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 unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities, and disclosures of contingencies as of the dates of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we
evaluate our estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and on 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 readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. On an
ongoing basis, we evaluate our judgments and estimates in light of changes in circumstances, facts or experience. Changes in estimates and assumptions are reflected in reported results in the period in which they become known.
We define our critical accounting policies as those under U.S. GAAP that require us to make subjective estimates and judgments about matters that are uncertain and are likely to have a material impact on our
financial condition and results of operations, as well as the specific manner in which we apply those principles.
There have been no significant changes to our critical accounting policies and use of estimates from those disclosed under Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for
the year ended March 31, 2025 in our Form 10-K.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2023, the FASB issued 2023-07, “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures” which updates reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced
disclosures about significant segment expenses. The Company adopted the guidance in the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 and has made the required disclosures in Note 15, “Segment Information” in our unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report for disclosure of the information required under ASU 2023-07.
Item 3. |
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
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We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business, primarily related to interest rate and foreign currency sensitivities and equity price risk.
Interest Rate Sensitivity
As of June 30, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of approximately $4.5 billion. Our management team has broad
discretion in respect of use of our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve capital to fund our operations. We may use all or a portion of such proceeds for one or more
strategic transactions, including acquisitions of companies, asset purchases or sales or in-licensing of intellectual property, products or product candidates or technologies, as described above. We also seek to maximize income from our
investments without assuming significant risk. To achieve our objectives, we maintain a portfolio of investments in a variety of securities of high credit quality and short-term duration, according to our board-approved
investment policy. Interest income is sensitive to changes in the general level of interest rates; however, due to the nature of our account portfolio, a hypothetical 10% change in interest rates would not have a material effect on our
financial condition or unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
Foreign Currency Sensitivity
Our employees and our operations are currently primarily located in the U.S., and our expenses are generally denominated in U.S. dollars. We therefore are not currently exposed to significant market risk related to
changes in foreign currency exchange rates. However, we are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rate risk as a result of entering into transactions denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars as we have contracted with
and may continue to contract with foreign vendors and counterparties. A hypothetical 10% change in exchange rates during any of the periods presented would not have a material effect on our financial condition or unaudited condensed
consolidated financial statements.
Equity Price Risk
As of June 30, 2025, we were exposed to price risk on equity securities included in our portfolio of investments, the most significant of which were our investments in Arbutus
and Datavant. Our investments in Arbutus and Datavant are measured at fair value with any changes in fair value recognized in our statements of operations, which therefore may increase the volatility of our earnings. A hypothetical 10% increase or decrease in the fair value of our investments in Arbutus and Datavant would have increased or decreased their fair value as of June 30, 2025 by approximately
$28.4 million.
Item 4. |
Controls and Procedures.
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Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.
We maintain “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), that are designed to provide reasonable
assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.
Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit
under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Our management, with the participation of our Principal Executive Officer and our Principal Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of June 30, 2025, the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report. Based on this evaluation, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were
effective as of June 30, 2025 at the reasonable assurance level.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended June
30, 2025 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Inherent Limitation on the Effectiveness of Internal Control.
Our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures, or our internal controls, will prevent all error and all
fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there
are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and
instances of fraud, if any, within our Company have been detected.
PART II—OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. |
Legal Proceedings.
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From time to time, we may become involved in legal or regulatory proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We do not currently, however, expect such legal
proceedings to have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition. However, depending on the nature and timing of a given dispute, an unfavorable resolution could materially affect our current or future
results of operations or cash flows.
Our business involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this
Quarterly Report, including our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, as well as the risks, uncertainties and other information set forth in the reports and
other materials filed or furnished by us and our majority-controlled subsidiary, Immunovant, Inc. (“Immunovant”), with the SEC. We cannot assure you that any of the events discussed in the risk factors below will not occur. These risks could
have a material and adverse impact on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. If any such events were to happen, the trading shares of our common shares could decline, and you could lose all or part
of your investment.
Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this section to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Roivant” and the “Company” refer to Roivant Sciences Ltd. and its
subsidiaries and affiliates, as the context requires. References to our “product candidates” include our current and any future products or product candidates. Approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or other applicable
international regulatory authority is required before a product or product candidate may be marketed and sold in the relevant jurisdiction.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
Risks Related to Our Strategy and Financial Position
Our relatively limited operating history and the inherent uncertainties and risks involved in biopharmaceutical product development and commercialization may
make it difficult for us to execute on our business model and for you to assess our future prospects.
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical and healthcare technology company with a relatively limited operating history upon which you can evaluate our business and prospects.
We were formed in April 2014, and our operations to date have primarily been limited to acquiring or in-licensing product candidates, pursuing the clinical development and commercialization of those product candidates, managing and operating
our subsidiaries, which we refer to as “Vants,” financing activities, efforts to discover new product candidates and the creation or acquisition of healthcare technology companies and products. Following the acquisition of our subsidiary
Dermavant by Organon (the “Dermavant Transaction”), completed in October 2024, we no longer have a commercial-stage product and we do not expect to generate product revenues from the commercial sale of our product candidates for the foreseeable
future. Drug development is an inherently uncertain undertaking that involves significant upfront investments and a substantial degree of risk. If we do not successfully address and manage these risks, our business and prospects will suffer.
Our ability to execute on our business model, successfully develop and commercialize product candidates and eventually generate revenues from the sales of our product candidates
following regulatory approvals depends on a number of factors, including our ability to:
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successfully progress and complete our ongoing and future clinical trials;
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identify and consummate new acquisition or in-licensing opportunities, and then advance the acquired or in-licensed product candidates through clinical trials;
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obtain regulatory approvals for our current and future product candidates;
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successfully launch commercial sales of our product candidates following regulatory approvals, whether alone or in collaboration with others, including establishing sales, marketing and distribution systems;
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set acceptable prices for our product candidates following regulatory approvals and obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors;
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achieve market acceptance of our product candidates following regulatory approvals in the medical community and with third-party payors and consumers;
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make milestone, royalty or other payments due under any licenses or agreements;
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obtain, maintain, expand, protect and enforce our intellectual property portfolio, including intellectual property obtained through license agreements;
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realize the benefits of our strategic partnerships and other collaborations, including the Dermavant Transaction;
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attract, hire and retain experienced management teams and qualified personnel to support our ongoing clinical development efforts, including at existing and newly-formed Vants, and successfully prepare for the
commercialization of our product candidates following regulatory approvals;
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initiate and maintain relationships with third-party suppliers and manufacturers and have commercial quantities of product candidates, following regulatory approvals, manufactured at acceptable cost and
quality levels and in compliance with FDA and other regulatory requirements;
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negotiate favorable terms in any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements into which we may enter;
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raise additional funds when needed and on terms acceptable to us;
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successfully grow our healthcare technology Vants and market the products and services offered by those Vants;
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defend against any product liability claims or other lawsuits related to our product candidates; and
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continue to meet the requirements of being a public company, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) and continue to protect our business operations and systems from cybersecurity
threats.
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Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with biopharmaceutical product development and commercialization, we are unable to predict when and if our product
candidates will achieve various milestones in their clinical development, including marketing approval from the FDA or other regulatory authorities, the timing or amount of increased expenses related to these activities or when we will be able
to generate revenues from the sale of those product candidates following regulatory approvals or achieve or maintain profitability. Our expenses could increase beyond expectations if we are required by the FDA or other regulatory authorities to
perform studies or clinical trials in addition to those that are currently anticipated or to otherwise provide data beyond that which we currently believe is necessary to support an application for marketing approval in the U.S. or another
jurisdiction, or if there are any delays in any of our current or future clinical trials or the development of our product candidates. Our inability to successfully execute on the objectives described herein would have a material adverse effect
on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We may not be successful in our efforts to acquire or in-license new product candidates, and newly acquired or in-licensed product candidates may not perform
as expected in clinical trials or be successful in eventually achieving marketing approvals.
The success of our business depends in large part on our ability to successfully identify new product candidates, generally through acquisitions or in-licensing transactions.
Our acquisition and in-licensing efforts focus on identifying assets in development by third parties across a diverse range of therapeutic areas that, in our view, are underserved or undervalued. Once identified, we typically seek to in-license
these assets from partners for low or no upfront payment, with future royalty or milestone payments to the licensor tied to the successful achievement of pre-specified development or commercialization benchmarks. From time to time, we also use
joint venture structures for our Vants, where the licensor receives a minority equity ownership stake in the Vant formed around an in-licensed asset. Certain potential licensors may be unwilling or unable to pursue these types of transaction
structures, which could have the effect of limiting the number of available in-licensing candidates or make us a less attractive partner for a given asset, relative to other potential acquirors.
Following the acquisition or in-licensing, our strategy often entails designing low-cost studies for a product candidate that result in a quick “go/no-go” decision on whether or
how to proceed with future development for a given asset. In the event a product candidate fails to demonstrate a meaningful clinical effect or presents potential safety or tolerability issues in these early-stage studies, we may decide to
discontinue development of the product candidate. In these cases, we generally will be unable to recoup any of the expenses associated with the acquisition or in-licensing of the product candidate or the costs associated with the studies. We
may decide to proceed with the development of a product candidate on the basis of that study and later determine that the more costly and time intensive trials required for regulatory approvals do not support the initial value the product
candidate was thought to hold or demonstrate the product profile required for a marketing approval. Even if a product candidate does prove to be valuable or successful in receiving marketing approval, its value may be less than we anticipated
at the time of the investment, including after payments of applicable royalty and milestone payments to the licensor, and we may not be able to recover the investment we made in developing the product candidate.
We also face significant competition for attractive investment opportunities. A number of companies compete with us for such opportunities, some of which may possess greater
financial or technical resources. If we are unable to identify a sufficient number of potential product candidates for acquisition or in-licensing, or if the product candidates that we identify do not prove to be as valuable as anticipated, we
will not be able to successfully develop or receive marketing approval for those product candidates, and our business and results of operations may suffer materially as a result. Any such failure to in-license or acquire new product candidates
from third parties, or the failure of those product candidates to succeed in clinical trials and eventually receive marketing approval, would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and
prospects.
Immunovant relies on the HanAll Agreement to provide the rights to the core intellectual property relating to IMVT-1402 and batoclimab. Any termination or loss of
significant rights under the HanAll Agreement would adversely affect Immunovant’s development and commercialization of IMVT-1402 and batoclimab.
Our subsidiary Immunovant holds the intellectual property rights to IMVT-1402 and batoclimab under a license agreement with HanAll Biopharma Co., Ltd. (“HanAll”)
(the “HanAll Agreement”). The HanAll Agreement imposes a variety of obligations on Immunovant, including those relating to exclusivity, territorial rights, development, commercialization, funding, payment, diligence, sublicensing,
insurance, intellectual property protection and other matters. If Immunovant materially breaches any of its obligations under the HanAll Agreement and is unable to cure that breach within the time frame specified under the HanAll Agreement,
Immunovant may be required to pay damages to HanAll and HanAll may have the right to terminate the HanAll Agreement, which would result in Immunovant being unable to develop or manufacture its products.
Biotechnology and pharmaceutical license agreements are complex and certain provisions in the HanAll Agreement may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract
interpretation or disagreement that may arise could affect the scope of Immunovant’s rights, or affect financial or other obligations, under the HanAll Agreement, either of which could harm our business, financial condition, results of
operations and prospects.
Immunovant expects to report topline data from Phase 3 trials of batoclimab in thyroid eye disease in the second half of calendar year 2025. As previously
disclosed, Immunovant will make a final decision about the future development and regulatory submissions for batoclimab in the future based on the aggregate information available at the time in consultation with our partner HanAll. HanAll
has a variety of interests in the licensed products under the HanAll Agreement and outside of Immunovant’s licensed territories, and may, as a result of those interests, disagree with, or initiate a dispute with respect to, Immunovant’s
development or commercialization plans for batoclimab. While the HanAll Agreement gives Immunovant final control over development and regulatory decisions relating to batoclimab in our licensed
territories, to the extent HanAll disagrees with future development plans for batoclimab, they could initiate a dispute for alleged breach of the HanAll Agreement and the dispute may result in arbitration or litigation. While HanAll can
assert breach at any time, we do not believe there is any basis for such a claim, and would vigorously contest such a claim if made. Any potential dispute with HanAll could be very expensive and time-consuming, may divert
management’s attention from core business functions and may result in unfavorable results that materially impact Immunovant’s business.
We will likely incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve sustained profitability.
Investment in biopharmaceutical product development is highly speculative because it entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risk that a product
candidate will fail to gain regulatory approval or become commercially viable. Following the Dermavant Transaction we do not have any product candidates that have received marketing approval anywhere in the world and we do not expect to
generate product revenues from the commercial sale of our product candidates in the near term. As a result, we cannot estimate with precision the extent of our future losses. Since inception, we have incurred significant losses and negative
cash flows from operations. As of June 30, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of approximately $4.5 billion and our accumulated deficit was approximately $315.7 million.
We may never be able to successfully develop, achieve regulatory approvals for or commercialize our product candidates. Even if approved, our product candidates may not generate
meaningful product revenues or enable us to achieve or maintain profitability. We expect to incur substantial operating losses for the foreseeable future, through the projected commercialization of our product candidates. Our ability to
generate meaningful product revenues and achieve and sustain profitability depends on our ability to complete the development of our product candidates, obtain necessary regulatory approvals for our product candidates and manufacture and
successfully market our product candidates alone or in collaboration with others. Revenues from the sale of any product candidate for which regulatory approval is obtained will depend, in part, upon the size of the markets in the territories
for which we may gain regulatory approval, the accepted price for the product candidate, the ability to obtain reimbursement at any price, the strength and term of patent exclusivity for the product candidate and the overall competitive
landscape. Even if we achieve profitability from product revenues in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods. Our failure to achieve and sustain profitability could depress the market value of our company
and impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business and pipeline and market any product candidates following regulatory approval.
We face risks associated with the allocation of capital and personnel across our businesses.
Because we have finite financial and management resources, we must make challenging decisions regarding the allocation of capital and personnel across our businesses. We face
certain risks associated with these decisions and may fail to capitalize on viable commercial product candidates or profitable market opportunities as a result. For example, we may decide not to pursue a particular in-licensing or acquisition
opportunity, or a potential target indication for a product candidate, that later proves to have greater commercial potential than our current and planned development programs and product candidates. Similarly, decisions to delay or terminate
certain programs may subsequently also prove to be suboptimal and could cause us to miss valuable opportunities. In addition, our management’s attention to one product candidate or target indication may divert their attention from another
opportunity or indication that ultimately might have proven more successful. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate or indication, or misinterpret trends in the
biopharmaceutical industry more generally, we may relinquish valuable rights to a product candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements, or fail to pursue a target indication, which would have been more advantageous,
and our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects could be materially adversely affected. In addition, our spending on current and future research and development programs and other future product candidates may
not yield any commercially viable future product candidates.
We may pursue additional in-licenses or acquisitions of product candidates or programs, which entail additional risk to us. Identifying, selecting and acquiring promising
product candidates requires substantial technical, financial, legal and human resources expertise. Our efforts may not result in the actual acquisition or in-license of a successful product candidate, potentially resulting in a diversion of our
management’s time and the expenditure of our resources with no resulting benefit. If we are unable to identify programs that ultimately result in approved products, we may spend material amounts of our capital and other resources evaluating,
acquiring and developing product candidates that ultimately do not provide a return on our investment, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We face risks associated with the Vant structure.
Our product candidates are developed at our Vants, which operate similarly to independent biopharmaceutical companies with their own management teams and equity incentive
structures. While we believe that there are significant competitive advantages to this structure, as compared to traditional pharmaceutical companies or smaller biopharma companies, the Vant structure also poses certain risks for our business.
Operating the Vants independently, rather than under a centralized, consolidated management team, may result in increased costs at Roivant and the Vants, as certain functions or
processes, including sales and marketing, clinical and nonclinical personnel, business development, finance, accounting, human resources and legal functions, are replicated at Roivant and at multiple Vants. There may also be certain start-up
costs associated with the establishment of a new Vant or integration of a newly acquired business into a Vant, which are greater under the Vant model than they would be under a centralized model. The use of the Vant model may also entail
increased costs for us, including the time and expenses associated with hiring Vant CEOs and management teams, overseeing Vant equity incentive arrangements and managing compliance-related risks, including the internal controls, accounting
systems and other policies and procedures necessary for us to operate as a public company. We may also be exposed to increased “key employee” risks, in the event a Vant CEO were to depart, including the loss of other senior Vant personnel,
potentially resulting in adverse impacts to commercialization or development work at the Vant. These increased expenses, complexities and other challenges may make using and scaling the Vant model more challenging and costly than it would be
for a traditional pharmaceutical company to both operate and expand the number of product candidates under development, which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated business, financial condition, results of operations or
prospects. This decentralized model could also make compliance with applicable laws and regulations more challenging to monitor and may expose us to increased costs that could, in turn, harm our business, financial condition, results of
operations or prospects.
In addition, a single or limited number of the Vants may, now or in the future, comprise a large proportion of our value. Similarly, in the future, a large proportion of our
consolidated revenues could be derived from one or a small number of Vants. Any adverse development at a key Vant, including the loss of key members of management, the termination of a key license agreement or other loss of the intellectual
property underlying a product candidate or the failure of a clinical trial for a product candidate under development at the Vant, could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated business, financial condition, results of operations or
prospects.
We do not wholly own certain of our Vants, including our publicly traded subsidiary, Immunovant. By virtue of Immunovant being a publicly traded company, our operational control
of Immunovant is also limited in certain respects and certain transactions between us and Immunovant may require the prior approval of a special committee of independent directors, which we do not control. This structure could result in delays
in certain financing or other transactions at Immunovant, or prevent us from taking certain actions with respect to Immunovant that we think are in our best interests as a majority shareholder of Immunovant. In addition, certain of our Vants
have issued equity securities senior to our ownership interests, which dilutes our economic interest in the Vants and can in certain cases limit our operational control of the Vant.
Our Vants also have equity incentive plans, which can result in the dilution of our ownership interest in the Vant as the awards issued under those plans vest and are exercised.
The vesting and exercise of incentive equity awards at the Vants, as well as future capital needs at the Vants – which may be financed through senior debt or equity securities or common equity – may further dilute or subordinate our ownership
and economic interests in the Vants or reduce our operational control of the Vants. In addition, recipients of Vant equity awards may have economic alignment with a Vant that incentivizes them to act in ways that prioritize the success of a
Vant over the success of the Company as a whole, which could adversely impact our consolidated business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects. For more information on our ownership of our Vants, see “Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Overview.”
We manage the Vants in part through our designees who serve on the Vant boards of directors. Additionally, certain officers or employees of Roivant may from time to time serve
as officers or employees of the Vants. Such service by Roivant officers or employees may take away time or focus from such individuals’ work at Roivant. Further, in their capacities as officers or directors of the Vants, those individuals may
owe fiduciary duties to the Vants and their shareholders under applicable law, which may at times require them to take actions that are not directly in our interest as a shareholder. To the extent any such actions have an adverse effect on the
value of our ownership interest in the Vant, it could further adversely impact our consolidated business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.
We face risks associated with potential future payments we may owe in connection with our product candidates.
The in-licensing transactions for our product candidates typically involve zero or low upfront payments combined with milestone and royalty payments. These arrangements
generally involve a payment or payments upon the achievement of certain development or regulatory milestones, including regulatory approval, and then royalty payments upon the achievement of specified levels of sales, which can extend for up to
the life of a product. Some of these payments may become due before a product is generating sufficient funds to enable us to meet our obligations. If this were to occur, we would default on our payment obligations and could face penalties,
delays in commercialization or development activities, the termination of a license agreement or reputational damage. Even for a product that is commercialized and generating revenue, payments could become due that are so large that the
investment is not profitable or is less profitable than anticipated. For example, this could occur if at the time of the initial investment, we overestimated the value of the product and agreed to a payment schedule using these inflated
estimates. If we are unable to make milestone and royalty payments related to our product candidates when due, our business and prospects could suffer and our ability to in-license future product candidates could be impaired.
We face risks associated with acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions.
We have in the past engaged in acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions, and we may in the future pursue similar opportunities. For example, in
October 2024 we completed the Dermavant Transaction, the consideration for which consisted of an upfront payment of $183.6 million and the AD Approval Milestone Payment of $75 million upon FDA approval of VTAMA for the treatment of atopic
dermatitis. We received the AD Approval Milestone in January 2025. In addition, at closing, all former Dermavant equity holders, including Roivant, received the right to receive their pro rata portion of (i) milestone payments of up to $950
million for the achievements of certain tiered net sales amounts with respect to VTAMA, each less than or equal to $1 billion and (ii) tiered royalties of (x) low-to-mid single digit percentages with respect to annual net sales of VTAMA up to
$1 billion and (y) 30% with respect to annual net sales of VTAMA above $1 billion. There can be no assurance that we will receive any of the future milestone or royalty payments owed in connection with the Dermavant Transaction, or that the
proceeds from the Dermavant Transaction will exceed the profits that we could have generated if we had continued to own and operate Dermavant as one of our Vants. For more information on the Dermavant Transaction, please refer to Note
6, “Discontinued Operations” to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Any such future strategic transactions will entail numerous risks, including:
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in connection with divestiture or other sale or partnering transactions:
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the failure to realize the expected benefits from the transaction, including receiving milestone and royalty payments owed in connection with the transaction; and
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risks and uncertainties associated with the counterparty to any such transaction, including their ability to successfully develop and commercialize a product candidate such that milestone and royalty payments
are triggered or their ability to make milestone and royalty payments when such payments are due;
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in connection with acquisition or in-licensing transactions:
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the risks generally applicable to biopharmaceutical drug development, including that the acquired or in-licensed program does not generate the expected clinical outcomes, that the expected timelines for the
clinical program are delayed or otherwise slower than expected, that safety or tolerability issues arise in the clinical trials or that other regulatory issues arise, including the inability to receive regulatory approvals on the
expected timelines or at all;
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the ability following applicable regulatory approvals to generate revenues from an acquired product candidate or program sufficient to meet our objectives or offset the associated transaction and maintenance
costs;
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risks associated with the transfer or integration of the operations of an acquired entity or program, including difficulties associated with integrating any new personnel; and
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increased operating expenses and cash requirements, the assumption of indebtedness or contingent liabilities or the issuance of our equity securities in connection with such a transaction, which would result
in dilution to our shareholders;
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the diversion of our management’s attention from existing programs and other operational matters; and
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the loss of key employees and other uncertainties, including our ability to maintain key business relationships at the acquired entity, that may arise in connection with a given transaction.
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In addition, the integration or separation of any business that we may acquire in the future may disrupt our existing business and may be a complex, risky and costly endeavor
for which we may never realize the full benefits. For any alliances or joint ventures that we enter into in the biopharmaceutical industry, we may encounter numerous difficulties in discovering, developing, manufacturing and marketing any new
products or product candidates related to such businesses, which may delay or prevent us from realizing the expected benefits or enhancing our business. Divestiture transactions such as the Dermavant Transaction may adversely impact the price
of our common shares, to the extent investors believe the value of the consideration received in the transaction is not equivalent to the value of the asset or program divested. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that transactions of the
nature described above will be undertaken or successfully completed, and that any transaction we do complete will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
We face risks associated with the use of our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.
As of June 30, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of approximately $4.5 billion. Our management team has broad discretion in respect of use of our
cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. We may use all or a portion of such proceeds for one or more strategic transactions, including acquisitions of companies, asset purchases or the in-licensing of intellectual property, products,
product candidates or technologies, as described above. We may not be able to find a suitable strategic transaction that we deem sufficiently attractive to pursue, and even if such a transaction is identified, may not be able to complete a
strategic transaction in the future. Our ability to complete a strategic transaction may be negatively impacted by general macroeconomic and market trends and conditions, including volatility in the capital markets, and the other risks
described herein.
As previously disclosed, in June 2025, our board of directors authorized a new common share repurchase program, allowing for repurchases of common shares in an aggregate amount
of up to $500 million (excluding fees and expenses) (the “2025 Repurchase Authorization”). The 2025 Repurchase Authorization is in addition to the previously disclosed common share repurchase program allowing for repurchase of common shares in
an aggregate amount of up to $1.5 billion (excluding fees and expenses), which was fully exhausted as of June 30, 2025. For the three months ended June 30, 2025, we repurchased 20.0 million common shares for an aggregate repurchase price of
$205.2 million (based on the repurchase date).
The timing and total amount of any repurchases under the 2025 Repurchase Authorization, or any future repurchase authorization from our board of directors, will depend on
several factors, including the market price of our common shares, general business, macroeconomic and market conditions and other investment opportunities, as well as the discretion of our board of directors, or its delegees, that any such
activity would be in the best interests of our shareholders and in compliance with all applicable laws and our contractual obligations. In the event that we decide to pursue further repurchases of common shares, we may be limited in our ability
to repurchase our common shares by various governmental laws, rules and regulations which prevent us from purchasing our common shares during periods when we are in possession of material non-public information. We may also use our discretion
to repurchase common shares from certain shareholders without offering the opportunity to all shareholders to have their common shares repurchased at that time and price. In addition, our ability to pay dividends may be limited by covenants of
any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur.
The amount of cash available to return to shareholders, if any, can vary significantly from period to period for a number of reasons, including, among other things, our results
of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions, applicable law and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. The returns of capital to shareholders may change in form, amount, value and
frequency from time to time, and we cannot guarantee that any such future returns of capital will take place. The trading price of our common shares may decline, possibly materially, if we are unable to meet investor expectations with respect
to the timing and total amount of future capital returns to shareholders. There is no guarantee that our significant balance of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be used to increase our operating results, return capital to
shareholders or enhance the value of our common shares.
We are exposed to risks related to our significant holdings of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.
Our significant holdings of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities can be negatively affected by changes in liquidity, financial results, market and economic
conditions and volatility, political risk, trade policy, including the imposition of additional tariffs, currency risk, credit risk, sovereign risk, interest rate fluctuations or other market or macroeconomic factors. Markets continue to be
impacted by volatility, characterized by falling demand for a variety of goods and services, restricted credit, going concern threats to financial institutions, major multinational companies and medium and small businesses, poor liquidity,
declining asset values, reduced corporate profitability, extreme volatility in credit, equity and foreign exchange markets and bankruptcies. As a result, the value and liquidity of our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities may
fluctuate substantially. Additionally, we may from time to time have balances in bank accounts that are in excess of insured deposit limits and could be subject to risks of bank failures. Therefore, although we have not incurred any significant
losses on our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, future fluctuations in their value could result in significant losses and could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition.
While we do not have a need for additional capital under our current operating plans as a result of our current liquidity position, we may in the future
require additional capital to fund our operations. In that case, if we fail to obtain necessary financing when needed, we may not be able to successfully acquire or in-license new product candidates, complete the development and
commercialization of our product candidates following regulatory approval and continue to pursue our drug discovery efforts.
Acquiring or in-licensing, discovering, developing, commercializing and marketing biopharmaceutical product candidates is expensive and time consuming, and we expect to continue
to spend substantial amounts to fund our clinical development and other research and development activities, and to commercialize our product candidates following regulatory approvals. While we do not have a near-term need for additional
capital under our current operating plan as a result of our current liquidity position, we may in the future require additional capital to pursue these activities. We are also responsible for payments to third parties under our license and
acquisition agreements, including milestone and royalty payments. Because of the inherent uncertainties in these activities – including the outcome of preclinical and clinical trials and the regulatory approval process – we cannot reasonably
estimate the actual amounts necessary to successfully complete the development, regulatory approval process and commercialization of our product candidates. Our estimate as to how long we expect our existing cash, cash equivalents and
marketable securities to be available to fund our operations is based on assumptions that may be proven inaccurate, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect.
If adequate funds are not available to us in the future when we need it, we may be required to forego potential in-licensing or acquisition opportunities, delay, limit or
terminate one or more development or discovery programs or be unable to expand operations or otherwise capitalize on business opportunities, which could materially affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business strategy and potential for future growth relies on a number of assumptions, some or all of which may not be realized.
Our business strategy and plans for future growth rely on a number of assumptions, including, in the case of our product candidates, assumptions related to approval and adoption
of a particular therapy, incidence and prevalence of an indication, use of a product candidate versus competitor therapies and size of the addressable patient populations. Some or all of these assumptions may be incorrect due to errors or
mistaken assumptions in our analysis or the inherent uncertainties in the drug development process, among other reasons. We cannot accurately predict whether, following regulatory approvals, our product candidates will achieve significant
market acceptance in line with these assumptions or whether there will be a market for our product candidates that reaches the anticipated size. If any of these assumptions are incorrect or overstated, our results and future prospects will be
materially and adversely affected.
Our drug discovery efforts may not be successful in identifying new product candidates.
Our drug discovery efforts are centered on our discovery Vants, including Psivant, Covant and VantAI, which employ a variety of approaches to the drug discovery process,
including quantitative proteomics, induced proximity and covalency. As a company, we have relatively limited experience in drug discovery generally and with certain of the computational tools that are employed in those efforts. Our future
success depends, in part, on our ability to successfully use these approaches and technologies to identify promising new product candidates and eventually advance those product candidates through preclinical studies and clinical trials. We have
not yet succeeded and may not succeed in advancing any product candidates developed through these discovery efforts into clinical trials, demonstrating the efficacy and safety of such product candidates or obtaining regulatory approval
thereafter. As a result, it is difficult to predict the time and cost of product candidate development from our discovery Vants and we cannot predict whether the application of these approaches will result in the development and regulatory
approval of any products. In addition, many of the active drug discovery efforts at our discovery Vants are being conducted pursuant to collaboration agreements with third parties, in which the third parties are either owed milestone and
royalty payments tied to the successful development and commercialization of successfully identified drug candidates, or have been granted exclusive or shared development and commercialization rights with respect to successfully identified drug
candidates in exchange for upfront payments, shared expenses, and certain milestone and royalty payments owed to the discovery Vants. Any problems that we or our third-party partners experience in the future related to this platform or any of
our related development programs may cause significant delays or unanticipated costs or may prevent the development of a commercially viable product. Any of these factors may prevent us from completing our preclinical studies or any clinical
trials that we may initiate or commercializing any internally discovered product candidates we may develop on a timely or profitable basis, if at all. Even if successful, as a result of our collaboration agreements, our rights to commercialize
any successfully discovered product candidates may be limited.
Unfavorable, uncertain and rapidly changing global and regional economic, political and health conditions could adversely affect our business, financial
condition or results of operations.
Our business could be adversely affected by changes in global or regional economic, political and public health conditions. Various macroeconomic factors could adversely affect
our business, financial condition and results of operations, including changes in inflation levels, interest rates, international trade policies and tariffs and overall economic conditions and the current and future conditions in the global
financial markets, including global or regional economic instability. For example, if sustained high rates of inflation or other factors were to significantly increase our expenses, we may be unable to manage such increased expenses or pass
through price increases. During a severe or prolonged economic downturn, patients may prioritize other items over certain or all of their treatments and medications, which could have a negative impact on our commercial sales. Any of the
foregoing could harm our business and we cannot anticipate all of the ways in which economic climate and financial market conditions could adversely impact our business.
Additionally, uncertainties resulting from political instability (including workforce uncertainty), international hostilities (including the current military conflict between
Russia and Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East), trade disputes between nations (including current trade disputes with China), a global financial crisis, wars, terrorism, and civil unrest or could adversely affect our business. In
particular, given the new administration in the United States, there is currently significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and various other countries, most significantly China, with respect to trade
policies, tariffs, treaties, taxes and other limitations on cross-border operations. The U.S. government has and continues to make significant additional changes in U.S. trade policies and tariffs and may continue to take future actions that
could negatively impact U.S. trade. For example, legislation has been introduced in Congress to limit certain U.S. biotechnology companies from using equipment or services produced or provided by select Chinese biotechnology companies, and
others in Congress have advocated for the use of existing executive branch authorities to limit those Chinese service providers’ ability to engage in business in the U.S. We cannot predict what actions may ultimately be taken with respect to
trade relations between the United States and China or other countries, what products and services may be subject to such actions or what actions may be taken by the other countries in retaliation. If we are unable to obtain or import goods or
use services from existing service providers or become unable to export or, if approved, sell our products, our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
Further, outbreaks of disease (for example, COVID-19) and other unexpected public health events may cause extreme volatility in the capital and credit markets and other
disruptions to our business. Business disruptions could include, among others, disruptions to our clinical development activities, including due to supply chain or distribution constraints or challenges, clinical enrollment, clinical site
availability, patient accessibility and conduct of our clinical trials, as well as temporary closures of the facilities of suppliers or contract manufacturers in the biotechnology supply chain. Adverse health conditions could result in a
variety of risks to our business, including our ability to raise capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at all.
A portion of our or certain of our Vants’ manufacturing, laboratory research or clinical trial activities takes place in Asia. A significant disruption in
that region, such as a trade war or political unrest, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We and certain of our Vants currently engage and expect to continue to engage in contract manufacturing, conduct clinical trials, and perform laboratory research activities
outside the U.S., including in Asia. Any disruption in production or inability of contracted manufacturers in Asia to produce adequate quantities to meet our or the Vants’ needs could impair our or the Vants’ ability to operate on a day-to-day
basis and to continue development of certain product candidates. In particular, trade tensions and conflict between the United States and China remain high, and could result in changes to the laws, rules, regulations and policies of the
governments of the United States or China that impact the ability of U.S. biotechnology companies to partner with entities in China. For example, starting in February 2025 the U.S. imposed additional tariffs on Chinese imports, and China has
responded with tariffs on U.S. products. We or certain of our Vants also conduct certain laboratory research and expect to have clinical trial sites in Asia. We are exposed to the possibility of product supply disruption, clinical trial delays
and increased costs in the event of changes in governmental policies, political unrest or unstable economic conditions in Asia. Any disruption of these activities could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Inadequate or uncertain funding levels for the FDA, USPTO, SEC or other government agencies could hinder, delay or result in the suspension of those
agencies’ operations, which could harm our business.
The ability of the FDA and other government agencies to review and approve new pharmaceutical products can be affected by a variety of factors, including budgets and funding
levels, its ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees and statutory, regulatory and policy changes. Review times at the FDA have fluctuated in recent years as a result of changes in these factors. In addition,
government funding of the SEC, USPTO and other government agencies on which our operations may rely or be dependent is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.
Disruptions at the FDA and other government agencies may slow the time required for new drugs to be reviewed and approved, which could adversely affect our business. For
example, over the last several years the U.S. government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, including the FDA, have had to furlough employees and suspend certain activities. The Trump administration’s freeze on hiring
and new return-to-office policy may disrupt normal operations of federal agencies, including the FDA. If a prolonged government shutdown or other disruption occurs, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA or other regulatory
authorities to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, or to provide feedback on our clinical development plans, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. There is substantial uncertainty as to how, if at all,
the new administration will seek to modify or revise the requirements and policies of the FDA and other regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over our product candidates. The impending uncertainty could present new challenges or potential
opportunities as we navigate the clinical development and regulatory approval process for our product candidates. Further, future government shutdowns or other disruptions to normal operations could impact our ability to access the public
markets and obtain the funding necessary to properly capitalize and continue our operations.
Risks Related to the Development of Our Product Candidates
Clinical trials and preclinical studies are very expensive, time-consuming, difficult to design and implement and involve uncertain outcomes. We may
encounter substantial delays in clinical trials, or may not be able to conduct or complete clinical trials or preclinical studies on the expected timelines, if at all.
Our biopharmaceutical product candidates that are in clinical development or preclinical studies will require, as applicable, extensive clinical testing before a New Drug
Application (“NDA”) or other similar application for regulatory approval, such as a Biologics License Application (“BLA”) or an application for marketing authorization in the European Union (“E.U.”) or United Kingdom (“U.K.”), may be submitted,
or extensive preclinical testing before an Investigational New Drug application (“IND”) or an application for authorization to conduct a clinical trial in the E.U. or U.K. may be submitted, a Clinical Trial Application (“CTA”). We cannot
provide any assurance that we will submit an IND, NDA, CTA or other similar application for regulatory approval for our product candidates within projected timeframes or whether any such application will be accepted for review or ultimately
approved by the relevant regulatory authorities.
Clinical trials and preclinical studies are very expensive, time-consuming and difficult to design and implement, in part because they are subject to rigorous regulatory
requirements. For instance, the FDA, an institutional review board (“IRB”), an Ethics Committee (“EC”) or other regulatory authorities may not agree with the proposed analysis plans or trial design for the clinical trials of our product
candidates, and during any such review, may identify unexpected efficacy or safety concerns, which may delay the effective date of an IND or approval of an NDA, BLA or similar application. The FDA, the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”), the
European Commission, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) or other relevant regulatory authority may also find that the benefits of any product candidate in any applicable indication do not outweigh its risks in a
manner sufficient to grant regulatory approval.
The FDA or other regulatory authorities may also not agree with the scope of our proposed investigational plan. For example, they may find that our proposed development program
is not sufficient to support a marketing authorization application, or that the proposed indication is considered to be too broad. Moreover, the FDA or other regulatory authorities may also refuse or impose certain restrictions on our reliance
on data supporting our clinical trial application or marketing authorization application should such data originate from studies outside of the relevant jurisdiction or be affected by regulatory non-compliance, including issues of data
integrity. In the E.U., data derived from clinical trials that were conducted outside the E.U. cannot be used to support a CTA unless the clinical trial was registered on a relevant database. In each case, this could delay the clinical
development and authorization timeline for a given product candidate.
Failures can occur at any stage of development, including clinical trials or preclinical studies, and we could encounter problems that cause us to abandon or repeat clinical
trials or preclinical studies. In addition, results from clinical trials or preclinical studies may require further evaluation, delaying the next stage of development or submission of an IND or an NDA or similar application in the U.S. or
another jurisdiction. Further, product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy results despite having successfully progressed through preclinical and earlier stage clinical trials. Such
product candidates may exhibit safety signals in later stage clinical trials that they did not exhibit in earlier studies or trials. A number of companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in, or the
discontinuation of, advanced clinical trials with a product candidate due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety findings, despite having promising results in earlier trials or studies. Likewise, the results of early clinical trials or
preclinical studies of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of current or future development programs. There can also be no assurance that the results of studies conducted by collaborators or other third parties with
similar product candidates in similar indications will be viewed favorably or indicative of our own future trial results.
The commencement and completion of clinical trials and other studies may be delayed by several factors, including:
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the inability to generate sufficient data to support the initiation or continuation of clinical trials;
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difficulty identifying patients and enrolling them in clinical trials and other studies, including as a result of competing trials run by other pharmaceutical companies;
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the failure to add, or delays in activating, a sufficient number of clinical trial sites;
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the inability to reach agreement on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs
and trial sites;
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the failure by our CROs or other third parties to adhere to clinical trial agreements;
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the failure to manufacture or release sufficient quantities of our product candidates or failure to obtain sufficient quantities of active comparator medications for our clinical trials, if applicable, that in
each case meet our quality standards, for use in clinical trials;
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the inability or unwillingness of clinical investigators or study participants to follow our clinical and other applicable protocols or applicable regulatory requirements;
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unforeseen safety issues, or subjects experiencing severe or unexpected adverse events;
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a lack of clinical benefit or effectiveness being demonstrated during clinical trials;
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the occurrence of serious adverse events in trials of the same class of agents conducted by other sponsors;
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premature discontinuation of study participants from clinical trials or missing data;
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the inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment;
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inappropriate unblinding of trial results;
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changes in the market that render continued development of a product candidate no longer reasonable or commercially attractive;
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the cost of clinical trials of our product candidates being greater than we anticipated;
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unanticipated impact from changes in or modifications to protocols or clinical trial design, including those that may be required by the FDA or other regulatory authorities;
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the failure to obtain regulatory authorization to commence a clinical trial or reach consensus with regulatory authorities regarding the design or implementation of our studies;
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resolving any dosing issues, including those raised by the FDA or other regulatory authorities;
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changes in regulatory requirements and guidance that require amending or submitting new clinical protocols;
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changes in the approval policies or regulations of the FDA or other regulatory authorities;
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an IRB or EC refusing to approve, suspending, or terminating the trial at an investigational site, precluding enrollment of additional subjects, or withdrawing their approval of the trial; or
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other regulatory issues, including the receipt of any inspectional observations on FDA’s Form-483, Warning or Untitled Letters, clinical holds or complete response letters or similar communications/objections
by other regulatory authorities.
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We, the FDA or other regulatory authorities may suspend our clinical trials in an entire country at any time, or an IRB/EC may suspend our clinical trial sites within any
country, if it appears that we or our collaborators, or the principal investigator, are failing to conduct a trial in accordance with the protocol, applicable regulatory requirements, including Good Clinical Practice (“GCP”) regulations, that
we are exposing participants to unacceptable health risks, or if the FDA or other regulatory authority finds deficiencies in our IND or equivalent applications for other countries or in the manner in which clinical trials are conducted. Such
authorities may suspend or terminate a clinical trial due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations
or trial site by the FDA, the competent authorities of the E.U. Member States and the U.K. or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to demonstrate
a clinical benefit from using a product candidate, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions, developments on trials conducted by us or our competitors for related technology that raises regulatory concerns about risk to
patients of the technology broadly, or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial. Therefore, we cannot predict with any certainty the schedule for commencement and completion of future clinical trials.
If we experience delays in the commencement or completion of our clinical trials, or if we terminate a clinical trial prior to completion, the commercial prospects of our
product candidates could be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenue from any of our product candidates, if approved, may be delayed. In addition, any delays in our clinical trials could increase our costs, cause a decline in our
share price, slow down the approval process, and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenue. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, many of the
factors that cause or lead to a termination or suspension of, or delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates. We may make formulation or
manufacturing changes to our product candidates, in which case we may need to conduct additional preclinical or clinical studies to bridge our modified product candidates to earlier versions. Any delays to our clinical trials that occur as a
result could shorten any period during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our product candidates and our competitors may be able to bring product candidates to market before we do, and the commercial viability of our product
candidates could be significantly reduced.
Moreover, principal investigators for our clinical trials may serve as scientific advisors or consultants to us from time to time and receive compensation in connection with
such services. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to report some of these relationships to the FDA or other regulatory authorities. The FDA or other regulatory authorities may conclude that a financial relationship between us and a
principal investigator has created a conflict of interest or otherwise affected the integrity of the study. The FDA or other regulatory authorities may therefore question the integrity of the data generated at the applicable clinical trial site
and the utility of the clinical trial itself may be jeopardized. This could result in a delay in approval, or rejection, of our marketing and authorization applications by the FDA or other regulatory authorities, as the case may be, and may
ultimately lead to the denial of marketing approval of any of our product candidates.
In addition, for our product candidates that are in clinical development, prior to our acquisition of the rights to those product candidates we had no involvement with or
control over the preclinical or clinical development of those product candidates. We are therefore dependent on our licensing and other transaction partners having conducted such research and development in accordance with the applicable
protocols and legal, regulatory and scientific standards, having used appropriately regulated and compliant equipment and devices during the preclinical or clinical development, having accurately reported the results of all clinical trials and
other research they conducted prior to our acquisition of the rights to those product candidates, having correctly collected and interpreted the data from these trials and other research and having supplied us with complete information, data
sets and reports required to adequately demonstrate the results reported through the date of our acquisition of these product candidates. Problems associated with the pre-acquisition development of our product candidates could result in
increased costs and delays in the commercialization of our development of our product candidates, which could harm our ability to generate any future revenue from sales of our product candidates following regulatory approval.
We may encounter difficulties enrolling and retaining patients in clinical trials, and clinical development activities could thereby be delayed or otherwise
be adversely affected.
The timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with their protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in
the trial until its conclusion. We may experience difficulties in patient enrollment and retention in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons, including:
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the size and characteristics of the patient population;
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the patient eligibility criteria defined in the protocol, including biomarker-driven identification and certain highly-specific criteria related to stage of disease progression, which may limit the patient
populations eligible for our clinical trials to a greater extent than competing clinical trials for the same indication that do not have biomarker-driven patient eligibility criteria;
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the design of the trial, including the size of the study population required for analysis of the trial’s primary endpoints;
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the number and location of clinical trials sites, including the proximity of patients to trial sites;
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our ability to recruit clinical trial investigators with the appropriate competencies and experience;
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competing clinical trials for similar therapies or targeting patient populations meeting our patient eligibility criteria;
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clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages and side effects of the product candidate being studied in relation to other available therapies and product candidates;
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our ability to obtain and maintain patient consents; and
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the risk that patients enrolled in clinical trials will not complete such trials, for any reason, including the risk of higher drop-out rates if participants become infected with a virus or other infectious
disease that impacts their participation in our trials.
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Our inability to enroll and retain a sufficient number of patients for our clinical trials would result in significant delays or may require us to abandon one or more clinical
trials altogether. Enrollment delays and retention challenges in our clinical trials may result in increased development costs for our product candidates, delay our ability to obtain clinical data, and jeopardize our ability to obtain marketing
approval for the sale of our product candidates. For certain of our product candidates, including IMVT-1402, which target various autoimmune indications, there are limited patient pools from which to draw in order to complete our clinical
trials in a timely and cost-effective manner. In addition, for certain of our early-stage development programs, there may be a limited number of sites where it is feasible to run clinical trials, making such programs particularly susceptible to
delays caused by issues at those sites.
Furthermore, any negative results or new safety signals we may report in clinical trials of our product candidates may make it difficult or impossible to recruit and retain
patients in other clinical trials we are conducting or to resume enrolling patients once a paused clinical trial has been resumed. Similarly, negative results reported by our competitors about their drug candidates may negatively affect patient
recruitment in our clinical trials. Also, marketing authorization of competitors in this same class of drugs may impair our ability to enroll patients into our clinical trials, delaying or potentially preventing us from completing recruitment
of one or more of our trials.
Delays or failures in planned patient enrollment or retention may result in increased costs, program delays or both, which could have a harmful effect on our ability to develop
our product candidates, or could render further development impracticable. In addition, we expect to rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure proper and timely conduct of our future clinical trials, and, while we intend to enter into
agreements governing their services, we will be limited in our ability to compel their actual performance. Any such delays in our current or future clinical trials could have a material adverse impact on our operations and financial condition
and results.
The results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials may not support our proposed claims for our product candidates or regulatory approvals on a timely
basis or at all, and the results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future trial results.
Success in preclinical studies and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and we cannot be sure that the results of later clinical
trials will replicate the results of prior preclinical studies and earlier clinical trials. For example, we cannot assure you that the reductions in IgG antibodies and favorable analyte profile observed in our Phase 1 trial of IMVT-1402 will be
observed in future clinical trials, including pivotal trials necessary for regulatory approvals, or that such reductions in IgG antibodies will result in clinical benefits sufficient to demonstrate that the efficacy endpoints of the study are
met. Similarly, promising interim results or other preliminary analyses do not ensure that the clinical trial as a whole will be successful and may lack statistical significance, which would further limit the reliability of such interim or
preliminary data. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry, including biotechnology companies, have suffered significant setbacks in, or the discontinuation of, clinical trials, even after promising results were seen with their
product candidates in earlier preclinical studies or clinical trials. These setbacks have been caused by, among other things, preclinical findings made while clinical trials were underway and safety or efficacy observations made in clinical
trials, including previously unobserved adverse events.
The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials. Product candidates in
later stage clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy traits despite having progressed through preclinical and initial clinical trials. A future failure of a clinical trial to meet its pre-specified endpoints may cause us
to abandon development of the product candidate in question. Any delay in, or termination of, our clinical trials will prevent or delay the submission of an NDA or other similar applications to the FDA or other relevant comparable non-U.S.
regulatory authorities and, ultimately, our ability to commercialize our product candidates following regulatory approval, and generate product revenues. Even if our clinical trials are completed as planned, we cannot be certain that their
results will support our claims for differentiation or the effectiveness or safety of our product candidates. The FDA and other regulatory authorities, including the European Commission, the EMA and the MHRA, have substantial discretion in the
review and approval process and may disagree that our data support the differentiated claims we propose. In addition, only a small percentage of product candidates under development result in the submission of an NDA or other similar
application to the FDA and other comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities and even fewer are approved for commercialization.
Interim, preliminary or top-line data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data become available
and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.
From time to time, we may publicly disclose interim, preliminary or top-line data from our clinical trials, which are based on a preliminary analysis of then-available data.
These results and related findings and conclusions are subject to change following a full analysis of all data related to the particular trial.
We also make assumptions, estimations, calculations and conclusions as part of our analyses of data, and we may not have received or had the opportunity to fully and carefully
evaluate all data. As a result, the interim, preliminary and top-line results that we report may differ from future results of the same trials, or different conclusions or considerations may qualify such results, once additional data have been
received and fully evaluated. Top-line data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the top-line data we previously reported. As a result, interim, preliminary
and top-line data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available. Interim data are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues and more patient data
become available. Adverse differences between interim, preliminary or top-line data and final data could significantly harm our business prospects. Further, disclosure of preliminary or interim data by us or by our competitors could result in
increased volatility in the price of our shares.
Further, other parties, including our collaborators or regulatory agencies, may not accept or agree with our assumptions, estimates, calculations, conclusions or analyses or may
interpret or weigh the importance of data differently, which could impact the value of the particular program, the approvability or commercialization of a particular product candidate and our business in general. In addition, the information we
choose or are required to publicly disclose regarding a particular study or clinical trial is based on what is typically extensive information, and you or others may not agree with what we determine is the material or otherwise appropriate
information to include in our disclosure. Any information we determine not to disclose may ultimately be deemed significant with respect to future decisions, conclusions, views, activities or otherwise regarding a particular product, product
candidate or our business. If the interim, preliminary or top-line data that we report differ from later, final or actual results, or if others, including our collaborators or regulatory authorities, disagree with the conclusions reached, our
ability to obtain approval for and commercialize our product candidates and our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition may be harmed.
Changes in methods of product manufacturing or formulation may result in additional costs or delays.
As our product candidates proceed through the development process, it is common that various aspects of the development program, such as manufacturing methods and formulation,
are altered along the way in an effort to optimize processes and results. Such changes carry the risk that they will not achieve these intended objectives. Any of these changes could cause product candidates to perform differently and affect
the results of planned clinical trials or other future clinical trials conducted with the altered materials. Such changes may also require additional testing, FDA notification or FDA approval, or another regulatory authority’s notification or
approval, as applicable, since similar requirements apply in other jurisdictions. This could delay the completion, or result in the abandonment, of clinical trials, require the conduct of bridging clinical trials, the repetition of one or more
clinical trials, increase clinical trial costs, delay approval of our product candidates and jeopardize our ability to commence sales and generate revenues.
Risks Related to Regulatory Approval and Commercialization of Our Product Candidates
Obtaining approval of a new drug is an extensive, lengthy, expensive and inherently uncertain process, and the FDA or another regulatory authority may delay,
limit or deny approval. We cannot give any assurance that any of our product candidates will receive regulatory approval, which is necessary before they can be commercialized. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval in one or more
jurisdictions for any of our product candidates, our business will be substantially harmed.
We cannot commercialize a product candidate until the appropriate regulatory authorities have reviewed and approved the product candidate for commercial sale. Following the
completion of the Dermavant Transaction in October 2024, we no longer have any approved products in the U.S. or any other jurisdiction and there can be no assurance that we will be successful in obtaining regulatory approval in the U.S. and
other jurisdictions for any of our product candidates. In addition, we cannot be certain that any product candidates that receive regulatory approval will be successfully commercialized.
The time required to obtain approval by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities is unpredictable, typically takes many years following the commencement of clinical
trials, and depends upon numerous factors, including the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidate involved. In addition, approval policies, regulations or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change
during the course of a product candidate’s clinical development and may vary between jurisdictions, which may cause delays in the approval or the decision not to approve an application. Regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the
approval process and may refuse to accept any application or may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical or other studies.
Changes to the leadership at the FDA and other federal agencies under the Trump administration, as well as executive orders and other executive actions, such as a freeze on
hiring, the implementation of new regulations and certain external communications, may impact our clinical development and timelines. In particular, ongoing efforts by the Trump Administration to reduce the size of the FDA and other branches of
the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), including through reductions in staff, may further increase the unpredictability in approval timelines for our product candidates. For example, on February 11, 2025, President Trump issued an
executive order on workforce optimization, seeking to reduce the size of the federal workforce through large-scale reductions in force and by placing limitations on the number of new employee hires. Pursuant to this executive order, on March
27, 2025, HHS announced that it was initiating a restructuring of the department, including reducing the FDA’s workforce by approximately 3,500 full-time employees, which began on April 1, 2025. On July 8, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court granted
an application for a stay pertaining to an injunction entered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California regarding the HHS reduction in staff, and on July 14, 2025, HHS emailed certain employees to notify them of their
separation from HHS effective the same day. The termination of these employees has been preceded and accompanied by the resignation of senior leaders within the FDA, resulting in the loss of institutional knowledge and experience. Although the
full impact of these events remains unclear, we expect there will be an adverse effect on the FDA’s ability to efficiently carry out its functions, including conducting inspections and timely reviewing drug and biologic product applications,
and a potential impact on how it interprets and enforces its authorities.
Contributing to this uncertainty, in June 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the Chevron doctrine, which gave deference to
regulatory agencies’ statutory interpretations in litigation against federal government agencies, including the FDA, where the law is ambiguous. This landmark decision may invite more companies and other stakeholders to bring lawsuits against
the FDA to challenge longstanding decisions and policies, including the FDA’s statutory interpretations of market exclusivities and the “substantial evidence” requirements for drug approvals, which could undermine the FDA’s authority, lead to
greater uncertainty about the regulatory process in the pharmaceutical industry and disrupt the FDA’s normal operations, any of which could delay the FDA’s review of our regulatory submissions. We cannot predict the full impact of this
decision, future judicial challenges brought against the FDA, or the nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action. Further, we cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of
government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action or as a result of legal challenges, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the
adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, our business could be materially harmed.
Obtaining marketing approval of a new drug is an extensive, lengthy, expensive and inherently uncertain process and the FDA or other regulatory authorities may delay, limit or
deny approval of a product candidate for many reasons, including:
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we may not be able to demonstrate that a product candidate is safe and effective as a treatment for the targeted indications, and in the case of our product candidates regulated as biological products, that
the product candidate is safe, pure and potent for use in its targeted indication, to the satisfaction of the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities;
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a product candidate may be shown to have harmful side effects or other characteristics that indicate it is unlikely to be effective or otherwise does not meet applicable regulatory criteria;
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the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities may require additional pre-approval studies or clinical trials, which would increase costs and prolong development timelines;
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the results of clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical or clinical significance required by the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities for marketing approval;
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the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities may disagree with the number, design, size, conduct or implementation of clinical trials, including the design of proposed preclinical and early clinical trials
of any future product candidates;
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the CROs that we retain to conduct clinical trials may take actions outside of our control, or otherwise commit errors or breaches of protocols, that adversely impact the clinical trials and ability to obtain
marketing approvals;
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the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities may not find the data from nonclinical, preclinical studies or clinical trials sufficient to demonstrate that the clinical and other benefits of a product
candidate outweigh its safety risks;
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the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities may disagree with an interpretation of data or significance of results from nonclinical, preclinical studies or clinical trials or may require additional
studies;
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the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities may not accept data generated at clinical trial sites, including in situations where the authorities deem that the data was not generated in compliance with
GCP, ethical standards or applicable data protection laws;
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if an NDA, BLA or a similar application is referred for review by an advisory committee, the FDA or other relevant regulatory authority, as the case may be, may have difficulties scheduling an advisory
committee meeting in a timely manner or the advisory committee may recommend against approval of our application or may recommend that the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities, as the case may be, require, as a condition of
approval, additional nonclinical, preclinical studies or clinical trials, limitations on approved labeling or distribution and use restrictions;
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the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities may require development of a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (“REMS”) drug safety program or its equivalent, as a condition of approval;
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the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities may require additional post-marketing studies and patient registries for product candidates;
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the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities may find the chemistry, manufacturing and controls data insufficient to support the quality of our product candidates;
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the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities may identify deficiencies in the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers; or
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the FDA or other relevant regulatory authorities may change their approval policies or adopt new regulations.
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Our future success depends significantly on our ability to successfully complete clinical trials for our product candidates, obtain regulatory approval and then successfully
commercialize those product candidates. Any inability to successfully initiate, conduct or complete clinical trials could result in additional costs to us or impair our ability to generate revenue. In addition, if we make manufacturing or
formulation changes to our product candidates, we may be required to or we may elect to conduct additional nonclinical studies or clinical trials to bridge data obtained from our modified product candidates to data obtained from nonclinical and
clinical research conducted using earlier versions of these product candidates. Clinical trial delays could also shorten any periods during which our product candidates have patent protection and may allow our competitors to bring products to
market before we do, which could impair our ability to successfully commercialize product candidates and may harm our business and results of operations.
Our clinical trials may fail to demonstrate substantial evidence of the safety and efficacy of product candidates that we may identify and pursue for their
intended uses, which would prevent, delay or limit the scope of regulatory approval and commercialization.
Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any of our product candidates, we must demonstrate through lengthy, complex and expensive nonclinical studies,
preclinical studies and clinical trials that the applicable product candidate is both safe and effective for use in each target indication, and in the case of our product candidates regulated as biological products, that the product candidate
is safe, pure, and potent for use in its targeted indication. Each product candidate must demonstrate an adequate risk versus benefit profile in its intended patient population and for its intended use.
Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical development
process. The results of preclinical studies of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of early-stage or later-stage clinical trials, and results of early-stage clinical trials of our product candidates may not be predictive
of the results of later-stage clinical trials. The results of clinical trials in one set of patients or disease indications may not be predictive of those obtained in another set of patients or disease indications. In some instances, there can
be significant variability in safety or efficacy results between different clinical trials of the same product candidate due to numerous factors, including changes in trial procedures set forth in protocols, differences in the size and type of
the patient populations, changes in and adherence to the dosing regimen and other clinical trial protocols and the rate of dropout among clinical trial participants. Open-label extension studies may also extend the timing and increase the cost
of clinical development substantially. Product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy profile despite having progressed through preclinical studies and earlier stage clinical trials. A
number of companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or unacceptable safety issues, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. Most product
candidates that begin clinical trials are never approved by regulatory authorities for commercialization.
We cannot be certain that our current clinical trials or any other future clinical trials will be successful. Additionally, any safety concerns observed in any one of our
clinical trials in our targeted indications could limit the prospects for regulatory approval of our product candidates in those and other indications, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results
of operations. In addition, even if such clinical trials are successfully completed, we cannot guarantee that the FDA or comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities will interpret the results as we do, and more trials could be required before we
submit our product candidates for approval. Moreover, results acceptable to support approval in one jurisdiction may be deemed inadequate by another regulatory authority to support regulatory approval in that other jurisdiction. To the extent
that the results of the trials are not satisfactory to the FDA or comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities for support of a marketing application, we may be required to expend significant resources, which may not be available to us, to
conduct additional trials in support of potential approval of our product candidates. Even when regulatory approval is secured for a product candidate, the terms of such approval may limit the scope and use of the specific product candidate,
which may also limit its commercial potential.
Our product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could halt their clinical development, delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit
the scope of any approved label or market acceptance following regulatory approval or result in significant negative consequences.
Adverse events caused by or associated with our product candidates have caused us and could, in the future, cause us, our collaborators, other reviewing entities, clinical trial
sites or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in the denial of regulatory approval. Treatment-related side effects arising from, or those perceived to arise from, our product candidates or those
from other companies targeting similar diseases, could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete their participation in our clinical trials or result in potential product liability claims. We cannot predict
whether our product candidates will cause toxicities in humans that would preclude or delay successful completion of clinical trials. Additionally, these side effects may not be appropriately recognized or managed by the treating medical staff.
If an unacceptable frequency or severity of adverse events or new safety signals are reported in our clinical trials for our product candidates or any future product candidates, our ability to obtain regulatory approval for such product
candidates may be negatively impacted.
If one or more of our product candidates receives marketing approval, and we or others, including our collaborators, later identify undesirable side effects or adverse events
caused by such products, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including but not limited to:
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regulatory authorities may withdraw, revoke, suspend, vary or limit their approval of the product candidate or require a REMS (or equivalent outside the U.S.) to impose restrictions on its distribution or
other risk management measures;
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regulatory authorities may request or require that we recall a product candidate;
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additional restrictions being imposed on the distribution, marketing or manufacturing processes of our product candidates or any components thereof, including a “black box” warning or contraindication on
product labels or communications containing warnings or other safety information about the product candidate;
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regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, such as warnings or contraindications, require other labeling changes of a product candidate or require field alerts or other
communications to physicians, pharmacies or the public;
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we may be required to change the way a product candidate is administered or distributed, conduct additional clinical trials, change the labeling of a product candidate or conduct additional post-marketing
studies or surveillance;
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we may be required to repeat preclinical studies or clinical trials or terminate programs for a product candidate, even if other studies or trials related to the program are ongoing or have been successfully
completed;
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we may be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients, or may be subject to fines, restitution or disgorgement of profits or revenues;
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physicians may stop prescribing a product candidate;
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reimbursement may not be available for a product candidate;
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we may elect to discontinue the sale of a product candidate;
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our product candidates may become less competitive; and
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our reputation may suffer.
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Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular product candidate, if approved, substantially increase the costs of
commercializing our product candidates in the future following regulatory approval, and could significantly harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. We cannot predict whether our product candidates
will cause toxicities in humans that would preclude or lead to the revocation of regulatory approval based on nonclinical studies or clinical trials.
The regulatory approval processes of the FDA and comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable, and
gaining approval for a product candidate in one country or jurisdiction does not guarantee that we will be able to obtain approval for or commercialize it in any other jurisdiction, which would limit our ability to realize our full market
potential.
Prior to obtaining approval to commercialize a product candidate in any jurisdiction, we or our collaborators must demonstrate with substantial evidence from well-controlled
clinical trials, and to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities, that such product candidate is safe and effective and, as applicable, pure and potent for its intended use. Results from nonclinical studies and
clinical trials can be interpreted in different ways. Even if we believe the nonclinical or clinical data for a product candidate are promising, such data may not be sufficient to support approval by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. In
order to market any products in any particular jurisdiction, we must establish and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements on a country-by-country basis regarding safety and efficacy. Approval of a product candidate by the FDA
does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in any other country or jurisdiction outside the U.S. In addition, clinical trials conducted in one country, and the data generated therefrom, may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in
other countries, and regulatory approval in one country does not guarantee regulatory approval in any other country. Approval processes vary among countries and can involve additional product testing and validation, as well as additional
administrative review periods. Seeking regulatory approval could result in difficulties and costs for us and require additional nonclinical studies or clinical trials, which could be costly and time consuming. Regulatory requirements can vary
widely from country to country and could delay or prevent the introduction of our products in those countries. If we fail to comply with regulatory requirements in international markets or to obtain and maintain required approvals, or if
regulatory approvals in international markets are delayed, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of any product we develop will be unrealized.
FDA approval for a product candidate in the United States does not guarantee that we will be able to or that we will make efforts to obtain approval for or
commercialize our product candidates in any other jurisdiction, which would limit our ability to realize the product candidate’s full market potential.
In order to market any of our product candidates outside of the U.S., we must establish and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries regarding
safety and effectiveness. Clinical trials conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries, and regulatory approval in one country does not mean that regulatory approval will be obtained in any other
country. Approval processes vary among countries and can involve additional product testing and validation and additional or different administrative review periods from those in the U.S., including additional preclinical studies or clinical
trials, as clinical trials conducted in one jurisdiction may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions. In many jurisdictions outside the U.S., a product candidate must be approved for reimbursement before it can be sold
in that jurisdiction. In some cases, the price that we intend to charge for our product candidates is also subject to approval.
Seeking regulatory approval outside of the U.S. could result in difficulties and costs and require additional nonclinical studies or clinical trials which could be costly and
time-consuming. Regulatory requirements can vary widely from country to country and could delay or prevent the introduction of our product candidates in those countries. The regulatory approval process outside of the U.S. may include all of the
risks associated with obtaining FDA approval. We do not have any product candidates approved for sale in any jurisdiction, including international markets, and we do not have significant experience in obtaining regulatory approval in
international markets. If we fail to comply with regulatory requirements in international markets or to obtain and maintain required approvals, or if regulatory approval in international markets is delayed, our target market will be reduced and
our ability to realize the full market potential of our product candidates will be harmed.
Following regulatory approvals, our products will remain subject to extensive regulatory scrutiny.
Any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements, including for manufacturing processes,
post-approval clinical data, labeling, packaging, distribution, continuous supply, adverse event reporting, storage, recordkeeping, traceability, conduct of potential post-marketing studies and post-marketing submission requirements, export,
import, advertising and promotional activities for such product, among other things, will be subject to extensive and ongoing requirements of and review by the FDA and other regulatory authorities.
While healthcare professionals are free to use and prescribe drug products for off-label uses, the FDA and other foreign competent authorities strictly regulate manufacturers’
promotion of drug products. In particular, a product may not be promoted for uses that are not approved by the FDA as reflected in the FDA-approved labeling. A company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to
large civil and criminal fines, penalties and enforcement actions. The same rules on off-label promotion apply in the E.U. and the U.K. If we cannot successfully manage the promotion of our approved product candidates, we could become subject
to significant liability, which could materially adversely affect our business and financial condition.
Any regulatory approvals that we receive for our product candidates will be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the product may be marketed and
promoted or to the conditions of approval or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing. We will be required to report certain adverse reactions and production problems, if any, to the FDA and comparable foreign
regulatory authorities. Any new legislation addressing drug safety issues could result in delays in product development or commercialization, or increased costs to assure compliance. The FDA and other agencies, including the Department of
Justice, closely regulate and monitor the post-approval marketing and promotion of products to ensure that they are manufactured, marketed, and distributed only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the
approved labeling. We will have to comply with requirements concerning advertising and promotion for our products. Promotional communications with respect to prescription drugs are subject to a variety of legal and regulatory restrictions and
must be consistent with the information in the product’s approved label. In certain indications, regulatory approval may limit the market of a product candidate to target patient populations when patient selection biomarkers are used. In these
indications, regulatory authorities may require us to run additional clinical trials prior to expanding the label for approval that includes a broader patient population. As such, we may not promote our products for indications or uses for
which they do not have approval. The holder of an approved NDA, BLA or MAA must submit new or supplemental applications and obtain approval for certain changes to the approved product, product labeling, or manufacturing process. We could also
be asked to conduct post-marketing clinical trials to verify the safety and efficacy of our non-biologic products or the safety, purity and potency of our biologic products, in general or in specific patient subsets. The Food and Drug Omnibus
Reform Act reformed the accelerated approval pathway, such that the FDA is now required to specify conditions for post-approval study requirements and set forth procedures for the FDA to withdraw a product on an expedited basis for
non-compliance with post-approval requirements. An unsuccessful post-marketing study or failure to complete such a study could result in the withdrawal of marketing approval.
If a regulatory agency discovers previously unknown problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where
the product is manufactured, or disagrees with the promotion, marketing or labeling of a product, such regulatory agency may impose restrictions on that product or us, including requiring withdrawal of the product from the market. If we fail to
comply with applicable regulatory requirements, a regulatory agency or enforcement authority may, among other things, issue warning letters, impose penalties, suspend regulatory approvals or require a product recall. Any of these actions by a
regulatory agency could require us to expend significant time and resources, generate negative publicity and adversely affect the value of our company.
We may develop product candidates for the treatment of conditions for which there is little clinical experience and, in some cases, use new endpoints or
methodologies, and the FDA or other regulatory authorities may not consider the endpoints of these clinical trials to provide clinically meaningful results.
There may not be any pharmacologic therapies approved to treat certain conditions that we attempt to address, and there may be few clinical trials attempted and no approved
treatments for these conditions. As a result, the design and conduct of clinical trials of product candidates for the treatment of these conditions may take longer, be more costly or be more complicated to design due to the novelty of
development in these conditions; and even if the FDA or other regulatory authorities do find our success criteria to be sufficiently validated and clinically meaningful, we may not achieve the pre-specified endpoint to a degree of statistical
significance in our pivotal or other clinical trials. Further, even if we achieve the pre-specified criteria, our clinical trials may produce unpredictable or inconsistent results compared to the more traditional efficacy endpoints in the
trial. As a result, achieving regulatory approval for such product candidates could be more uncertain, more costly and more time-consuming, which could adversely effect our business.
Our failure to maintain or continuously improve our quality management program could have an adverse effect upon our business, subject us to regulatory
actions and cause patients to lose confidence in us or our product candidates, among other negative consequences.
Quality management plays an essential role in the manufacturing of drugs or drug products, conducting clinical trials, preventing defects, improving our product candidates and
services and assuring the safety and efficacy of our product candidates. We seek to maintain a robust quality management program which includes the following broad pillars of quality:
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monitoring and assuring regulatory compliance for clinical trials, manufacturing and testing of good applicable practice (“GxP”) (e.g., GCP, Good Laboratory Practices (“GLP”) and Good Manufacturing Practices
(“GMP”) regulated) products;
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monitoring and providing oversight of all GxP suppliers (e.g., contract development manufacturing organizations and CROs);
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establishing and maintaining an integrated, robust quality management system for clinical, manufacturing, supply chain and distribution operations; and
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cultivating a proactive, preventative quality culture and employee and supplier training to ensure quality.
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Our future success depends on our ability to maintain and continuously improve our quality management program. A quality or safety issue may result in adverse inspection
reports, warning letters, monetary sanctions, injunctions to halt manufacture and distribution of drugs or drug products, civil or criminal sanctions, costly litigation, refusal of a government to grant approvals and licenses, restrictions on
operations or withdrawal, suspension or variation of existing approvals and licenses. An inability to address a quality or safety issue in an effective and timely manner may also cause negative publicity, or a loss of patient confidence in us
or our product candidates, which may result in difficulty in successfully launching product candidates following regulatory approval and the loss of potential future sales, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
Breakthrough Therapy Designation, Fast Track Designation or Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA or similar status granted by other relevant regulatory
authorities, even if granted for any product candidate, may not lead to a faster development, regulatory review or approval process, and does not necessarily increase the likelihood that any product candidate will receive marketing approval in
the United States or other jurisdictions.
We have sought, or may in the future seek, Breakthrough Therapy Designation, Fast Track Designation or Orphan Drug Designation for certain of our product candidates. For
example, in July 2021, Immunovant was granted orphan drug designation in the U.S. by the FDA for batoclimab for the treatment of MG and, in August 2022, it received orphan drug designation from the European Commission for batoclimab for the
treatment of MG. Immunovant plans to seek orphan drug designation from the FDA for IMVT-1402 where there is a medically plausible basis for IMVT-1402’s use. Immunovant may also seek orphan drug designation for IMVT-1402 for the treatment of
other indications in the E.U. In addition, in September 2024, Priovant announced that brepocitinib has been granted Fast Track Designation from FDA for NIU. We may seek similar designations for other of our product candidates in the future
where there is a basis for doing so.
A breakthrough therapy is defined as a therapy that is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other therapies, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or
condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the therapy may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in
clinical development. For therapies that have been designated as breakthrough therapies, interaction and communication between the FDA and the sponsor of the trial can help to identify the most efficient path for clinical development while
minimizing the number of patients placed on potentially less efficacious control regimens. Therapies designated as breakthrough therapies by the FDA may also be eligible for priority review and accelerated approval. Designation as a
breakthrough therapy is within the discretion of the FDA. Accordingly, even if we believe a product candidate meets the criteria for designation as a breakthrough therapy, the FDA may disagree and instead determine not to make such designation.
In any event, the receipt of a Breakthrough Therapy Designation for a product candidate may not result in a faster development process, review or approval compared to therapies considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures and does
not assure ultimate approval by the FDA. In addition, even if a product candidate qualifies as a breakthrough therapy, the FDA may later decide that such product candidate no longer meets the conditions for qualification or decide that the time
period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened.
Recently, there has been heightened scrutiny of the accelerated approval pathway, with some stakeholders advocating for reform. The HHS Office of Inspector General has completed
an assessment of how the FDA implements the accelerated approval pathway. In addition, Section 3210 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, revised the accelerated approval pathway. Although this legislation did not change the standard
for accelerated approval, it, among other things, requires the FDA to specify the conditions for required post-marketing trials, permits the FDA to require such trials to be underway prior to, or within a specific period after, approval,
requires sponsors to provide reports on post-marketing trial progress no later than 180 days after approval and every 180 days thereafter until such trials are completed, makes the failure to conduct required post-marketing trials with due
diligence and the failure to submit the required reports prohibited acts, and details procedures the FDA must follow to withdraw an accelerated approval on an expedited basis. We understand that FDA approval letters to products granted
accelerated approval subsequent to passage of this legislation are including language that informs the sponsor that they are required to submit status reports of the progress of each requirement no later than 180 days post-approval and every
180 days thereafter and that the FDA is otherwise exercising its new authorities. The FDA has also been issuing guidance documents regarding the accelerated approval pathway. At this time, it is not clear what impact, if any, these developments
may have on our business, financial condition results of operations or prospects.
If a therapy is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition and the therapy demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for this
condition, the therapy sponsor may apply for Fast Track Designation. The FDA has broad discretion whether or not to grant this designation, so even if we believe a particular product candidate is eligible for this designation, we cannot assure
you that the FDA would decide to grant it. Even if we do receive Fast Track Designation, we may not necessarily experience a faster development process, review or approval compared to conventional FDA procedures. The FDA may withdraw Fast Track
Designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program. Fast Track Designation alone does not guarantee qualification for the FDA’s priority review procedures.
The FDA also recently announced the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher and pilot program, designed to accelerate the development and review of certain drugs and biological
products that are aligned with U.S. national health priorities and to enhance the health interests of Americans. Specific priorities include addressing a U.S. public health crisis, addressing a large unmet need and increasing affordability,
among others. The pilot program is limited in scope: the FDA intends to select no more than five companies during the initial pilot year. Companies selected for the program will be issued a voucher entitling the company to benefits including
enhanced communications and rolling review to allow for a shortened review time.
Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the U.S., the U.K. and the European Economic Area (the “EEA”), may designate drugs and biologics for relatively small
patient populations as orphan drugs. In the U.S., the FDA may designate a drug or biologic as an orphan drug if it is intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is defined as a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000
individuals annually in the U.S. or for which there is no reasonable expectation that costs of research and development of the drug for the disease or condition can be recovered by sales of the drug in the U.S. Generally, if a product with an
orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to a period of marketing exclusivity, which precludes the FDA from approving another
marketing application for the same drug or biologic for the same orphan indication for that time period. In the U.S., in order for a product to receive orphan drug exclusivity, FDA must not have previously approved a drug considered the same
drug for the same orphan indication, or the subsequent drug must be shown to be clinically superior to such a previously approved same drug. The applicable period of marketing exclusivity is seven years in the U.S. A similar market exclusivity
scheme exists in the EEA. The European Commission, on the basis of a scientific opinion by the EMA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products grants Orphan Drug Designation to promote the development of products that are intended for the
diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting not more than five in 10,000 persons in the E.U. Additionally, designation is granted for products intended for the diagnosis, prevention
or treatment of a life-threatening, seriously debilitating or serious and chronic condition when, without incentives, it is unlikely that sales of the drug in the E.U. would be sufficient to justify the necessary investment in developing the
drug or biological product. In any event, Orphan Drug Designation is granted only if there is no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment, or, if such a method exists, the medicine must be of significant benefit to those
affected by the condition. Orphan designation in the E.U. entitles a party to certain benefits, such as scientific assistance (protocol assistance), financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers and ten years of market
exclusivity following drug or biological product approval. This orphan market exclusivity period prevents the European Commission, EMA and the competent authorities of the E.U. Member States from accepting an application or granting marketing
authorization for any similar medicinal product intended for the same orphan indication. The orphan market exclusivity applies in parallel to the “normal” data and market exclusivity in the EEA, whereby no company can make reference to (rely
on) the innovator drug company’s preclinical and clinical data in order to obtain a marketing authorization for eight years from the date of the first approval of the innovator drug in the EEA and no generic or biosimilar drug can be marketed
for ten years from the first approval of the innovator drug in the EEA; the innovator drug may qualify for an extra year’s protection. This additional one year of marketing exclusivity may be obtained where the innovator company is granted,
during the first eight years of the ten years market exclusivity, a marketing authorization for a significant new indication for the relevant medicinal product. In such a situation, the generic or biosimilar company can only market their
product after 11 years from the first grant of the innovator company’s marketing authorization for the product in the EEA.
Orphan drug exclusivity may be lost if the FDA or EMA determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient
quantity of the drug or biologic to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition. In the EEA, orphan drug designation, and the related benefits, may be lost if it is established before the market authorization is granted that
the designation criteria are no longer met. Further, in response to Catalyst Pharms., Inc. v. Becerra, a 2021 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the FDA clarified in a
January 2023 notice that the FDA intends to continue to apply its longstanding interpretation of the regulations to matters outside of the scope of the Catalyst order – that is, the agency will continue tying the scope of orphan-drug
exclusivity to the uses or indications for which a drug is approved, which permits other sponsors to obtain approval of a drug for new uses or indications within the same orphan designated disease or condition that have not yet been approved.
It is unclear how future litigation, legislation, agency decisions and administrative actions will impact the scope of the orphan drug exclusivity.
Moreover, the ten year orphan market exclusivity in the EEA may be reduced to six years if the orphan drug designation criteria are no longer met at the end of the fifth year
since grant of the approval, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity.
In April 2023, as part of the E.U. Pharmaceutical Strategy, the European Commission published a proposal for a comprehensive revision of the E.U. pharmaceutical legislation
(which will not apply in the U.K.). If adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, the new legislation is likely to significantly change the regulatory regime applicable to both the “normal” data and market exclusivity and the orphan
exclusivities and reduce/modulate the exclusivities and rewards that could be granted to medicinal products. In addition, the proposal envisages changes to the concept of unmet medical need and considers introducing novel rewards for orphan
medicinal products addressing a high unmet medical need. The adoption of the new legislation is not expected before the end of 2025 at the earliest and it is expected to start to apply in 2027 or 2028.
In June 2016, the electorate in the United Kingdom voted in favor of leaving the European Union (commonly referred to as Brexit). Thereafter, in March 2017, the country formally
notified the European Union of its intention to withdraw pursuant to Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. The United Kingdom formally left the European Union in January 2020. A transition period began in February 2020, during which E.U.
pharmaceutical law remained applicable in the United Kingdom. However, this ended in December 2020. In December 2020, the United Kingdom and European Union signed the Trade and Cooperation Agreement which includes an agreement on free trade
between the two parties, although provides minimal provisions on medicinal products. Since that time, Great Britain operated a separate regulatory regime for medicinal products, although Northern Ireland continued to follow E.U. law. Further,
in March 2023, an agreement was reached by the U.K. and E.U. (the “Windsor Agreement”), relating to post-Brexit trade issues in Northern Ireland, which has applied from January 2025. This seeks to simplify the supply of medicines between Great
Britain and Northern Ireland and means E.U. legislation does not apply in all cases in Northern Ireland. Since the regulatory framework in the United Kingdom covering the quality, safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products, clinical trials,
marketing authorizations, commercial sales, and distribution of pharmaceutical products is derived from E.U. Directives and Regulations, Brexit could materially impact the future regulatory regime which applies to products and the approval of
product candidates in the United Kingdom, as the U.K. legislation now has the potential to diverge from E.U. legislation. This continues to impact regulatory requirements for medicinal products and devices in the United Kingdom. The MHRA has
published detailed guidance for industry and organizations on the position in the United Kingdom, and continues to update this as the United Kingdom’s regulatory position on medicinal products and medical devices evolves. There are also a
number of ongoing consultations on the future legislation in the U.K., in particular in relation to the clinical trials and medical devices frameworks in the U.K.
Following Brexit, a separate process for orphan drug designation applies to the U.K. There is no pre-marketing authorization orphan designation step required (as there is in the
EEA), and the application for orphan designation will be reviewed by the MHRA at the time of the marketing authorization application. The criteria are the same as in the EEA, save that they apply to the U.K. only (e.g., there must be no
satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of the condition concerned in the U.K.). Following the application of the Windsor Agreement on January 1, 2025, authorization of orphan products by the MHRA covers the whole of the U.K.
If we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different drugs can be approved for the
same condition. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA or the European Commission or MHRA can subsequently approve the same drug for a different condition or the same condition if the FDA or the EMA or the MHRA concludes that the later
drug is clinically superior in that it is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care. In the EEA and U.K., a marketing authorization may also be granted, for the same therapeutic indication, to a competitor
with a similar medicinal product during the exclusivity period if we are unable to supply sufficient quantities of the medicinal product for which we received marketing authorization. Moreover, our orphan exclusivity and “normal” data and
market exclusivities may be modulated or shortened if we submit an application for marketing authorization for an orphan medicinal product after the start of application of the new E.U. pharmaceutical legislation, as discussed above.
Receipt of marketing approval for our product candidates does not guarantee that they will achieve market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party
payors or others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.
The commercial success of our product candidates, once regulatory approval has been received, will depend upon their degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients,
third-party payors and others in the medical community. Receipt of marketing approval for our product candidates does not guarantee that they will gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, healthcare payors and others in the
medical community. The degree of market acceptance for our product candidates will depend on a number of factors, including:
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the efficacy and potential advantages compared to alternative treatments;
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the ability to offer these products for sale at competitive prices;
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the ability to offer appropriate patient financial assistance programs, such as commercial insurance co-pay assistance;
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convenience and ease of dosing and administration compared to alternative treatments;
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the clinical indications for which the product candidate is approved by FDA or comparable non-U.S. regulatory agencies;
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product labeling or product insert requirements of the FDA or other comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities, including any limitations, contraindications or warnings contained in a product’s approved
labeling;
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restrictions on how the product candidate is dispensed or distributed;
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the timing of market introduction of competitive products;
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publicity and health authority communications concerning our product candidates or competing products and treatments;
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the strength of marketing and distribution support;
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product cost and sufficient third-party insurance coverage or reimbursement, and patients’ willingness to pay out-of-pocket in the absence of third-party coverage or adequate reimbursement; and
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safety and the prevalence and severity of any side effects or adverse events.
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Even if a product candidate displays a favorable efficacy and safety profile in clinical trials, market acceptance will be unknown until after it is launched. Our efforts to
educate the medical community and third-party payors on the benefits of our products may require significant resources and may never be successful.
If approved, our product candidates regulated as biologics may face competition from biosimilars approved through an abbreviated regulatory pathway.
The Affordable Care Act includes a subtitle called the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (the “BPCIA”), which created an abbreviated approval pathway under
section 351(k) of the PHSA for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA-licensed reference biological product. Under the BPCIA, a section 351(k) application for a biosimilar or interchangeable product may not be
submitted to the FDA until four years following the date that the reference product was first licensed by the FDA. In addition, the approval of a biosimilar or interchangeable product may not be made effective by the FDA until 12 years from the
date on which the reference product was first licensed. During this 12-year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full BLA for the competing product submitted
under section 351(a) of the PHSA containing the competing sponsor’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of the other company’s product. The law is complex
and is still being interpreted and implemented by the FDA and the FDA only approved the first interchangeable biosimilar in July 2021. As a result, its ultimate impact, implementation and meaning are subject to uncertainty. In addition, the
Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, which incorporated the framework from the Creating and Restoring Equal Access To Equivalent Samples legislation, purports to promote competition in the market for drugs and biological products by
facilitating the timely entry of lower-cost generic and biosimilar versions of those drugs and biological products, including by allowing generic drug, 505(b)(2) NDA or biosimilar developers to obtain access to branded drug and biological
product samples. Its provisions do have the potential to facilitate the development and future approval of biosimilar versions of our product candidates, introducing biosimilar competition that could have a material adverse impact on our
business, financial condition and results of operations.
Whether approval of a biological product qualifies for reference product exclusivity turns on whether the FDA consider the approval a “first licensure.” Not every licensure of a
biological product is considered a “first licensure” that gives rise to its own exclusivity period. Our product candidates approved as a biological product under a BLA may qualify for the 12-year period of exclusivity. However, there is a risk
that this exclusivity could be shortened due to congressional action or otherwise. The extent to which a biosimilar, once licensed, will be substituted for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic
substitution for non-biological products is variable, and will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors. If competitors are able to obtain marketing approval for biosimilars referencing our product candidates, our products may
become subject to competition from such biosimilars, with the attendant competitive pressure and consequences.
Any future commercialization efforts will be dependent on sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, including agreements with third parties to sell,
market and distribute our product candidates.
In order to effectively market our product candidates following regulatory approval, we must successfully employ our sales, distribution, marketing and related capabilities or
make arrangements with third parties to perform these services. Our Vants with product candidates in late-stage clinical development, including Immunovant and Priovant, do not currently have a sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure,
and would expect to build such a function, or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services in connection with the commercialization of one of their product candidates following regulatory approval.
There are risks involved with both establishing and maintaining internal commercial capabilities and entering into arrangements with third parties to perform these services. For
example, recruiting and training a sales force or reimbursement specialists is expensive and time consuming and could delay any product launch. If the commercial launch of a product candidate for which we recruit a sales force and establish
marketing and other commercialization capabilities is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses. This may be costly, and our investment would be lost if we
cannot retain or reposition commercialization personnel. The costs associated with a sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure may exceed the net revenues we are able to generate from the sale of a product candidate following regulatory
approval.
Factors that may inhibit our efforts to commercialize a product candidate, if approved, on our own include:
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the inability to recruit and retain adequate numbers of effective sales, marketing, reimbursement, customer service, medical affairs and other support personnel;
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the inability of sales personnel to obtain access to physicians or persuade adequate numbers of physicians to prescribe any future approved products;
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the inability of reimbursement professionals to negotiate arrangements for formulary access, reimbursement and other acceptance by payors;
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the inability to price products at a sufficient price point to ensure an adequate and attractive level of profitability;
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restricted or closed distribution channels that make it difficult to distribute our products to segments of the patient population;
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the lack of complementary products to be offered by sales personnel, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies with more extensive product lines; and
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unforeseen costs and expenses associated with creating an independent commercialization organization.
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If we or the Vants are unable to build an internal sales force or negotiate a collaborative relationship for the commercialization of a product candidate following regulatory
approval, it could result in a delay to, or reduce the effectiveness of, our commercialization efforts. This could adversely impact the product revenues generated from a product candidate following regulatory approval.
If we decide to fund commercialization activities ourselves, we may need to obtain additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we do
not have sufficient funds, we will not be able to bring a product candidate to market or generate product revenues. We could enter into arrangements with collaborative partners at an earlier stage than otherwise would be ideal and we may be
required to relinquish certain rights to a product candidate or otherwise agree to terms unfavorable to us, any of which may have an adverse effect on our business, operating results and prospects. If we enter into arrangements with third
parties to perform sales, marketing, commercial support and distribution services, our product revenues, including net revenues, may be lower than if we were to market and sell a product candidate through an internal sales force. In addition,
we may not be successful in entering into arrangements with third parties to commercialize our product candidates or may be unable to do so on terms that are favorable to us. We may have little control over such third parties, and any of them
may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our product candidates effectively or may expose us to legal and regulatory risk by not adhering to regulatory requirements and restrictions governing the sale and
promotion of prescription drug products, including those restricting off-label promotion. If we do not establish commercialization capabilities successfully, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we will not be successful in
commercializing our product candidates following regulatory approvals, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our current and future relationships with investigators, healthcare professionals, consultants, third-party payors, patient support, charitable
organizations, customers, and others are subject to applicable healthcare regulatory laws, which could expose us to penalties and other risks.
Our business operations and current and potential future arrangements with investigators, healthcare professionals, consultants, third-party payors, patient support, charitable
organizations, customers and others, expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations. These laws regulate the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we conduct our
operations, including how we research, market, sell and distribute our product candidates following regulatory approvals. Such laws include, without limitation:
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the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which is a criminal law that prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration,
directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward, or in return for, either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, lease, order or recommendation of, any good, facility, item or service, for which payment may
be made, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare program (such as Medicare and Medicaid). The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted by the federal government to include anything of value. Although there are a number
of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting certain activities from prosecution, the exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly, and arrangements may be subject to scrutiny or penalty if they do not fully satisfy
all elements of an available exception or safe harbor. Practices that involve remuneration that may be alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchases or recommendations may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an
exception or safe harbor. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation; in addition, the government may assert that a claim
including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act. Violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute may result in
civil monetary penalties up to $100,000 for each violation. Civil penalties for such conduct can further be assessed under the federal False Claims Act. Violations can also result in criminal penalties, including criminal fines and
imprisonment of up to 10 years. Similarly, violations can result in exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid;
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the federal false claims laws, including the False Claims Act, which imposes civil penalties, including through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, against individuals or entities for knowingly presenting,
or causing to be presented, to the federal government, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent; knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim; or
knowingly making or causing to be made, a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. The False Claims Act provides for suit by the federal government or private parties (qui tam relator) and when an entity is determined to have violated the federal civil False Claims Act, the government may impose significant civil fines and penalties for each false claim or
statement for penalties assessed after January 30, 2023, plus treble damages, and exclude the entity from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs;
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the federal health care fraud statute (established by HIPAA), which imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to
defraud any healthcare benefit program or making false or fraudulent statements relating to healthcare matters; similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or
specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation;
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the Administrative Simplification provisions of HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”), and their implementing regulations, which impose
obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security, and transmission of individually identifiable health information on health plans, health care clearinghouses, and most healthcare
providers (collectively, “covered entities”), and such covered entities’ “business associates,” defined as independent contractors or agents of covered entities that create, receive or obtain personally identifiable health information
in connection with providing a service for or on behalf of the covered entity;
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various privacy, cybersecurity and data protection laws, rules and regulations at the international, federal, state and local level, which impose obligations with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security,
and cross-border transmission of personally identifiable data, including personal health information;
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the federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which authorizes the imposition of substantial civil monetary penalties against an entity that engages in activities including, among others (1) knowingly presenting,
or causing to be presented, a claim for services not provided as claimed or that is otherwise false or fraudulent in any way; (2) arranging for or contracting with an individual or entity that is excluded from participation in federal
health care programs to provide items or services reimbursable by a federal health care program; (3) violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute; or (4) failing to report and return a known overpayment;
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the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which requires certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s
Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) to report annually to the government information related to payments or other “transfers of value” made to physicians, certain other healthcare providers and teaching hospitals, and
requires applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations to report annually to the government ownership and investment interests held by the physicians described above and their immediate family members and payments or other
“transfers of value” to such physician owners (covered manufacturers are required to submit reports to the government by the 90th day of each calendar year);
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analogous state and E.U. and foreign national laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to our business practices, including but not limited to, research,
distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers, or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to
healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by
the federal government, and state laws that require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures;
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U.S. federal drug price reporting and government contracting statutes and regulations, the violation of which can lead to civil penalties, debarment and enforcement under the federal False Claims Act, and
certain local and state laws that require disclosures to state agencies or boards and commercial purchasers, for example, with respect to certain price increases, some of which contain ambiguous requirements that government officials
have not yet clarified; and
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E.U. and foreign national laws prohibiting promotion of prescription-only medicinal products to individuals other than healthcare professionals, governing strictly all aspects of interactions with healthcare
professionals and healthcare organizations, including prior notification, review and approval of agreements with healthcare professionals, and requiring public disclosure of transfers of value made to a broad range of stakeholders,
including healthcare professionals, healthcare organizations, medical students, physicians associations, patient organizations and editors of specialized press.
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Efforts to ensure that our current and future business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial
costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations, agency guidance or case law involving applicable healthcare laws. If our operations are
found to be in violation of any of these or any other applicable health regulatory laws that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant penalties, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties,
damages, monetary fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal or state healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future
earnings, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement and curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to
operate our business and our results of operations. Even the mere issuance of a subpoena, civil investigative demand or the fact of an investigation alone, regardless of the merit, may result in negative publicity, a drop in our share price and
other harm to our business, financial condition and our results of operations. Defending against any such actions can be costly, time-consuming and may require significant financial and personnel resources. Therefore, even if we are successful
in defending against any such actions that may be brought against us, our business may be impaired.
Healthcare legislative and regulatory measures aimed at reducing healthcare costs may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of
operations.
The U.S. and many other jurisdictions have enacted or proposed legislative and regulatory changes affecting the healthcare system that could restrict or regulate post-approval
activities for our product candidates, affect our ability to profitably sell our product candidates following regulatory approval and prevent or delay marketing approval of our product candidates. Changes in regulations, statutes or the
interpretation of existing regulations could impact our business in the future by requiring, for example: (i) changes to our manufacturing arrangements; (ii) additions or modifications to product labeling; (iii) the recall or discontinuation of
our products; or (iv) additional record-keeping requirements. If any such changes were to be imposed, they could adversely affect the operation of our business. Moreover, as discussed above, the removal of the Richardson Waiver may impact our
ability to meaningfully engage in any rulemaking for which HHS does not engage in the notice-and-comment process.
Additionally, the Trump Administration may pursue new or different drug pricing, trade and tariff, social and other policy objectives from prior administrations, which
introduces further uncertainty as to how future legislative or regulatory changes may impact our business. For example, within his initial days in office, President Trump issued an executive order repealing former President Biden’s executive
order 14087, which directed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test new payment models that would lower drug costs and promote access to innovative drug therapies for Medicare
and Medicaid beneficiaries. In addition, the Trump Administration published an executive order 14273 titled “Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First.” Generally, this executive order instructs HHS to recommend ways to lower
drug prices. The Trump Administration also renewed the idea of international referencing pricing through the May 2025 executive order 14297 titled “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients.” Among other
things, this executive order directs the Secretary of HHS to communicate most-favored-nation price targets to manufacturers and propose a rulemaking plan to impose most-favored-nation pricing if “significant progress” is not made towards
achieving such pricing. It also states that the Administration will take additional aggressive action should manufacturers fail to offer American consumers the most-favored-nation lowest price. It is not clear if and how these executive orders
will impact our business. It also is possible that specific related, subsequent actions and/or proposals are forthcoming. Additionally, President Trump also took executive action to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives among
public-sector contractors and grantees. Moreover, the Trump Administration is prioritizing efforts to restructure HHS, including substantial reductions in workforce. It is not clear how this restructuring of HHS will impact our business.
Finally, the Trump Administration has imposed broad tariffs on foreign imports, which in many cases has caused other nations to levy reciprocal tariffs on goods manufactured in the United States. It also is possible that specific tariffs on
pharmaceuticals are forthcoming. These measures could impact our costs for raw materials and manufacturing as well as the market for our future products. Some of these policy changes may be subject to litigation, increasing the uncertainty of
their effects on our business.
There has been increasing legislative and enforcement interest in the U.S. with respect to drug pricing practices. Notably, the U.S. government enacted the Inflation Reduction
Act of 2022 (the “IRA”), the implementation and scope of which is subject to change through ongoing and future regulatory processes and rulemaking, and which could result in additional rebate payments for certain products, adversely affect the
pricing of healthcare products and services in the U.S. and implement price limitations or otherwise restrict the amount of reimbursement available from governmental agencies or third-party payors. In addition, the IRA includes provisions that
generally require manufacturers of Medicare Part B and Part D rebatable drugs to pay inflation rebates to the Medicare program if pricing metrics associated with their products increase faster than the rate of inflation. The impact of the IRA
on research and development, the pharmaceutical supply chain and other aspects of our business and industry remains uncertain and difficult to predict. There are several ongoing legal challenges to the IRA’s drug price negotiation program, and
we cannot predict the outcome of these cases or the impact they could have on implementation of the law. Over time, the IRA could increase our government discount and rebate liabilities, reduce the revenues we are able to collect from sales of
our products as well as present challenges for payor negotiations and formulary access. However, the degree of impact that the IRA will ultimately have upon our business remains unclear at this time. Various industry stakeholders, including
pharmaceutical companies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, have initiated lawsuits against the federal government asserting that the price negotiation provisions of the IRA are
unconstitutional. The impact of these judicial changes, future litigation brought in view of the Supreme Court’s overrule of the Chevron doctrine, legislative, executive and administrative actions and any future healthcare measures and agency
rules implemented by the government on us and the pharmaceutical industry as a whole is unclear.
There also have been and continue to be a number of other federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives to contain healthcare costs, including costs for
pharmaceuticals. For example, as discussed in detail above, the ACA substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers, and significantly impacted the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.
Individual states in the U.S. have also increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including
price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk
purchasing, such as in Colorado and Florida, as discussed in detail above. Moreover, the Trump Administration may renew its prior proposals to establish price caps based on pricing in foreign countries or pursue other pricing initiatives that
tie drug prices in the United States to those available abroad. Legally mandated price controls on payment amounts by third-party payors or other restrictions could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. In
addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare
programs. This could reduce the ultimate demand for our product candidates following regulatory approval or put pressure on the pricing of our product candidates.
Additionally, U.S. regulators continue to pursue policies designed to lower drug costs for federal programs and patients. In May 2019, the CMS, issued a final rule to allow
Medicare Advantage Plans the option of using step therapy, a type of prior authorization, for Part B drugs beginning January 1, 2020. Additionally, on November 20, 2020, HHS finalized a regulation removing safe harbor protection for price
reductions from pharmaceutical manufacturers to plan sponsors under Part D, either directly or through pharmacy benefit managers, unless the price reduction is required by law. This rulemaking also created a new safe harbor for price reductions
reflected at the point-of-sale, as well as a safe harbor for certain fixed fee arrangements between pharmacy benefit managers and manufacturers. However, Congress has adopted various delays on the implementation or enforcement of the rule,
including a postponement until January 2032 under the IRA.
On December 31, 2020, CMS enacted a final rule that, among other things, expanded the scope of drug products that may be considered “line extensions” subject to inflationary
rebates under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. On September 26, 2024, CMS published a Medicaid Drug Rebate Program final rule, which, among other things, amends the definitions of a “covered outpatient drug,” adds regulations and penalties for
drug product misclassifications, including failure to report pricing and product information in a timely manner, and limits the period for manufacturers to initiate disputes concerning state-invoiced utilization data. These changes have
generally taken effect since November 2024 and could significantly increase manufacturer rebate liability, expand the scope of products subject to Medicaid rebates, and subject manufacturer drug pricing practices to further scrutiny. On July
14, 2025, CMS issued a Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, which if finalized, would, among other things, restrict whether certain fees should be considered bona fide service fees, increase bona fide service fee documentation
requirements, define “bundled arrangement,” require “unbundling” of both contingent and non-contingent discounts and include sales of Part B units at the Maximum Fair Price in average sales price calculations. These changes, if finalized, could
lower reimbursement for Medicare Part B utilization and require manufacturers to comply with new, uncertain or complex reporting obligations and drug pricing documentation practices.
Moreover, upcoming legislative and policy changes in the E.U. and the U.K., some of which may materialize in the near term, are aimed at increasing accessibility and
affordability of medicinal products, as well as at increased cooperation between the E.U. Member States. Such initiatives may further impact the price and reimbursement status of our products in the future.
There have been, and likely will continue to be, legislative and regulatory proposals at the national and state levels in jurisdictions around the world directed at containing
or lowering the cost of healthcare, including prescription drugs. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability through product revenue or
commercialize our product candidates following regulatory approval. Such reforms could have an adverse effect on anticipated revenue from our product candidates following regulatory approval and may affect our overall financial condition and
ability to develop future product candidates and obtain marketing approval for those product candidates. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed
care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare and impose price controls may adversely affect:
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the demand for our product candidates following regulatory approval;
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our ability to receive or set a price that we believe is fair for our product candidates following regulatory approval;
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our ability to generate revenue and achieve sustained profitability; and
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the amount of taxes that we are required to pay.
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We expect that healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future, may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding, more rigorous coverage
criteria, lower reimbursement and new payment methodologies. This could lower the price that we receive for our product candidates following regulatory approval. Any denial in coverage or reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other
government-funded programs may result in a similar denial or reduction in payments from private payors, which may prevent us from being able to generate sufficient revenue, attain sustained profitability or successfully commercialize our
product candidates following regulatory approval.
Coverage and adequate reimbursement may not be available for our product candidates following regulatory approval, which could make it difficult for us to
profitably sell our product candidates.
Market acceptance and sales of our product candidates following regulatory approval will depend in part on the extent to which coverage and adequate reimbursement for these
product candidates will be available from third-party payors, including government health administration authorities and private health insurers. The pricing and reimbursement of our product candidates following regulatory approval must be
adequate to support the costs associated with commercialization efforts. If we are unable to obtain adequate levels of reimbursement, our ability to successfully market and sell our product candidates following regulatory approval, will be
adversely affected. The manner and level at which reimbursement is provided for services related to our product candidates (e.g., for administration of our products to patients) is also important. Inadequate reimbursement for such services may
lead to physician resistance and adversely affect our ability to market or sell our product candidates following regulatory approval. There is no assurance that our product candidates will achieve adequate coverage and reimbursement levels.
In the U.S., no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement exists among third-party payors. Third-party payors decide which drugs they will pay for and establish reimbursement
levels. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own coverage and reimbursement policies. However, decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided
for any product candidate following regulatory approval will be made on a plan-by-plan basis. For example, one payor’s determination to provide coverage does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage and adequate reimbursement for
the same product candidate, and payors may periodically review and change their coverage and reimbursement rates. Additionally, a third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be
approved. Each plan determines whether or not it will provide coverage, what amount it will pay the manufacturer, on what tier of its formulary the drug will be placed and whether to require step therapy. The position of a drug on a formulary
generally determines the co-payment that a patient will need to make to obtain the drug and can strongly influence the adoption of a drug by patients and physicians. Patients who are prescribed treatments for their conditions and providers
prescribing such services generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the associated healthcare costs. Patients are unlikely to use our product candidates following regulatory approval unless coverage is provided and
reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of the product candidate. Further, from time to time, typically on an annual basis, payment rates are updated and revised by third-party payors. Such updates could impact the
demand for our product candidates to the extent that patients who are prescribed our product candidates following regulatory approval are not separately reimbursed for the cost of the product candidate.
The process for determining whether a third-party payor will provide coverage for a drug may be separate from the process for setting the price or for establishing the reimbursement rate that such a
payor will pay. Even if we obtain adequate levels of reimbursement, third-party payors, such as government or private healthcare insurers, carefully review and increasingly question the coverage of, and challenge the prices charged for,
products. A primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Many payors continue to adopt benefit plan changes that shift a greater portion of prescription costs to patients, including more limited benefit plan
designs, higher patient co-pay or co-insurance obligations and limitations on patients’ use of commercial manufacturer co-pay payment assistance programs. Significant consolidation in the health insurance industry has resulted in a few large
insurers and pharmacy benefit managers exerting greater pressure in pricing and usage negotiations with drug manufacturers, significantly increasing discounts and rebates required of manufacturers and limiting patient access and usage.
Further consolidation among insurers, pharmacy benefit managers and other payors would increase the negotiating leverage such entities have over us and other drug manufacturers. Additional discounts, rebates, coverage or plan changes,
restrictions or exclusions as described above could have a material adverse effect on sales of our affected products, particularly our therapeutic products or those that are individualized for a particular patient.
We may also be required to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies to justify the coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular drugs. Target patient populations for some of our product
candidates may be small. The pricing and reimbursement of our product candidates, if approved, must be adequate to support commercial infrastructure. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for any product that we
commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Inadequate coverage and reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any product candidate following regulatory approval. If coverage and
adequate reimbursement are not available, or are available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any product candidate for which we are able to obtain regulatory approval. The manner, level and specific type
of reimbursement provided for services related to patients is also important. Inadequate reimbursement for such services may discourage physicians from prescribing or recommending our product candidates, if approved, adversely affecting our
ability to market or sell those products.
Additionally, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory proposals to change the healthcare system in the U.S. and in some other jurisdictions that could affect our ability to profitably
sell any product candidate following regulatory approval. These legislative and regulatory changes may negatively impact the reimbursement for any product candidate following regulatory approval. For example, a budget resolution passed the U.S.
House of Representatives in February 2025 to reduce the federal deficit by at least $880 billion over 10 years and the majority of these cuts are expected to impact Medicaid and CHIP if enacted into law. These cuts could involve reducing the
scope of coverage under Medicaid and CHIP, including as it relates to prescription drug benefits. There can be no assurance that our product candidates will be considered medically reasonable and necessary, that they will be considered
cost-effective by third-party payors, that coverage or an adequate level of reimbursement will be available, or that reimbursement policies and practices in the U.S. and in other countries where our product candidates are approved and sold will
not harm our ability to profitably sell our product candidates following regulatory approval. Separately, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4, 2025, which is expected to impact Medicaid and other government
entitlement programs. In addition, other changes and proposals enacted by and under consideration by state and local governments to Medicaid and other government assistance and entitlement programs also may impact our business.
Our ability to set the price for any product we develop will vary significantly by country. Our inability to obtain and maintain adequate prices in a particular country may limit the revenues from
our products, if approved, within that country and adversely affect our ability to secure acceptable prices in existing and potential new markets, which may limit market growth. This may create the opportunity for third-party cross-border trade
or influence our decision whether to sell a product, thus adversely affecting our geographic expansion plans and revenues. In the E.U., similar political, economic and regulatory developments may affect our ability to profitably commercialize
our product candidates following regulatory approval. In addition to continuing pressure on prices and cost containment measures, legislative developments in the E.U. or the E.U. Member States may harm our ability to profitably sell our product
candidates following regulatory approval. The delivery of healthcare in the E.U., including the establishment and operation of health services and the pricing and reimbursement of medicines, is almost exclusively a matter for national E.U.
Member States law. National governments and health service providers have different priorities and approaches to the delivery of health care and the pricing and reimbursement of products in that context. The healthcare budgetary constraints in
most countries have resulted in restrictions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines, and a similar approach is taken in the U.K. where a key consideration is the affordability of drugs for treatment of patients under the National Health
Service. In the U.K. there is also a budget cap on branded health service medicines, and a new voluntary pricing scheme has been introduced that increases the level of rebate payment that a company is required to make to the National Health
Service to take account of any spend on branded products that is above the agreed cap, and also imposes different payment rates for newer or older medicines. Similarly, provisions have been introduced into the parallel statutory scheme, which
applies to companies that are not members of the voluntary scheme, and will lead to higher rebates than previously. In markets outside of the U.S., E.U. and U.K., reimbursement and healthcare payment systems vary significantly by country, and
many countries have instituted price ceilings on specific products and therapies. All of this could affect our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates following regulatory approval.
Recent federal legislation and actions by state and local governments may permit reimportation of drugs from foreign countries into the United States,
including foreign countries where the drugs are sold at lower prices than in the United States, which could materially adversely affect our operating results.
We expect to face competition in the U.S. for our product candidates from therapies sourced from foreign countries that have placed price controls on pharmaceutical products. In
the U.S., the Medicare Modernization Act contains provisions that may change U.S. importation laws and expand pharmacists’ and wholesalers’ ability to import cheaper versions of an approved drug and competing products from Canada, where there
are government price controls. These changes to U.S. importation laws will not take effect unless and until the Secretary of the HHS certifies that the changes will pose no additional risk to the public’s health and safety and will result in a
significant reduction in the cost of products to consumers. On September 23, 2020, the Secretary of HHS made such certification to Congress, and on October 1, 2020, the FDA published a final rule that allows for the importation of certain
prescription drugs from Canada. Under the final rule, States and Indian Tribes, and in certain future circumstances pharmacists and wholesalers, may submit importation program proposals to the FDA for review and authorization. Since the
issuance of the final rule, on November 23, 2020, several industry groups filed federal lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, requesting injunctive relief to prevent implementation of the rule. The court dismissed
the case in February 2023. Further, authorities in Canada have passed rules designed to safeguard the Canadian drug supply from shortages. On September 25, 2020, CMS stated drugs imported by States under this rule will not be eligible for
federal rebates under Section 1927 of the Social Security Act and manufacturers would not report these drugs for “best price” or Average Manufacturer Price purposes. Since these drugs are not considered covered outpatient drugs, CMS further
stated it will not publish a National Average Drug Acquisition Cost for these drugs. Separately, the FDA also issued a final guidance document outlining a pathway for manufacturers to obtain an additional National Drug Code (“NDC”), for an
FDA-approved drug that was originally intended to be marketed in a foreign country and that was authorized for sale in that foreign country. In addition, a July 2021 executive order pertaining to drug pricing directs the FDA to support and work
with States and Indian Tribes to develop importation plans to import prescription drugs from Canada under the MMA and final rule. Several states have enacted laws intended to support importation processes and have submitted importation program
proposals to FDA. On January 5, 2024, FDA authorized Florida’s importation program for the importation of certain prescription drugs from Canada into Florida; however, the state must file Pre-Import Requests for specific drug products that FDA
must grant before any importation may take place. In response, Health Canada issued a statement on January 8, 2024 making clear that it is ready to take immediate action to help safeguard the Canadian drug supply if necessary. If implemented in
Florida or elsewhere, importation of drugs from Canada may materially and adversely affect the price we receive for our product candidates following regulatory approval. The regulatory and market implications of the final rule and guidance are
unknown at this time. Proponents of drug reimportation may attempt to pass other legislation that would directly allow reimportation under certain circumstances. Legislation or regulations allowing the reimportation of drugs, if enacted, could
decrease the price we receive for our product candidates following regulatory approval and adversely affect our future revenues and prospects for profitability.
Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties
We rely on third parties to conduct, supervise and monitor our clinical trials, and if those third parties perform in an unsatisfactory manner or fail to
comply with applicable requirements, it may harm our business.
We rely on CROs, clinical data management organizations, medical institutions and clinical trial sites to conduct some aspects of our research and preclinical testing and to ensure the proper and
timely conduct of our clinical trials, and we expect to have limited influence over their actual performance. Any of these third parties may terminate their engagements with us or be unable to fulfill their contractual obligations. If we need
to enter into alternative arrangements, it would delay our product development activities. In addition, we rely upon CROs to monitor and manage data for our clinical programs, as well as for the execution of future nonclinical studies. We
expect to control only certain aspects of our CROs’ activities. Nevertheless, we will be responsible for ensuring that each of our studies is conducted in accordance with the applicable contract, protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific
standards and that clinical trial sites meet applicable protocol and regulatory requirements. Our reliance on CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory or specified contractual responsibilities.
Our third-party service providers are not our employees, and we are therefore unable to directly monitor whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our clinical and nonclinical
programs. These third-party service providers may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, for whom they may also be conducting clinical trials or other drug development activities that could harm our
competitive position. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, meet expected deadlines, or conduct our clinical trials in accordance with regulatory requirements or our stated protocols, we will not be able
to obtain, or may be delayed in obtaining, marketing approvals for any product candidates we may develop and will not be able to, or may be delayed in our efforts to, successfully commercialize our medicines.
We and our CROs are required to comply with GLPs and GCPs, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA and other comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities, which also require
compliance with the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (“ICH”) guidelines for any of our product candidates that are in preclinical and clinical development. The regulatory
authorities enforce GCP regulations through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and clinical trial sites. Although we may rely on CROs to conduct our GLP-compliant nonclinical studies and GCP-compliant clinical
trials, we remain responsible for ensuring that each of our GLP nonclinical studies and GCP clinical trials is conducted in accordance with its investigational plan and protocol and applicable laws and regulations. Our expected reliance on the
CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory or contractual responsibilities. If we or our CROs fail to comply with GCPs, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA or non-U.S. regulatory authorities
may reject our marketing authorization applications and require us to perform additional clinical trials to generate additional data before approving our marketing applications. Accordingly, if our CROs fail to comply with these regulations or
other applicable laws, regulations or standards, or fail to recruit a sufficient number of subjects, we may be required to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process. Failure by any future CROs to properly execute
study protocols in accordance with applicable law could also create product liability and healthcare regulatory risks for us as sponsors of those studies.
We do not have our own manufacturing capabilities and rely on third parties to produce clinical and commercial supplies of our product candidates.
We do not own or operate, and do not expect to own or operate, facilities for product manufacturing, storage and distribution or testing. Accordingly, we rely on third parties
to produce commercial and clinical supplies of our product candidates. Third-party vendors may be difficult to identify for our product process and formulation development and manufacturing due to special capabilities required, and they may not
be able to meet our quality standards. In addition, certain of our third-party manufacturers and suppliers may encounter delays in providing their services as a result of supply chain constraints. If any third-party manufacturers or third
parties in the supply chain for materials used in the production of our product candidates are adversely impacted by supply chain constraints, our supply chain may be disrupted, limiting our ability to manufacture our product candidates for our
preclinical studies, clinical trials, research and development activities and, following regulatory approval, commercialization. Any significant delay in the supply of a product candidate, or the raw material components thereof, or of equipment
and devices as necessary, for either commercialization or an ongoing clinical trial, due to the need to replace a third-party manufacturer or otherwise, could considerably delay marketing efforts for the product in question or the completion of
clinical trials, product testing and potential regulatory approval of the product candidate in question. If our manufacturers or we are unable to purchase these raw materials after regulatory approval has been obtained for our product
candidates, the commercial launch of our product candidates would be delayed or there would be a shortage in supply, which would impair our ability to generate revenue from the sale of our product candidates and may require notification to the
FDA or other regulatory authorities. Moreover, as a result of projected supply constraints for certain materials used in the production of our product candidates, we have in the past and may in the future reserve manufacturing capacity in
advance of receiving required efficacy or safety results from our clinical trials, which may involve committing substantial financial resources to product candidates that may never be approved or achieve commercialization at scale or at all. In
addition, legislative, executive and regulatory proposals were recently enacted or are pending to, among other things, prevent drug shortages, improve pandemic preparedness and reduce the dependency of the U.S. on foreign supply chains and
manufacturing; this may include the imposition of tariffs on foreign-manufactured products that we procure. While we are still assessing these developments, they could impact our selection and utilization of CMOs, vendors and other suppliers
and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The facilities used by our contract manufacturers to manufacture our product candidates must be approved by the FDA pursuant to inspections that will be conducted after we
submit an NDA or other similar application to the FDA. Such facilities must also register with the FDA. Similar requirements apply in other jurisdictions. We do not control the manufacturing process of, and are completely dependent on, our
contract manufacturing partners for compliance with cGMP requirements for the manufacture of product candidates. If our contract manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material that conforms to our specifications and the strict
regulatory requirements of the FDA or comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities, we will not be able to secure or maintain regulatory approval for our product candidates. In addition, we have limited control over the ability of our contract
manufacturers to maintain adequate quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. If the FDA or comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities do not approve these facilities for the manufacture of our product candidates or if they
withdraw any such approval in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact our ability to develop and obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates and, if approved, market our
product candidates.
Further, our reliance on third-party manufacturers entails risks to which we would not be subject if we manufactured our product candidates ourselves, including:
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inability to meet our product specifications and quality requirements consistently;
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delay or inability to procure or expand sufficient manufacturing capacity;
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manufacturing and product quality issues related to scale-up of manufacturing;
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costs and validation of new equipment and facilities required for scale-up;
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failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations and standards, including cGMP and similar standards;
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deficient or improper record-keeping;
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inability to negotiate manufacturing agreements with third parties under commercially reasonable terms;
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termination or nonrenewal of manufacturing agreements with third parties in a manner or at a time that is costly or damaging to us;
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reliance on a limited number of sources, and in some cases, single sources for product components, such that if we are unable to secure a sufficient supply of these product components, we will be unable to
manufacture and sell our product candidates following regulatory approval in a timely fashion, in sufficient quantities or under acceptable terms;
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lack of qualified backup suppliers for those components that are currently purchased from a sole or single source supplier;
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operations of our third-party manufacturers or suppliers could be disrupted by conditions unrelated to our business or operations, including the bankruptcy of the manufacturer or supplier or other regulatory
sanctions related to the manufacturer of another company’s product candidates;
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carrier disruptions or increased costs that are beyond our control; and
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failure to deliver our product candidates under specified storage conditions and in a timely manner.
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Any of these events could lead to clinical trial delays, cost overruns, delay or failure to obtain regulatory approval or impact our ability to successfully commercialize our
product candidates as well as potential product liability litigation, product recalls or product withdrawals. Some of these events could be the basis for FDA or other regulatory authority action, including injunction, recall, seizure, total or
partial suspension of production, or suspension or revocation of manufacturing/import authorizations and GMP certificates.
If the contract manufacturing facilities on which we rely do not continue to meet regulatory requirements or are unable to meet our requirements, including
providing an adequate supply, our business will be harmed.
All entities involved in the preparation of product candidates for clinical trials or commercial sale following regulatory approval, including our existing CMOs for all of our
product candidates, are subject to extensive regulation. Components of a finished therapeutic product approved for commercial sale or used in late-stage clinical trials must be manufactured in accordance with cGMP, or similar regulatory
requirements outside the U.S. These regulations govern manufacturing processes and procedures, including record-keeping, and the implementation and operation of quality systems to control and assure the quality of investigational products and
products approved for sale. Poor control of production processes can lead to the introduction of contaminants or to inadvertent changes in the properties or stability of our product candidates. Our failure, or the failure of third-party
manufacturers, to comply with applicable regulations could result in the issuance of inspectional observations on FDA’s Form-483, Warning or Untitled Letters, similar communications or objections by other authorities, public safety alerts
identifying our company or product candidates and sanctions being imposed on us, including clinical holds, import alerts, fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocations, suspensions of
production, seizures or recalls of product candidates, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect clinical supplies of our product candidates or, following regulatory approval,
commercial supplies for those product candidates.
We and our CMOs must supply all necessary documentation in support of an NDA or similar regulatory application on a timely basis, and must adhere to regulations enforced by the
FDA and other regulatory agencies through their facilities inspection program. Some of our CMOs may not have produced a commercially approved pharmaceutical product and therefore may not have obtained the requisite regulatory authority
approvals to do so. The facilities and quality systems of some or all of our third-party contractors must pass a pre-approval inspection for compliance with the applicable regulations as a condition of regulatory approval of our product
candidates. In addition, the regulatory authorities may, at any time, audit or inspect a manufacturing facility involved with the preparation of our product candidates or the associated quality systems for compliance with the regulations
applicable to the activities being conducted. Although we oversee the CMOs, we cannot control the manufacturing process of, and are completely dependent on, our CMO partners for compliance with the regulatory requirements. If these facilities
do not pass a pre-approval plant inspection, regulatory approval of the product candidates may not be granted or may be substantially delayed until any violations are corrected to the satisfaction of the regulatory authority, if ever.
The regulatory authorities also may, at any time following approval of a product for sale, inspect the manufacturing facilities of our third-party contractors. If any such
inspection or audit identifies a failure to comply with applicable regulations or if a violation of our product specifications or applicable regulations occurs independent of such an inspection or audit, we or the relevant regulatory authority
may require remedial measures that may be costly and time consuming for us or a third party to implement, and that may include the temporary or permanent suspension of a clinical trial or commercial sales or the temporary or permanent closure
of a facility. Any such remedial measures imposed upon us or third parties with whom we contract could materially harm our business.
Additionally, if supply from one approved manufacturer is interrupted, an alternative manufacturer would need to be qualified through a supplemental NDA or similar regulatory
filing, which could result in further delay. The regulatory agencies may also require additional studies if a new manufacturer is relied upon for commercial production. In some cases, the technical skills required to manufacture our product
candidates may be unique or proprietary to the original CMO and we may have difficulty, or there may be contractual restrictions prohibiting us from, transferring such skills to a back-up or alternate supplier, or we may be unable to transfer
such skills at all. In addition, if we are required to change CMOs for any reason, we will be required to verify that the new CMO maintains facilities and procedures that comply with quality standards and with all applicable regulations. We
will also need to verify, such as through a manufacturing comparability study, that any new manufacturing process will produce our product candidates according to the specifications previously submitted to the FDA or another regulatory
authority. The delays associated with the verification of a new CMO could negatively affect our ability to develop product candidates or commercialize our products in a timely manner or within budget. In addition, changes in manufacturers often
involve changes in manufacturing procedures and processes, which could require that we conduct bridging studies between our prior clinical supply used in our clinical trials and that of any new manufacturer. We may be unsuccessful in
demonstrating the comparability of clinical supplies, which could require the conduct of additional clinical trials. Accordingly, switching manufacturers may involve substantial costs and is likely to result in a delay in our desired clinical
and commercial timelines.
These factors could cause us to incur higher costs and could cause the delay or termination of clinical trials, regulatory submissions, required approvals or commercialization
of our product candidates following regulatory approval. Furthermore, if our suppliers fail to meet contractual requirements and we are unable to secure one or more replacement suppliers capable of production at a substantially equivalent cost,
our clinical trials may be delayed or we could lose potential revenue.
We may be dependent on one or a limited number of suppliers for certain components of our product candidates.
For certain of our product candidates, we may now or in the future be dependent on one or a limited number of third-party suppliers for our product candidates. We cannot ensure that such suppliers
will be available or have sufficient capacity or supply to meet our needs, or that they will not be acquired by a competitor and cease working with us as a result. As a result, we face a number of related risks, including disruptions or delays
in the supply of our product candidates or price fluctuations for those supplies.
From time to time, there may be a limited number of potential suppliers for our product candidates. If we were required to change suppliers, the manufacture and delivery of our product candidates
could be interrupted for an extended period of time. Establishing additional or replacement suppliers for any of the components or processes used in our product candidates, if required, may not be accomplished quickly, if at all. Any
replacement supplier would need to be qualified and may require additional regulatory approval, resulting in further delay. Any interruption or delay in the supply of components or materials, or our inability to obtain components or materials
from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could limit the supply of our product candidates available for use in clinical trials or commercial sale following applicable regulatory approvals. Additionally, the FDA, as part
of its evaluation of our product candidates, will review the manufacturing processes and facilities of our suppliers. Any delay, or failure to receive, such approval, including as a result of delays in the FDA review of our suppliers, could
delay or prevent the approval of our product candidates.
Certain of our product candidates are novel, complex and difficult to manufacture. We could experience manufacturing problems that result in delays in our
development or commercialization programs or otherwise harm our business.
The manufacturing processes our CMOs use to produce our product candidates are novel, complex and have not necessarily been validated for commercial use. Several factors could
cause production interruptions, including equipment malfunctions, facility contamination, raw material shortages or contamination, natural disasters, disruption in utility services, human error or disruptions in the operations of our suppliers.
Our biologic product candidates may require processing steps that are more complex than those required for most small molecule drugs. Moreover, unlike small molecules, the
physical and chemical properties of biologics generally cannot be fully characterized. As a result, assays of the finished product candidate may not be sufficient to ensure that the product candidate is consistent from lot-to-lot or will
perform in the intended manner. Accordingly, our CMOs must employ multiple steps to control the manufacturing process to assure that the process is reproducible and the product candidate is made strictly and consistently in compliance with the
process. Problems with the manufacturing process, even minor deviations from the normal process, could result in product candidate defects or manufacturing failures that result in lot failures, product recalls, product liability claims or
insufficient inventory to conduct clinical trials or supply commercial markets. We may encounter problems achieving adequate quantities and quality of clinical-grade materials that meet the FDA, the E.U., the U.K. or other applicable standards
or specifications with consistent and acceptable production yields and costs.
In addition, the FDA, the EMA, the MHRA and other regulatory authorities may require us to submit samples of any lot of any approved product candidate together with the
protocols showing the results of applicable tests at any time. Under some circumstances, the FDA, the EMA, the MHRA or other comparable regulatory authorities may require that we not distribute a lot until the agency authorizes its release.
Slight deviations in the manufacturing process, including those affecting quality attributes and stability, may result in unacceptable changes in the product candidate that could result in lot failures or product recalls. Lot failures or
product recalls could cause us to delay product launches or clinical trials, which could be costly to us and otherwise harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our CMOs also may encounter problems hiring and retaining the experienced scientific, quality assurance, quality-control and manufacturing personnel needed to operate our
manufacturing processes, which could result in delays in production or difficulties in maintaining compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. Any problems in our CMOs’ manufacturing processes or facilities could result in delays in
planned clinical trials and increased costs, and could make us a less attractive collaborator for potential partners, including larger biopharmaceutical companies and academic research institutions, which could limit access to additional
attractive development programs. Problems in any of our manufacturing processes could restrict our ability to conduct clinical trials with our product candidates or meet potential future market demand for our product candidates following
regulatory approval.
We are subject to operational risks associated with the physical and digital infrastructure at the manufacturing facilities that our external service
providers utilize.
The manufacturing facilities we rely on may incorporate a significant level of automation of equipment with integration of several digital systems, including those that may
utilize AI, to improve efficiency of operations. The digitization of these facilities exposes us to the risk of process equipment malfunctions. These risks include potential system failures or shutdowns due to internal or external factors
including design issues, system compatibility or potential cybersecurity compromises, incidents or breaches. Upgrades or changes to these systems, infrastructure or the software that our external service providers implement, use, or upon which
our business relies, may result in the introduction of new cybersecurity vulnerabilities and risks.
The facilities and infrastructure of our contract manufacturers or other third-party providers may also be subject to attacks or acts of sabotage by outside actors, contractors
or employees. Any disruption in our contract manufacturers’ manufacturing capabilities could delay scaling up production capacity for our product candidates or shut down facilities, impose additional costs, cause us to fail to meet
certain product volume or delivery timing obligations, or may require us to identify, qualify and establish an alternative manufacturing site, which could adversely affect our business.
Other Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
We are highly dependent on our key personnel, and if we are not successful in attracting, motivating and retaining highly qualified personnel, we may not be
able to successfully implement our business strategy.
Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries depends upon our ability to attract, motivate and retain highly qualified
managerial, scientific and medical, financial, accounting and legal personnel. We have benefited substantially from the leadership, performance and vision of our senior leaders, including our Principal Executive Officer, Matthew Gline, as well
as other senior executives at Roivant and the Vants. The loss of the services provided by any of our executive officers, other key employees and other scientific and medical advisors, and our inability to find suitable replacements, could
result in delays in the development of our product candidates and harm our business. Due to the small number of employees at some of the Vants, the loss of a key employee may have a larger impact on our business. In addition, we rely on a
limited number of employees in certain key jurisdictions, including the U.K. and Switzerland. Competition for skilled personnel is intense and the turnover rate can be high, which may limit our ability to hire and retain highly qualified
personnel on acceptable terms or at all. In addition, while we expect to engage in an orderly transition process as we integrate newly appointed officers and managers, we face a variety of risks and uncertainties related to management
transition, including diversion of management attention from business concerns, failure to retain other key personnel or loss of institutional knowledge. Competition for senior leadership in the healthcare investment industry is intense, and we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to retain our key personnel or that of our Vants.
To encourage valuable employees to remain at our company, in addition to salary and cash incentives, we have provided certain equity awards that vest over time. The value to
employees of equity awards that vest over time may be significantly affected by movements in our share price that are beyond our control and may at any time be insufficient to counteract more lucrative offers from other companies. Our
employment agreements provide that our employees could leave our employment at any time. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any members of our senior leadership team or other employees. Our success also depends on our ability to
continue to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled junior, mid-level and senior managers as well as junior, mid-level and senior scientific and medical personnel. If we are unable to attract and incentivize quality personnel on acceptable
terms, or at all, it may cause our business and operating results to suffer.
We will need to expand our organization and may experience difficulties in managing this growth, which could disrupt operations.
In connection with our continued growth, we expect to hire, either directly or through our current or future affiliates, additional employees for our managerial, finance and
accounting, clinical, scientific and engineering, regulatory, operational, manufacturing, sales and marketing teams. We may have difficulties in connection with identifying, hiring, integrating and retaining new personnel. Future growth would
impose significant additional responsibilities on management, including the need to identify, recruit, maintain, motivate and integrate additional employees, consultants and contractors. Also, management may need to divert attention away from
our day-to-day activities and devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities. We may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of operations across our entities, which may result in weaknesses in infrastructure,
give rise to operational mistakes, loss of business opportunities, loss of employees and reduced productivity among remaining employees. Our future growth could require significant capital expenditures and may divert financial resources from
other projects, such as the development of product candidates. If our management is unable to effectively manage our growth, our expenses may increase more than expected, our ability to generate and grow revenues could be reduced, and we may
not be able to implement our business strategy. Our future financial performance and ability to commercialize product candidates and new technologies and compete effectively will partly depend on our ability to effectively manage any future
growth.
Many of the other pharmaceutical and healthcare technology companies that we compete against for qualified personnel and consultants have greater financial and other resources,
different risk profiles and a longer operating history in the industry than us. They also may provide more diverse opportunities and better chances for career advancement. Some of these opportunities may be more appealing to high-quality
candidates and consultants than what we have to offer. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high-quality personnel and consultants, the rate and success at which we can discover and develop our product candidates will be harmed,
which could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our international operations may expose us to business, legal, regulatory, political, operational, financial and economic risks associated with conducting
business globally.
Doing business internationally involves a number of risks, including but not limited to:
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multiple conflicting and changing laws and regulations such as tax laws, export and import restrictions, employment laws, anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, regulatory requirements and other governmental
approvals, permits and licenses;
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failure by us or our collaborators to obtain appropriate licenses or regulatory approvals for the sale or use of our product candidates in various countries;
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difficulties in managing operations in different jurisdictions;
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complexities associated with managing multiple payor-reimbursement regimes or self-pay systems;
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financial risks, such as longer payment cycles, difficulty enforcing contracts and collecting accounts receivable and exposure to currency exchange rate fluctuations;
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varying protection for intellectual property rights;
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natural disasters, political and economic instability, including wars, terrorism and political unrest, outbreak of disease, boycotts, curtailment of trade and other business restrictions; and
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failure to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”), including its books and records provisions and its anti-bribery provisions, the United Kingdom Bribery Act 2010 (the “U.K. Bribery
Act”), and similar anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws in other jurisdictions, for example by failing to maintain accurate information and control over sales or distributors’ activities.
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Any of these risks, if encountered, could significantly harm our future international expansion and operations and, consequently, negatively impact our financial condition,
results of operations and cash flows.
There is no certainty that all of our employees, agents, contractors or collaborators, or those of our affiliates, will comply with all applicable laws and regulations,
particularly given the high level of complexity of these laws. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers, or our employees, the closing down of our facilities, requirements to
obtain export licenses, cessation of business activities in sanctioned countries, implementation of compliance programs, and prohibitions on the conduct of our business. Any such violations could include prohibitions on our ability to offer our
products in one or more countries and could harm our reputation, our brand, our international expansion efforts, our ability to attract and retain employees, and our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition.
We face significant competition in an environment of rapid technological and scientific change, and there is a possibility that our competitors may achieve
certain regulatory approvals before us or develop therapies that are safer, more advanced or more effective than ours, which may negatively impact our ability to successfully market or commercialize our product candidates following regulatory
approval and ultimately harm our financial condition.
The development and commercialization of new drug products is highly competitive. Now and in the future we may face competition from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty
pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations worldwide. Our competitors, either alone or with collaborative partners, may succeed in
developing, acquiring or licensing on an exclusive basis drug or biologic products that are more effective, safer, more easily commercialized or less costly than our product candidates or may develop proprietary technologies or secure patent
protection that we may need for the development of our technologies and product candidates.
There are a number of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that are currently pursuing the development and commercialization of product candidates for the treatment
of the indications that we are also pursuing. Examples of such competing products include, but are not limited to:
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VYVGART (efgartigimod alfa-fcab) and VYVGART Hytrulo (efgartigimod alfa and hyaluronidase-qvfc), neonatal Fc receptor blockers, potential competitors to IMVT-1402;
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IMAAVY (nipocalimab-aahu) and RYSTIGGO (rozanolixizumab-noli), anti-FcRn antibodies, potential competitors to IMVT-1402;
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TEPEZZA (teprotumumab-trbw), an insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor inhibitor, a potential competitor to batoclimab;
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Dazukibart, an interferon beta (IFN-beta) inhibitor, a potential competitor to brepocitinib; and
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Tyvaso (treprostinil), a prostacyclin mimetic, a potential competitor to mosliciguat.
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Many of our current or potential competitors, either alone or with their strategic partners, have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and
development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we do.
Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These
competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary
to, or necessary for, our programs. Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient, or
are less expensive than our product candidates. Furthermore, currently approved products could be discovered to have application for treatment of our targeted disease indications or similar indications, which could give such products
significant regulatory and market timing advantages over our product candidates. Our competitors also may obtain regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we do and may obtain orphan product exclusivity from the FDA for
indications that we are targeting, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. Additionally, products or technologies developed by our competitors may render our product
candidates uneconomical or obsolete and we may not be successful in marketing our product candidates we may develop against competitors.
In addition, we could face litigation or other proceedings with respect to the scope, ownership, validity and enforceability of our patents relating to our competitors’ products
and our competitors may allege that our product candidates infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate their intellectual property. The availability of our competitors’ products could limit the demand, and the price we are able to charge, for
our future products.
The markets in which our healthcare technology and computational drug discovery Vants participate are competitive, and if we do not compete effectively, our
business and operating results could be adversely affected.
The overall market for healthcare technologies and software is global, rapidly evolving, competitive and subject to changing technology and shifting customer focus. Our
healthcare technology Vants, including Lokavant, a clinical trial technology company, and Zest, which is building a medical dermatology platform, face competition from well-established providers of similar solutions, certain of which may have
long-standing relationships with many of our current and potential customers, including large biopharmaceutical companies, payors, providers and other software and services vendors. Our computational drug discovery Vants, including VantAI,
which uses machine learning to build computational models to generate new molecular entities for targets of interest, and Psivant, which uses molecular dynamics to design small molecules for highly validated hard-to-drug targets, face
competition from both established industry competitors and an increasing wave of competition in the in silico discovery and development worlds, including startups, large and mid-sized biopharmaceutical companies, large technology companies and
others. Our computational drug discovery companies develop highly specific technologies designed to accelerate the process of drug discovery. We have no assurance that our technologies will perform as expected, and new and existing competitors
from academia, the startup ecosystem or established biopharmaceutical companies may already have or will develop more performant technology. The field is growing rapidly and more and better funded competitors will continue to enter our markets
and innovate.
Many of our healthcare technology competitors are able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their software solutions and services. Third parties
with greater available resources and the ability to initiate or withstand substantial price competition could acquire our current or potential competitors. Our competitors may also establish cooperative relationships among themselves or with
third parties that may further enhance their product offerings or resources, and may generally have more effective relationships with key healthcare stakeholders, including payors, providers, regulators and other software and services vendors,
among others. If our competitors’ products, services or technologies are more capable or become more accepted than our solutions, if our competitors are successful in bringing their products or services to market earlier than we do or if our
competitors are able to respond more quickly and effectively to new or changing opportunities, technologies or customer requirements than we can, then the business and prospects of these Vants could be adversely affected.
We also face competition from solutions that biopharmaceutical companies develop internally and from smaller companies that offer products and services directed at more specific
markets than we target, enabling these smaller competitors to focus a greater proportion of their efforts and resources on these markets, in both healthcare technology and drug discovery.
Some of these competitors are involved in drug discovery (either themselves or with partners) and others develop software or other tools utilizing AI which can be used, directly
or indirectly, in drug discovery. To the extent these other AI approaches to drug discovery prove to be more successful than our approaches, we may not be successful in identifying potential targets or attracting collaborators to work with us.
Any of these risks, if encountered, could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We and our subsidiaries are subject to litigation and investigation risks which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial
condition and could cause the market value of our common shares to decline. Insurance coverage may not be available for, or adequate to cover, all potential exposure for litigation and other business risks.
We and our subsidiaries are from time to time subject to various litigation matters and claims, including regulatory proceedings, administrative proceedings, product liability
claims related to our clinical trials, securities litigation and other lawsuits, and governmental investigations. In addition, we and our subsidiaries may receive requests for information from governmental agencies in connection with their
regulatory or investigatory authority or from private third parties pursuant to subpoena. These proceedings may be complex and prolonged, and may occupy the resources of our and our subsidiaries’ management and employees. These proceedings are
also costly to prosecute and defend and may involve substantial awards or damages payable by us or our subsidiaries if not favorably resolved. We and our subsidiaries may be required to pay substantial amounts or grant certain rights on
unfavorable terms in order to settle such proceedings. We also face risks relating to litigation arising from judgments made by us and the Vants as to the materiality of any developments in our businesses, including with respect to preclinical
and clinical data, and the resulting disclosure (or lack thereof) may give rise to securities litigation.
We maintain insurance policies for certain litigation and various business risks, but such policies may not be adequate to compensate us for any or all potential losses. In
addition, such insurance may not be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms, or at all. Further, our insurance, if available, may not cover all claims made against us and defending a suit, regardless of its merit, could
be costly and divert management’s attention. Because of the uncertain nature of litigation, investigations and insurance coverage decisions, it is not possible to predict the outcome of these matters as they arise from time to time, and they
could have a material adverse effect on our and our subsidiaries’ business, results of operations and financial condition, could impact our ability to consummate a transaction that is challenged or otherwise subject to such litigation and could
cause the market value of our common shares to decline.
We may not hold a controlling stake in certain of our Vant affiliates and thus may not be able to direct our business or the development of our product
candidates.
In certain of our Vants, we may hold less than a majority ownership interest or otherwise be limited in our ability to direct or control the business and the development of the
product candidates or technologies at the Vant. In addition, for certain other Vants, including Immunovant, we may in the future come to hold less than a majority ownership interest in the Vant. Furthermore, even if we own a majority ownership
interest in a Vant, we may not necessarily be able to control the outcome of certain corporate actions. If the business or development of a product candidate at one of these Vants were to face challenges, we would be adversely affected as a
result and would be limited in our ability to cause or influence the Vant in question to take appropriate remediative actions.
Our internal computer and other information technology systems, or those used by our collaborators, CROs or other contractors, consultants or third parties
upon whom we rely, may fail or suffer other breakdowns, cyberattacks or information security breaches or incidents, including as a result of a deficiency in our cybersecurity practices, that could compromise the confidentiality, integrity and
availability of such systems and data, expose us to liability and affect our reputation.
We are dependent upon information technology systems, infrastructure and data to operate our business. We also rely on third-parties and their information technology systems. We
generally require our third-party providers to implement effective security measures and to identify and correct for any information technology security failures, deficiencies or breaches. Although we seek to supervise such third parties’
security measures, our ability to do so is limited. Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer and other information technology systems and those of our collaborators, CROs and other contractors, consultants and
third parties upon whom we rely may be vulnerable to damage, outages and interruptions resulting from computer viruses and other malicious code or unauthorized access, or breached, compromised or otherwise subject to security incidents due to
operator error, inadvertent or intentional actions by our employees or other third parties, malfeasance, cybercriminals, natural disasters (including hurricanes and earthquakes), terrorism, war, telecommunication and electrical failures or
other system disruptions. Geopolitical events, such as wars and other conflicts, may increase the risks of cyber-attacks, disruptions and security breaches and incidents that we and these third parties face. Security threats can come from a
variety of sources, ranging in sophistication from an individual hacker to a state-sponsored attack. Cyber threats may be broad-based or otherwise generic in nature, or they may be custom-crafted against our information technology systems or
those of our collaborators, CROs or other contractors, consultants or third parties upon whom we rely.
As the cyber-threat landscape evolves, cyber-attacks have become more prevalent, intense, sophisticated and much harder to detect and defend against. Such attacks could include
the use of key loggers or other harmful and virulent malware, including ransomware or other denials of service, and can be deployed through malicious websites, the use of social engineering, including phishing attacks, and other means. We and
our collaborators, CROs or other contractors, consultants and third parties upon whom we rely may not be able to anticipate all types of security threats, and we may not be able to implement preventive measures effective against all such
security threats. The techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, may not be recognized until launched, and can originate from a wide variety of sources. Although to our knowledge we have not experienced any such material system
failure or security breach or incident to date, if a breakdown, cyberattack or other information security breach or incident were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our development
programs and our business operations, whether due to loss or misappropriation of trade secrets or loss of, or unauthorized modification, unavailability, disclosure or other unauthorized processing of, other proprietary information or other
similar disruption, and we could incur liability and reputational damage. For example, any corruption, loss or other unavailability of clinical trial data from completed, ongoing or future clinical trials could result in delays in our
regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. Likewise, we rely on our third-party research institution collaborators for research and development of our product candidates and other third
parties for the manufacture of our product candidates and to conduct clinical trials, and similar events relating to their computer and other information technology systems could also have a material adverse effect on our business.
Cyber-attacks, breaches, interruptions or other data security incidents could result in legal claims or proceedings by private parties or governmental authorities, liability
under federal or state laws that protect the privacy of personal information, regulatory penalties, significant remediation costs, disruption of key business operations and diversion of the attention of management and key information technology
resources. In the United States, notice of breaches must be made to affected individuals, the HHS, and for extensive breaches, notice may need to be made to the public at large or U.S. state attorneys general. Such a notice could harm our
reputation and our ability to compete. In addition, U.S. state attorneys general are authorized to bring civil actions seeking either injunctions or damages in response to violations that threaten the privacy of state residents. There can be no
assurance that we, our collaborators, CROs, contractors, consultants and any other business counterparties will be successful in efforts to detect, prevent, protect against or fully recover systems or data from all break-downs, service
interruptions, attacks or security breaches or incidents. Although we maintain insurance protection against cybersecurity events or incidents, the costs related to significant security breaches, incidents or disruptions could be material and
exceed the limits of any insurance coverage we have, and may result in increases in our insurance costs, or we may otherwise have to expend significant resources to mitigate the impact of such incidents and to develop and implement protections
to prevent future events of this nature from occurring. Relevant insurance may in the future become unavailable to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Any disruption or security breach or incident that results in or is perceived to
have resulted in a loss of, or damage to, our data or systems, or inappropriate disclosure, use, acquisition, transfer, modification, unavailability or other processing of confidential or proprietary information, including data related to our
personnel, could result in the loss, unauthorized modification, use, unavailability, disclosure or other unauthorized processing of critical or sensitive data, and could cause us to incur liability. Further, in any such event, the development
and commercialization of our product candidates following regulatory approval could be delayed and our business and operations could be adversely affected. Any of the foregoing could result in significant financial, legal or reputational harm
to us and our business.
Our business is subject to complex and evolving U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, information security and other policies, and contractual obligations
relating to privacy and data protection and security, including the use, processing and cross-border transfer of personal information. These laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, and could result in claims,
changes to our business practices, or monetary penalties, and otherwise may harm our business, as could any actual or perceived failure by us or third parties upon whom we rely to comply with such laws and regulations and other obligations.
Certain of our subsidiaries and affiliates collect, receive, store, and otherwise process significant and increasing volumes of personal data (including protected health
information), research and developmental information, commercial information, and business and financial information, including information we collect about patients and healthcare providers in connection with clinical trials in the U.S. and
abroad necessary to operate their businesses and for legal, marketing and other business-related purposes. We heavily rely on external security and infrastructure vendors to manage our information technology systems and data centers. We face a
number of risks relative to protecting this critical information, including the loss of access, inappropriate use or disclosure, inappropriate modification, and the risk of our being unable to adequately monitor, audit and modify our controls
over our critical information. This risk extends to third-party vendors and subcontractors we use to manage this sensitive data.
We are subject to data privacy and protection laws and regulations governing the collection, transmission, storage and use of personally-identifying information, which among
other things, impose requirements relating to the privacy, security, transmission and disposal of such information. The legislative and regulatory landscape for privacy and data protection continues to evolve in jurisdictions worldwide. A
failure by us, our subsidiaries or affiliates or vendors acting on our behalf to comply with applicable privacy and data security laws and regulations could result in enforcement actions against us, including possible fines, imprisonment of
company officials and public censure, claims for damages by affected individuals, damage to our reputation and loss of goodwill, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or
prospects. New legislation anticipated to be enacted in various other states will continue to shape the U.S. data privacy regulatory framework. The effects on our business of this growing body of privacy and data protection laws, which vary
from state to state, are potentially significant, and may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and expenses in an effort to comply.
There are numerous U.S. federal and state laws and regulations related to the privacy, data protection and security of personal information. At the federal level, regulations
promulgated pursuant to HIPAA establish privacy and security standards for “covered entities” (group health plans and most healthcare providers) that limit the use and disclosure of individually identifiable health information those entities
and their service providers receive or create (“protected health information”), and require the implementation of administrative, physical and technological safeguards to protect the security, confidentiality, integrity and availability of
electronic protected health information. While we generally are not subject to the HIPAA privacy or security regulations, we do business with entities (including clinical trial investigators) that are subject to those regulations, and we have
to expend resources to understand their obligations, adjust contractual terms in light of those obligations, or otherwise modify our business practices. Several U.S. states have enacted (as discussed further below) legislation specifically to
regulate the collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information by entities not subject to the HIPAA privacy and security regulations. Other states have enacted laws that, while not specifically focused on personal health
information, require heightened protections for that information to the extent it is not regulated by HIPAA. Given that we are generally not subject to HIPAA, these laws require us to invest in compliance resources and create liability risks
for us.
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), along with certain state attorneys general, have taken aggressive action to protect consumers’ privacy and the use of consumer personal
information. Using its authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive practices affecting consumers, the FTC has brought numerous cases against companies for failing to protect the privacy and security of
personal information in a manner consistent with consumer expectations and such companies’ stated privacy policies, notices or other representations. Particularly because the FTC has taken these actions based on theories that are not codified
in regulations, the risk of such an action is difficult to quantify and to mitigate.
More than twenty U.S. states have enacted new privacy legislation in recent years and amended existing laws to address privacy risks posed by new technologies. With respect to
personal information, for example, the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (the “CMIA”), which expressly applies to pharmaceutical companies as well as health care providers and health plans, provides protection for personal
health information stored in mobile applications and similar technologies and imposes stringent data privacy and security requirements and obligations with respect to the personal health information of California residents. Among other things,
the CMIA, with limited exceptions, requires that a pharmaceutical company obtain a signed, written authorization from a patient or company employee in order to disclose his or her personal health information and requires the company to maintain
reasonable security measures to protect such information. The CMIA authorizes administrative fines and civil penalties of up to $25,000 for willful violations and up to $250,000 for violations made for purposes of financial gain, as well as
criminal fines. Washington State’s My Health My Data Act, and a similar Nevada law, both of which apply broadly to entities collecting personal health information either within the state or about residents of the state, generally require
consent for the collection and use of such information, as well as a separate consent for sharing any such information. Violations of the Washington State law can result in civil penalties of up to $7,500 per violation, up to $25,000 in treble
damages at the sole discretion of the court, and injunctive relief. Consumers also may bring their own actions to recover (i) actual damages, (ii) treble damages; and (iii) attorney’s fees. Violations of the Nevada law can result in up to
$10,000 civil penalties per violation and injunctive relief.
More broadly applicable state consumer privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), typically require us to provide notice to state residents
regarding our collection, use, and sharing of their personal information, and give state residents the right to, among other things, limit the use and disclosure of their “sensitive” (including health) personal information other than for
specified purposes and the ability to opt-out of certain sales of personal information. Most of the broadly applicable state privacy laws are enforceable only by state authorities, but the CCPA provides a private right of action for data
security breaches that result in the compromise of certain sensitive personal information, which may increase the likelihood of, and risks associated with, data breach litigation. Both the California Attorney General and the California Privacy
Protection Agency have authority to implement and enforce the CCPA. Numerous other states in the United States have proposed or enacted similar legislation. Further, some states have enacted more specific legislation, such as Washington’s
enactment of the My Health, My Data Act, which includes a private right of action. The U.S. federal government is also contemplating federal privacy legislation. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice recently issued a final rule that
took effect in April 2025 and places limitations, and in some cases prohibitions, on certain transfers of sensitive personal data to business partners located in China or with other specified links to China (and other designated countries).
Outside of the U.S., laws, regulations and standards in many jurisdictions apply broadly to the collection, use, retention, security, disclosure, transfer and other processing
of personal information. For example, in the E.U. the collection and use of personal data is governed by the provisions of the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”). The GDPR came into effect in May 2018, superseding the European
Union Data Protection Directive, and imposing more stringent data privacy and security requirements on companies in relation to the processing of personal data. The GDPR, together with national legislation, regulations and guidelines of the
E.U. Member States governing the processing of personal data, impose strict obligations on controllers, including inter alia: (i) accountability and transparency requirements and enhanced requirements
for obtaining valid consent; (ii) obligations to consider data protection as any new products or services are developed and to limit the amount of personal data processed; (iii) obligations to comply with data protection rights of data
subjects; and (iv) reporting of certain personal data breaches to the supervisory authority without undue delay (and no later than 72 hours where feasible). The GDPR also prohibits the transfer of personal data from the EEA to countries outside
of the EEA unless made to a country deemed to have adequate data privacy laws by the European Commission or a data transfer mechanism has been put in place. The E.U.-US Privacy Shield was such a transfer mechanism put in place by the E.U. and
the U.S., but the Privacy Shield was invalidated for international transfers of personal data in July 2020 by the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”). A replacement of the Privacy Shield – the E.U.-U.S. Data Privacy Framework
(“DPF”) was since developed. In July 2023, the U.S. and E.U. implemented the DPF. Companies can now use this new mechanism to transfer personal data from the E.U. to the U.S. and from Switzerland to the U.S., following the national
implementation in Switzerland. The U.K. Extension to the E.U.-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (“Data Bridge”) entered into force on October 12, 2023, allowing certifying entities to transfer personal data from the U.K. to the U.S. At the moment, it
is unclear whether the anticipated legal challenges against the DPF, which may be similar to the challenge that led to the invalidation of the Privacy Shield, would be successful. It is also unclear whether actions by the Trump Administration
will lead the European Commission to reconsider the DPF. Related questions were raised in the European Parliament in the beginning of 2025.
While in July 2020 the CJEU upheld the validity of standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”) as a legal mechanism to transfer personal data to jurisdictions that the European
Commission has not found to provide an adequate level of protection and while the European Commission adopted new SCCs in July 2021, companies relying on SCCs must, subject to additional guidance from regulators in the EEA and the U.K.,
regularly evaluate and implement supplementary measures that provide privacy protections additional to those provided under SCCs. The use of the new SCCs may increase the legal risks and liabilities under EEA privacy, data protection and
information security laws. Given that, at present, there are few, if any, viable alternatives to the SCCs and the DPF, any transfers by us or our vendors of personal information from the EEA to the US may not comply with the EEA data protection
laws, which may increase our exposure to the GDPR’s heightened sanctions for violations of its cross-border data transfer restrictions and may prohibit our transfer of EEA personal information outside of the EEA (including clinical trial data),
and may adversely impact our operations, product development and ability to provide our products.
The competent authorities and courts in a number of E.U. Member States increasingly scrutinize and question the GDPR compliance of processing of personal data by US-based
entities or entities with links to US-based entities, independently of whether personal data is actually transferred outside the EEA. The GDPR authorizes fines for certain violations of up to 4% of global annual revenue or €20 million,
whichever is greater. Such fines are in addition to any civil litigation claims by customers and data subjects. European data protection authorities may interpret the GDPR and national laws differently and impose additional requirements, which
contributes to the complexity of processing personal data in or from the EEA. In June 2021, the CJEU issued a ruling that expanded the scope of the “one stop shop” under the GDPR. According to the ruling, the competent authorities of E.U.
Member States may, under certain strict conditions, bring claims to their national courts against a company for breaches of the GDPR, including unlawful cross-border processing activities, even such company does not have an establishment in the
E.U. Member State in question and the competent authority bringing the claim is not the lead supervisory authority.
Further, as of January 1, 2021, and the expiry of transitional arrangements agreed to between the U.K. and the E.U. (i.e., following the
U.K.’s exit from the E.U.), data processing in the U.K. is governed by a U.K. version of the GDPR (combining the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018), exposing us to two parallel regimes, each of which potentially authorizes similar
substantial fines and other potentially divergent enforcement actions for certain violations. With respect to transfers of personal data from the EEA to the U.K., on June 28, 2021 the European Commission issued an adequacy decision in respect
of the U.K.’s data protection framework, enabling data transfers from E.U. Member States to the U.K. to continue without requiring organizations to put in place contractual or other measures in order to lawfully transfer personal data between
the territories. While it is intended to last for at least four years, this adequacy decisions will automatically expire in June 2025 unless the European Commission renews or extends it and may be modified or unilaterally revoked in the interim
at any point, and if this occurs it could lead to additional costs and increase our overall risk exposure. Moreover, other countries have also passed or are considering passing laws requiring local data residency or restricting the
international transfer of data. In June 2025, the U.K. adopted a reform of the data protection and e-privacy legislation intended to create a more business-friendly regime in the U.K. and increase fines for e-privacy breaches. At this stage it
is unclear whether this legislative reform would potentially lead the European Commission not to extend or to revoke the U.K. adequacy decision. On March 18, 2025, the European Commission proposed to extend its adequacy decision in favor of the
U.K. for an additional six-month period. This would allow transfers of personal data from the E.U. to the U.K. to continue until December 27, 2025 and is intended to allow time for the European Commission to assess the new U.K. legal framework
and decide on its adequacy. In the meantime, the U.K. data protection rules that were found adequate in June 2021 remain in place and continue to apply to data transferred from the E.U.
If we or our third-party service providers are unable to properly protect the privacy and security of personal information or other confidential data we process in our business,
we could be found to have breached our contracts. Further, if we fail to comply with applicable privacy laws, we could face civil and criminal penalties. Enforcement activity from state Attorneys General and agencies such as the California
Privacy Protection Agency, the FTC, E.U. Data Protection Authorities, and other regulatory authorities in relation to privacy and cybersecurity matters can result in financial liability and reputational harm, and responses to such enforcement
activity can consume significant internal resources. In the U.S., the threat of class action lawsuits based on data security breaches or alleged unfair practices adds a further layer of risk. We cannot be sure how these privacy laws and
regulations will be interpreted, enforced or applied to our operations. In addition to the risks associated with enforcement activities and potential contractual liabilities, our ongoing efforts to comply with evolving laws and regulations at
the federal and state level may be costly and require ongoing modifications to our policies, procedures and systems.
Data privacy remains an evolving landscape at both the domestic and international level, with new laws and regulations frequently being adopted and coming into effect. It is
possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our current practices. Significant resources are needed to understand and comply with this changing landscape. Failure to comply with federal, state
and international laws regarding privacy and security of personal information could expose us to penalties, including government-imposed fines or orders requiring that we change our practices or unwind certain lines of business, claims for
damages or other liabilities, regulatory investigations and enforcement action, litigation and significant costs for remediation, any of which could adversely affect our business. Even absent any findings that we have violated these laws,
government investigations into these issues typically require the expenditure of significant resources and generate negative publicity, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.
If we or our affiliates’ employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, consultants, commercial collaborators, service providers or other
vendors or potential collaborators fail to comply with healthcare laws or regulatory standards and requirements, we could face substantial penalties and our business, operations, and financial conditions could be adversely affected.
We are exposed to the risk that our or our affiliates’ employees and contractors, including principal investigators, CROs, CMOs, consultants, commercial collaborators, service
providers and other vendors may engage in misconduct or other illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless or negligent conduct or other unauthorized activities that violate the laws and regulations of the
FDA and other similar regulatory bodies, including those laws that require the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to such regulatory bodies; manufacturing and the FDA’s GCP, GLP and GMP standards; federal, state and foreign
healthcare fraud and abuse laws and data privacy; or laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. In particular, sales, marketing and other business arrangements in the healthcare industry are
subject to extensive laws intended to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing, bribery, corruption, antitrust violations and other abusive practices. The laws that may impact our operations include the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the False
Claims Act, the HIPAA, as amended by HITECH, the federal Physician Payment Sunshine Act, federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws and analogous state and foreign laws and regulations. These laws may restrict or prohibit a wide
range of business activities, including research, manufacturing, distribution, pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Activities subject to these laws also
involve the improper use or misrepresentation of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, creating fraudulent data in our nonclinical studies or clinical trials or illegal misappropriation of drug product, which could result in
regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. It is not always possible to identify and deter employee or third-party misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling
unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with such laws or regulations.
Additionally, we are subject to the risk that a person, including any person who may have engaged in any fraud or misconduct, or government agency could allege such fraud or
other misconduct, even if none occurred. Furthermore, we rely on our CROs and clinical trial sites to adequately report data from our ongoing clinical trials. Moreover, in some instances, our licensing partners conduct clinical trials with
respect to product candidates in different territories and we rely on any such partners to share data from their ongoing clinical trials as required under our agreements with such partners. For example, any failure by such parties to adequately
report safety signals to us in a timely manner from any such trials may also affect the approvability of our product candidates or cause delays and disruptions for the approval of our product candidates, if at all. If our or our affiliates’
employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, consultants, commercial collaborators, service providers or other vendors are alleged or found to be in violation of any such regulatory standards or requirements, or become subject
to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement and curtailment of our operations, it could have a significant impact on our business and financial results, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative
penalties, damages, monetary fines, suspension or delay in our clinical trials, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, FDA debarment, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished
profits and future earnings, and additional reporting requirements and oversight, any of which could harm our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.
If product liability claims are brought against us, we may incur substantial liabilities, delay our planned or ongoing clinical trials and limit
commercialization of our product candidates following regulatory approval.
We face risks associated with product liability claims related to the use of our product candidates in clinical trials, future sales of our product candidates following
regulatory approval or historical sales of approved products. We may be sued if our product candidates cause or are perceived to cause injury or are found to be otherwise unsuitable during clinical testing, manufacturing, marketing or sale. Any
such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability or a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted
under state consumer protection acts. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit testing and commercialization of our product candidates following
regulatory approval. Even successful defense would require significant costs to defend litigation and a diversion of management’s time and resources. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in a decreased or
interrupted demand for our product candidates, if approved, injury to our reputation, withdrawal of clinical trial participants and inability to continue clinical trials, and initiation of investigation by regulators. Any successful liability
claims could result in substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients; product recalls, withdrawals, or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions; loss of revenue; exhaustion of any available insurance and our capital
resources; the inability to commercialize any product candidate following regulatory approval; and a decline in our share price.
The product liability insurance we currently carry, and any additional product liability insurance coverage we acquire in the future, may not be sufficient to reimburse us for
any expenses or losses we may suffer. Moreover, insurance coverage is becoming increasingly expensive and in the future we may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in sufficient amounts to protect us against losses
due to liability. We have insurance coverage which extends to liabilities arising from our product candidates; however, there is no assurance that we will be able to maintain this insurance coverage on commercially reasonable terms or in
adequate amounts or that this coverage will be sufficient to cover any losses arising from any claims related to those product candidates. Our insurance policies may have various exclusions, and we may be subject to a product liability claim
for which we have no coverage. We may have to pay any amounts awarded by a court or negotiated in a settlement that exceed our coverage limitations or that are not covered by our insurance, and we may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient
capital to pay such amounts. Even if our agreements with any future corporate collaborators entitle us to indemnification against losses, such indemnification may not be available or adequate should any claim arise. A successful product
liability claim or series of claims brought against us could adversely affect our results of operations and business, including preventing or limiting the commercialization of our product candidates following regulatory approval.
If we or any contract manufacturers or suppliers we engage fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject
to fines or penalties or incur costs that could harm our business.
We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and
disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. Certain of our operations may involve the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals and biological materials, and may also produce hazardous waste products. We generally contract
with third parties for the disposal of these materials and wastes. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from our use of hazardous materials, we could be
held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties for failure to comply with such laws and regulations.
Although we maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of hazardous
materials, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. We do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us in connection with our storage or disposal
of biological, hazardous or radioactive materials.
In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and
regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.
We or the third parties upon whom we depend may be adversely affected by earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, outbreak of disease or other natural disasters and
our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not adequately protect us from a serious disaster.
Earthquakes, hurricanes, fires or other natural disasters could severely disrupt our operations, and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations,
financial condition and prospects. If a natural disaster, power outage or other event occurred that prevented us from using all or a significant portion of our offices, that damaged critical infrastructure, such as the manufacturing facilities
of our third-party CMOs, or that otherwise disrupted operations, it may be difficult or, in certain cases, impossible for us to continue our business for a substantial period of time. The disaster recovery and business continuity plans we have
in place currently are limited and are unlikely to prove adequate in the event of a serious disaster or similar event. We may incur substantial expenses as a result of the limited nature of our disaster recovery and business continuity plans,
which, particularly when taken together with our limited earthquake and flood insurance coverage, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The increasing use of social media platforms presents new risks and challenges.
Social media is increasingly being used to communicate about our research, product candidates and the diseases our product candidates are being developed to treat. Social media
practices in the biopharmaceutical industry continue to evolve and regulations relating to such use are not always clear. This evolution creates uncertainty and risk of noncompliance with regulations applicable to our business, resulting in
potential regulatory actions against us. For example, patients may use social media channels to comment on their experience in an ongoing blinded clinical study or to report an alleged adverse event. When such disclosures occur, there is a risk
that we fail to monitor and comply with applicable adverse event reporting obligations or we may not be able to defend our business or the public’s legitimate interests in the face of the political and market pressures generated by social media
due to restrictions on what we may say about our development candidates and investigational medicines. There is also a risk of inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information or negative or inaccurate posts or comments about us on any social
networking website. Furthermore, our employees, affiliates and business partners may use social media for their personal use, and their activities on social media or in other forums could result in adverse publicity for us. Any negative
publicity as a result of social media posts, whether or not such claims are accurate, could adversely impact us. If any of these events were to occur or we otherwise fail to comply with applicable regulations, we could incur liability, face
regulatory actions, or incur other harm to our business. The use of social media also creates additional risks in the EEA and the U.K. where promotion of prescription-only medicines to patients and the general public is strictly prohibited.
Social media content that is generated, shared or liked by our company or our directors, employees, staff or other representatives may potentially be perceived or construed as constituting prohibited promotion of prescription-only medicinal
products and trigger enforcement and penalties. This is an area of increased scrutiny in both the EEA and the U.K.
The use of AI could expose us to liability or adversely affect our business.
We and certain of our early-stage discovery Vants and healthcare technology businesses use machine learning and AI as part of their business. However, there are significant
risks involved in utilizing AI and no assurance can be provided that our use of AI will enhance our business or operations or result in our business or operations being more efficient or profitable. For example, AI algorithms may be flawed,
insufficient, of poor quality, reflect unwanted forms of bias, or contain other errors or inadequacies, any of which may not be easily detectable; AI has been known to produce false or “hallucinatory” inferences or outputs; AI can present
ethical issues and may subject us to new or heightened legal, regulatory, ethical or other challenges; and inappropriate or controversial data practices by developers and end-users, or other factors adversely affecting public opinion of AI,
could impair the acceptance of AI solutions, including those incorporated in our businesses. If the AI solutions that we create or use are deficient, inaccurate or controversial, we could suffer from competitive harm, legal liability, brand or
reputational harm, or other adverse impacts on our business and financial results. If we do not have sufficient rights to use the data or other material or content on which our AI solutions or other AI tools we use rely, we also may incur
liability through the violation of applicable laws, third-party intellectual property, privacy or other rights, or contracts to which we are a party.
In addition, regulation of AI is rapidly evolving worldwide as legislators and regulators are increasingly focused on these powerful emerging technologies. The technologies
underlying AI and its uses are subject to a variety of laws, including intellectual property, privacy, data protection and cybersecurity, consumer protection, competition and equal opportunity laws, and are expected to be subject to increased
regulation and new laws or new applications of existing laws. AI is the subject of ongoing review by various U.S. governmental and regulatory agencies, and various U.S. states and other foreign jurisdictions are applying, or are considering
applying, their platform moderation, cybersecurity and data protection laws to AI or are considering general legal frameworks for AI. For example, in August 2024, the E.U. Artificial Intelligence Act (the “E.U. AI Act”), which establishes broad
obligations for the development and use of AI-based technologies in the E.U. based on their potential risks and level of impact, came into force. The E.U. AI Act includes requirements around transparency, conformity assessments and monitoring,
risk assessments, human oversight, security, accuracy, general purpose AI and foundation models, and provides for fines of up to the greater of €35 million or 7% of worldwide annual turnover for violations. Moreover, on July 7, 2025, the
European Commission published draft GMP guidelines on the use of AI in manufacturing of medicinal products in the E.U. These guidelines exclude the use of generative AI, large language models (LLMs), dynamic AI models and AI models with
probabilistic outputs from critical GMP functions. We may not be able to anticipate how to respond to these rapidly evolving frameworks, and we may need to expend resources to adjust our offerings in certain jurisdictions if the legal
frameworks are inconsistent across jurisdictions. Furthermore, because AI technology itself is highly complex and rapidly developing, it is not possible to predict all of the legal, operational or technological risks that may arise relating to
the use of AI.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent and other intellectual property protection for our technology and product candidates, or if the scope of the
intellectual property protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.
We rely, and will continue to rely, upon a combination of patents, trademarks, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants, collaborators,
advisors and other third parties to protect the intellectual property related to our brand, current and future drug development programs and product candidates. Our success depends in large part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent
protection in the U.S. and other countries with respect to our product candidates. We seek to protect our proprietary position by in-licensing or acquiring intellectual property and filing or working with our licensors to file patent
applications in the U.S. and abroad related to our product candidates, defending our intellectual property rights against third-party challenges and enforcing our intellectual property rights to prevent third-party infringement. The patent
prosecution process is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. Furthermore, there is always a risk that our licensed
or owned issued patents and any pending and future patent applications may not protect our product candidates, in whole or in part, and may not effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive products, or that an alteration to our
product candidates or processes may provide sufficient basis for a competitor to avoid infringing our patent claims. The risks associated with patent rights generally apply to patent rights that we in-license now or in the future, as well as
patent rights that we may own now or in the future.
It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection. Although we enter
into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to confidential or patentable aspects of their research and development output, such as employees, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, CROs,
contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose such output before a patent application is filed, thereby jeopardizing our ability to obtain patent protection.
In addition, while we have pre-publication review procedures in effect, premature or inadvertent publication of potentially patentable subject matter could preclude our ability to obtain patent protection. We may choose not to seek patent
protection for certain innovations or product candidates and may choose not to pursue patent protection in certain jurisdictions, and under the laws of certain jurisdictions, patents or other intellectual property rights may be unavailable or
limited in scope and, in any event, any patent protection we obtain may be limited. As a result, our product candidates may not be protected by patents in all jurisdictions. We generally apply for patents in those countries where we intend to
make, have made, use, offer for sale, or sell our product candidates following regulatory approval and where we assess the risk of infringement to justify the cost of seeking patent protection. However, we do not seek protection in all
countries where we intend to sell product candidates following regulatory approval and we may not accurately predict all the countries where patent protection would ultimately be desirable. If we fail to timely file a patent application in any
such country or major market, we may be precluded from doing so at a later date. The patent applications that we own or in-license may fail to result in issued patents with claims that cover product candidates in the U.S. or in other countries.
We may also inadvertently make statements to regulatory agencies during the regulatory approval process that may be inconsistent with positions that have been taken during prosecution of our patents, which may result in such patents being
narrowed, held unpatentable, invalidated or held unenforceable in enforcement and other adversarial proceedings.
The patent applications that we own or in-license may fail to result in issued patents with claims that cover our product candidates in the U.S. or in other countries. Our
pending PCT patent applications are not eligible to become issued patents until, among other things, we file a national stage patent application within 30 months in the countries in which we seek patent protection. If we do not timely file any
national stage patent applications, we may lose our priority date with respect to our PCT patent applications and any patent protection on the inventions disclosed in such PCT patent applications. We cannot guarantee any current or future
patents will provide us with any meaningful protection of our product candidates or other technology or competitive advantage. For example, any issued patents might not cover the pharmaceutical composition of the product candidate that is
ultimately commercialized following regulatory approval. There is no assurance that all of the potentially relevant prior art relating to our patents and patent applications has been found, which can prevent a patent from issuing from a pending
patent application or be used to invalidate an issued patent or otherwise find an issued patent to be unpatentable. The examination process may require us to narrow our claims, which may limit the scope of patent protection that we may
ultimately obtain. Even if patents do successfully issue and even if such patents cover our product candidates, third parties may challenge their patentability, validity, enforceability or scope, which may result in such patents being narrowly
construed, invalidated or held unenforceable or unpatentable, any of which could limit our ability to prevent competitors and other third parties from developing and marketing similar products or product candidates or limit the length of terms
of patent protection we may have for our product candidates and technologies. Other companies may also design around technologies we have patented, licensed or developed. In addition, the issuance of a patent does not give us the right to
practice the patented invention. Third parties may have blocking patents that could prevent us from marketing product candidates, or practicing our own patented technology, or impose a substantial royalty burden to do so. Any successful
opposition to these patents or any other patents owned by or licensed to us could deprive us of rights necessary for the successful commercialization of product candidates following regulatory approval. Further, if we encounter delays in
regulatory approvals, the period of time during which we could market a product candidate under patent protection could be reduced. If any of our patents are challenged, invalidated, circumvented by third parties or otherwise limited or expire
prior to the commercialization of our product candidates following regulatory approval, and if we do not own or have exclusive rights to other enforceable patents protecting our product candidates or other technologies, competitors and other
third parties could market products or product candidates and use processes that are substantially similar to, or superior to, ours and our business would suffer.
If the patent applications we own or have in-licensed with respect to our product candidates fail to issue, if their validity, patentability, enforceability,
breadth or strength of protection is threatened, or if they fail to provide meaningful exclusivity for our product candidates, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to develop product candidates, and threaten our ability to
commercialize our product candidates following regulatory approval. Any such outcome could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and has in recent years been the
subject of much litigation. The standards that the USPTO and its counterparts in other countries use to grant patents are not always applied predictably or uniformly. In addition, the laws of countries other than the U.S. may not protect our
patent rights and other intellectual property rights to the same extent as the state and federal laws of the U.S., and many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending such rights in such jurisdictions. For
example, European patent law restricts the patentability of methods of treatment of the human body more than U.S. law does.
Other parties have developed technologies that may be related or competitive to our own technologies and such parties may have filed or may file patent applications, or may have
received or may receive patents, claiming inventions that may overlap or conflict with those claimed in our own or licensed patent applications or issued patents. Furthermore, publications of discoveries in scientific literature often lag
behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the U.S. and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot know with certainty whether we or our
licensors were the first to make the inventions claimed in our owned or in-licensed patents or pending patent applications, or that we or our licensors were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. As a result, the issuance,
scope, patentability, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are highly uncertain. Our pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued which protect our technology or product candidates,
in whole or in part, or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and product candidates. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the U.S. and other countries may diminish
the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection.
The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, patentability, validity or enforceability, and our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in the
courts or patent offices in the U.S. and abroad. We are currently and may in the future be subject to third-party pre-issuance submissions of prior art to the USPTO or its equivalents and we or our licensors have in the past, and may in the
future, become involved in opposition, derivation, re-examination, inter partes review (“IPR”), post-grant review or interference or derivation proceedings in the U.S. or in other jurisdictions
challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. A third party may also claim that our owned or licensed patent rights are invalid or unenforceable in a litigation.
Certain U.S. patents relating to lipid nanoparticle molar ratios and the aggregation of lipid nanoparticles that GSG, as assignee of Genevant Sciences Ltd. (“Genevant”),
exclusively licensed from Arbutus Biopharma Corp. (“Arbutus”) have previously been the subject of IPR proceedings brought by Moderna Therapeutics, Inc. (“Moderna”) before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”), whose decisions were
subsequently reviewed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (the “Federal Circuit”). As previously disclosed, with respect to two of these patents, the Federal Circuit ultimately affirmed the PTAB’s decisions upholding certain
claims under those patents and invalidating others; and, with respect to the third patent, the Federal Circuit dismissed Moderna’s appeal. Additionally, one European patent (EP Patent No. EP2279254) relating to lipid nanoparticle molar ratios
that Genevant exclusively licensed from Arbutus is the subject of an opposition proceeding brought in 2018 by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation (“Merck”) and Moderna at the European Patent Office (the “EPO”) Opposition Division. In 2019, the
EPO Opposition Division upheld claims as amended by an auxiliary request submitted by the patent owner. Merck and Moderna appealed and, in 2023, the Boards of Appeal of the EPO set aside the EPO Opposition Division decision and remitted the
case to the EPO Opposition Division for further prosecution. In June 2024, the EPO Opposition Division upheld the patent with the same claims as amended as it had upheld in 2019. All parties have appealed the decision, and an appeal hearing is
scheduled for January 2026. Genevant may commence litigation at any time to enforce its patent rights against infringers. Additionally, a European patent (EP Patent No. EP4241767 B1) relating to certain ionizable lipids that Genevant
exclusively licensed from Arbutus is the subject of an opposition proceeding brought in 2025 by Moderna at the EPO. The opposition is pending.
The outcome following legal assertions of unpatentability, invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding or
litigation could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or product candidates and compete directly with us, without payment to us, result in our inability to manufacture or,
following regulatory approval, commercialize product candidates without infringing third-party patent rights or result in our breach of agreements pursuant to which we license such rights to our collaborators or licensees. In addition, if the
patentability, validity, breadth or strength of protection provided by our patents and patent applications is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize product candidates. Such
challenges may result in loss of exclusivity or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable or unpatentable, in whole or in part, which could limit our freedom to operate, our ability to stop others from using or
commercializing similar or identical technology and product candidates, or the duration of the patent protection of our technology and product candidates. Such challenges also may result in substantial cost and require significant time from our
scientists and management, even if the eventual outcome is favorable to us. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Even if they are unchallenged, our owned and in-licensed patents and pending patent applications, if issued, may not provide us with any meaningful protection or prevent
competitors from designing around our patent claims to circumvent our owned or licensed patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or therapeutics in a non-infringing manner. For example, a third party may develop a competitive
product that provides benefits similar to one or more of our product candidates but that falls outside the scope of our patent protection. Moreover, patents have a limited lifespan. In the U.S., the statutory expiration of a patent is generally
20 years from its earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment or extension and assuming payment of all appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees. Various
extensions may be available; however, the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, are limited. Without patent protection, our product candidates may be open to competition from generic versions of such product candidates. Given the
amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and
in-licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing product candidates similar or identical to our own and, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition, results of operations and prospects.
The length of our patent terms may be inadequate to protect the competitive position of our product candidates for an adequate amount of time.
Patents have a limited lifespan. In the U.S., if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the statutory expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest U.S.
non-provisional filing date, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment or extension and assuming payment of all appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees. In certain instances, the patent term
may be adjusted to add additional days to compensate for delays incurred by the USPTO in issuing the patent. Also, the patent term may be extended for a period of time to compensate for at least a portion of the time a product candidate was
undergoing FDA regulatory review. However, the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, are limited. Even if patents covering product candidates are obtained, once the patent life has expired, we may be open to competition from other
products or product candidates, including generics or biosimilars. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such product candidates might expire before or
shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and in-licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing product candidates similar or identical to our product
candidates.
If we do not obtain protection under the Hatch-Waxman Amendments by extending the patent term, our business may be harmed.
Our commercial success will largely depend on our ability to obtain and maintain patent rights and other intellectual property rights in the U.S. and other countries with
respect to our proprietary technology, product candidates and our target indications. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of product candidates, patents protecting our product candidates might
expire before or shortly after such candidate begins to be commercialized. We expect to seek extensions of patent terms in the U.S. and, if available, in other countries where we are prosecuting patents.
Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of FDA marketing approval of product candidates, one or more of our U.S. patents may be eligible for a limited patent term
extension (“PTE”) under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, referred to as the Hatch-Waxman Amendments. The Hatch-Waxman Amendments permit a patent restoration term of up to five years beyond the normal
expiration of the patent as compensation for patent term lost during development and the FDA regulatory review process, which is limited to the approved indication (and potentially additional indications approved during the period of extension)
covered by the patent. This extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval and is limited to only one patent that covers the approved product, the approved use of the product,
or a method of manufacturing the product. Patent term extension also may be available in certain foreign countries, including the E.U. where it is known as a Supplementary Protection Certificate, upon regulatory approval of our product
candidates, based on similar legislation. However, the applicable authorities, including the FDA and the USPTO in the U.S., and any equivalent regulatory authority in other countries, may not agree with our assessment of whether such extensions
are available, and may refuse to grant extensions to our patents, or may grant more limited extensions than we request. We may not be granted an extension because of, for example, failing to apply within applicable deadlines, failing to apply
prior to expiration of relevant patents or otherwise failing to satisfy applicable requirements. Moreover, the applicable time-period or the scope of patent protection afforded could be less than we request. Even if we are able to obtain an
extension, the patent term may still expire before or shortly after we receive FDA marketing approval for a given product candidate.
If we are unable to extend the expiration date of our existing patents or obtain new patents with longer expiry dates, our competitors may be able to take advantage of our
investment in development and clinical trials by referencing our clinical and preclinical data to obtain approval of competing product candidates following our patent expiration and launch their product earlier than might otherwise be the case.
Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements
imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated as a result of non-compliance with these requirements.
Periodic maintenance fees on any issued patent are due to be paid to the USPTO and other patent agencies in other jurisdictions in several stages over the lifetime of the
patent. The USPTO and various national or international patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. In certain circumstances, we
rely on our licensing partners to pay these fees due to U.S. and non-U.S. patent agencies and to take the necessary action to comply with these requirements with respect to our licensed intellectual property. While an inadvertent lapse can in
many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or
complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of patent rights include, but are not limited to, failure to timely file national and regional stage patent
applications based on our international patent applications, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, underpayment or non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents within
prescribed time limits. If we or our licensors fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our product candidates, our competitors might be able to enter the market earlier than anticipated, which would have an adverse effect
on our business.
We rely on certain in-licensed patents and other intellectual property rights in connection with our development of certain product candidates and, if we
fail to comply with our obligations under our existing and any future intellectual property licenses with third parties, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.
Our ability to develop and eventually, if approved, commercialize product candidates is dependent, and will continue to be dependent, on licenses to patent rights and other
intellectual property granted to us by third parties. Further, development and, following regulatory approval, commercialization of our product candidates may require us to enter into additional license or collaboration agreements.
Our current license agreements impose, and future agreements may impose, various development, diligence, commercialization and other obligations on us and require us to meet
development timelines, or to exercise commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize licensed products, in order to maintain the licenses. If we fail to comply with our obligations under these licenses, our licensors may have the
right to terminate these license agreements, in which event we may not be able to market our product candidates following regulatory approval. Termination of any of our license agreements or reduction or elimination of our licensed rights may
also result in our having to negotiate new or reinstated licenses with less favorable terms. Additionally, biotechnology and pharmaceutical license agreements are complex and certain provisions in our intellectual property agreements may be
susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could affect the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology, or affect financial or other
obligations under the relevant agreement, either of which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. For example, disputes may arise with respect to our current or future licensing agreement include
disputes relating to:
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our financial or other obligations under the license agreement;
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the extent to which our technology or product candidates may infringe on intellectual property of the licensor that is not subject to the licensing agreement;
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the sublicensing of patent and other rights;
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our diligence obligations under the license agreements and what activities satisfy those diligence obligations;
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the inventorship or ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by our licensors and us and our partners; and
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the priority of invention of patented technology.
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If disputes over intellectual property that we have in-licensed prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on acceptable terms, we may be
unable to successfully develop and, following regulatory approval, commercialize our product candidates. If our licenses are terminated, we may lose our rights to develop and market our technology and product candidates, lose patent protection
for our product candidates and technology, experience significant delays in the development and, following regulatory approval, commercialization of our product candidates or incur liability for damages. In addition, we may need to obtain
additional licenses from our licensors and, in connection with obtaining such licenses, we may agree to amend our existing licenses in a manner that may be more favorable to the licensors, including by agreeing to terms that could enable third
parties, including our competitors, to receive licenses to a portion of the intellectual property that is subject to our existing licenses and to compete with our product candidates. Our subsidiary Immunovant has licensed certain intellectual
property rights under the HanAll Agreement. We and Immunovant depend, and will continue to depend, on the HanAll Agreement for the rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize certain product candidates. We and Immunovant face risks under
the HanAll Agreement, including that if, for any reason, the rights granted to Immunovant under the HanAll Agreement are terminated or Immunovant otherwise loses the rights granted under that agreement, it would adversely affect our and
Immunovant’s business. For more information regarding the risks associated with the HanAll Agreement, please see “Immunovant relies on the HanAll Agreement to provide the rights to the core intellectual property relating to IMVT-1402 and
batoclimab. Any termination or loss of significant rights under the HanAll Agreement would adversely affect Immunovant’s development and commercialization of IMVT-1402 and batoclimab” above.
Furthermore, if our licenses are terminated, or if the underlying patents fail to provide the intended exclusivity, competitors or other third parties would have the freedom
to seek regulatory approval of, and to market, products identical or competitive to ours and we may be required to cease our development and, following regulatory approval, commercialization of certain of our product candidates. Moreover, if
disputes over intellectual property that we license prevent or impair our ability to maintain other licensing arrangements on commercially acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize the affected product
candidates. In addition, certain of these license agreements, may not be assignable by us without the consent of the respective licensor, which may have an adverse effect on our ability to engage in certain transactions. Any of the foregoing
could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, in some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent
applications, or to maintain or enforce the patents, covering technology that our licensor licenses from third parties. Therefore, we cannot be certain that these or other patents will be prosecuted, maintained and enforced in a manner
consistent with the best interests of our business. Additionally, we may not have sufficient ability to provide input into the patent prosecution, maintenance, enforcement and defense process with respect to such patents, and our licensors
may fail to take the steps that we believe are necessary or desirable in order to obtain, maintain, enforce and defend the in-licensed patents. If our current or future licensors or collaboration partners fail to obtain, maintain, defend,
protect or enforce any patents or patent applications licensed to us, our rights to such patents and patent applications may be reduced or eliminated and our right to develop and, following regulatory approval, commercialize product
candidates that are the subject of such licensed rights could be adversely affected.
Furthermore, certain of our current and future licenses may not provide us with exclusive rights to use the licensed intellectual property and technology or may not provide us
with rights to use such intellectual property and technology in all relevant fields of use and in all territories in which we may wish to develop or commercialize our technology and product candidates in the future. The intellectual property
portfolio licensed to us by our licensors at least in some respects, may therefore be used by such licensors or licensed to third parties, and such third parties may have certain enforcement rights with respect to such intellectual property.
For example, Immunovant does not have rights to develop, manufacture, use or commercialize batoclimab or IMVT-1402 or file or enforce patents relating to these assets in territories other than the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the E.U., the U.K.,
Switzerland, the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America, as such rights in other jurisdictions have been retained by HanAll or licensed by HanAll to third parties. Patents licensed to us could be put at risk of being invalidated or
interpreted narrowly in litigation filed by or against our licensors or another licensee or in administrative proceedings brought by or against our licensors or another licensee in response to such litigation or for other reasons, even if such
litigation or administrative proceeding occurs in a territory in which we do not have a license. As a result, we may not be able to prevent competitors or other third parties from developing and commercializing competitive products, including
in territories covered by our licenses.
Third-party claims or litigation alleging infringement, misappropriation or other violations of third-party patents or other proprietary rights or seeking to
invalidate our patents or other proprietary rights, may delay or prevent the development and commercialization of our product candidates.
Our commercial success depends, and will continue to depend, in part on our avoidance of infringement, misappropriation and other violations of the patents and proprietary
rights of third parties. However, our research, development and commercialization activities may be subject to claims that we infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate patents or other intellectual property rights owned or controlled by
third parties. Our competitors or other third parties may assert infringement claims against us, alleging that our product candidates infringe their patents. We cannot be certain that we do not infringe existing patents or that we will not
infringe patents that may be granted in the future. There is a substantial amount of litigation, both within and outside the U.S., involving patent and other intellectual property rights in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries,
including patent infringement lawsuits, interferences, derivation and administrative law proceedings, IPR and post-grant review before the USPTO, as well as oppositions and similar processes in other
jurisdictions. Numerous U.S. and non-U.S. issued patents and pending patent applications, which are owned by third parties, exist in the fields in which we and our collaborators are developing product candidates. As the biotechnology and
pharmaceutical industries expand and more patents are issued, and as we gain greater visibility, the risk increases that our product candidates or other business activities may be subject to claims of infringement of the patent and other
proprietary rights of third parties. Third parties may assert that we are infringing their patents or employing their proprietary technology without authorization. There may be third-party patents or patent applications with claims to
materials, formulations, methods of manufacture or methods for treatment related to the use or manufacture of our product candidates. We could also be required to pay damages, which could be significant, including treble damages and attorneys’
fees if we are found to have wilfully infringed such patents.
Additionally, because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending patent applications which may later result in issued patents that our
product candidates may infringe. In addition, third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies infringes upon these patents. If any third-party patents were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover
any of our product candidates, the holders of any such patents may be able to block our ability to commercialize such product candidates following regulatory approval, unless we obtained a license under the applicable patents, or until such
patents expire or are finally determined to be invalid or unenforceable or unpatentable. Similarly, if any third-party patent were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover aspects of our formulations, processes for manufacture or
methods of use, including combination therapy, the holders of any such patent may be able to block our ability to develop and, following regulatory approval, commercialize the applicable product candidate, unless we obtained a license or until
such patent expires or is finally determined to be invalid or unenforceable or unpatentable. In either case, such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential
information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative impact on our business. In addition, we may be subject to claims that we are infringing other intellectual property rights, such as trademarks or copyrights, or
misappropriating the trade secrets of others, and to the extent that our employees, consultants or contractors use intellectual property or proprietary information owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in
related or resulting know-how and inventions, which could be time-consuming and divert the attention of senior management.
Parties making claims against us may obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to further develop and commercialize one or more of
our product candidates following regulatory approval. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. In the event of
a successful infringement or other intellectual property claim against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for wilful infringement, obtain one or more licenses from third parties, pay
royalties or redesign our affected product candidates, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure. We cannot predict whether any such license would be available at all or whether it would be available on
commercially reasonable terms. Furthermore, even in the absence of litigation, we may need to obtain licenses from third parties to advance our research or allow commercialization of our product candidates following regulatory approval, and we
have done so from time to time. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, if at all. In that event, we would be unable to further develop and commercialize one or more of our product candidates,
which could harm our business significantly. We cannot provide any assurances that third-party patents do not exist which might be enforced against our product candidates, resulting in either an injunction prohibiting our sales, or, with
respect to our sales, an obligation on our part to pay royalties and other forms of compensation to third parties.
Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of complex intellectual property litigation more effectively than we can because the competitors have substantially
greater financial and other resources. In addition, intellectual property litigation, regardless of its outcome, may cause negative publicity, adversely impact prospective customers, cause product shipment delays or prohibit us from
manufacturing, marketing or otherwise commercializing our product candidates following regulatory approval. Any uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could adversely impact our ability to raise
additional funds or otherwise harm our business, results of operation, financial condition or cash flows.
Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential
information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, which could adversely impact the price of
our common shares.
We may not identify relevant third-party patents or may incorrectly interpret the relevance, scope or expiration of a third-party patent, which might harm
our ability to develop and, following regulatory approvals, market our product candidates.
We cannot guarantee that any of our or our licensors’ patent searches or analyses, including the identification of relevant patents, the scope of patent claims or the expiration
of relevant patents, are complete or thorough, nor can we be certain that we have identified each and every third-party patent and pending application in the U.S. and abroad that is or may be relevant to or necessary for the commercialization
of our product candidates in any jurisdiction. Patent applications in the U.S. and elsewhere are not published until approximately 18 months after the earliest filing for which priority is claimed, with such earliest filing date being commonly
referred to as the priority date. In addition, U.S. patent applications filed before November 29, 2000 and certain U.S. patent applications filed after that date that will not be filed outside the U.S. remain confidential until patents issue.
Therefore, patent applications covering our product candidates could have been filed by others without our knowledge. Additionally, pending patent applications that have been published can, subject to certain limitations, be later amended in a
manner that could cover our product candidates, or the use thereof, provided such pending patent applications result in issued patents. Our ability to develop and market our product candidate following regulatory approval can be adversely
affected in jurisdictions where such patents are issued.
The scope of a patent claim is determined by an interpretation of the law, the written disclosure in a patent and the patent’s prosecution history. Our interpretation of the
relevance or the scope of a patent or a pending application may be incorrect, which may negatively impact our ability to market our product candidates following regulatory approval. We may incorrectly determine that our product candidates are
not covered by a third-party patent or may incorrectly predict whether a third party’s pending application will issue with claims of relevant scope. Our determination of the expiration date of any patent in the U.S. or abroad that we consider
relevant may be incorrect and we may incorrectly conclude that a third-party patent is unpatentable, invalid or unenforceable. Our failure to identify and correctly interpret relevant patents may negatively impact our ability to develop and
market our product candidates following regulatory approval.
If we fail to identify and correctly interpret relevant patents covering our product candidates or their methods of manufacture or use, we may be subject to infringement claims.
We cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully settle or otherwise resolve such infringement claims. If we fail in any such dispute, in addition to being forced to pay damages, we may be temporarily or permanently prohibited from
commercializing any of our product candidates that are held to be infringing. We might, if possible, also be forced to redesign product candidates so that we no longer infringe the third-party intellectual property rights. Any of these events,
even if we were ultimately to prevail, could require us to divert substantial financial and management resources that we would otherwise be able to devote to our business.
We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents, the patents of our licensors or our other intellectual property rights, which could be
expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate our patents, the patents of our licensors or our other intellectual property rights. To counter infringement or
unauthorized use, we may be required to file and prosecute legal claims against one or more third parties, which can be expensive and time-consuming, even if ultimately successful.
In February 2022, Roivant’s subsidiary GSG and its affiliate Arbutus filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against Moderna and an affiliate
seeking damages for infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 8,058,069, 8,492,359, 8,822,668, 9,364,435, 9,504,651, and 11,141,378 in the manufacture and sale of MRNA-1273, Moderna’s vaccine for COVID-19 (the “Moderna Action”). In November 2022, the
court denied Moderna’s partial motion to dismiss pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1498(a) (“§ 1498”). In March 2023, following the submission of a Statement of Interest in the case by the U.S. Government, the court reaffirmed its prior decision in favor
of GSG and Arbutus. In February 2024, the court held a claim construction hearing on disputed terms within the claims of the asserted patents. In April 2024, the court provided its claim construction ruling, in which it construed the disputed
claim terms and agreed with GSG and Arbutus’ position on most of the disputed claim terms. Both fact discovery and expert discovery in the Moderna Action have been completed. In June 2025, the court issued a new scheduling order in the case. In
accordance with that order, the parties served their respective summary judgment motions in July 2025. In addition, also in July 2025, the case was reassigned to a different judge in the same federal district court. The jury trial in the
Moderna Action is scheduled for March 2026.
Separately, in April 2023, GSG and Arbutus filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against Pfizer and BioNTech seeking damages for infringement
of U.S. Patent Nos. 9,504,651, 8,492,359, 11,141,378, 11,298,320 and 11,318,098 in the manufacture and sale of COMIRNATY (the “Pfizer Action”). In July 2023, Pfizer and BioNTech filed an answer. The court held a claim construction hearing in
the Pfizer Action in December 2024. The court has not provided guidance for the timing of its ruling in the claim construction ruling, which could potentially come in calendar year 2025.
In addition, in March 2025, GSG and Arbutus filed five international lawsuits against Moderna targeting alleged infringing activity in 30 countries (the “International Cases”).
These cases are:
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Canada: Federal Court of Canada File No. T-704-25, seeking a permanent injunction and damages or, if GSG so elects, an accounting of Moderna’s profits, attributable to infringement of Canadian Patent No.
2,721,333.
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Japan: Tokyo District Court Case No. 2025 (Wa) 70079, seeking a permanent injunction and reasonable royalty for infringement of Japanese Patent No. 5,475,753.
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Switzerland: filing a case, seeking a permanent injunction and monetary relief, which upon later choice of GSG and Arbutus can include surrender of profits, damages or a reasonable royalty, for infringement of
EP 2 279 254.
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Unified Patent Court (“UPC”): Case 10280/2025, seeking permanent and provisional injunctions, as well as monetary damages, which can include recovery of Moderna’s unfair profits, for infringement of EP 2 279
254.
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UPC: Case 10284/2025, seeking permanent and provisional injunctions, as well as monetary damages, which can include recovery of Moderna’s unfair profits, for infringement of EP 4 241 767.
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The UPC actions together seek relief in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland/Liechtenstein and Turkey.
In an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent of ours or our licensors is not valid or is unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the
technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. The standards that courts use to interpret patents are not always applied predictably or uniformly and can change, particularly as new technologies
develop. As a result, we cannot predict with certainty how much protection, if any, will be given to our patents if we attempt to enforce them and they are challenged in court and if any such suits, including the Moderna Action, the
International Cases, and the Pfizer Action, will ultimately be resolved successfully. Further, even if we prevail against an infringer in U.S. district court, there is always the risk that the infringer will file an appeal and the district
court judgment will be overturned at the appeals court and that an adverse decision will be issued by the appeals court relating to the validity or enforceability of our patents. An adverse result in any litigation or defense proceedings could
put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly in a manner insufficient to achieve our business objectives, or could put our patent applications at risk of not issuing. The initiation of a claim against a
third party may also cause the third-party to bring counter claims against us such as claims asserting that our patents are unpatentable, invalid or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the U.S., defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or
unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness, non-enablement or lack of written description, or
non-statutory subject matter as well as for double-patenting. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant material information from the USPTO, or made
a materially misleading statement, during prosecution or that inventorship of the patent was incorrectly named. Third parties may also raise similar validity or unpatentability claims before the USPTO in post-grant proceedings such as ex parte
reexaminations, IPR or post-grant review, or oppositions or similar proceedings outside the U.S., in parallel with litigation or even outside the context of litigation. The outcome following legal assertions of unpatentability, invalidity and
unenforceability is unpredictable. We cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art, of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. For the patents and patent applications that we have in-licensed, we may have
limited or no right to participate in the defense of any licensed patents against challenge by a third party. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of unpatentability, invalidity or unenforceability, we would lose at least part,
and perhaps all, of any future patent protection on our product candidates. Such a loss of patent protection could harm our business. Additionally, any adverse outcome could allow third parties to commercialize our product candidates and
compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products, if approved, without infringing third-party patent rights.
Even if we establish infringement, we may not seek, or the court may decide not to grant, an injunction against further infringing activity and instead award only monetary
damages, which may or may not be an adequate remedy. We may not be able to detect or prevent, alone or with our licensors, misappropriation of our intellectual property rights, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect those
rights as fully as in the U.S. Any litigation or other proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights may fail, and even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees.
Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential
information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors
perceive these results to be negative, it could have an adverse effect on the price of our common shares.
We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately conduct the Moderna Action, the International Cases, the Pfizer Action or any other such litigation or
proceedings. Some of our competitors or other third parties may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources. Because of the expense and uncertainty of
litigation, we may conclude that even if a third party is infringing our issued patent, any patents that may be issued as a result of our pending or future patent applications or other intellectual property rights, the risk-adjusted cost of
bringing and enforcing such a claim or action may be too high or not in the best interest of our company or our shareholders. In such cases, we may decide that the more prudent course of action is to simply monitor the situation or initiate or
seek some other non-litigious action or solution.
Because many of the patents we own or have licensed are owned or licensed by our subsidiaries, and in certain cases by subsidiaries that are not or will not
be directly commercializing products, if approved, we may not be in a position to obtain a permanent injunction against a third party that is found to infringe our patents.
Many patents that we own or have in-licensed are assigned to or licensed by our direct or indirect subsidiaries. For example, any patents that Immunovant has licensed are
assigned to its wholly-owned subsidiary Immunovant Sciences GmbH. If a third party is found to be infringing such patents, we and our direct subsidiaries may not be able to permanently enjoin the third-party from making, using, offering for
sale or selling the infringing product or activity for the remaining life of such patent in the U.S. or other jurisdictions when the patent is assigned to a subsidiary, which is not the entity that is or would be commercializing a potentially
competitive product or service. In such a circumstance, such third-party may be able to compete with us or our subsidiaries, which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of
operations and prospects.
Changes in U.S. patent law or the patent law of other countries or jurisdictions could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our
ability to protect our product candidates.
As is the case with other biopharmaceutical companies, we depend and will continue to depend on intellectual property. Obtaining and enforcing patents in the biopharmaceutical
industry involves both technological and legal complexity and is therefore costly, time consuming and inherently uncertain. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the U.S. or USPTO rules and regulations could
increase the uncertainties and costs.
The U.S. has in the past and more recently enacted and implemented wide-ranging patent reform legislation. In addition, patent reform legislation may pass in the future that
could lead to additional uncertainties and increased costs surrounding the prosecution, enforcement and defense of our patents and pending patent applications. The U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have ruled
on several patent cases in recent years, either narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our
ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once obtained. For example, in June 2022, the World Trade Organization members agreed to waive certain patent
rights with respect to COVID-19 vaccines. Any waiver of our patent or other intellectual property protection by the U.S. and other foreign governments, including with respect to Genevant’s licensed lipid nanoparticle (“LNP”) delivery technology
as used in connection with messenger RNA vaccine delivery, could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Depending on actions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our
ability to obtain new patents or to enforce patents that we have licensed or that we might obtain in the future. Similarly, changes in patent law and regulations in other countries or jurisdictions or changes in the governmental bodies that
enforce them or changes in how the relevant governmental authority enforces patent laws or regulations may weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce patents that we have licensed or that we may obtain in the future. We cannot
predict future changes in the interpretation of patent laws or changes to patent laws that might be enacted into law by U.S. and non-U.S. legislative bodies. Those changes may materially affect our patents or patent applications and our ability
to obtain additional patent protection in the future.
In addition, the U.S. federal government retains certain rights in inventions produced with its financial assistance under the Bayh-Dole Act. The federal
government retains a “nonexclusive, nontransferable, irrevocable, paid-up license” for its own benefit. The Bayh-Dole Act also provides federal agencies with “march-in rights.” March-in rights allow the government, in specified circumstances,
to require the contractor or successors in title to the patent to grant a “nonexclusive, partially exclusive, or exclusive license” to a “responsible applicant or applicants.” For example, the research resulting in certain of our acquired or
in-licensed patent rights and technology for certain product candidates was funded in part by the U.S. federal government. As a result, the federal government may have certain rights to such patent rights and technology, which include
march-in rights. If the federal government decides to exercise these rights, it is not required to engage us as its contractor in connection with doing so. The federal government’s rights may also permit it to disclose our confidential
information to third parties and to exercise march-in rights to use or allow third parties to use our licensed technology. The federal government can exercise its march-in rights if it determines that action is necessary because we fail to
achieve practical application of the government-funded technology, or because action is necessary to alleviate health or safety needs, to meet requirements of federal regulations, or to give preference to U.S. industry. Further, the recipient
of U.S. government funding is required to comply with certain other requirements, including timely disclosing the inventions claimed in such patent rights to the U.S. government and timely electing title
to such inventions. The U.S. government has the right to take title to such intellectual property rights if we, or the applicable licensor, fail to disclose the invention to the government and fail to file an application to register the
intellectual property within specified time limits. Intellectual property generated under a government funded program is also subject to certain reporting requirements, compliance with which may require us or the applicable licensor to expend
substantial resources. In addition, our rights in such inventions may be subject to certain requirements to manufacture product candidates embodying such inventions in the U.S. We cannot be certain that our current or future licensors will
comply with the disclosure or reporting requirements of the Bayh-Dole Act at all times or be able to rectify any lapse in compliance with these requirements. Any exercise by the government of any of the foregoing rights or by any third-party
of its reserved rights could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
The validity, scope and enforceability of any patents listed in the Orange Book that cover our product candidates or patents that cover our biologic product candidates can
be challenged by third parties.
If one of our product candidates is approved by the FDA and if a third party files an application under Section 505(b)(2) or an abbreviated new drug application (“ANDA”) under Section 505(j)
for a generic product containing any of our product candidates and relies in whole or in part on studies conducted by or for us, the third party will be required to certify to the FDA that either: (1) there is no patent information listed in
the Orange Book with respect to our NDA for the applicable approved product candidate; (2) the patents listed in the Orange Book have expired; (3) the listed patents have not expired, but will expire on a particular date and approval is sought
after patent expiration; or (4) the listed patents are invalid or will not be infringed by the manufacture, use or sale of the third party’s generic product. A certification under 21 CFR § 314.94(a)(12)(i)(A)(4) that the new product will not
infringe the Orange Book-listed patents for the applicable approved product candidate, or that such patents are invalid, is called a paragraph IV certification. If the third party submits a paragraph IV certification to the FDA, a notice of the
paragraph IV certification must also be sent to us once the third party’s ANDA is accepted for filing by the FDA. We may then initiate a lawsuit to defend the patents identified in the notice. The filing of a patent infringement lawsuit within
45 days of receipt of the notice automatically prevents the FDA from approving the third party’s ANDA until the earliest of 30 months or the date on which the patent expires, the lawsuit is settled, or the court reaches a decision in the
infringement lawsuit in favor of the third party. If we do not file a patent infringement lawsuit within the required 45-day period, the third party’s ANDA will not be subject to the 30-month stay of FDA approval.
Moreover, a third party may challenge the current patents, or patents that may issue in the future, within our portfolio, which could result in the invalidation of some or all of the patents
that might otherwise be eligible for listing in the Orange Book for one of our future products. If a third party successfully challenges all of the patents that might otherwise be eligible for listing in the Orange Book for one of our future
products before an ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA is filed we will be unable to obtain a 30-month stay of FDA approval of a 505(b)(2) or ANDA.
For biologics, the BPCIA provides a mechanism for one or more third parties to seek FDA approval to manufacture or sell a biosimilar or interchangeable versions of brand name biological product
candidates. Due to the large size and complexity of biological product candidates, as compared to small molecules, a biosimilar must be “highly similar” to the reference product with “no clinically meaningful differences between the two.” The
BPCIA does not require reference product sponsors to list patents in the FDA’s Orange Book and does not include an automatic 30-month stay of FDA approval upon the timely filing of a lawsuit. The BPCIA, however, does require a formal
pre-litigation process which includes the exchange of information between a biosimilar applicant and a reference biologic sponsor that includes the identification of relevant patents and each parties’ basis for infringement and invalidity.
After the exchange of this information, we may then initiate a lawsuit within 30 days to defend the patents identified in the exchange. If the biosimilar applicant successfully challenges the asserted patent claims, it could result in the
invalidation of, or render unenforceable, some or all of the relevant patent claims or result in a finding of non-infringement.
If we are unsuccessful in enforcing our patents against generics or biosimilars, our future products could face competition prior to the expiration of the patents which cover such products,
which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Furthermore, any such litigation or other proceedings to enforce or defend intellectual property rights are often very complex
in nature, may be very expensive and time-consuming, may divert management’s attention from our core business, and may result in unfavorable results that could limit our ability to prevent third parties from competing with product candidates.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries
outside the U.S. can be less extensive than those in the U.S. The requirements for patentability may differ in certain countries, particularly developing countries, and the breadth of patent claims allowed can be inconsistent. In addition, the
laws of some countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as laws of the U.S.
Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the U.S., or from selling or importing product candidates made using our
inventions in and into the U.S. or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own product candidates and may also export infringing product candidates
to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the U.S. These product candidates may compete with our product candidates and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or
sufficient to prevent them from competing.
We do not have patent rights in all countries in which a market may exist. Moreover, in jurisdictions where we do have patent rights, proceedings to enforce such rights could result in
substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly, and our patent applications at risk of not issuing. Additionally, such
proceedings could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Thus, we may not be able to stop a
competitor from marketing and selling in other countries product candidates and services that are the same as or similar to our product candidates and services, and our competitive position would be harmed.
Many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in other jurisdictions. The legal systems of
certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology or pharmaceutical product candidates,
which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing product candidates in violation of our intellectual property rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in other
jurisdictions, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent
applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful.
Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.
Many countries, including European Union countries, India, Japan and China, have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled under specified circumstances to grant
licenses to third parties. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In those countries, we may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of
those patents. This could limit our potential revenue opportunities. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual
property that we develop or license.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of any trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.
In addition to seeking patents for our product candidates, we may rely on trade secrets, including unpatented software, know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our
competitive position. We seek to protect this software and information, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as our employees, corporate collaborators, outside
scientific collaborators, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants.
Because we rely and expect to continue to rely on third parties to manufacture our product candidates, and we collaborate and expect to continue to collaborate with third parties on the
development of product candidates, we must, at times, share trade secrets with them. We also conduct joint research and development programs that may require us to share trade secrets under the terms of our research and development partnerships
or similar agreements. We seek to protect our proprietary technology and information in part by entering into confidentiality agreements and, if applicable, material transfer agreements, consulting agreements or other similar agreements with
our advisors, employees, third-party contractors and consultants prior to beginning research or disclosing proprietary information. These agreements typically limit the rights of the third parties to use or disclose our confidential
information, including our trade secrets. Despite the contractual provisions employed when working with third parties, the need to share trade secrets and other confidential information increases the risk that such trade secrets become known by
our competitors, are inadvertently incorporated into the technology of others, or are disclosed or used in violation of these agreements. Any disclosure, either intentional or unintentional, by our employees, the employees of third parties with
whom we share facilities or third-party consultants and vendors that we engage to perform research, clinical trials or manufacturing activities, or misappropriation by third parties (such as through a cybersecurity breach) of our trade secrets
or proprietary information could enable competitors to duplicate or surpass our technological achievements, thus eroding our competitive position in the market. Further, adequate remedies may not exist in the event of unauthorized use or
disclosure. Given that our proprietary position is based, in part, on our know-how and trade secrets, a competitor’s discovery of our trade secrets or other unauthorized use or disclosure would impair our competitive position and may have an
adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
In addition, these agreements typically restrict the ability of our advisors, employees, third-party contractors and consultants to publish data potentially relating to our trade secrets,
although our agreements may contain certain limited publication rights. Policing unauthorized use of our or our licensors’ intellectual property is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and we may be unable to determine the extent of any
unauthorized use or know whether the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be effective. Moreover, enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and
time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the U.S. are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. The enforceability of confidentiality agreements may also vary from jurisdiction to
jurisdiction. Despite our efforts to protect our trade secrets, our competitors and other third parties may discover our trade secrets, including our proprietary software, either through breach of our agreements with third parties, independent
development or publication of information by any of our third-party collaborators. A competitor’s or other third-party’s discovery of our trade secrets, including our proprietary software, would impair our competitive position and have an
adverse impact on our business.
We cannot guarantee that we have entered into non-disclosure, confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements or consulting agreements with each party that may have or have had access
to our trade secrets or proprietary software, technology and processes. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets and proprietary software, and we
may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. If any of our trade secrets, including our proprietary software, were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third-party, we would have no right
to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate it, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets, including our proprietary software, were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a
competitor or other third-party, our competitive position would be harmed.
Certain software utilized in our computational drug discovery efforts may include third-party open source software. Any failure to comply with the terms of one or more open
source software licenses could adversely affect our business, subject us to litigation, or create potential liability.
Certain software utilized in our computational drug discovery efforts may include third-party open source software and we expect to continue to incorporate open source software in the future.
The use or distribution of open source software involves a number of risks, many of which cannot be eliminated and could negatively affect our business. For example, we cannot ensure that we have effectively monitored our use of open source
software or that we are in compliance with the terms of the applicable open source licenses or our current policies and procedures. There have been claims against companies that use open source software asserting that the use of such open
source software infringes the claimants’ intellectual property rights including patent rights and copyrights. As a result, we could be subject to suits by third parties claiming infringement on such third parties’ intellectual property rights.
Litigation could be costly for us to defend, have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, or require us to devote additional research and development resources to modify our computational drug discovery
platform.
Use or distribution of open source software may entail greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties, controls on the
origin of the software or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality of the code, including with respect to security vulnerabilities. In addition, certain open source licenses require that source code for
software programs that interact with such open source software be made available to the public at no cost and that any modifications or derivative works to such open source software continue to be licensed under the same terms as the open
source software license. The terms of various open source licenses have not been interpreted by courts in the relevant jurisdictions, and there is a risk that such licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or
restrictions on our ability to market our solutions. By the terms of certain open source licenses, if portions of our proprietary software are determined to be subject to an open source license or if we combine our proprietary software with
open source software in a certain manner, we could be required to release the source code of our proprietary software and to make our proprietary software available under open source licenses, each of which could reduce or eliminate the
effectiveness of our computational discovery efforts. We may also face claims alleging noncompliance with open source license terms or misappropriation or other violation of open source technology. We may also face claims alleging that the
contractual terms of an open source license provide the licensor with an ownership interest in our developments made using software that incorporates the open source code. Any of these events could create liability for us and damage our
reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or independent contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information of their former employers
or other third parties.
We employ individuals who were previously employed at universities or other software, biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our licensors, competitors or potential competitors.
Although we seek to protect our ownership of intellectual property rights by ensuring that our agreements with our employees, collaborators, consultants, independent contractors and other third parties with whom we do business include
provisions requiring such parties to not use the confidential information of their former employer, we may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants, independent contractors or other third parties have inadvertently or
otherwise used or disclosed confidential information of our employees’ former employers or other third parties. We may also be subject to claims that former employers or other third parties have an ownership interest in our owned or in-licensed
patents or patent applications. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. There is no guarantee of success in defending these claims, and if we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may
lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar technology and therapeutics, without
payment to us, could limit the duration of the patent protection covering our technology and product candidates and could result in our inability to develop, manufacture or commercialize our product candidates following regulatory approval
without infringing third-party patent rights. Such intellectual property rights could be awarded to a third party, and we could be required to obtain a license from such third-party to commercialize our product candidates following regulatory
approval. Such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we are successful, litigation could result in substantial cost and be a distraction to our management and other employees. Moreover, any such
litigation or the threat thereof may harm our reputation, our ability to form strategic alliances or sublicense our rights to collaborators, engage with scientific advisors or hire employees or consultants, each of which would harm our
business, results of operations and financial condition.
We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship or ownership of our patents and other intellectual property.
We rely, and will continue to rely, on a combination of internally developed and in-licensed intellectual property rights and we or our licensors may be subject to claims that former employees,
consultants, independent contractors, collaborators or other third parties have an interest in our owned or in-licensed patents, trade secrets or other intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. For example, we or our licensors may
have inventorship disputes arise from conflicting obligations of employees, consultants, independent contractors or other third parties who are involved in developing our product candidates. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these
and other claims challenging inventorship or our or our licensors’ ownership of our owned or in-licensed patents, trade secrets or other intellectual property. If we or our licensors fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying
monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, intellectual property that is important to our product candidates. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims,
litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
In addition, while it is our policy to require our employees, consultants, independent contractors and other third parties who may be involved in the development of intellectual property to
execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. Our invention assignment agreements may
not be self-executing or may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. Additionally, we may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend claims they may bring against us, to determine the ownership of
what we regard as our intellectual property. Furthermore, individuals executing agreements with us may have preexisting or competing obligations to a third party, such as an academic institution, and thus an agreement with us may be ineffective
in perfecting ownership of inventions developed by that individual.
Intellectual property litigation could cause us to spend substantial resources and distract our personnel from their normal responsibilities, and have a harmful effect on
the success of our business.
Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims, including the Moderna Action and the Pfizer Action, may cause us to incur
significant expenses, and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or
developments, and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could adversely impact the price of our common shares. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce
the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing or distribution activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to conduct such litigation or proceedings adequately. Some of our competitors
may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources.
Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our intellectual property. In addition, the uncertainties associated with
litigation could compromise our ability to raise the funds necessary to pursue our commercialization efforts, continue our clinical trials and internal research programs or in-license needed technology or other future product candidates.
Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could compromise our ability to compete in the marketplace, including compromising our ability to raise the funds necessary to pursue our
commercialization efforts, continue our clinical trials, continue our research programs, license necessary technology from third parties, or enter into development collaborations that would help us commercialize our product candidates following
regulatory approval. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We may not be successful in obtaining necessary intellectual property rights to future product candidates through acquisitions and in-licenses.
A third party may hold intellectual property, including patent rights, that are important or necessary to the development of our product candidates. Accordingly, we may seek to acquire or
in-license patented or proprietary technologies to develop such product candidates or to grow our product offerings and technology portfolio. However, we may be unable to acquire or in-license intellectual property rights relating to, or
necessary for, any such product candidate or technology from third parties on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we are able to in-license any such necessary intellectual property, it could be on non-exclusive terms, thereby
giving our competitors and other third parties access to the same intellectual property licensed to us, and it could require us to make substantial licensing and royalty payments. In that event, we may be unable to develop or commercialize such
product candidates or technology. We may also be unable to identify product candidates or technology that we believe are an appropriate strategic fit for our company and protect intellectual property relating to, or necessary for, such product
candidate and technology.
The in-licensing and acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights for any future product candidate is a competitive area, and a number of more established companies are also pursuing
strategies to in-license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights for product candidates that we may consider attractive or necessary. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, cash
resources and greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities. Furthermore, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. If we are unable to successfully obtain rights to
additional technologies or product candidates, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects for growth could suffer.
In addition, we expect that competition for the in-licensing or acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights for any future product candidate and technologies that are attractive to
us may increase in the future, which may mean fewer suitable opportunities for us as well as higher acquisition or licensing costs. We may be unable to in-license or acquire the third-party intellectual property rights for product candidates or
technology on terms that would allow us to make an appropriate return on our investment.
Any trademarks we have obtained or may obtain may be infringed or successfully challenged, resulting in harm to our business.
We rely, and will continue to rely, on trademarks as one means to distinguish product candidates that are approved for marketing from the product candidates of our competitors. Our current and
future trademark applications in the U.S. and in other jurisdictions may not be allowed or may subsequently be opposed, challenged, infringed, circumvented, declared generic or determined to be infringing other marks. Additionally, once we
select new trademarks and apply to register them, our trademark applications may not be approved. Third parties have in the past opposed, are currently opposing and may in the future oppose or attempt to cancel our trademark applications or
trademarks, or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks. In the event that our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand product candidates, which could result in loss of brand recognition and could require us
to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands. Our competitors may infringe our trademarks and we may not have adequate resources to enforce our trademarks. If we attempt to enforce our trademarks and assert trademark infringement
claims, a court may determine that the marks we have asserted are invalid or unenforceable, or that the party against whom we have asserted trademark infringement has superior rights to the marks in question. In this case, we could ultimately
be forced to cease use of such trademarks.
We may not be able to protect our rights to these trademarks and trade names, which we need to build name recognition among potential partners or customers in our markets of interest. At times,
competitors may adopt trade names or trademarks similar to ours, thereby impeding our ability to build brand identity and possibly leading to market confusion. In addition, there could be potential trade name or trademark infringement claims
brought by owners of other registered trademarks or trademarks that incorporate variations of our registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names. Over the long term, if we are unable to establish name recognition based on our trademarks
and trade names, then we may not be able to compete effectively and our business may be adversely affected. Our efforts to enforce or protect our proprietary rights related to trademarks, trade secrets, domain names, copyrights or other
intellectual property may be ineffective and could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats to our competitive advantage.
Once granted, patents may remain open to invalidity challenges including opposition, interference, re-examination, post-grant review, IPR, nullification or derivation action in court or before
patent offices or similar proceedings for a given period after allowance or grant, during which time third parties can raise objections against such grant. In the course of such proceedings, which may continue for a protracted period of time,
the patent owner may be compelled to limit the scope of the allowed or granted claims thus attacked, or the granted claims may be finally determined to be unpatentable, invalid or unenforceable altogether.
In addition, the degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations, and may not adequately protect our
business, provide a barrier to entry against our competitors or potential competitors, or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage.
Moreover, if a third party has intellectual property rights that cover the practice of our technology, we may not be able to fully exercise or extract value from our intellectual property
rights. The following examples are illustrative:
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others may be able to make formulations or compositions that are the same as or similar to our product candidates, but that are not covered by the claims of the patents that we own;
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others may be able to make products that are similar to our product candidates that we intend to commercialize that are not covered by the patents that we exclusively licensed and have the right to enforce;
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we, our licensor or any collaborators might not have been the first to make or reduce to practice the inventions covered by the issued patents or pending patent applications that we own or have exclusively licensed;
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we or our licensor or any collaborators might not have been the first to file patent applications covering certain of our inventions;
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others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights;
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it is possible that our pending patent applications will not lead to issued patents;
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issued patents that we own or have exclusively licensed may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or may be held invalid or unenforceable as a result of legal challenges;
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our competitors might conduct research and development activities in the U.S. and other countries that provide a safe harbor from patent infringement claims for certain research and development activities, as well as in countries
where we do not have patent rights, and then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive product candidates for sale in our major commercial markets; and we may not develop additional proprietary technologies
that are patentable;
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third parties performing manufacturing or testing for us using our product candidates or technologies could use the intellectual property of others without obtaining a proper license;
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parties may assert an ownership interest in our intellectual property and, if successful, such disputes may preclude us from exercising exclusive rights over that intellectual property;
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we may not develop or in-license additional proprietary technologies that are patentable;
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we may not be able to obtain and maintain necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms, or at all;
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the patents of others may harm our business; and
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we may choose not to file a patent application in order to maintain certain trade secrets or know-how, and a third party may subsequently file a patent application covering such intellectual property.
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Should any of these events occur, they could significantly harm our business and results of operations.
The use of AI by us, our early-stage discovery Vants and our healthcare technology businesses may introduce intellectual property risks.
The use of AI by us, our early-stage discovery Vants and healthcare technology businesses may introduce intellectual property risks that may adversely affect our ability to protect and
commercialize our innovations. As part of our business strategy, we and certain of our Vants integrate AI-driven technologies into various stages of research and development processes, including target identification, drug discovery, compound
screening, and clinical trial optimization. The use of generative AI algorithms, particularly those that autonomously generate data, models, or potential therapeutic candidates, raises unresolved legal questions about inventorship and ownership
under current patent laws in the United States and other jurisdictions. Patent offices, including the USPTO, have yet to adopt a consistent framework for determining inventorship of AI-generated inventions. If we are unable to establish that
our employees or systems meet the legal criteria for inventorship, we may be unable to secure patent protection for certain innovations developed using AI. Inability to protect such AI-generated inventions may diminish our competitive advantage
and allow others to compete with us, harming our business. Obtaining and enforcing intellectual property protection for AI-generated outputs, such as product candidates or clinical trial designs, also presents risks to our business. If we are
found to have used data in a manner inconsistent with applicable laws or agreements, we could face legal claims, ownership disputes, invalidation of our intellectual property rights, or restrictions on the use of our AI models. If we are unable
to secure, maintain, and enforce effective intellectual property protection for our AI-enabled innovations, our business may be harmed. If we become subject to significant intellectual property litigation or licensing restrictions based on our
use of AI tools, our ability to achieve or sustain a successful business may be materially harmed. Our use of AI in these processes may involve several intellectual property risks that may materially impact our business, financial condition,
and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Securities, Our Jurisdiction of Incorporation and Certain Tax Matters
If our performance does not meet market expectations, the price of our securities may decline.
If our performance does not meet market expectations, the price of our common shares may decline. In addition, the trading price of our common shares could be volatile and subject to wide
fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. Any of the factors listed below could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common shares.
Factors affecting the trading price of our common shares may include:
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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly and annual financial results or the quarterly and annual financial results of companies perceived to be similar to it;
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changes in the market’s expectations about operating results;
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our operating results failing to meet market expectations in a particular period;
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a Vant’s operating results failing to meet market expectations in a particular period, which could impact the market prices of shares of a public Vant or the valuation of a private Vant, and in turn adversely impact the trading price
of our common shares;
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receipt of marketing approval for a product candidate in one or more jurisdictions, or the failure to receive such marketing approval;
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the results of clinical trials or preclinical studies conducted by us and the Vants;
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changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts concerning us, the Vants or the biopharmaceutical industry and market in general;
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operating and stock price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to us;
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changes in laws and regulations affecting our and the Vants’ businesses;
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the outcome of litigation or other claims or proceedings, including governmental and regulatory proceedings;
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changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of debt;
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the volume of our common shares available for public sale and the relatively limited free float of our common shares;
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any significant change in our board of directors or management;
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sales of substantial amounts of our common shares by directors, executive officers or significant shareholders or the perception that such sales could occur; and
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general economic and political conditions such as recessions, interest rates, tariffs and trade conditions in the global economy, commodity prices, international currency fluctuations and acts of war or terrorism.
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Broad market and industry factors may depress the market price of our common shares irrespective of our or the Vants’ operating performance. The stock market in general has experienced price
and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected. The trading prices and valuations of these stocks, and of our securities, may not be predictable. A
loss of investor confidence in the market for companies engaging in digital payments or the stocks of other companies which investors perceive to be similar to us could depress our stock price regardless of our business, prospects, financial
conditions or results of operations. A decline in the market price of our common shares also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.
We have incurred and will continue to incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company and our management has devoted and will continue to devote a
substantial amount of time to new compliance initiatives.
As a public company, we have incurred and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, and these expenses are expected to
increase now that we are no longer an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act. As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank
Act, as well as rules adopted, and to be adopted, by the SEC and the Nasdaq. We also expect that compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and increased disclosure requirements will
substantially increase our legal and financial compliance costs. Our management and other personnel have devoted and will continue to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations
have substantially increased our legal and financial compliance costs and made some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, these rules and regulations have made it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain blended
director and officer liability insurance and forced us to forego securities and corporate protection coverage. We cannot predict or estimate the amount or timing of additional costs we have incurred and will continue to incur to respond to
these requirements. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as executive officers.
If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting, our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements could be impaired,
investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and the trading price of our common shares may decline.
Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is required to report upon the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and our independent registered
public accounting firm is required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The rules governing the standards that must be met for management to assess our internal control over financial reporting are
complex and costly. If we or our auditors are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and the trading price of our common shares may decline.
Although we have determined that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of June 30, 2025, we cannot assure you that there will not be material weaknesses or significant
deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could adversely impact our ability to accurately and timely report our financial condition, results
of operations or cash flows. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness or significant deficiency
in our internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common shares could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or
investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public
companies, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets.
Anti-takeover provisions in our memorandum of association and bye-laws, as well as provisions of Bermuda law, could delay or prevent a change in control, limit the price
investors may be willing to pay in the future for our common shares and could entrench management.
Our memorandum of association and bye-laws contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us without the consent of our board of directors. These provisions
provide for:
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a classified board of directors with staggered three-year terms;
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the ability of our board of directors to determine the powers, preferences and rights of preference shares and to cause us to issue the preference shares without shareholder approval; and
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requiring advance notice for shareholder proposals and nominations and placing limitations on convening shareholder meetings.
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These provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our
securities. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other shareholders to elect directors of your choosing and cause us to take corporate actions other than those you desire, any of which
could harm our share price.
Our largest shareholders own a significant percentage of our common shares and are able to exert significant control over matters subject to shareholder approval.
Our largest shareholders continue to hold a significant percentage of our common shares. As a result, these holders have the ability to substantially influence us and exert significant control
through this ownership position and, in the case of certain holders, service on our board of directors. For example, these holders may be able to control elections of directors, issuance of equity, including to our employees under equity
incentive plans, amendments of our organizational documents or approval of any merger, amalgamation, sale of assets or other major corporate transaction. These holders’ interests may not always coincide with our corporate interests or the
interests of other shareholders, and they may exercise their voting and other rights in a manner with which you may not agree or that may not be in the best interests of our other shareholders. Furthermore, our largest shareholders may from
time to time have interests that differ from ours or from one another, and from time to time there may be disputes with or between such shareholders, which could be costly, time-consuming and divert management resources. So long as these
holders continue to own a significant amount of our equity, they will continue to be able to strongly influence our decisions.
Future sales and issuances of our or the Vants’ equity securities or rights to purchase equity securities, including pursuant to our or the Vants’ equity incentive and other
compensatory plans, will result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our shareholders and could cause our share price to fall.
We and the Vants may need additional capital in the future to continue our operations. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, including in our subsidiaries, our
shareholders may experience substantial dilution. We or the Vants may sell securities, including convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. If we sell
common shares, convertible securities or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors may be materially diluted by subsequent sales. In addition, new investors could gain rights superior to our existing shareholders.
Pursuant to our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 EIP”), we are authorized to grant options, restricted stock units and other share-based awards to our employees, directors and consultants.
The aggregate number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2021 EIP increases annually on the first day of each fiscal year during the term of the plan in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 5% of the number of our common shares
outstanding as of the day of the immediately preceding fiscal year and (ii) such number of our common shares as determined by our board of directors in its discretion. On March 31, 2025, the board of directors deferred the annual increase in
the shares available for issuance under the 2021 EIP to one or more later dates prior to March 31, 2026. To the extent the board of directors later approves this annual increase, or if our board of directors elects in the future to make any
additional increase in the number of shares available for future grant under the 2021 EIP, and if our shareholders approve of any such additional increase, our shareholders may experience additional dilution, and our share price may fall.
Issuance of options, restricted stock units and other share-based awards pursuant to equity incentive plans at the Vants may indirectly have a similar effect of diluting your ownership in us
since a portion of the value of our common shares is tied to the value of the Vants, which would be diluted in the event of a grant of options or other similar equity grants to the employees of the Vants.
Future sales, or the perception of future sales, of our common shares by us or our existing shareholders could cause the market price for our common shares to decline and
impact our ability to raise capital in the future.
Sales of a substantial number of our common shares by us or certain of our existing large shareholders, or the perception that these sales could occur, could substantially decrease the market
price of our common shares. Shares held by certain of our large shareholders have been registered for re-sale pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-3 and may also be sold pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act, subject to
certain restrictions (including restrictions applicable to affiliates in the case of shares held by persons deemed to be our affiliates). The market price of our common shares could drop significantly if the holders of these shares sell them or
are perceived by the market as intending to sell them. This, in turn, could also make it more difficult for us to raise additional funds through future offerings of our common shares or other securities at prices that are attractive to us, or
at all.
If securities analysts publish negative evaluations of our shares, the price of our common shares could decline.
The trading market for our securities will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, market or competitors. If any of
the analysts who may cover us change their recommendation regarding our common shares adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about its competitors, the price of our common shares would likely decline. If any analyst who
may cover us were to cease coverage or fail to regularly publish reports, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
Because there are no plans to pay cash dividends on our common shares for the foreseeable future, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell our common
shares for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
We may retain future earnings, if any, for future operations, expansion and other corporate uses and have no plans to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare
and pay dividends as a public company in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions,
applicable law and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our common shares unless you sell your shares for a price greater than that which you paid for them.
We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of Bermuda and it may be difficult for you to enforce judgments against us or our directors and
executive officers.
We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of Bermuda. As a result, the rights of our shareholders are governed by Bermuda law and our memorandum of association
and bye-laws. The rights of shareholders under Bermuda law may differ from the rights of shareholders of companies incorporated in another jurisdiction. It may be difficult for investors to enforce in the U.S. judgments obtained in U.S. courts
against us based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. securities laws. It is doubtful whether courts in Bermuda will enforce judgments obtained in other jurisdictions, including the U.S., against us or our directors or officers under
the securities laws of those jurisdictions or entertain actions in Bermuda against us or our directors or officers under the securities laws of other jurisdictions.
Bermuda law differs from the laws in effect in the U.S. and may afford less protection to our shareholders.
We are incorporated under the laws of Bermuda. As a result, our corporate affairs are governed by the Bermuda Companies Act 1981, as amended (the “Companies Act”), which differs in some
material respects from laws typically applicable to U.S. corporations and shareholders, including the provisions relating to interested directors, amalgamations, mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, shareholder lawsuits and indemnification of
directors. Generally, the duties of directors and officers of a Bermuda company are owed to the company only. Shareholders of Bermuda companies typically do not have rights to take action against directors or officers of the company and may
only do so in limited circumstances. Shareholder class actions are not available under Bermuda law. The circumstances in which shareholder derivative actions may be available under Bermuda law are substantially more proscribed and less clear
than they would be to shareholders of U.S. corporations. The Bermuda courts, however, would ordinarily be expected to permit a shareholder to commence an action in the name of a company to remedy a wrong to the company where the act complained
of is alleged to be beyond the corporate power of the company or illegal or would result in the violation of the company’s memorandum of association or bye-laws. Furthermore, consideration would be given by a Bermuda court to acts that are
alleged to constitute a fraud against the minority shareholders or, for instance, where an act requires the approval of a greater percentage of the company’s shareholders than those who actually approved it.
When the affairs of a company are being conducted in a manner that is oppressive or prejudicial to the interests of some shareholders, one or more shareholders may apply to the Supreme Court of
Bermuda, which may make such order as it sees fit, including an order regulating the conduct of the company’s affairs in the future or ordering the purchase of the shares of any shareholders by other shareholders or by the company.
Additionally, under our bye-laws and as permitted by Bermuda law, each shareholder will waive any claim or right of action against our directors or officers for any action taken by directors or officers in the performance of their duties,
except for actions involving fraud or dishonesty. In addition, the rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Bermuda law are not as clearly established as under statutes or judicial precedent in
existence in jurisdictions in the U.S., particularly the State of Delaware. Therefore, our shareholders may have more difficulty protecting their interests than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction within the U.S.
There are regulatory limitations on the ownership and transfer of our common shares.
Common shares may be offered or sold in Bermuda only in compliance with the provisions of the Companies Act and the Bermuda Investment Business Act 2003, which regulates the sale of securities
in Bermuda. In addition, the Bermuda Monetary Authority must approve all issues and transfers of shares of a Bermuda exempted company. However, the Bermuda Monetary Authority has, pursuant to its statement of June 1, 2005, given its general
permission under the Exchange Control Act 1972 and related regulations for the issue and free transfer of our common shares to and among persons who are non-residents of Bermuda for exchange control purposes as long as the shares are listed on
an appointed stock exchange, which includes Nasdaq. Additionally, we have sought and have obtained a specific permission from the Bermuda Monetary Authority for the issue and transfer of our common shares up to the amount of our authorized
capital from time to time, and options, warrants, depository receipts, rights, loan notes, debt instruments and our other securities to persons resident and non-resident for exchange control purposes with the need for prior approval of such
issue or transfer. The general permission or the specific permission would cease to apply if we were to cease to be listed on the Nasdaq or another appointed stock exchange.
We may become subject to unanticipated tax liabilities and higher effective tax rates.
We are incorporated under the laws of Bermuda. We are centrally managed and controlled in the U.K., and under current U.K. tax law, a company which is centrally managed and controlled in the
U.K. is regarded as resident in the U.K. for taxation purposes. Accordingly, we expect to be subject to U.K. taxation on our income and gains, and subject to U.K.’s controlled foreign company rules, except where an exemption applies. We may be
treated as a dual resident company for U.K. tax purposes. As a result, our right to claim certain reliefs from U.K. tax may be restricted, and changes in law or practice in the U.K. could result in the imposition of further restrictions on our
right to claim U.K. tax reliefs. We may also become subject to income, withholding or other taxes in certain jurisdictions by reason of our activities and operations, and it is also possible that taxing authorities in any such jurisdictions
could assert that we are subject to greater taxation than we currently anticipate, including as a result of the denial of treaty benefits that we may claim. Any such additional tax liability could materially adversely affect our results of
operations.
The intended tax effects of our corporate structure and intercompany arrangements depend on the application of the tax laws of various jurisdictions and on how we operate
our business.
We are incorporated under the laws of Bermuda and are centrally managed and controlled in the U.K. We currently have subsidiaries in the U.S., U.K., Switzerland and certain other jurisdictions.
If we succeed in growing our business, we expect to conduct increased operations through our subsidiaries in various countries and tax jurisdictions, in part through intercompany service agreements between our subsidiaries and us. In that case,
our corporate structure and intercompany transactions, including the manner in which we develop and use our intellectual property, will be organized so that we can achieve our business objectives in a tax-efficient manner and in compliance with
applicable transfer pricing rules and regulations. If two or more affiliated companies are located in different countries or tax jurisdictions, the tax laws and regulations of each country generally will require that transfer prices be the same
as those between unrelated companies dealing at arm’s length and that appropriate documentation be maintained to support the transfer prices. While we believe that we operate in compliance with applicable transfer pricing laws and intend to
continue to do so, our transfer pricing procedures are not binding on applicable taxing authorities. If taxing authorities in any of these countries were to successfully challenge our transfer prices as not reflecting arm’s length transactions
between two or more affiliated companies, they could require such affiliated companies to adjust their transfer prices and thereby reallocate the income between such affiliated companies to reflect these revised transfer prices, which could
result in a higher tax liability to us. In addition, if the country from which the income is reallocated does not agree with the reallocation, both countries could tax the same income, resulting in double taxation. If taxing authorities were to
allocate income to a higher tax jurisdiction, subject our income to double taxation or assess interest and penalties, it would increase its consolidated tax liability, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations
and cash flows.
Significant judgment is required in evaluating our tax positions and determining our provision for income taxes. During the ordinary course of business, there are many transactions and
calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. For example, our effective tax rates could be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates or by changes in the relevant tax, accounting and other laws
(including tax treaties), regulations, principles and interpretations. As we intend to operate in numerous countries and taxing jurisdictions, the application of tax laws can be subject to diverging and sometimes conflicting interpretations by
tax authorities of these jurisdictions. It is not uncommon for taxing authorities in different countries to have conflicting views, for instance, with respect to, among other things, the manner in which the arm’s length standard is applied for
transfer pricing purposes, or with respect to the valuation of intellectual property.
In addition, tax laws are dynamic and subject to change as new laws are passed and new interpretations of the law are issued or applied. We continue to assess the impact of such changes in tax
laws and interpretations on our business and may determine that changes to our structure, practice, tax positions or the manner in which we conduct our business are necessary in light of such changes and developments in the tax laws of other
jurisdictions in which we operate. Such changes may nevertheless be ineffective in avoiding an increase in our consolidated tax liability, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Changes in our effective tax rate may reduce our net income in future periods.
Our tax position could be adversely impacted by changes in tax rates, tax laws, tax practice, tax treaties or tax regulations or changes in the interpretation thereof by the tax authorities in
Europe (including the U.K. and Switzerland), the U.S., Bermuda and other jurisdictions, as well as being affected by certain changes currently proposed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and their action plan on Base
Erosion and Profit Shifting. Such changes may become more likely as a result of recent economic trends in the jurisdictions in which we operate, particularly if such trends continue. If such a situation were to arise, it could adversely impact
our tax position and our effective tax rate. Failure to manage the risks associated with such changes, or misinterpretation of the laws providing such changes, could result in costly audits, interest, penalties and reputational damage, which
could adversely affect our business, results of our operations and our financial condition.
Our actual effective tax rate may vary from our expectation and that variance may be material. A number of factors may increase our future effective tax rates, including: (1) the jurisdictions
in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed; (2) the resolution of issues arising from any future tax audits with various tax authorities; (3) changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; (4) increases in
expenses not deductible for tax purposes, including transaction costs and impairments of goodwill in connection with acquisitions; (5) changes in the taxation of stock-based compensation; (6) changes in tax laws (including tax treaties) or the
interpretation of such tax laws (including tax treaties) and changes in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; (7) challenges to the transfer pricing policies related to our structure; (8) potential taxation under the OECD BEPS 2.0; and
(9) potential limitation on tax attributes due to ownership changes (i.e. Internal Revenue Code 382 and 383) or expiration.
U.S. holders that own 10% or more of the combined voting power or value of our common shares may be subject to U.S. federal income taxation on our undistributed earnings.
A non-U.S. corporation is considered a “controlled foreign corporation” (“CFC”) if more than 50% of (1) the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of such corporation entitled to
vote or (2) the total value of the stock of such corporation, is owned, or is considered as owned by applying certain constructive ownership rules, by U.S. shareholders (U.S. persons who own stock representing 10% or more of the combined voting
power or value of all outstanding stock of such non-U.S. corporation) on any day during the taxable year of such non-U.S. corporation. Certain U.S. shareholders of a CFC generally are required to include currently in gross income such
shareholders’ share of the CFC’s “Subpart F income,” a portion of the CFC’s earnings to the extent the CFC holds certain U.S. property, and for taxable years beginning before December 31, 2025, a portion of the CFC’s “global intangible
low-taxed income” (commonly known as “GILTI”). The One Big Beautiful Bill Act provides that, among other things, the GILTI regime be replaced with a similar regime with respect to a CFC’s “net CFC tested income” for taxable years beginning
after December 31, 2025. Such U.S. shareholders are subject to current U.S. federal income tax with respect to such items, even if the CFC has not made an actual distribution to such shareholders. “Subpart F income” includes, among other
things, certain passive income (such as income from dividends, interests, royalties, rents and annuities or gain from the sale of property that produces such types of income) and certain sales and services income arising in connection with
transactions between the CFC and a person related to the CFC. GILTI may include most of the remainder of a CFC’s income over a deemed return on its tangible assets, and “net CFC tested income” generally is similar to GILTI, but is computed
without accounting for any such deemed return on a CFC’s tangible assets.
We believe that we were not classified as a CFC for the taxable year ended March 31, 2025. Regardless of whether we are a CFC, however, our non-U.S. subsidiaries will be classified as CFCs for
the taxable year ended March 31, 2025 because our U.S. subsidiaries are treated as constructively owning the stock of such non-U.S. subsidiaries pursuant to a “downward attribution” rule under current law (when not directly owned by a U.S.
subsidiary). Following the enactment of the 2025 Tax Act, this rule generally will cease to apply to treat such non-U.S. subsidiaries as CFCs for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025 other than in certain limited circumstances.
Accordingly, for U.S. holders who hold 10% or more of the combined voting power or value of our common shares, this may result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences, such as current U.S. taxation of Subpart F income (regardless of
whether we make any distributions), taxation of amounts treated as GILTI or net CFC tested income with respect to such shareholder, and being subject to certain reporting requirements with the IRS. Any such U.S. holder who is an individual
generally would not be allowed certain tax deductions or foreign tax credits that would be allowed to a U.S. corporation. If you are a U.S. holder who holds 10% or more of the combined voting power or value of our common shares, you should
consult your own tax advisors regarding the U.S. tax consequences of acquiring, owning or disposing of our common shares, including as a result of the enactment of the 2025 Tax Act.
U.S. holders of our common shares may suffer adverse tax consequences if we are characterized as a passive foreign investment company.
Generally, if, for any taxable year, at least 75% of our gross income is passive income, or at least 50% of the average quarterly value of our assets is attributable to assets that produce
passive income or are held for the production of passive income, including cash, we would be characterized as a passive foreign investment company (a “PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For purposes of these tests, passive income
generally includes dividends, interest, gains from the sale or exchange of investment property and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties which are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or
business. Additionally, if we own (directly or indirectly) at least 25% (by value) of the stock of another corporation, for purposes of determining whether we are a PFIC, generally we would be treated as if we held our proportionate share of
the assets of such other corporation and received directly our proportionate share of the income of such other corporation and generally we would retain the character of such assets and income as if they were held directly by us rather than by
such other corporation. If we are characterized as a PFIC, U.S. holders of our common shares may suffer adverse tax consequences, including having gains realized on the sale of our common shares treated as ordinary income rather than capital
gain, the loss of the preferential tax rate applicable to dividends received on our common shares by individuals who are U.S. holders, and having interest charges apply to certain distributions by us and the proceeds of sales or other
dispositions of our common shares that result in a gain to the U.S. holder. In addition, special information reporting may be required.
Our status as a PFIC will depend on the nature and composition of our income and the nature, composition and value of our assets from time to time. The 50% passive asset test described above is
generally based on the fair market value of each asset. If we are a CFC (determined by disregarding certain downward attribution rules) and not publicly traded for the relevant taxable year, however, the test shall be applied based on the
adjusted basis of our assets. Because our common shares should be considered to be “publicly traded” for the taxable year that ended on March 31, 2025, we would apply the 50% passive asset test using the fair market value of our assets. In
addition, our status may also depend, in part, on how quickly we utilize our cash on-hand and cash from future financings in our business.
Based on the foregoing, with respect to the taxable year that ended on March 31, 2025, we believe that we were not a PFIC based in part upon the fair market value of our assets, including any
goodwill and intangible property and the nature and composition of our income and assets.
Our status as a PFIC is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis, which is subject to uncertainties, including but not limited to the fact that the value of our assets for
purposes of the PFIC determination may be affected by the trading value of our common shares, which could fluctuate significantly. The total value of our assets for purposes of the PFIC asset test frequently (though not invariably) may be
inferred using the market price of our ordinary shares, which may fluctuate considerably and thereby affect the determination of our PFIC status for future taxable years. Our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for
the current or future taxable years. We will endeavor to determine our PFIC status for each taxable year and make such determination available to U.S. holders.
Item 2. |
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
|
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
During the three months ended June 30, 2025, we repurchased 19,999,450 common shares for $205.2 million (based on the repurchase date). As of June 30, 2025, we were authorized to repurchase up
to $500 million of our common shares (see footnote 1 to the table below).
The following table summarizes our common share repurchase transactions for the three months ended June 30, 2025:
Period
|
|
Total
Number of
Common
Shares
Purchased(1)
|
|
|
Average
Price Paid
per
Common
Share
|
|
|
Total
Number of
Common
Shares
Purchased as
Part of
Publicly
Announced
Programs(1)
|
|
|
Approximate
Dollar
Value of
Common
Shares that
May Yet
Be Purchased
Under
the
Programs(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
April 1 – 30, 2025
|
|
|
13,672,384
|
|
|
$
|
9.89
|
|
|
|
13,672,384
|
|
|
$
|
69.9
|
|
May 1 – 31, 2025
|
|
|
5,453,666
|
|
|
$
|
11.04
|
|
|
|
5,453,666
|
|
|
$
|
9.7
|
|
June 1 – 30, 2025
|
|
|
873,400
|
|
|
$
|
11.16
|
|
|
|
873,400
|
|
|
$
|
500.0
|
|
Total
|
|
|
19,999,450
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,999,450
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
On April 2, 2024, we announced that our board of directors had authorized a common share repurchase program, allowing for repurchases of Roivant common shares in an aggregate amount of up to $1.5 billion (excluding fees and
expenses). On June 25, 2025, we announced that our board of directors had authorized an additional common share repurchase program of Roivant common shares of up to $500 million (excluding fees and expenses). This new authorization is
in addition to the $1.5 billion common share repurchase program referenced above, which was fully exhausted as of June 30, 2025. The timing and total amount of common shares repurchased under the new authorization, as with the prior
authorization, depends on several factors, including the market price of our common shares, general business, macroeconomic and market conditions and other investment opportunities. Under the new repurchase program, as with the prior
repurchase program, purchases may be conducted through open market transactions, tender offers or privately negotiated transactions, including the use of trading plans under Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended. See Note 8–Shareholders’ Equity in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information related to share repurchases. Table excludes fees and commissions payable in connection with common share
repurchases.
|
* |
In addition to the repurchase transactions set forth above, during the three months ended June 30, 2025, we withheld 879,308 common shares associated with net share settlements to cover tax withholding obligations upon the vesting
and settlement of equity incentive awards issued under our equity incentive plans, including RSUs and CVARs.
|
Item 3. |
Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
|
None.
Item 4. |
Mine Safety Disclosures.
|
Not applicable.
Item 5. |
Other Information.
|
None.
|
|
Incorporated by Reference
|
|
Exhibit
Number
|
Description
|
Form
|
File No.
|
Exhibit
|
Filing Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.1^
|
Letter of Offer for Employment between Roivant Sciences, Inc. and Jennifer Humes, dated as of February 7, 2025.
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.2†^
|
Amended & Restated Executive Employment Agreement between Roivant Sciences, Inc. and Eric Venker, dated as of July 28, 2025.
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.3^
|
Employment Agreement between Immunovant, Inc. and Eric Venker, dated as of July 28, 2025.
|
— |
— |
— |
Filed herewith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.4^
|
Form of Capped Value Appreciation Right Award Grant Notice and Award Agreement under 2019 Equity Incentive Plan of Immunovant, Inc.
|
— |
— |
— |
Filed herewith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.5^
|
Forms of Option Grant Notices and Option Agreements under 2019 Equity Incentive Plan of Immunovant, Inc.
|
10-K
|
001-38906
|
10.3.1
|
June 29, 2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.6^
|
2019 Equity Incentive Plan of Immunovant, Inc.
|
10-K |
001-38906 |
10.3 |
June 29, 2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.7†^
|
Special Equity Award Opportunity Letter, dated as of July 26, 2024.
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31.1
|
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31.2
|
Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32.1
|
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32.2
|
Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.INS
|
Inline XBRL Instance Document
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.SCH
|
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.CAL
|
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.DEF
|
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.LAB
|
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.PRE
|
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
104
|
Cover Page Interactive Data (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Filed herewith
|
† Certain exhibits and schedules have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. The registrant hereby undertakes to furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted exhibit or schedule upon request
by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
^ Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit to this Form 10-Q pursuant to Item 15(b).
Management’s Reports on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and Certification of Disclosure in Exchange Act Periodic Reports, the certifications furnished in Exhibits 32.1 and 32.2 hereto are deemed to
accompany this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and will not be deemed “filed” for purpose of Section 18 of the Exchange Act. Such certifications will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates it by reference.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly
authorized.
Dated: August 11, 2025
|
ROIVANT SCIENCES LTD.
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Matthew Gline
|
|
|
Name: Matthew Gline
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Title: Principal Executive Officer
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By:
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/s/ Richard Pulik
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Name: Richard Pulik
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Title: Principal Financial Officer
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By:
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/s/ Keyur Parekh
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Name: Keyur Parekh
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Title: Authorized Signatory
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102