Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business.
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company comprised of experienced biopharma industry leaders with extensive research, development, and rare disease expertise with a mission to develop and commercialize life-transforming therapies for patients with severe and rare diseases. Since our launch in January 2018, we have built a broad pipeline of promising product candidates aimed at addressing diseases with unmet medical need in the areas of maternal fetal health, complement dysregulation, hematology, and metabolic disorders. Our two most advanced programs are in clinical development: RLYB212, an anti-HPA-1a antibody for the prevention of fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (“FNAIT”) and RLYB116, an inhibitor of complement component 5 (“C5”), with the potential to treat several diseases of complement dysregulation. RLYB212 is currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial in pregnant women, and we plan to initiate a confirmatory pharmacokinetics (“PK”) and pharmacodynamics ("PD") study of RLYB116 in the second quarter of 2025.
Our Approach
At Rallybio Corporation (“Rallybio” or the "Company"), we do not accept that millions of patients suffering from devastating rare diseases should have to live without transformative treatments. There are an estimated 25 to 30 million people affected by as many as 7,000 rare diseases in the United States alone, with a significantly greater number affected globally. Our goal is to transform the lives of these individuals through the development of therapeutics that provide meaningful clinical benefits.
We believe the long-term success of the Company is built on our key strengths:
• Our team’s proven execution capability to drive product candidates through clinical development to marketing approvals. We have assembled a team with a proven history of successfully advancing product candidates from discovery to clinical development and through marketing approval. Members of our team have played critical roles in the approval of more than 30 drugs, including seven approvals for rare disease therapeutics since 2013, and secured approvals from regulatory authorities in the Americas, Europe, Australia, and Asia. In doing so, our employees previously developed and implemented novel clinical trial designs and successfully conducted clinical trials in previously underserved patient populations, including those impacted by diseases lacking approved therapies. We believe this collective prior experience positions us to efficiently and expertly execute at each step in the research and development process and enhances the value we can bring to our product candidates and patients.
• Our extensive knowledge of rare diseases and our scientific expertise positions us to identify therapies with the potential for transformative impact. Although we intend to focus our near-term efforts on maximizing the value of our current portfolio, we may in the future opportunistically seek to acquire and develop product candidates that possess a clear mechanism of action and that aim to address diseases with a well-understood pathophysiology for which there is a significant unmet medical need. We believe that a product candidate’s mechanism of action should target the causal biology of the disease to provide the highest probability of dramatically improving the lives of patients. We also believe that our team’s extensive experience in rare diseases and overall deep scientific expertise position us to identify opportunities where these links can be made. In addition, our ability to source these product candidates is facilitated by our extensive network of relationships with leaders in industry and in academic centers worldwide.
Our Team
Our Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Uden, M.D., and Chairman, Martin W. Mackay, Ph.D., previously worked together in different organizations to successfully build, develop, and launch transformative therapies for patients with rare diseases. In addition, several members of our team were integral in the successful development and/or approval of therapies such as Strensiq (asfotase alfa) for patients with perinatal-, infantile-, and juvenile-onset hypophosphatasia ("HPP"), Kanuma (sebelipase alfa) for patients with lysosomal acid lipase deficiency, Nulibry (fosdenopterin) for patients with molybdenum cofactor deficiency, Soliris (eculizumab) for patients with refractory generalized myasthenia gravis ("gMG"), Soliris for patients with relapsing neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder ("NMOSD"), Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz) for patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria ("PNH") and Ultomiris for patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome ("aHUS").
1
Table of Contents
Our Pipeline
Our pipeline is illustrated in the chart below:
FNAIT: Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia; HPA-1a: Human platelet antigen-1a; C5: Complement component 5; ABD: Albumin-binding domain; ENPP1: Ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1
Prevention of FNAIT
We are developing RLYB212 for the prevention of FNAIT. FNAIT is a potentially life-threatening rare disease that can cause uncontrolled bleeding in fetuses and newborns that can arise during pregnancy due to an immune incompatibility between an expectant mother and her fetus in a specific platelet antigen called human platelet antigen 1 ("HPA-1"). This incompatibility can cause an expectant mother to develop antibodies that attack the platelets of her fetus. The destruction of platelets in the fetus can result in severely low platelet counts, or thrombocytopenia, potentially leading to devastating consequences including miscarriage, stillbirth, death of the newborn, or severe lifelong neurological disability in those babies who survive. There is currently no approved therapy for the prevention or treatment of FNAIT.
We estimate that there are over 30,000 pregnancies at high risk of developing FNAIT each year in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom (the "UK"), other major European countries and Australia. Since there are no approved therapies to prevent FNAIT, expectant mothers are not currently screened for the risk of FNAIT. As a result, the vast majority of pregnancies at risk for FNAIT go unidentified and untreated. In those pregnancies that are identified as at-risk, typically due to the delivery of a prior FNAIT affected child, expectant mothers may be treated with weekly intravenously-administered high doses of immunoglobulin G ("IVIG"), along with the oral steroid immunosuppressant prednisone. However, IVIG administration does not prevent the immune response, called alloimmunization, and is costly, time-intensive, difficult to tolerate and associated with significant treatment-related complications. Based on the data generated to date and the clinical precedent for effective prevention of maternal alloimmunization by anti-RhD prophylaxis, which has resulted in the virtual elimination of Rhesus disease, we believe that targeting HPA-1a with an anti-HPA-1a antibody has the potential to drive rapid elimination of HPA-1a positive platelets from the circulation of expectant mothers, prevent alloimmunization and thereby prevent the occurrence of FNAIT.
We are currently conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial of RLYB212 in pregnant women at higher risk for HPA-1a alloimmunization and FNAIT at sites across Europe. The primary objective of this single-arm Phase 2 trial is to assess the PK and safety of RLYB212 with secondary objectives that include assessments of pregnancy and neonatal/infant outcomes, and the occurrence of emergent HPA-1a alloimmunization. Subcutaneous ("SC") administration of RLYB212 will be initiated by Gestational Week 16 and will continue every four weeks through parturition.
The Phase 2 trial is designed to enroll participants in three stages: first with a sentinel pregnant woman, an initial cohort ("Cohort 1") that will include three pregnant women, and a second cohort ("Cohort 2") that will include four pregnant women, for a total target enrollment of eight participants. A data review for participants and infants is planned prior to the initiation of each cohort.
2
Table of Contents
The Phase 2 trial follows completion of two RLYB212 clinical trials: a Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial and a Phase 1b proof-of-concept clinical trial. The Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial was a single-blind, placebo-controlled study that investigated the safety and PK of SC administration of RLYB212 in HPA-1a negative healthy participants. The clinical trial included a single dose cohort and a multiple dose cohort. In the multiple dose cohort, subjects received SC RLYB212 or placebo every two weeks for 12 weeks. We reported preliminary results from the multi-dose cohort in the fourth quarter of 2023. The data and our clinical pharmacology modeling predictions support a once monthly dosing regimen for the Phase 2 clinical trial. RLYB212 was observed to be generally well-tolerated with no reports of injection site reactions or serious adverse events.
The Phase 1b single-blind, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept clinical trial was designed to establish the ability of SC RLYB212 to rapidly eliminate HPA-1a positive platelets transfused to HPA-1a negative healthy subjects. The study included 11 males aged 18 to 65 years, randomized to RLYB212 0.09mg (n=4), RLYB212 0.29mg (n=5), or placebo (n=2). We reported top-line results from this trial at the 31st Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis ("ISTH") in the second quarter of 2023 and announced publication of the complete dataset in Thrombosis and Haemostasis in the third quarter of 2024. The results showed that SC RLYB212 administration produced a dose-dependent, rapid, and complete elimination of transfused HPA-1a positive platelets in HPA-1a negative subjects, with both doses meeting the prespecified proof-of-concept criteria of ≥90% reduction in mean platelet elimination half-life. Mean platelet elimination half-life was 5.8 hours (0.09mg dose) and 1.5 hours (0.29mg dose) for RLYB212 compared to 71.7 hours for placebo. Consistent with the Phase 1 first-in-human trial, RLYB212 was observed to be well-tolerated with no reports of serious or severe adverse events.
Additionally, we are conducting a FNAIT Natural History Alloimmunization Study ("FNAIT natural history study"). This prospective, non-interventional, multinational natural history study is designed to screen expectant mothers presenting at gestational week 10 to 14 prenatal visit to determine the frequency of women at higher FNAIT risk among expectant mothers of different racial and ethnic characteristics, as well as the frequency of HPA-1a alloimmunization and pregnancy outcomes among these women. Subject to future discussions with regulatory authorities, we expect that data from this study will contribute to a control dataset for a future single-arm Phase 3 registrational clinical trial for RLYB212. An additional objective of the FNAIT natural history study is to operationalize de novo the laboratory screening test paradigm for FNAIT risk and generate FNAIT laboratory test performance data that we plan to use for future regulatory discussions. As of January 31, 2025, more than 14,300 women have been screened as part of the study.
Treatment of Disorders Due to Complement Dysregulation
The complement system plays a central role in innate immunity, as well as, shaping adaptive immune response. Dysregulation of the complement pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a growing number of diseases, making it an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. Antibody inhibitors of C5 have been successfully developed to treat diseases caused by complement pathway dysregulation, including PNH, aHUS, refractory gMG and relapsing NMOSD. Despite the approval of antibody-based C5 inhibitors for patients with these diseases, we believe there remains a significant need in the market for safe, effective, patient-friendly, and accessible therapies.
Our team has a track record of success in designing, developing, and securing marketing approval for C5 complement inhibitors, including Soliris and Ultomiris, for patients around the world with severe and rare complement-mediated diseases. Our most advanced product candidate in this therapeutic area is RLYB116, an inhibitor of C5, which is a central component of the terminal complement pathway. RLYB116 is an Affibody molecule attached to an albumin binding domain ("ABD") that has the potential to drive the rapid, complete, and sustained inhibition of C5 with a SC injection. We have completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy participants that included the study of RLYB116 as both a single ascending dose (“SAD”) and a multiple ascending dose (“MAD”).
The SAD portion of the RLYB116 Phase 1 trial included five cohorts with doses ranging from 2mg up to 300mg. Data from the SAD portion of the RLYB116 trial showed that all study participants that were administered a single 1 mL SC injection of 100 mg of RLYB116 (n=6) demonstrated a reduction in free C5 greater than 99% within 24 hours of dosing. Subcutaneously administered RLYB116 in the SAD portion of the trial was observed to be generally well-tolerated at the 100 mg dose, with mild adverse events and no drug-related serious adverse events reported. The terminal elimination half-life of RLYB116 was greater than 300 hours. The MAD portion of the RLYB116 Phase 1 trial included an adaptive single-blind design with a four-week treatment duration to evaluate the safety, tolerability, PK, and PD of RLYB116 with multiple dose SC administration. The MAD portion of the trial included four cohorts: Cohort 1 (weekly dosing of 100 mg), Cohort 2 (3 doses of 100 mg the first week followed by weekly dosing), Cohort 3 (150 mg weekly dosing reduced to 125 mg weekly dosing) and
3
Table of Contents
Cohort 4 (75 mg twice the first week followed by 100 mg twice per week) with post-treatment for 10 weeks. In December 2023, we reported data from the MAD portion of the trial that demonstrated a 100 mg low volume (1 mL) once-weekly dose of subcutaneously administered RLYB116 achieved sustained mean reductions in free C5 of greater than 93%, including at Day 29 with measurement prior to the last dose. The reduction from pre-treatment free C5 at 24 hours after the first dose of 100 mg was greater than 99%. In the MAD portion of the Phase 1 trial, RLYB116 demonstrated low inter-subject variability and consistent increases in exposure relative to dose with a mean estimated elimination half-life for RLYB116 of >300 hours. RLYB116 administered in the MAD trial as a 100 mg once-weekly dose was also observed to be generally well tolerated.
Based on the results of the RLYB116 Phase 1 trial, we conducted a series of biomarker characterization analyses. These analyses indicate the RLYB116 assay used to measure free C5 in the Phase 1 trial overestimated the levels of free C5 by approximately ten-fold, indicating that RLYB116 produced greater complement inhibition than initially reported. We now believe that RLYB116 has the potential to be an effective treatment for patients with a variety of complement-mediated diseases, including PNH, gMG and antiphospholipid syndrome ("APS"). We also completed manufacturing process enhancements with a goal of further improving the tolerability of RLYB116. Based on the results of enhanced analytical techniques, including mass spectrometry, these process enhancements have successfully further purified the RLYB116 drug substance. As a result, we believe that RLYB116 will have a favorable tolerability profile at doses at and above those evaluated in the Phase 1 MAD trial. We plan to initiate a RLYB116 confirmatory clinical PK/PD trial in the second quarter of 2025 to demonstrate improved tolerability as well as complete and sustained complement inhibition. This single-blind MAD trial will evaluate a 4-week treatment duration that will include two cohorts of eight participants each. Our current plan is that Cohort 1 will evaluate weekly dosing of 150 mg and Cohort 2 will evaluate weekly dosing of 225 mg with 10 weeks of follow-up after the conclusion of treatment.
Hematological Disorders
In May 2022, we obtained worldwide exclusive rights to RLYB331, a preclinical, monoclonal antibody that is designed to inhibit Matriptase-2 ("MTP-2"). The inhibition of MTP-2 significantly increases levels of hepcidin, decreases iron load and treats ineffective erythropoiesis. In 2024, we re-engineered RLYB331 to extend its half-life. In the fourth quarter of 2024 we presented preclinical data at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology ("ASH") for RLYB332, the long-acting version of RLYB331, including favorable PD data, that support RLYB332 as a long-acting, potentially best-in-class therapy for the treatment of diseases of iron overload. We believe RLYB332 has the potential to address a significant unmet need for patients with severe anemia with ineffective red blood cell production or erythropoiesis and iron overload, such as polycythemia vera, beta thalassemia and a subset of myelodysplastic syndromes ("MDS"), amongst others. Currently these patients are underserved by the existing standard of care.
Artificial Intelligence Drug Discovery Collaboration
In July 2019, we formed a joint venture with Exscientia Limited ("Exscientia"), an Oxford, UK-based artificial intelligence ("AI") and machine learning drug discovery company with a proprietary chemical design platform to discover novel small molecule drug candidates. Exscientia was acquired by Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Recursion") in 2024 and we have continued work with Recursion on the discovery of a small molecule targeting an Ectonucleotide Pyrophosphatase/ Phosphodiesterase 1 ("ENPP1") inhibitor for the treatment of HPP. HPP is a rare, genetic disease characterized by mutations in the ALPL gene. The ALPL gene provides instructions for making an enzyme called tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase, which plays an important role in the growth and development of bones and teeth. The incidence of HPP has been reported to be 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 300,000 (United States and Canada) for severe disease and 1 in 6,370 (European Union) for less severe forms. These mutations lead to diminished activity of the alkaline phosphatase enzyme and the accumulation of inorganic pyrophosphate (“PPi”), which inhibits bone mineralization causing multiple skeletal pathologies. We believe that a small molecule inhibitor of ENPP1 has the potential to bring meaningful benefit to HPP patients by reducing excess levels of pyrophosphate, thereby removing an inhibitor of calcium mineralization and bone formation.
In 2024 we presented data at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research ("ASBMR") from an early lead ENPP1 inhibitor, REV101, in a mouse model of later-onset HPP demonstrating a 30% reduction in PPi, a key biomarker that is elevated in HPP and contributes to poor bone mineralization. Together with Recursion, we also advanced REV102, an ENPP1 inhibitor for the treatment of patients with HPP to position the molecule for additional preclinical development activities in 2025.
AbCellera Collaboration
In December 2022, we entered into a strategic alliance to discover, develop, and commercialize novel antibody-based therapeutics for rare diseases. This multi-year, multi-target collaboration will combine AbCellera Biologic's
4
Table of Contents
("AbCellera") antibody discovery engine with Rallybio’s clinical and commercial expertise in rare diseases to identify optimal clinical candidates with a goal of delivering therapies to patients. We and AbCellera intended that the collaboration would co-develop up to five rare disease therapeutic targets, which will be chosen together by both companies with the first program focused on addressing the significant unmet therapeutic needs of patients with rare metabolic diseases.
Our Strategy
Our mission is aligned with our expertise: to identify and accelerate the development of life-transforming therapies for patients with severe and rare disorders. To achieve this mission, our strategy includes the following key components:
• Establish a leading rare disease company with a team that delivers transformative medicines to patients. We believe our team’s expertise and knowledge are fundamental to our long-term success. Our research and development team is led by experienced drug development executives who were integral in the approvals of more than 30 drugs from leading companies, including Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Astellas Pharma Inc., Pfizer Inc. and Wyeth, LLC. We plan to create value by continuing to leverage our team’s expertise and focus on further development of our current product candidates either alone or through partnerships and collaborations to significantly improve the lives of patients.
• Advance RLYB212 for the prevention of FNAIT. There is currently no approved therapy for the prevention of FNAIT. Women at higher risk of FNAIT may experience potentially devastating outcomes and we believe there is a significant unmet need for these patients. We believe the clinical and non-clinical data generated to date indicate that RLYB212 may prevent FNAIT in pregnant women at higher risk for HPA-1a alloimmunization and were supportive of initiating the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial in pregnant women. We enrolled the sentinel woman in February 2025 and expect to report PK and safety data from the second trimester in the second quarter of 2025 and PK and safety data at the time of delivery in the third quarter of 2025 at which time we will determine the next steps for the program including seeking a partner to continue development. We estimate that the market opportunity for RLYB212 exceeds $1.6 billion.
• Advance RLYB116 for the treatment of diseases of complement dysregulation through partnering or other forms of non-dilutive financing. Based on the biomarker characterization analyses and manufacturing process enhancements we completed in 2024, we intend to initiate a confirmatory clinical PK/PD trial in the second quarter of 2025. We will evaluate future development plans for RLYB116 based on the results of this trial but based on the data generated to date, we believe that RLYB116 has the potential to be an effective treatment for patients with a variety of complement-mediated diseases, including PNH, gMG and APS.
• Leverage the progress made to date and maximize the value from our preclinical candidates. We believe that our preclinical pipeline programs have significant potential to generate value by meeting the unmet needs of patients and we intend to continue to move these forward in a capital-efficient manner. As we are able to generate additional data, we will make decisions on the most appropriate next steps in development for each of our preclinical programs.
• Create value from our pipeline through targeted business development activities. We believe we have assembled a valuable portfolio of product candidates targeting several rare diseases and will seek to unlock that value by leveraging our current and potential future partnerships and collaborations for one or more of these programs. We may also periodically evaluate the potential in-license or acquisition of new programs subject to market conditions and our cash runway.
Our Product Candidates
RLYB212 for the prevention of FNAIT
RLYB212 is a subcutaneously administered monoclonal anti-HPA-1a antibody for the prevention of FNAIT, a maternal fetal blood disorder that can cause potentially devastating outcomes in the fetus or neonate including miscarriage, neonatal death, and severe life-long neurological disability in the babies that survive. We have completed two Phase 1 clinical trials for RLYB212 and are currently running a Phase 2 clinical trial in pregnant women at higher risk for HPA-1a alloimmunization and FNAIT. Based on the preclinical and clinical data to date and our understanding of FNAIT, we believe RLYB212 has the potential to prevent maternal alloimmunization and thereby the occurrence of FNAIT.
5
Table of Contents
We are also conducting an FNAIT natural history study. This prospective, non-interventional, multinational study is designed to determine the frequency of women at higher FNAIT risk among expectant mothers of different racial and ethnic characteristics, as well as the frequency of HPA-1a alloimmunization and pregnancy outcomes among these women. An additional objective of the FNAIT natural history study is to operationalize de novo the laboratory screening test paradigm for FNAIT risk and generate FNAIT laboratory test performance data for future regulatory discussions. We recently transitioned screening activities from the natural history study to the Phase 2 clinical trial where sites will continue to collect natural history data in women who do not receive RLYB212. We expect that natural history data from both the natural history study and the Phase 2 clinical trial will contribute historical control data to support a planned single-arm Phase 3 registrational clinical trial of RLYB212.
Maternal fetal blood disorders
FNAIT is one of several devastating disorders that is caused by an immune incompatibility of a mother and fetus during pregnancy. One of the best-characterized prenatal immune incompatibility disorders is Rh disease. This condition arises when the mother is RhD negative and her fetus is RhD positive. RhD incompatibility may lead to destruction of red blood cells in the fetus and can result in severe outcomes including miscarriage or loss of a newborn. Rh disease is treated by giving at-risk expectant mothers low doses of antibodies to RhD. These antibodies remove fetal red blood cells that have crossed into the mother’s circulation, thereby preventing her from developing an immune response that could destroy the red blood cells in the fetus. Since the approval of the first Rho (D) Immune Globulin in 1968, known as RhoGAM, expectant mothers in many countries, including in North America and Europe, are routinely screened for their RhD status, and Rh disease is largely prevented in at-risk expectant mothers. We are pursuing a similar approach to prevent FNAIT.
FNAIT disease background
Like Rh disease, FNAIT is a disorder that occurs during pregnancy when an expectant mother’s immune system attacks a specific antigen on the blood cells of her fetus, leading to their destruction. This results in an increased risk of bleeding in the fetus and newborn. In the majority of cases, the effects of FNAIT are mild; however, up to 20% of FNAIT cases experience intracranial hemorrhage ("ICH"), which can lead to devastating outcomes such as miscarriage, stillbirth, loss of the newborn and severe lifelong neurological disabilities in those babies that survive.
FNAIT is caused by a mismatch in the type of HPA-1 that is expressed by the expectant mother and the fetus. There are two predominant forms of HPA-1, known as HPA-1a and HPA-1b, which are expressed on the surface of platelets. These two alleles differ by a single amino acid. Individuals who are homozygous for HPA-1b, meaning that they have two copies of the HPA-1b allele and no copies of the HPA-1a allele, are also known as HPA-1a negative. Upon exposure to HPA-1a, these individuals can develop antibodies to that antigen in a process known as alloimmunization. In expectant mothers, alloimmunization can occur upon mixing of fetal blood with maternal blood. When alloimmunization occurs in an expectant mother, the anti-HPA-1a antibodies that develop in the mother can cross the placenta and destroy platelets in the fetus.
6
Table of Contents
Pathophysiology of FNAIT
There are no approved therapies to treat or prevent FNAIT and expectant mothers are not currently screened for FNAIT risk. Today, expectant mothers at risk of FNAIT are typically only identified following the delivery of an FNAIT affected child. These mothers may be treated during subsequent pregnancies with weekly administration of IVIG, along with the oral steroid immunosuppressant prednisone. While IVIG administration can potentially mitigate the detrimental effects of anti-HPA-1a antibodies, it does not prevent alloimmunization, is costly, time-intensive, difficult to tolerate and associated with significant treatment-related complications.
Babies with FNAIT are typically diagnosed at the time of delivery by the presence of low platelet counts identified during routine analysis, the presence of petechiae on the skin or due to the manifestations of severe complications such as ICH or gastrointestinal bleeding. Upon diagnosis, babies with FNAIT may receive platelet transfusions and may be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. In severe cases, babies may suffer life-long neurological disability or may not survive.
Based on previously published data and a 2024 epidemiological analysis that we sponsored, we believe that more than 30,000 pregnancies each year in the United States, Canada, the UK, other major European countries, and Australia are at higher risk for FNAIT and could potentially benefit from administration of a monoclonal anti-HPA-1a antibody such as RLYB212. These pregnancies represent expectant mothers who are HPA-1a negative, who are carrying an HPA-1a positive fetus and who are at high risk of alloimmunization due to the presence of a specific HLA allele, known as DRB3*01:01. Genetic studies have found that expectant mothers who have this specific HLA allele are approximately 25 times more likely to develop antibodies to HPA-1a than those without this allele.
We believe that screening for FNAIT risk can be performed routinely and cost effectively as part of standard prenatal testing provided to expectant mothers during pregnancy. Testing for maternal HPA-1 type and presence of the HLA-DRB3*01:01 allele could occur during the first trimester at the same time as other routine blood work and risk screening. We don’t expect that an additional blood draw would be required. Importantly, U.S. and EU physicians have advised that our approach and timing for FNAIT screening would fit well within the established first trimester prenatal testing paradigm and could be performed at the same time as routine blood typing and Rh testing. Based on our global market research with maternal-fetal medicine specialists, obstetricians-gynecologists and payers, we believe there is high awareness of the catastrophic impact of FNAIT, and a strong desire to both screen and provide preventive therapy to at-risk expectant mothers if there were an approved product to prevent FNAIT and affordable screening tests.
We believe screening and preventive treatment can have a significant impact on this potentially devastating disease. For example, screening and treatment in Rh disease have been highly effective in reducing the number of affected births. In developed countries with access to prenatal testing and treatment, the prevalence
7
Table of Contents
of Rh disease is 2.5 per 100,000 compared to 276 per 100,000 worldwide. We believe that applying a similar approach to the prevention of FNAIT could lead to a significant reduction in the number of babies at risk for FNAIT. In both the FNAIT natural history study and RLYB212 Phase 2 clinical trial, we are using screening tests for maternal HPA-1 type, maternal HLA-DRB3*01:01 status, maternal HPA-1a antibodies and fetal HPA-1 genotype.
Our solution: RLYB212
RLYB212 preclinical data
A mouse model of FNAIT has been created in which the amino acids comprising the HPA-1a antigen are reconstituted in the mouse gene. These transgenic mice (referred to as APLDQ mice based on the amino acid changes) recapitulate multiple aspects of FNAIT. Administration of anti-HPA-1a antibodies to APLDQ mice leads to destruction of APLDQ platelets and severe thrombocytopenia. Injection of platelets from APLDQ mice into wild-type mice can induce an HPA-1a specific immune response. Finally, wild-type female mice pre-immunized with APLDQ platelets, when bred with APLDQ male mice, give birth to severely thrombocytopenic pups, many of which exhibit an accompanying bleeding phenotype. Treatment of these pregnant female mice with IVIG resulted in lowering the level of anti-APLDQ antibodies in the fetus and a reduction in thrombocytopenia.
In a prophylactic treatment model, a single large bolus intravenous injection of 1 x 108 APLDQ platelets (equivalent to about one-sixth of the total blood volume in the host) was administered to wild-type mice. At a dose of 0.4 µg (yielding a peak concentration of approximately 0.2 µg/ml), RLYB212 was able to drive rapid and complete elimination of APLDQ platelets, as shown in the first graph below, and prevent a host antibody response, as shown in the second graph below. Also shown in the graphs below, this dose correlates to a concentration of RLYB212 projected to bind approximately 10% of the HPA-1a antigen present on the transfused APLDQ platelets. Thus, the approximately 10% receptor binding is sufficient to clear platelets and prevent alloimmunization in the mouse model.
RLYB212 Induced Rapid Elimination of APLDQ Platelets
RLYB212 Prevented the Development of Antibodies to APLDQ Platelets
RLYB212 Clinical Development
We have completed two RLYB212 clinical trials: a Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial and a Phase 1b proof-of-concept clinical trial. The Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial was a single-blind, placebo-controlled study that investigated the safety and PK of SC administration of RLYB212 in HPA-1a negative healthy participants. The clinical trial included a single dose cohort and a multiple dose cohort. In the multiple dose cohort, subjects received SC RLYB212 or placebo every two weeks for 12 weeks.
We reported results from the multi-dose cohort in the fourth quarter of 2023. The data demonstrated that multiple dose PK were consistent both within and between subjects. The data and our clinical pharmacology modeling predictions support a once monthly dosing regimen for the ongoing Phase 2 trial. RLYB212 was observed to be generally well-tolerated with no reports of injection site reactions or serious adverse events.
8
Table of Contents
The Phase 1b single-blind, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept trial was designed to establish the ability of SC RLYB212 to rapidly eliminate HPA-1a positive platelets transfused to HPA-1a negative healthy subjects. The study included 11 males aged 18 to 65 years, randomized to RLYB212 0.09 mg (n=4), RLYB212 0.29 mg (n=5), or placebo (n=2). The study design and results are summarized below.
RLYB212 Phase 1b Trial — Design and Results
In the fourth quarter of 2024 we initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial investigating RLYB212 in pregnant women at higher risk for HPA-1a alloimmunization and FNAIT. This is a single-arm trial that is designed to assess the PK and safety of RLYB212 in pregnant women at higher risk for HPA-1a alloimmunization and FNAIT. Secondary objectives include assessments of pregnancy and neonatal/infant outcomes, and the occurrence of emergent HPA-1a alloimmunization. Subcutaneous administration of RLYB212 will be initiated by Gestational Week 16 and will continue every four weeks through parturition. The trial is designed to enroll participants in three stages: first with a sentinel pregnant woman, an initial cohort (Cohort 1) that will include three pregnant women, and a second cohort (Cohort 2) that will include four pregnant women, for a total target enrollment of eight participants. We enrolled the sentinel woman in February 2025 and expect to report PK and safety data from the second trimester in the second quarter of 2025 and PK and safety data at the time of delivery in the third quarter of 2025. A data review for participants and infants is planned prior to the initiation of each cohort and continuation of the trial will be subject to evaluation of the results from each stage of the trial. The trial will seek to enroll participants at sites across Europe. An overview of the Phase 2 clinical trial design is illustrated below.
Phase 2 Dose Confirmation Trial of RLYB212 in Pregnant Women
Both the U.S. FDA and the EMA have designated RLYB212 as an orphan drug. Orphan drug designations offer certain incentives including tax credits, marketing exclusivity upon any approval, fee waivers, and the ability to interact with both agencies to receive specialized regulatory advice and assistance.
Prospective FNAIT Natural History Alloimmunization Study
We have an ongoing prospective, non-interventional, multinational natural history study. This study is designed to screen expectant mothers presenting at gestational week 10 to 14 prenatal visit to determine the frequency of women at higher FNAIT risk among expectant mothers of different racial and ethnic characteristics, as well as the frequency of HPA-1a alloimmunization and pregnancy outcomes among these women. An additional objective of the FNAIT natural history study is to operationalize de novo the laboratory screening test paradigm for FNAIT risk and generate FNAIT laboratory test performance data for future regulatory discussions. We recently transitioned screening activities from the natural history study to the Phase 2 clinical trial where sites will continue to collect natural history data in women who do not receive RLYB212. We expect that natural history data from both the natural history study and the Phase 2 clinical trial will contribute historical control data to support a planned single-arm Phase 3 registrational clinical trial of RLYB212.
9
Table of Contents
RLYB116 for the treatment of disorders due to complement dysregulation
RLYB116 is an inhibitor of complement component C5, a component of the complement pathway which plays a central role in innate immunity as well as shaping adaptive immune response. Dysregulation of the complement pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a growing number of diseases, making it an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. Antibody inhibitors of C5 have been successfully developed to treat diseases caused by immune dysfunction, including PNH, aHUS, refractory gMG and relapsing NMOSD. RLYB116 includes an Affibody molecule, which is an antibody mimetic protein that has a much smaller molecular weight than a traditional antibody and may also be easier and less costly to produce. In contrast to most C5-targeted antibody therapeutics that are administered intravenously or via daily injection, RLYB116 has the potential to be administered as a small volume, once-weekly SC injection. RLYB116 also includes an ABD, which may extend the half-life of the Affibody domain. In addition, amino acid substitutions that are part of RLYB116 are intended to enhance its stability. We view RLYB116 as a potential pipeline-in-a-product with disease areas under consideration including PNH, gMG and APS. We believe RLYB116 can address significant unmet needs for patients with these diseases by providing a potential treatment that is more accessible and patient-friendly than existing marketed products, including by reducing the frequency and improving the route of administration.
Based on our team’s experience studying and developing therapies targeting the complement system, we believe there are five important attributes that could support clinical and commercial success in the treatment of a broad range of patients suffering from complement-mediated diseases. These include a mechanism of action targeting terminal complement, the ability to produce rapid, complete and sustained inhibition of C5, a safety profile consistent with C5 antibodies currently approved for therapeutic use, the ability to self-administer the drug less frequently (e.g. once per week) in an easy to use autoinjector, and pricing flexibility to treat a broad range of complement-mediated diseases. Based on the data generated to date and the manufacturing process enhancements completed in 2024, we believe RLYB116 has the potential to demonstrate these attributes, and if so, could have a life-transforming impact on patients.
The complement system
The complement system includes over 30 proteins in plasma and on cell surfaces that support the body’s adaptive or antibody-based immune system in the destruction of pathogenic bacteria. Complement proteins circulate in the blood in an inactive form prior to activation in response to infection. Activation occurs through a pathway of proteolytic cleavage events initiated by pathogen recognition and resulting in pathogen destruction. Three complement pathways that converge on C5 are known and are referred to as the classical, lectin and alternative pathways. In the classical pathway, antibodies bind to antigens, which in turn trigger a protease cascade that activates complement protein C3 and then complement protein C5. Activation of C5 convertase generates C5b which can initiate formation of membrane pores and subsequent lysis of cells. The binding of C5b to host cells is normally prevented by the presence of specific glycoproteins on the cell surface.
PNH disease background
PNH is a rare, potentially life-threatening hematologic disease characterized by complement-mediated destruction of red blood cells, or hemolysis. Early signs of PNH include hemoglobinuria, or dark colored urine, resulting from excretion of hemoglobin from lysed red blood cells, which is more prominent in the morning and decreases during the day. More serious symptoms of PNH include anemia, excessive weakness, fatigue, severe abdominal pain, severe headaches and recurrent infections. PNH leads to over a 60-fold increase in the risk of venous thromboembolism compared to the general population and these thrombotic events lead to between 40% and 67% of deaths in PNH patients. Approximately two thirds of patients with PNH develop chronic kidney disease ("CKD"), and kidney failure is the cause of death in 8% to 18% of patients with PNH. In the absence of disease-modifying treatment, PNH results in the death of approximately 35% of affected individuals within five years of diagnosis. The prevalence of PNH has been estimated to be approximately 12-13 people per million.
Current treatments for PNH and their limitations
The only curative treatment currently available for PNH is a stem cell transplant from a related donor. However, this procedure is associated with significant risk and is typically used only in those patients with severe disease, such as life-threatening thrombosis or dangerously low blood counts. Various supportive therapies include anticoagulants, red blood cell transfusions and supplements of iron and folate. These therapies provide some relief from symptoms but do not address the underlying cause of the disease.
There are currently four approved disease-modifying drugs for PNH. Although these drugs have meaningfully improved the lives of patients with PNH, they have limitations including sub-optimal delivery (three of the four
10
Table of Contents
are delivered intravenously or via SC infusion) and high cost that result in limitations on access to therapy. Despite these limitations, worldwide sales of these drugs exceeded $5 billion in 2022. We believe that a product that works through a similar mechanism but with weekly dosing and a low-volume, convenient route of administration and improved patient access has the opportunity to further transform PNH therapy for patients.
Potential benefits of our approach
We believe PNH represents an attractive development opportunity for RLYB116 for several reasons. First, PNH has a well-understood disease pathophysiology driven by complement, providing a sound biological rationale for a C5-targeted intervention. Second, PNH offers the opportunity for early clinical validation using objective endpoints, including impact on lactate dehydrogenase, a component of red blood cells that is increased in circulation as a result of hemolysis. And third – and most importantly – we believe that with a patient-friendly (small volume, once-per-week delivery using an autoinjector) and accessible therapy, RLYB116 could potentially provide transformative therapeutic impact for unserved and underserved patients with PNH globally.
gMG disease background
gMG is a potentially life-threatening, rare autoimmune neuromuscular disorder. Patients with gMG develop antibodies that attack critical signaling proteins at the junction between nerve and muscle cells, thereby inhibiting the ability of nerves to communicate properly with muscles. This inhibition leads to muscle weakness, which can occur in ocular muscles leading to droopy eyelids as well as blurred or double vision, and can occur in the muscles in the face, neck, throat and jaw, causing difficulty chewing and swallowing as well as respiratory problems, speech difficulties and weakness in skeletal muscles leading to problems in limb function. While symptoms can be transient and remit spontaneously in the early stages of the disease, as the disease progresses, symptom-free periods become less frequent and disease exacerbations can last for months. Up to 20% of gMG patients experience respiratory crisis at least once in their lives. During such a crisis, a decline in respiratory function can become life-threatening and require intubation and mechanical ventilation. According to a comprehensive epidemiological study of gMG in western Denmark from 1975-89, from the time of diagnosis, the overall survival rates at 3, 5, 10, and 20 years are estimated to be 85%, 81%, 69% and 63%, respectively. Patients with gMG suffer from poor quality of life due to the impact of their disease on physical function and the burden of treatment-related adverse events. The prevalence of gMG has been estimated to be at least 100 people per million.
Current treatments for gMG and their limitations
In the first-line setting, patients presenting with symptomatic gMG are commonly treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as pyridostigmine, to improve neuromuscular transmission. As the disease progresses, patients may receive immunosuppressive therapies off-label; unfortunately, these therapies are associated with a substantial treatment burden and can even lead to a worsening of the disease. Targeted, therapies approved for treatment of gMG include complement inhibitors (e.g., Soliris, Ultomiris, Zilbrysq) and FcRn inhibitors (e.g., Vyvgart, Rystiggo). These treatments have yielded substantial symptom improvements, though unmet need remains for treatments that are more patient-friendly. Rituximab is another treatment used off-label for gMG, though it is believed to have more benefit in patients with anti-muscle-specific tyrosine kinase ("MuSK") antibodies than those with anti-AChR antibodies.
For patients with severe gMG or recurrent exacerbation and crisis, there are a number of methods utilized to reduce circulating IgG antibodies. These procedures include plasma exchange and administration of IVIG. Both procedures are burdensome for patients and repeat administration is usually required to obtain significant reduction in symptoms. In addition, the large volumes of intravenous fluid associated with the administration of IVIG can lead to pulmonary edema and kidney complications.
Potential benefits of our approach
We are pursuing gMG as part of our initial development strategy for two reasons. First, complement overactivity is known to contribute to the disease pathophysiology of gMG, providing a sound biological rationale for a C5-targeted intervention. Second – and most importantly – our proprietary market research suggests that significant unmet need exists for more patient-friendly treatment options, which we believe could be addressed by RLYB116 as a once-weekly, small volume, self-administered SC therapeutic.
APS disease background
APS is a potentially life-threatening, rare autoimmune disorder in which an individual's immune system mistakenly creates antiphospholipid antibodies that can lead to the formation of blood clots. Blood clots can occur in the legs, lungs, brain, and other organs, such as the kidneys and spleen. The clots can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. During pregnancy, women with APS are also at increased risk of miscarriage. APS can occur on its own but can also occur secondary to other autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus.
11
Table of Contents
APS affects three to five times as many women as men and is most often diagnosed in people between the ages of 30 and 50. It is estimated that there are >130,000 people in the US and >120,000 in Europe who suffer from APS.
Current treatments for APS and their limitations
Currently, there is no cure for APS. However, medicines including blood thinners such as warfarin or heparin can help prevent health problems caused by the disease. The goals of treatment are to prevent blood clots from forming and to keep existing clots from increasing in size. However, direct oral anticoagulants are generally less effective in preventing recurrent thromboembolic events, most notably strokes.
Potential benefits of our approach
We are pursuing APS as part of our initial development strategy for two reasons. First, there is significant unmet need in patients with primary and secondary APS who continue to suffer from thrombotic events despite standard anticoagulation therapy. Second, we believe that RLYB116 has the potential to be an effective treatment for this patient population. Complement overactivity likely contributes to the disease pathophysiology, providing a sound biological rationale for a C5-targeted intervention, and case reports evaluating the use of C5 inhibitors in patients experiencing recurrent thrombotic events despite standard anticoagulation therapy have demonstrated clinical benefit. RLYB116 as a once-weekly, small volume, self-administered subcutaneous therapeutics could represent a safe, effective, and patient-friendly option for APS patients with an inadequate response to standard of care.
Our solution: RLYB116
RLYB116 is an engineered protein that includes an Affibody molecule and an ABD. We acquired rights to RLYB116 from Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Publ) ("Sobi"). RLYB116 was designed for optimal C5 binding, increased stability, as well as a long half-life in serum. Potential benefits of RLYB116 include:
• Subcutaneous administration . The low molecular weight allows for a higher concentration of active molecules than antibodies in an equivalent volume. This increases the probability of being able to deliver RLYB116 in a volume suitable for SC administration in a patient friendly format such as an autoinjector.
• Efficiency of manufacturing. RLYB116 is expressed in E coli, providing for a more streamlined and potentially lower cost manufacturing process compared to antibodies or other biologics expressed in mammalian cell culture, which typically require larger scale and longer manufacturing times.
• Less frequent dosing . Linkage of the Affibody domain to an ABD may lengthen the dosing interval of RLYB116 by extending the biological half-life and offer potential dosing benefits to patients.
• Potentially lower risk of treatment conversion . Due to 1:1 binding to C5, there is an expected lack of risk for drug-target-drug complex formation when switching from treatment with an antibody.
• Favorable stability. The Affibody platform provides the possibility of delivering highly stable and soluble therapeutic agents that allow for high-concentration low-volume products.
Affibody Scaffold and RLYB116 Structure
12
Table of Contents
Clinical development of RLYB116
We have completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy participants that included the study of RLYB116 as a SAD and a MAD. The SAD design was a single-blind, placebo-controlled, dose escalation trial investigating the safety, PK and PD of single dose RLYB116 in healthy participants. The SAD portion of the Phase 1 trial included five sequential ascending dose cohorts with doses ranging from 2mg up to 300mg, each enrolling eight subjects (six treated with RLYB116 and two with placebo) with a 10 week post-treatment / safety follow-up period. An overview of the clinical trial’s design is illustrated below.
Completed Phase 1 Clinical Trial of RLYB116 in Healthy Participants (Single Ascending Dose)
Data from the SAD portion of the trial showed consistent increases in exposure with increasing dose levels, low inter-subject variability, and a mean elimination half-life greater than 300 hours after a single SC, low volume injection. In the 100 mg dose group study participants that received RLYB116 (n=6) had a reduction in free C5 greater than 99% within 24 hours of dosing and RLYB116 was observed to be generally well-tolerated at this dose, with mild adverse events and no drug-related serious adverse events reported. Based on the data from the 100 mg dose and the volume of administration of the 300 mg dose, we elected to proceed with the 100 mg dose to initially evaluate multiple dose administration of RLYB116. Across the five single dose cohorts, adverse events were generally mild to moderate in severity with a dose-related increase in the frequency of gastrointestinal adverse events. There were no drug-related serious adverse events.
The MAD portion of the Phase 1 trial included an adaptive single-blind design with a 4-week treatment duration to evaluate the safety, tolerability, PK, and PD of RLYB116 with multiple dose SC administration. The MAD portion of the trial included four cohorts: Cohort 1 (weekly dosing of 100 mg), Cohort 2 (three doses of 100 mg the first week followed by weekly dosing), Cohort 3 (150 mg weekly dosing reduced to 125 mg weekly dosing) and Cohort 4 (75 mg twice the first week followed by 100 mg twice per week) with post-treatment / study follow-up for 10 weeks.
Completed Phase 1 Clinical Trial of RLYB116 in Healthy Participants (Multiple Ascending Dose)
In December 2023, we reported data from the MAD portion of the Phase 1 trial that demonstrated a 100 mg low volume (1 mL) once-weekly dose of subcutaneously administered RLYB116 achieved sustained mean reductions in free C5 of greater than 93%, including at day 29 with measurement prior to the last dose. The reduction in free C5 at 24 hours after the first dose of 100 mg was greater than 99%. In the MAD portion of the Phase 1 trial, RLYB116 also demonstrated low inter-subject variability and consistent increases in exposure relative to dose with a mean estimated elimination half-life for RLYB116 of >300 hours. RLYB116 administered as a 100 mg once-weekly dose was also observed to be generally well tolerated. Across the MAD portion of the trial, injection site reaction (ISR) was the most common adverse event (all mild in severity) and gastrointestinal
13
Table of Contents
adverse events increased with increasing dose. There was one case of severe liver function test ("LFT") elevation in Cohort 3 in a participant with a history of hepatitis that resulted in discontinuation of treatment. Finally, the measurement of anti-drug antibody ("ADA") formation in the study did not demonstrate an effect on PK or PD parameters and did not appear to be associated with an effect on the severity or incidence of adverse events.
Based on the results of the RLYB116 Phase 1 trial, we conducted a series of biomarker characterization analyses. These analyses indicate the RLYB116 assay used to measure free C5 in the Phase 1 trial overestimated the levels of free C5 by approximately ten-fold, indicating that RLYB116 produced greater complement inhibition than initially reported. We now believe that RLYB116 has the potential to be an effective treatment for patients with a variety of complement-mediated diseases, including PNH, gMG and APS. We also completed manufacturing process enhancements with a goal of further improving the tolerability of RLYB116. Based on the results of enhanced analytical techniques, including mass spectrometry, these process enhancements have successfully further purified the RLYB116 drug substance. As a result, we believe that RLYB116 will have a favorable tolerability profile at doses at and above those evaluated in the Phase 1 MAD trial. We plan to initiate a RLYB116 confirmatory clinical PK/PD trial in the second quarter of 2025 to demonstrate improved tolerability as well as complete and sustained complement inhibition. This single-blind MAD trial will evaluate a 4-week treatment duration that will include two cohorts of eight participants each. Our current plan is that Cohort 1 will evaluate weekly dosing of 150 mg and Cohort 2 will evaluate weekly dosing of 225 mg with 10 weeks of follow-up after the conclusion of treatment. The planned confirmatory trial is summarized below:
Planned Confirmatory Multiple Ascending Dose Phase 1 Clinical Trial of RLYB116 in Healthy Participants
Based on market research conducted to date, we believe that an effective, once-weekly, well-tolerated therapy that can be rapidly self-administered with an autoinjector would be an attractive alternative for patients suffering from gMG and other complement mediated diseases.
RLYB114 for the treatment of ophthalmic disorders
RLYB114 is a C5-targeted Affibody molecule conjugated to polyethylene glycol ("PEG"). The addition of PEG to protein therapeutics is a well-established method of extending the half-life and reducing the immunogenicity of molecules in the body. Given the role of the complement system in retinal and ocular pathology, we believe that RLYB114 could be used to treat ophthalmic diseases, including inflammatory and degenerative disorders.
Potential role of complement in ocular diseases
Dysregulation of the complement system may drive ocular inflammation and contribute to vision loss in multiple diseases such as age-related macular degeneration ("AMD"). A number of genetic studies have shown links between alterations in genes encoding various complement factors and the risk of development of AMD. Several clinical trials of inhibitors of the complement pathway including C5 inhibitors have been conducted, with reports of modest efficacy. Reasons for this limited efficacy are unknown but could include the disease stage, level of intervention in the complement pathway, drug delivery mechanism and the ability of the therapeutic to cross Bruch’s membrane and the retinal pigment epithelium.
Our research collaboration with EyePoint Pharmaceuticals to evaluate delivery of RLYB114 using EyePoint’s technology for sustained intraocular drug delivery ended in January 2025.
RLYB332 for the treatment of severe anemia with ineffective erythropoiesis and iron overload
In May 2022, we obtained worldwide exclusive rights to RLYB331, a preclinical antibody designed to inhibit MTP-2. The inhibition of MTP-2 significantly increases levels of hepcidin, decreases iron load and treats ineffective erythropoiesis. We believe this molecule has the potential to address a significant unmet need for
14
Table of Contents
patients with severe anemias with ineffective erythropoiesis and iron overload, including beta thalassemia and a subset of lower risk MDS. Currently these patients are underserved by the existing standard of care.
In 2024, we completed non-clinical studies that demonstrated favorable tolerability, dose-dependent PK, and sustained PD effects with RLYB332, a long-acting version of RLYB331. These findings, which were presented in a poster at the 66th annual meeting of ASH, support the continued development of RLYB332 as a potentially best-in-class therapeutic for treating diseases of iron overload. Given the potential value of this program, we are currently assessing the most effective way to move this program through preclinical development towards a potential investigational new drug ("IND") application filing.
AI drug discovery collaboration with Recursion
We established a partnership with Exscientia (acquired by Recursion), an AI and machine learning drug discovery company. Our partnership currently consists of a joint venture that is focused on the discovery and development of small molecules for the treatment of patients with rare metabolic diseases. We are targeting ENPP1, an enzyme involved in regulating extracellular levels of pyrophosphate, a natural inhibitor of calcium mineralization in bone formation, for the treatment of patients with HPP.
RE Ventures I, LLC : ENPP1 inhibitor program for the treatment of patients with HPP
We are developing an ENPP1 inhibitor for the treatment of patients with HPP, a rare, potentially life-threatening genetic disease characterized by mutations in the ALPL gene. These mutations lead to diminished activity of the tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase ("TNSALP") enzyme and the accumulation of PPi, which inhibits bone mineralization causing multiple skeletal pathologies. ENPP1 is a Type II transmembrane glycoprotein that cleaves ATP, producing PPi, and is a major source of PPi production in cells. We believe that controlling inhibition of ENPP1 may reduce PPi levels and restore balance within the bone mineralization process. In 2024, we identified and advanced REV102, an ENPP1 inhibitor for the treatment of patients with HPP. We also presented data at the ASBMR from an early lead ENPP1 inhibitor, REV101, in a mouse model of later-onset HPP demonstrating a 30% reduction in inorganic PPi, a key biomarker that is elevated in HPP and contributes to poor bone mineralization.
HPP disease overview
HPP is an inherited disorder that affects the development of bones and teeth. The most severe forms of the disorder tend to occur before birth and in early infancy. Infants afflicted with the disorder have short limbs, an abnormally shaped chest, soft skull bones, poor feeding, failure to gain weight, respiratory complications and high levels of calcium in the blood, or hypercalcemia, which can lead to life-threatening complications. In other cases, the disease is not recognized until later in childhood where it manifests as rickets, pain, decreased mobility, deficits of growth and fractures. Children with less severe HPP can experience early loss of primary teeth and may have short stature with bowed legs or knock knees, enlarged wrist and ankle joints and an abnormal skull shape. Findings in adults include a softening of the bones, known as osteomalacia, and recurrent fractures in the foot and thigh bones that can lead to chronic pain. The incidence of HPP has been reported to be 1 in 100,000 (United States and Canada) to 1 in 300,000 (EU) for severe disease and 1 in 6,370 (EU) for less severe forms.
The various manifestations of HPP are caused by the combination of a lack of phosphate and an excess of PPi due to a deficiency of TNSALP, the enzyme that converts PPi to phosphate. This deficiency negatively impacts bone formation by reducing the hydrolysis of PPi to phosphate required for normal bone formation, resulting in a build-up of PPi, a potent inhibitor of mineralization.
Strensiq, an enzyme replacement therapy marketed by AstraZeneca plc ("AstraZeneca"), is the only approved therapy to treat patients with perinatal-, infantile-and juvenile-onset HPP. The therapy has been shown to lead to significant improvements in morbidity and mortality in patients with perinatal- and infantile-onset HPP, and improvements in morbidity for patients with juvenile-onset HPP. However, Strensiq has limitations, including its dosing regimen and patient access. Strensiq is administered by SC injection either three or six times per week using a weight-based dosing scale, which can be both onerous and painful for patients.
Our solution: REV102, an ENPP1 small molecule inhibitor
REV102 is an orally available small molecule inhibitor of ENPP1 for the treatment of patients with HPP. We are developing REV102 to be a safe, tolerable, and accessible option for juvenile- and adult-onset HPP patients as either monotherapy or add-on therapy to ERT. We believe that REV102 has the potential to address a
15
Table of Contents
significant unmet need for patients and plan to conduct IND-enabling studies in 2025 to support the initiation of a Phase 1 trial in 2026.
Scientific Rational: ENPP1 Inhibition for the Treatment of Hypophosphatasia
Under normal conditions, the level of PPi and Pi is kept in balance by activity of TNSALP, ENPP1 and ANKH. In patients with HPP, the reduction of PPi hydrolysis by TNSALP results in a relative increase in PPi, leading to an inhibition of mineralization, and inhibited hydroxyapatite formation.
Through controlled inhibition of ENPP1, we aim to reduce PPi and improve mineralization, restoring hydroxyapatite formation.
AbCellera Collaboration
We entered into a strategic alliance with AbCellera to discover, develop, and commercialize novel antibody-based therapeutics for rare diseases. This multi-year, multi-target collaboration combines AbCellera’s antibody discovery engine with Rallybio’s clinical and commercial expertise in rare diseases to identify optimal clinical candidates with a goal of delivering therapies to patients. AbCellera and Rallybio intend to co-develop up to five rare disease therapeutic targets, which will be chosen together by both companies.
Competition
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are highly competitive and subject to significant and rapid technological change. There are many public and private biopharmaceutical companies, universities, government agencies and other research organizations actively engaged in the research and development of products that may be like our product candidates or address similar markets. In addition, the number of companies seeking to develop and commercialize products and therapies competing with our product candidates is likely to increase. However, we seek to build our portfolio with key differentiating attributes to provide a competitive advantage in the markets we target. The success of our product candidates, if approved, is likely to be a result of their efficacy, safety, convenience, price, the level of biosimilar or generic competition and/or the availability of reimbursement from government and other third-party payors.
FNAIT . There are currently no approved therapies for the prevention or treatment of FNAIT. In one frequently used approach to manage pregnancies where the mother is known to have a history of FNAIT, physicians administer high levels of IVIG. Companies that currently market IVIG include ADMA Biologics, Bio Products Laboratory, CSL Behring, Grifols, Kedrion Biopharma, Leadiant Biosciences, Octapharma and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. In another approach, to treat FNAIT (which is different than Rallybio's approach to prevent FNAIT), Johnson & Johnson is currently evaluating the effectiveness of nipocalimab (compared with placebo) to reduce the risk of FNAIT in women that have a history of at least one prior FNAIT-affected pregnancy.
16
Table of Contents
PNH . The only curative treatment currently available for PNH is a stem cell transplant from a related donor. However, this procedure is associated with significant risk and is used only in those patients with severe disease, such as life-threatening thrombosis or dangerously low blood counts. Various supportive therapies include anticoagulants, red blood cell transfusions and iron and folate supplements. These therapies provide some relief from symptoms but do not address the underlying cause of the disease. There are four approved drugs for PNH: eculizumab, marketed by AstraZeneca as Soliris; ravulizumab, marketed by AstraZeneca as Ultomiris; pegcetacoplan, marketed by Apellis Pharmaceuticals as Empaveli, and iptacopan, marketed by Novartis AG as Fabhalta. Eculizumab and ravulizumab are antibodies that bind complement C5; pegcetacoplan is a pegylated pentadecapeptide that targets complement C3; and iptacopan is a small molecule that inhibits complement factor B. There are several companies in mid- to late-stage clinical trials developing treatments for PNH. These include Roche, AstraZeneca, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. among others.
gMG . Very early-stage gMG is symptomatically treated by the use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as pyridostigmine bromide, marketed as Mestinon by Bausch Health. Eculizumab and ravulizumab are also approved for the treatment of gMG in patients who are positive for anti-AChR antibodies. Efgartigimod, marketed as Vyvgart by Argenx SE, is a neonatal Fc receptor blocker also approved for the treatment of patients with generalized MG who are positive for anti-AChR antibodies and Zilbrysq, a macrocyclic peptide marketed by UCB Pharma was approved for the treatment of AChR+ adult patients with gMG. Rozanolixizumab, marketed as Rystiggo by UCB, is a neonatal Fc receptor blocker approved for the treatment of gMG in adult patients who are AChR+ or anti-MuSK antibody positive. There are several other companies developing assets in mid- to late-stage clinical development for the treatment of gMG using a variety of approaches and modalities. These companies include AstraZeneca, Horizon Therapeutics (acquired by Amgen Inc.) and Immunovant, Inc.
HPP . There is one approved treatment for HPP, asfotase alfa, marketed by AstraZeneca as Strensiq, which is an alkaline phosphotase enzyme replacement therapy, and the only approved therapy for the treatment of perinatal-, infantile- and juvenile-onset HPP. AstraZeneca is developing a second generation enzyme replacement therapy, ALXN-1850 which is currently in clinical development, and Aruvant is developing ARU-2801, an AAV gene therapy currently in preclinical development. There are several companies pursuing ENPP1 small molecule inhibitors for the treatment of cancer, including Angarus Therapeutics, Avammune Therapeutics, Tcino Bioscience, Nanjing Zenshine Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. and Stingray Therapeutics, Inc. with all these companies in discovery or preclinical development. Alesta Therapeutics B.V. recently announced work on an ENPP1 small molecule inhibitor for the treatment of patients with HPP.
Many of our competitors may have significantly greater name recognition and financial, manufacturing, marketing, product development, technical, commercial infrastructure, and human resources than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostic industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. These competitors also compete with us in establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies.
Intellectual Property
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to obtain, maintain, defend, and enforce patent rights and other intellectual property rights that protect our business, preserve the confidentiality of our trade secrets, and operate without infringing the valid and enforceable intellectual property rights of others. In addition to our efforts to protect our product candidates and methods of using them, we also seek to secure or acquire patent rights regarding other products and methods that are important to the general development of commercial products. We utilize a multi-layered approach that includes acquiring intellectual property rights through purchase or exclusive license, filing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications directed to our own innovations, and developing and protecting proprietary know-how to maintain our competitive position.
Our ongoing efforts to secure patent rights that protect our business constitute a key component of our business strategy. We also strive to protect as trade secrets or confidential know-how, certain aspects of our programs and technological innovations that are commercially valuable but are not amenable to or appropriate for patent protection. We achieve this, in part, through the use of confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, scientific advisors, collaborators, licensors, and contractors, and by striving to maintain physical security of our premises and digital security of our electronic information and technology systems.
17
Table of Contents
Notwithstanding our commitment to protecting our intellectual property rights, we, like other pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, are subject to several sources of uncertainty that can affect those rights. For example, we cannot be certain that any patents that we currently own or in-license, or that we may own or in-license in the future, will not be challenged, held to be invalid and/or unenforceable, have the scope of their claims narrowed, or be circumvented by others. Nor can we be certain that such patents will successfully protect our products or our business from competition.
Similarly, with respect to patent applications that are currently pending, or that may be pending in the future, we cannot be certain that such patent applications will result in the issuance of granted patents, or of patent claims with the desired claim scope. In order to secure an issued patent, an invention claimed in a patent application must meet certain legal requirements for patentability, which differ between countries based on each country’s particular patent laws. In addition, because of the significant amount of time required for clinical development and regulatory review of product candidates, we cannot be certain that any of our product candidates will be commercialized while there is significant patent term remaining on patents relating to those products. The term of a patent depends upon the legal requirements for determination of patent term in the country in which that patent is granted. In most countries, including the United States, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest claimed filing date of a non-provisional patent application. In the United States, a patent’s term may, in certain cases, be lengthened by patent term adjustment ("PTA") which compensates a patentee for administrative delays by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") in examining and granting the patent. Likewise, a patent’s term may be shortened if it is terminally disclaimed over an earlier-expiring patent with a common owner or inventor.
The term of a U.S. patent relating to an approved drug product may also be extended to compensate the patentee for delays due to the regulatory approval process. Such a patent term extension ("PTE") cannot exceed five years, and cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval. Furthermore, the term can be extended for only one patent applicable to each regulatory review period and only those claims covering the approved product, or a method for using it or manufacturing it, may be extended. In the future, if any of our product candidates receive approval by the FDA we expect to apply for PTE on any issued patents covering those products, depending upon the length of the clinical studies for each product and other factors. There can be no assurance that we will benefit from any PTE or favorable adjustments to the terms of any patents we currently own or in-license or that we may own or in-license in the future.
In addition to and separate from patent exclusivity, the FDA may also grant marketing exclusivity of varying lengths in connection with the approval of a New Chemical Entity (5 years), Biologic (12 years), or Orphan Drug indication (7 years). Marketing exclusivity may also be granted for new clinical studies (3 years) and pediatric studies (6 months) on approved drugs. Depending on the length of the regulatory approval process and the ability to make use of the procedures for obtaining PTE, any FDA exclusivity period may in part or in whole overlap with any patent exclusivity to which we are entitled. We intend to pursue relevant marketing exclusivities in the US and in foreign countries in which any candidate product is approved. However, we cannot be certain that any such exclusivities will be granted or, if granted, will insulate our commercial product(s) from competition.
With respect to trade secrets, while we have confidence in the protective measures that we employ, such measures can be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. We also cannot be certain that any of our activities will not be subject to the intellectual property rights of others.
As of March 1, 2025, we owned two patent families that were acquired from Prophylix AS ("Prophylix") and relate to product candidates in our FNAIT prevention program, RLYB211 and RLYB212. The acquired patent family covering RLYB212 and its use in treating and preventing FNAIT includes patents issued or accepted in Australia, Canada, Europe, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States. A patent application in this family is pending in Brazil. The granted patents in this family will expire in 2035, excluding any PTA or PTE that may be awarded. The acquired patent family covering administration of RLYB211 for the prophylactic treatment of FNAIT includes patents issued in the United States, Europe and Canada. The foreign patents and one of the U.S. patents will expire at the end of 2026, while the other U.S. patent expires in November 2030 due to a PTA granted by the USPTO. We own three patent families directed to dosing and administration of RLYB212. Two of these families each include patent applications pending in Australia, Canada, Europe, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, and the United States. Patents issuing in these two families will have an expiration date of June 2042, excluding any PTA or PTE that may be awarded. The third family is a pending International (PCT) patent application. In addition, we filed and own a patent family directed to assays for quantifying anti-HPA1a
18
Table of Contents
antibodies, with patent applications pending in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. We also filed and own a pending International (PCT) application directed to the formulation of RLYB212. In addition, we exclusively in-license certain rights to technology from Versiti Blood Research Institute Foundation, Inc. pertaining to a mouse model of FNAIT.
As of March 1, 2025, we owned two patent families relating to the current product candidates in our complement program, RLYB114 and RLYB116, and certain aspects of their use that were acquired from Sobi. These two patent families currently include five granted U.S. patents and one pending U.S. patent application, with granted patents and/or pending patent applications in more than 25 additional countries worldwide. In the United States, Australia, Canada the European Patent Convention contracting states, and Japan, applications in both patent families have been granted and are scheduled to expire between 2033 and 2034, excluding any PTA or PTE. In addition, we filed and own a family of patent applications directed to dosing and administration of RLYB116 that consists of pending patent applications in Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, the United States and 22 additional countries. Patents issuing in this patent family will have an expiration date in November 2042, excluding any PTA or PTE that may be awarded. We also filed and own eight pending provisional patent applications directed to methods of treatment of various C5-related conditions by administration of RLYB116. We have also non-exclusively in-licensed certain patent rights relating to our current product candidates from Affibody, including patent rights relating to the Affibody molecule technology and Albumod albumin binding molecule technology.
As of March 1, 2025, we exclusively in-licensed from Kymab Limited certain patent rights to the current product candidate in our iron overload program, RLYB332, as well as back-up compounds. Under the exclusive license, we are managing prosecution of a patent family relating to RLYB332 and the back-up compounds. The patent family currently includes pending patent applications in the United States and in more than 20 other countries/regions, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Eurasia, Europe, India, Japan, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. In addition, we filed and own a pending International (PCT) patent application family directed to use of RLYB332 for treating pathologies of beta-thalassemia. Further, we have non-exclusively in-licensed from Kymab Limited certain patent rights relating to the development, manufacture, and use of RLYB332 and the back-up compounds.
License Agreements
Product License Agreement with Affibody AB
In March 2019, our subsidiary IPC Research, LLC ("IPC Research") and Sobi entered into a Contract Assignment Agreement pursuant to which Sobi assigned to, and IPC Research assumed, all obligations in a certain Product License Agreement ("PLA") as amended, between Sobi and Affibody AB ("Affibody"), dated March 9, 2012, as amended on January 1, 2018 and December 22, 2020.
Pursuant to the PLA, we obtained a license to the Affibody platform technology and a particular ABD, in order to further develop and commercialize certain Affibody ligands, which we are now developing as RLYB116 and RLYB114.
Under the PLA, Affibody grants us (1) a non-exclusive right under certain patents to use the Affibody ligands alone or as a fusion protein and (2) an exclusive right to use the Affibody ligands alone or as a fusion protein, in each case, for human therapeutic use. Affibody also grants us (a) a non-exclusive right under certain patents to use the ABD in combination with the Affibody ligands as a fusion protein and (b) an exclusive right to use the ABD solely in combination with the Affibody ligands as a fusion protein, in each case, for human therapeutic use. Affibody grants us a non-exclusive license under applicable know-how needed to practice the rights and licenses granted under the PLA. All licenses to us are sublicensable, provided that each sublicense is consistent with the terms and conditions of the PLA. Under the PLA, Affibody has an exclusive right under any product patents, which are a category of certain patents that we own, to use the specific Affibody ligands outside of human therapeutics and a non-exclusive right under know-how needed to practice the Affibody ligands outside of human therapeutics.
Under the PLA, Affibody is the exclusive owner of, and controls prosecution, maintenance, and defense of intellectual property covering, platform technology. We are the exclusive owner of, and control prosecution, maintenance, and defense of intellectual property covering, product technology. Affibody agrees to disclose to us any improvement to the Affibody technology that it deems commercially reasonable for us to practice and grants us an option to license any such improvement. We have the first right to enforce product patents against a third-party infringer and Affibody retains the first right to enforce any other licensed patent. We agree to not provide or make available any Affibody Ligand to a third-party on a standalone basis except for research purposes or to commercialize a licensed product.
19
Table of Contents
We agree to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize a licensed product. We also will pay Affibody certain regulatory milestones up to an aggregate amount of €7.5 million and (a) a mid-single-digit royalty on annual net sales of products if such products are covered by a valid claim of a product patent or a platform patent or (b) low-single-digit royalties on annual net sales of products that are not covered by any such valid claim. Our obligation to pay royalties expires on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis on the later of (a) the expiration of the last-to-expire valid claim of a patent covering a licensed product or (b) the 10th anniversary following first commercial sale of such product in such country.
The PLA will terminate when we are no longer obligated to pay royalties to Affibody. Either party may terminate the PLA upon material breach of the PLA by the other, subject to a cure period, or immediately in the case of the other party’s insolvency, bankruptcy or a similar event. Affibody may terminate the PLA immediately if we or any of our affiliates or third party transferees commences any proceeding challenging the validity of the licensed patents or any of Affibody’s other patents or challenging the confidentiality or substance of the licensed know-how or licensed technology. We may terminate the PLA for convenience upon 90 days prior written notice and upon payment of any amounts due to Affibody through the effective date of such termination.
If Affibody terminates the PLA or if we terminate the PLA for convenience, (a) all rights and licenses granted under the PLA will terminate, (b) at Affibody’s request, we must transfer all rights to the product technology free of charge to Affibody and (c) we must return or destroy all of Affibody’s confidential information. Furthermore, if we terminate for convenience, we must grant Affibody an exclusive, royalty free perpetual right to use all regulatory filings, approvals and data provided to regulatory authorities in support of such filings or approvals that relate to the licensed product. However, if we terminate the PLA as a result of Affibody’s material breach of the PLA or its insolvency or bankruptcy, we will retain our license and rights under the PLA, provided that we will remain bound by certain obligations under the PLA with respect milestone payments, royalties (subject to a reduction in rate, in the case of material breach), audits and indemnity.
Product License Agreement with Sanofi
In May 2022, through our subsidiary, Rallybio IPE, LLC ("Rallybio IPE"), we entered into a License Agreement with Kymab Limited ("Sanofi", and such agreement the "Sanofi License Agreement"). Under the Sanofi License Agreement, Sanofi provides Rallybio IPE with worldwide exclusive rights to Sanofi’s KY1066, which is now referred to as RLYB331. Under the terms of the Sanofi License Agreement, Rallybio has an exclusive license to certain Sanofi patents to develop, manufacture and commercialize RLYB331 and Rallybio agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize a licensed product in at least one indication in the field in each of several major markets, as described in the Sanofi License Agreement.
We paid Sanofi an upfront cash payment of $3.0 million. In addition, Rallybio has agreed to pay Sanofi up to an aggregate of $43.0 million in development and regulatory milestones and up to an aggregate of $150.0 million in commercial milestones for a product in its first indication, plus tiered low-to-mid double digit percentages of such milestone amounts for up to three additional indications, and mid to high single digit royalties on net sales.
The Sanofi License Agreement contains other customary license terms including sublicensing, development, regulatory, manufacturing, commercialization, milestones, royalties, intellectual property, and termination. The Sanofi License Agreement will expire on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis at the end of the applicable royalty term. Either party may terminate the Sanofi License Agreement upon material breach of the Sanofi License Agreement by the other, subject to a cure period. Rallybio may terminate the Sanofi License Agreement for convenience upon 90 days prior written notice to Sanofi. Sanofi may terminate the Sanofi License Agreement immediately in the case of Rallybio’s insolvency, bankruptcy or a similar event, or if Rallybio or its affiliates participates in any proceeding challenging the validity of the licensed patents.
If the Sanofi License Agreement is terminated in its entirety, among other things (a) all rights and licenses granted by Sanofi under the License Agreement (including any sublicenses) will terminate and (b) if Sanofi has an interest in developing, manufacturing and commercializing the licensed compounds or products, the parties to the Sanofi License Agreement shall negotiate an arrangement to provide Sanofi rights to the patents, know-how, materials and other properties controlled by Rallybio applicable to any of the licensed product.
20
Table of Contents
Asset Purchase Agreements
Asset Transfer Agreement with Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Publ)
In March 2019, through IPC Research, we entered into an agreement with Sobi, pursuant to which we acquired the right, title and interest in assets related to certain C5 inhibitor compounds. We are currently developing the assets acquired from Sobi as RLYB116 and RLYB114.
We paid Sobi an upfront purchase price of $5.0 million and we are obligated to pay Sobi an aggregate amount of up to $51.0 million upon achievement of certain development milestones and an aggregate amount of up to $65.0 million upon achievement of certain sales milestones.
We also will pay Sobi tiered, low single-digit royalties on annual net sales to third parties for products containing any compound transferred under the agreement as an active ingredient. Our obligation to pay royalties expires, on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis, on the later of (a) the 10th anniversary following first commercial sale of such product in such country and (b) the expiration date in such country of the last to expire of any issued patent included in the patent rights acquired from Sobi that includes at least one valid claim covering the sale of such product in such country.
We are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to research, develop and exploit at least one product that contains a compound transferred under the agreement as an active ingredient in each of the United States, European Union ("EU") and Japan.
If, prior to the commercial launch in the United States of the first product containing the compounds, we decide to divest our rights in the assets acquired from Sobi or to terminate all research, development and commercialization activities in respect of the acquired compounds, we must notify Sobi and negotiate in good faith with Sobi a possible business transaction relating to the assets. This right of negotiation will not apply to a transaction to sell all or substantially all of the assets of IPC Research or an affiliate of IPC Research, a pledge of the assets as collateral or a sale or transfer of the assets to an affiliate of IPC Research that agrees to be bound by the right of negotiation.
Asset Purchase Agreement with Prophylix
In June 2019, though our subsidiary Rallybio IPA, LLC ("Rallybio IPA"), we entered into an agreement with Prophylix to acquire all of Prophylix’s rights, title and interest in, to and under all assets, properties and rights related to Prophylix’s plasma-derived anti-HPA-1a immunoglobulin, and Prophylix’s monoclonal antibody, which we are developing as RLYB212.
We paid Prophylix an upfront purchase price of approximately $1.2 million and reimbursed Prophylix approximately $1.8 million for certain manufacturing costs incurred by Prophylix. We are obligated to pay Prophylix an aggregate of up to $ 19.0 million upon achievement of certain development milestones and an aggregate of up to $20.0 million upon achievement of certain sales milestones.
We also will pay Prophylix tiered, mid-single-digit royalties on annual net sales of products containing the monoclonal antibody and tiered mid-to-high-single and low-double-digit royalties on annual net sales of products containing plasma-derived anti-HPA-1a immunoglobulin, subject to certain offsets for royalties payable under certain third-party licenses. Furthermore, the then-applicable royalty rate will be reduced by a mid-double digit percentage for the remaining royalty term on a country-by-country basis if it becomes reasonably likely that the Prophylix patents may no longer be enforceable in such country due to a challenge of the enforceability of the patents or the enforceability of the royalty payments following the expiration of all valid claims of the patents in such country. Our obligation to pay royalties terminates on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis on the later of (a) the expiration of the last-to-expire valid claim of a Prophylix patent covering a product, (b) expiration of regulatory exclusivity for the product in such country or (c) the 10 th year anniversary following first commercial sale of such product in such country.
In the event the FDA grants a priority review voucher for one of our product candidates developed using the technology acquired from Prophylix, we will pay Prophylix either: (a) if we sell such priority review voucher to a third-party within 12 months of its receipt, a mid-double digit percentage of the proceeds we receive from the sale, net of taxes, or (b) if we do not sell the priority review voucher to a third-party within 12 months of receipt, a mid-double digit percentage of the fair market value of the priority review voucher as determined in accordance with the agreement.
We are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize products containing plasma-derived anti-HPA-1a immunoglobulin in the United States and in at least one major European market.
21
Table of Contents
The agreement provides that if we provide notice to Prophylix that we determined that commercialization of products containing plasma-derived anti-HPA-1a immunoglobulin is not feasible due to an insufficient plasma supply following our continued and diligent efforts to obtain a sufficient plasma supply, then our obligation to develop products containing plasma-derived anti-HPA-1a immunoglobulin will cease, and we will be obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize products containing the monoclonal antibody in the United States and in at least one major European market.
If, after using commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize products containing plasma-derived anti-HPA-1a immunoglobulin and the monoclonal antibody in the United States and in at least one major European market, we decide not to pursue any further development or commercialization activities for such products, then Prophylix will have the right to repurchase the remaining assets acquired under the agreement for approximately $1.2 million. Prophylix also will have the right to repurchase the remaining assets acquired under the agreement for approximately $1.2 million if we elect to transfer all or substantially all of the assets acquired under the agreement to a third-party who does not agree to assume our obligations to develop and commercialize the products.
Joint Venture Agreement
In July 2019, we entered into a partnership with Recursion (as successor in interest to Exscientia) and created RE Ventures I, LLC ("REV-I"), which is jointly owned by Recursion and one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, each a Member and collectively the Members. The joint venture was formed to initiate early-stage drug discovery of orally available small molecules targeting ENPP1 for the treatment of HPP, and thereafter for the future research, development, manufacture, sale and exploitation of any company-owned technology and compounds, including any resulting compound identified by the steering committee of the joint venture.
Under the REV-I operating agreement, we received a 50% interest in the joint venture in exchange for an initial contribution of £0.5 million ($0.6 million, based on the exchange rate at the time). REV-I used this initial capital to fund stage 1 of the ENPP1 program, and we committed to fund additional amounts if costs of stage 1 exceeded the initial funding. In June 2020, REV-I determined that the stage 1 objective of discovering compounds for ENPP1 with a certain potency had been achieved. In 2020, we contributed £ 1.1 million ($1.3 million, based on the exchange rate at the time) and in 2021, we contributed approximately £1.4 million ($2.0 million, based on the exchange rate at the time) to REV-I in support of ongoing Stage 2 development of the ENPP1 program. In 2022, we contributed £0.2 million ($0.3 million, based on the exchange rate at the time), in 2023, we contributed £1.8 million ($2.3 million, based on the exchange rate at the time) and in 2024 we contributed £1.6 million ($2.0 million, based on the exchange rate at the time) to REV-I in support of ongoing development of the ENPP1 program. The board of managers of REV-I may determine from time to time that additional capital is necessary or appropriate to enable REV-I to conduct its activities, and may seek (but not require) additional capital contributions from the Members.
In the event that either Member does not fund a portion of committed additional amounts, the other Member may contribute the unfunded amount and the respective membership interests in REV-I will be adjusted accordingly.
A steering committee is responsible for oversight of REV-I’s research and deployment plans as well as intellectual property and regulatory matters. A two-person board of managers manages the business and affairs of REV-I and is responsible for all management and other responsibilities not specifically reserved to the steering committee or to the Members. Each Member designates one member to the board.
Each Member is subject to customary restrictions on its transfer of interests in REV-I, including a right of first refusal, co-sale right and drag-along provision.
AbCellera Collaboration Agreement
In December 2022, the Company entered into a strategic alliance to discover, develop, and commercialize novel antibody-based therapeutics for rare diseases. This multi-year, multi-target collaboration will combine AbCellera’s antibody discovery engine with Rallybio’s clinical and commercial expertise in rare diseases to identify optimal clinical candidates and ultimately deliver therapies to patients.
Under the terms of the agreement, AbCellera and Rallybio will co-develop up to five rare disease therapeutic targets, which will be chosen together by both companies. The collaboration will allow Rallybio to add product candidates to its existing pipeline and also provides the option for AbCellera to conduct process development and clinical manufacturing activities.
22
Table of Contents
Collaboration Agreement with Johnson & Johnson
In April 2024, through Rallybio IPA, we entered into a collaboration agreement (the “J&J Collaboration Agreement”) with Johnson & Johnson, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“J&J”). Under the J&J Collaboration Agreement, the Company and J&J will advance therapeutic solutions for pregnant individuals at risk of FNAIT. The Company will share certain aggregated, anonymized data with J&J, collected from the Company’s FNAIT natural history study and the Company’s Phase 2 FNAIT clinical trial, where the Phase 2 data will be restricted to certain natural history data in support of the FNAIT natural history study. The Company also agreed to disseminate information to its FNAIT study sites related to J&J’s and its affiliates’ research and development of complementary therapeutic approaches aimed at reducing the risk of FNAIT.
Under the terms of the J&J Collaboration Agreement, J&J made an upfront payment of $0.5 million. The Company is also eligible to receive additional payments of up to an aggregate of $3.7 million, based upon certain triggers relating to the FNAIT studies and the Company’s activities under the agreement.
The J&J Collaboration Agreement expires in April 2026. The Company may terminate the agreement upon J&J’s material breach, the Company’s decision to discontinue an FNAIT study, or during a certain part of the term if the Company determines for any reason that termination of the agreement is in the best interests of the Company. J&J may terminate the agreement upon the Company’s material, uncured breach, upon the Company’s decision to discontinue an FNAIT study, documented failure of the Company to conduct its FNAIT studies in accordance with applicable law and J&J’s decision to discontinue its FNAIT studies.
Manufacturing and Supply
We do not own or operate, and currently have no plans to establish, any internal manufacturing facilities. We currently rely and expect to continue to rely on third-party contract manufacturer organizations ("CMOs") for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical and clinical testing, as well as for commercial production of any product candidates that are approved.
We currently rely on multiple CMOs for all of our preclinical and clinical supply requirements, including drug substances and drug products, and label and packaging for our preclinical research and clinical trials. We believe that we will be able to contract with other CMOs to manufacture drug substances if our existing sources of drug substances were no longer available to us or with sufficient capacity, but there is no assurance that the drug substance capacity would be available from other CMOs on acceptable terms, on the timeframe that our business would require, or at all. We do not currently have supply commitments or other arrangements in place with our existing CMOs.
We do not have any current contractual relationships for the manufacture of commercial supplies of any of our product candidates if they are approved by the regulatory authorities, and we intend to enter into agreements with a CMO and plans for one or more back-up manufacturers for the commercial production of our product candidates as they near phase 3 clinical trials.
Any products to be used in clinical trials and any approved product that we may commercialize will need to be manufactured in facilities, and by processes, that comply with the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practice ("cGMP") requirements and comparable requirements of the regulatory agencies of other jurisdictions in which we are seeking approval. We currently employ internal resources to manage our CMOs. We believe that RLYB212, RLYB116, REV102 and RLYB332 can be manufactured through reliable and reproducible biologic and chemical processes from readily available starting materials. We believe that our manufacturing processes are amenable to scale-up and will not require unusual or expensive equipment. We expect to continue to develop, on our own or with our collaborators, product candidates that can be produced cost-effectively at contract manufacturing facilities.
We expect to rely on third parties for the manufacture of any in vitro diagnostic device, companion diagnostics or companion drug delivery systems we develop. For example, we have engaged a third-party to assist in developing laboratory screening tests and in our evaluation of potential companion diagnostics in conjunction with our development of RLYB212. Depending on the regulatory pathway and technology solutions we choose, we may engage third parties to continue the development and manufacturing of any device developed to support our therapeutic products.
23
Table of Contents
Government Regulation
The research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, packaging, labeling, storage, record-keeping, distribution, import, export, promotion, advertising, marketing, sale, pricing and reimbursement of drug and biologic products are extensively regulated by governmental authorities in the United States and other countries. The processes for obtaining regulatory approvals in the United States and in foreign countries and jurisdictions, along with compliance with applicable statutes and regulations and other regulatory requirements, both pre-approval and post-approval, require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. The regulatory requirements applicable to drug and biological product development, approval and marketing are subject to change, and regulations and administrative guidance often are revised or reinterpreted by the agencies in ways that may have a significant impact on our business.
U.S. Government Regulation of Drug and Biological Products
In the United States, the FDA regulates human drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, (the "FDCA"), and in the case of biologics, also under the Public Health Service Act (the "PHSA"), and their implementing regulations. Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements may result in FDA refusal to approve pending New Drug Applications ("NDAs") or Biologics License Applications ("BLAs") or delays in development and may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions, such as issuance of warning letters, or the imposition of fines, civil penalties, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions and/or civil or criminal prosecution brought by the FDA and the U.S. Department of Justice or other governmental entities.
The FDA must approve our product candidates for therapeutic indications before they may be marketed in the United States. For drug products, the FDA must approve an NDA, and for biologic products, the FDA must approve a BLA. An applicant seeking approval to market and distribute a new drug or biologic in the United States generally must satisfactorily complete each of the following steps:
• completion of preclinical laboratory tests and animal studies according to Good Laboratory Practice ("GLP") regulations or other applicable regulations;
• manufacture and testing of the therapeutic or biologic moiety and its respective product formulation according to cGMP regulations or other applicable regulations;
• submission to the FDA of an IND application, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin ;
• approval by an independent institutional review board ("IRB") or ethics committee representing each clinical trial site before each clinical trial may be initiated;
• performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials in accordance with applicable IND regulations, good clinical practices ("GCPs") and other clinical-trial related regulations to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the investigational product for each proposed indication;
• preparation and submission to the FDA of an NDA or BLA requesting marketing approval for one or more proposed indications, including payment of application user fees;
• review of the NDA or BLA by an FDA advisory committee, where applicable;
• satisfactory completion of one or more FDA inspections of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the drug or biologic and its respective finished product is produced ;
• satisfactory completion of any FDA audits of clinical trial sites to assure compliance with GCPs and the integrity of the clinical data submitted in support of the NDA or BLA; and
• FDA review and approval of the NDA or BLA.
Preclinical Studies and IND
Before testing any drug or biological product candidate in humans, the product candidate must undergo rigorous preclinical testing. The preclinical development stage generally involves laboratory evaluations of drug chemistry/biology, formulation, and stability, as well as in vitro and animal studies to assess safety and in some cases to establish a rationale for therapeutic use. The conduct of preclinical studies is subject to federal regulations and requirements, including GLP regulations for safety and toxicology studies. The sponsor must submit the results of the preclinical studies, 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.
An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational product to humans and must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. An IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time, the FDA raises concerns or questions related to one or more proposed clinical trials and places the clinical trial on a clinical hold. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the
24
Table of Contents
FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. Certain long-term preclinical testing, such as animal tests of reproductive adverse events and carcinogenicity, may initiate or continue after an IND for an investigational product candidate is submitted to the FDA and human clinical trials have been initiated.
Human Clinical Trials in Support of an NDA or BLA
Clinical trials involve the administration of an investigational product candidate to healthy volunteers or patients with the disease to be treated under the supervision of qualified investigators. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing the objectives of the study, inclusion and exclusion criteria, dosing procedures and the parameters to be used in monitoring the safety and effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. Each protocol, as well as any subsequent amendments, must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND.
An IRB representing each institution that is participating in the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at that institution, and the IRB must thereafter conduct a continuing review of the trial. The IRB will consider, among other things, clinical trial design, patient informed consent, ethical factors and the safety of human subjects. The IRB must review and approve, among other things, the trial protocol and informed consent information to be provided to clinical trial subjects or their legal representatives and must operate in compliance with FDA regulations.
Clinical trials must also comply with extensive GCP standards intended to ensure protection of human subjects and the quality and integrity of the study data, including requirements for obtaining subjects’ informed consent. Additionally, some clinical trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee. This group may recommend continuation of the trial as planned, changes in trial conduct or cessation of the trial at designated checkpoints based on access to certain data from the study. The FDA may at any time while clinical trials are ongoing impose a partial or complete clinical hold based on concerns for patient safety and/or noncompliance with regulatory requirements. This order issued by the FDA would cause suspension of an ongoing trial until all outstanding concerns have been adequately addressed, and the FDA has notified the company that investigations may proceed.
Human clinical trials to evaluate therapeutic indications to support NDAs and BLAs for marketing approval are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
• Phase 1: The product candidate is initially introduced into human subjects, who are commonly healthy volunteers, and tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution, and excretion, and if possible, to gain early evidence for effectiveness.
• Phase 2: Clinical trials are conducted in a limited patient population with a specified disease or condition 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 and optimal dosage.
• Phase 3: Clinical trials are undertaken with an expanded patient population to further evaluate dosage, and to provide substantial evidence of clinical efficacy and safety in an expanded patient population, often at geographically dispersed clinical study sites. These studies are intended to establish the overall risk-benefit ratio of the product candidate and provide, if appropriate, an adequate basis for product labeling.
Post-approval trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, may be conducted after initial marketing approval. These trials are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication, to document a clinical benefit in the case of drugs or biologics approved under FDA’s accelerated approval regulations and to generate additional safety data regarding use of the product in a clinical setting. In certain instances, the FDA may mandate the performance of Phase 4 clinical trials as a condition of approval of an NDA or BLA. Failure to exhibit due diligence with regard to conducting Phase 4 clinical trials could result in withdrawal of approval for the product.
The FDA or the sponsor may suspend or terminate 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 clinical protocol, GCP or other IRB requirements or if the drug has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.
25
Table of Contents
During the development of a new drug or biological product, sponsors have the opportunity to meet with the FDA at certain points, including prior to submission of an IND, at the end of phase 2 and before submission of an NDA or BLA. These meetings can provide an opportunity for the sponsor to share information about the data gathered to date and for the FDA to provide advice on the next phase of development.
Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional non-clinical studies and must also develop additional information about the physical characteristics of the drug or biological product and finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other things, the manufacturer must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality, potency and purity of the final drug or biological product. For biological products in particular, the PHSA emphasizes the importance of manufacturing controls for products whose attributes cannot be precisely defined in order to help ensure safety, purity and potency.
Marketing Application Submission and FDA Review
Assuming successful completion of the required clinical testing, the results of the preclinical studies and clinical trials, along with information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacturing, controls ("CMC") and proposed labeling, are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA or BLA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. Data may come from company-sponsored clinical trials intended to test the safety and efficacy of a product’s use or from a number of alternative sources, including studies initiated by investigators. To support marketing approval, the data submitted must be sufficient in quality to establish the safety and efficacy of the investigational product to the satisfaction of the FDA. The fee required for the submission of an NDA or BLA under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act ("PDUFA") is substantial (for example, for fiscal year 2025 this application fee is approximately $4.3 million), and the sponsor of an approved NDA or BLA is also subject to an annual program fee, currently more than $403,000 per program. These fees are typically adjusted annually, but exemptions and waivers may be available under certain circumstances. No user fee is required for orphan drug product applications, except when an application also includes an indication for a non-rare disease or condition.
The FDA conducts a preliminary review of all NDAs and BLAs within 60 days of receipt and informs the sponsor by the 74th day after the FDA’s receipt of the submission whether an application is sufficiently complete to permit substantive review. The FDA may request additional information rather than accept an NDA or BLA for filing. In this event, the application must be resubmitted with the additional information.
After the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review of the application. Under the goals and policies agreed to by the FDA under PDUFA, the FDA has ten months from the filing date in which to complete its initial review of a standard application and respond to the applicant and six months from the filing date for an application with priority review. The review process may be extended by the FDA for three additional months to consider new information or in the case of a clarification provided by the applicant to address an outstanding deficiency identified by the FDA following the original submission. Despite these review goals, it is not uncommon for FDA review of an NDA or BLA to extend beyond the PDUFA goal date.
Before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA will typically conduct a pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facilities for the therapeutic/biologic to determine whether the manufacturing processes and facilities comply with cGMPs. The FDA will not approve the product unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities comply with cGMP requirements and are adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. The FDA also may inspect the sponsor and one or more clinical trial sites to assure compliance with GCP requirements and the integrity of the clinical data submitted to the FDA.
Additionally, the FDA may refer any NDA or BLA, including applications for novel product candidates which present difficult questions of safety or efficacy, to an advisory committee for review, evaluation and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. Typically, an advisory committee is a panel of independent experts, including clinicians and other scientific experts. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations when making final decisions on approval. The FDA also may require submission of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy ("REMS"), if it determines that a REMS is necessary to ensure that the benefits of the drug outweigh its risks and to assure the safe use of the drug or biological product. If the FDA concludes a REMS is needed, the sponsor of the NDA or BLA must submit a proposed REMS and the FDA will not approve the NDA or BLA without a REMS.
26
Table of Contents
Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act of 2003 ("PREA"), an NDA or BLA or certain supplements thereto must contain data that are adequate to assess the safety and effectiveness of the product 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, unless this requirement is waived, deferred or inapplicable. Sponsors must submit a pediatric study plan to FDA outlining the proposed pediatric study or studies they plan to conduct, including study objectives and design, any deferral or waiver requests and other information required by regulation. The FDA must then review the information submitted, consult with the sponsor and agree upon a final plan. In general, PREA requirements do not apply to drugs or biologics for indications granted orphan drug designation by the FDA.
The FDA reviews an NDA or BLA to determine, among other things, whether a product is safe and effective for its intended use and whether its manufacturing is cGMP-compliant to assure and preserve the product’s identity, strength, quality and purity. The approval process is lengthy and often difficult, and the FDA may refuse to approve an NDA or BLA if the applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied or may require additional clinical or other data and information. After evaluating the application and all related information, the FDA may issue either an approval letter or a Complete Response Letter ("CRL"). An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A CRL indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete, and the application will not be approved in its present form. A CRL generally outlines the deficiencies in the submission and may require substantial additional testing or information in order for the FDA to reconsider the application. If a CRL is issued, the applicant may either resubmit the NDA or BLA addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter or withdraw the application. If and when those deficiencies have been addressed to the FDA’s satisfaction in a resubmission of the NDA or BLA, the FDA will issue an approval letter.
If a product receives regulatory approval from the FDA, the approval is limited to the conditions of use (e.g., patient population, indication) described in the FDA-approved labeling. Further, depending on the specific risk(s) to be addressed, the FDA may require that contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling, require that post-approval trials, including Phase 4 clinical trials, be conducted to further assess a product’s safety after approval, require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the product after commercialization or impose other conditions, including distribution and use restrictions or other risk management mechanisms under a REMS which can materially affect the potential market and profitability of the product. The FDA may prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of post-marketing trials or surveillance programs. After approval, some types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, manufacturing changes and additional labeling claims, are subject to further testing requirements and FDA review and approval.
Regulation of Combination Products
Certain products may be comprised of components, such as drug or biologic components and device components that would normally be regulated under different types of regulations, and frequently by different centers at the FDA. These products are known as combination products. We expect to rely on a delivery system, such as pre-filled syringes, pen-injectors and/or autoinjectors to deliver certain of our product candidates. Although we have not yet selected the delivery system to use for administration of such product candidates, including RLYB116, we expect that, if approved, any such product candidate would be regulated as a combination product, because it is composed of both a drug or biological product and a delivery system “device.”
Under the FDCA and its implementing regulations, the FDA is charged with assigning a center with primary jurisdiction, or a lead center, for review of a combination product. The designation of a lead center generally eliminates the need to receive approvals from more than one FDA center for combination products, although the lead center may consult with other centers within the FDA. The determination of which center will be the lead center is based on the “primary mode of action” of the combination product. Thus, if the primary mode of action of a drug-device combination product is attributable to the drug product, the FDA center responsible for review of the drug product would have primary jurisdiction for the combination product.
A combination product involving a novel drug or biological product and delivery system generally would have a drug or biologic primary mode of action. A combination product with a drug or biologic primary mode of action would be reviewed and approved pursuant to the drug or biologic approval processes. In reviewing the NDA or BLA for such a product, however, the FDA review division reviewing the application could consult with their counterparts in the device center to ensure that the device component of the combination product met applicable requirements regarding safety, effectiveness, durability and performance. Approval may require the
27
Table of Contents
performance of certain clinical studies, such as clinical usability or human factors studies to demonstrate the safety and/or effectiveness of the device component of the combination product.
Similar considerations apply to regulation of drugs combined with delivery systems outside the United States, including in the EU.
Expedited Programs for Serious Conditions
The FDA is authorized to designate certain products for expedited development or review if they are intended to address an unmet medical need in the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition. These programs include fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation, priority review designation and accelerated approval.
To be eligible for a fast track designation, the FDA must determine, based on the request of a sponsor, that a product is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrates the potential to address an unmet medical need by providing a therapy where none exists or a therapy that may be potentially superior to existing therapy based on efficacy or safety factors. Fast track designation provides opportunities for earlier and more frequent interactions with the FDA review team to expedite development and review of the product. The FDA also may review sections of the NDA or BLA for a fast track product on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted if the sponsor and the FDA agree on a schedule for the submission of the application sections and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the NDA or BLA. Fast track designation may be rescinded by the FDA if the designation is no longer supported by data emerging from the clinical trial process.
In addition, a new drug or biological product may be eligible for Breakthrough Therapy designation if it is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs or biologics, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug or biologic may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. Breakthrough Therapy designation provides all the features of Fast Track designation in addition to intensive guidance on an efficient development program beginning as early as Phase 1 and FDA organizational commitment to expedited development, including involvement of senior managers and experienced review staff in a cross-disciplinary review, where appropriate. Breakthrough designation may be rescinded by the FDA if the designation is no longer supported.
The FDA may designate a product for priority review if it is a drug or biologic that treats a serious condition and, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness. The FDA determines at the time that the marketing application is submitted, on a case-by-case basis, whether the proposed drug or biologic qualifies for priority review. A priority review designation is intended to direct overall attention and resources to the evaluation of such applications and to shorten the FDA’s goal for taking action on a marketing application from ten months to six months for an original BLA or NDA from the date of filing.
Fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation and priority review do not change the standards for approval and may not ultimately expedite the development or approval process.
Finally, the FDA may grant accelerated approval to a product for a serious or life-threatening condition that provides meaningful therapeutic advantage to patients over existing treatments based upon a determination that the product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. The FDA may also grant accelerated approval for such a condition when the product has an effect on an intermediate clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality ("IMM") and that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on IMM or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. For drugs granted accelerated approval, FDA generally requires sponsors to conduct, in a diligent manner, additional post-approval confirmatory studies to verify and describe the product’s clinical benefit. Failure to conduct required post-approval studies with due diligence, failure to confirm a clinical benefit during the post-approval studies, or dissemination of false or misleading promotional materials would allow the FDA to withdraw the product approval on an expedited basis. All promotional materials for product candidates approved under accelerated approval are subject to prior review by the FDA unless FDA informs the applicant otherwise.
Post-approval Requirements
Following approval of a new product, the manufacturer and the approved product are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA, governing, among other things, monitoring and recordkeeping activities,
28
Table of Contents
reporting of adverse experiences with the product and product problems to the FDA, product sampling and distribution, manufacturing and promotion and advertising. Although physicians may prescribe legally available products for unapproved uses or patient populations (i.e., “off-label uses”), manufacturers may not market or promote such uses. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability.
If there are any modifications to the product, including changes in indications, labeling or manufacturing processes or facilities, the applicant may be required to submit and obtain FDA approval of a new NDA/BLA or an NDA/BLA supplement, which may require the applicant to develop additional data or conduct additional preclinical studies and clinical trials. The FDA may also place other conditions on approvals including the requirement for a REMS to assure the safe use of the product, which may require substantial commitment of resources post-approval to ensure compliance. A REMS could include medication guides, physician communication plans or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. Any of these limitations on approval or marketing could restrict the commercial promotion, distribution, prescription or dispensing of products. Product approvals may be withdrawn for non-compliance with regulatory standards or if problems occur following initial marketing.
FDA regulations require that drug and biological products be manufactured in specific approved facilities and in accordance with cGMP. The cGMP regulations include requirements relating to organization of personnel, buildings and facilities, equipment, control of components and drug product containers and closures, production and process controls, packaging and labeling controls, holding and distribution, laboratory controls, records and reports and returned or salvaged products. The manufacturing facilities for our product candidates must meet cGMP requirements and satisfy the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities’ satisfaction before any product is approved and our commercial products can be manufactured. In addition, for any of our product candidates that include a device delivery system, the device component will be subject to aspects of the Quality System Regulation ("QSR") applicable to medical devices. Manufacturers of drug-device combination products may either opt to comply with all quality regulations governing each component of the product separately, or may take a “streamlined approach” to cGMP that allows the manufacturer to demonstrate compliance with the drug cGMP along with compliance with several specific provisions from the device QSR—namely, management responsibility, design controls, purchasing controls, corrective and preventive action, installation, and servicing, as applicable.
We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the production of clinical and commercial quantities of our products in accordance with cGMP regulations. These manufacturers must comply with cGMP regulations, including requirements for quality control and quality assurance, the maintenance of records and documentation and the obligation to investigate and correct any deviations from cGMP. Manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved drugs or biologics 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 cGMP and other laws. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance.
Once an approval of a drug/biologic product is granted, the FDA may withdraw the approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in mandatory revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information, imposition of post-market clinical trials requirement to assess new safety risks or imposition of distribution or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:
• restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product, complete withdrawal of the product from the market or product recalls;
• safety alerts, Dear Healthcare Provider letters, press releases or other communications containing warnings or other safety information about a product;
• mandated modification of promotional materials and labeling and issuance of corrective information;
• fines, warning letters, untitled letters or other enforcement-related letters or clinical holds on post-approval clinical trials;
• refusal of the FDA to approve pending NDAs/BLAs or supplements to approved NDAs/BLAs, or suspension or revocation of product approvals;
29
Table of Contents
• product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of products;
• injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties; and
• consent decrees, corporate integrity agreements, debarment, or exclusion from federal health care programs; or mandated modification of promotional materials and labeling and the issuance of corrective information.
In addition, the distribution of prescription pharmaceutical products is subject to the Prescription Drug Marketing Act ("PDMA"), which regulates the distribution of drugs and drug samples at the federal level and sets minimum standards for the registration and regulation of drug distributors by the states. Additionally, the Drug Supply Chain Security Act ("DSCSA") imposes requirements related to identifying and tracing certain prescription drugs distributed in the United States, including most biological products.
U.S. Patent Term Restoration and Hatch-Waxman Marketing Exclusivity
Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of FDA approval for our product candidates, some of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, commonly referred to as the Hatch-Waxman Amendments. The Hatch Waxman Amendments permit restoration of the patent term up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during the FDA regulatory review process. Patent-term restoration, however, cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the product’s approval date, and only those claims covering such approved drug product, a method for using it or a method for manufacturing it may be extended. The patent-term restoration period is generally one-half the time between the effective date of an IND and the submission date of an NDA or BLA plus the time during which the applicant failed to exercise due diligence. Only one patent applicable to an approved drug is eligible for the extension, and the application for the extension must be submitted prior to the expiration of the patent. The USPTO, in consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration.
Regulatory exclusivity provisions under the FDCA also can delay the submission or the approval of certain applications. The FDCA provides a five-year period of non-patent marketing exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to gain approval of an NDA for a new chemical entity. During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not accept for review an abbreviated new drug application ("ANDA") or a 505(b)(2) NDA submitted by another company for another version of such drug. However, an application may be submitted after four years if it contains a certification of patent invalidity or non-infringement.
The FDCA also provides three years of exclusivity for an NDA, 505(b)(2) NDA or supplement to an existing NDA if new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability studies, that were conducted or sponsored by the applicant are deemed by the FDA to be essential to the approval of the application. This three-year exclusivity covers only the conditions of use associated with the new clinical investigations and does not prohibit the FDA from approving ANDAs for drugs containing the original active agent for other conditions of use. Three-year exclusivity will not delay the submission or approval of a full NDA. However, an applicant submitting a full NDA would be required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to all of the preclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.
In addition, both drugs and biologics can obtain pediatric exclusivity in the United States. Pediatric exclusivity, if granted, adds six months to existing exclusivity periods and patent terms. This six-month exclusivity, which runs from the end of other exclusivity protection or patent term, may be granted based on the voluntary completion of a pediatric study in accordance with an FDA-issued “Written Request” for such a study.
Biosimilars and Reference Product Exclusivity for Biological Products
In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted in the United States and included the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (the "BPCIA"). The BPCIA amended the PHSA to create an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA-licensed reference biological product. To date, the FDA has approved a number of biosimilars. The FDA approved the first interchangeable biosimilar product in 2021 and has since approved others. The FDA has also issued several guidance documents outlining its approach to reviewing and approving biosimilars and interchangeable biosimilars.
Under the BPCIA, a manufacturer may submit an application that is “biosimilar to” or “interchangeable with” a previously approved biological product or “reference product.” In order for the FDA to approve a biosimilar product, it must find that there are no clinically meaningful differences between the reference product and proposed biosimilar product in terms of safety, purity and potency. For the FDA to approve a biosimilar product
30
Table of Contents
as interchangeable with a reference product, the agency must find that the biosimilar product can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product and (for products administered multiple times) that the biologic and the reference biologic may be switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic. Upon licensure by the FDA, an interchangeable biosimilar may be substituted for the reference product without the intervention of the health care provider who prescribed the reference product.
The biosimilar applicant must demonstrate that the product is biosimilar based on data from analytical studies showing that the biosimilar product is highly similar to the reference product, data from animal studies (including toxicity) and data from one or more clinical studies to demonstrate safety, purity and potency in one or more appropriate conditions of use for which the reference product is approved. In addition, the applicant must show that the biosimilar and reference products have the same mechanism of action for the conditions of use on the label, route of administration, dosage and strength, and the production facility must meet standards designed to assure product safety, purity, and potency.
A reference biological product is granted 12 years of data exclusivity from the time of first licensure of the product, and the first approved interchangeable biologic product will be granted an exclusivity period of up to one year after it is first commercially marketed. The FDA will not accept an application for a biosimilar or interchangeable product based on the reference biological product until four years after the date of first licensure of the reference product.
The BPCIA is complex and only beginning to be interpreted and implemented by the FDA. In addition, recent government proposals have sought to reduce the 12-year reference product exclusivity period. Other aspects of the BPCIA, some of which may impact the BPCIA exclusivity provisions, have also been the subject of recent litigation. As a result, the ultimate impact, implementation and meaning of the BPCIA is subject to significant uncertainty.
Orphan Drug Designation and Exclusivity
Orphan drug designation in the United States is designed to encourage sponsors to develop products intended for the treatment of rare diseases or conditions. In the United States, a rare disease or condition is statutorily defined as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States or that affects more than 200,000 individuals in the United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making the product available for the disease or condition will be recovered from sales of the product in the United States.
Orphan drug designation qualifies a company for certain tax credits. In addition, if a product candidate that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for that drug for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same drug for the same indication for seven years following product approval unless the subsequent product candidate is demonstrated to be clinically superior. Absent a showing of clinical superiority, the FDA cannot approve the same product made by another manufacturer for the same indication during the market exclusivity period unless it has the consent of the sponsor or the sponsor is unable to provide sufficient quantities.
A sponsor may request orphan drug designation of a previously unapproved product or new orphan indication for an already marketed product. More than one sponsor may receive orphan drug designation for the same product for the same rare disease or condition, but each sponsor seeking orphan drug designation must file a complete orphan disease designation application. To qualify for orphan exclusivity, however, the drug must be clinically superior to the previously approved product that is the same drug for the same condition. If a product designated as an orphan drug ultimately receives marketing approval for an indication broader than what was designated in its orphan drug application, it may not be entitled to exclusivity.
RLYB212 has been granted orphan drug designation by the FDA for the prevention of FNAIT.
Rare Pediatric Disease Designation and Priority Review Vouchers
In 2012, Congress enacted the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act requiring the FDA to award priority review vouchers to sponsors of certain rare pediatric disease product applications. This program is designed to encourage development of new drug and biological products for prevention and treatment of “rare pediatric diseases” by, upon initial approval of an application meeting certain specified criteria, providing companies with a voucher that can be redeemed to receive a priority review of a subsequent marketing
31
Table of Contents
application for a different product. The sponsor of a rare pediatric disease drug product receiving a priority review voucher may sell or otherwise transfer the voucher to another company. The voucher may be further transferred any number of times before the voucher is used, as long as the sponsor making the transfer has not yet submitted an application relying on the priority review voucher. The FDA may also revoke any rare pediatric disease priority review voucher if the rare pediatric disease product for which the voucher was awarded is not marketed in the United States within one year following the date of approval.
In order to receive a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher upon BLA or NDA approval, the product must receive designation from the FDA as a drug for a rare pediatric disease prior to submission of the marketing application. A “rare pediatric disease” is a disease that is serious or life-threatening, in which the serious or life-threatening manifestations primarily affect individuals aged from birth to 18 years and affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States, or affects more than 200,000 people in the United States but there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the United States a drug for such disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the United States of such drug. In addition to receiving rare pediatric disease designation, in order to receive a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher, the NDA or BLA must be given priority review, rely on clinical data derived from studies examining a pediatric population and dosages of the drug intended for that population, not seek approval for a different adult indication in the original rare pediatric disease product application and be for a drug that does not include a previously approved active ingredient. In addition, under current statutory sunset provisions, even if a marketing application meets all of these requirements, FDA may only award a voucher prior to September 30, 2026 and only if the approved product received rare pediatric disease drug product designation prior to December 20, 2024.
RLYB211 and RLYB212 have each been granted rare pediatric disease designation by the FDA.
FDA Approval or Clearance of Companion Diagnostics
Under the FDCA, in vitro diagnostics, including companion diagnostics, are regulated as medical devices. In the United States, the FDCA and its implementing regulations, and other federal and state statutes and regulations govern, among other things, medical device design and development, preclinical and clinical testing, premarket clearance or approval, registration and listing, manufacturing, labeling, storage, advertising and promotion, sales and distribution, export and import, and post-market surveillance. Unless an exemption applies, diagnostic tests require marketing clearance via 510(k) notification or approval via Premarket Approval (“PMA”) application from the FDA prior to commercial distribution.
For novel drugs and biologics, a companion diagnostic device and its corresponding therapeutic must be approved or cleared contemporaneously by the FDA for the use indicated in the therapeutic product’s labeling.
The FDA previously has required in vitro companion diagnostics intended to select the patients who will respond to a product candidate to obtain PMA simultaneously with approval of the therapeutic product candidate. The PMA process, including the gathering of clinical and preclinical data and the submission to and review by the FDA, can take several years or longer. It involves a rigorous premarket review during which the applicant must prepare and provide the FDA with reasonable assurance of the device’s safety and effectiveness and information about the device and its components regarding, among other things, device design, manufacturing, and labeling. PMA applications are subject to an application fee, which for fiscal year 2025 is approximately $540,000.
A clinical trial is typically required for a PMA application and, in some cases, the FDA may require a clinical study in support of a 510(k) submission. A manufacturer that wishes to conduct a clinical study involving the device is subject to the FDA’s investigational device exemption ("IDE") regulation. The IDE regulations distinguish between significant and non-significant risk device studies and the procedures for obtaining approval to begin the study differ accordingly. Also, some types of studies are exempt from the IDE regulations. A significant risk device presents a potential for serious risk to the health, safety, or welfare of a subject. Significant risk devices are devices that are substantially important in diagnosing, curing, mitigating, or treating disease or in preventing impairment to human health. Studies of devices that pose a significant risk require both FDA and an IRB approval prior to initiation of a clinical study. Many companion diagnostics are considered significant risk devices due to their role in diagnosing a disease or condition. Non-significant risk devices are devices that do not pose a significant risk to the human subjects. A non-significant risk device study requires only IRB approval prior to initiation of a clinical study.
After a device is placed on the market, it remains subject to significant regulatory requirements. Medical devices may be marketed only for the uses and indications for which they are cleared or approved. Device
32
Table of Contents
manufacturers must also maintain establishment registration and device listings with the FDA. In addition, device manufacturers are subject to FDA’s medical device reporting regulations, which require that a manufacturer report certain adverse events and device malfunctions to the FDA, and FDA’s correction and removal reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA corrections or removals if undertaken to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the FDCA that may present a risk to health. A medical device manufacturer’s manufacturing processes and those of its suppliers are required to comply with the applicable portions of the QSR, which covers the methods and documentation of the design, testing, production, processes, controls, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, and shipping of medical devices. Device manufacturers are also subject to inspection by the FDA.
Regulation Outside of the United States
In addition to regulations in the United States, we will be subject to a variety of foreign regulations governing clinical trials and commercial sales and distribution of our products. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product candidate, we must obtain approval from the comparable regulatory authorities of foreign countries or economic areas, such as the EU, before we may commence clinical trials or market products in those countries or areas.
Until recently, the EMA and the European Commission ("EC") were responsible for approving new medicines for supply in Northern Ireland according to the Northern Ireland Protocol. From January 1, 2025, in accordance with the “Windsor Framework,” all new medicines for the UK market, including Northern Ireland, will be authorized by the MHRA and UK packaging must carry a clearly legible ‘UK only’ to be allowed onto the UK market. The International Recognition Procedure provides the framework for the MHRA to take into account assessments of medicinal products conducted by trusted regulatory authorities in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Singapore, Japan, the United States and the EU when assessing applications for marketing authorization.
With the exception of the EU EEA applying harmonized regulatory rules for medicinal products, the approval process and requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, and pricing and reimbursement vary greatly between countries and jurisdictions and can involve additional testing and additional administrative review periods. The time required to obtain approval in other countries and jurisdictions might differ from and be longer than that required to obtain FDA approval. Regulatory approval in one country or jurisdiction does not ensure regulatory approval in another, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country or jurisdiction may negatively impact the regulatory process in others.
European Union Drug Development, Review and Approval
In the EU, our product candidates will be subject to extensive regulatory requirements. As in the United States, medicinal products can be marketed only if a marketing authorization ("MA") is granted by a competent regulatory agency. Similar to the United States, the various phases of preclinical and clinical research in the EU are subject to significant regulatory controls.
In the EU, clinical trials are primarily regulated by Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 (the “CTR”).
The CTR requires sponsors to submit one clinical trial authorization (“CTA”) application via the Clinical Trials Information System, which will then be reviewed by the competent regulatory agency selected by the sponsor to lead the validation and evaluation of the application. If successful, the resulting CTA would cover all EU Member States concerned by the application. However, a concerned Member State may in limited circumstances declare an “opt-out” from an approval and prevent the clinical trial from being conducted in such Member State. In addition to a CTA, sponsors of clinical trials conducted in the EU must also obtain a positive opinion on the clinical trial from a research ethics committee in each Member State where the trial will be conducted.
Combination Products
Product candidates that incorporate a medical device for the administration of the medicinal product, and which are intended to be commercialized as a single integral product used exclusively in the given combination, will be regulated by Directive 2001/83/EC or Regulation (EC) 726/2004 as a medicinal product. However, the medical device component must satisfy the general safety and performance requirements under applicable EU law governing general medical devices. Proof of such must be included in an application for MA for the combination product. In particular, to the extent the device component has already been conformity assessed and a European Conformity (“CE”) mark affixed, the certificate of conformity issued by the Notified Body must be provided in the MA application dossier. Where the medical device component has not already been CE marked, the MA application dossier must include an opinion issued by a notified body on the conformity of the device
33
Table of Contents
component against the relevant general safety and performance requirements set out in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2017/745.
EU regulatory regime contemplates that MAs can be granted either centrally or nationally, albeit through mutual recognition or decentralized procedure.
Centralized Procedure
The centralized procedure is compulsory for: medicinal products produced by biotechnology; orphan medicinal products; advanced-therapy medicinal products such as gene-therapies; and medicinal products containing new active substances and which are indicated for the treatment of HIV, AIDS and immune dysfunctions, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, autoimmune and other immune dysfunctions, and viral diseases. The centralized procedure is optional for other medicines containing a new active substance, which constitute a significant therapeutic, scientific or technical innovation, or which are in the interest of public health in the EU. Under the centralized procedure, a single MA application is submitted to the EMA where it will be evaluated by its advisory committee, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (the “CHMP”). Under the centralized procedure, the maximum timeframe for the evaluation of a MA application by the EMA is 210 days, excluding clock stops. Clock-stops allow the applicant the necessary time to provide additional information in response to questions raised by the CHMP. The clock-stops considerably extend the time taken by the CHMP to complete the evaluation of a MA application. The EMA will then provide the EC with an opinion on whether the medicinal product should be approved. Ordinarily, within 67 days of receipt of a positive scientific opinion from the EMA, the EC will adopt single MA an implementing decision on granting a centralized marketing authorization. A centralized MA is valid for all EU member states and, by extension (after taking the corresponding national implementing measures), in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
National Procedure
The purely national procedure results in a MA in a single EU Member State. This route is available for products not falling within the mandatory scope of the centralized procedure.
Decentralized Procedure
The decentralized procedure allows national MA applications in respect of medicinal products not authorized in the EU/European Economic Area ("EEA") to be submitted simultaneously in multiple EU member states. This is in contrast to the mutual recognition procedure, which applies if the product has been authorized in at least one EU member state on a national basis, and the applicant seeks approval progressively of the same medicinal product in one or more EU member state(s). Both the decentralized and mutual recognition procedures provide for approval by one or more “concerned” member state(s) based on an assessment of an application performed by one “reference” member state. Under the decentralized procedure, an applicant submits an application, accompanied by a dossier, containing the requisite scientific data, and related materials to the reference member state and concerned member state(s). The reference member state prepares a draft assessment and drafts of the related materials within 120 days of the receipt of a valid application. Within 90 days of receiving the reference member state’s positive assessment report, each concerned member state must approve the assessment report and related materials, unless they identify a potential serious risk to public health.
Mutual Recognition Procedure
Under the mutual recognition procedure, the concerned member state(s) have a 90-day period to recognize the MA in the reference member state. The decentralized procedure contemplates a single clock-stop at day 105 for applicants to address questions raised by the reference member state and concerned member states, which may extend the process for completing the assessment procedure.
In either case, if there is a disagreement between member states during the assessment of the submitted data based on concerns about serious risks to public health, the Coordination Group for Mutual Recognition and Decentralized Procedures will consider the matter and seek to reach a conclusion within 60 days. If this is not possible, the reference member state can escalate the issue to the EMA for arbitration.
Conditional Marketing Authorization
In specific circumstances, Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 (as amended) enables applicants to obtain a conditional MA prior to obtaining the comprehensive clinical data required for an application for a full MA. Such conditional approvals may be granted for product candidates (including medicines designated as orphan medicinal products) if (1) the product candidate is intended for the treatment, prevention or medical diagnosis of seriously debilitating or life-threatening diseases; (2) the drug candidate is intended to meet unmet medical
34
Table of Contents
needs of patients; (3) a MA may be granted prior to submission of comprehensive clinical data provided that the benefit of the immediate availability on the market of the medicinal product concerned outweighs the risk inherent in the fact that additional data are still required; (4) the risk-benefit balance of the product candidate is positive, and (5) it is likely that the applicant will be in a position to provide the required comprehensive clinical trial data. A conditional MA requires specific obligations to be fulfilled by the MA holder, including obligations with respect to the completion of ongoing or new studies and with respect to the collection of pharmacovigilance data. Conditional MAs are valid for one year, and can be renewed annually, if the risk-benefit balance remains positive, and after a satisfactory assessment of benefit: risk balance and progress in fulfilling the specific obligations. The timelines for the centralized procedure described above also apply with respect to the review by the CHMP of applications for a conditional MA.
Pediatric Studies
In the EEA, companies developing a new medicinal product must agree upon a pediatric investigation plan (“PIP”), with the EMA’s Pediatric Committee (“PDCO”) and must conduct pediatric clinical trials in accordance with that PIP, unless a waiver applies. The PIP sets out the timing and measures proposed for the generation of data to support a pediatric indication of the drug for which a MA is being sought. The PDCO can grant a deferral of the obligation to implement some or all of the measures of the PIP until there are sufficient data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the product in adults or other age groups not covered by the agreed PIP. Further, the obligation to provide pediatric clinical trial data can be waived by the PDCO in circumstances where the medicinal product or the product class is likely to be ineffective or unsafe in part or all of the pediatric population; or the disease or condition occurs only in adult populations, or the specific medicinal product does not represent a significant therapeutic benefit over existing treatments in pediatric patients. Products that are granted a MA with the results of the pediatric clinical trials conducted in accordance with the PIP (even where such results are negative) are eligible for a six month extension to their supplementary protection certificate. In the case of orphan medicinal products, a two-year extension of the orphan market exclusivity may be available. This pediatric reward is subject to the condition that the results are provided in respect of all studies in compliance with the agreed PIP.
European Union Regulatory Data Exclusivity
In the EU, new products containing a new active substance (so called “reference medicinal products”) qualify for eight years of data exclusivity and an additional two years of marketing exclusivity upon grants of a MA. The data exclusivity period prevents generic or biosimilar applicants from relying on the preclinical and clinical trial data contained in the dossier of the reference medicinal product when applying for a generic or biosimilar MA in the EU. The marketing exclusivity period prevents a successful generic or biosimilar MA applicant from commercializing its product in the EU until ten years have elapsed from the initial authorization of the reference medicinal product in the EU. The ten-year market exclusivity period can be extended to a maximum of eleven years if, during the first eight years of those ten years, the MA holder obtains an authorization for one or more new therapeutic indications which, during the scientific evaluation prior to their authorization, are held to bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with existing therapies.
European Union Orphan Designation and Exclusivity
The criteria for designating an orphan medicinal product in the EU are similar in principle to those in the United States. Under Article 3 of Regulation (EC) 141/2000, a medicinal product may be designated as orphan if it is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life- threatening or chronically debilitating condition, which either (a) affects not more than five in 10,000 persons in the EU when the application is made, or (b) , without the benefits derived from orphan status, would not generate sufficient return in the EU to justify investment. In each case, there can exist no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of such condition authorized in the EU, or if such a method exists, the product will be of significant benefit to those affected by the condition. The term ‘significant benefit’ is defined in Regulation (EC) 847/2000 to mean a clinically relevant advantage or a major contribution to patient care.
Orphan medicinal products are upon grant of a MA, entitled to ten years of market exclusivity for the approved therapeutic indication. During this ten-year market exclusivity period, the EMA or the competent authorities of the Member States of the EEA, cannot accept an application for a MA for a similar medicinal product for the same indication. 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 application for orphan designation must be submitted before the application for MA. The applicant will receive a fee reduction for the MA application if the orphan designation has been granted, but not if the designation is still pending at the time the MA is submitted. Orphan designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process.
35
Table of Contents
The ten-year market exclusivity in the EU may be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is established that the product no longer meets the criteria for orphan designation, for example, if the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity. Additionally, MA may be granted to a similar product for the same indication at any time if:
• the second applicant can establish that its product, although similar, is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior;
• the applicant consents to a second orphan medicinal product application; or
• the applicant cannot supply enough of the orphan medicinal product.
An equivalent regime is reflected in domestic law in the UK. Under the UK regime, however, orphan designations are not granted and instead a decision is made at the point of marketing authorization grant.
RLYB212 has been granted orphan drug designation by the EMA for the prevention of FNAIT.
Priority Medicines Designation
Developers of innovative medicinal product can apply to the EMA for access to the Priority Medicines ("PRIME") program. A medicinal product will be accepted onto the PRIME scheme if the EMA determines that the available preliminary data demonstrate the medicinal product’s potential to address an unmet medical need and bring a major therapeutic advantage to patients. As part of the program, EMA provides early and enhanced dialogue and support to optimize the development of eligible medicines and speed up their evaluation, aiming to bring promising treatments to patients sooner. Rallybio anticipates that it will request PRIME designation for certain of our product candidates.
Periods of Authorization and Renewals
In general, an initial MA is valid for five years and may be renewed on the basis of a re-evaluation of the risk-benefit balance by the EMA or by the competent authority of the authorizing member state. To this end, the MA holder must provide the EMA or the competent authority with a consolidated version of the file in respect of the medicinal product’s quality, safety and efficacy, including all variations introduced since the MA was granted, at least nine months before the MA ceases to be valid. Once renewed, the MA is generally valid for an unlimited period, unless the European Commission or the competent authority decides, on justified grounds relating to pharmacovigilance, to proceed with one additional five-year renewal.
In accordance with the sunset clause, any authorization which is not followed by the actual placing of the drug on the EU market (in case of centralized procedure) or on the market of the authorizing member state (in the case of the national, decentralized and mutual recognition procedures) within three years after the MA is granted will cease to be valid.
Brexit and the Regulatory Framework in the United Kingdom
The UK formally left the EU on January 31, 2020, and after the expiry of the transition period on December 31, 2020, became a “third country” for the purposes of EU law. At present, the regulatory regime in the UK broadly aligns with EU regulations. However, it is possible that the regime may diverge in the future. It remains to be seen how Brexit will impact regulatory requirements for product candidates and products in the UK in the long-term.
The EU and the UK concluded a trade and cooperation agreement (“TCA”), which was applied provisionally from January 1, 2021 and entered into force on May 1, 2021. The TCA includes specific provisions concerning pharmaceuticals, which include the mutual recognition of the outcomes of GMP inspections and GMP documents. However, the TCA does not foresee wholesale mutual recognition of UK and EU pharmaceutical regulations.
Rest of the World Regulation
For other countries outside of the EU and the United States, such as countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America or Asia, the requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Additionally, the clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with current good clinical practice requirements and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki.
36
Table of Contents
If we fail to comply with applicable foreign regulatory requirements, we may be subject to, among other things, fines, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals, product recalls, seizure of products, operating restrictions, and criminal prosecution.
Coverage, Pricing and Reimbursement
Sales of any biopharmaceutical products, if and when approved by the FDA or analogous authorities outside the United States, will depend in significant part on the availability of third-party coverage and reimbursement for the products.
In the United States, third-party payors include government healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurers, managed care plans and other organizations. These third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the cost-effectiveness of medical products and services, including biopharmaceutical products. Significant uncertainty exists regarding coverage and reimbursement for newly approved healthcare products. Seeking coverage and reimbursement is time consuming and expensive. We may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of our products, which would be in addition to the studies required to obtain FDA regulatory approvals. Third-party payors may take into account clinical practice guidelines in determining coverage and there may be significant delays before our products are addressed by such guidelines and we cannot predict what position such guidelines would take with respect to our products if and when addressed. Coverage and reimbursement varies across third-party payors. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific products on an approved list, or formulary, which might not include all of the approved products for a particular indication, or utilize other mechanisms to manage utilization (such as requiring prior authorization for coverage for a product for use in a particular patient). Limits on coverage may impact demand for our products. Even if coverage is obtained, third-party reimbursement may not be adequate to allow us to sell our products on a competitive and profitable basis. As a result, we may not be able to maintain price levels high enough to realize an appropriate return on investment in product development.
In addition, in some foreign countries, the proposed pricing for a drug must be approved before it may be lawfully marketed. The requirements governing drug pricing vary widely from country to country. Some countries provide that drug 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 our product candidate to currently available therapies (so called health technology assessment ("HTA") in order to obtain reimbursement or pricing approval). For example, subject to the requirements set out in Directive 89/105/EEC relating to the transparency of measures regulating the pricing of medicinal products for human use and their inclusion in the scope of national health insurance systems, EU Member States have the legal competence to set national measures of an economic nature on the marketing of medicinal products in order to control public health expenditure on such products. Accordingly, EU Member States can restrict the range of medicinal products for which their national health insurance systems provide reimbursement and to control the prices of medicinal products for human use. An EU Member State may approve a specific price for the medicinal product, or it may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the medicinal product on the market. Other EU Member States allow companies to fix their own prices for drug products but monitor and control prescription volumes and issue guidance to physicians to limit prescriptions. There can be no assurance that any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for pharmaceutical products will allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements for any of our products. Historically, products launched in the EU do not follow price structures of the United States and generally tend to be significantly lower.
Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 on health technology assessment (the “HTA Regulation”) entered into force on January 11, 2022 and will apply from January 12, 2025. Given the increasing use of HTA to guide market access in EU member states, the HTA Regulation seeks to achieve three legislative objectives: to promote convergence in HTA tools, procedures and methodologies; to ensure efficient use of resources and strengthen the quality of HTA across the EU and to improve business predictability. From January 15, 2025, all new oncology medicines and advanced therapy medicinal products (i.e. gene and cell therapies and tissue engineered products) will be assessed at EU level through the Joint Clinical Assessment procedure (“JCA”), which forms part of an HTA and evaluates the relative clinical effectiveness of a new health technology against one or more other health technologies. Importantly, the outcomes of JCAs are not binding on national HTA bodies which may draw their own conclusions on the clinical added value of a new technology. From January 13, 2028, all new orphan medicinal products will be subject to JCA. From January 13, 2030, all new medicines will come under the scope of the HTA Regulation. The HTA Regulation established the Coordination Group on
37
Table of Contents
HTA (the “HTACG”) consisting of representatives of EU member states, mainly from HTA authorities or bodies. The HTACG’s remit is to coordinate and adopt the joint HTA work carried out by its subgroups within the scope of the HTA Regulation and to adopt methodological and procedural guidance documents for joint work, including JCAs.
The downward pressure on health care costs in general, particularly prescription drugs, has become intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. In addition, there can be considerable pressure by governments and other stakeholders on prices and reimbursement levels, including as part of cost containment measures. Political, economic, and regulatory developments may further complicate pricing negotiations, and pricing negotiations may continue after reimbursement has been obtained. Reference pricing used by various EU Member States and parallel import or distribution (arbitrage between low-priced and high-priced member states) can further reduce prices. Any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for drug products may not allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements.
Other U.S. Health Care Laws and Regulations
In the United States, biopharmaceutical manufacturers and their products are subject to extensive regulation at the federal and state level, such as laws intended to prevent fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry. These laws, some of which will apply only if and when we have an approved product, include:
• federal false claims, false statements and civil monetary penalties laws prohibiting, among other things, any person from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment of government funds or knowingly making, or causing to be made, a false statement to get a false claim paid;
• federal healthcare program anti-kickback law, which prohibits, among other things, persons from offering, soliciting, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce either the referral of an individual for, or the purchasing or ordering of, a good or service for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid;
• the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") which, in addition to privacy protections applicable to healthcare providers and other entities, prohibits executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or making false statements relating to healthcare matters;
• FDCA, which among other things, strictly regulates drug marketing, prohibits manufacturers from marketing such products prior to approval or for off-label use and regulates the distribution of samples;
• federal laws that require pharmaceutical manufacturers to calculate, report and certify certain complex product prices to the government or provide certain discounts or rebates to government authorities or private entities, often as a condition of reimbursement under government healthcare programs;
• federal Open Payments (or federal “sunshine” law), which requires pharmaceutical and medical device companies to monitor and report certain financial interactions with certain healthcare providers to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("CMS") for re-disclosure to the public, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members;
• federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm consumers;
• analogous state laws and regulations, including: state anti-kickback and false claims laws; state laws requiring pharmaceutical companies to comply with specific compliance standards, restrict financial interactions between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers or report information related to payments to health care providers, marketing expenditures or drug prices; state laws regulating the manufacture and distribution of biopharmaceutical products; and state laws governing privacy, security and breaches of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts; and
• laws and regulations prohibiting bribery and corruption, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the "FCPA") which, among other things, prohibits U.S. companies and their employees and agents from authorizing, promising, offering, or providing, directly or indirectly, corrupt or improper payments or anything else of value to foreign government officials, employees of public international organizations or foreign government-owned or affiliated entities, candidates for foreign public office, and foreign political parties or officials thereof.
38
Table of Contents
Ensuring compliance is time consuming and costly. Violations of the laws may be subject to criminal and/or civil sanctions, including, in some instances, exclusion from participation in federal and state health care programs, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Similar healthcare laws and regulations exist in the EU and other jurisdictions, including reporting requirements detailing interactions with and payments to healthcare providers and laws governing the privacy and security of personal information.
Health Care Reform in the United States and Potential Changes to Health Care Laws
Health care reform has been a significant trend in the U.S. health care industry and elsewhere. In particular, government authorities and other third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medical products and services. Health care reform, specifically reform addressing pricing and payment for drugs, has been an ongoing focus and is likely to continue under the Trump Administration. A number of healthcare reforms involving drugs have been successfully implemented, including reforms related to Medicare payment for drugs and manufacturer rebate obligations under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program.
There has been heightened governmental scrutiny in recent years over the manner in which manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for pharmaceutical and biologic products. At the state level, individual states are increasingly passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. These measures could reduce the ultimate demand for our products, once approved, or put pressure on our product pricing.
We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative or executive action, either in the United States or abroad. We expect that additional federal and state health care reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for health care products and services.
For a more detailed discussion of health care reform in the U.S., see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Healthcare Laws and Other Legal Compliance Matters.”
Data Privacy Regulation
U.S. Privacy Law
There are numerous U.S. federal and state laws and regulations related to the privacy and security of personal information, including laws requiring the safeguarding of personal information and laws requiring notification to governmental authorities and data subjects as well as remediation in the event of a data breach.
There have been several developments in recent years with respect to U.S. state data privacy laws. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended and supplemented by the California Privacy Rights Act (collectively, “CCPA”) imposed many requirements for the collection, processing, and sharing of personal information of California residents. The CCPA contains significant penalties for companies that violate its requirements and provides California residents a private right of action, including the ability to seek statutory damages, in the event of a breach involving their personal information. Similar omnibus privacy laws have been proposed or passed in more than half of the states in the United States and in the U.S. Congress, reflecting a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States. In addition, Washington state enacted the My Health, My Data Act, a health-focused consumer privacy law, which took effect in March 2024. This law imposes obligations related to the collection and sharing of certain health-related information that is not subject to HIPAA and that does not fall within certain other exceptions in the law. Other states have enacted, or are in the process of enacting, similar health-focused consumer privacy laws. Also of note, in June 2024, the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 took effect. This law prohibits data brokers from making available certain personally identifiable sensitive data of U.S. individuals to “foreign adversary” countries, such as the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”), and entities controlled by such countries. Additionally, in January 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice published a final rule implementing President Biden’s Executive Order 14117, “Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern.” This final rule prohibits certain data brokerage transactions and transactions involving certain bulk human ‘omic data, including human genomic data and
39
Table of Contents
biospecimens from which such data can be derived, with restricted persons and jurisdictions, such as the PRC. The final rule also places restrictions on certain vendor, employment and investment agreements with such jurisdictions. Most provisions of the final rule are scheduled to take effect in April 2025. These restrictions may affect our ability to engage in collaborations or license agreements with entities in restricted countries or with a nexus to such countries going forward. Compliance with evolving U.S. privacy and security laws, requirements and regulations may result in cost increases due to necessary systems changes, new limitations or constraints on our business models and the development of new administrative processes.
General Data Protection Regulation
Many countries outside of the United States maintain rigorous laws governing the privacy and security of personal information. For example, the collection, use, disclosure, transfer, or other processing of personal data, including personal health data, regarding individuals who are located in the EEA, and the processing of personal data that takes place in the EEA, is subject to the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), which became effective on May 25, 2018. The GDPR is wide-ranging in scope and imposes numerous requirements on companies that process personal data, and it imposes heightened requirements on companies that process health and other sensitive data, such as requiring in many situations that a company obtain the consent of the individuals to whom the sensitive personal data relate before processing such data and imposing strict rules regarding the transfer of personal data to countries outside the EEA, including the United States. The GDPR permits data protection authorities to impose large penalties for violations of the GDPR, including potential fines of up to €20 million, or 4% of annual global revenues, whichever is greater, and confers a private right of action on data subjects and consumer associations to lodge complaints with supervisory authorities, seek judicial remedies, and obtain compensation for damages resulting from violations of the GDPR. Following the withdrawal of the U.K. from the EU, the U.K. Data Protection Act 2018 applies to the processing of personal data that takes place in the U.K. and includes parallel obligations to those set forth by GDPR. These laws and similar privacy laws enacted by other countries may further increase our costs of compliance and expose us to greater legal risk.
Employees and Human Capital Resources
Our employees are driven by our mission to identify and accelerate the development of transformative therapies for patients with rare disorders. We believe that our deep commitment to high ethical and professional standards is fundamental to our mission, and we are determined to build a culture that empowers a skilled and experienced workforce to perform at the highest levels. We commit our resources and make investments, including through recruiting, training and collaboration, to promote the culture that we desire, and we expect our employees to embrace the Company’s values and culture in all that we do.
As of December 31, 2024, we employed 25 full-time employees. Of our full-time employees, 14 employees are engaged in new product sourcing through business development, research, manufacturing, product development and clinical development, and 11 are engaged in executive, finance, human resources, legal and other administrative functions. None of our employees are represented by a labor union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.
Corporate Information
Rallybio was founded in 2018. Rallybio Holdings, LLC ("Rallybio Holdings") was formed in Delaware in March 2018 and Rallybio IPD, LLC was formed in Delaware in May 2020. On June 30, 2021, Rallybio IPD, LLC was converted into a Delaware corporation and changed its name to Rallybio Corporation.
Our principal executive offices are located at 234 Church Street, Suite 1020, New Haven, CT 06510 and our telephone number is (203) 859-3820. Our corporate website address is https://www.rallybio.com. Information contained on or accessible through our website is not incorporated by reference into this report and you should not consider information contained on or accessible through our website to be part of this report.
Available Information
Our Internet address is https://www.rallybio.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and are not considered part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, including exhibits, proxy and information statements and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a), 14, and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act”) are available through the “Investors” portion of our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). In addition, our filings with the SEC may be accessed through the SEC’s
40
Table of Contents
Interactive Data Electronic Applications system at https://www.sec.gov. All statements made in any of our securities filings, including all forward-looking statements or information, are made as of the date of the document in which the statement is included, and we do not assume or undertake any obligation to update any of those statements or documents unless we are required to do so by law.