital outpatient setting that follows the expiration of TPT Status will be adequate to cover the cost of PYLARIFY used in a PET/CT imaging procedure.
We actively pursue patents in connection with PYLARIFY, both in the U.S. and internationally. In the U.S. for PYLARIFY, we have four Orange Book-listed patents, including composition of matter patents, which expire in 2030 and 2037. Outside of the U.S., we are currently pursuing additional PYLARIFY patents to obtain similar patent protection as in the U.S.
See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for information regarding certain risks associated with PYLARIFY and see Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Comparison of the Periods Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 and Comparison of the Periods Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 - Revenues” for further information on total revenue contributed by PYLARIFY since its approval.
Strategic Partnerships and Other Revenue
We continue to seek ways to further expand our portfolio of products and product candidates and how best to optimize the value of our current assets, evaluating a number of different opportunities to collaborate with others or acquire or in-license additional products, product candidates, businesses and technologies to drive our future growth. To the extent a strategic partnership relates to an approved product or potential new indication of an approved product, we report our revenue generated by that strategic partnership under the applicable product category.
Oncology
As we continue to pursue expanding our strategic partnerships, our Pharma Services activities and strategic partnerships in oncology include:
• Prostate Cancer – We collaborate with pharmaceutical companies developing therapies and diagnostics in prostate cancer.
▪ Bayer Agreements – Under Progenics’ April 2016 agreement with a subsidiary of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Bayer”) granting Bayer exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize products using our PSMA antibody platform, in combination with Bayer’s alpha-emitting radionuclides, Progenics received an upfront payment of $4.0 million and milestone payments totaling $5.0 million. We could receive up to an additional $44.0 million in potential clinical and development milestones under this agreement. We are also entitled to single-digit royalties on net sales, and potential net sales milestone payments up to an aggregate of $130.0 million. In addition, in October 2020, we entered into a clinical supply agreement with Bayer to include piflufolastat F 18 in Bayer’s clinical trial for prostate cancer. Bayer will use piflufolastat F 18 to assess PSMA expression levels at baseline and during treatment.
▪ Curium Agreement – We have licensed exclusive rights to Curium to develop and commercialize piflufolastat F 18 in Europe. Under the terms of the collaboration, Curium is responsible for the development, regulatory approvals and commercialization of piflufolastat F 18 in Europe, and we are entitled to double-digit royalties on net sales of piflufolastat F 18. Curium is currently conducting a Phase 3 registration trial in Europe for piflufolastat F 18.
▪ FUJIFILM Agreements – In June 2019, EXINI entered into a transfer agreement with FUJIFILM for the rights to aBSI in Japan for use under the name BONENAVI. Under the terms of the transfer agreement, FUJIFILM acquired, by a combination of purchase and license, the Japanese software, source code, supporting data and all Japanese patents associated with aBSI from EXINI for use in Japan. In exchange, EXINI received $4.0 million in an upfront payment and FUJIFILM agreed to pay EXINI support and service fees for aBSI and other AI products over the next three years in Japan. BONENAVI had been licensed to FUJIFILM for use in Japan since 2011. In addition, in
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February 2021, EXINI entered into a transfer agreement with FUJIFILM for the heart myocardial perfusion analysis software, cREPO, in Japan.
▪ POINT Biopharma Agreement – In December 2020, we entered into a clinical supply agreement with POINT Biopharma US Inc. (“POINT Biopharma”) under which we will supply piflufolastat F 18 to POINT Biopharma as an imaging agent to evaluate and follow subjects for a Phase 3 clinical study of POINT Biopharma’s PSMA-targeted metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (“mCRPC”) therapeutic candidate.
▪ Prostate Cancer Clinical Trial Consortium Agreement – In January 2022, we announced a collaboration with the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trial Consortium (“PCCTC”), a premier multicenter clinical research organization that specializes in prostate cancer research. The intent of the strategic collaboration is to integrate our AI platform into PCCTC studies to advance the development and validation of novel AI-enabled biomarkers.
▪ RefleXion Agreement – In September 2021, we entered into a development and commercialization collaboration with RefleXion Medical, Inc. to evaluate the use of piflufolastat F 18 to enable real-time therapeutic guidance of biology-guided radiotherapy in prostate cancer using the RefleXion X1 TM platform. Under the terms of the agreement, we will contribute to the cost of RefleXion’s registrational program and will share in any upside created by this collaboration.
▪ Regeneron Agreement – In June 2020, we entered into a clinical supply agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Regeneron”) under which we will supply piflufolastat F 18 to Regeneron as an imaging agent to evaluate and follow subjects for a Phase 1/2 clinical study of Regeneron’s anti-PSMAxCD28-targeted mCRPC therapeutic candidate. In July 2021, we entered into a second agreement with Regeneron under which we will supply piflufolastat F 18 to Regeneron as an imaging agent to evaluate and follow subjects for a Phase 1/2 clinical study of Regeneron’s anti-PSMAxCD3 Bispecific Antibody in mCRPC patients.
▪ ROTOP Agreement – In May 2019, Progenics entered into an exclusive license agreement with ROTOP Pharmaka GmbH (“ROTOP”), a Germany-based developer of radiopharmaceuticals for nuclear medicine diagnostics, to develop, manufacture and commercialize 1404 in Europe. Under the terms of the license, ROTOP is responsible for the development, regulatory approvals and commercialization of 1404 in Europe while we are entitled to double-digit, tiered royalties on net sales of 1404 in Europe.
◦ Immuno-Oncology - In May 2019, we commenced an initiative to build out our Pharma Services capabilities, which reside in our strategic partnerships and other revenue product category, by entering into a strategic collaboration and license agreement with NanoMab Technology Limited (“NanoMab”), a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of next generation radiopharmaceuticals for cancer precision medicine.
◦ Pan-Oncology - In March 2021, we acquired from Ratio Therapeutics LLC (“Ratio”) (previously Noria Therapeutics, Inc.) exclusive, worldwide rights to NTI-1309, an innovative imaging biomarker that targets fibroblast activation protein, an emerging target with broad potential imaging applicability and use in oncology. Under the terms of this agreement, Ratio will drive the early clinical development of NTI-1309. We are integrating NTI-1309 into our portfolio of imaging biomarkers as part of our Pharma Services offering. Upon further clinical development, we will assess options to bring NTI-1309 to market as a diagnostic or potentially a therapeutic agent.
Microbubble Franchise
In addition, we continue to seek to optimize our microbubble platform through new collaborations. In April 2021, we announced a strategic collaboration with Allegheny Health Network (“AHN”) which will use our microbubbles in combination with AHN’s ultrasound-assisted non-viral gene transfer technology for the development of a proposed treatment of xerostomia. Xerostomia is a lack of saliva production leading to dry mouth and has a variety of causes, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the chronic use of drugs and rheumatic and dysmetabolic diseases. Prior to 2021, we entered into microbubble collaborations with the following parties: (i) Cerevast Medical, Inc. (“Cerevast”), in which our microbubbles will be used in connection with Cerevast’s ocular ultrasound device to improve blood flow in occluded retinal veins in the eye; (ii) CarThera SAS (“CarThera”), for the use of our microbubbles in combination with SonoCloud, a proprietary implantable device in development for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma; and (iii) Insightec Ltd. (“Insightec”), which will use our microbubbles in connection with the development of Insightec’s transcranial guided focused ultrasound device for the treatment of glioblastoma as well as other neurodegenerative conditions.
In March 2012, we entered into a development and distribution arrangement with China Resources Double-Crane (“Double-Crane”) for DEFINITY in China, Hong Kong and Macau. Double-Crane has conducted on our behalf three confirmatory clinical trials in pursuit of cardiac, liver and kidney imaging indications, as well as one small pharmacokinetic study. In March 2020, we filed an Import Drug License application with the National Medical Products Administration (“NMPA”) for the use of DEFINITY for the echocardiography indication. Double-Crane is also in the process of analyzing the clinical results relating to liver and kidney indications and will also work with us to prepare an Import Drug License application for those indications, as appropriate.
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RELISTOR
• Bausch Agreement -- Under its agreement with Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bausch, Progenics received a $40.0 million development milestone upon U.S. marketing approval for subcutaneous RELISTOR in non-cancer pain patients in 2014, a $50.0 million development milestone for the U.S. marketing approval of an oral formulation of RELISTOR in July 2016, and a $10.0 million sales milestone for RELISTOR achieving U.S. net sales in excess of $100.0 million in 2019. We are also eligible to receive additional one-time sales milestone payments upon achievement of specified U.S. net sales targets, including:
U.S. Net Sales Levels in any Single Calendar Year
Payment ($)
(In thousands)
In excess of $150 million
15,000
In excess of $200 million
20,000
In excess of $300 million
30,000
In excess of $750 million
50,000
In excess of $1 billion
75,000
Each sales milestone payment is payable one time only, regardless of the number of times the condition is satisfied, and all five remaining payments could be made within the same calendar year. We are also eligible to receive royalties from Bausch and its affiliates based on the following royalty scale: 15% on worldwide net sales up to $100.0 million, 17% on the next $400.0 million in worldwide net sales, and 19% on worldwide net sales over $500.0 million each calendar year, and 60% of any upfront, milestone, reimbursement or other revenue (net of costs of goods sold, as defined, and territory-specific research and development expense reimbursement) Bausch receives from sublicensees outside the U.S.
aBSI
• aBSI calculates the disease burden of prostate cancer by quantifying the hotspots on bone scans and automatically calculating the bone scan index value, representing the disease burden of prostate cancer shown on the bone scan. The Japanese rights to the stand-alone aBSI have been transferred and sold to FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical Co. Ltd. (“FUJIFILM”) under the name BONENAVI ® . The cloud based aBSI was made available for clinical use in the U.S. on August 5, 2019. In February 2020, Progenics received CE marking for the standalone workstation model of aBSI, meeting the quality standards set by the European Economic Area. In September 2020, the FDA granted 510(k) clearance for the use of aBSI as software-as-a-medical device on a GE Healthcare imaging system.
PYLARIFY AI
• PYLARIFY AI, which we also refer to as aPROMISE, is an artificial intelligence medical device software designed to allow healthcare professionals and researchers to perform standardized quantitative assessment of PSMA PET/CT images in prostate cancer, including those images obtained by using PYLARIFY. PYLARIFY AI has demonstrated improved consistency, accuracy and efficiency in quantitative assessment of PSMA PET/CT. The technology automatically analyzes the PET/CT image to segment anatomical regions – 51 bones and 12 soft tissue organs. This image segmentation enables automated localization, detection and quantification of potential PSMA-avid lesions in the PET/CT image, which is incorporated into a standardized report for physicians. PYLARIFY AI can be deployed either as a secure web cloud application or within the secure firewall of the institution on a local server. Once deployed, the adaptive application can be integrated into an institution’s existing clinical workflow, delivering a unique combination of clinical utility and technical flexibility. We believe that PYLARIFY AI when used with PYLARIFY will provide us an important competitive advantage in what we expect will be a highly competitive PET PSMA diagnostic imaging agent market, although we can give no assurances to that effect. Our subsidiary, EXINI, was granted 510(k) clearance by the FDA in the U.S. and received a CE marking in Europe for aPROMISE. We commercially launched aPROMISE under the name PYLARIFY AI in the U.S. in November 2021.
FLURPIRIDAZ F 18
• GE Healthcare Agreement – In April 2017, we announced entering into a definitive, exclusive Collaboration and License Agreement with GE Healthcare for the continued Phase 3 development and worldwide commercialization of flurpiridaz F 18, a fluorine 18-based PET MPI agent designed to assess blood flow to the heart in patients suspected of coronary artery disease. Under our agreement, GE Healthcare will complete the development of flurpiridaz F 18, pursue worldwide regulatory approvals, and, if successful, lead a worldwide launch and commercialization of the agent, with us collaborating on both development and commercialization through a joint steering committee. We also have the right to co-promote the
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agent in the U.S. GE Healthcare’s development plan initially focuses on obtaining regulatory approval in the U.S., Japan, Europe and Canada. Under the agreement, we received an upfront cash payment of $5.0 million and are eligible to receive up to $60.0 million in regulatory and sales milestone payments, tiered double-digit royalties on U.S. sales, and mid-single digit royalties on sales outside of the U.S. GE Healthcare is conducting a second Phase 3 trial and expects to complete enrollment in 2022 and, assuming completion of the Phase 3 trial and regulatory approval, begin commercialization in 2024, although completion, approval and that timing cannot be assured.
LERONLIMAB
• CytoDyn Agreement – Progenics entered into an agreement with CytoDyn Inc. (“CytoDyn”) in 2012 to sell Progenics’ rights in leronlimab (PRO 140), an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 appears to act as a human immunodeficiency virus (“HIV”) entry inhibitor and may play a broader role in tumor metastasis and immune-mediated illnesses. The sale included milestone and royalty payment obligations to Progenics. Under the agreement, CytoDyn is responsible for all development, manufacturing and commercialization efforts. Pursuant to such agreement, Progenics received $5.0 million in upfront and milestone payments, and has the right to receive an additional $5.0 million upon the first U.S. or E.U. approval for the sale of the drug, and a 5% royalty on the net sales of approved products.
See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for information regarding certain risks associated with our strategic activities.
Our Clinical Development Candidates
In addition to our commercial products and strategic partnerships with third parties, we also have ongoing clinical development programs that we are currently funding and managing ourselves:
• 1095 (also known as I-131-1095) is a PSMA-targeted iodine-131 labeled small molecule that is designed to deliver a dose of beta radiation directly to prostate cancer cells with minimal impact on the surrounding healthy tissues. Progenics initiated eleven clinical sites in the U.S. along with the six active sites in Canada to support enrollment in our multicenter, randomized, controlled, ARROW Phase 2 study in mCRPC. During 2020, the study was paused to minimize risk to subjects and healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and new enrollment in that study restarted in October 2020. In the fourth quarter of 2021, we completed an interim analysis of the ARROW Phase 2 study. The Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended the study continue without modifications. We currently expect to complete enrollment in the ARROW Phase 2 study later in 2022.
• LMI 1195 is a fluorine 18-based PET imaging agent for the norepinephrine pathway. We have commenced a Phase 3 clinical trial for the use of LMI 1195 for the diagnosis and management of neuroblastoma tumors in pediatric and adult populations. We expect to initiate approximately 20 clinical sites in the U.S. to enroll approximately 100 patients with known or suspected neuroblastoma. The FDA has granted an Orphan Drug designation for the use of LMI 1195 in the management indication. We have also received notice of eligibility for a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher for a subsequent human drug application so long as LMI 1195 is approved by the FDA for its rare pediatric disease indication. Pursuant to federal legislation passed and signed into law in late 2020, the expiration date of the rare pediatric disease priority review voucher program was extended from September 30, 2022 to September 30, 2026.
For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, we invested $45.0 million, $32.8 million and $20.0 million in research and development (“R&D”), respectively, primarily related to our clinical development candidates. In addition to our clinical development group, our R&D team also includes our Medical Affairs and Medical Information functions, which educate physicians on the scientific aspects of our commercial products and the approved indications.
See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for information regarding certain risks associated with our strategic partnerships and clinical development programs.
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Distribution, Marketing and Sales
The following table sets forth certain key market information for each of our commercial pharmaceutical products within each product category:
Product Approved Markets
Precision Diagnostics
DEFINITY (or LUMINITY) Australia, Canada, European Union, European Economic Area, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, United States
TechneLite Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Panama, South Korea, Taiwan, United States
NEUROLITE Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Philippines, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United States
Xenon Canada, United States
Cardiolite Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United States
Gallium Australia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Taiwan, United States
Thallium Australia, Canada, Colombia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Taiwan, United States
Radiopharmaceutical Oncology
PYLARIFY United States
AZEDRA United States
Strategic Partnerships and Other Revenue
RELISTOR (Solution for Injection 12 mg/0.6 mL vial) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Switzerland, Cypress, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom, United States
RELISTOR (Solution for Injection in pre-filled syringe 8mg and pre-filled syringe 12 mg) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cypress, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom, United States
RELISTOR (methylnaltrexone bromide) Oral Tablet 140 mg United States
With respect to our other products:
• Progenics received CE marking for the standalone workstation model of aBSI, meeting the quality standards set by the European Economic Area. In September 2020, the FDA granted 510(k) clearance for the use of aBSI as software-as-a-medical device on a GE Healthcare imaging system.
• EXINI was granted 510(k) clearance by the FDA in the U.S. and received CE marking in Europe for aPROMISE. We launched aPROMISE under the name PYLARIFY AI in the U.S.
Sales of our microbubble ultrasound enhancing agent, DEFINITY, are generated in the U.S. through a DEFINITY direct sales team. While a small portion of our nuclear imaging product sales in the U.S. are generated through our direct sales force to hospitals and clinics that maintain their own in-house radiopharmaceutical preparation capabilities, we primarily sell our nuclear imaging products, including TechneLite, NEUROLITE, Xenon, and Cardiolite, to commercial radiopharmacies as described below. PYLARIFY sales are generated in the U.S. through a PYLARIFY direct sales team and a sales team at some of our PMF partners. PYLARIFY AI sales leads are generated in the U.S. through a direct sales team with sales generated through distributors and other strategic partners. AZEDRA sales are generated in the U.S. through an AZEDRA direct sales team. We have licensed RELISTOR to Bausch, and we collect quarterly royalties based on sales generated by Bausch.
As noted above, in the U.S., we have supply contracts with large radiopharmacy groups, and we sell a majority of our radiopharmaceutical products in our precision diagnostics category to five of these groups—namely Cardinal, Jubilant Radiopharma, formerly known as Triad Isotopes, Inc. (“Jubilant Radiopharma”), PharmaLogic, RLS and UPPI. Our contractual arrangements with these radiopharmacy customers generally specify pricing levels and requirements to purchase minimum percentages of certain products during certain periods. The agreements are generally multi-year arrangements that may be terminated upon the occurrence of specified events, including a material breach by the other party and certain force majeure events.
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Seasonality
We have some modest seasonality for our products as patients may seek to schedule diagnostic imaging and other procedures less frequently during the summer vacation months and over the year-end holidays.
Customers
No customer accounted for greater than 10% of revenues for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Backlog
Our backlog consists of orders for which a delivery schedule within the next twelve months has been specified. Orders included in backlog may be canceled or rescheduled by customers at any time with the exception of TechneLite orders. For TechneLite, customers must provide us with four weeks advanced notice to cancel an order. We do not believe that our backlog at any particular time is meaningful because it has historically been immaterial relative to our consolidated revenues and is not necessarily indicative of future revenues for any given period.
Competition
We believe that our key product characteristics, such as proven efficacy, reliability and safety, coupled with our core competencies, such as our efficient manufacturing processes, our established distribution network, our experienced field sales organization and our customer service focus, are important factors that distinguish us from our competitors.
The markets for our products are highly competitive and continually evolving. Our principal competitors for our current commercial products and leading clinical development candidates include large, global companies that are more diversified than we are and that have substantial financial, manufacturing, sales and marketing, distribution and other resources.
• For DEFINITY, our competitors currently include GE Healthcare and Bracco.
• For a number of our SPECT radiopharmaceutical commercial products, our competitors currently include Curium, GE Healthcare, Bracco and Jubilant Life Sciences, an affiliate of JHS and Jubilant Radiopharma, as well as other competitors, including NorthStar and potentially BWXT Medical.
• For PYLARIFY, our competitors currently include Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited’s Illuccix (gallium-68 PSMA-11 injection), a PSMA PET imaging agent approved by the FDA for commercialization in December 2021, and Bracco’s Axumin (fluciclovine F 18), a PET imaging agent. In addition, the University of California, San Francisco and the University of California, Los Angeles have approved NDAs for a gallium-68 PSMA-11 injection for PSMA PET imaging, which we believe will primarily be used within their hospital systems. We also face potential competition from Novartis AG, which has a gallium-68 PSMA-11 kit for PET imaging currently under review with the FDA, and Bracco, which has an F 18 PSMA PET imaging agent in late stage clinical development; we believe that one or both of the Novartis and Bracco PSMA agents could be approved by the FDA for commercialization later in 2022 or in 2023.
• For RELISTOR, our principal competitors include RedHill Biopharma Inc.; Cubist Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.; Mallinckrodt plc, in collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; and BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.; together with other prescription, as well as over-the-counter, laxatives used as first line therapy for OIC.
• For AZEDRA, there are currently no other FDA approved anticancer treatments in the U.S. for malignant, recurrent, and/or unresectable pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma.
The markets into which any of our product candidates would be launched, if approved, are also highly competitive and continually evolving.
• For 1095, our principal competitors in the field of mCRPC for radiopharmaceutical therapeutics may include Novartis AG; POINT Biopharma; Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited; and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc., each of which have product candidates in development.
• For LMI 1195, our principal competitors may include GE Healthcare’s iobenguane 123 injection.
• For flurpiridaz, our principal competitors may include rubidium generators from Bracco and Jubilant Radiopharma.
We cannot anticipate the actions of our current or future competitors in the same or competing diagnostic modalities, such as significant price reductions on products that are comparable to our own, development of new products or other technologies that are more cost-effective or have superior performance than our current products or the introduction of generic versions after our proprietary products lose their patent protection. In addition, distributors of our products could attempt to shift end-users to competing diagnostic
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modalities and products, or bundle the sale of a portfolio of products, to the detriment of our specific products. Our current or future products could be rendered obsolete or uneconomical as a result of these activities.
Further, the radiopharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry continues to evolve strategically, with several market participants either recently sold or for sale. In addition, the supply-demand dynamics of the industry are complex because of large market positions of some participants, legacy businesses, government subsidies (in particular, relating to the manufacture of radioisotopes), and group purchasing arrangements. We cannot predict what impact new owners and new operators may have on the strategic decision-making of our competitors, customers and suppliers.
Raw Materials and Supply Relationships
We rely on certain raw materials and supplies to produce our products. Due to the specialized nature of our products and the limited, and sometimes intermittent, supply of raw materials available in the market, we have established relationships with several key suppliers. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our largest suppliers of raw materials and supplies were Institute for Radioelements (“IRE”), the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (“ANSTO”) and NTP Radioisotopes (“NTP”), which, in the aggregate, accounted for approximately 21% of our total purchases.
Molybdenum-99
Our TechneLite, Cardiolite and NEUROLITE products all rely on Mo-99, the radioisotope which is produced by bombarding uranium with neutrons in research reactors. With a 66-hour half-life, Mo-99 decays into, among other things, Tc-99m, another radioisotope with a half-life of six hours. Tc-99m is the isotope that is attached to radiopharmaceuticals, including our own NEUROLITE and Cardiolite, during the labeling process and is the most common radioisotope used for medical diagnostic imaging purposes.
We currently purchase finished Mo-99 from three of the four main processing sites in the world, namely IRE in Belgium, NTP in South Africa and ANSTO in Australia. These processing sites provide us Mo-99 from five of the six main Mo-99-producing reactors in the world, namely BR2 in Belgium, LVR-15 in the Czech Republic, HFR in The Netherlands, SAFARI in South Africa and OPAL in Australia.
Our agreement with IRE (the “IRE Agreement”) contains minimum percentage volume requirements and unit pricing. The IRE Agreement also requires IRE to provide certain favorable allocations of Mo-99 during periods of supply shortage or failure. The IRE Agreement also provides for an increased supply of Mo-99 derived from LEU targets upon IRE’s completion of its ongoing conversion program to modify its facilities and processes in accordance with Belgian nuclear security commitments. The IRE Agreement allows for termination upon the occurrence of certain events, including failure by IRE to provide our required amount of Mo-99, material breach of any provision by either party, bankruptcy by either party or force majeure events. The IRE Agreement expires on December 31, 2023, and automatically renews on an annual basis thereafter, subject to prior notice of non-renewal by either party.
Our agreement with NTP (the “NTP Agreement”), with NTP acting for itself and on behalf of its subcontractor ANSTO, specifies our percentage purchase requirements and unit pricing, and provides for the supply of Mo-99 derived from LEU targets from NTP and ANSTO. The NTP Agreement allows for termination upon the occurrence of certain events, including failure by NTP to provide our required amount of Mo-99, material breach of any provision by either party, bankruptcy by either party or force majeure events. The NTP Agreement expires on March 31, 2022, and we are actively negotiating an extension.
Despite our globally diverse Mo-99 suppliers, we still face supplier and logistical challenges in our Mo-99 supply chain. The NTP processing facility had periodic outages in 2017, 2018 and 2019. When NTP was not producing, we relied on Mo-99 supply from both IRE and ANSTO to limit the impact of the NTP outages. In 2019 and 2020, ANSTO experienced multiple facility issues that resulted in ANSTO outages and volume limitations, during which time we relied on IRE and NTP to limit the impact of those outages and limitations. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced challenges receiving regularly scheduled orders of Mo-99 from our global suppliers, particularly in the second quarter of 2020. We continue to manage these various supply chain challenges. Depending on reactor and processor schedules and operations, at times we have not been able to fill some or all of the demand for our TechneLite generators on certain manufacturing days. A prolonged disruption of service from one of our three Mo-99 processing sites or one of their main Mo-99-producing reactors could have a substantial negative effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
To augment our current supply of Mo-99, we entered into a strategic arrangement with SHINE Medical Technologies LLC (“SHINE”) for the future supply of Mo-99. Under the terms of the supply agreement, entered into in November 2014, SHINE will provide Mo-99 produced using its proprietary LEU-solution technology for use in our TechneLite generators once SHINE’s facility becomes operational and receives all necessary regulatory approvals, which SHINE now estimates will occur in 2023. The term of this arrangement provides for three years of supply of Mo-99. However, we cannot assure you that our arrangement with SHINE will
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result in commercial quantities of Mo-99 for our business, or that SHINE together with our current suppliers will be able to deliver a sufficient quantity of Mo-99 to meet our needs.
Xenon
Xenon is a by-product of the Mo-99 production process. Under a strategic agreement entered into in 2021, we receive from IRE bulk unprocessed Xenon, which we process and finish for our customers at our North Billerica, Massachusetts manufacturing facility. That contract runs through December 31, 2023, with auto-renewal provisions and terminable upon notice of non-renewal. Until we can qualify an additional source of bulk unprocessed Xenon, we will rely on IRE as a sole source provider.
Iodine 131
Iodine 131 is also a by-product of the Mo-99 production process, and it is the active radioisotope ingredient in both AZEDRA and 1095. We receive Iodine 131 from IRE in Belgium and we are in the process of securing a secondary source. We use Iodine 131 at our Somerset facility to manufacture and produce AZEDRA. We also rely on Center for Probe Development and Commercialization (“CPDC”) in Canada for our clinical supply requirements for 1095. CPDC sources Iodine 131 from IRE in Belgium and NTP in South Africa.
Other Materials
We have additional supply arrangements for active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients, packaging materials and other materials and components, none of which are exclusive, but a number of which are sole source, and all of which we currently believe are either in good standing or replaceable without any material disruption to our business.
See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for information regarding certain risks associated with our raw materials and supply arrangements.
Manufacturing
We maintain manufacturing operations at our North Billerica, Massachusetts facility. We manufacture TechneLite on a highly automated production line, Thallium and Gallium and certain radiochemicals using our cyclotron technology, and we process and finish Xenon on a hot cell line. We also operate a manufacturing facility at Somerset, NJ, using a hot cell line for AZEDRA. During 2021, we increased the manufacturing staff at our Somerset facility to help maintain an adequate supply of AZEDRA. We also began constructing an additional manufacturing suite at Somerset which, if approved by the FDA, could provide redundancy for AZEDRA manufacturing as well as increased overall future capacity for 1095, if approved by the FDA or other iodine-based products.
We have constructed a specialized in-house manufacturing facility at our North Billerica campus for purposes of producing DEFINITY and, potentially, other sterile vial products. On February 22, 2022, we received FDA approval of our sNDA, authorizing commercial manufacturing of DEFINITY at our new facility. DEFINITY manufactured at this facility became commercially available on February 23, 2022. We believe this investment will allow us to better manage DEFINITY manufacturing and inventory, reduce our costs in a potentially more price competitive environment, and provide us with supply chain redundancy.
We manufacture, finish and distribute our radiopharmaceutical products on a just-in-time basis, and supply our customers with these products either by next day delivery services or by either ground or air custom logistics. We believe that our substantial capital investments in our highly automated generator production line, our cyclotrons and our other manufacturing assets, which we have made over the years, and our extensive experience in complying with the stringent regulatory requirements for the handling of nuclear materials and operations in a highly regulated environment, create significant and sustainable competitive advantages for us.
In addition to our in-house manufacturing capabilities, a substantial portion of our products are manufactured by third party contract manufacturing organizations, and in certain instances, we rely on them for sole source manufacturing. To ensure the quality of the products that are manufactured by third parties, the key raw materials used in those products are first sent to our North Billerica, Massachusetts facility, where we test them prior to the third party manufacturing of the final product. After the final products are manufactured, they are sent back to us for final quality control testing, and then we ship them to our customers. We have expertise in the design, development and validation of complex manufacturing systems and processes, and our strong execution and quality control culture supports the just-in-time manufacturing model at our manufacturing facilities.
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The commercial manufacture of PYLARIFY required us to create a field-based network of specialized PMFs with radioisotope-producing cyclotrons. The radioisotope used in PYLARIFY is F 18, which has a 110 minute half-life, requiring that this agent be manufactured and distributed rapidly to end-users. After being made on a cyclotron at a PMF, the F 18 is then combined with certain chemical ingredients in specially designed chemistry synthesis boxes to manufacture PYLARIFY. The finished PYLARIFY is then quality control tested and transferred to a radiopharmacist who prepares and dispenses patient-specific doses from the final product. Because each of the PMFs manufacturing PYLARIFY is deemed by the FDA to be a separate manufacturing site, each requires separate FDA approval, and we can give no assurance that the FDA will continue to approve PMFs in accordance with our planned roll-out schedule for PYLARIFY, particularly given ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Flurpiridaz F 18, if approved by the FDA, will have a manufacturing and PMF approval process similar to PYLARIFY.
Manufacturing and Supply Arrangements
We currently have the following technology transfer and manufacturing and supply agreements in place for some of our major products:
• DEFINITY, Cardiolite and NEUROLITE —In February 2022, we entered into a new Manufacturing and Supply Agreement with JHS, for the manufacture of DEFINITY, Cardiolite, NEUROLITE and evacuation vials. The new agreement, which superseded all of our prior agreements with JHS for those products, expires on December 31, 2027 and can be renewed upon mutual consent. The agreement allows for termination upon the occurrence of certain events such as a material breach or default by either party, or bankruptcy by either party. The agreement also requires us to order from JHS a specified minimum percentage of our requirements for DEFINITY and fixed quantities of Cardiolite and NEUROLITE each year during the contract term. Based on our current projections, we believe that we will have sufficient supply of DEFINITY from JHS and our in-house manufacturing facility and sufficient supply of Cardiolite and NEUROLITE products from JHS to meet expected demand.
• PYLARIFY —The commercial manufacture of PYLARIFY required us to create a field-based network of specialized PMFs with radioisotope-producing cyclotrons. In preparation for our commercial launch, we entered into commercial supply agreements with different radiopharmacy networks. Under our supply agreements, the PMF manufactures the radioisotope F 18 on a cyclotron, and then combines the F 18 with certain chemical ingredients in specially designed chemistry synthesis boxes to manufacture PYLARIFY. The finished PYLARIFY is then quality control tested and transferred to the PMF’s radiopharmacist who prepares and dispenses patient-specific doses from the final product. Our agreements with our PMF networks allow for the termination upon the occurrence of specified events, including material breach or bankruptcy by either party, and have various termination dates generally terminating in 2025 and subject to renewal provisions.
See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for information regarding certain risks associated with our manufacturing and supply relationships.
Intellectual Property
Patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights, both in the U.S. and foreign countries, are very important to our business. We also rely on trade secrets, manufacturing know-how, technological innovations, licensing agreements and confidentiality agreements to maintain and improve our competitive position. We review third party proprietary rights, including patents and patent applications, as available, in an effort to develop an effective intellectual property strategy, avoid infringement of third party proprietary rights, identify licensing opportunities and monitor the intellectual property owned by others. Our ability to enforce, defend and protect our intellectual property rights may be limited in certain countries outside the U.S., which could make it easier for competitors to capture market position in those countries by utilizing technologies that are similar to those developed or licensed by us. Competitors also may harm our sales by designing products that mirror the capabilities of our products or technology without infringing our intellectual property rights. If we do not obtain sufficient protection for our intellectual property, or if we are unable to effectively enforce or defend our intellectual property rights, our competitiveness could be impaired, which would limit our growth and future revenue.
Trademarks, Service Marks and Trade Names
We own various trademarks, service marks and trade names, including, among others, AZEDRA, AZEDRA Service Connection, Cardiolite, DEFINITY, DEFINITY RT, EXINI, Find, Fight and Follow, Find > Fight > Follow, Lantheus, Lantheus Medical Imaging, LUMINITY, Molecular Insight, NEUROLITE, Progenics, Progenics Pharmaceuticals, PYLARIFY, PYLARIFY AI, TechneLite, VIALMIX and VIALMIX RFID. We have registered these trademarks, as well as others, in the U.S. and/or numerous foreign jurisdictions.
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Patents
We actively seek to protect the proprietary technology that we consider important to our business, including chemical species, compositions and formulations, their methods of use and processes for their manufacture, as new intellectual property is developed. In addition to seeking patent protection in the U.S., we file patent applications in numerous foreign countries in order to further protect the inventions that we consider important to the development of our international business. We also rely upon trade secrets and contracts to protect our proprietary information.
We have patent protection on certain of our commercial products and on all of our clinical development candidates. We typically seek patent protection in major markets around the world, including, among others, the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, Asia, Central America and South America. All patent terms described below are presented without giving effect to any applicable patent term adjustments or regulatory extensions.
DEFINITY - We continue to actively pursue additional patents in connection with DEFINITY and DEFINITY RT, both in the U.S. and internationally. In the U.S. for DEFINITY, we have four Orange Book-listed method of use patents, one of which expires in 2035 and three of which expire in 2037, as well as additional manufacturing patents that are not Orange Book-listed expiring in 2023 and 2037. In the U.S. for DEFINITY RT, we have five Orange Book-listed patents, including a composition of matter patent which expires in 2035. Outside of the U.S., we are currently pursuing additional DEFINITY and DEFINITY RT patents to obtain similar patent protection as in the U.S. The Orange Book-listed patents include a patent on the use of VIALMIX RFID which expires in 2037; additional VIALMIX RFID patent applications have been submitted in major markets throughout the world.
Even though our longest duration Orange Book-listed DEFINITY patent extends until March 2037, because our Orange Book-listed composition of matter patent expired in June 2019, we may face generic DEFINITY challengers in the near to intermediate term. Under the Hatch-Waxman Act, the FDA can approve Abbreviated New Drug Applications (“ANDAs”) for generic versions of drugs if the ANDA applicant demonstrates, among other things, that (i) its generic candidate is the same as the innovator product by establishing bioequivalence and providing relevant chemistry, manufacturing and product data, and (ii) either the marketing of that generic candidate does not infringe the Orange Book-listed patent(s) or the Orange Book-listed patent(s) is invalid. Similarly, the FDA can approve a Section 505(b)(2) NDA from an applicant that relies on some of the information required for marketing approval to come from studies which the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference. With respect to the Orange Book-listed patent(s) covering an innovator product, the ANDA applicant or the Section 505(b)(2) applicant (if relying on studies related to the innovator product) (together, the “Applicant”) must give a notice (a “Notice”) to the innovator of its certification that its generic candidate will not infringe the innovator’s Orange Book-listed patent(s) or that the Orange Book-listed patent(s) is invalid. The innovator can then file suit against the Applicant within 45 days of receiving the Notice, and FDA approval to commercialize the generic candidate will be stayed (that is, delayed) for up to 30 months (measured from the date on which a Notice is received) while the patent dispute between the innovator and the Applicant is resolved in court. The 30-month stay could potentially expire sooner if the courts determine that no infringement had occurred or that the challenged Orange Book-listed patent is invalid or if the parties otherwise settle their dispute. We can give no assurance that we would have grounds to file a patent infringement suit, that we would obtain the full 30 month stay, that we would be successful on the merits asserting that an Applicant infringes our Orange Book-listed patent, or that we would be successful defending the validity or enforceability of our Orange Book-listed patent in court or in a USPTO adversarial proceeding.
As of the date of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have not received any Notice from an Applicant. If we were to (i) receive any such Notice in the future, (ii) bring a patent infringement suit against the Applicant within 45 days of receiving that Notice, and (iii) successfully obtain the full 30-month stay, then the Applicant would be precluded from commercializing a generic version of DEFINITY prior to the expiration of that 30-month stay period and, potentially, thereafter, depending on how the patent dispute is resolved. Solely by way of example and not based on any knowledge we currently have, if we received a Notice from an Applicant in March 2022 and the full 30-month stay were obtained, then the Applicant would be precluded from commercialization until at least September 2024. If we received a Notice some number of months in the future and the full 30-month stay were obtained, the commercialization date would roll forward in the future by the same number of months. In the event a 505(b)(2) applicant does not rely on studies related to the innovator product, the 30-month stay would not apply, but additional clinical studies may be required.
TechneLite - We currently own patents in the U.S. and various foreign countries on certain component technology expiring in 2029, and we are pursuing additional patent protection in the U.S. and world-wide on other component technology that, if granted, would expire in 2040. In addition, given the significant know-how and trade secrets associated with the methods of manufacturing and assembling the TechneLite generator, we believe we have a substantial amount of valuable and defensible proprietary intellectual property associated with the product.
PYLARIFY - We actively pursue patents in connection with PYLARIFY, both in the U.S. and internationally. In the U.S. for PYLARIFY, we have four Orange Book-listed patents, including composition of matter patents which expire in 2030 and 2037. Outside of the U.S., we are currently pursuing additional PYLARIFY patents to obtain similar patent protection as in the U.S.
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PYLARIFY AI - U.S. Patents and pending patent applications worldwide relating to automated medical image analysis, have expiration ranges from 2037 to 2041.
Other Nuclear Products - Neither Cardiolite nor NEUROLITE is covered any longer by patent protection in either the U.S. or the rest of the world. Xenon, Thallium and Gallium have no patent protection; however, we have patent protection in the U.S. that expires in October 2035 for an improved container for Xenon, and are pursuing similar patent protection outside the U.S.
RELISTOR - Although the composition of matter patent for the active ingredient, methylnaltrexone, has expired, there are additional patents and pending patent applications covering various inventions relating to the product. There are eight Orange Book listed patents that cover the subcutaneous RELISTOR product, which have expiration dates ranging from 2024 to 2030, and there are nine Orange Book listed patents that cover the RELISTOR tablet product, which have expiration dates ranging from 2029 to 2031.
Progenics has entered into three separate settlement agreements that have granted non-exclusive limited licenses with respect to certain RELISTOR subcutaneous injection applications. The non-exclusive limited licenses with two parties are currently effective on January 1, 2028 and the third non-exclusive limited license is currently effective on July 1, 2028, in each case, subject to potential acceleration clauses in those agreements. Four Canadian patents (two expiring in 2024, one in 2027 and one in 2029) have been listed with Health Canada relating to subcutaneous RELISTOR.
AZEDRA - The AZEDRA technology patent family was licensed from the University of Western Ontario (“UWO”). While certain of those patents, and associated license, have already expired, a patent relating to alternative approaches for preparing AZEDRA (not currently implemented) expires worldwide in 2022 and 2024. In addition, we own pending applications worldwide for manufacturing improvements, and the resulting compositions which, if issued, would expire in 2035.
aBSI - We own patents relating to automated detection of bone cancer metastases. The patents on this technology expire in the U.S. in 2032 and outside of the U.S. in 2028. Patent applications are pending in the U.S. and worldwide relating to aBSI improvements which, if issued, will expire in 2040.
1095 - We own patents relating to 1095 that expire from 2027 to 2031, with the composition of matter as well as radiolabeled forms in the U.S. and Europe expiring in 2027. Additional U.S. patents for stable compositions and radiolabeling processes expire, respectively, in 2030 and 2031.
LMI 1195 - We own patents and patent applications in numerous jurisdictions covering composition, use, and manufacturing, including in the U.S. a composition of matter patent expiring in 2030, a method of use patent expiring in 2027, and manufacturing-related patents expiring in 2031 and 2032, and patent applications which, if granted, will expire in 2027 and in 2031.
flurpiridaz F 18 - We own patents and patent applications in numerous jurisdictions covering composition, use, formulation and manufacturing, including in the U.S. a composition of matter patent expiring in 2026, a formulation patent expiring in 2032, a method of use patent expiring in 2028, and manufacturing-related patents expiring in 2031 and 2033, and various patent applications, some of which, if granted, will expire in 2033.
1404 - We own patents relating to composition of matter, as well as technetium-99 labeled forms of 1404 expiring in the U.S. from 2029 to 2030, and expiring worldwide in 2029. In-licensed patents relating to reagents for radiolabeling expire in the U.S. in 2022.
PSMA TTC - We own and in-license composition of matter patents on PSMA antibodies expiring in the U.S. in 2022 and 2023 and outside of the U.S. in 2022.
In addition to patents, we rely, where necessary, upon unpatented trade secrets and know-how, proprietary information and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect our proprietary information, in part, using confidentiality agreements with our collaborators, employees, consultants and other third parties and invention assignment agreements with our employees. These confidentiality agreements may not prevent unauthorized disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information, and we cannot provide assurances that an employee or an outside party will not make an unauthorized disclosure of our trade secrets, other technical know-how or proprietary information. We may not have adequate monitoring abilities to discover, or adequate remedies for, any unauthorized disclosure. This might happen intentionally or inadvertently. It is possible that a competitor will make use of such information, and that our competitive position will be compromised, in spite of any legal action we might take against persons making such unauthorized disclosures. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. To the extent that our collaborators, employees and consultants use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions.
In addition, we license third party technologies and other intellectual property rights that are incorporated into some elements of our drug discovery and development efforts. Some of these licenses are material to our business – for example, the licenses on the PYLARIFY patent family from Johns Hopkins University (“JHU”) and on the patent rights on RELISTOR from Wyeth LLC.
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See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for information regarding certain risks associated with our intellectual property.
Regulatory Matters
Food and Drug Laws
The development, manufacture and commercialization of our products are subject to comprehensive governmental regulation both within and outside the U.S. A number of factors substantially increase the time, difficulty and costs incurred in obtaining and maintaining the approval to market newly developed and existing products. These factors include governmental regulation, such as detailed inspection of and controls over research and laboratory procedures, clinical investigations, manufacturing, marketing, sampling, distribution, import and export, record keeping and storage and disposal practices, together with various post-marketing requirements. Governmental regulatory actions can result in the seizure or recall of products, suspension or revocation of the authority necessary for their production and sale as well as other civil or criminal sanctions.
Our activities related to the development, manufacture, packaging or repackaging of our products subject us to a wide variety of laws and regulations. We are required to register for permits and/or licenses with, seek approvals from and comply with operating and security standards of, the FDA, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Health Canada, the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”), the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”), the NMPA and various state and provincial boards of pharmacy, state and provincial controlled substance agencies, state and provincial health departments and/or comparable state and provincial agencies, as well as foreign agencies, and certain accrediting bodies depending upon the type of operations and location of product distribution, manufacturing and sale.
The FDA and various state regulatory authorities regulate the research, testing, manufacture, safety, labeling, storage, recordkeeping, premarket approval, marketing, advertising and promotion, import and export, and sales and distribution of pharmaceutical products in the U.S. Prior to marketing a pharmaceutical product, we must first receive FDA approval. In the U.S., the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and implementing regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and compliance with appropriate federal, state, local, and foreign statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Currently, the process required by the FDA before a drug product may be marketed in the U.S. generally involves the following:
• Completion of preclinical laboratory tests, animal studies and formulation studies according to current Good Laboratory Practices regulations;
• Submission to the FDA of an investigational new drug application (“IND”) which must become effective before human clinical studies may begin, including review and approval by any institutional review board (“IRB”), serving any of the institutions participating in the clinical studies;
• Performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical studies according to current Good Clinical Practices and other requirements, to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed drug product for its intended use;
• Submission to the FDA of a new drug application (“NDA”) for a new drug;
• Satisfactory completion of an FDA inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the drug product is produced to assess compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (“cGMPs”) regulations; and
• FDA review and approval of the NDA.
The testing and approval process requires substantial time, effort, and financial resources, and we cannot be certain that any approvals for our agents in development will be granted on a timely basis, if at all. Once a pharmaceutical agent is identified for development, it enters the preclinical testing stage. Preclinical tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, toxicity, formulation, and stability, as well as animal studies to assess its potential safety and efficacy. This testing culminates in the submission of the IND to the FDA.
Once the IND becomes effective, including review and approval by any IRB serving any of the institutions participating in the clinical trial, the clinical trial program may begin. Each new clinical trial protocol must be submitted to the FDA before the study may begin. Human clinical studies are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
• Phase 1. The agent is initially introduced into healthy human subjects and tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution and excretion. In the case of some products for severe or life-threatening diseases, especially when the agent may be too inherently toxic to ethically administer to healthy volunteers, the initial human testing is often conducted in patients with those diseases.
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• Phase 2. Involves studies in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to evaluate preliminarily the efficacy of the agent for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage and schedule.
• Phase 3. Clinical studies are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy and safety in an expanded patient population at geographically dispersed clinical study sites. These studies are intended to collect sufficient safety and efficacy data to support the NDA for FDA approval.
Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical studies must be submitted at least annually to the FDA and safety reports must be submitted to the FDA and the investigators for serious and unexpected adverse events. Submissions must also be made to inform the FDA of certain changes to the clinical trial protocol. Federal law also requires the sponsor to register the trials on public databases when they are initiated, and to disclose the results of the trials on public databases upon completion. Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 testing may not be completed successfully within any specified period, if at all. The FDA or the clinical trial sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical study at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, any IRB serving any of the institutions participating in the clinical trial can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical study at a relevant institution if the clinical study is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the agent has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients. Failure to register a clinical trial or disclose study results within the required time periods could result in penalties, including civil monetary penalties.
Concurrent with clinical studies, companies usually complete additional animal studies and must also develop additional information about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the product 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 agent and, among other things, the manufacturer must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the agent does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
The results of product development, preclinical studies and clinical studies, along with descriptions of the manufacturing process, analytical tests conducted on the drug product, proposed labeling, and other relevant information, are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA for a new drug, requesting approval to market the agent. The submission of an NDA is subject to the payment of a substantial user fee. A waiver of that fee may be obtained under certain limited circumstances. The approval process is lengthy and difficult, and the FDA may refuse to approve an NDA if the applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied. The FDA has substantial discretion in the product approval process, and it is impossible to predict whether and when the FDA will grant marketing approval. The FDA may on occasion require the sponsor of an NDA to conduct additional clinical studies or to provide other scientific or technical information about the product, and these additional requirements may lead to unanticipated delay or expense. Even if such data and information are submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the NDA does not satisfy the criteria for approval. Data obtained from clinical studies are not always conclusive, and the FDA may interpret data differently than we interpret the same data.
If a product receives regulatory approval, the approval may be significantly limited to specific diseases and dosages or the indications for use may otherwise be limited, which could restrict the commercial value of the product. Further, the FDA may require that certain contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling. In addition, the FDA may require Phase 4 testing which involves clinical studies designed to further assess a drug product’s safety and effectiveness after NDA approval. The FDA also may impose one or more Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (“REMS”) to ensure that the benefits of a product outweigh its risks. A REMS could add training requirements for healthcare professionals, safety communications efforts and limits on channels of distribution, among other things. The sponsor would be required to evaluate and monitor the various REMS activities and adjust them if need be. Whether a REMS would be imposed on any of our products and any resulting financial impact is uncertain at this time.
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an Orphan Drug if it is a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals annually 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 will be recovered from sales in the United States. AZEDRA currently has the Orphan Drug designation in the United States.
In the United States, Orphan Drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax advantages and user-fee waivers. In addition, if a product that has Orphan Drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to Orphan Drug exclusivity, which means the FDA may not approve any other application to market the same drug for the same indication for a period of seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority over the product with orphan exclusivity or where the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient product quantity.
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Under Section 529 of the FDCA, companies that develop new drugs for the prevention and treatment of certain rare pediatric diseases may be eligible for a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher for a subsequent human drug application. The voucher is only granted if the drug is approved for the rare pediatric disease, but once granted, the voucher can either be used by the recipient or sold to a third party, typically a large pharmaceutical or related company that seeks priority review for an unrelated drug it expects will generate substantial revenue. Pursuant to federal legislation passed and signed into law in late 2020, the expiration date of the rare pediatric disease priority review voucher program was extended from September 30, 2022 to September 30, 2026.
Any drug products for which we receive FDA approvals are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, record-keeping requirements, reporting of adverse experiences with the product, providing the FDA with updated safety and efficacy information, product sampling and distribution requirements, complying with certain electronic records and signature requirements, and complying with FDA promotion and advertising requirements. The FDA strictly regulates labeling, advertising, promotion and other types of information on drug products that are placed on the market. Drugs may be promoted only for the approved indications and consistent with the provisions of the approved label and promotional claims must be appropriately balanced with important safety information and otherwise be adequately substantiated. Further, manufacturers of drugs must continue to comply with cGMP requirements, which are extensive and require considerable time, resources and ongoing investment to ensure compliance. In addition, changes to the manufacturing process 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.
Drug product manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacturing and distribution of approved drugs products are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain other agencies for compliance with cGMP and other laws. The cGMP requirements apply to all stages of the manufacturing process, including the production, processing, sterilization, packaging, labeling, storage and shipment of the drug product. Manufacturers must establish validated systems to ensure that products meet specifications and regulatory standards, and test each product batch or lot prior to its release. In addition, manufacturers of commercial PET products such as PYLARIFY, including radiopharmacies, hospitals and academic medical centers, are required to submit either an NDA or ANDA in order to produce PET drugs for clinical use, or produce the drugs under an IND.
The FDA also regulates the preclinical and clinical testing, design, manufacture, safety, efficacy, labeling, storage, record keeping, sales and distribution, post-market adverse event reporting, import/export and advertising and promotion of any medical devices that we distribute pursuant to the FDCA and FDA’s implementing regulations. The Federal Trade Commission shares jurisdiction with the FDA over the promotion and advertising of certain medical devices. The FDA can also impose restrictions on the sale, distribution or use of medical devices at the time of their clearance or approval, or subsequent to marketing. Currently, medical devices comprise only a small portion of our revenues.
The FDA may withdraw marketing authorization for a product if compliance with regulatory standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously-unknown problems with a product may result in restrictions on the product or even complete withdrawal of the product from the market. Further, the failure to maintain compliance with regulatory requirements may result in administrative or judicial actions, such as fines, civil monetary penalties, warning letters, holds on clinical studies, product recalls or seizures, product detention or refusal to permit the import or export of products, refusal to approve pending applications or supplements, restrictions on marketing or manufacturing, injunctions, or civil or criminal penalties.
Regulations are subject to change as a result of legislative, administrative or judicial action, which may also increase our costs or reduce sales or otherwise adversely impact our products. For example, on April 16, 2021 in the case Genus Medical Technologies LLC v. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held that a product (other than a combination product) that meets the definitions of both “drug” and “device” under the FDCA must be regulated as a device. On August 9, 2021, the FDA announced that, as part of its implementation of this court decision, the FDA intended to regulate products that meet both the device and drug definition as devices, except where Congress intended a different classification. The FDA further indicated that it intended to bring previously classified products into line with the court decision and would reexamine whether individual imaging agents meet the device definition. In connection with its announcement, the FDA requested comments from the industry on five topics: categories of products implicated by the court decision; the transition process; the transition timing; user fee transitions; and determining drug or device status. We submitted comments to the FDA in response to its request for comments. While we question whether the FDA has authority to make this change, we believe that pre-existing law already establishes that a broad spectrum of imaging agents have already been established by Congress to be “drugs”, and do not believe that any of our imaging agents meets the definition of a “device” under the FDCA. We can give no assurance that the FDA will agree with our position. In addition, if the FDA determines that one or more of our imaging agents meet the definition of a “device”, we do not know when such reclassification would be effective, how any transition rules would be formulated or applied, and whether or not the legal framework provided by the Hatch-Waxman Act described below would be preserved for some time after such reclassification. A reclassification of one or more of our imaging agents as a “device” could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
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Because our operations include the manufacture and distribution of medical radioisotopes and other medical products, we are subject to regulation by the NRC and the departments of health of each state in which we operate and the applicable state boards of pharmacy. In addition, the FDA is also involved in the regulation of cyclotron facilities where PET products are produced in compliance with cGMP requirements and U.S. Pharmacopeia requirements for PET drug compounding.
Drug laws also are in effect in many of the non-U.S. markets in which we or our partners conduct business. These laws range from comprehensive drug approval requirements to requests for product data or certifications. In addition, inspection of and controls over manufacturing, as well as monitoring of adverse events, are components of most of these regulatory systems. Most of our business is subject to varying degrees of governmental regulation in the countries in which we or our partners operate, and the general trend is toward increasingly stringent regulation. The exercise of broad regulatory powers by the FDA continues to result in increases in the amount of testing and documentation required for approval or clearance of new drugs and devices, all of which add to the expense of product introduction. Similar trends also are evident in major non-U.S. markets, including Canada, the European Union, Australia and Japan.
To assess and facilitate compliance with applicable FDA, NRC and other state, federal and foreign regulatory requirements, we regularly review our quality systems to assess their effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. As part of our quality review, we perform assessments of our suppliers of the raw materials that are incorporated into products and conduct quality management reviews designed to inform management of key issues that may affect the quality of our products. From time to time, we may determine that products we manufactured or marketed do not meet our specifications, published standards, such as those issued by the International Standards Organization, or regulatory requirements. When a quality or regulatory issue is identified, we investigate the issue and take appropriate corrective action, such as withdrawal of the product from the market, correction of the product at the customer location, notice to the customer of revised labeling and other actions.
Hatch-Waxman Act
The Hatch-Waxman Act added two pathways for FDA drug approval. First, the Hatch-Waxman Act permits the FDA to approve ANDAs for generic versions of drugs if the ANDA applicant demonstrates, among other things, that its product is bioequivalent to the innovator product and provides relevant chemistry, manufacturing and product data. See “Item 1. Business - Patents.” Second, the Hatch-Waxman Act created what is known as a Section 505(b)(2) NDA, which requires the same information as a full NDA (known as a Section 505(b)(1) NDA), including full reports of clinical and preclinical studies but allows some of the information from the reports required for marketing approval to come from studies which the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference. A Section 505(b)(2) NDA permits a manufacturer to obtain marketing approval for a drug without needing to conduct or obtain a right of reference for all of the required studies. The Hatch-Waxman Act also provides for: (1) restoration of a portion of a product’s patent term that was lost during clinical development and application review by the FDA; and (2) statutory protection, known as exclusivity, against the FDA’s acceptance or approval of certain competitor applications.
Under U.S. law, patent term extension can compensate for time lost during product development and the regulatory review process by returning up to five years of patent life for a patent that covers a new product or its use. This period is generally one-half the time between the effective date of an IND and the submission date of an NDA, plus the time between the submission date of an NDA and the approval of that application. Patent term extensions, however, are subject to a maximum extension of five years, and the patent term extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years. The application for patent term extension is subject to approval by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in conjunction with the FDA.
The Hatch-Waxman Act also provides for a period of statutory protection for new drugs that receive NDA approval from the FDA. If the FDA approves a Section 505(b)(1) NDA for a new drug that is a new chemical entity, meaning that the FDA has not previously approved any other new drug containing the same active moiety, then the Hatch-Waxman Act prohibits the submission or approval of an ANDA or a Section 505(b)(2) NDA for a period of five years from the date of approval of the NDA, except that the FDA may accept an application for review after four years under certain circumstances, specifically a patent challenge for one or more patents listed by the NDA holder in FDA’s publication, Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (the “Orange Book”), submitted in a “Paragraph IV” Certification. The Hatch-Waxman Act will not prevent the filing or approval of a full NDA, as opposed to an ANDA or Section 505(b)(2) NDA, for any drug, but the competitor would be required to conduct its own clinical trials, and any use of the drug for which marketing approval is sought could not violate another NDA holder’s patent claims. The Hatch-Waxman Act provides for a three-year period of exclusivity for an NDA for a new drug containing an active moiety that was previously approved by the FDA, but also includes new clinical data (other than bioavailability and bioequivalence studies) to support an innovation over the previously-approved drug and those studies were conducted or sponsored by the applicant and were essential to approval of the application. This three-year exclusivity period does not prohibit the FDA from accepting an application from a third party for a drug with that same innovation, but it does prohibit the FDA from approving that application for the three-year period. The three-year exclusivity does not prohibit the FDA, with limited exceptions, from approving generic drugs containing the same active ingredient but without the new innovation.
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Reimbursement
The successful commercialization of our products is also subject to the availability of appropriate third-party coding, coverage and payment for our customers. Third-party payors in the U.S. include commercial payors, including managed care providers, and State and Federal healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. The process for determining whether a payor will provide coverage for a product may be separate from the process for setting the price or reimbursement rate that the payor will pay for the product. Coverage of a product does not ensure there will be an appropriate reimbursement amount for such product and the process to ensure appropriate reimbursement is outside our control. For commercial payors, coverage and reimbursement of our products vary from commercial payor to commercial payor. Many commercial payors, such as managed care providers, manage access to products, and may use medical policies (which may include specific coverage requirements such as prior authorization, re-authorization and achieving performance metrics under value-based contracts) to control utilization. Exclusion from or restriction in coverage can reduce product use. For government payors, we participate, as required, in the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) and the PHS 340b program, which each require discounts for participation and may be subject to change. For Medicare, reimbursement to customers for our products is generally established through the rulemaking process or in discussion with Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs). We have ongoing conversations with third-party payors to advocate for appropriate coding, coverage and payment for our portfolio of products, but we can give no assurance that adequate coding, coverage and payment can be obtained from such commercial or government payors.
Medicare Outpatient Pass-Through Payment Status
Part B of the Medicare program generally reimburses medical services and supplies, including drugs, provided to beneficiaries by physicians and other qualified healthcare professionals. Generally, drugs furnished “incident to” a physician’s service in the hospital outpatient setting of care are reimbursed at Average Sales Price (“ASP”) plus a certain additional percent, unless the product is treated as a “supply” in the performance of the procedure and “packaged” and paid as part of bundled payment for the procedure. Novel drugs, however, may apply for “pass-through status” in which case they are provided a separate payment at ASP plus a certain additional percent for two to three years, regardless of whether they would ordinarily be packaged.
PYLARIFY has received pass-through status effective January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024, thereby providing separate reimbursement to customers using PYLARIFY in the hospital outpatient setting during this specified period. The reimbursement rate for PYLARIFY is based on the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) plus three percent until CMS can establish an ASP for the product, which could take six months. Once CMS establishes an ASP, the add-on percentage applicable to PYLARIFY will likely vary.
PYLARIFY has been assigned Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code A9595 (piflufolastat F 18, diagnostic, 1 millicurie) for identification in claims and can be used by both public and commercial payors. Under existing Medicare Part B payment policy, non-pass-through diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals are not separately paid and are instead packaged into payment for the underlying procedure. Therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, however, continue to be eligible for separate payment even after expiration of pass-through status. We plan to continue our advocacy efforts with CMS and private insurers so that PYLARIFY customers will have appropriate and adequate reimbursement following the expiration of pass-through status, although we can give no assurances that we will be successful in those efforts.
Healthcare Reform and Other Laws Affecting Payment
We operate in a highly-regulated industry. The U.S. and state governments continue to propose and pass legislation that may affect the availability and cost of healthcare. For example, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “Healthcare Reform Act”), substantially changes the way in which healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers and has a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry. The Healthcare Reform Act contains a number of provisions that affect coverage, reimbursement and/or delivery of drug products and the medical imaging procedures in which our drug products are used. Key provisions that currently affect our business include the following:
• increasing the presumed utilization rate for imaging equipment costing $1.0 million or more in the physician office and free-standing imaging facility setting which reduces the Medicare per procedure medical imaging reimbursement; which rate was further increased by subsequent legislation effective January 1, 2014;
• increasing drug rebates paid to state Medicaid programs under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program for brand name prescription drugs and extending those rebates to Medicaid managed care organizations;
• expanding access to the 340B program by allowing additional covered entities to participate in the program; and
• imposing a non-deductible annual fee on pharmaceutical manufacturers or importers who sell brand name prescription drugs to specified federal government programs.
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The Healthcare Reform Act also amended the federal self-referral laws, requiring referring physicians to inform patients under certain circumstances that the patients may obtain services, including PET, CT, MRI and certain other diagnostic imaging services, from a provider other than that physician, another physician in his or her group practice, or another individual under direct supervision of the physician or another physician in the group practice. The referring physician must provide each patient with a written list of other suppliers who furnish those services in the area in which the patient resides. These requirements could have the effect of shifting where certain diagnostic medical imaging procedures are performed.
The Healthcare Reform Act has been subject to political and judicial challenges, but it has generally withstood such challenges, and the main provisions of the Healthcare Reform Act remain in effect.
Recently, there has been considerable public and government scrutiny of pharmaceutical pricing and proposals to address the perceived high cost of pharmaceuticals at both the federal and state levels. Efforts by government officials or legislators to implement measures to regulate prices or payment for pharmaceutical products could limit our flexibility in establishing prices for our products or otherwise adversely affect our business if implemented. For instance, Congress is currently considering the Build Back Better Act, which contains many drug pricing provisions that could adversely affect our business, including but not limited to authorization for Medicare to directly negotiate pricing for high-cost drugs, and inflation penalties for Part B and D drugs with price increases greater than the rate of inflation. To be clear, changes could occur at the federal level or state level and may be adopted by statute, rule, or sub-regulatory policies. Recent state legislative efforts seek to address drug costs and generally have focused on increasing transparency around drug costs or limiting drug prices. Some of those efforts have been subject to legal challenge.
General legislative cost control measures may also affect reimbursement for our products or services provided with our products. The Budget Control Act, as amended by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019, resulted in the imposition of 2% reductions in Medicare (but not Medicaid) payments to providers beginning in 2013 and will remain in effect through fiscal year 2030 unless additional Congressional action is taken. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act suspended the 2% payment adjustment for dates of service from May 1 through December 31, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 subsequently extended this suspension until March 31, 2021, and Congress further extended the suspension through March 31, 2022. Any significant spending reductions affecting Medicare, Medicaid or other publicly funded or subsidized health programs that may be implemented and/or any significant taxes or fees that may be imposed on us could have an adverse impact on our business results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Laws
We are subject to various federal, state and local laws targeting fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry, including anti-kickback and false claims laws. Patient assistance programs, if not properly implemented, can implicate these laws. Violations of fraud and abuse laws may be punishable by criminal or civil sanctions, including fines and civil monetary penalties, and/or exclusion from federal health care programs (including Medicare and Medicaid). Federal and state authorities are paying increased attention to enforcement of these laws within the pharmaceutical industry, and private individuals have been active in alleging violations of the laws and bringing suits on behalf of the government under the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”). Violations of international fraud and abuse laws could result in similar penalties, including exclusion from participation in health programs outside the U.S. If we were subject to allegations concerning, or were convicted of violating, these laws, our business could be harmed.
The federal Anti-Kickback Statute generally prohibits, among other things, a pharmaceutical manufacturer from directly or indirectly soliciting, offering, receiving, or paying any remuneration in cash or in kind where one purpose is either to induce the referral of an individual for, or the purchase or prescription of a particular drug that is payable by a federal health care program, including Medicare or Medicaid. The Healthcare Reform Act clarifies the intent requirements of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, providing that a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or a specific intent to violate the statute. Violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute can result in exclusion from Medicare, Medicaid or other governmental programs as well as civil and criminal fines and penalties of up to $104,330 per violation and three times the amount of the unlawful remuneration. In addition, the Healthcare Reform Act revised the FCA to provide that a claim arising from a violation of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the FCA. The majority of states also have anti-kickback, false claims, and similar fraud and abuse laws and although the specific provisions of these laws vary, their scope is generally broad, and there may not be regulations, guidance or court decisions that apply the laws to particular industry practices. There is, therefore, a possibility that our practices might be challenged under the anti-kickback statutes or similar laws.
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Federal and state false claims laws generally prohibit anyone from knowingly and willfully, among other activities, presenting, or causing to be presented for payment to third party payors (including Medicare and Medicaid) claims for drugs or services that are false or fraudulent (which may include claims for services not provided as claimed or claims for medically unnecessary services). As discussed, a claim arising from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the FCA. False or fraudulent claims for purposes of the FCA carry fines and civil penalties for violations ranging from $11,665 to $23,331 for each false claim, plus up to three times the amount of damages sustained by the federal government and, most critically, may provide the basis for exclusion from federally funded healthcare programs. There is also a criminal FCA statute by which individuals or entities that submit false claims can face criminal penalties. In addition, under the federal Civil Monetary Penalty Law, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has the authority to exclude from participation in federal health care programs or to impose civil penalties against any person who, among other things, knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, certain false or otherwise improper claims. Our activities relating to the sale and marketing of our products may be subject to scrutiny under these laws.
Laws and regulations have also been enacted by the U.S. federal government and various states, as well as by countries outside of the U.S., to regulate the sales and marketing practices of certain entities including pharmaceutical and device manufacturers. The laws and regulations generally limit financial interactions between manufacturers and health care providers; require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the U.S. federal government; and/or require disclosure by pharmaceutical and device manufacturers to the government and/or public of financial interactions or other financial relationships with health care providers and other entities such as teaching hospitals (so-called “sunshine laws”). The Healthcare Reform Act requires manufacturers to submit information to the FDA on the identity and quantity of drug samples requested and distributed by a manufacturer during each year. Many of these laws and regulations contain ambiguous requirements or require administrative guidance for implementation. The laws and regulations include requirements that can be unclear in their scope, nature, and required implementation by regulated entities. If we fail to comply with such laws and regulations, we could be subject to penalties and administrative actions under such laws and regulations.
Data Privacy, Security and Breach Notification
We are subject to data protection laws and regulations that set forth data privacy, security, and breach notification requirements. The legislative and regulatory landscape for data protection continues to evolve, and in recent years there has been an increasing focus on data protection and other data privacy and security issues. In the United States, numerous federal and state laws and regulations, including state data breach notification laws, state health information privacy laws and federal and state consumer protection laws govern the collection, use, disclosure and protection of health-related and other personal information. In addition to establishing restrictions on how personal information may be collected, used, and disclosed, these laws and regulations provide various rights to data subjects with respect to their personal information and establish requirements for how personal information must be secured. In addition, every state in the United States now has a data breach notification law that requires regulated entities to report certain security breaches to affected data subjects, regulators, or other entities. Failure to comply with data protection laws and regulations could result in government enforcement actions (which could include civil or criminal penalties and requirements to take corrective actions), private litigation (which may result in the award of damages against us), and/or adverse publicity, and could negatively affect our operating results, business, and reputation. In addition, we may obtain health information from third parties (e.g., healthcare providers who prescribe our products) that are themselves subject to privacy, security, and breach notification requirements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (collectively, “HIPAA”). While we believe that we are neither a “covered entity” nor “business associate” subject directly to regulation under HIPAA, HIPAA’s criminal provisions can apply to entities other than “covered entities” or “business associates” in certain circumstances. Accordingly, we could be subject to criminal penalties if we knowingly obtain or disclose individually identifiable health information from a HIPAA-covered entity in a manner that is not authorized or permitted.
In addition, a growing number of jurisdictions outside of the United States have enacted robust data protection laws. Certain of these laws have extraterritorial application. For example, the processing of personal data in the European Union is governed by the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which came into effect on May 25, 2018. The GDPR applies to an entity established in the EU and extraterritorially to an entity outside of the EU that offers goods or services to, or monitors the behavior of, individuals located in the EU. Certain “special categories” of personal data, including data concerning health, are subject to enhanced protections under the GDPR. This regulation imposes several requirements on the controllers and processors of personal data, including the obligation to comply with various rights that individuals have with respect to their personal data and restrictions on the processing of personal data, and to provide notice of data processing obligations to the competent national data protection authorities. The GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data out of the European Union to the United States. Failure to comply with the requirements of the GDPR and the related national data protection laws of the European Union Member States may result in significant fines and other administrative penalties.
In the United States, several state legislatures are considering enacting new data privacy legislation. One example of such legislation that has already been passed is the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which took effect on January 1, 2020 and
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imposes many requirements on certain for-profit businesses that process the personal information of California residents. Many of the CCPA’s requirements are similar to those found in the GDPR, including requiring businesses to provide notice to data subjects regarding the information collected about them and how such information is used and shared, and providing data subjects various rights, such as the right to request access to their personal information and, in certain cases, request the erasure of such personal information. The CCPA also affords California residents the right to opt-out of the “sale” of their personal information. In addition, the CCPA requires regulated businesses to implement reasonable security procedures and practices to protect personal information. The CCPA contains significant penalties for companies that violate its requirements. It also provides California residents a private right of action, including the ability to seek statutory damages, in the event of a breach involving their personal information resulting from a business’s failure to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices. Compliance with the CCPA is 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.
On November 3, 2020, California passed the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) through a ballot initiative. The CPRA amends the CCPA and expands its protections for personal information, including by establishing a new California Privacy Protection Agency to enforce the CPRA and by providing California consumers various rights such as the right to restrict the processing of their “sensitive personal information.” The CPRA’s amendments to the CCPA take effect on January 1, 2023, and generally will apply to personal information collected by regulated businesses on or after January 1, 2022. The California Attorney General will have authority to begin enforcing the CPRA’s amendments to the CCPA beginning on July 1, 2022.
Antitrust and Competition Laws
The federal government and most states have enacted antitrust laws that prohibit specific types of anti-competitive conduct, including price fixing, wage fixing, concerted refusals to deal, price discrimination and tying arrangements, as well as monopolization and acquisitions of competitors that have, or may have, a substantial adverse effect on competition. Violations of federal or state antitrust laws can result in various sanctions, including criminal and civil penalties. We believe we are in compliance with such federal and state laws, but courts or regulatory authorities may reach a determination in the future that could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In addition, we are subject to similar antitrust and anti-competition laws in foreign countries. We believe we are in compliance with such laws, however, any violation could create a substantial liability for us and also cause a loss of reputation in both foreign and domestic markets.
Laws Relating to Foreign Trade
We are subject to various federal and foreign laws that govern our international business practices with respect to payments to government officials. Those laws include the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) which prohibits U.S. companies and their representatives from paying, offering to pay, promising, or authorizing the payment of anything of value to any foreign government official, government staff member, political party, or political candidate for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or to otherwise obtain favorable treatment or influence a person working in an official capacity. In many countries, the healthcare professionals we regularly interact with may meet the FCPA’s definition of a foreign government official. The FCPA also requires public companies to make and keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect their transactions and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls.
Those laws also include the U.K. Bribery Act (“Bribery Act”) which proscribes giving and receiving bribes in the public and private sectors, bribing a foreign public official, and failing to have adequate procedures to prevent employees and other agents from giving bribes. U.S. companies that conduct business in the United Kingdom generally will be subject to the Bribery Act. Penalties under the Bribery Act include potentially unlimited fines for companies and criminal sanctions for corporate officers under certain circumstances.
Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws. Our operations reach many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree, and in certain circumstances strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Despite our training and compliance programs, our internal control policies and procedures may not always protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents.
We are also subject to trade control regulations and trade sanctions laws that restrict the movement of certain goods, currency, products, materials, services and technology to, and certain operations in, various countries or with certain persons. Our ability to transfer people and products among certain countries may be subjected to these laws and regulations.
Health and Safety Laws
We are also subject to various federal, state and local laws, regulations and recommendations, both in the U.S. and abroad, relating to safe working conditions, laboratory and manufacturing practices and the use, transportation and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances.
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See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for information regarding certain risks related to reimbursement and regulation.
Environmental Matters
We are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, human health and safety in the U.S. and in other jurisdictions in which we operate. Our operations, like those of other medical product companies, involve the transport, use, handling, storage, exposure to and disposal of materials and wastes regulated under environmental laws, including hazardous and radioactive materials and wastes. If we violate these laws and regulations, we could be fined, criminally charged or otherwise sanctioned by regulators. We believe that our operations currently comply in all material respects with applicable environmental laws and regulations.
Certain environmental laws and regulations assess liability on current or previous owners or operators of real property for the cost of investigation, removal or remediation of hazardous materials or wastes at those formerly owned or operated properties or at third party properties at which they have disposed of hazardous materials or wastes. In addition to cleanup actions brought by governmental authorities, private parties could bring personal injury, property damage or other claims due to the presence of, or exposure to, hazardous materials or wastes. We currently are not party to any claims or any obligations to investigate or remediate any material contamination at any of our facilities.
We are required to maintain a number of environmental permits and nuclear licenses for our North Billerica, Massachusetts facility, which is our primary manufacturing, packaging and distribution facility. In particular, we must maintain a nuclear byproducts materials license issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This license requires that we provide financial assurance demonstrating our ability to cover the cost of decommissioning and decontaminating (“D&D”) the Billerica site at the end of its use as a nuclear facility. In addition, we have a radioactive production facility in Somerset, NJ where we must also maintain a number of environmental permits and nuclear licenses. We store low level radioactive waste at our facilities until the materials are below regulatory limits, as allowed by our licenses and permits. As of December 31, 2021, we currently estimate the D&D cost of all of our manufacturing sites (excluding our Puerto Rico radiopharmacy, which we sold on January 29, 2021) to be approximately $26.4 million. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we have a liability recorded associated with the fair value of the asset retirement obligations of $20.8 million and $14.0 million, respectively. We currently provide this financial assurance in the form of surety bonds.
We also actively monitor and seek to reduce our solid waste, energy and water usage, waste water discharge and greenhouse gas emissions. We generally contract with third parties for the disposal of wastes generated by our operations. In 2020, we developed a stormwater management operations and maintenance plan to minimize stormwater pollution from high impact activities. Improvements we made include (i) the regular inspection and cleaning of catch basins and piping to reduce sediment and debris wash out to adjacent wetlands; (ii) increasing street and parking lot cleaning to reduce pollutant run off; (iii) updating our snow removal plan at our North Billerica site to reduce the impact to adjacent wetlands; and (iv) using salt brine as a pretreatment for winter storms to reduce the amount of salt use and run off.
With respect to sustainability, in 2020, we developed a mechanism to track and monitor our energy use, water use and waste generation. We use an Energy Star Portfolio Manager to track energy and water use that we believe will help us calculate associated greenhouse gas emissions and compare the performance of our North Billerica buildings against a yearly baseline, national medians, and other similar buildings.
Environmental laws and regulations are complex, change frequently and have become more stringent over time. While we have budgeted for future capital and operating expenditures to maintain compliance with these laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that our costs of complying with current or future environmental protection, health and safety laws and regulations will not exceed our estimates or adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Further, we cannot assure you that we will not be subject to additional environmental claims for personal injury or cleanup in the future based on our past, present or future business activities. While it is not feasible to predict the future costs of ongoing environmental compliance, it is possible that there will be a need for future provisions for environmental costs that, in management’s opinion, are not likely to have a material effect on our financial condition, but could be material to the results of operations in any one accounting period.
See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for information regarding certain risks associated with environmental matters.
Human Capital Management
As of December 31, 2021, we had 612 employees, of which 588 were located in the U.S. and 24 were located internationally. None of our employees are represented by a collective bargaining agreement, and we believe that our relationship with our employees is good. During 2021, we hired additional employees to assist us with the commercialization of PYLARIFY, including in sales, marketing, reimbursement, quality and medical affairs. In addition, we hired a Chief Human Resources Officer to help us attract, develop and retain leading and diverse talent in business-critical roles.
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Diversity, Inclusion, Ethics and Compliance
We believe that supporting our local community and instilling a diverse, inclusive, ethical and compliant culture makes us an employer of choice, allows us to maintain good standing with the regulatory authorities and our customers, and benefits our stockholders in the long run.
We have a female Chief Executive Officer, over half of our Vice Presidents and above are women, and approximately 46% of our employees are women. We continue to strive to improve our diversity and inclusion with a strategic emphasis beyond gender, and we require recruiters working with us to present diversity candidates.
We are committed to promoting a culture of ethics and compliance. Our Code of Conduct and Ethics reflects our commitment to corporate integrity and the underlying business practices and principles of behavior that support this commitment. Each year our employees complete mandatory training that includes anti-bribery/anti-corruption rules, insider trading prohibitions, confidentiality obligations, as well as specialized training in healthcare industry marketing practices. We have a formal Ethics and Compliance Committee that develops, implements and oversees our ethics and compliance programs. We also have a Supplier Code of Conduct, and we seek to do business with minority-owned, female-owned and other diverse businesses and organizations (including those owned or operated by veterans and disabled veterans) that appropriately reflect the communities in which we operate and the customer base we serve.
Compensation and Benefits
We seek to provide pay, benefits, and services that are competitive to market and create incentives to attract and retain employees. Our compensation package includes, among other things, market-competitive pay, cash bonuses, healthcare and defined contribution plan benefits, paid time off and family leave, and restricted stock and other equity grants to certain levels of employees. We are focused on pay equity and regularly assess pay among similar roles and responsibilities throughout our organization and in comparison to our peer group.
Communication and Engagement
We believe that our success depends on employees understanding how their work contributes to our overall strategy. To this end, we utilize a variety of channels to facilitate open and direct communication, including: (i) quarterly town hall meetings for our entire company; (ii) regular ongoing update communications; and (iii) an externally administered whistleblower hotline and website that is prominently advertised to our employees, and a whistleblower’s anonymity is protected, if so requested. We also established various employee recognition award programs to recognize and reward employees for specific outstanding accomplishments and to foster a positive employee relations climate.
Health, Wellness and Safety
We are committed to the health and safety of our employees, patients and other partners in the healthcare community. We work to promote an environment of awareness and shared responsibility for safety and regulatory compliance throughout the Company, in order to minimize risks of injury, exposure, or business impact.
With respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, we operated a “Pandemic Response Team” to implement and oversee appropriate precautions to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in our teams and communities. We continue to have all non-critical employees and contractors work-remotely and avoid non-essential work-related travel. Further, we established a “Return to Office” team to develop plans for employees to safely return to all our facilities.
Corporate History
Founded in 1956 as New England Nuclear Corporation, our medical imaging diagnostic business was purchased by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (“DuPont”) in 1981. Bristol Myers Squibb (“BMS”) subsequently acquired our diagnostic medical imaging business as part of its acquisition of DuPont Pharmaceuticals in 2001. In January 2008, Avista Capital Partners, L.P., Avista Capital Partners (Offshore), L.P. and ACP-Lantern Co-Invest, LLC formed Lantheus Holdings and acquired our medical imaging business from BMS. On June 30, 2015, we completed an initial public offering of our common stock. We completed our acquisition of Progenics on June 19, 2020 (the “Progenics Acquisition”). Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “LNTH”.
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Available Information
Our global Internet site is www.lantheus.com. We routinely make available important information, including copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC, free of charge on our website at investor.lantheus.com. We recognize our website as a key channel of distribution to reach public investors and as a means of disclosing material non-public information to comply with our disclosure obligations under SEC Regulation FD. Information contained on our website shall not be deemed incorporated into, or to be part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any website references are not intended to be made through active hyperlinks.
Our reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC are also available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and for Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, in an Inline Extensible Business Reporting Language (“iXBRL”) format. iXBRL is an electronic coding language used to create interactive financial statement data over the Internet. The information on our website is neither part of nor incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.