Item 1. Business
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for patients suffering from complex rare diseases using our novel cell penetrating peptide (“CPP”) technology platform. Our lead product candidate, nomlabofusp, is a subcutaneously administered, recombinant fusion protein intended to deliver frataxin (“FXN”), an essential protein, to the mitochondria of patients with Friedreich's ataxia (“FA”). FA is a rare, progressive, and fatal disease in which patients are unable to produce sufficient FXN due to a genetic abnormality. Currently, there are no treatment options that address the core deficit of FA, low levels of FXN. Nomlabofusp represents the first potential therapy designed to systemically increase FXN levels in patients with FA.
We believe that our CPP platform, which enables a therapeutic molecule to cross a cell membrane in order to reach intracellular targets, also has the potential to enable the treatment of other rare and orphan diseases. We intend to use our proprietary platform to target additional orphan indications characterized by deficiencies in or alterations of intracellular content or activity.
Since our inception, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to developing nomlabofusp, building our intellectual property portfolio, developing third-party manufacturing capabilities, business planning, raising capital, and providing general and administrative support for such operations.
As of December 31, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $136.9 million, which, together with the net proceeds of $107.6 million from our February 2026 public offering of common stock, we anticipate will fund operations into the second quarter of 2027.
Nomlabofusp Program Update
We have Orphan Drug Designation, Fast Track Designation, Pediatric Rare Disease Designation and Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA and have been granted Orphan Drug Designation and access to the European Medicines Agency’s (“EMA’s”) Priority Medicines Program (“PRIME”) scheme in the European Union (the “EU”). We have also received access in the United Kingdom (the “UK”) to the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency’s (“MHRA”) Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (“ILAP”). These programs are designed to facilitate development of certain therapeutics such as those for rare and serious diseases, and those that have the potential to meet an unmet medical need.
The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research selected nomlabofusp as one of a few drug development programs for participation in the Support for Clinical Trials Advancing Rare Disease Therapeutics (“START”) Pilot Program. The objective of the program is to accelerate the development of drugs for rare diseases that lead to significant disability or death by facilitating frequent advice and regular communication with the FDA staff to expedite the review process of biologics and drugs.
We have engaged in multiple discussions and interactions with the FDA in connection with our clinical development of nomlabofusp and communications remain ongoing. We have also had numerous interactions with the EMA, the MHRA, and Canada’s Health Canada regarding the clinical development of nomlabofusp.
We have completed four clinical studies: (i) two Phase 1 clinical studies in adults, (ii) a Phase 2 dose exploration study in adults and (iii) a Phase 1 pharmacokinetic (“PK”) run-in study in adolescents (12-17 years old). We currently have an ongoing open label ("OL") study (previously referred to as the Open Label Extension, (“OLE”) study) in adults and adolescents with FA. Approximately 8,000 doses of nomlabofusp have been administered to patients throughout the clinical development program.
Recent significant developments are as follows:
• In December 2024, we reported initial data from our ongoing OL study. This data included safety, FXN levels, clinical and PK data in 14 participants administered 25 mg nomlabofusp daily for up to 260 days (mean 99 days). Tissue FXN levels increased and were maintained at day 90 and there were early trends towards improvement in clinical outcomes observed at day 90. The most common adverse events were injection site reactions and two participants experienced serious adverse events (one seizure and one
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anaphylactic reaction) that resolved within 24 hours and they were withdrawn from the study. Also in December 2024, we announced that we were increasing the dose in the OL study to 50 mg of nomlabofusp daily for then currently enrolled participants and would be starting all new patients on 50 mg daily and in March 2025 we announced that all participants had transitioned to the 50 mg daily dose. In March 2025 we also announced that our Safety Monitoring Team had identified anaphylaxis as an adverse drug reaction likely associated with nomlabofusp.
• In January 2025, we initiated dosing of adolescents (12-17 years old) in a PK run-in study for pediatric patients with FA. Study participants in the PK run-in study were randomized 2:1 to receive either nomlabofusp at a weight-base dose expected to match the PK of adults receiving the 50 mg dose, or placebo, daily for seven days. We completed dosing in 14 adolescents in March 2025. The PK and exposure data were similar to adults and the participants became eligible to enroll in the OL study. The PK results from the adolescent cohort also supported the predictive value of our exposure modeling and will facilitate direct enrollment of children (2-11 years old) into the OL study which would eliminate any pause in study drug administration between the PK study and the OL study. Therefore, it was not necessary to perform a cohort for children in the PK study and we terminated the study. We are now planning to initiate enrollment of children directly into the ongoing OL study.
• In February 2025, the FDA accepted the data supporting the comparability of the lyophilized drug product to the frozen solution and agreed with our plans to introduce the lyophilized product into our clinical development program. In July 2025, we began introducing the lyophilized product formulation into the OL study. This is the formulation intended for commercialization.
• In March 2025, we announced that the FDA stated as part of the START pilot program, that it is open to considering the use of FXN concentration as a reasonably likely surrogate endpoint (“RLSE”) and the acceptability of FXN concentration as an RLSE to support accelerated approval will be a matter of review in a future marketing application. The FDA recommended focusing on assessments of skin FXN concentrations rather than buccal FXN concentrations due to more consistent sampling and less variability. The FDA acknowledged that data we submitted appeared to support a relationship between increased FXN concentrations in skin and relevant tissues such as the heart, dorsal root ganglion and skeletal muscle. The FDA also acknowledged that the nonclinical studies we submitted were performed at relevant human doses. The FDA also suggested that we consider exploring the relationship between increases in FXN in skin and changes in pharmacodynamic (“PD”) markers such as lipid profiles and/or clinical measures to provide additional support for the use of FXN as an RLSE.
• In June 2025, the FDA provided recommendations regarding the safety data set that might be needed to support a Biologics License Application (“BLA”) seeking accelerated approval, which included evaluating safety in at least 30 participants with continuous study drug exposure for six months and a subset of at least 10 of those participants with continuous study drug exposure for one year, with the large majority of data coming from participants receiving the 50 mg dose.
• In July 2025, we announced the publication of nonclinical data evaluating the mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics and pharmacology of nomlabofusp as a novel FXN protein replacement therapy designed to address the underlying cause of FA in two peer-reviewed articles. These data were included in the briefing package reviewed by the FDA in support of using skin FXN concentrations as a RLSE for our registrational program seeking accelerated approval for nomlabofusp.
• In September 2025, we announced positive 25 mg and 50 mg data from the OL study evaluating daily subcutaneous injections of nomlabofusp self-administered or administered by a caregiver in participants with FA. Ten out of 10 participants with data at six months achieved skin FXN levels that were higher than 50% of median levels in healthy volunteers and similar to levels expected in asymptomatic carriers. We also observed consistent directional improvements across four key clinical outcomes relative to a worsening in a Friedreich's Ataxia Clinical Outcomes Measure study (“FACOMS”) natural history study reference population. In participants receiving long term continuous treatment, including 14 participants on nomlabofusp for at least six months, eight of whom continued to be on nomlabofusp for over one year, daily administration of nomlabofusp was generally well-tolerated. Anaphylaxis was reported in seven participants, with most events occurring on the initial day of administration and all occurring within the first 6 weeks of dosing. As a result, we consulted experts and decided to modify the starting dose regimen
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and the FDA agreed with our approach. The most common adverse events continued to be local injection site reactions that are mostly mild, brief in duration and self-limited.
• In September 2025 we also announced that we amended the previous OLE study protocol (which had only included participants from previous clinical trials of nomlabofusp) to include adolescent and adult patients who have not previously participated in a prior nomlabofusp study and the study is now being referred to as the OL study. In addition to risk mitigation measures against anaphylaxis that are already in place such as pre-medicating with antihistamines and supplying epinephrine auto-injectors to study participants, we introduced a new dosing regimen in which participants initially receive a 5 mg dose followed by a 25 mg dose one hour later under observation. Nomlabofusp 25 mg is then administered once daily through day 30 and then the dose is increased to 50 mg once daily.
• In February 2026, the FDA granted the nomlabofusp program Breakthrough Therapy Designation (“BTD”). BTD is intended to expedite the development and regulatory review of a drug intended to treat a serious condition. A drug is eligible for BTD if preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over available treatments in one or more clinically significant endpoints.
• Also in February 2026, as a result of a START pilot program meeting with the FDA, we announced continued alignment with the FDA to consider the use of skin FXN as a novel surrogate endpoint reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit to support a planned Biologics License Application (BLA) submission seeking accelerated approval and that the use of FXN as a novel surrogate endpoint to support accelerated approval. There was also agreement on the type of analyses required to support the exposure response relationships for the nomlabofusp program. The FDA stated that the adequacy of the safety database will be a matter of review at the time of BLA submission.
We are targeting to provide topline study data from our OL study in the second quarter of 2026 and we plan to submit a BLA seeking accelerated approval in June 2026.
For our global confirmatory Phase 3 study, we are planning sites in the U.S., E.U., U.K., Canada and Australia. We have obtained feedback from both the FDA and the EMA on the study protocol. Our clinical trial application was recently approved by Health Canada Authorities and now will undergo Ethics Committee review. We have also filed our CTIS application with the EMA and it is currently under review. Submission to the U.K. regulatory authorities is expected to follow soon. We plan to initiate screening in the U.S.for the study in the second quarter of 2026, with dosing of the first patient expected in mid-2026.
Our Strategy
Our strategy is to become a leader in the treatment of rare diseases by leveraging our CPP technology platform and applying our management team’s know-how and expertise to the development of nomlabofusp and other future pipeline programs. Key elements of our strategy include:
• Advance nomlabofusp through clinical development and regulatory approval in the United States the European Union and other foreign jurisdictions. We have completed two Phase 1 clinical trials in adults along with a Phase 1 PK run-in study in adolescents and a Phase 2 dose exploration trial in adults with FA. We also have an ongoing OL study in adults and adolescents with FA in which participants receive 50 mg nomlabofusp daily. Enrollment in this study is now open to adolescents and adult patients regardless of whether they participated in a previous nomlabofusp trial. We are continuing to develop and execute a clinical development plan for regulatory approval of nomlabofusp in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom (“UK”), Australia, Canada and potentially other countries. We have obtained feedback from both FDA and EMA on the global Phase 3 confirmatory study protocol and continue to qualify sites in the U.S., E.U., U.K, Canada, and Australia and we plan to initiate screening in this Phase 3 study in the second quarter of 2026, with dosing of the first patient expected in mid-2026. We are targeting nomlabofusp BLA submission in June 2026 seeking accelerated approval using tissue FXN levels as a novel surrogate endpoint.
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• If nomlabofusp receives regulatory approval(s), we intend to commercialize nomlabofusp in the United States, the European Union, and other relevant countries independently or with third parties. We intend to evaluate commercialization options in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and in other foreign jurisdictions throughout the world where FA patients can benefit, if we are successful in obtaining regulatory approval for nomlabofusp. We may build our own internal sales force, partner with a contract sales organization, enter into a joint marketing partnership with another pharmaceutical or biotechnology company, or we may seek to out-license nomlabofusp.
• Expand our product candidate pipeline to treat a variety of rare diseases. We intend to expand our pipeline to treat additional rare diseases. A key component of this strategy is to utilize our novel protein replacement therapy platform technology to deliver FXN or other molecules to intracellular targets. We employ a rational approach to selecting disease targets, and take into account many scientific, business, and indication specific factors before choosing each indication.
• Continue to improve our novel protein replacement therapy platform. We continue to improve the scientific understanding of our platform, including how our technology allows enhanced delivery of cargo proteins, thereby impacting the biological processes associated with the diseases we seek to treat. In addition, with our expertise in the use of a CPP to effectively deliver proteins to intracellular targets, we believe that our scientists are well positioned to design and develop additional therapies that will address unmet medical needs associated with other rare diseases and develop other therapeutics with potentially disease modifying therapeutic action. We also plan to continue to build our intellectual property portfolio to expand our protein replacement therapy platform.
• Opportunistically evaluate enabling, adjacent or potential competing technologies, and where advantageous, seek licenses or collaborations regarding those technologies, to advance our platform. We will continue to evaluate technologies that may enable or enhance our product candidates or our rare disease focus. To facilitate the advancement of our CPP platform, we periodically engage in partnering and licensing discussions with a range of biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions and maintain awareness of complementary technologies, synergistic opportunities and “tuck-in” options.
• Continue to strengthen key relationships. We partner with experts in every aspect of development. We believe this expertise, along with our technology platform, will provide us with the ability to develop and commercialize the drug and biologic candidates we have under development and to maximize the value of our platform. In addition to partnering with experts in drug and biologic development, we collaborate with key opinion leaders, academic institutions, experts in the field of rare diseases and with patient advocacy groups associated with the diseases that are being targeted. We have established a scientific advisory board and we regularly seek advice and input from these experienced thought leaders on matters related to our research and development programs. The members of our scientific advisory board consist of distinguished research scientists, professors and industry experts recognized as key opinion leaders in the fields of rare disease, pediatrics and mitochondrial disease. We build these relationships to enhance our knowledge of the patient’s needs and utilize that knowledge to design development programs intended to address unmet medical needs and add value for potential patients.
Platform Technology for Treatment of Rare Genetic Diseases
There are estimated to be over 9,500 rare genetic diseases, which, collectively affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Of the hundreds of millions of individuals suffering from these rare genetic diseases, only approximately 5% have therapeutic options available to manage their disease. Many of these diseases result from a deficiency in the amount or the function of a particular target molecule, often a protein. Particularly challenging to treat are those diseases that result from the deficiency of a molecule that is active within a cell or within a cell-based organelle. The challenge to providing treatment of these diseases is the need to improve the amount or function of the therapeutic target by transporting a therapeutic element across the cell membrane and potentially the membrane of the organelle where the target is active in the diseased patients.
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The ability to transport therapeutic proteins across biological membranes has, to date, not been reproducibly achieved. The collective population of people with rare diseases stands to benefit from the emergence of a scalable treatment platform that can transport therapeutic proteins across cell membranes to deliver them to the intracellular site of activity. In addition, traditionally, medical treatment for each rare genetic disorder has been approached on a disease-by-disease basis. This approach is inefficient, as there are thousands of diseases, each with a distinct patient population, that cannot be addressed by traditional therapeutic approaches and are in need of treatment options. Our understanding of our platform and our bioengineering capabilities support the concept that product candidates based on our platform technology could significantly impact common pathological mechanisms in various diseases with comparable etiologies. We are utilizing this approach to identify therapeutic opportunities where our molecules and technology are more likely to be impactful.
Nomlabofusp For the Treatment of Friedreich’s ataxia
Friedreich’s ataxia
FA is a rare genetic disease that is the most commonly inherited ataxia in humans, with approximately 20,000 individuals living with Friedreich’s ataxia globally, and of these individuals, approximately 5,000 are in the United States and the majority of the remaining individuals are primarily in Europe. Friedreich’s ataxia results from a deficiency of the mitochondrial protein, frataxin, (“FXN”). FXN is an essential and phylogenetically conserved protein that is found in cells throughout the body, with higher levels found in the heart, spinal cord, liver, pancreas, and skeletal muscle. FXN is encoded in the nucleus of the cell, expressed in the cytoplasm and transported into the mitochondria, where it is processed to the mature form. As part of this process the mitochondrial targeting sequence is cleaved off in the mitochondria by a naturally occurring enzyme.
Friedreich’s ataxia is a progressive multi-symptom disease typically presenting in mid-childhood that affects the functioning of multiple organs and systems. It is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that results in poor coordination of legs and arms, progressive loss of the ability to walk, generalized weakness, loss of sensation, scoliosis, diabetes and cardiomyopathy as well as impaired vision, hearing and speech. Patients suffer from progressive neurologic and cardiac dysfunction. Key among these is a primary neurodegeneration of the dorsal root ganglia and the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum, which leads to the hallmark clinical findings of progressive limb ataxia and dysarthria. A hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is common and associated with early mortality, typically between 30 and 50 years of age. Omaveloxolone, the first drug approved for the treatment of FA, was approved by the FDA and the European Commission in February 2023 and February 2024, respectively.
Nomlabofusp
Nomlabofusp, an investigational biologic fusion protein that is administered subcutaneously, consists of a CPP genetically fused to human FXN, and includes a mitochondrial targeting sequence. Using our proprietary peptide delivery technology, nomlabofusp is designed to carry the molecule from the intravascular space across the cell membrane and into the mitochondria where the CPP and the mitochondrial targeting sequence are cleaved off by the mitochondrial processing peptidase (“MPP”) enzyme to yield mature FXN. See Figure 1.
Figure 1.
We have completed two Phase 1 clinical trials and a Phase 2 dose exploration trial in adults with FA, along with a Phase 1 PK run-in study in adolescents with FA (12-17 years old). We also have our ongoing Phase 2 OL trial in adults and adolescents with FA in which participants receive 50 mg nomlabofusp daily. Enrollment in this study is now open to adolescents and adult patients regardless of whether they participated in a previous nomlabofusp trial.
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Based on the results of our non-clinical development program as well as results from our Phase 2 clinical trials, we believe that administering nomlabofusp may increase FXN levels in the mitochondria of patients with Friedreich’s ataxia and they could potentially experience:
• improved cellular function;
• a positive impact on Friedreich’s ataxia symptoms; and
• a slowing of progression of the disease, potentially prolonging life.
In our Phase 1 clinical trials, nomlabofusp appeared to increase FXN levels in the peripheral tissues that were tested (buccal cells, skin biopsies and platelets) and data from our Phase 2 dose exploration study demonstrated dose dependent increases in FXN levels in all evaluated tissues (skin and buccal cells) after daily dosing of 14 days followed by every other day dosing until day 28 in the 25 mg and 50 mg cohorts. Data from the ongoing OL study showed increases in skin FXN levels in 10 of 10 participants with data at six months. These skin FXN levels were higher than 50% of median levels in healthy volunteers similar to levels expected in asymptomatic carriers. We also observed consistent directional improvement across four key clinical outcomes after one year of nomlabofusp treatment relative to a worsening observed in a FACOMS natural history study reference population. The most common adverse events were mild/moderate injection site reactions and we have identified anaphylaxis as an adverse event likely associated with nomlabofusp administration and have implemented several risk mitigation measures. We believe that our technology may allow us to address other rare genetic diseases that either require the replacement of molecules that need to target specific intracellular organelles, or that share similar clinical symptoms that overlap with Friedreich’s ataxia. Finally, the use of nomlabofusp to improve mitochondrial function in other rare diseases that demonstrate evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction is also being explored.
Development of Nomlabofusp
Non-clinical Pharmacology
Following nomlabofusp dosing in multiple non-clinical studies in rodents and non-human primates (“NHPs”), human FXN was found to be distributed into all tissues tested, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Observed hFXN across all tissue and cell types tested:
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Brain
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Spinal Cord
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Skin
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Heart
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Cardiac Mitochondria
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Buccal Cells
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Liver
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CSF (Cerebrospinal Fluid)
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Platelets
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Dorsal Root Ganglia
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Skeletal Muscle
In a study in Sprague Dawley rats in which nomlabofusp was administered daily via SC injection for 7 days, a dose‑dependent increase in hFXN was observed in skin and disease-related target tissues (heart, dorsal root ganglion and skeletal muscle). Furthermore, increases in rat skin hFXN after administration of nomlabofusp were correlated with increases in hFXN in these tissues. These results demonstrate that changes in skin FXN concentrations can be used to predict changes in FXN concentrations of other tissues following administration of nomlabofusp. Correlations were observed not only with skin, but also between tissues, corroborating that hFXN measurements in one tissue are indicative of concentrations in other tissues (De Toni, F., Ragaglia, V., Schecter, D. et al. Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Nomlabofusp in Non-clinical Studies of Friedreich’s Ataxia. AAPS J 27, 112 (2025)).
Nomlabofusp was demonstrated to prolong the life of knock-out (“KO”) mice whose heart and skeletal muscles were deficient in FXN. These mice, when untreated, develop a severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy similar to patients with Friedreich’s ataxia and, like many Friedreich’s ataxia patients, die early in life. In non-clinical studies of nomlabofusp, the median survival in animals treated with vehicle of 98 days was extended to a median survival of 166 days in animals treated with nomlabofusp subcutaneously three times per week (p=0.0001).
Furthermore, 87.5% of mice treated with nomlabofusp survived beyond the mean age of death in the vehicle treated group (107.5 days) whereas only 33% of vehicle treated animals survived. Results are reflected in Figure 3.
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Figure 3.
In a separate study conducted at an independent laboratory, a similar mouse model was studied. In this study doses of 2 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg administered subcutaneously every other day were compared to vehicle. After 2 weeks of dosing, mitochondrial extracts from cardiac tissue were analyzed for the presence of human FXN. In addition, activity of succinate dehydrogenase (“SDH”), an enzyme whose activity is dependent on the presence of FXN, was also analyzed. Human FXN was found in the mitochondria of the cardiomyocytes and increased with increasing dose. SDH activity which was suppressed to near zero in vehicle treated animals was also suppressed to near zero in the 2 mg/kg dose group. In the 10 mg/kg dose group activity was increased and in the 30 mg/kg dose group the activity was returned to that of wild type animals. There was no further increase in activity when the animals were dosed with 60 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg but the effect was maintained at levels equivalent to that of wild type animals. See Figures 4 and 5.
Figure 4.
Figure 5.
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Another study, also performed at an independent laboratory, demonstrated the maintenance of cardiac function when the same KO mouse model was studied. These mice were treated with nomlabofusp at doses of 10 mg/kg every other day for 6 weeks. Echocardiograms were performed prior to initiating dosing and after 4 weeks of dosing. When compared to vehicle, mice treated with nomlabofusp maintained their left ventricular volume and ejection fraction while vehicle treated mice deteriorated over the same 4-week period. See Figures 6 and 7.
Figure 6.
Figure 7.
Using a neurologic mouse model, treatment with nomlabofusp prevented the development of ataxia in mice whose nervous system was deficient in FXN compared to those treated with placebo.
In other non-clinical pharmacology studies it was demonstrated that SC administration of nomlabofusp distributed in a dose-dependent manner to several organs known to be predominantly affected in FA, including the dorsal root ganglion, heart, and skeletal muscle, as well as to other tissues, including skin. Plasma nomlabofusp concentrations correlated with levels of human FXN delivered by nomlabofusp into tissues, and the increases in frataxin were correlated amongst tissues, especially with skin. In KO mice, the pharmacokinetics and processing of nomlabofusp were comparable with wild type animals and treatment with nomlabofusp halted the progression of cardiac dysfunction and significantly increased survival. Together, the findings from these non-clinical studies demonstrate that nomlabofusp exposure increased hFXN in FA-relevant tissues and provide evidence of pharmacologic effects. (De Toni, F., Ragaglia, V., Schecter, D. et al. Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Nomlabofusp in Non-clinical Studies of Friedreich’s Ataxia. AAPS J 27, 112 (2025)).
Non-Human Primate and Rat Toxicology Studies
We previously conducted 28-day and 13-week GLP toxicology studies of nomlabofusp in two species, rat and NHP. In the rat studies, some injection sites showed edema and erythema with associated histologic changes localized to the injection site. The rat studies showed no significant clinical observations and no significant systemic histopathological findings. In the NHP studies, some injection sites were raised and firm with dose dependent histologic changes localized to the injection sites. The NHP 28-day study showed no systemic toxicity. The NHP 13-week study showed no systemic toxicity in the low and mid-dose groups, and minimal to mild histopathological
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findings in the high dose group. There were also several episodes of occasional transient muscle rigidity in some animals observed immediately after dosing in the two highest dose groups at very high exposures. These clinical observations resolved with no intervention and all of the NHPs who experienced these clinical observations received all doses and completed the in-life portion of the study.
To support extended dosing of patients with nomlabofusp, we conducted a 26-week NHP toxicology study in 2021. In May 2021, we notified the FDA of certain mortalities which occurred at the two highest dose levels in the then-ongoing study. On May 25, 2021, the FDA placed a clinical hold on the nomlabofusp clinical program. In the clinical hold letter, the FDA stated that it needed to review a full study report from the then-ongoing NHP study and that we could not initiate additional interventional clinical trials until we submitted such report and received notification from the FDA that additional clinical trials could commence. At the time of the FDA clinical hold, we had no interventional clinical trials with patients enrolled or enrolling.
In July 2021, we completed dosing in the 26-week NHP toxicology study. The study included four dose groups in addition to vehicle. Data from the study were collected throughout the second half of 2021 and included in the complete response to the clinical hold submitted to the FDA in January 2022. After additional interactions and submission of additional information requested by FDA, in September 2022, the FDA lifted its full clinical hold on the nomlabofusp clinical development program and imposed a partial clinical hold. Following additional interactions and submission of clinical data, in May 2024, the FDA removed the partial clinical hold on the development of nomlabofusp.
Clinical Development
Non-Interventional Study
In 2021, we conducted a non-interventional study that enrolled 60 healthy adults to examine the range of tissue FXN concentrations in individuals who are homozygous for the normal FXN gene. Tissue samples in these studies were collected using the same sampling techniques and proprietary assay used in the interventional studies. Enrollment in this study was completed in 2022 and data has been used for comparison purposes in the Phase 2 clinical study described below. See Figure 8.
Figure 8.
FXN concentrations were measured in skin and buccal cells from 60 homozygous healthy volunteers utilizing the same sampling technique and assay as clinical trials of nomlabofusp; FXN levels measured via detection of peptide derived from mature FXN; FXN concentrations normalized to total cellular protein content in each sample. 1. E.C. Deutsch et al. Molecular Genetics and Metabolism 101 (2010) 238–245. 2. Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance.
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Clinical Trials
Completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 Clinical Studies in Adults with Friedreich’s Ataxia
In 2019, we submitted our Investigational New Drug application (“IND”) application for nomlabofusp and began Phase 1 clinical trials in 2019 in patients with FA. We have completed three clinical studies in adult patients, with FA; a Phase 1 SAD study (completed in 2020), a Phase 1 MAD study (completed in 2021), and a Phase 2 Dose Exploration study (completed in 2023). The primary objective for the phase 1 SAD and MAD studies was to assess the tolerability of nomlabofusp at doses ranging from 25 mg to 100 mg administered via SC injection. The secondary objectives were to establish the PK of nomlabofusp administration in humans and to explore the PD of nomlabofusp administration by measuring tissue FXN concentrations in accessible tissues, namely buccal and skin cells, and in platelets. In the MAD study, patients in the 25 mg cohort were dosed once a day for the first 4 days followed by 1 dose every third day through day 13 for a total of 7 doses, while the patients in the 50 mg cohort were dosed once a day for the first 7 days followed by 1 dose every other day through day 13 for a total of 10 doses, and patients in the 100 mg cohort were dosed once a day for 13 days consecutively for a total of 13 doses. Administration of nomlabofusp via SC injection appeared to be well tolerated up to doses of 100 mg administered daily for up to 13 days. No SAEs were reported in either study. The most common treatment emergent adverse events (“TEAEs”) were injection site reactions (“ISRs”) that were generally mild, self-limited, and usually resolved within approximately 1 hour. There was rapid uptake of nomlabofusp into the circulation following subcutaneous injection, and exposure appeared to be proportional to dose. Increased FXN concentrations were observed in buccal cells, skin, and platelets, with higher and more frequent nomlabofusp administration.
The Phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose exploration study evaluated the safety, tolerability, PK and PD of two doses of nomlabofusp. Cohort 1 evaluated 25 mg and Cohort 2 evaluated 50 mg. Participants in either the 25 mg or 50 mg cohorts were randomized 2:1 to receive daily SC injections of either nomlabofusp or placebo for 14 days, and then every other day for an additional 14 days for a total 28-day dosing period.
Substantial increases in tissue FXN concentrations were observed after daily SC administration of both the 25 mg and 50 mg doses. The majority of treated patients in both cohorts with quantifiable levels of frataxin at baseline and day 14 achieved at least a 100% increase in tissue frataxin in skin cells, and at least a 30% increase in tissue frataxin levels in buccal cells. Participants treated with 50 mg for 14 days daily had frataxin levels in skin cells increase from less than 17% at baseline relative to healthy volunteers, to 33% to 59% of healthy volunteers after 14 days of treatment. Patients treated with placebo showed no increase in their frataxin levels during this period. Increases in skin and buccal FXN concentrations were dose-dependent and the increases were not maintained when the dosing regimen was changed to alternate day dosing. Abnormal lipid profiles were identified in adults with FA at baseline with directional dose-dependent normalization observed post nomlabofusp treatment.
Nineteen adults with FA received nomlabofusp in the Phase 2 study and 9 received placebo. There were no serious adverse events reported. There was one allergic reaction which was considered to be a severe adverse event in the 25 mg cohort that resolved with standard treatment. This participant withdrew from the trial. The most common adverse events reported were mild and moderate injection site reactions which resolved without any intervention and there were no study discontinuations due to injection site reactions. Consistent with findings in our Phase 1 study, nomlabofusp demonstrated quick absorption after SC administration and had dose proportional increases in exposure.
Completed Phase 1 PK Run-In Study in Adolescents (12-17 years old) with FA
In January 2025, we initiated dosing of adolescents (12-17 years old) in a PK run-in study for pediatric patients with FA. Study participants in the PK run-in study were randomized 2:1 to receive either nomlabofusp at a weight-based dose expected to match the PK of adults receiving the 50 mg dose, or placebo, daily for seven days. We completed dosing in 14 adolescents in March 2025. The PK and exposure data were similar to adults and the participants became eligible to enroll in the OL study. The PK results from the adolescent cohort also supported the predictive value of our exposure modeling and thus the planned dosing of a cohort of children (2-11 years of age) will facilitate direct enrollment of children (2-11 years old) was cancelled and will now be enrolled directly into the OL study, This eliminates any pause in study drug administration between the PK study and the open label study.
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Open Label Study
In January 2024, we initiated the OL trial evaluating daily SC injections of 25 mg of nomlabofusp self-administered or administered by a caregiver, with the first patient dosed in March 2024. Participants who completed treatment in the Phase 2 dose exploration study, or who previously completed a prior clinical trial of nomlabofusp, were eligible to screen for the OL study. Subjects were allowed to take omaveloxolone during the trial. The OL study is evaluating the safety and tolerability, PK, and FXN levels in peripheral tissues as well as other exploratory PD markers (lipid profiles and gene expression data) following long-term subcutaneous administration of nomlabofusp. In addition, clinical assessments collected during the study will be compared to data from a matched control arm derived from participants in the FACOMS database.
In December 2024, we reported positive initial data from our ongoing OLE study. This data included safety, FXN levels, clinical, PK data and dose escalation:
• Nomlabofusp was generally well tolerated for up to 260 days in subjects. The most common adverse events were injection site reactions, with most being mild, brief in duration, and self-limited. Two participants had serious adverse events (one seizure and one anaphylactic reaction) that resolved within 24 hours and these participants withdrew from the study;
• Long-term 25 mg tissue FXN levels showed positive mean change from baseline of 1.32 pg/μg in buccal cells and 9.28 pg/μg in skin cells at Day 90 and that 25 mg of nomlabofusp increased and maintained tissue FXN levels over time, increasing from a mean level of 15% of HV at baseline to 30% in buccal cells and from 16% to 72% in skin cells at Day 90;
• Tissue FXN levels appear to reach steady-state levels by Day 30 in buccal cells;
• Early clinical data showed trends toward improvement across a number of clinical outcomes for long-term 25 mg daily nomlabofusp including: (1) decreased values indicating early trends towards improvement in the Modified Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale (mFARS) and the FARS-Activities of Daily Living (“ADL”), Modified Fatigue Impact Scale and nine hole peg test at 90 days relative to baseline;
• Key PK data showed rapid absorption after SC administration with exposure appearing to reach steady state in plasma by day 30 with no further accumulation, which is consistent with data from our Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies.
Also in December 2024, we announced that we were increasing the dose in the OL study to 50 mg of nomlabofusp daily for then currently enrolled and all future study participants. In March 2025, we announced that our Safety Monitoring Team has deemed anaphylaxis as an adverse drug reaction likely associated with nomlabofusp. To reduce the risk of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, we amended the OL study protocol to administer premedication for the first month of dosing.
In June 2025, the FDA provided recommendations regarding the safety data that might be needed to support a Biologics License Application.(“BLA”) seeking accelerated approval, which included evaluating safety in at least 30 participants with continuous study drug exposure for six months and a subset of at least 10 of those participants with continuous study drug exposure for one year, with the large majority of data coming from participants receiving the 50 mg dose.
In July 2025, we announced the publication of two peer-reviewed articles highlighting nonclinical data on the therapeutic potential, pharmacology, and mechanism of action of nomlabofusp as a novel FXN protein replacement therapy designed to address the underlying cause of FA. These data were included in the briefing package reviewed by the FDA in support of potentially using skin FXN concentrations as a RLSE for Larimar’s registrational program seeking accelerated approval for nomlabofusp.
In September 2025, we announced additional data from the ongoing OL study:
• In 4 completed studies and the ongoing OL study, 65 participants received at least 1 dose of nomlabofusp.
• Of the 65 participants receiving at least one dose of nomlabofusp, 39 have been dosed as part of the open label study, with 14 on treatment for at least 6 months and 8 for over 1 year in the OL study.
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• Consistent directional improvement was observed across 4 key clinical outcomes (mFARS, FARS-ADL, 9-HPT, MFIS) after 1 year of nomlabofusp treatment relative to a worsening in a FACOMS natural history study reference population. See Figure 8.
• 10/10 participants with data at 6 months achieved skin FXN levels over 50% of median levels in healthy volunteers (which is similar to levels in asymptomatic carriers). See Figure 9.
• Of the 39 participants in the OL study (and of 65 total participants who received at least 1 dose in all nomlabofusp studies), 7 experienced anaphylaxis in the first 6 weeks of dosing and returned to their usual state of health after standard treatment. In the OL study, of the 10 participants who had not had prior exposure to nomlabofusp, only 1 experienced anaphylaxis. Excluding these events, long term dosing of nomlabofusp was generally well tolerated, including 14 on treatment for at least 6 months and 8 on treatment for over 1 year.
Figure 8.
IQR = interquartile range
1 - Based on the range of baseline characteristics of participants in the OL study, Larimar identified patients from the FACOMS dataset with similar characteristics using data recorded over the last 4 years for each patient.
2 - Modified Fatigue scale presented here is at Month 24 because it was not assessed at Month 12.
Note: Data presented is based on the September 2025 data release.
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Figure 9.
*Data include all participants with quantifiable levels at each measurement point who had received 25 mg, 50 mg or had the dose increased from 25 mg to 50 mg.
**8.2 pg/µg represents 50% of the average FXN concentration average FXN concentration of healthy volunteers.
Note: Data presented is based on the September 2025 data release.
We believe that these data, as well as the improvement in abnormal lipid profiles observed in prior completed studies, provide support that nomlabofusp increases FXN in patients with FA and that the strategy of FXN replacement has the potential to result in a clinical benefit. Changes observed in skin FXN levels, and clinical outcomes after nomlabofusp administration across diverse participants with FA including individuals with advanced disease, are all directionally consistent and suggest a potential treatment effect.
In addition to the risk mitigation measures for anaphylaxis already in place such as pre-medicating with antihistamines and supplying epinephrine auto-injectors to study participants, we have introduced a new dosing regimen in which participants initially receive a 5 mg dose followed by a 25 mg dose 1 hour later under observation. Nomlabofusp 25 mg is then administered once daily through Day 30 and then the dose is increased to 50 mg once daily.
We have amended the open label extension (“OLE”) study protocol to include adolescent and adult patients who have not previously participated in a prior nomlabofusp study and the study is now being referred to as the open label (“OL”) study. We are also making plans to enroll children (2 to 11 years old) directly into the OL study.
In February 2026, we announced that the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to nomlabofusp for the treatment of adults and children with FA. Additionally, following a START pilot program meeting with FDA, we announced continued alignment with the FDA to consider the use of skin FXN concentration as a novel surrogate endpoint reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit to support a planned BLA, seeking accelerated approval. The FDA stated that the adequacy of the safety data base will be a matter of review at the time of the BLA submission, which is targeted for June 2026.
Intellectual Property
Our success depends in large part upon our ability to obtain and maintain proprietary protection for our current and future products and technologies, and to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others. Our policy is to protect our proprietary position by, among other methods, filing for patent applications on inventions that are important to the development and conduct of our business with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and its foreign counterparts. We also intend to rely on market and data exclusivities, which is separate and distinct from the protection afforded by patents, to protect our products. We further protect our proprietary information by requiring our employees, consultants, contractors and other advisors to execute nondisclosure and assignment of invention agreements upon commencement of their respective employment or engagement. Agreements with our employees
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also prevent them from bringing the proprietary rights of third parties to us. In addition, we require confidentiality or service agreements from third parties that receive our confidential information or materials.
As of March 17, 2026, our intellectual property portfolio was composed of numerous international Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT”), foreign, United States non-provisional patent applications, issued United States patents, one EU patent and United States provisional patent applications that we own or co-own, and four issued United States patents and additional non-provisional patent applications in the United States and in certain foreign jurisdictions that we license from academic institutions. The issued patents in the United States and the E.U. licensed by us, which include issued patents covering the composition of matter for nomlabofusp and methods for treating FA, have expiration dates between 2033 and 2040 without taking potential patent term extension into consideration. The international and the United States non-provisional patent applications licensed by us relate to composition of matter and methods of use for nomlabofusp.
The additional patent applications we own or co-own, which include PCT, foreign and United States non-provisional patent applications, United States patents, and United States provisional patent applications are related to the development of nomlabofusp, including methods of use of nomlabofusp, and to our peptide-delivery platform technology.
A provisional patent application allows for an effective filing date to be established with regard to an invention, but once a provisional patent application is filed, either a corresponding non-provisional patent application or a petition to convert the provisional patent application into a non-provisional patent application must be filed within 12 months or such effective filing date will be lost. If we or our licensor timely files non-provisional patent applications in the United States and in countries outside of the United States with regard to our provisional patent applications and these non-provisional patent applications result in issued patents, such patents are expected to expire in 2046, without taking potential patent term adjustment or patent term extension into consideration.
Nomlabofusp is covered by licensed issued patents (composition of matter and methods of use) in the United States and the E.U., which, if properly maintained, will expire in 2040, excluding any patent term extensions that might be available following the grant of marketing authorizations. We also possess an exclusive license to non-provisional applications in the United States and certain countries outside the United States for nomlabofusp (composition of matter and methods of use). If these patent applications in the United States and other countries result in issued patents, those patents would be expected to expire in 2040. This estimated expiration excludes any patent term adjustment that might be available following the grant of the patent and any patent term extensions that might be available following the grant of marketing authorizations. We cannot predict whether the patent applications we and our licensors are currently pursuing will issue as patents in any particular jurisdiction or whether the claims of any issued patents will provide sufficient protection from competitors or other third parties.
Patents extend for varying periods according to the date of patent filing or grant and the legal term of patents in various countries where patent protection is obtained. The actual protection afforded by a patent, which can vary from country to country, depends on the type of patent, the scope of its coverage and the availability of legal remedies in the country.
We also use other forms of protection besides patent protection and market and data exclusivity, such as trademark, copyright, and trade secret protection, to enhance our intellectual property, particularly where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. We aim to take advantage of all of the intellectual property rights that are available to us and believe that this comprehensive approach will provide us with proprietary exclusive positions for our product candidates, such as nomlabofusp, where available.
In-License Agreements
We are party to a License Agreement dated November 30, 2016, as amended, with Indiana University (“IU”). Such agreements provide for a transferable, worldwide license to certain patent rights regarding technology used by us with respect to the development of nomlabofusp.
In partial consideration for the right and license granted under these agreements, we will pay IU a royalty of a low single digit percentage of net sales of licensed products depending on whether there is a valid patent covering such products. As additional consideration for this agreement, we are obligated to pay IU certain milestone payments of up to $2.0 million in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain developmental milestones, commencing on the enrollment of the first patient in a Phase 1 clinical trial. We will also pay IU sublicensing fees ranging up to a low double-digit percentage of sublicense consideration depending on our achievement of certain
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regulatory milestones as of the time of receipt of the sublicense consideration. We are also obligated to reimburse IU for patent-related expenses. In the event that we dispute the validity of any of the licensed patents, the royalty rate would be tripled during such dispute. We are also obligated to pay to IU a minimum annual royalty of less than $0.1 million per annum starting in the 2020 calendar year for the term of the agreement.
We were previously a party to License Agreement dated November 30, 2016, with Wake Forest University Health Sciences (“WFUHS”), which licensed certain patent rights regarding technology used by us with respect to the development of nomlabofusp in consideration for an obligation to pay WFUHS a royalty of a low single digit percentage of net sales of licensed products, certain milestones, and certain sublicensing revenue. The WFUHS license expired in December 2025 with the last to expire licensed patent.
Competition
The biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by intense and dynamic competition to develop new technologies and proprietary therapies. Any product candidates that we successfully develop into products and commercialize may compete with existing therapies and new therapies that may become available in the future. While we believe that our platform technology, product candidates and scientific expertise in the field of rare diseases provide competitive advantages, we face competition from various sources, including larger and better-funded pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies, as well as from academic institutions, governmental agencies and public and private research institutions. We expect to compete with Biogen’s SKYCLARYS TM (omaveloxolone), which was approved for the treatment of FA in adults and adolescents aged 16 and older by the FDA and the European Commission in February 2023 and February 2024, respectively. Other competitors currently developing therapeutics to treat FA include, but are not limited to Design Therapeutics, Lexeo Therapeutics, Neurocrine Biosciences/Voyager Therapeutics, Solid Biosciences and PTC Therapeutics ("PTC"). On August 19, 2025, PTC received a complete response letter and was not approved by the FDA. PTC had a Type C meeting with the FDA in December, 2025 and were advised that an additional study (open label or single arm study with natural history control) would be necessary to support NDA resubmission. Many of our competitors have significantly greater name recognition, longer operating histories and financial, technical manufacturing, marketing and human resources than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated amongst a smaller number of our competitors. Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop or market products or other novel therapies that are more effective, safer or less costly than our product candidates or obtain regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for our product candidates.
Manufacturing and Supply
Nomlabofusp is a biologic fusion protein that is produced in E. coli. We have worked with contract manufacturers and research organizations to develop, in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (“cGMP”) a manufacturing process and analytical methods for drug substance and drug product to support clinical trials. We also use third party manufacturers for the clinical packaging, storage and distribution of nomlabofusp. We rely on third parties to store the nomlabofusp master cell bank and working cell bank, each stored at a different location. We continue to advance the manufacturing of nomlabofusp, obtain stability data, and produce drug product for future clinical trials. We are continually trying to optimize our manufacturing process to increase yields, decrease costs and increase reliability in supply chains. We are currently at full scale for the US launch and filing but will need to scale up one more time to have adequate supply for the expansion into other territories.
The drug substance which is in frozen liquid form for nomlabofusp is currently manufactured for us by KBI Biopharma, Inc. (“KBI”). We are party to a Master Services Agreement, as amended, with KBI, pursuant to which KBI provides biological development and clinical manufacturing services with respect to nomlabofusp. We are producing a lyophilized version of the drug product from the same KBI drug substance at another supplier. The drug product previously used in our clinical studies has been in a frozen solution dosage form. In February 2025, FDA accepted the data supporting the comparability of a lyophilized drug product to the frozen solution and we are currently integrating the lyophilized formulation into the OL study. The lyophilized drug product is the formulation that we intend for the long-term commercialization of nomlabofusp, if approved. Process performance qualification (PPQ) of the commercial scale drug substance and drug product manufacturing is nearing completion in preparation for the BLA submission and these batches are planned to support the U.S. commercial launch demand, if nomlabofusp is approved.
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We intend to further scale up our manufacturing process to support potential worldwide commercial demand, if nomlabofusp is approved. We have selected Lonza to support this scale-up effort. We have completed tech transferring and scale-up of the process to Lonza. We are party to a Master Services Agreement with Lonza, pursuant to w h ich Lonza provides manufacturing services with respect to nomlabofusp. Additional comparability of the drug substance manufactured by Lonza will need to be performed and reviewed by the FDA and other regulatory authorities in order to use the Lonza-manufactured drug substance in clinical and commercial activities.
We have received concurrence from the FDA that our proposed potency control strategy appears reasonable, pending review of the BLA.
Human Capital Resources
Employees and Compensation
In order to achieve the goals and expectations of our Company, it is crucial that we continue to attract and retain top talent. To facilitate talent attraction and retention, we strive to make our company a safe and rewarding workplace, with opportunities for our employees to grow and develop in their careers, supported by strong compensation, benefits, paid time-off and health and wellness programs, including programs that build connections between our employees.
As of December 31, 2025, we employed 71 full-time employees in the United States, of which 55 are directly engaged in research and development with the rest providing administrative, business, commercial and operations support. None of our employees are represented by a labor organization or under any collective-bargaining arrangements. We consider our employee relations to be good.
Our human capital resources objectives include, as applicable, identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and new employees, advisors and consultants. The principal purposes of our equity and cash incentive plans are to attract, retain and reward personnel through the granting of stock-based and cash-based compensation awards, in order to increase stockholder value and the success of our company by motivating such individuals to perform to the best of their abilities and achieve our objectives.
Scientific Advisors
We have established a scientific advisory board and we regularly seek advice and input from these experienced thought leaders on matters related to our research and development programs. The members of our scientific advisory board consist of distinguished research scientists, professors and industry experts recognized as key opinion leaders in the fields of rare disease, pediatrics and mitochondrial disease. Their scientific perspectives will be invaluable to determine our strategic scientific pathway and support the development of other potential treatments for complex rare diseases to help fill unmet medical needs in this space. We intend to continue to leverage the broad expertise of our advisors by seeking their counsel on important topics relating to our product development and clinical development programs. Our scientific advisors are not our employees and may have commitments to, or consulting or advisory contracts with, other entities that may limit their availability to us. In addition, our scientific advisors may have arrangements with other companies to assist those companies in developing products or technologies that may compete with ours. All of our scientific advisors are affiliated with other entities and devote only a small portion of their time to us.
Our scientific advisors are set forth in the table below:
Name
Title
Marni Joy Falk, MD
Executive Director, Mitochondrial Medicine Frontier Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Professor, Department of Human Genetics and Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Giovanni Manfredi, MD, PhD
Finbar and Marianne Kenny Professor of Clinical and Research Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine; Professor of Neuroscience, Weil Cornell Medicine
Jill Ostrem, MD
Medical director and division chief of University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Movement Disorders and Neuromodulation Center. Carlin and Ellen Wiegner Endowed Professor of Neurology.
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Mark Payne, MD
Professor of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine
Facilities
We currently lease office and laboratory space, which consists of approximately 8,000 square feet and 4,000 square feet located in Bala Cynwyd, PA and King of Prussia, PA, respectively. On November 24, 2025, we entered into a lease for an additional 7,100 square feet of office space through January 31, 2030 in our Bala Cynwyd PA location and extended the term of all our other Bala Cynwyd space through January 31, 2030. We expect to occupy the additional 7,100 of additional office space when renovations are complete, which is expected to be around April 1, 2026.
As part of the Merger (as defined below) with Zafgen, Inc (“Zafgen”), we acquired a non-cancellable operating lease for approximately 17,705 square feet of office space at 3 Center Plaza, Boston, Massachusetts (the “Boston Lease”). The Boston Lease expires on October 30, 2029. On October 27, 2020, we entered into a sublease agreement whereby we subleased all 17,705 square feet of office space leased under the Boston Lease until October 30, 2029.
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not presently a party to any legal proceedings that, if determined adversely to us, would individually or taken together have a material adverse effect on us.
Corporate Information
We were founded in 2005 as a Delaware corporation under the name Zafgen, Inc. (“Zafgen”). On May 28, 2020, Zafgen completed a reverse merger with Chondrial Therapeutics, Inc. (“Chondrial”) in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization, dated December 17, 2019, by and among Zafgen, Zordich Merger Sub, Inc., Chondrial and Chondrial Therapeutics Holdings, LLC, pursuant to which Zordich Merger Sub, Inc. merged with and into Chondrial, with Chondrial surviving as our wholly owned subsidiary. Following completion of the merger, Zafgen, Inc. changed its name to Larimar Therapeutics, Inc.
Our principal executive offices are located at Three Bala Plaza East, Suite 506, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, and our telephone number is (844) 511-9056. Our website address is www.larimartx.com. The information on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is not incorporated by reference herein. We have included our website address as an inactive textual reference only.
Available Information
We file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements, and other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“the SEC”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“the Exchange Act”). The SEC maintains an internet website, www.sec.gov, that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically with the SEC.
Copies of each of our filings with the SEC on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports, can be viewed and downloaded free of charge at our website, www.larimartx.com as soon as reasonably practicable after the reports and amendments are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC.
Our code of ethics, other corporate policies and procedures, and the charters of our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are available through our website at www.larimartx.com . We intend to post information regarding any amendments to, or waivers from, our code of ethics on our website.
Government Regulation
U.S. Government Regulation
In the United States, drug and biologic products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and other federal and state statutes and regulations, govern, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, storage, record keeping, approval, labeling, promotion and marketing, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, sampling, and import and export of pharmaceutical products. Biological products used for the prevention, treatment, or cure of a disease or condition of a human being
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are subject to regulation under the FDCA, with the exception that the section of the FDCA that governs the approval of drugs via new drug applications (“NDAs”), does not apply to the approval of biologics. In contrast, biologics are approved for marketing under provisions of the Public Health Service Act (“PHS Act”), via a Biologics License Application (“BLA”). However, the application process and requirements for approval of BLAs are very similar to those for NDAs. FDA approval or licensure also must be obtained before the marketing of drug and biological products. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources.
Development Process
The process required by the FDA before a drug or biologic product may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:
• completion of non-clinical laboratory tests and animal studies according to Good Laboratory Practices (“GLPs”), and applicable requirements for the humane use of laboratory animals or other applicable regulations;
• preparation of clinical trial material in accordance with cGMPs;
• submission to the FDA of an IND, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;
• approval by an institutional review board (“IRB”) reviewing each clinical site before each clinical trial may be initiated;
• performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials according to Good Clinical Practices (“GCPs”) and any additional requirements for the protection of human research subjects and their health information, to establish the safety, purity, potency, and efficacy, of the proposed drug or biological product for its intended use;
• submission to the FDA of an NDA or BLA for marketing approval that includes evidence of safety, purity, potency, and efficacy from results of non-clinical testing and clinical trials;
• satisfactory completion of an FDA inspection prior to NDA or BLA approval of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the drug or biological product is produced to assess compliance with cGMPs, to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the biological product’s identity, strength, quality and purity;
• potential FDA audits of the non-clinical and clinical study sites that generated the data in support of the NDA or BLA and of the application sponsor’s oversight of the studies and sites;
• potential FDA Advisory Committee meeting to elicit expert input on critical issues and including a vote by external committee members;
• FDA review and approval, or licensure, of the NDA or BLA, and payment of associated user fees, when applicable; and
• compliance with any post approval requirements, including the potential requirement to implement a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (“REMS”) and the potential requirement to conduct post approval studies.
Before testing any drug or biological product candidate in humans, the product candidate enters the non-clinical testing stage. Non-clinical tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, pharmacology, toxicity and formulation, as well as animal studies to assess the potential safety and activity of the product candidate. The conduct of the non-clinical tests must comply with federal regulations and requirements including GLPs.
The clinical study sponsor must submit the results of the non-clinical tests, together with manufacturing information, analytical data, any available clinical data or literature and a proposed clinical protocol, to the FDA as part of the IND. Some non-clinical testing typically continues after the IND is submitted. An IND is an exemption from the FDCA that allows an unapproved product to be shipped in interstate commerce for use in an investigational clinical trial and a request for FDA authorization to administer an investigational product to humans. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA places the clinical trial on a clinical hold within that 30-day time period. In such a case, the IND sponsor must resolve any deficiencies to the satisfaction of the FDA, and the FDA must lift the clinical hold before the clinical trial can begin. The FDA may
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also impose clinical holds on a drug or biological product candidate at any time before or during clinical trials due to safety concerns or non-compliance. If the FDA imposes a clinical hold, trials may not re-commence without FDA authorization and then only under terms authorized by the FDA.
Clinical trials may involve the administration of the drug or biological product candidate to healthy volunteers or subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators, generally physicians not employed by or under the study sponsor’s control. Clinical trials involving some products for certain diseases, including some rare diseases may begin with testing in patients with the disease. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria, and the parameters to be used to monitor subject safety, including stopping rules that assure a clinical trial will be stopped if certain adverse events should occur. Each protocol and any amendments to the protocol must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND application. Clinical trials must be conducted and monitored in accordance with the FDA’s regulations comprising the GCP requirements, including the requirement that all research subjects or his or her legal representative provide informed consent. Further, each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an independent IRB, at or servicing each institution at which the clinical trial will be conducted. An IRB is charged with protecting the welfare and rights of study participants and considers such items as whether the risks to individuals participating in the clinical trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits. The IRB also approves the form and content of the informed consent that must be signed by each clinical trial subject or his or her legal representative and must monitor the clinical trial until completed. Additionally, some trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the trial sponsor, known as a data monitoring committee. The data monitoring committee may review safety data and/or efficacy data.
Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
• Phase 1 . The drug or biological product is initially introduced into healthy human subjects and tested for safety. In the case of some products for rare diseases, the initial human testing is often conducted in patients.
• Phase 2 . The drug or biological product is evaluated in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance, optimal dosage and dosing schedule.
• Phase 3 . Clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy, potency and safety in an expanded patient population at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk/benefit ratio of the product and provide an adequate basis for product labeling. In most cases, the FDA requires two adequate and well-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the drug or biologic. In rare instances, a single Phase 3 trial may be sufficient when either (1) the trial is a large, multicenter trial demonstrating internal consistency and a statistically very persuasive finding of a clinically meaningful effect on mortality, irreversible morbidity or prevention of a disease with a potentially serious outcome and confirmation of the result in a second trial would be practically or ethically impossible, or (2) the single trial is supported by confirmatory evidence. In drugs and biologics for rare diseases where patient populations are small, Phase 3 trials might not be required if substantial evidence of effectiveness and an acceptable risk/benefit profile can be demonstrated from Phase 2 trials.
An OL study may also be conducted. An OL study typically enrolls participants from previous clinical trials or patients who would otherwise not qualify for other clinical studies such as a Phase 3 study and is designed to gather the long-term safety and tolerability data on a potential new medicine beyond the time period of the original studies.
Post-approval clinical trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, may be conducted after initial marketing approval. These clinical trials are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication in real-world scenarios. They provide additional information regarding risks, benefits and best use, including longer term safety data. In certain instances, the FDA may mandate the performance of Phase 4 clinical trials as a condition of approval of an NDA or BLA.
During all phases of clinical development, regulatory agencies require extensive monitoring and auditing of all clinical activities, clinical data, and clinical trial investigators. Annual progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted to the FDA. Written IND safety reports must be promptly submitted to the FDA and the investigators for serious and unexpected adverse events, any findings from other studies, tests in laboratory animals or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk for human subjects, or any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reactions over that listed in the protocol or investigator brochure. The sponsor
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must submit an IND safety report within 15 calendar days after the sponsor determines that the information qualifies for reporting. The sponsor also must notify the FDA of any unexpected fatal or life-threatening suspected adverse reaction within seven calendar days after the sponsor’s initial receipt of the information. The FDA or the sponsor or its data safety monitoring board may suspend a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the drug or biological product has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.
Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional animal studies and must also develop additional information about the physical characteristics of the drug or biological product as well as finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. To help reduce the risk of the introduction of adventitious agents with use of biological products, the PHS Act emphasizes the importance of manufacturing control for products whose attributes cannot be precisely defined. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other things, the sponsor must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality potency and purity of the final biological product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the drug or biological product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
There are also various laws and regulations regarding laboratory practices, the experimental use of animals, and the use and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances in connection with the research. In each of these areas, the FDA and other regulatory authorities have broad regulatory and enforcement powers, including the ability to levy fines and civil penalties, suspend or delay issuance of approvals, seize or recall products, and withdraw approvals.
Information about certain clinical trials must be submitted within specific timeframes to the NIH for public dissemination on its clinicaltrials.gov website. Although sponsors are obligated to disclose the results of their clinical trials after completion, disclosure of the results can be delayed in some cases for up to two years after the date of completion of the trial. Failure to timely register a covered clinical study or to submit study results as provided for in the law can give rise to public notifications of noncompliance, civil monetary penalties, and also prevent the non-compliant party from receiving future grant funds from the federal government. Sponsors or distributors of investigational products for the diagnosis, monitoring, or treatment of one or more serious diseases or conditions must also have a publicly available policy on evaluating and responding to requests for expanded access requests.
Review and Approval Processes
After the completion of clinical trials of a drug or biological product, FDA approval of an NDA, or BLA, must be obtained before commercial marketing of the product. The NDA or BLA must include results of product development, laboratory and animal studies, human studies, information on the manufacture and composition of the product, proposed labeling and other relevant information.
Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, as amended (“PDUFA”), each NDA or BLA may be accompanied by a significant application fee. The applicant for an approved application is also subject to an annual program fee. Fee waivers or reductions are available in certain circumstances, including a waiver of the application fee for the first application filed by a small business. Additionally, no user fees are assessed on NDAs or BLAs for product candidates designated as orphan drugs, unless the product candidate also includes a non-orphan indication.
Within 60 days following submission of the application, the FDA reviews an NDA or BLA submitted to determine if it is substantially complete before the agency files it. The FDA may refuse to file any NDA or BLA that it deems incomplete or not properly reviewable at the time of submission and may request additional information. In this event, the NDA or BLA must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application is also subject to review before the FDA files it. Once the submission is filed, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review of the NDA or BLA. The FDA reviews the NDA or BLA to determine, among other things, whether the proposed product is safe and effective (for drugs) or safe, potent, and effective (for biologics), for its intended use, and has an acceptable purity profile, and whether the product is being manufactured in accordance with cGMPs to assure and preserve the product’s identity, safety, strength, quality, potency and purity. One of the performance goals agreed to by the FDA under the PDUFA is to review standard NDAs or BLAs in ten months from filing and
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priority NDAs or BLAs in six months from filing, whereupon a review decision is to be made. The review process may be extended by three months if the FDA classifies a response to an FDA request for additional information or clarification as a major amendment.
The FDA may refer applications for novel products or products that present difficult questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee, typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts, for review, evaluation and a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions. During the review, the FDA will also determine whether a REMS is necessary to assure the safe use of the biological product. If the FDA concludes a REMS is needed, the sponsor of the NDA or BLA must submit a proposed REMS; the FDA will not approve the NDA or BLA without a REMS, if required.
Before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA may inspect the facilities at which the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve the product unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical trial sites to assure that the clinical trials were conducted in compliance with IND study requirements and GCP requirements and may inspect the sponsor to ensure appropriate oversight and documentation related to the clinical trials. To assure cGMP and GCP compliance, an applicant must incur significant expenditure of time, money and effort in the areas of training, record keeping, production, and quality control.
Notwithstanding the submission of relevant data and information, the FDA may ultimately decide that the NDA or BLA does not satisfy its regulatory criteria for approval and deny approval. Data obtained from clinical trials are not always conclusive and the FDA may interpret data differently than the sponsor interprets the same data. If the agency decides not to approve the NDA or BLA in its present form, the FDA will issue a complete response letter that usually describes all of the specific deficiencies in the NDA or BLA identified by the FDA. The deficiencies identified may be minor, for example, requiring labeling changes, or major, for example, requiring additional clinical trials. Additionally, the complete response letter may include recommended actions that the applicant might take to place the application in a condition for approval. If a complete response letter is issued, the applicant may either resubmit the NDA or BLA, addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter, or withdraw the application. In September 2025, the FDA began publishing complete response letters soon after issuing them to the respective sponsors, breaking with long standing agency tradition of publishing complete response letters with approval documentation after the product is approved.
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. The FDA may impose restrictions and conditions on product distribution, prescribing, or dispensing in the form of a risk management plan, or otherwise limit the scope of any approval. In addition, the FDA may require post marketing clinical trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, designed to further assess a drug or biological product’s safety and effectiveness, and testing and surveillance programs to monitor the safety of approved products that have been commercialized. As a condition for approval, the FDA may also require additional non-clinical testing as a Phase 4 commitment.
Post-Approval Requirements
Maintaining substantial compliance with applicable federal, state, and local statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Rigorous and extensive FDA regulation of drug and biological products continues after approval, particularly with respect to cGMP. We will rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the production of clinical and commercial quantities of any products that we may commercialize. Manufacturers of our products are required to comply with applicable requirements in the cGMP regulations, including quality control and quality assurance and maintenance of records and documentation.
Following approval, the manufacturing facilities are subject to periodic inspections by the FDA and such inspections may result in an issuance of FDA Form 483 deficiency observations, untitled letter, or a warning letter, which can lead to plant shutdown and other more serious penalties and fines. Prior to the institution of any manufacturing changes, a determination needs to be made whether FDA approval is required in advance. If not done in accordance with FDA expectations, the FDA may restrict supply and may take further action. Annual product reports are required to be submitted annually. Other post-approval requirements applicable to drug and biological
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products, include reporting of cGMP deviations that may affect the identity, potency, purity and overall safety of a distributed product, registration and listing, record-keeping requirements, reporting of adverse events, reporting updated safety and efficacy information, and complying with electronic record and signature requirements. In addition, the Drug Supply Chain Security Act, or DSCSA, was enacted in 2013 with the aim of building an electronic system to identify and trace certain prescription drugs and biologics distributed in the United States. The stabilization period for building and validating interoperable electronic tracing systems has ended and trading partners who have not achieved compliance with these requirements must secure an exemption from the FDA.
After an NDA or BLA is approved, the product may also be subject to official lot release. As part of the manufacturing process, the manufacturer is required to perform certain tests on each lot of the product before it is released for distribution. If the product is subject to official release by the FDA, the manufacturer submits samples of each lot of product to the FDA together with a release protocol showing a summary of the history of manufacture of the lot and the results of all of the manufacturer’s tests performed on the lot. The FDA may also perform certain confirmatory tests on lots of some products, before releasing the lots for distribution by the manufacturer. In addition, the FDA may conduct laboratory research related to the regulatory standards on the safety, purity, potency, and effectiveness of drug and biological products. Systems need to be put in place to record and evaluate adverse events reported by health care providers and patients and to assess product complaints. An increase in severity or new adverse events can result in labeling changes or product recall. Defects in manufacturing of commercial products can result in product recalls.
For products with approved REMS, manufacturers must submit periodic assessment reports to the FDA to demonstrate that the goals of the REMS are being met. FDA reviews the REMS assessment reports, determines if the REMS assessment report is complete, if the REMS is meeting its goals, and if the REMS goals, elements, tools or assessment plan should be modified.
Manufacturers must also comply with the FDA’s advertising and promotion requirements, such as those related to direct-to-consumer advertising, the prohibition on promoting products for uses or in patient populations that are not described in the product’s approved labeling (known as “off-label use”), industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities, and promotional activities involving the internet. Discovery of previously unknown problems or the failure to comply with the applicable regulatory requirements may result in restrictions on the marketing of a product or withdrawal of the product from the market as well as possible civil or criminal sanctions. Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval, may subject an applicant or manufacturer to administrative or judicial civil or criminal sanctions and adverse publicity. FDA sanctions could include refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval or license revocation, clinical hold, warning or untitled letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, mandated corrective advertising or communications with doctors, debarment, restitution, disgorgement of profits, or civil or criminal penalties. Any agency or judicial enforcement action could have a material adverse effect.
Additionally, new learnings related to the safety profile of a product that occur post-approval, whether from post-marketing reports or ongoing clinical research, may prompt label updates and revisions, including to modify or add safety or risk information. For products approved without a boxed warning, serious safety risks discovered post-approval could lead to the addition of a boxed warning on approved product labeling.
Drug and biologic product manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved drug and biological 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 state agencies for compliance with cGMPs and other laws. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money, and effort in the areas of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance. Discovery of problems with a product after approval may result in restrictions on a product, manufacturer, or holder of an approved NDA or BLA, including withdrawal of the product from the market. In addition, changes to the manufacturing process or facility generally require prior FDA approval before being implemented and other types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications and additional labeling claims, are also subject to further FDA review and approval.
Orphan Drug Designation
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant Orphan Drug Designation (“ODD”) to a drug or biologic product intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally a disease or condition that affects fewer than
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200,000 individuals in the United States, or more than 200,000 individuals in the United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making a drug or biologic product available in the United States for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales of the product. ODD must be requested before submitting an NDA or BLA. After the FDA grants ODD, the identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. ODD does not convey any advantage in or shorten the duration of the regulatory review and approval process.
If a product that has ODD receives the first FDA approval for the disease or condition for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan product exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same drug or biological product for the same approved use or indication for seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as showing clinical superiority to the product with orphan exclusivity by means of greater effectiveness, greater safety or providing a major contribution to patient care or in instances of drug supply issues. Competitors, however, may receive approval of either a different product for the same approved use or indication or the same product for a different approved use or indication but that could be used off-label in the orphan indication. Orphan drug exclusivity also could block the approval of a product for seven years if a competitor obtains approval first for the same product as defined by the FDA for the same approved use or indication, or if the second product is determined to be encompassed within the competitor’s scope of exclusivity. If a company pursues marketing approval for an indication broader than the orphan drug designation it has received, it may not be entitled to orphan drug exclusivity.
Expedited Review and Approval Programs
The FDA has various programs, including fast track designation, priority review, accelerated approval, and breakthrough therapy designation, that are intended to expedite or simplify the process for the development and FDA review of drug and biological products that are intended for the treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs. The purpose of these programs is to provide important new drug and biological products to patients earlier than under standard FDA review procedures. To be eligible for a fast track designation, the FDA must determine, based on the request of a sponsor, that a drug or biological product is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrates the potential to address an unmet medical need. The FDA will determine that a product will fill an unmet medical need if it will provide a therapy where none exists or provide a therapy that may be potentially superior to existing therapy based on efficacy or safety factors. In addition to other benefits, such as the ability to have greater interactions with the FDA, the FDA may initiate review of sections of a fast track NDA or BLA before the application is complete, a process known as rolling review.
The FDA may give a priority review designation to drug or biological products that treat a serious condition and, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness. A priority review means that the goal for the FDA to review an application is six months, rather than the standard review of ten months under current PDUFA guidelines. Most products that are eligible for fast track designation may also be considered appropriate to receive a priority review.
In addition, drug and biological products studied for their safety and effectiveness in treating serious or life-threatening illnesses and that provide meaningful therapeutic benefit over existing treatments may be approved on the basis of adequate and well-controlled clinical trials establishing that the drug or biological product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require a sponsor of a drug or biological product receiving accelerated approval to perform post-marketing studies with due diligence to verify and describe the predicted effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical endpoint, and the drug or biological product may be subject to accelerated withdrawal procedures.
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The FDA is authorized to require a post-approval study to be underway prior to approval or within a specified time period following approval and the FDA is required to specify conditions of any required post-approval study, which may include milestones such as a target date of study completion and requires sponsors to submit progress reports for required post-approval studies and any conditions required by the FDA not later than 180 days following approval and not less frequently than every 180 days thereafter until completion or termination of the study. The FDA may use expedited procedures to withdraw approval of a drug or biologic or indication approved under accelerated approval if, for example, the confirmatory trial fails to verify the predicted clinical benefit of the product. The FDA may initiate enforcement actions for the failure to conduct with due diligence a required post-approval study, including a failure to meet any required conditions specified by the FDA or to submit timely reports. In addition, the FDA generally requires, unless otherwise informed by the agency, pre-approval of promotional materials, which could adversely impact the timing of the commercial launch of the product.
Moreover, a sponsor can request designation of a product candidate as a “breakthrough therapy.” A breakthrough therapy is defined as a drug or biologic product that is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug or biologic product may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The FDA must take certain actions, such as holding timely meetings and providing advice, intended to expedite the development and review of an application for approval of a breakthrough therapy.
Even if a product qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the product no longer meets the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened. Furthermore, fast-track designation, priority review, accelerated approval and breakthrough therapy designation, do not change the standards for approval and may not ultimately expedite the development or approval process.
Rare Pediatric Disease Vouchers
The Rare Pediatric Disease Voucher Program is intended to encourage development of new drug and biological products for prevention and treatment of certain rare pediatric diseases. Although there are existing incentive programs to encourage the development and study of drugs and biologics for rare diseases, pediatric populations, and unmet medical needs, this program provides an additional incentive for the development of drugs and biologics for rare pediatric diseases, which may be used alone or in combination with other incentive programs. A rare pediatric disease is defined as a disease that is a serious or life-threatening disease in which the serious or life-threatening manifestations primarily affect individuals aged from birth to 18 years, including age groups often called neonates, infants, children, and adolescents; and is a rare disease or condition as defined in the FDCA, which includes diseases and conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 persons in the United States and diseases and conditions that affect a larger number of persons and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the costs of developing and making available the product in the United States can be recovered from sales of the product in the United States.
The sponsor of an application for a drug product that obtains rare pediatric disease designation may be eligible for a voucher that can be used or sold to obtain a priority review for a subsequent application submitted under section 505(b)(1) of the FDCA or section 351 of the PHS Act. A rare pediatric disease drug product must meet certain eligibility requirements for a priority voucher at the time the sponsor seeks approval. On February 3, 2026, the FDA's priority voucher program which was set to expire on September 30, 2026 was extended through September 30, 2029.
Pediatric Information and Pediatric Exclusivity
Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act (“PREA”), certain NDAs and BLAs and certain supplements to an NDA or BLA must contain data to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The FDA may grant deferrals for submission of pediatric data or full or partial waivers. A sponsor who is planning to submit a marketing application for a drug that includes a new active ingredient, new indication, new dosage form, new dosing regimen or new route of administration must submit an initial Pediatric Study Plan (“PSP”) within 60 days of an end-of-Phase 2 meeting or, if there is no such meeting, as early as practicable before the initiation of the Phase 3 or Phase 2/3 study. The initial PSP must include an outline of the pediatric study or studies that the sponsor plans to conduct, including study objectives and design, age groups,
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relevant endpoints and statistical approach, or a justification for not including such detailed information, and any request for a deferral of pediatric assessments or a full or partial waiver of the requirement to provide data from pediatric studies along with supporting information. The FDA and the sponsor must reach an agreement on the PSP. A sponsor can submit amendments to an agreed-upon initial PSP at any time if changes to the pediatric plan need to be considered based on data collected from preclinical studies, early phase clinical trials and/or other clinical development programs.
Under the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (“BPCA”), a drug or biologic product can also obtain pediatric market exclusivity in the United States. Pediatric exclusivity, if granted, adds six months to existing exclusivity periods for all formulations, dosage forms, and indications of the active moiety and to patent terms for drugs; for biologic products, pediatric exclusivity adds six months only to exclusivity periods for all formulations, dosage forms, and indications. This six-month exclusivity, may be granted based on the voluntary completion of a pediatric study in accordance with an FDA-issued “Written Request” for such a study, provided that at the time pediatric exclusivity is granted there is not less than nine months of term of the patent or exclusivity remaining at the time of approval.
Biosimilars
The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (“BPCIA”) created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are demonstrated to be “biosimilar” or “interchangeable” with an FDA-licensed reference biological product. Biosimilarity requires that the proposed biological product be highly similar to the reference product not withstanding minor differences in clinically inactive components; that there be no differences in route of administration, dosage form, and strength; and that no clinically meaningful differences between the product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity, and potency as shown through analytical studies and animal studies with the possibility of a clinical trial or trials. In order to meet the higher hurdle of interchangeability, a sponsor must demonstrate that the biosimilar product can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product, and for a product that is administered more than once, that the safety and efficacy risk of switching between the reference product and biosimilar product is not greater than the risk of maintaining the patient on the reference product. Complexities associated with the larger, and often more complex, structures of biological products, as well as the process by which such products are manufactured, pose significant hurdles to implementation that are still being evaluated by the FDA.
Under the BPCIA, a reference biologic is granted 12 years of exclusivity from the time of first licensure or BLA approval, of the reference product during which FDA cannot approve an application for a biosimilar or interchangeable product relying on the reference product. Additionally, no application for a biosimilar can be submitted for four years from the date of licensure of the reference product. During the 12-year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a BLA for the competing product that does not rely on the reference product; the BLA must be based on the sponsor’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity, and potency of the other company’s product. Finally, the first biologic product submitted under the biosimilar abbreviated approval pathway that is determined to be interchangeable with the reference product may obtain exclusivity against a finding of interchangeability for other biologics for the same condition of use for the lesser of (i) one year after first commercial marketing of the first interchangeable biosimilar, (ii) 18 months after the first interchangeable biosimilar is approved if there is no patent challenge, (iii) 18 months after resolution of a lawsuit over the patents of the reference biologic in favor of the first interchangeable biosimilar applicant, or (iv) 42 months after the first interchangeable biosimilar is approved if a patent lawsuit is ongoing within the 42-month period.
Regulation Outside of the United States
In addition to regulations in the United States, we are subject to a variety of regulations in other jurisdictions governing clinical studies, commercial sales, and distribution of our products. Most countries outside of the United States require that clinical trial applications be submitted to and approved by the local regulatory authority for each clinical study. In the European Union, for example, an application must be made to the national competent authority and an independent ethics committee in each country in which we intend to conduct clinical trials, much like the FDA and IRB, respectively. Under the Clinical Trials Regulation (EU) No 536/2014, which replaced the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC on January 31, 2022, a single application is now made through the Clinical Trials Information System (“CTIS”), for clinical trial authorization in up to 30 European Union/European Economic Area countries at the same time and with a single set of documentation.
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The assessment of applications for clinical trials is divided into two parts (Part I contains scientific and medicinal product documentation and Part II contains the national and patient-level documentation). Part I is assessed by a coordinated review by the competent authorities of all European Union Member States in which an application for authorization of a clinical trial has been submitted (Member States concerned) of a draft report prepared by a Reporting Member State. Part II is assessed separately by each Member State concerned. The role of the relevant ethics committees in the assessment procedure is governed by the national law of the Member State concerned, however overall related timelines are defined by the Clinical Trials Regulation. The Clinical Trials Regulation also provides for simplified reporting procedures for clinical trial sponsors.
In addition, whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we must obtain approval of a product by the comparable regulatory authorities of countries outside the U.S. before we can commence clinical studies or marketing of the product in those countries. The approval process and requirements vary from country to country, so the number and type of non-clinical, clinical, and manufacturing studies needed may differ, and the time may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval.
To obtain regulatory approval of a product under the European Union's regulatory system, we are required to submit a marketing authorization application (“MAA”), to be assessed through the centralized procedure or, as applicable, national, decentralized or mutual recognition procedures. The centralized procedure allows applicants to obtain a marketing authorization (“MA”) that is valid throughout the European Union and the additional countries of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) (“EEA”). It is compulsory for medicinal products manufactured using biotechnological processes, for orphan medicinal products, for advanced therapy medicinal products (gene-therapy, somatic cell-therapy or tissue-engineered medicines) and for medicinal products containing a new active substance which are not authorized in the European Union and which are intended for the treatment of HIV, AIDS, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, auto-immune and other immune dysfunctions, viral diseases or diabetes. The centralized procedure is optional for any other products containing new active substances not authorized in the European Union or for products which constitute a significant therapeutic, scientific or technical innovation or for which a centralized authorization is in the interests of public health at the European Union level. When a company wishes to place on the market a medicinal product that is eligible for the centralized procedure, it sends an application directly to the EMA, to be assessed by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (“CHMP”). The CHMP is responsible for conducting the assessment of whether a medicine meets the required quality, safety and efficacy requirements, and whether the product has a positive risk/benefit profile.
The time limit for the evaluation procedure by the CHMP is 210 days (excluding clock stops, when additional written or oral information is to be provided by the applicant in response to questions asked by the CHMP). The EMA then has fifteen days to forward the CHMP opinion to the European Commission, which will make a binding decision on the grant of an MA within 67 days of the receipt of the CHMP opinion.
There are two other procedures in the European Union for the grant of an MA in multiple European Union Member States, where a product does not fall within the mandatory scope of the centralized procedure. If a product has already been authorized for marketing in a European Union Member State, this national MA can be recognized in another European Union Member State through the mutual recognition procedure. If the product has not received a national MA in any European Union Member State at the time of application, it can be approved simultaneously in various Member States through the decentralized procedure.
In the European Union, a “conditional” MA may be granted in cases where all the required safety and efficacy data are not yet available. The European Commission may grant a conditional MA for a medicinal product if it is demonstrated that all of the following criteria are met: (i) the benefit-risk balance of the medicinal product is positive; (ii) it is likely that the applicant will be able to provide comprehensive data post-authorization; (iii) the medicinal product fulfils an unmet medical need; and (iv) the benefit of the immediate availability to patients of the medicinal product is greater than the risk inherent in the fact that additional data are still required. The conditional MA is subject to conditions to be fulfilled for generating the missing data or ensuring increased safety measures. It is valid for one year and must be renewed annually until all related conditions have been fulfilled. Once such conditions have been fulfilled, the conditional MA can be converted into a traditional MA. However, if the conditions are not fulfilled within the timeframe set by the EMA and approved by the European Commission, the MA will cease to be renewed.
An MA may also be granted “under exceptional circumstances” where the applicant can show that it is unable to provide comprehensive data on efficacy and safety under normal conditions of use even after the product has been authorized and subject to specific procedures being introduced. These circumstances may arise in particular when
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the intended indications are very rare and, in the state of scientific knowledge at that time, it is not possible to provide comprehensive information, or when generating data may be contrary to generally accepted ethical principles. Like a conditional MA, an MA granted in exceptional circumstances is reserved to medicinal products intended to be authorized for treatment of rare diseases or unmet medical needs for which the applicant does not hold a complete data set that is required for the grant of a standard MA. However, unlike the conditional MA, an applicant for authorization in exceptional circumstances is not subsequently required to provide the missing data. Although the MA “under exceptional circumstances” is granted definitively, the risk-benefit balance of the medicinal product is reviewed annually, and the MA will be withdrawn if the risk-benefit ratio is no longer favorable.
Regulation (EC) No. 141/2000 provides that a medicinal product may be designated as an orphan medicinal product by the European Commission, following an opinion of the EMA's Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products, if its sponsor can establish that it is intended for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition that affects not more than 5 in 10,000 persons in the European Union when the application is made. In addition, orphan designation can be granted if the product is intended for a life-threatening, seriously debilitating or serious and chronic condition in the European Union and where, without the incentives derived from orphan designation, it is unlikely that sales of the product in the European Union would be sufficient to justify the necessary investment in its development. Orphan designation is only available if there is no other satisfactory method authorized for marketing in the European Union for diagnosing, preventing or treating the condition, or if such a method exists, the proposed orphan product will be of significant benefit to patients over the existing options. We have obtained orphan designation in the European Union for nomlabofusp.
Orphan designation provides opportunities for fee reductions, protocol assistance and access to the centralized procedure in the European Union. Small and medium enterprises are typically eligible for the most significant fee reductions. In addition, if a product which has an orphan designation subsequently receives a centralized MA for the indication for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan market exclusivity, which means the regulatory authorities in the European Union may not approve any other application to market a “similar medicinal product” for the same indication as the authorized orphan product for a period of 10 years from authorization of the orphan product (subject to certain exceptions). A “similar medicinal product” is defined as a medicinal product containing a similar active substance or substances as contained in an authorized orphan medicinal product, and which is intended for the same therapeutic indication. The exclusivity period may be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is determined that the designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity. Additionally, an MA may be granted to a similar medicinal product for the same indication as an authorized orphan product if:
• the second applicant can establish that its product, although similar to the authorized orphan product, is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior;
• the MA holder of the authorized orphan product consents to a second medicinal product application; or
• the MA holder of the authorized orphan product cannot supply sufficient quantities of the orphan medicinal product.
The EMA offers a scheme to facilitate development of product candidates in indications, often rare, for which few or no therapies currently exist. The PRIority MEdicines, or PRIME, scheme is intended to encourage drug development in areas of unmet medical need and to reinforce early dialogue with, and regulatory support from, the EMA in order to stimulate innovation, optimize development and support accelerated assessment, where eligible, of such product candidates. It is intended to build upon the scientific advice scheme and accelerated assessment procedure offered by the EMA. The scheme is voluntary and eligibility criteria must be met for a medicine to qualify for PRIME.
The PRIME scheme is open to medicines under development and for which the applicant intends to apply for an MA through the centralized procedure. Eligible products must target conditions for which there is an unmet medical need (there is no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment in the European Union or, if there is, the new medicine will bring a major therapeutic advantage) and they must demonstrate the potential to address the unmet medical need by introducing new methods or therapy or improving existing ones. Applicants will typically be at the exploratory clinical trial phase of development and will have preliminary clinical evidence in patients to demonstrate the promising activity of the medicine and its potential to address to a significant extent an unmet medical need. In exceptional cases, applicants from the academic sector or SMEs (small and medium sized
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enterprises) may submit an eligibility request at an earlier stage of development if compelling non-clinical data in a relevant model provide early evidence of promising activity to establish proof of principle, and first in man studies indicate adequate exposure for the desired pharmacotherapeutic effects and tolerability.
If a medicine is selected for the PRIME scheme, the EMA:
• Appoints a rapporteur from the CHMP or from the Committee for Advanced Therapies (“CAT”) to provide continuous support and to build up knowledge of the medicine in advance of the filing of an MAA;
• Issues guidance on the applicant’s overall development plan and regulatory strategy;
• Organizes a kick-off meeting with the rapporteur and experts from relevant EMA committees and working groups; Provides a dedicated EMA contact person; and
• Provides scientific advice at key development milestones, involving additional stakeholders, such as health technology assessment bodies and patients, as needed.
For SMEs who enter the scheme based on data showing proof of principle, the appointment of the rapporteur occurs once they have generated data confirming eligibility at proof of concept stage. They are required to submit relevant data and justification as the product development reaches this stage.
Medicines that are selected for the PRIME scheme are also expected to benefit from EMA’s accelerated assessment procedure at the time of application for marketing authorization. Where, during the course of development, a medicine no longer meets the eligibility criteria, support under the PRIME scheme may be withdrawn.
A Pediatric Investigation Plan (“PIP”) in the European Union is aimed at ensuring that the necessary data are obtained to support the authorization of a medicine for children, through studies in children. All applications for marketing authorization for new medicines must include either the results of studies conducted in compliance with an agreed PIP or evidence of a waiver or deferral, as applicable. This requirement also applies when a marketing authorization holder seeks to add a new indication, pharmaceutical form or route of administration for a medicine that is already authorized. Several rewards and incentives for the development of pediatric medicines are available in the EU. Medicines with the results of studies from an agreed PIP appropriately reflected in the product information are eligible for a six-month extension of their supplementary protection certificate (“SPC”), provided the applicable requirements are met and the extension request is filed within the applicable deadlines (including, for SPCs already granted, generally no later than two years before SPC expiry). This is the case even when the studies’ results are negative. For orphan medicines, this may extend the orphan market exclusivity period by an additional two years. Certain pediatric regulatory procedures (including PDCO assessments of PIPs, waivers, deferrals and compliance) are free of charge.
All of the aforementioned European Union rules are generally applicable in the EEA.
The European Commission introduced legislative proposals in April 2023 that, if implemented, will replace the current regulatory framework in the European Union for all medicines (including those for rare diseases and for children). In April 2024, the European Parliament adopted its position on the legislative proposals and, in June 2024, the Council of the European Union adopted its position. A common position on the text has been agreed upon on December 11, 2024, in the context of subsequent inter-institutional trilogue negotiations. The proposed revisions remain to be adopted, and are not expected to become applicable before 2028.
Following Brexit the UK is not generally subject to EU laws in respect of medicines. EU laws that have been transposed into UK law through secondary legislation remain applicable in the UK, however new EU legislation is not applicable in the UK. As of January 1, 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) became the UK's standalone medicines and medical devices regulator. On January 1, 2025, a new arrangement called the “Windsor Framework” came into effect and reintegrated Northern Ireland under the regulatory authority of the MHRA with respect to the regulation of medicinal products. The Windsor Framework removes EU licensing processes and EU labeling and serialization requirements relation to and introduces a UK-wide licensing process for medicines. A single UK-wide MA is granted by the MHRA for all novel medicinal products to be sold in the UK, enabling products to be sold in a single pack and under a single authorization throughout the UK. In addition, the new arrangements require all medicines placed on the UK market to be labeled “UK only” indicating they are not for sale in the EU.
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The MHRA has introduced changes to national licensing procedures, including procedures to prioritize access to new medicines that will benefit patients, an accelerated assessment procedure and new routes of evaluation for novel products and biotechnological products. On January 1, 2024, a new international recognition framework came into effect in the UK under which the MHRA may have regard to decisions on the approval of MAs made by the EMA and certain other regulators when determining an application for a new UK MA.
There is no pre-marketing authorization orphan designation in the UK. Instead, the MHRA will review applications for orphan designation in parallel to the corresponding MA application. The criteria are essentially the same, but have been tailored for the UK market, i.e. the prevalence of the condition in the UK (rather than the EU) must not be more than 5 in 10,000. Should an orphan designation be granted, the period of market exclusivity will be set from the date of first approval of the product in the UK.
In September 2024, we received access to the MHRA’s Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (“ILAP”) for the treatment of adults and children with FA. This Scheme aims to accelerate the time to market and facilitate patient access to certain types of medicinal products in development which target a life-threatening or seriously debilitating condition, or where there is a significant patient or public health need in the UK. To access the ILAP, an applicant applies for an Innovation Passport designation. Once an Innovation Passport designation is granted, the MHRA and its partner agencies (including The All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Scottish Medicines Consortium) will work with the Innovation Passport designee to define a Target Development Profile, (“TDP”). The TDP sets out a unique product-specific roadmap towards patient access in the UK and provides access to a toolkit to support all stages of the design, development and approvals process, including continuous benefit-risk assessment, increased support for novel development approaches and enhanced patient engagement. However, although the goal of the ILAP is to reduce the time to market and enable earlier patient access, access does not accelerate conduct of clinical trials or mean that the regulatory requirements are less stringent, nor does it ensure that a marketing authorization application will be approved or that any approval will be granted within a particular timeframe or at all.
Healthcare Laws and Regulations
Coverage and Reimbursement
Our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates will depend in part on the extent to which coverage and adequate reimbursement for these products and related treatments will be available from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations. Even if coverage is provided, the approved reimbursement amount may not be high enough to allow us to establish or maintain pricing sufficient to realize a sufficient return on our investment. Government authorities and third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which medications they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels.
There is also significant uncertainty related to the insurance coverage and reimbursement of newly approved products and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the medicine is approved by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. In the United States, the principal decisions about reimbursement for new medicines are typically made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CMS decides whether and to what extent a new medicine will be covered and reimbursed under Medicare and private payors tend to follow CMS to a substantial degree. Factors payors consider in determining reimbursement are based on whether the product is a covered benefit under its health plan; safe, effective and medically necessary; appropriate for the specific patient; cost-effective; and neither experimental nor investigational. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that drug companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for medical products.
Outside of the United States, the pricing of pharmaceutical products is subject to governmental control in many countries. For example, in the European Union, pricing and reimbursement schemes vary widely from country to country. Some countries provide that products may be marketed only after a reimbursement price has been agreed. Some countries may require the completion of additional studies that compare the cost-effectiveness of a particular therapy to currently available therapies or so-called health technology assessments, in order to obtain reimbursement or pricing approval. Other countries may allow companies to fix their own prices for products, but monitor and control product volumes and issue guidance to physicians to limit prescriptions. We cannot be sure that reimbursement will be available for any of our product candidates that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, the level of reimbursement.
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Other Healthcare Laws
Sales of our product candidate, if approved, or any other future product candidate will be subject to healthcare regulation and enforcement by the federal government and the states and foreign governments in which we might conduct our business. In the U.S., the healthcare laws and regulations that may affect our ability to operate include the following:
• the federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things knowingly and willfully, directly or indirectly, soliciting, receiving, offering, or paying any remuneration that is in exchange for or to induce the referral of business, including the purchase, order, lease of any good, facility, item or service for which payment may be made under a federal healthcare program, such as Medicare or Medicaid. The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value.
• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “ACA”), amended the intent element of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute so that a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to commit a violation;
• Federal false claims and false statement laws, including the federal civil False Claims Act, prohibits, among other things, any person or entity from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, for payment to, or approval by, federal programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, claims for items or services, including drugs, that are false or fraudulent. The ACA amended the federal Anti-Kickback Statute such that a violation of that statute can serve as a basis for liability under the federal civil False Claims Act;
• the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) created additional federal criminal statutes that prohibit among other actions, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors or making any false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services;
• HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (“HITECH”) and their implementing regulations, impose obligations on healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses, known as covered entities as well as their business associates and their subcontractors that perform certain services involving the storage, use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information; including mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security, and transmission of individually identifiable health information, and require notification to affected individuals and regulatory authorities of certain breaches of security of individually identifiable health information. HITECH increased the civil and criminal penalties that may be imposed against covered entities, business associates and possibly other persons, and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce the federal HIPAA laws and seek attorney’s fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions;
• the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act enacted as part of the ACA, and its implementing regulations requires certain manufacturers of approved drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to collect and report annually to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency that administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs (“CMS”) information related to payments or other transfers of value made to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse anesthetists, certified nurse-midwives and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. The reported data is made available in searchable form on a public website on an annual basis. Failure to submit required information may result in civil monetary penalties; and
• The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) prohibits U.S. businesses and their representatives from offering to pay, paying, promising to pay or authorizing the payment of money or anything of value to a foreign official in order to influence any act or decision of the foreign official in his or her official capacity or to secure any other improper advantage in order to obtain or retain business.
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Many states have similar laws and regulations, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws that may be broader in scope and may apply regardless of payor, in addition to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs. Additionally, we may be subject to state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the federal government’s and/or pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines, state laws that require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures. Certain states and local jurisdictions also require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives. Further, certain states require the posting of information relating to clinical studies and their outcomes. A growing number of states require the reporting of certain drug pricing information, including information pertaining to and justifying price increases and the price set for newly launched drugs, or to prohibit prescription drug price gouging. We may also be subject to state and foreign laws governing the privacy and security of health information, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA.
In the United States, there are numerous federal and state privacy and data security laws and regulations governing the collection, use, disclosure and protection of personal information, including federal and state health information privacy laws, federal and state security breach notification laws, and federal and state consumer protection laws. Each of these laws is subject to varying interpretations and new laws continue to be proposed. At the state level, numerous states have or are in the process of enacting or considering comprehensive state-level data privacy and security laws, rules and regulations while other states have focused on more narrow aspects of privacy. In the state of Washington, for example, the My Health My Data Act will require regulated entities to obtain consent to collect health information, grant consumers certain rights, including to request deletion of their information, and provide for robust enforcement mechanisms, including enforcement by the Washington state attorney-general and a private right of action for consumer claims. Other states have also enacted, proposed, or are considering proposing, data privacy laws, which could further complicate compliance efforts, increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business. Additionally, to the extent that our product is sold in a foreign country, we may be subject to similar foreign laws, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("EU GDPR"), the UK General Data Protection Regulation ("UK GDPR"), Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, and Australia’s Privacy Act, and any other applicable country, state and/or territory health privacy legislation and regulation.
Healthcare Reform
The United States and many foreign jurisdictions have enacted or proposed legislative and regulatory changes affecting the healthcare system. The United States government, state legislatures and foreign governments also have shown significant interest in implementing cost-containment programs to limit the growth of government-paid healthcare costs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products for branded prescription drugs. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the prices charged for medical products and services, examining the medical necessity and reviewing the cost effectiveness of pharmaceutical or biological products, medical devices, and medical services, in addition to questioning safety and efficacy. CMS also has authority to revise reimbursement rates and to implement coverage restrictions for some drugs. Cost reduction initiatives and changes in coverage implemented through legislation or regulation could decrease utilization of and reimbursement for any approved products. While Medicare regulations apply only to drug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, private payors often follow Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement rates. Therefore, although private payors have their own methods and approval process apart from Medicare determinations, any reduction in reimbursement that results from federal legislation or regulation may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors.
The Affordable Care Act substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers, included provisions that affected the pharmaceutical industry. Among other things, the Affordable Care Act expanded manufacturers’ rebate liability under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, expanded the 340B program, and increased the amount of Medicaid drug rebates manufacturers are required to pay to states. Since that time, there have been multiple healthcare reform measures, including the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) which, among other things, allows HHS to directly negotiate the selling price of a statutorily specified number of drugs and biologics each year that CMS reimburses under Medicare Part B and Part D. The negotiated price may not exceed a statutory ceiling price. Only high-expenditure single-source biologics that have been approved for at least 11 years (7 years for small molecule drugs) can be selected by CMS for negotiation, with the negotiated price taking effect two years after the selection year. To date, CMS has selected and negotiated prices for 25 Medicare Part D drugs for the initial years 2026 and 2027. For 2028, an additional 15 drugs, which may be covered under either Medicare Part B or Part D, will be selected, and for 2029 and subsequent years, 20 Part B or Part D drugs will be
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selected. A drug or biological product that has one or more orphan drug designations will be excluded from the IRA’s price negotiation requirements, but will lose that exclusion if it receives approvals from FDA for an indication that is not for a rare disease or condition. The IRA also imposes rebates on Medicare Part B and Part D drugs whose prices have increased at a rate greater than the rate of inflation. The IRA also extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in ACA marketplaces through plan year 2025. The IRA permits the Secretary of HHS to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years. Manufacturers that fail to comply with the IRA may be subject to various penalties, including significant civil monetary penalties. These provisions have been and may continue to be subject to legal challenges. For example, the provisions related to the negotiation of selling prices of high-expenditure single-source drugs and biologics have been challenged in multiple lawsuits brought by pharmaceutical manufacturers. Thus, while it is unclear how the IRA will be implemented, it will likely have a significant impact on the biopharmaceutical industry and the pricing of prescription drug products.
In addition, on July 4, 2025, Public Law 119-21 became effective and imposes significant reductions in Medicaid funding, additional work requirements for Medicaid recipients, and more frequent reenrollment requirements, which are expected to place substantial pressure on state Medicaid budgets, reduce enrollment, and limit covered services, which could decrease utilization of, and reimbursement for, prescription drug products.
The costs of prescription drug products have also been the subject of considerable discussion in the United States. To date, there have been several recent U.S. congressional inquiries, as well as proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, reduce the costs of drugs under Medicare and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. The Trump Administration has issued executive orders and supported proposed regulatory initiatives in 2025 that could have a significant impact on the prices that we, or any collaborators, may receive for any approved products.
On May 12, 2025, the President signed an executive order directing the Secretary of HHS to set and communicate most-favored-nation (“MFN”) price targets to manufacturers and propose a rulemaking plan to impose MFN pricing if “significant progress” is not made, and also directing the federal government to support regulatory paths to allow direct-to-patient sales for companies that meet these targets. The executive order further states that the Administration will take additional action (for example, examining whether marketing approvals should be modified or rescinded or considering individual drug importation waiver authorities) should manufacturers fail to offer American consumers the MFN lowest price. In July 2025, President Trump sent letters to certain pharmaceutical companies demanding that these companies extend MFN pricing to Medicaid and newly launched drugs as well as move to direct-to-consumer models priced at MFN pricing, and soliciting binding commitments by September 29, 2025. Since this time, multiple drug manufacturers have announced plans to, for certain of their drugs, lower prices to reflect similar pricing around the world, and to sell these reduced-price drugs on a direct-to-consumer purchasing platform developed by the federal government; however, it is not known what results will occur to the extent the recipients of these letters do not reduce their U.S. prices.
On December 19, 2025, CMS released two proposed rules that would incorporate MFN pricing principles into federal reimbursement for prescription drugs. The first proposal, the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing Model (“GLOBE”) for Medicare Part B, would require manufacturers of specified single source drugs and sole source biologics to pay incremental rebates based on international benchmark prices, with participation triggered for products meeting CMS’s spending and eligibility criteria. The second proposal, the Guarding U.S. Medicare Against Rising Drug Costs (“GUARD”) model for Medicare Part D, would similarly mandate manufacturer rebates for qualifying sole source drugs where the Medicare net price exceeds an MFN benchmark derived from international reference pricing methodologies. As proposed, GLOBE would begin a five year performance period on October 1, 2026 and GUARD would begin its performance period in 2027. These proposals will likely be subject to legal challenges that could delay their implementation or modify their impact on manufacturer pricing and revenue. Additionally, in November 2025, CMS introduced the GENErating cost Reductions for U.S. Medicaid (“GENEROUS”) Model, a voluntary MFN framework for manufacturers participating in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. Although it is voluntary, the GENEROUS Model could also impact the drug pricing landscape for manufacturers.
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At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. For example, the FDA released a final rule in September 2020 providing guidance for states to build and submit plans for importing drugs from Canada, and FDA authorized the first such plan in Florida in January 2024. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs.
Additional federal, state and foreign healthcare reform measures may be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in limited coverage and reimbursement and reduced demand for prescription drug products, once approved, or additional pricing pressures.
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.