Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This section should be read in conjunction with our unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Part I, Item 1 of this report and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto and management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 9, 2020 and with the securities commissions in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario on March 9, 2020.
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Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Canadian securities laws. The words or phrases “would be,” “will allow,” “intends to,” “may,” “believe,” “plan,” “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “estimate,” “project,” or similar expressions, or the negative of such words or phrases, are intended to identify “forward-looking statements.” You should read these statements carefully because they discuss future expectations, contain projections of future results of operations or financial condition, or state other “forward-looking” information. These statements relate to our future plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and financial performance and the assumptions that underlie these statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to :
•
our ability to identify additional products or product candidates either from our internal research efforts or through acquiring or in-licensing other product candidates or technologies;
•
the initiation, timing, cost, progress and success of our research and development programs, pre-clinical studies, and clinical trials;
•
our ability to advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical trials;
•
our ability to recruit sufficient numbers of patients for our current and future clinical trials for orphan or more common indications;
•
the direct and indirect impact of COVID-19 on our business and operations, including supply chain, manufacturing, research and development costs, clinical trials and employees;
•
our ability to achieve profitability;
•
our ability to obtain funding for our operations, including research funding;
•
our ability to receive milestones, royalties and sublicensing fees under our collaborations, and the timing of such payments;
•
the timing and magnitude of potential milestone payments under our product acquisition and in-licensing agreements;
•
the implementation of our business model and strategic plans;
•
our ability to develop and commercialize product candidates for orphan and niche indications independently;
•
our ability to advance XEN007, XEN496 and potentially other future product candidates directly into Phase 2 or later stage clinical trials;
•
our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy;
•
our ability to identify drug targets;
•
our ability to protect our intellectual property and operate our business without infringing upon the intellectual property rights of others;
•
our expectations regarding federal, state and foreign regulatory requirements;
•
the therapeutic benefits, effectiveness and safety of our product candidates;
•
the accuracy of our estimates of the size and characteristics of the markets that may be addressed by our products and product candidates;
•
the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of any future products;
•
the timing of, and our and our collaborators’ ability to obtain and maintain, regulatory approvals for our product candidates;
•
our ability to maintain and establish collaborations;
•
our expectations regarding market risk, including interest rate changes and foreign currency fluctuations;
•
our belief in the sufficiency of our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities to meet our needs for at least the next 12 months;
•
our ability to engage and retain the employees required to grow our business;
•
our future financial performance and projected expenditures;
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•
developments relating to our competitors and our industry, including the success of competing therapies that are or become available; and
•
estimates of our expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing.
These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this report in Part II, Item 1A — “Risk Factors,” and elsewhere in this report. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. These statements, like all statements in this report, speak only as of their date, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise these statements in light of future developments, except as required by law. In this report, “we,” “our,” “us,” “Xenon,” and “the Company” refer to Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its subsidiary. Unless otherwise noted, all dollar amounts in this report are expressed in United States dollars.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and although we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted a thorough inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and you are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
Overview
We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with neurological disorders. We are advancing a novel product pipeline of neurology-focused therapies to address areas of high unmet medical need, with a focus on epilepsy .
Proprietary Programs
•
XEN1101 is a differentiated Kv7 potassium channel modulator being developed for the treatment of epilepsy and potentially other neurological disorders. Designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, a Phase 2b clinical trial (called the X-TOLE study) is ongoing to evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability of XEN1101 administered as adjunctive treatment in approximately 300 adult patients with focal epilepsy. The primary endpoint is the median percent change in monthly focal seizure frequency from baseline compared to treatment period of active versus placebo. We are in close collaboration with each of the XEN1101 clinical sites in North America and Europe, taking specific direction from their respective clinical guidelines as they relate to new patient screening and randomization in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are expanding the X-TOLE clinical trial to include new sites in both existing and new jurisdictions to support increased patient screening. Topline data is anticipated in the first half of 2021, dependent upon the impact of COVID-19 on patient enrollment rates. We also continue to explore the development of XEN1101 in other neurological indications.
•
XEN496, a Kv7 potassium channel modulator, is a proprietary pediatric formulation of the active ingredient ezogabine being developed for the treatment of epilepsy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has granted Fast Track designation for XEN496 for the treatment of seizures associated with KCNQ2 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, or KCNQ2-DEE, and Orphan Drug Designation, or ODD, for the treatment of KCNQ2-DEE. Published case reports where physicians have used ezogabine in infants and young children with KCNQ2-DEE suggest that ezogabine may be efficacious in this often hard-to-treat population. The FDA has indicated that it is acceptable to study XEN496 in pediatric patients (from one month to less than six years old) diagnosed with KCNQ2-DEE, and that a single, small pivotal trial may be considered adequate in order to demonstrate XEN496’s efficacy in pediatric patients with KCNQ2-DEE, provided the study shows evidence of a clinically meaningful benefit in patients with the intended indication. To support the planned Phase 3 clinical trial of XEN496 in patients with KCNQ2-DEE, we completed a pharmacokinetic, or PK, study testing our proprietary pediatric formulation (XEN496) in 24 healthy adult volunteers. The PK profile observed for XEN496 is comparable to historical PK data for immediate-release ezogabine tablets, with XEN496 showing similar absorption and elimination curves, which supports plans for Phase 3 development. The proposed trial design is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability of XEN496 in approximately 40 pediatric patients with KCNQ2-DEE. The primary endpoint is expected to be the median percent change in seizure frequency from baseline compared to treatment period of active versus placebo. We have filed the final clinical trial protocol with the FDA, and feedback is expected in the near-term. We anticipate initiating the XEN496 Phase 3 clinical trial in 2020.
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•
XEN007 (active ingredient flunarizine) is a CNS-acting calcium channel modulator that modulates Cav2.1 and T-type calcium channels. Other reported mechanisms include dopamine, histamine, and serotonin inhibition. A physician-led, Phase 2 proof-of-concept study is examining the potential clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability of XEN007 as an adjunctive treatment in pediatric patients diagnosed with treatment-resistant childhood absence epilepsy, or CAE. Due to the impact of COVID-19 on clinical trial enrollment rates and specifically due to the closure of our investigator site for a number of months in Canada , the topline results from this study are now expected in the first half of 2021. Depending on the final results, CAE may represent a potential orphan indication for future development of XEN007 .
Partnered Programs
•
We have an ongoing collaboration with Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., or Neurocrine Biosciences, to develop treatments for epilepsy. Neurocrine Biosciences has an exclusive license to XEN901, now known as NBI-921352, a clinical stage selective Nav1.6 sodium channel inhibitor with potential in SCN8A developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, or SCN8A-DEE, and other forms of epilepsy. Neurocrine Biosciences has indicated that it anticipates filing an Investigational New Drug, or IND, application with the FDA in the near-term in order to start a Phase 2 clinical trial in SCN8A-DEE patients in the second half of 2020. We are eligible to receive up to $25.0 million upon the FDA acceptance of an IND for NBI-921352, with 55% of the amount in the form of an equity investment by Neurocrine Biosciences in our common shares at a 15% premium to our 30-day trailing volume weighted average price at that time.
•
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc., or Flexion, acquired the global rights to develop and commercialize XEN402, a Nav1.7 inhibitor also known as funapide. Flexion’s pre-clinical FX301 consists of XEN402 formulated for extended release from a thermosensitive hydrogel. The initial development of FX301 is intended to support administration as a peripheral nerve block for control of post-operative pain. Flexion anticipates initiating human clinical trials in 2021 .
We have funded our operations through the sale of equity securities, funding received from our licensees and collaborators, debt financing and, to a lesser extent, government funding. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 we recognized revenue of $20.5 million in connection with our agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences. We did not recognize any revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2019 . We had a net loss of $7.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and an accumulated deficit of $257.3 million as of June 30, 2020, from expenses incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations.
We have not generated any significant royalty or other revenue from product sales, and do not otherwise anticipate generating revenue from product sales for the foreseeable future, if ever. We expect that our revenue in the near term will be substantially dependent on our collaboration agreements. Given the uncertain nature of clinical development of our current and future product candidates and the commercialization of current and future products, we cannot predict when or whether we will receive further milestone payments under our current or future collaboration agreements or whether we will be able to report either revenue or net income in future years.
We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for at least the next 12 to 24 months. We anticipate that our expenses will increase as we:
•
continue our research and pre-clinical and clinical development of our product candidates either from our internal research efforts or through acquiring or in-licensing other product candidates or technologies;
•
seek regulatory and marketing approvals for any of our product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;
•
make milestone and other payments under our in-license or other agreements;
•
maintain, protect and expand our intellectual property portfolio;
•
attract, hire and retain skilled personnel; and
•
create additional infrastructure to support our operations and otherwise.
Recent Developments
The board of directors previously approved, subject to shareholder approval, the Amended and Restated 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, or the Amended and Restated 2014 Plan, amending certain provisions of our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2014 Plan. At our 2020 annual meeting of shareholders held on June 1, 2020, our shareholders approved the Amended and Restated 2014 Plan which reserved an additional 4,000,000 of our common shares for issuance over the existing share reserve under the 2014 Plan. For additional information, see “Amended and Restated 2014 Equity Incentive Plan” below or refer to our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC and the Canadian Securities Commissions on June 3, 2020.
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Financial Operations Overview
Revenue
To date, our revenue has been primarily derived from collaboration and licensing agreements as well as, to a lesser extent, government funding. We have not generated any significant royalty revenue from product sales, and do not otherwise anticipate generating revenue from product sales for the foreseeable future, if ever.
The following table is a summary of revenue recognized from our current collaboration and licensing agreements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands):
Three Months Ended June 30,
Six Months Ended June 30,
2020
2019
2020
2019
Neurocrine Biosciences:
Recognition of the transaction price
$
11,916
$
—
$
17,760
$
—
Research and development services
1,468
—
2,702
—
Total collaboration revenue
$
13,384
$
—
$
20,462
$
—
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, we recognized revenue of $13.4 million and $20.5 million, respectively, in connection with our agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences. Pursuant to the terms of our license and collaboration agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences, we received an upfront cash payment of $30.0 million and a $20.0 million equity investment in our common shares. The equity investment was measured at fair value on the date of issuance and the resulting premium, together with the upfront cash payment, is the transaction price of the arrangement for allocation to the performance obligations. The allocation was based on the relative estimated standalone selling prices of each obligation under the agreement including: (i) an exclusive license to XEN901 (now known as NBI-921352) with associated technology and know-how transfer, (ii) an exclusive license to pre-clinical compounds for development, XEN393, XPC’535 and XPC’391, collectively referred to as the development track candidates, or the DTCs, with associated know-how transfer, and (iii) development services under the initial development program for the DTCs. In the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, we recognized $11.9 million and $17.8 million, respectively, of the transaction price allocated to performance obligations (i), (ii) and (iii). Performance obligations (i) and (ii) are being recognized over an eleven month period from December 2019 to October 2020 which is the expected period to complete the delivery of the licenses and transfer of the relevant technology and know-how. Performance obligation (iii) is being recognized over a thirteen month period from March 2020 to March 2021 which is the expected period to complete the development services. Research and development services are recognized into revenue at fair market value as the services are rendered.
As our other internal and partnered products are in various stages of clinical and pre-clinical development, we do not expect to generate any revenue from product sales for at least the next several years. We expect that any revenue for the next several years will be derived from milestone payments and research and development funding under our current collaboration agreements and any additional collaboration agreements that we may enter into in the future. We cannot provide any assurance as to the extent or timing of future milestone payments or royalty payments or that we will receive any future milestone or royalty payments at all .
We expect that any revenue we generate will fluctuate quarter to quarter as a function of the timing and amount of milestones and other payments from our existing collaborations and any future collaborations.
As of June 30, 2020, we have recorded $12.7 million of deferred revenue from the upfront payments received under our license and collaboration agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences .
Operating Expenses
The following table summarizes our operating expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands):
Three Months Ended June 30,
Six Months Ended June 30,
2020
2019
2020
2019
Research and development
$
10,720
$
8,205
$
22,511
$
17,342
General and administrative
3,310
2,307
6,630
4,928
Total operating expenses
$
14,030
$
10,512
$
29,141
$
22,270
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Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses represent costs incurred to conduct research and development of our proprietary product candidates, including any acquired or in-licensed product candidates or technology, and costs to support our partnered product candidates.
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred in performing research and development activities, including salary, related benefits and stock-based compensation for employees engaged in scientific research and development, third-party contract costs relating to research, formulation, process development and manufacturing, pre-clinical studies and clinical trial activities, third-party acquisition, license and collaboration fees, laboratory consumables and allocated facility-related and information technology costs.
Project-specific expenses reflect costs directly attributable to our clinical development candidates for which we have incurred significant expenses. All remaining research and development expenses are reflected in pre-clinical, discovery and other program expenses. At any given time, we have several active early-stage research and drug discovery programs. Our personnel and infrastructure are typically deployed over multiple projects and are not directly linked to any individual internal early-stage research or drug discovery program. Therefore, we do not maintain financial information for our internal early-stage research and internal drug discovery programs on a project-specific basis.
We expense all research and development costs as incurred. We expect that our research and development expenses will increase in the future as we advance our proprietary product candidates through clinical development, advance our internal drug discovery programs into pre-clinical development and continue our early-stage research. The increase in expense will likely include added personnel and third-party contracts related to research, formulation, process development and manufacturing, pre-clinical studies and clinical trial activities as well as third-party acquisition, license and collaboration fees and laboratory consumables.
Clinical development timelines, likelihood of regulatory approval and commercialization and associated costs are uncertain, difficult to estimate, and can vary significantly. We anticipate determining which research and development projects to pursue as well as the level of funding available for each project based on the scientific research and pre-clinical and clinical results of each product candidate and related regulatory action. We expect our research and development expenses to continue to represent our largest category of operating expenses for at least the next 12 to 24 months.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salary, related benefits and stock-based compensation of our executive, finance, legal, business development and administrative functions, travel expenses, allocated facility-related and information technology costs not otherwise included in research and development expenses, director compensation, director’s and officer’s insurance premiums, investor relations costs and professional fees for auditing, tax and legal services, including legal expenses for intellectual property protection.
We expect that general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we expand our operating activities to support increased research and development activities.
Other Income (Expense)
Interest Income. Interest income consists of income earned on our cash and investment balances. We anticipate that our interest income will continue to fluctuate depending on our cash and investment balances and interest rates.
Interest Expense. Interest expense consists of accrual of the final payment fee, amortization of debt discounts, and interest charged on our borrowings with Silicon Valley Bank which accrued interest at a floating per annum rate of 0.5% above the prime rate. In May 2020, we repaid the total outstanding term loan balance ahead of the maturity date.
Foreign Exchange Gain (Loss). Net foreign exchange gains and losses consist of gains and losses from the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations on our monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar (principally the Canadian dollar). We will continue to incur substantial expenses in Canadian dollars and will remain subject to risks associated with foreign currency fluctuations.
Loss on repayment of term loan. In May 2020, we repaid the total outstanding balance of our term loan with Silicon Valley Bank ahead of the maturity date. We recorded a one-time loss of $1.0 million on the repayment of the term loan, inclusive of repayment fees.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S., or U.S. GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the revenue and expenses incurred during the reported periods. We base estimates on our historical experience, known trends and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Critical accounting policies and significant judgments and estimates are those that we consider the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations because they require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Our critical accounting policies and significant estimates include those related to:
•
revenue recognition;
•
research and development costs; and
•
stock-based compensation
There have been no material changes in our critical accounting policies and significant judgements and estimates during the six months ended June 30, 2020, as compared to those disclosed in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations - Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates” included in our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and with the securities commissions in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, or the Canadian Securities Commissions, on March 9, 2020. We believe that the accounting policies discussed in the Annual Report are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgments and estimates.
Results of Operations
Comparison of Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 and 2019
The following table summarizes the results of our operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 together with changes in those items (in thousands):
Three Months Ended June 30,
Change
2020 vs. 2019
Six Months Ended June 30,
Change
2020 vs. 2019
2020
2019
Increase/(Decrease)
2020
2019
Increase/(Decrease)
Revenue
$
13,384
$
—
$
13,384
$
20,462
$
—
$
20,462
Research and development expenses
10,720
8,205
2,515
22,511
17,342
5,169
General and administrative expenses
3,310
2,307
1,003
6,630
4,928
1,702
Other:
Interest income
912
706
206
2,028
1,388
640
Interest expense
(154
)
(365
)
211
(484
)
(723
)
239
Foreign exchange gain
662
135
527
424
265
159
Loss on repayment of term loan
(988
)
—
(988
)
(988
)
—
(988
)
Loss before income taxes
$
(214
)
$
(10,036
)
$
9,822
$
(7,699
)
$
(21,340
)
$
13,641
Revenue
Revenue increased by $13.4 million and $20.5 million in the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. Revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 related to recognition of $11.9 million and $17.8 million of deferred revenue as well as $1.5 million and $2.7 million for research and development services under our license and collaboration agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences, respectively. No revenue was recognized in the comparative quarters.
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Research and Development Expenses
The following table summarizes research and development expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 together with changes in those items (in thousands):
Three Months Ended June 30,
Change
2020 vs. 2019
Six Months Ended June 30,
Change
2020 vs. 2019
2020
2019
Increase/(Decrease)
2020
2019
Increase/(Decrease)
XEN1101 expenses
$
5,304
$
3,585
$
1,719
10,545
7,228
3,317
XEN496 expenses
1,889
922
967
$
4,556
$
1,572
$
2,984
XEN901 expenses (now known as NBI-921352)
549
1,343
(794
)
1,263
4,085
(2,822
)
Pre-clinical, discovery and other program expenses
2,978
2,355
623
6,147
4,457
1,690
Total research and development expenses
$
10,720
$
8,205
$
2,515
$
22,511
$
17,342
$
5,169
Research and development expenses increased by $2.5 million and $5.2 million in the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, the increases were primarily attributable to increased spending on our clinical development product candidates XEN496 and XEN1101, and, to a lesser extent, increased spending on our pre-clinical, discovery and other internal program expenses. This was partially offset by decreased spending on XEN901 (now known as NBI-921352) as clinical developments costs associated with the development of product candidates under the Neurocrine Biosciences collaboration including NBI-921352 are borne by Neurocrine Biosciences . Certain costs related to NBI-921352 development activities have been incurred by Xenon in the period; Neurocrine Biosciences reimburses Xenon for development services incurred by Xenon at fair market value with the exception of certain near-term manufacturing costs which continue to be borne by Xenon under the terms of the collaboration agreement.
General and Administrative Expenses
The following table summarizes general and administrative expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 together with changes in those items (in thousands):
Three Months Ended June 30,
Change
2020 vs. 2019
Six Months Ended June 30,
Change
2020 vs. 2019
2020
2019
Increase/(Decrease)
2020
2019
Increase/(Decrease)
General and administrative expenses
$
3,310
$
2,307
$
1,003
$
6,630
$
4,928
$
1,702
General and administrative expenses increased by $1.0 million and $1.7 million in the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, the increases were primarily attributable to increased stock-based compensation expense due to an increase in the number of options granted at a higher fair value, salaries and benefits due to increased headcount, and higher insurance premiums as compared to the same periods in 2019. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in legal fees due to timing of intellectual property protection activities as compared to the same periods in 2019.
Other Income
The following table summarizes our other income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 together with changes in those items (in thousands):
Three Months Ended June 30,
Change
2020 vs. 2019
Six Months Ended June 30,
Change
2020 vs. 2019
2020
2019
Increase/(Decrease)
2020
2019
Increase/(Decrease)
Other income
$
432
$
476
$
(44
)
$
980
$
930
$
50
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Other income decreased by $0.04 million and increased by $0.1 million in the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the three and six months ended June 30, 2019. For the three months ended June 30, 2020, the decrease in other income was primarily driven by a one-time loss on the repayment of our term loan with Silicon Valley Bank of $1.0 million, partially offset by an increase in foreign exchange gains. We recorded a foreign exchange gain of $0.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to a $0.1 million for the same period in 2019, largely due to an increase in cash and cash equivalent and marketable securities denominated in Canadian dollars and 4% increase as compared to a 2% increase in the value of the Canadian dollar, respectively.
For the six months ended June 30, 2020, the increase in other income was primarily driven by an increase in interest income earned on our marketable securities, partially offset by a one-time loss on the repayment of our term loan with Silicon Valley Bank of $1.0 million. We recorded an increase of $0.6 million in interest income as a result in an increase in our average cash and investment balances for the six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through funding received from collaboration and license agreements, private placements of our common and preferred shares, public offerings of our common shares, debt financing and, to a lesser extent, government funding. As of June 30, 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $202.8 million.
We have incurred significant operating losses since inception. We had a $7.7 million net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and an accumulated deficit of $257.3 million from inception through June 30, 2020. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses in excess of our revenue and expect to incur operating losses over the next several years. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future as we continue our research and pre-clinical and clinical development of our product candidates; expand the scope of our current studies for our product candidates; initiate additional pre-clinical, clinical or other studies for our product candidates, including under our collaboration agreements; change or add manufacturers or suppliers and manufacture drug supply and drug products for clinical trials and commercialization; seek regulatory and marketing approvals for any of our product candidates that successfully complete clinical studies; seek to identify, evaluate and validate additional product candidates; acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies; make milestone or other payments under our product acquisition and in-license agreements, including, without limitation, payments to the Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1st Order Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and other third parties; maintain, protect and expand our intellectual property portfolio; attract and retain skilled personnel; establish a sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any products for which we or one of our collaborators may obtain marketing approval, and maintain commercial rights; create additional infrastructure to support our operations and our product development and planned future commercialization efforts; and experience any delays or encounter issues with any of the above.
Until such time as we can generate substantial product revenue, if ever, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of collaboration agreements and equity or debt financings. For example, in August 2020, we entered into an at-the-market equity offering sales agreement with Jefferies LLC, or Jefferies, and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, or Stifel, to sell our common shares having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $100.0 million, from time to time, through an “at-the-market” equity offering program under which Jefferies and Stifel will act as sales agents. In addition, we entered into an underwriting agreement with Jefferies, Stifel, and Guggenheim Securities, LLC, relating to an underwritten public offering of 3,750,000 common shares at a public offering price of $16.00 per common share, and granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days to purchase up to an additional 562,500 common shares. The public offering was completed in January 2020 and the underwriters’ option was exercised in full in February 2020. We issued an aggregate of 4,312,500 common shares and raised total net proceeds of $64.9 million, net of underwriting discounts and commissions, but before offering expenses. In December 2019, pursuant to the terms of our license and collaboration agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences, we received an upfront cash payment of $30.0 million and we issued 1,408,847 common shares to Neurocrine Biosciences for an aggregate purchase price of $20.0 million. Further, in November 2019, we entered into an at-the-market equity offering sales agreement with Jefferies and Stifel, to sell our common shares having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $50.0 million, from time to time, through an “at-the-market” equity offering program under which Jefferies and Stifel acted as sales agent. As of January 14, 2020, we had sold an aggregate of 3,252,330 common shares for net proceeds of $48.8 million, net of commissions paid, but excluding estimated transaction expenses. During the year ended December 31, 2018, we also entered into an amended and restated loan and security agreement with Silicon Valley Bank, or the Bank, providing for a term loan to us with an aggregate principal amount of $15.5 million. In May 2020, we repaid the total outstanding term loan balance ahead of the maturity date, pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated loan and security agreement.
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Except for any obligations of our collaborators to make milestone payments a nd research and development funding under our agreements with them , we do not have any committed external sources of capital. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the future sale of equity or debt, the ownership interest of our shareholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our existing shareholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration agreements in the future, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
Our future capital requirements are difficult to forecast and will depend on many factors, including:
•
the number and characteristics of the future product candidates we pursue either from our internal research efforts or through acquiring or in-licensing other product candidates or technologies;
•
the scope, progress, results and costs of independently researching and developing any of our future product candidates, including conducting pre-clinical research and clinical trials;
•
whether our existing collaborations continue to generate substantial milestone payments and, ultimately, royalties on future approved products for us;
•
the timing of, and the costs involved in, obtaining regulatory approvals for any future product candidates we develop independently;
•
the timing and magnitude of potential milestone payments and royalties under our product acquisition and in-license agreements;
•
the cost of commercializing any future products we develop independently that are approved for sale;
•
the cost of manufacturing our future product candidates and products, if any;
•
our ability to maintain existing collaborations and to establish new collaborations, licensing or other arrangements and the financial terms of such arrangements;
•
the costs of preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending and enforcing patents, including litigation costs and the outcome of such litigation; and
•
the timing, receipt and amount of sales of, or royalties on our future products, if any.
Based on our research and development plans and our timing expectations related to the progress of our programs, we expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities as of the date of this report will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our capital resources sooner than we expect. Additionally, the process of testing drug candidates in clinical trials is costly, and the timing of progress in these trials remains uncertain.
Cash Flows
The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands):
Six Months Ended June 30,
2020
2019
Net cash used in operating activities
$
(23,856
)
$
(17,443
)
Net cash used in investing activities
(41,991
)
(13,631
)
Net cash provided by financing activities
85,750
69
Operating Activities
For the six months ended June 30, 2020, net cash used in operating activities totaled $23.9 million, compared to $17.4 million for the same period in 2019. The increase in cash used in operating activities was primarily related to an increase in research and development and general and administrative expenses and changes in working capital, partially offset by increases in research and development services revenue and interest income.
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Investing Activities
For the six months ended June 30, 2020, net cash used in investing activities totaled $42.0 million, compared $13.6 million for the same period in 2019. The increase in cash used investing activities was driven by an increase in purchases of marketable securities, net of redemptions.
Financing Activities
For the six months ended June 30, 2020, net cash provided by financing activities totaled $85.8 million, compared to $0.1 million for the same period in 2019. The increase in cash provided by financing activities was primarily related to $102.5 million net proceeds from the issuance of common shares during the six months ended June 30, 2020, partially offset by the repayment of the term loan.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Our future significant contractual obligations as of December 31, 2019 were reported in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC and the Canadian Securities Commissions on March 9, 2020.
As of June 30, 2020, there have been no material changes from the contractual commitments previously disclosed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K other than the following:
In April 2017, we acquired XEN1101 (previously known as 1OP2198) from 1st Order Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or 1st Order, pursuant to an asset purchase agreement. In August 2020, we and 1st Order amended the asset purchase agreement to amend certain definitions in the agreement and to modify the payment schedule for certain milestones. Future potential payments to 1st Order include up to $1.2 million in clinical development milestones, up to $6.0 million in regulatory milestones, and $0.5 million in other milestones. Upon execution of the amendment, a payment of $0.3 million is payable; this amount has been accrued as of June 30, 2020. There are no royalty obligations to 1st Order.
In August 2018, we entered into an amended and restated loan and security agreement with Silicon Valley Bank, or the Amended and Restated Loan Agreement, providing for a term loan to us with an aggregate principal amount of $15.5 million. In May 2020, we repaid the total outstanding term loan balance ahead of the maturity date. The repayment consisted of (i) the outstanding principal balance, (ii) a final payment fee of $1.0 million, which has been partially accrued over the term of the loan up to the date of repayment, and (iii) a prepayment fee of $0.2 million. At the time of repayment, all liabilities and obligations under the Amended and Restated Loan Agreement terminated automatically. We recognized a loss on the repayment of the term loan of $1.0 million, which represented the difference between the carrying value of the term loan on the repayment date and the amount paid to extinguish the term loan. The repayment did not affect the Bank’s rights in connection with the warrant to the Bank to purchase 40,000 of our common shares at a price per common share of $9.79 which will remain outstanding until exercised or expired in August 2028.
Inflation
We do not believe that inflation has had a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations in the last two fiscal years.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not engage in any off-balance sheet financing activities. We do not have any interest in entities referred to as variable interest entities, which include special purposes entities and other structured finance entities.
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Outstanding Share Data
As of August 4, 2020, we had 34,994,946 common shares issued and outstanding, outstanding stock options to purchase an additional 4,668,032 common shares and an outstanding warrant to purchase an additional 40,000 common shares. In addition, we had 1,016,000 Series 1 Preferred Shares issued and outstanding. The Series 1 Preferred Shares are convertible into common shares on a one-for-one basis subject to the holder, together with its affiliates, beneficially owning no more than 9.99% of the total number of common shares issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion, or the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. The holder may reset the Beneficial Ownership Limitation to a higher or lower number, not to exceed 19.99% of the total number of common shares issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion, upon providing written notice to us which will be effective 61 days after delivery of such notice. The holders of the Series 1 Preferred Shares are entitled to vote together with the common shares on an as-converted basis and as a single class, subject in the case of each holder of the Series 1 Preferred Shares to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. The Series 1 Preferred Shares may be “restricted securities” as such term is defined under applicable Canadian securities laws, as any Series 1 Preferred Shares that are ineligible to be converted into common shares due to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, measured as of a given record date that applies for a shareholder meeting or ability to act by written consent, shall be deemed to be non-voting securities. For additional information regarding our Series 1 Preferred Shares, see note 10b to our consolidated financial statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this report.
Amended and Restated 2014 Equity Incentive Plan
At our 2020 annual meeting of shareholders held on June 1, 2020, our shareholders approved the Amended and Restated 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, or the Amended and Restated 2014 Plan, amending certain provisions of our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2014 Plan, including:
•
An additional 4,000,000 common shares were reserved for issuance over the existing share reserve under the 2014 Plan;
•
The annual automatic share increase (or “evergreen”) provision of the 2014 Plan was eliminated;
•
The number of common shares that can be issued through restricted share awards, restricted share unit awards, or performance share awards (“full-value awards”) was limited to 1,000,000 common shares, in the aggregate;
•
Our ability to perform a repricing or implement an exchange program with respect to awards already granted under the 2014 Plan or to be granted under the Amended and Restated 2014 Plan was eliminated;
•
We may not pay or credit dividends or other distributions with respect to any common shares subject to any unvested portion of an award;
•
The definition of “change of control” includes only the specific transactions identified in the definition, such that the Board does not have discretion to determine that any other transaction may qualify as a change of control; and
•
The Amended and Restated 2014 Plan will continue in effect for a term of ten years from April 16, 2020, the date the Board approved the Amended and Restated 2014 Plan.
In connection with the shareholder approval of the Amended and Restated 2014 Plan, our non-shareholder-approved Inducement Plan was terminated (which means no further grants can be made under the Inducement Plan, but existing outstanding awards granted pursuant to such plan will continue to be governed by such plan’s terms).
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information requested by this item pursuant to Item 305(e) of Regulation S-K.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.