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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark one)
☒
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019
or
o
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Commission File Number 000-15006
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or
organization)
13-3191702
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
Perryville III Building, 53 Frontage Road, Suite 220, Hampton, New Jersey 08827
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (908) 200-7500
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class:
Common Stock, par value
$.001
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of Each Exchange
Where Registered:
CLDX
NASDAQ Capital Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of
Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such
files). Yes ☒ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an
emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company" and "emerging growth company" in
Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer o
Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer ☒
Smaller reporting company ☒
Emerging growth company o
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new
or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No ☒
The aggregate market value of the registrant's common stock held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2019 was $40 million. Exclusion of shares held by any
person should not be construed to indicate that such person possesses the power, direct or indirect, to direct or cause the actions of the management or policies
of the registrant, or that such person is controlled by or under common control with the registrant.
The number of shares of common stock outstanding at March 13, 2020 was 17,574,679 shares.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement for our 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Report.
Table of Contents
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I
Item 1.
Item 1A.
Item 1B.
Item 2.
Item 3.
Item 4.
Business
Risk Factors
Unresolved Staff Comments
Properties
Legal Proceedings
Mine Safety Disclosures
Part II
Item 5.
Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of
Equity Securities
Selected Financial Data
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
Other Information
Item 6.
Item 7.
Item 7A.
Item 8.
Item 9.
Item 9A.
Item 9B.
Part III
Item 10.
Item 11.
Item 12.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Executive Compensation
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder
Matters
Item 13.
Item 14.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Principal Accountant Fees and Services
Part IV
Item 15.
Item 16.
Signatures
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
Form 10-K Summary
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Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking
statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 under Section 27A of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to our
beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, assumptions, estimates, intentions and future performance, and involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control and which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially
different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of
historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements through our use of words such as
"may," "will," "can," "anticipate," "assume," "should," "indicate," "would," "believe," "contemplate," "expect," "seek," "estimate," "continue," "plan," "point
to," "project," "predict," "could," "intend," "target," "potential" and other similar words and expressions of the future.
There are a number of important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement
made by us. These factors include, but are not limited to:
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our dependence on product candidates, which are still in an early development stage;
our ability to successfully complete research and further development, including animal, preclinical and clinical studies, and, if we obtain
regulatory approval, commercialization of our drug candidates and the growth of the markets for those drug candidates;
our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund our animal, preclinical and clinical studies and to meet our liquidity needs, on terms acceptable to
us, or at all. If we are unable to raise the funds necessary to meet our liquidity needs, we may have to delay or discontinue the development of
one or more programs, discontinue or delay ongoing or anticipated clinical trials, license out programs earlier than expected, raise funds at
significant discount or on other unfavorable terms, if at all, or sell all or part of our business;
our ability to continue as a going concern;
our anticipated timing for preclinical development, regulatory submissions, commencement and completion of clinical trials and product
approvals;
The impact of the recent outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus ("COVID-19") on our business or on the economy generally;
Whether the recent coronavirus outbreak will affect the timing of the completion of our planned and/or currently ongoing preclinical/clinical
trials;
our ability to negotiate strategic partnerships, where appropriate, for our drug candidates;
our ability to manage multiple clinical trials for a variety of drug candidates at different stages of development;
the cost, timing, scope and results of ongoing preclinical and clinical testing;
our expectations of the attributes of our product and development candidates, including pharmaceutical properties, efficacy, safety and dosing
regimens;
the cost, timing and uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approvals for our drug candidates;
the availability, cost, delivery and quality of clinical management services provided by our clinical research organization partners;
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the availability, cost, delivery and quality of clinical and commercial-grade materials produced by our own manufacturing facility or supplied by
contract manufacturers, suppliers and partners;
our ability to develop and commercialize products before competitors that are superior to the alternatives developed by such competitors;
our ability to develop technological capabilities, including identification of novel and clinically important targets, exploiting our existing
technology platforms to develop new drug candidates and expand our focus to broader markets for our existing targeted immunotherapeutics;
the cost of paying development, regulatory approval and sales-based milestones under the merger agreement by which we acquired Kolltan,
including under any future amendment to that agreement;
our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from the acquisition of Kolltan;
our ability to protect our intellectual property rights and our ability to avoid intellectual property litigation, which can be costly and divert
management time and attention;
our ability to develop and commercialize products without infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties; and
the factors listed under "Risk Factors" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report or the date of the document incorporated by reference into this report. We have no
obligation, and expressly disclaim any obligation, to update, revise or correct any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. We have expressed our expectations, beliefs and projections in good faith, and we believe they have a reasonable basis. However,
we cannot assure you that our expectations, beliefs or projections will result or be achieved or accomplished.
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Item 1. BUSINESS
Overview
PART I
Celldex Therapeutics, Inc., which we refer to as "Celldex," "we," "us," "our" or the "Company," is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the
development and commercialization of immunotherapies and other targeted biologics. Our drug candidates are derived from a broad set of human and
bispecific antibodies which have the ability to engage the human immune system and/or directly inhibit tumors to treat specific types of cancer or other
diseases. They are aimed at addressing market opportunities for which we believe current therapies are inadequate or non-existent.
We are focusing our efforts and resources on the continued research and development of:
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CDX-1140, an agonist monoclonal antibody targeted to CD40, a key activator of immune response, currently being studied as a single-agent
and in combination with CDX-301, a dendritic cell growth factor. Dose escalation was recently completed in a Phase 1 study in solid tumors
and lymphoma and the recommended dose for further study was determined to be 1.5 mg/kg for both CDX-1140 monotherapy and in
combination with CDX-301. Celldex has initiated multiple expansion cohorts within the study, including a combination cohort with
KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab). The Company is exploring additional combination cohorts with mechanisms that we believe could be
complementary or synergistic with CDX-1140.
CDX-3379, a monoclonal antibody designed to block the activity of ErbB3 (HER3), currently in an early Phase 2 study in advanced head and
neck squamous cell cancer in combination with Erbitux®;
CDX-0159, a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds the KIT receptor and potently inhibits its activity, which is currently completing a
Phase 1 study in healthy subjects. We plan to study CDX-0159 in mast cell driven diseases, including, initially, chronic spontaneous urticaria
(CSU) and chronic inducible urticarias (CINDUs); and,
CDX-527, a bispecific antibody that uses our proprietary highly active anti-PD-L1 and CD27 human antibodies to couple CD27 co-stimulation
with blockade of the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway, for which we are planning a Phase 1 study in advanced solid tumors.
We routinely work with external parties to collaboratively advance our drug candidates. In addition to Celldex-led studies, we also have an Investigator
Initiated Research (IIR) program with multiple studies ongoing with our drug candidates.
Our goal is to build a fully integrated, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops important therapies for patients with unmet medical
needs. We believe our program assets provide us with the strategic options to either retain full economic rights to our innovative therapies or seek favorable
economic terms through advantageous commercial partnerships. This approach allows us to maximize the overall value of our technology and product portfolio
while best ensuring the expeditious development of each individual product. Currently, all programs are fully owned by Celldex.
Our future success depends upon many factors, including our ability, and that of any licensees and collaborators that we may have, to successfully
develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize our drug candidates. We have had no commercial revenues from sales of our drug candidates, and
we have had a history of operating losses. It is possible that we may not be able to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for, or commercialize, our
drug candidates, and we are subject to a number of risks that you should be aware of before investing in us. These risks are described more fully in "Item 1A.
Risk Factors."
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Clinical Development Programs
CDX-1140
CDX-1140 is a fully human agonist monoclonal antibody targeted to CD40, a key activator of immune response, which is found on dendritic cells,
macrophages and B cells and is also expressed on many cancer cells. Potent CD40 agonist antibodies have shown encouraging results in early clinical studies;
however, systemic toxicity associated with broad CD40 activation has limited their dosing. CDX-1140 has unique properties relative to other CD40 agonist
antibodies: potent agonist activity is independent of Fc receptor interaction, contributing to more consistent, controlled immune activation; CD40L binding is
not blocked, leading to potential synergistic effects of agonist activity near activated T cells in lymph nodes and tumors; and the antibody does not promote
cytokine production in whole blood assays. CDX-1140 has shown direct anti-tumor activity in preclinical models of lymphoma. Preclinical studies of CDX-
1140 clearly demonstrate strong immune activation effects and low systemic toxicity and support the design of the Phase 1 study to identify the dose for
characterizing single-agent and combination activity.
We initiated a Phase 1 study of CDX-1140 in November 2017. This study is expected to enroll up to approximately 220 patients with recurrent, locally
advanced or metastatic solid tumors and B cell lymphomas. The study is designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose, or MTD, during a dose-escalation
phase (0.01 to 3.0 mg/kg once every four weeks until confirmed progression or intolerance) and to recommend a dose level for further study in a subsequent
expansion phase. The expansion is designed to further evaluate the tolerability and biologic effects of selected dose(s) of CDX-1140 in specific tumor types.
Secondary objectives include assessments of safety and tolerability, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity and additional measures of anti-
tumor activity, including clinical benefit rate. We believe that the potential for CDX-1140 will be best defined in combination studies with other
immunotherapies or conventional cancer treatments.
In support of this, the Phase 1 study protocol also allows for the exploration of CDX-1140 in combination with CDX-301 at a fixed dose of CDX-301 and
escalating doses of CDX-1140. Dendritic cells, which express CD40, are often rare or missing from the tumor microenvironment and are critical for initiating
anti-tumor immunity. CDX-301, a recombinant FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand, or Flt3L, is a hematopoietic cytokine that uniquely expands dendritic cells
and hematopoietic stem cells, and in combination with other agents may potentiate anti-tumor responses. CDX-301 is being utilized as a priming agent in this
study to increase the number of dendritic cells in blood and tissue available for CDX-1140 activation. CDX-1140 should, in turn, activate and mature the
dendritic cells, an important step for enhancing anti-tumor immune responses.
Interim data from this ongoing study were presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer's (SITC) 34th Annual Meeting in November 2019. CDX-
1140 monotherapy dose escalation in the study is complete and the maximum tolerated dose and recommended Phase 2 dose was defined as 1.5 mg/kg every
four weeks. CDX-1140 monotherapy and combination with CDX-301 was generally well tolerated, with mostly grade 1 or grade 2 drug related adverse events
reported. Two patients out of six experienced pneumonitis as dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) in the CDX-1140 3.0 mg/kg monotherapy cohort. There were no
dose DLTs observed in the CDX-301 combination cohorts up to 0.72 mg/kg CDX-1140. A cohort of CDX-1140 at 1.5 mg/kg plus CDX-301, which was
ongoing at the time of data release, has subsequently completed dose escalation with no DLTs observed; therefore, the recommended dose of CDX-1140 in
combination with CDX-301 is 1.5mg/kg.
As of the cut-off date for data reporting for SITC, 62 patients with advanced refractory solid tumors or lymphoma were enrolled and 38 patients had pre-
and post-treatment scans available. Patients were heavily pretreated (median of 4 prior therapies) and per protocol were required to have received all standard
of care treatments prior to study entry. CDX-1140 demonstrated clinical and biological activity in the study.
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Two of five patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with CDX-1140 doses of 0.72 mg/kg or higher experienced
clinical activity. The first patient experienced dramatic shrinkage of a large, protruding neck mass on physical exam after two doses of CDX-
1140 at 1.5 mg/kg with documented evidence of tumor necrosis/cavitation on CT scan. This patient also reported decreased tumor pain. A
second patient experienced cavitation of greater than 50% of lung metastases on CT scan after one dose of CDX-1140 3 mg/kg.
A patient with gastroesophageal carcinoma experienced a RECIST response after two cycles of CDX-1140 0.36 mg/kg plus CDX-301 that
included 41% shrinkage of liver and lymph node target lesions, with near complete resolution of the liver lesion. This response was durable for
four months.
Six patients experienced stable disease (n=4 CDX-1140 monotherapy; n=2 CDX-1140/CDX-301 combination) with a duration of 1.8 months to
5.4 months.
One patient experienced immune unconfirmed progressive disease on their first scan and continued on treatment for 10+ months without
confirmation of progressive disease at CDX-1140 0.09 mg/kg plus CDX-301.
Potent pharmacological effects associated with immune activation were also observed, including transient induction of inflammatory cytokines and
chemokines associated with dendritic cell and T cell activation at higher dose levels. Similar activation was observed with each cycle of therapy. Peripheral
blood immune cells had upregulated immune activation markers and CDX-301 markedly increased the number of dendritic cells and was associated with
higher IL-12p40 induction, a key molecule for inducing anti-tumor T cell responses.
CDX-1140 monotherapy expansion cohorts in HNSCC, renal cell carcinoma and gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma have been added to the study, along
with a combination cohort of CDX-1140 and CDX-301 in HNSCC. In addition, we have amended the ongoing Phase 1 study to evaluate CDX-1140 in
combination with KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, under a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Merck (known as MSD
outside of the U.S. and Canada). The cohort is designed to characterize the safety, pharmacodynamics and activity of CDX-1140 in combination with
pembrolizumab in patients refractory to PD1/PDL1 treatment. Enrollment is ongoing. The Company is exploring additional combination cohorts with
mechanisms that we believe could be complementary or synergistic with CDX-1140.
CDX-3379
CDX-3379 is a human monoclonal antibody with half-life extension designed to block the activity of ErbB3 (HER3). We believe ErbB3 may be an
important receptor regulating cancer cell growth and survival as well as resistance to targeted therapies. ErbB3 is expressed in many cancers, including head
and neck, thyroid, breast, lung and gastric cancers, as well as melanoma. We believe the proposed mechanism of action for CDX-3379 sets it apart from other
drugs in development in this class due to its ability to block both ligand-independent and ligand-dependent ErbB3 signaling by binding to a unique epitope. It
has a favorable pharmacologic profile, including a longer half-life and slower clearance relative to other drug candidates in this class. We believe CDX-3379
also has potential to enhance anti-tumor activity and/or overcome resistance in combination with other targeted and cytotoxic therapies to directly kill tumor
cells. Tumor cell death and the ensuing release of new tumor antigens has the potential to serve as a focus for combination therapy with immuno-oncology
approaches, even in refractory patients. CDX-3379 has been evaluated in three Phase 1 studies for the treatment of multiple solid tumors that express ErbB3
and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 study.
Enrollment opened in November 2017 to an open-label Phase 2 study in combination with Erbitux in patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) negative,
Erbitux-resistant, advanced HNSCC who have
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previously been treated with an anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor, a population with limited options and a particularly poor prognosis. The study was initially
designed as a Simon two-stage design with an interim futility analysis following enrollment of the first 13 patients. According to the study design, if at least
one patient achieved an objective response in the first stage, enrollment could progress to the second stage. The primary endpoint of the study is objective
response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints include assessments of clinical benefit response (CBR), duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival
(PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety and pharmacokinetics associated with the combination. Enrollment to the first stage of the Phase 2 study (n=15) is
complete and interim data from the study were presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting in June that support the continued development of CDX-3379.
Patients had a median of 3 (range of 2-6) prior cancer therapy treatments. All patients had received prior checkpoint inhibitor treatment and 14 of 15
patients were cetuximab refractory. Notable clinical activity was observed in this refractory patient population. A durable confirmed complete response (11+
months) was observed. An unconfirmed partial response (uPR) in a patient that had not received cetuximab was also observed. 7 patients experienced stable
disease (47%; includes uPR). A clinical benefit rate of 29% was achieved (objective response or stable disease greater than or equal to 12 weeks). CDX-3379
in combination with cetuximab was generally associated with the expected target-mediated adverse events of diarrhea and rash.
Emerging data from the Phase 2 study and earlier studies of CDX-3379 suggest that antitumor activity may be associated with somatic mutations in
certain genes. Based on these observations, next-generation sequencing was performed on tumor samples from 18 patients with HNSCC treated with CDX-
3379 across three clinical studies of CDX-3379 that have enrolled patients with HNSCC. This data set included four patients with clinical responses, eight
patients with stable disease and/or tumor shrinkage, and six patients with progressive disease. Key findings are outlined below.
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All four clinical responses occurred in patients with mutations in the FAT1 gene.
All four clinical responses occurred in patients with a primary tumor site of oral cavity.
Three of the four clinical responses occurred in patients who also had mutations in NOTCH1, NOTCH2 or NOTCH3 genes.
Also, of note, all patients (n=7 of 18) who experienced clinical benefit (objective response or stable disease greater than or equal to 12 weeks)
had FAT1 and/or NOTCH1-3 mutations.
FAT1 and NOTCH genes are associated with tumor suppression. Inactivating mutations in the FAT1 and NOTCH genes occur in sizeable
subsets of HPV negative HNSCC tumors, having been identified in 32% (FAT1) and 26% (NOTCH) of these tumors, respectively. Preclinical
studies investigating the association of CDX-3379 sensitivity and inactivating mutations of FAT1 and other genes are ongoing.
Based on these biomarker observations and the notable clinical activity observed in this refractory patient population, the study has been expanded (n=
~45 patients, including at least 15 patients with FAT1 mutations) to allow for an evaluation of the utility of biomarkers for future patient selection. Enrollment
is ongoing.
CDX-0159
CDX-0159 is a humanized monoclonal antibody that specifically binds the receptor tyrosine kinase KIT and potently inhibits its activity. KIT is expressed
in a variety of cells, including mast cells, and its activation by its ligand SCF regulates mast cell growth, differentiation, survival, chemotaxis and
degranulation. In certain inflammatory diseases, such as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), also known as chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), and chronic
inducible urticarias (CINDUs), mast cell degranulation plays a central role in the onset and progression of the disease.
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CDX-0159 is designed to block KIT activation by disrupting both SCF binding and KIT dimerization. Celldex believes that by targeting KIT, CDX-0159
may be able to inhibit mast cell activity and decrease mast cell numbers to provide potential clinical benefit in mast cell related diseases.
We initiated a Phase 1a study of CDX-0159 in November 2019. The study is designed to evaluate the safety profile, pharmacokinetics and
pharmacodynamics of single ascending doses of CDX-0159 in healthy subjects. Following completion of this study, we plan to iniate studies of CDX-0159 in
CSU and CINDU, both mast cell-related diseases, by year-end 2020. CSU presents as itchy hives, angioedema or both for at least six weeks without a specific
trigger; multiple episodes can play out over years or even decades. About 50% of patients with CSU achieve symptomatic control with antihistamines or
leukotriene receptor antagonists. Omalizumab, an IgE inhibitor, provides relief for roughly half of the remaining antihistamine/leukotriene refractory patients.
Consequently, there is a need for more effective later line therapies. CINDUs are forms of urticaria that have an attributable cause or trigger associated with
them, typically resulting in hives or wheals. We are exploring cold-induced and dermographism-induced (scratching the skin) urticarias.
A review of the CDX-0159 early development program was presented at American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting
in November 2019.
CDX-527
CDX-527 is the first candidate from Celldex's bispecific antibody platform. Bispecifics provide opportunities to engage two independent pathways
involved in controlling immune responses to tumors. CDX-527 uses Celldex's proprietary highly active anti-PD-L1 and CD27 human antibodies to couple
CD27 co-stimulation with blockade of the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway to help prime and activate anti-tumor T cell responses through CD27 costimulation, while
preventing PD-1 inhibitory signals that subvert the immune response.
Celldex's prior clinical experience with combining CD27 activation and PD-1 blockade provide the rationale for linking these two pathways into one
molecule. Preclinical data presented at the SITC 34th Annual Meeting in November 2019 demonstrated that CDX-527 is more potent at T cell activation and
anti-tumor immunity than the combination of parental monoclonal antibodies.
Celldex plans to initiate a Phase 1 dose-escalation study in up to 90 patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors that have progressed during or after
standard of care therapy in the second half of 2020, followed by tumor-specific expansion cohorts to further evaluate the tolerability, biologic and anti-tumor
effects of selected dose level(s) of CDX-527 in specific tumor types.
Partnerships
We may enter into co-development and commercialization partnerships for any of our programs where appropriate. In the past, we have entered into
collaborative partnership agreements with pharmaceutical and other companies and organizations that provided financial and other resources, including
capabilities in research, development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing, to support our research and development programs and may enter into more of
them in the future.
Partnership agreements may terminate without benefit to us if the underlying products are not fully developed. If we fail to meet our obligations under
these agreements, they could terminate, and we might need to enter into relationships with other collaborators and to spend additional time, money and other
valuable resources in the process. We cannot predict whether our collaborators will continue their development efforts or, if they do, whether their efforts will
achieve success. Many of our collaborators face the same kinds of risks and uncertainties in their businesses that we face. A delay or setback to a partner will,
at a minimum, delay the commercialization of any affected drug candidates, and may ultimately prevent it. Moreover, any partner could breach its agreement
with us or otherwise
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not use best efforts to promote our products. A partner may choose to pursue alternative technologies or products that compete with our technologies or drug
candidates. In either case, if a partner failed to successfully develop one of our drug candidates, we would need to find another partner. Our ability to do so
would depend upon our legal right to do so at the time and whether the product remained commercially viable.
Research Collaboration and License Agreements
We have entered into license agreements whereby we have received licenses or options to license technology, specified patents and/or patent applications.
These license and collaboration agreements generally provide for royalty payments equal to specified percentages of product sales, annual license maintenance
fees, continuing patent prosecution costs and potential future milestone payments to third parties upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory
and/or commercial milestones. Summarized below are our significant research collaboration and license agreements for our later-stage drug candidates.
University of Southampton, UK (Southampton)
Under a license agreement with Southampton, we acquired the rights to develop human antibodies towards CD27, a potentially important target for
immunotherapy of various cancers. We may be required to pay Southampton milestones of up to approximately $1.0 million upon obtaining first approval for
commercial sale in a first indication and royalty payments in the low-single digits on any net product sales with respect to development and commercialization
of CDX-527.
Amgen Inc. (Amgen)
Under a license agreement with Amgen, we acquired the exclusive rights to CDX-301 and CD40 ligand, or CD40L. CDX-301 and CD40L are immune
modulating molecules that increase the numbers and activity of immune cells that control immune responses. We may be required to pay Amgen milestones of
up to $0.9 million upon obtaining first approval for commercial sale in a first indication and royalty payments in the low-single digits on any net product sales
with respect to development and commercialization of the technology licensed from Amgen, including CDX-301.
Yale University (Yale)
Under a license agreement with Yale, we may be required to make a one-time payment to Yale of $3.0 million with respect to each therapeutic or
prophylactic receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) royalty-bearing product, including CDX-3379, that achieves a specified commercial milestone. In addition, we
may be required to pay a low single-digit royalty on annual worldwide net sales of each RTK royalty-bearing product, including CDX-3379. Unless earlier
terminated by us or Yale, the Yale license agreement is due to expire no later than May 2038 but may expire earlier on a country-by-country basis under
specified circumstances.
MedImmune, LLC (MedImmune)
Under a license agreement with MedImmune, we acquired exclusive rights to specified patent rights and know-how that are controlled by MedImmune
and relate to the research, development, manufacture and commercialization of CDX-3379. We may be required to pay Medimmune up to $45.0 million upon
obtaining specified regulatory and development milestones in the first indication of CDX-3379. In addition, we may be required to pay MedImmune one-time
milestone payments of up to $125.0 million if specified annual net sale thresholds are met related to the first indication of CDX-3379. We may also be required
to pay MedImmune a tiered royalty on annual net sales of CDX-3379 at rates ranging from high single-digit to low teens percentages. These royalties may be
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reduced in specified circumstances and are payable on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis until the later to occur of ten years after the first
commercial sale of the product in that country and the expiration of MedImmune's patent rights that cover the sale of the product in that country. We may also
be required to pay specified royalties on annual net sales of CDX-3379 at a rate in the low single digits to certain other third parties from whom MedImmune
licensed certain intellectual property.
Competition
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry is intensely competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological change. Many of the products
that we are attempting to develop and commercialize will be competing with existing therapies. Other companies are pursuing the development of new
therapies that target the same diseases and conditions that we are targeting and may compete directly with our drug candidates. We face competition from
companies, major universities and research institutions in the United States and abroad, including a number of large pharmaceutical companies, as well as firms
specialized in the development and production of vaccines, adjuvants, targeted therapies and immune modulators. Some of our competitors possess
substantially greater financial, technical and human resources than we do.
Our competitors may utilize discovery technologies and techniques or partner with collaborators in order to develop products more rapidly or successfully
than us or our collaborators are able to. In addition, some competitors have significantly greater experience than we have in conducting preclinical and
nonclinical testing and human clinical trials of drug candidates, scaling up manufacturing operations and obtaining regulatory approvals of drugs and
manufacturing facilities. Accordingly, our competitors may succeed in obtaining regulatory approval for drugs more rapidly than we do. If we obtain regulatory
approval and commence commercial sales of our drug candidates, we also will compete with respect to manufacturing efficiency and sales and marketing
capabilities, areas in which we currently have limited experience.
In addition, academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private organizations conducting research may seek patent protection with
respect to potentially competitive products or technologies and may establish exclusive collaborative or licensing relationships with our competitors. Moreover,
technology controlled by third parties that may be advantageous to our business may be acquired or licensed by our competitors, thereby preventing us from
obtaining technology on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. We will also compete for the services of third parties that may have already developed or
acquired internal biotechnology capabilities or made commercial arrangements with other biopharmaceutical companies to target the diseases on which we
have focused both in the U.S. and outside of the U.S.
We also face competition in recruiting and retaining highly qualified scientific personnel and consultants and in the development and acquisition of
technologies.
Our competitive position will depend upon our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, obtain patent protection or otherwise develop proprietary
products or processes and secure sufficient capital resources for the often lengthy period between technological conception and commercial sales. We will
require substantial capital resources to complete development of some or all of our drug candidates, obtain the necessary regulatory approvals and successfully
manufacture and market our drug candidates. In order to secure capital resources, we anticipate having to sell additional capital stock, which would dilute
existing stockholders. We may also attempt to obtain funds through research grants and agreements with commercial collaborators. However, these types of
funding are uncertain because they are at the discretion of the organizations and companies that control the funds. As a result, we may not receive any funds
from grants or collaborations. Alternatively, we may borrow funds
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from commercial lenders, likely at high interest rates, which would increase the risk of any investment in us.
Manufacturing
We are a research and development company and have limited experience in commercial manufacturing. Our ability to conduct late-stage clinical trials, as
well as manufacture and commercialize our drug candidates, depends on the ability of Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) to manufacture our drug
candidates on a large scale at a competitive cost and in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and U.S. and foreign regulatory
requirements, as applicable. We also rely on CMOs for manufacturing, packaging, labeling, storing and shipping our drug products. In order for us to establish
our own commercial manufacturing facility, we would require substantial additional funds and would need to hire and retain significant additional personnel
and comply with cGMP regulations applicable to such a facility. The commercial manufacturing facility would also need to be licensed for the production of
our drug candidates by the FDA. We therefore work with CMOs under established manufacturing arrangements that comply with the FDA's requirements and
other regulatory standards, although there is no assurance that the manufacturing will be successful.
We operate our own cGMP manufacturing facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, to produce drug substance for our current and planned early-stage clinical
trials. Our Fall River manufacturing facility has 250L and 1000L bioreactor capacity and is able to manufacture in compliance with FDA regulations, allowing
us to distribute drug candidates to clinical sites in the U.S. for early-stage clinical trials. We currently manufacture CDX-1140, CDX-301, CDX-527 and CDX-
0159 drug substance in our Fall River facility for our current and planned Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. We expect that our existing clinical supplies of
CDX-3379 will be sufficient to carry out our current planned clinical development. Additional manufacturing options are under review and may involve
utilization of the Fall River facility and/or a CMO. All products are then filled and packaged at CMOs. Any manufacturing failures or compliance issues at
contract manufacturers could cause delays in our Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies for these drug candidates.
The manufacturing processes for our drug candidates and immunotherapeutic delivery systems utilize known technologies. We believe that the drug
candidates we currently have under development can be scaled up to permit manufacture in commercial quantities. However, there can be no assurance that we
will not encounter difficulties in scaling up the manufacturing processes.
While we believe that there is currently sufficient capacity worldwide for the production of our potential products through CMOs, establishing long-term
relationships with contract manufacturers and securing multiple sources for the necessary quantities of clinical and commercial materials required can be a
challenge due to increasing industry demand for CMO services. Qualifying the initial source of clinical and ultimately commercial material is a time
consuming and expensive process due to the highly regulated nature of the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. These costs may be mitigated by the economies of
scale realized in commercial manufacture and product sales. The key difficulty in qualifying more than one source for each product is the duplicated time and
expense in doing so without the potential to mitigate these costs if the secondary source is never utilized.
Use of third-party manufacturers limits our control over and ability to monitor the manufacturing process. As a result, we may not be able to detect a
variety of problems that may arise and may face additional costs in the process of interfacing with and monitoring the progress of our contract manufacturers. If
third-party manufacturers fail to meet our manufacturing needs in an acceptable manner, we would face delays and additional costs while we develop internal
manufacturing capabilities or find alternate third-party manufacturers. It may not be possible to have multiple third-party manufacturers ready to supply us with
needed material at all or without incurring significant costs.
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Commercial Organization
We have limited commercial experience in marketing, sales, distribution and product reimbursement. We have the capability to provide current and future
market insights to our research and development organization regarding our potential drug candidates. In the future, we may choose to expand our commercial
team and build a full-scale commercial organization which we believe could provide us the opportunity to retain marketing rights to our drug candidates and
commercialize such products ourselves where we deem appropriate or pursue strategic partnerships to develop, sell, market and distribute our drug candidates
where we deem appropriate.
Patents, Licenses and Proprietary Rights
In general, our intellectual property strategy is to protect our technology by filing patent applications and obtaining patent rights covering our own
technology, both in the United States and in foreign countries that we consider important to our business. In addition, we have acquired and will seek to acquire
as needed or desired, exclusive rights of others through assignment or license to complement our portfolio of patent rights. We also rely on trade secrets,
unpatented know-how and technological expertise and innovation to develop and maintain our competitive position.
Patents
The successful development and marketing of products by us will depend in part on our ability to create and maintain intellectual property, including
patent rights. We are the owner or exclusive licensee to proprietary patent positions in the areas of immunotherapy technologies, vaccine technologies and
antibody technologies. Although we continue to pursue patent protection for our products, no assurance can be given that any pending application will issue as
a patent, that any issued patent will have a scope that will be of commercial benefit or that we will be able to successfully enforce our patent position against
infringers. We routinely review our patent portfolio and adjust our strategies for prosecution and maintenance of individual cases according to a number of
factors, including program priorities, stage of development and patent term.
We own or license rights under more than 100 granted patents and national and regional patent applications in the U.S. and in major international
territories covering inventions relating to our business. The key patents and patent applications owned by us or licensed to us that we consider important to our
business include the following (the indicated and estimated patent expiry dates are the estimated normal expirations if all maintenance fees and annuities are
paid when due, and do not include any possible additional terms for Patent Term Extensions (PTEs) or Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs), if these
may be secured in due course):
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We own a portfolio of patent applications directed to CDX-1140 and certain other anti-CD40 antibodies. These patent applications include
claims directed to particular anti-CD40 antibody compositions of matter, including CDX-1140 compositions of matter, and methods of using
such antibodies. Patent applications in this portfolio are pending in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada, China, India, New Zealand,
Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and certain other countries. If and when issued the foregoing would have estimated normal patent expiry
dates in 2037.
We have exclusively licensed a portfolio of patents and patent applications relating to particular ErbB3 inhibitors from MedImmune. These
patents and patent applications include claims directed to particular anti-ErbB3 antibody compositions of matter, including CDX-3379
compositions of matter, and methods of using such antibodies. Patents have been issued in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia, China, New
Zealand and the Russian Federation which have estimated normal patent expiry dates in 2032. Patent applications in this portfolio are pending
in
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Canada, India, Republic of Korea and certain other countries, and any patents that may issue from these applications would also have estimated
normal patent expiry dates in 2032.
We own a portfolio of patents and patent applications directed to CDX-0159 and other anti-KIT receptor antibodies. These patents and patent
applications include claims directed to particular anti-KIT antibody compositions of matter, including CDX-0159 compositions of matter, and
methods of using such antibodies. A patent has been issued in the U.S. which would have an estimated normal patent expiry date in 2034
(including additional term due to Patent Term Adjustment). Patents have also been issued in Europe, Japan, China, Australia, the Russian
Federation and Singapore, and foreign counterparts are pending in Canada, India, Republic of Korea and certain other countries. If and where
issued the foregoing would have estimated normal patent expiry dates ranging from 2032 to 2033.
We own a pending international (PCT) patent application directed to antibody sequences used in CDX-527. This international patent application
includes claims directed to particular compositions of matter, including CDX-527 compositions of matter, and methods of use thereof. If
continued in the national and regional phases in due course any resulting national and regional patents would have estimated normal patent
expiry dates in 2039. We have licensed rights from the University of Southampton under issued U.S., European and Japanese patents and under
a pending patent application in Canada relating to uses of certain anti-CD27 antibodies for the treatment of cancer. If and where issued and
maintained to full term in due course, these would have estimated normal patent expiry dates in 2027. In September 2014, two European patent
oppositions were filed against the University of Southampton European patent, and at a hearing on November 23, 2016 the European Patent
Office (EPO) revoked the European patent on the ground of lack of inventive step. The University of Southampton has filed an appeal against
this decision. This EPO decision does not affect the later filed Celldex international (PCT) patent application relating to CDX-527.
We acquired rights to a portfolio of patents and patent applications related to the "TAM family" of RTKs (comprised of Tyro3 AXL and
MerTK) receptors which are in-licensed from, or co-owned with, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. For example, we have an exclusive
license to two issued U.S. patents directed to TAM receptor inhibition to treat infections and to a U.S. patent application directed to methods for
the modulation of the immune response via targeting TAM receptors. If maintained to full term, these would have estimated normal patent
expiry dates between 2028 and 2029 (including additional term due to Patent Term Adjustment). Further international (PCT) and provisional
patent applications have also recently been filed in respect of particular antibodies targeting particular TAM receptors.
There can be no assurance that patent applications owned by or licensed to us will result in granted patents or that, if granted, the resultant patents will
afford protection against competitors with similar technology. It is also possible that third parties may obtain patents or other proprietary rights that may be
necessary or useful to us. In cases where third parties are first to invent a particular product or technology, it is possible that those parties will obtain patents
that will be sufficiently broad to prevent us from using important technology or from further developing or commercializing important drug candidates and
immunotherapeutic systems. If licenses from third parties are necessary but cannot be obtained, commercialization of the covered products might be delayed or
prevented. Even if these licenses can be obtained, they would probably require us to pay ongoing royalties and other costs, which could be substantial.
Although a patent has a statutory presumption of validity in the United States, the issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to validity or as to the
enforceable scope of the patent claims. The validity or enforceability of a patent after its issuance by the Patent and Trademark Office can be challenged in
litigation. As a business that uses a substantial amount of intellectual property, we face a heightened
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risk of intellectual property litigation. If the outcome of the litigation is adverse to the owner of the patent, third parties may then be able to use the invention
covered by the patent without authorization or payment. There can be no assurance that our issued patents or any patents subsequently issued to or licensed by
us will not be successfully challenged in the future. In addition, there can be no assurance that our patents will not be infringed or that the coverage of our
patents will not be successfully avoided by competitors through design innovation.
We are aware that others, including universities and companies, have filed patent applications and have been granted patents in the United States and other
countries which claim subject matter potentially useful or necessary to the commercialization of our products. The ultimate scope and validity of existing or
future patents which have been or may be granted to third parties, and the availability and cost of acquiring rights in those patents necessary to the manufacture,
use or sale of our products presently cannot be determined by us.
Third parties may have or may obtain valid and enforceable patents or proprietary rights that could block us from developing products using our
technology, including:
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certain patents and pending patent applications in the United States and foreign countries relating to particular receptors, antigens and antigenic
fragments targeted by our current drug candidates;
certain patents and pending patent applications related to particular receptors and other molecules on T-cells, dendritic cells and macrophages
that may be useful for generating monoclonal antibodies;
certain patents held by third parties relating to antibody expression in particular types of host cells; and
certain patents and pending patent applications in the United States and foreign countries relating to anti-CD27 antibodies, anti-PD-L1
antibodies and certain other antibodies and their sequences and uses.
We are also aware of a third-party European patent that relates to use of ErbB3 antibodies for treatment of hyperproliferative disorders,
including cancer. Counterparts of this patent have also issued in Australia and Japan. As a result of an opposition proceeding, the European
patent was revoked in its entirety. The owner of the European patent appealed the decision in the opposition proceeding but the appeal has been
rejected so that the decision to revoke the European patent stands. We continue to monitor counterparts in other jurisdictions.
In addition to the patents referred to in the previous paragraphs, there may be other patent applications and issued patents belonging to competitors that
may require us to alter our drug candidates and immunotherapeutic delivery systems, pay licensing fees or cease some of our activities. If our drug candidates
conflict with patents that have been or may be granted to competitors, universities or others, the patent owners could bring legal action against us claiming
damages and seeking to enjoin manufacturing and marketing of the patented products. If any of these actions is successful, in addition to any potential liability
for damages, we could be required to obtain a license in order to continue to manufacture or market the affected products. There can be no assurance that we
would prevail in any such action or that any license required under any such third-party patent would be made available on acceptable terms or at all. We
believe that there may be significant litigation in the biotechnology industry regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. If we become involved in
that litigation, we could consume substantial resources.
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Licenses
We have entered into several significant license agreements relating to technologies that are being developed by us. In general, these institutions have
granted us an exclusive worldwide license (with right to sublicense) to make, use and sell products embodying the licensed technology, subject to the
reservation by the licensor of a non-exclusive right to use the technologies for non-commercial research purposes. Generally, the term of each license is through
the expiration of the last of the patents issued with respect to the technologies covered by the license and/or a specified period from first commercial sale on a
territory-by-territory basis. We have generally agreed to use reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize licensed products and to achieve specified
milestones and pay license fees, milestone payments and royalties based on the net sales of the licensed products or to pay a percentage of sublicense income.
If we breach our obligations, the licensor has the right to terminate the license, and, in some cases, convert the license to a non-exclusive license. Generally, we
control and are responsible for the cost of defending the patent rights of the technologies that we license.
Proprietary Rights
We also rely on unpatented technology, trade secrets and confidential information, and no assurance can be given that others will not independently
develop substantially equivalent information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our know-how and information, or that we can meaningfully protect
our rights in such unpatented technology, trade secrets and information. We require each of our employees, consultants and advisors to execute a confidentiality
agreement at the commencement of an employment or consulting relationship with us. The agreements generally provide that all inventions conceived by the
individual in the course of employment or in providing services to us and all confidential information developed by, or made known to, the individual during
the term of the relationship shall be the exclusive property of us and shall be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in limited specified
circumstances. There can be no assurance, however, that these agreements will provide meaningful protection for our information in the event of unauthorized
use or disclosure of such confidential information.
Government Regulation
Our activities and products are significantly regulated by a number of governmental entities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, in
the United States and by comparable authorities in other countries. These entities regulate, among other things, the manufacture, testing, safety, effectiveness,
labeling, documentation, advertising and sale of our products. We must obtain regulatory approval from the FDA and comparable authorities in other countries,
as applicable, for our drug candidates before we can commercialize such drugs in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions. Product development within this regulatory
framework takes a number of years and involves the expenditure of substantial resources. Many drug candidates that initially appear promising ultimately do
not reach the market because they are found to be unsafe or ineffective when tested. Our inability to commercialize a product would impair our ability to earn
future revenues.
FDA Approval Process
In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs and biological products under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, the Public Health
Service Act, or PHSA, and implementing regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal,
state, local and foreign statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable
United States requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval may subject an applicant to a variety of
administrative or judicial sanctions, such as the FDA's refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, imposition of a clinical hold,
issuance of
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untitled or warning letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution injunctions, fines, refusals of government
contracts, restitution, disgorgement of profits, civil penalties and criminal prosecution.
The process required by the FDA before a drug or biological product may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:
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completion of preclinical laboratory tests, animal studies and formulation studies in compliance with the FDA's good laboratory practice, or
GLP, regulations;
submission to the FDA of an investigational new drug, or IND, application which must become effective before human clinical trials may
begin;
approval by an independent institutional review board, or IRB, at each clinical site before each trial may be initiated;
performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials in accordance with good clinical practices, or GCP, to establish the safety and
efficacy of the proposed drug or biological product for each indication;
submission to the FDA of a new drug application, or NDA, or a biologics license application, or BLA, as applicable;
satisfactory completion of an FDA advisory committee review, if applicable;
satisfactory completion of an FDA inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the product is produced to assess compliance
with cGMP requirements and to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the drug's identity, strength, quality and
purity; and
FDA review and approval of the NDA or BLA.
We expect that all of our clinical drug candidates will be subject to review as biological products under BLA standards.
Data obtained at any stage of testing is susceptible to varying interpretations, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. Moreover, during
the regulatory process, new or changed drug approval policies may cause unanticipated delays or rejection of our product. We may not obtain necessary
regulatory approvals within a reasonable period of time, if at all, or avoid delays or other problems in testing our products. Moreover, even if we received
regulatory approval for a product, the approval may require limitations on use, which could restrict the size of the potential market for the product.
Clinical Trials
The FDA provides that human clinical trials may begin 30 days after receipt and review of an IND application, unless the FDA requests additional
information or changes to the study protocol within that period. An IND must be sponsored and filed for each of our proposed drug candidates. Authorization
to conduct clinical trials in no way assures that the FDA will ultimately approve the product. Clinical trials are generally conducted in three sequential phases.
In a Phase 1 trial, the product is given to a small number of patients to test for safety (adverse effects), determine a recommended Phase 2 dose(s) and evaluate
any signals of efficacy. Phase 2 trials are conducted on a limited group of the target patient population; safety, optimal dosage and efficacy are studied. A
Phase 3 trial is performed in a large patient population, generally over a wide geographic area to provide evidence for the safety and efficacy of the product.
The FDA maintains and exercises oversight authority throughout the clinical trial process.
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A product's safety and effectiveness in one clinical trial is not necessarily indicative of its safety and effectiveness in another clinical trial. Moreover, we
may not discover all potential problems with a product even after completing clinical trials on it. Some of our products and technologies have undergone only
preclinical testing. As a result, we do not know whether they are safe or effective for humans. Also, regulatory authorities may decide, contrary to our findings,
that a product is unsafe or not as effective in actual use as its clinical trial results indicated. This could prevent the product's widespread use, require its
withdrawal from the market or expose us to liability. The FDA or the sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds,
including a finding that the patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at
its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB's requirements or if the drug has been associated with unexpected serious
harm to patients. Any such action could materially harm us. Clinical trials are critical to the success of our products but are subject to unforeseen and
uncontrollable delay, including delay in enrollment of patients. Any delay in clinical trials could delay our commercialization of a product.
Marketing Approval
Assuming successful completion of the required clinical testing, the results of the preclinical and clinical studies, together with detailed information
relating to the product's pharmacology, chemistry, manufacture, controls and proposed labeling, among other things, are submitted to the FDA as part of an
NDA or BLA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. FDA approval of the NDA or BLA is required before marketing of the
product may begin in the United States. Under federal law, the submission of most NDAs and BLAs is additionally subject to a substantial application user fee
and the sponsor of an approved NDA or BLA is also subject to annual prescription drug program fees.
The FDA conducts a preliminary review of all NDAs and BLAs within the first 60 days after receipt before accepting them for filing based on the
agency's threshold determination that they are sufficiently complete to permit substantive review. The FDA may request additional information rather than
accept an NDA or BLA for filing. In this event, the application must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application is also subject
to review before the FDA accepts it for filing. Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review. The FDA has agreed
to specified performance goals in the review of NDAs and BLAs. Most such applications for non-priority products are reviewed within ten to twelve months
after filing, and most applications for priority review products, that is, drugs and biologics that the FDA determines represent a significant improvement over
existing therapy, are reviewed in six to eight months after filing. The review process may be extended by the FDA for three additional months to consider
certain late-submitted information or clarification regarding information already provided in the submission. The FDA may also refer applications for novel
drugs or biological products or products that present difficult questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee, typically a panel that includes clinicians
and other experts, for review, evaluation and a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved. The FDA is not bound by the
recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions.
Before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA typically will inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve
an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent
production of the product within required specifications. In addition, before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical
sites to assure compliance with GCP and integrity of the clinical data submitted.
The testing and approval processes require substantial time, effort and financial resources, and each may take many years to complete. Data obtained from
clinical activities are not always conclusive
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and may be susceptible to varying interpretations that could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. The FDA may not grant approval on a timely basis, or
at all. We may encounter difficulties or unanticipated costs in our efforts to develop our drug candidates and secure necessary governmental approvals, which
could delay or preclude us from marketing our products.
After the FDA's evaluation of the NDA or BLA and inspection of the manufacturing facilities, the FDA may issue an approval letter or a complete
response letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the drug or biological product with specific prescribing information for specific
indications. A complete response letter generally outlines the deficiencies in the submission and may require substantial additional testing or information in
order for the FDA to reconsider the application. If and when those deficiencies have been addressed to the FDA's satisfaction in a resubmission of the NDA or
BLA, the FDA will resume review and may subsequently issue an approval letter. The FDA has committed to reviewing such resubmissions in two or six
months depending on the type of information included. Even with submission of this additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the
application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval.
Even if the FDA approves a product, it may limit the approved indications for use for the product, require that contraindications, warnings or precautions
be included in the product labeling, require that post-approval studies, including Phase 4 clinical trials, be conducted to further assess a drug's safety after
approval, require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the product after commercialization, or impose other conditions, including distribution
restrictions or other risk management mechanisms, which can materially affect the potential market and profitability of the product. The FDA may prevent or
limit further marketing of a product based on the results of post-market studies or surveillance programs. After approval, many types of changes to the
approved product, such as changes in indications, manufacturing changes and labeling, are subject to further testing requirements and FDA review and
approval.
Special Regulatory Procedures
Fast track designation—The FDA is required to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs and biologics that are intended for the
treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and that demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs. Under the fast track program,
the sponsor of a new drug or biologic candidate may request the FDA to designate the product for a specific indication as a fast track product, concurrent with
or after the filing of the IND for the drug candidate. A drug that receives fast track designation is eligible for some or all of the following: (i) more frequent
meetings with the FDA to discuss the drug's development plan and ensure collection of appropriate data needed to support drug approval; (ii) more frequent
written communication from the FDA about such things as the design of the proposed clinical trials and use of biomarkers; (iii) eligibility for accelerated
approval and priority review, if relevant criteria are met; and (iv) Rolling Review, which means that a drug company can submit completed sections of its BLA
or NDA for review by the FDA, rather than waiting until every section of the NDA or BLA is completed before the entire application can be reviewed. This
rolling review is available if the applicant provides and the FDA approves a schedule for the submission of the remaining information and the applicant pays
applicable user fees. However, the FDA's time period goal for reviewing a fast track application does not begin until the last section of the NDA or BLA is
submitted. In addition, the fast track designation may be withdrawn by the FDA if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data emerging in
the clinical trial process.
Priority review—Under FDA policies, a drug candidate may be eligible for priority review. The priority review program provides for expedited review or
an NDA or BLA, typically within a six to eight month time frame from the time a complete application is accepted for filing. Products regulated by the FDA's
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, or CDER, are eligible for priority review if they provide a significant improvement compared to marketed products
in the treatment, diagnosis or
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prevention of a disease. Products regulated by the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, or CBER, are eligible for priority review if they
provide a significant improvement in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of a serious or life-threatening disease. A fast track
designated drug candidate could be eligible for priority review if supported by clinical data at the time of the BLA or NDA submission.
Accelerated approval—Under the law and the FDA's accelerated approval regulations, the FDA may approve a drug or biologic for a serious or life-
threatening illness that provides meaningful therapeutic benefit to patients over existing treatments based on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to
predict clinical benefit. Surrogate endpoints can often be measured more easily or more rapidly than clinical endpoints. A drug candidate approved on this basis
is subject to rigorous post-marketing compliance requirements, including the completion of Phase 4 or post-approval clinical trials to confirm the effect on the
clinical endpoint. Failure to conduct required post-approval studies, or confirm a clinical benefit during post-marketing studies, would allow the FDA to
withdraw the drug from the market on an expedited basis. All promotional materials for drug candidates approved under accelerated regulations are subject to
prior review by the FDA.
Breakthrough therapy designation—The FDA is also required to expedite the development and review of the application for approval of drugs that are
intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition where preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug candidate may demonstrate
substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints. Under the breakthrough therapy program, the sponsor of a new
drug candidate may request that the FDA designate the drug candidate for a specific indication as a breakthrough therapy concurrent with, or after, the filing of
the IND for the drug candidate.
Orphan drug designation—Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan drug designation to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease
or condition, which is generally defined as a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States. Orphan drug designation does
not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process. The first NDA or BLA applicant to receive FDA approval
for a particular active ingredient to treat a particular disease with FDA orphan drug designation is entitled to a seven-year exclusive marketing period in the
United States for that product, for that indication. During the seven-year exclusivity period, the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the
same drug or biologic for the same orphan indication, except in limited circumstances. Among the other benefits of orphan drug designation are tax credits for
certain research and a waiver of the NDA or BLA application user fee.
Pediatric Information
Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act of 2003, an NDA, BLA or supplement to an NDA or BLA must contain data that are adequate to assess the
safety and effectiveness of the drug or biological product for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations, and to support dosing and
administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the
applicant, grant deferrals for submission of some or all pediatric data until after approval of the product for use in adults, or full or partial waivers from the
pediatric data requirements. Under the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, or FDASIA, the FDA has additional authority to take action
against manufacturers not adhering to pediatric study requirements. Unless otherwise required by regulation, the pediatric data requirements do not apply to
products with orphan drug designation.
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Post Approval
Any drug or biological products manufactured or distributed by us pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the
FDA, including, among other things, requirements relating to recordkeeping, periodic reporting, product sampling and distribution, advertising and promotion
and reporting of adverse experiences with the product. After approval, most changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications or other labeling
claims are subject to prior FDA review and approval.
The FDA may impose a number of post-approval requirements as a condition of approval of an NDA or BLA. For example, the FDA may require post-
marketing testing, including Phase 4 clinical trials, and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product's safety and effectiveness after
commercialization. Regulatory approval of oncology products often requires that patients in clinical trials be followed for long periods to determine the overall
survival benefit of the drug or biologic.
In addition, drug and biologic manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved drugs and biological products are
required to register their establishments with the FDA and state agencies and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and these state
agencies for compliance with cGMP requirements. The FDA was also granted new inspection authorities under FDASIA. Changes to the manufacturing
process are strictly regulated and often require prior FDA approval before being implemented. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any
deviations from cGMP and impose reporting and documentation requirements upon us and any third-party manufacturers that we may decide to use.
Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the areas of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance.
Once an approval is granted, the FDA may withdraw the approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if
problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of
unanticipated severity or frequency, or with manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in revisions to the approved
labeling to add new safety information, imposition of post-market studies or clinical trials to assess new safety risks or imposition of distribution or other
restrictions under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:
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restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product, complete withdrawal of the product from the market or product recalls;
fines, untitled and warning letters or holds on post-approval clinical trials;
refusal of the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications, or suspension or revocation of product license
approvals;
product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of products; or
consent decrees, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal prosecution.
The FDA strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of products that are placed on the market. Drugs and biologics may be
promoted only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. The FDA, the Office of the Inspector General of
Health and Human Services and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off label uses, and a company that is
found to have improperly promoted off label uses may be subject to significant liability.
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Biosimilars Law
The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, amended the PHSA to provide for an abbreviated approval pathway for
biological products that demonstrate biosimilarity to a previously-approved biological product. The BPCIA establishes criteria for determining that a product is
biosimilar to an already-licensed biologic, or reference product, and establishes a process by which an abbreviated BLA for a biosimilar product is submitted,
reviewed and approved. The BPCIA provides periods of exclusivity that protect a reference product from biosimilars competition. Under the BPCIA, the FDA
may not accept a biosimilar application for review until four years after the date of first licensure of the reference product, and the biosimilar may not be
licensed until 12 years after the reference product's approval. Additionally, the BPCIA establishes procedures by which the biosimilar applicant may provide
information about its application and product to the reference product sponsor, and by which information about potentially relevant patents is shared and
litigation over patents may proceed in advance of approval. The BPCIA also provides a period of exclusivity for the first biosimilar to be determined by the
FDA to be interchangeable with the reference product. The BPCIA applies to our drug candidates and could be applied to allow approval of biosimilars to our
products.
Because the BPCIA is a relatively new law, we anticipate that its contours will be defined as the statute is implemented over a period of years. This likely
will be accomplished by a variety of means, including FDA issuance of guidance documents, proposed regulations, lawsuits and the FDA's decisions in the
course of considering specific applications. Such evolution may significantly affect the impact of the BPCIA on both reference product and biosimilar
sponsors.
21st Century Cures Act
On December 13, 2016, Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act, or the Cures Act. The Cures Act is designed to modernize and personalize health
care, spur innovation and research, and streamline the discovery and development of new therapies through increased federal funding of particular programs. It
authorizes increased funding for the FDA to spend on innovation projects, including for certain oncology-directed research. The new law also amends the
Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and expand funding for the National Institutes of Health.
Because the Cures Act has only recently been enacted, its potential effect on our business remains unclear with the exception of a provision requiring that
we post our policies on the availability of expanded access programs for individuals. In addition, the Cures Act includes provisions that may be beneficial to us
in the future, including a requirement that the FDA assess and publish guidance on the use of novel clinical trial designs, the use of real world evidence in
applications, the availability of summary level review for supplemental applications for certain indications and the qualification of drug development tools.
Because these provisions allow the FDA several years to develop these policies, their effects on us, if any, could be delayed.
The Cures Act also authorizes funding for the "Cancer Moonshot" initiative. The Cancer Moonshot initiative's strategic goals encourage inter-agency
cooperation and fund research and innovation to catalyze new scientific breakthroughs, bring new therapies to patients and strengthen prevention and
diagnosis. This initiative aims to stimulate drug development through the creation of a public-private partnership with 20 to 30 pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies to expedite cancer researchers' access to investigational agents and approved drugs. This partnership is designed to permit researchers
to obtain drugs and other technologies from a preapproved "formulary" list without having to negotiate with each company for individual research projects. We
will continue to monitor these developments to assess their potential impacts on our business.
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Companion Diagnostic Review and Approval
Our drug candidates may rely on the use of a companion diagnostic. Companion diagnostics are subject to regulation by the FDA and comparable foreign
regulatory authorities as medical devices and require separate clearance or approval prior to their commercialization. Based on recent FDA guidance
documents and the FDA's past treatment of companion diagnostics, we believe that the FDA will likely require one or more of our in vitro companion
diagnostics to obtain Premarket Approval Application, or PMA, in conjunction with approval of the related drug candidate. The receipt and timing of PMA
approval may have a significant effect on the receipt and timing of commercial approval for such drug candidates. Currently we rely on third-party
collaborators to develop companion diagnostics for our drug candidates.
The PMA process is similar to the NDA and BLA processes and is costly, lengthy and uncertain. PMA applications must be supported by valid scientific
evidence, which typically requires extensive data, including technical, preclinical, clinical and manufacturing data, to demonstrate to the FDA's satisfaction the
safety and effectiveness of the device. For diagnostic tests, a PMA application typically includes data regarding analytical and clinical validation studies. As
part of its review of the PMA, the FDA will conduct a pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities to ensure compliance with the Quality
System Regulation, or QSR, which requires manufacturers to follow design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures. If the FDA
evaluations of both the PMA application and the manufacturing facilities are favorable, the FDA will either issue an approval letter or an approvable letter,
which usually contains a number of conditions that must be met in order to secure the final approval of the PMA. If the FDA's evaluation of the PMA or
manufacturing facilities is not favorable, the FDA will deny approval of the PMA or issue a not approvable letter. A not approvable letter will outline the
deficiencies in the application and, where practical, will identify what is necessary to make the PMA approvable. The FDA may also determine that additional
clinical trials are necessary, in which case the PMA approval may be delayed while the trials are conducted and then the data submitted in an amendment to the
PMA.
Furthermore, even after PMA approval is obtained, numerous regulatory requirements apply to the manufacturer of the companion diagnostic. The FDA
enforces these requirements by inspection and market surveillance. These requirements include: the QSR, labeling regulations, the FDA's general prohibition
against promoting products for unapproved or "off label" uses, the medical device reporting regulation, and the reports of corrections and removals regulation.
If the FDA finds a violation, it can institute a wide variety of enforcement actions, ranging from a public warning letter to more severe sanctions such as: fines,
injunctions and civil penalties; recall or seizure of products; operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production; refusing requests for
PMA of new products; and withdrawing PMAs already granted.
Federal and State Fraud and Abuse, Data Privacy and Security and Transparency Laws
In addition to FDA restrictions on marketing and promotion of pharmaceutical products, several other types of federal and state laws have been applied to
restrict certain marketing business practices in the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries in recent years. These laws include, without limitation,
state and federal anti-kickback statutes and false claims statutes and false claims laws, data privacy and security laws, as well as transparency laws regarding
payments or other items of value provided to health care providers. Applicable state law may be broader in scope than federal law and may apply regardless of
payor, in addition to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the health
regulatory laws described above or any other laws that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including potentially significant criminal and civil and/or
administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government health care programs, contractual damages,
reputational harm, administrative burdens, diminished profits and future earnings, and the curtailment
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or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. To the extent that any of
our products are sold in a foreign country, we may be subject to similar foreign laws, which may include, for instance, applicable post-marketing requirements,
including safety surveillance, anti-fraud and abuse laws and implementation of corporate compliance programs and reporting of payments or transfers of value
to health care professionals.
In addition, the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, prohibits corporations and individuals from engaging in certain activities to obtain
or retain business or to influence a person working in an official capacity. It is illegal to pay, offer to pay or authorize the payment of anything of value to any
official of another country, government staff member, political party or political candidate in an attempt to obtain or retain business or to otherwise influence a
person working in that capacity. In many countries, the health care professionals we may interact with may meet the FCPA's definition of a foreign government
official.
Foreign Regulation
In order to market any therapeutic or diagnostic product outside of the United States, we need to comply with numerous and varying regulatory
requirements of other countries regarding safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials, marketing authorization, commercial sales and
distribution of our products. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we need to obtain the necessary approvals by the comparable regulatory
authorities of foreign countries before we can commence clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries. The approval process varies from country
to country and can involve additional product testing and additional administrative review periods. The time required to obtain approval in other countries
might differ from and be longer than that required to obtain FDA approval. Regulatory approval in one country does not ensure regulatory approval in another,
but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may negatively impact the regulatory process in others.
Under the EU regulatory system, we will submit most of our marketing authorization applications under the centralized procedure. The centralized
procedure is compulsory for medicines produced by biotechnology, or are for the treatment of cancer, or officially designated as 'orphan medicines.' The
centralized procedure provides for the grant of a single marketing authorization that is valid for all EU member states. As in the United States, we may apply
for designation of a drug candidate as an orphan drug for the treatment of a specific indication in the EU before the application for marketing authorization is
made. The EMA grants orphan medicinal product designation to promote the development of products that may offer therapeutic benefits for life-threatening or
chronically debilitating conditions affecting not more than five in 10,000 people in the EU. Orphan drugs in Europe enjoy economic and marketing benefits,
including a 10-year market exclusivity period for the approved indication, but not for the same product, unless another applicant can show that its product is
safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior to the orphan-designated product.
Other Regulatory Processes
From time to time, legislation is drafted, introduced and passed in Congress that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the testing,
approval, manufacturing and marketing of products regulated by the FDA.
In addition to new legislation, FDA regulations and policies are often revised or interpreted by the agency in ways that may significantly affect our
business and our products. It is impossible to predict whether further legislative changes will be enacted or whether FDA regulations, guidance, policies or
interpretations will change or what the effect of such changes, if any, may be.
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Third-Party Payor Coverage and Reimbursement
Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any drug products for which we obtain regulatory approval. Sales of any of
our drug candidates, if approved, will depend, in part, on the extent to which the costs of the drugs will be covered by third-party payors, including government
health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, as well as commercial health insurers, such as managed care organizations. The process for determining
reimbursement rates is separate from the payor coverage decision. Therefore, despite obtaining coverage, reimbursement rates may be lower than expected,
which can result in larger out-of-pocket payments for the patient.
In order to secure coverage and reimbursement for any drug that might be approved for sale, we need to conduct analyses and pharmaco-economic studies
in order to demonstrate the incremental medical benefit over and above the generally-accepted standard of care and cost-effectiveness of the drug. Our drug
candidates may not be considered medically necessary, provide insufficient incremental medical benefit, or may not be deemed cost-effective. A payor's
decision to provide coverage for a drug product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved.
The containment of health care costs has become a priority of federal, state and foreign governments, and the prices of drugs have been a focus in this
effort. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the prices charged for medical products and services and examining the medical necessity and cost-
effectiveness of medical products and services, in addition to their safety and efficacy. If these third-party payors do not consider our drugs to be cost-effective
compared to other available therapies, they may not cover our drugs after approval as a benefit under their plans or, if they do, the level of reimbursement
and/or restrictions in formulary placement may be such that they would significantly limit projected sales volumes. In addition to third-party payors, we will
also need to negotiate formulary placement with hospitals, health systems and certain independent delivery networks. Such negotiations may be more
protracted than anticipated and may be compromised because of similar considerations, relating to insufficient incremental medical benefit and/or cost-
effectiveness.
Pricing and reimbursement schemes vary widely from country to country. For example, certain EU member states may approve a specific price and
volume for a drug product after which incremental revenues or profits need to be paid back by way of rebates. They may also institutionalize utilization
restrictions, curb physicians' drug budgets, provide conditional reimbursement schemes that require additional evidence to be generated post-marketing
authorization, etc. The downward pressure on health care costs in general, including prescription drugs, has been evident in EU markets for some time and is
now a major focus of federal and state governments in the U.S. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the pricing and reimbursement of
new drugs, despite regulatory efforts to bring drugs to market sooner. Cross-border trade has existed for some time in the EU, allowing pharmacies in one
country to import, at a lower price, drug from another country, further exerting pricing pressures across the EU. A proposal to allow importation of less
expensive drugs from Canada to the U.S. is under consideration in U.S. Congress. There can be no assurance that any country that has price controls or
reimbursement limitations for drug products will allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements for any of our drugs.
The marketability of any drugs for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale may suffer if third-party payors and/or hospital
administrators fail to provide adequate coverage, reimbursement or formulary placement. Coverage policies, third-party reimbursement rates and drug pricing
regulations may change in the future. In particular, uncertainty over the long term regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or its replacement
in the U.S., may mean that coverage, reimbursement and pricing structures available today may be different in the future. In addition, the States may continue
to consider legislation of their own which could further restrict the ability to freely price drugs and/or curb utilization in the U.S. Even if favorable coverage
and reimbursement status is attained for one or more drugs for which we receive regulatory approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates
may be implemented in the future.
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Employees
As of December 31, 2019, we employed 130 employees (127 full-time and 3 part-time), 16 of whom have Ph.D. and/or M.D. degrees. Of these
employees, 108 were engaged in or directly support research and development activities. We believe that our employee relations are good. We believe that our
future success will depend in large part on our ability to attract and retain experienced and skilled employees.
Research and Development
We have dedicated a significant portion of our resources to our efforts to develop our drug candidates. We incurred research and development expenses of
$42.7 million, $66.4 million and $96.2 million during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. We anticipate that a significant portion
of our operating expenses will continue to be related to research and development in 2020 as we continue to advance our drug candidates through clinical
development.
Corporate and Available Information
We are incorporated in Delaware. Our website is located at http://www.celldex.com. On our website, investors can obtain, free of charge, a copy of our
Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, other reports and any amendments thereto filed or furnished
pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material electronically with,
or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. None of the information posted on our website is incorporated by reference into this Annual
Report. The SEC also maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding us
and other companies that file materials with the SEC electronically.
Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
You should consider carefully these risk factors together with all of the information included or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report in
addition to our financial statements and the notes to our financial statements. This section includes forward-looking statements.
The following is a discussion of the risk factors that we believe are material to us at this time. These risks and uncertainties are not the only ones facing us,
and there may be additional matters that we are unaware of or that we currently consider immaterial. All of these could adversely affect our business, results of
operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements
There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, which may affect our ability to obtain future financing and may require us to
curtail our operations.
As of December 31, 2019, we had $64.4 million in existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. We expect these available cash resources to
fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the first quarter of 2021. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we have determined that there
is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The report from our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended
December 31, 2019 also includes an explanatory paragraph stating that our recurring losses and cash outflows from operations and the need to raise additional
capital to finance our future operations raise substantial doubt in our ability to continue as a going concern. Our financial statements do not include any
adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Our ability to continue as a going concern depends on our ability to obtain additional equity
or debt financing, attain further operating efficiencies, reduce
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expenditures, and, ultimately, to generate revenue. We cannot assure you, however, that we will be able to achieve any of the foregoing. If we seek additional
financing to fund our business activities and there remains substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing
sources may be unwilling to provide additional funding to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we are unable to obtain sufficient funding, we could
be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate all of our research and development programs or other business activities, and our financial condition and results of
operations will be materially and adversely affected and we may be unable to continue as a going concern. In the future, reports from our independent
registered public accounting firm may also contain statements expressing substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We currently have no product revenue and will need to raise capital to operate our business.
To date, we have generated no product revenue and cannot predict when and if we will generate product revenue. We had an accumulated deficit of
$1.0 billion as of December 31, 2019. Until, and unless, we complete clinical trials and other development activity, and receive approval from the FDA and
other regulatory authorities, for our drug candidates, we cannot sell our drugs and will not have product revenue. We expect to spend substantial funds to
continue the research, development and testing of our products that are in the preclinical and clinical testing stages of development and to prepare to
commercialize products in anticipation of FDA approval. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, we will have to fund all of our operations and development
expenditures from cash on hand, equity or debt financings, licensing fees and grants. Additional financing will be required to meet our liquidity needs. If we do
not succeed in raising additional funds on acceptable terms, we might not be able to complete planned preclinical and clinical trials or obtain approval of any
drug candidates from the FDA and other regulatory authorities. In addition, we could be forced to discontinue product development, reduce or forego sales and
marketing efforts, forego attractive business opportunities or curtail operations. Any additional sources of financing could involve the issuance of our equity
securities, which would have a dilutive effect on our stockholders. No assurance can be given that additional financing will be available to us when needed on
acceptable terms, or at all.
We cannot be certain that we will achieve or sustain profitability in the future. Failure to achieve profitability could diminish our ability to sustain
operations, pay dividends on our common stock, obtain additional required funds and make required payments on our present or future indebtedness.
We expect to incur future losses and we may never become profitable.
We have incurred operating losses of $55.0 million, $156.4 million and $121.5 million during 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and expect to incur an
operating loss in 2020 and beyond. We believe that operating losses will continue in 2020 and beyond because we are planning to incur significant costs
associated with the development of our drug candidates. During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we incurred $4.3 million, $12.4 million
and $21.1 million in clinical trial expense and $0.6 million, $4.2 million and $11.4 million in contract manufacturing expense. Our net losses have had and will
continue to have an adverse effect on, among other things, our stockholders' equity, total assets and working capital. We expect that losses will fluctuate from
quarter to quarter and year to year, and that such fluctuations may be substantial. We cannot predict when we will become profitable, if at all.
We will need additional capital to fund our operations, including the development, manufacture and potential commercialization of our drug candidates. If
we do not have or cannot raise additional capital when needed, we may be unable to develop and ultimately commercialize our drug candidates
successfully.
We expect to incur significant costs as we develop our drug candidates. The continuing development and commercialization of our drug candidates
requires additional capital beyond our current resources. As of December 31, 2019, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of
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$64.4 million. During the next twelve months and beyond, we will take further steps to raise additional capital to fund our liquidity needs. Our capital raising
activities may include, but may not be limited to, one or more of the following:
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licensing of drug candidates with existing or new collaborative partners;
possible business combinations;
issuance of debt; or
issuance of common stock or other securities via private placements or public offerings.
While we may seek capital through a number of means, there can be no assurance that additional financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all,
and our negotiating position in capital-raising efforts may worsen as existing resources are used. There is also no assurance that we will be able to enter into
further collaborative relationships. Additional equity financing may be dilutive to our stockholders; debt financing, if available, may involve significant cash
payment obligations and covenants that restrict our ability to operate as a business; and licensing or strategic collaborations may result in royalties or other
terms which reduce our economic potential from drug candidates under development. If we are unable to raise the funds necessary to meet our liquidity needs,
we may have to delay or discontinue the development of one or more programs, discontinue or delay ongoing or anticipated clinical trials, license out programs
earlier than expected, raise funds at significant discount or on other unfavorable terms, if at all, or sell all or part of our business.
Our stockholders may be subject to substantial dilution if we elect to pay future milestone consideration to the former Kolltan stockholders in shares of
common stock. If we elect to pay future milestone consideration in cash we would likely need to raise additional capital.
The merger agreement between us and Kolltan ("Merger Agreement") provides that we will be required to pay Kolltan's former stockholders contingent
consideration in the form of development, regulatory approval and sales-based milestones ("Kolltan Milestones") of up to $172.5 million. Certain Kolltan
Milestones have been abandoned consistent with the provisions of the Merger Agreement and, because of this, as of December 31, 2019, we believe that the
adjusted amount we may be required to pay for future consideration is up to $127.5 million contingent upon the achievement of the Kolltan Milestones. We
have previously sent an abandonment notice to the representative of Kolltan's former stockholders with respect to certain of those Kolltan Milestones, to which
the representative subsequently objected. We disagree with their objection and believe their objection to be without merit. We are, however, discussing
potential amendments to the Merger Agreement with respect to the Kolltan Milestones with that stockholder representative. At this time, we are unable to
reasonably assess the ultimate outcome of our disagreement with the representative of Kolltan's former stockholders over its objection to our abandonment of
certain Kolltan Milestones or determine an estimate of potential losses, if any. We cannot assure you whether any such amendment will be completed on terms
acceptable to us, or at all.
Milestone payments under the Merger Agreement may be made, at our sole election, in cash, in shares of our common stock or a combination of both,
although we are required to maintain a certain percentage of the overall consideration paid in Celldex common stock to satisfy certain tax requirements under
the Merger Agreement. We may require additional capital to fund any milestone payments in cash, depending on the facts and circumstances at the time such
payments become due. If we elect to pay the Kolltan Milestones in shares of our common stock, our stockholders would experience substantial dilution.
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U.S. federal income tax reform could adversely affect us.
On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA") was enacted, leading to significant changes to U.S. tax law. Among other provisions, the
TCJA lowered the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, limited the deduction for net operating losses to 80% of taxable income while
providing that net operating loss carryovers for years after 2017 will not expire, imposed a mandatory one-time transition tax on previously deferred foreign
earnings and eliminated or reduced certain income tax deductions. The Company has completed its accounting for the tax effects of the TCJA. We have
revalued our net deferred tax assets and liabilities at the newly enacted U.S. federal rate, and we recognized a tax benefit of $19.1 million during the year ended
December 31, 2017 related to the TCJA. We continue to examine the impact this tax reform legislation, as well as any additional regulatory guidance that may
be issued, may have on our business.
Risks Related to Development and Regulatory Approval of Drug Candidates
Our long term success depends heavily on our ability to fund and complete the research and development activities and obtain regulatory approval for our
program assets.
Only a small minority of all research and development programs ultimately result in commercially successful drugs. Clinical failure can occur at any stage
of clinical development. Clinical trials may produce negative or inconclusive results, and we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional
clinical or preclinical trials. In addition, data obtained from trials are susceptible to varying interpretations, and regulators may not interpret our data as
favorably as we do, which may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later
clinical trials will generate the same results or otherwise provide adequate data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a drug candidate.
We will need substantial additional financing to complete the development of our drug candidates. Further, even if we complete the development of our
drug candidates and gain marketing approvals from the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities in a timely manner, we cannot be sure that such
drug candidate will be commercially successful in the pharmaceutical market. If the results of clinical trials, the anticipated or actual timing of marketing
approvals, or the market acceptance of any of our drug candidates, if approved, do not meet the expectations of investors or public market analysts, the market
price of our common stock would likely decline.
We face risks related to health epidemics and outbreaks, including the coronavirus, which could significantly disrupt our preclinical studies and clinical
trials.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) surfaced in Wuhan, China. The duration and the geographic impact of the business
disruption and related financial impact resulting from the coronavirus cannot be reasonably estimated at this time and our business could be adversely impacted
by the effects. In an effort to halt the outbreak of COVID-19, the United States has placed significant restrictions on travel and many businesses have
announced extended closures which could adversely impact our operations. Enrollment of patients in our clinical trials and our planned and ongoing preclinical
and clinical trials may be delayed due to the outbreak of COVID-19. In addition, we rely on independent clinical investigators, contract research organizations
and other third-party service providers to assist us in managing, monitoring and otherwise carrying out our preclinical studies and clinical trials, and the
outbreak may affect their ability to devote sufficient time and resources to our programs. We also rely on third party suppliers and contract manufacturers to
produce the drug product we utilize in our clinical trials, and the outbreak may cause delays in delivery of APIs and drug product. Temporary closure of our
facilities, or facilities at which our clinical or preclinical trials are conducted, or restrictions on the ability of our employees, clinicians or patients enrolled in
our trials to travel could adversely affect our operations and our ability to conduct and complete our preclinical and
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clinical trials. As a result of the foregoing factors, the expected timeline for data readouts of our preclinical studies and clinical trials and certain regulatory
filings may be negatively impacted, which would adversely affect our business.
Our drug candidates are subject to extensive regulatory scrutiny.
All of our drug candidates are at various stages of development, and our activities and drug candidates are significantly regulated by a number of
governmental entities, including the FDA in the United States and by comparable authorities in other countries. These entities regulate, among other things, the
manufacture, testing, safety, effectiveness, labeling, documentation, advertising and sale of drugs and drug candidates. We or our partners must obtain
regulatory approval for a drug candidate in all of these areas before we can commercialize any of our drug candidates. Product development within this
regulatory framework takes a number of years and involves the expenditure of substantial resources. This process typically requires extensive preclinical and
clinical testing, which may take longer or cost more than we anticipate, and may prove unsuccessful due to numerous factors. Many drug candidates that
initially appear promising ultimately do not reach the market because they are found to be unsafe or ineffective when tested. Companies in the pharmaceutical,
biotechnology and immunotherapeutic drug industries have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after obtaining promising results in
earlier trials. Our inability to commercialize a drug candidate would impair our ability to earn future revenues.
If our drug candidates do not pass required tests for safety and effectiveness, we will not be able to obtain regulatory approval and derive commercial
revenue from them.
In order to succeed, we will need to obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates. The FDA has not approved any of our drug candidates for sale to
date. Our drug candidates are in various stages of preclinical and clinical testing. Preclinical tests are performed at an early stage of a product's development
and provide information about a drug candidate's safety and effectiveness on laboratory animals. Preclinical tests can last years. If a product passes its
preclinical tests satisfactorily and we determine that further development is warranted, we would file an IND application for the product with the FDA, and if
the FDA gives its approval, we would begin Phase 1 clinical tests. Phase 1 testing generally lasts between 6 and 24 months. If Phase 1 test results are
satisfactory and the FDA gives its approval, we can begin Phase 2 clinical tests. Phase 2 testing generally lasts between 6 and 36 months. If Phase 2 test results
are satisfactory and the FDA gives its approval, we can begin Phase 3 pivotal studies. Phase 3 studies generally last between 12 and 48 months. Once clinical
testing is completed and a BLA or NDA is filed with the FDA, it may take more than a year to receive FDA approval.
In all cases we must show that a drug candidate is both safe and effective before the FDA, or drug approval agencies of other countries where we intend to
sell the product, will approve it for sale. Our research and testing programs must comply with drug approval requirements both in the United States and in other
countries, since we are developing our drug candidates with the intention to, or could later decide to, commercialize them both in the U.S. and abroad. A
product may fail for safety or effectiveness at any stage of the testing process. A major risk we face is the possibility that none of our products under
development will come through the testing process to final approval for sale, with the result that we cannot derive any commercial revenue from them after
investing significant amounts of capital in multiple stages of preclinical and clinical testing.
Success in early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and we cannot assure you that any of the clinical trials that we
may conduct will demonstrate consistent or adequate efficacy and safety to obtain regulatory approval.
The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials, and interim results of a clinical
trial do not necessarily predict final results.
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Preclinical and clinical data are susceptible to various interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their drug candidates performed
satisfactorily in preclinical studies and early-stage clinical trials have nonetheless failed to replicate such results in later-stage clinical trials and subsequently
failed to obtain marketing approval. Drug candidates in later-stage clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy despite having progressed
through preclinical and initial clinical trials, even if certain analyses of primary or secondary endpoints in those early trials showed trends towards efficacy.
Later-stage clinical trials with larger numbers of patients or longer durations of therapy may also reveal safety concerns that were not identified in earlier
smaller or shorter trials. Our failure to demonstrate efficacy and safety data sufficient to support marketing approval for any of our other drug candidates would
substantially harm our business, prospectus, financial condition and results of operations.
Product testing is critical to the success of our drug candidates but subject to delay or cancellation if we have difficulty enrolling patients.
As our portfolio of drug candidates moves from preclinical testing to clinical testing, and then through progressively larger and more complex clinical
trials, we will need to enroll an increasing number of patients with the appropriate characteristics. At times we have experienced difficulty enrolling patients,
and we may experience more difficulty as the scale of our clinical testing program increases. The factors that affect our ability to enroll patients are largely
uncontrollable and include principally the following:
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the nature of the clinical test;
the size of the patient population;
patients' willingness to receive a placebo or less effective treatment on the control arm of a clinical study;
the distance between patients and clinical test sites; and
the eligibility criteria for the trial.
If we cannot enroll patients as needed, our costs may increase, or we may be forced to delay or terminate testing for a product.
We may have delays in commencing, enrolling and completing our clinical trials, and we may not complete them at all.
We have not completed the clinical trials necessary to obtain FDA approval to market any of our drug candidates in development. Clinical trials for our
products in development may be delayed or terminated as a result of many factors, including the following:
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inability to reach agreements on acceptable terms with prospective contract research organizations (CROs) and trial sites, the terms of which
can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites;
difficulty in enrolling patients in our clinical trials;
inability to maintain necessary supplies of study drug and comparator to maintain predicted enrollment rates at clinical trial sites;
patients failing to complete clinical trials due to dissatisfaction with the treatment, side effects or other reasons;
failure by regulators to authorize us to commence a clinical trial;
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suspension or termination by regulators of clinical research for many reasons, including concerns about patient safety, bias or failure of our
contract manufacturers to comply with cGMP requirements;
delays or failure to obtain clinical supply for our products necessary to conduct clinical trials from contract manufacturers, including
commercial grade-clinical supply for our Phase 3 clinical trials;
inability to identify and maintain a sufficient number of trial sites, many of which may already be engaged in other clinical trial programs,
including some that may be for the same indication as our product candidates;
drug candidates demonstrating a lack of efficacy during clinical trials;
inability to continue to fund clinical trials or to find a partner to fund the clinical trials;
competition with ongoing clinical trials and scheduling conflicts with participating clinicians; and
delays in completing data collection and analysis for clinical trials.
Any delay or failure to commence, enroll or complete clinical trials and obtain FDA approval for our drug candidates could have a material adverse effect
on our cost to develop and commercialize, and our ability to generate revenue from, a particular drug candidate.
If serious adverse or unacceptable side effects are identified during the development of our drug candidates, we may need to abandon or limit our
development of some of our drug candidates.
If our drug candidates are associated with serious adverse events or undesirable side effects in clinical trials or have characteristics that are unexpected, we
may need to abandon their development or limit development to more narrow uses or subpopulations in which the serious adverse events, undesirable side
effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective. In pharmaceutical development, many drugs
that initially show promise in early-stage testing are later found to cause side effects that prevent further development of the drug. Currently marketed therapies
for the treatment of cancer are generally limited to some extent by their toxicity. In addition some of our drug candidates would be chronic therapies or be used
in pediatric populations, for which safety concerns may be particularly important. Use of our drug candidates as monotherapies may also result in adverse
events consistent in nature with other marketed therapies. In addition, when used in combination with other marketed therapies, our drug candidates may
exacerbate adverse events associated with the marketed therapy.
We may expend our resources to pursue a particular drug candidate or indication and forgo the opportunity to capitalize on drug candidates or indications
that may ultimately be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.
Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we intend to focus on developing drug candidates for specific indications that we identify as
most likely to succeed, in terms of both their potential for regulatory approval and commercialization. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of
opportunities with other drug candidates or for other indications that may prove to have greater commercial potential.
Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial drugs or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on
current and future research and development programs and drug candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable drug candidates. If
we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular drug candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that drug
candidate through collaboration,
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licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights
to the drug candidate.
We may be unable to manage multiple late-stage clinical trials for a variety of drug candidates simultaneously.
As our current clinical trials progress, we may need to manage multiple late-stage clinical trials simultaneously in order to continue developing all of our
current products. The management of late-stage clinical trials is more complex and time consuming than early-stage trials. Typically, early-stage trials involve
several hundred patients in no more than 10 to 30 clinical sites. Late-stage (Phase 3) trials may involve up to several thousand patients in up to several hundred
clinical sites and may require facilities in several countries. Therefore, the project management required to supervise and control such an extensive program is
substantially larger than early-stage programs. As the need for these resources is not known until some months before the trials begin, it is necessary to recruit
large numbers of experienced and talented individuals very quickly. If the labor market does not allow this team to be recruited quickly, the sponsor is faced
with a decision to delay the program or to initiate it with inadequate management resources. This may result in recruitment of inappropriate patients,
inadequate monitoring of clinical investigators and inappropriate handling of data or data analysis. Consequently it is possible that conclusions of efficacy or
safety may not be acceptable to permit filing of a BLA or NDA for any one of the above reasons or a combination of several.
Failure to successfully validate, develop and obtain regulatory approval for companion diagnostics for certain of our drug candidates could harm our drug
development strategy and operational results.
As an element of our clinical development approach, we may seek to screen and identify subsets of patients that express a certain biomarker or that have a
certain genetic alteration who may derive meaningful benefit from our development drug candidates. To achieve this, one or more of our drug development
programs may be dependent on the development and commercialization of a companion diagnostic by us or by third-party collaborators. Companion
diagnostics are developed in conjunction with clinical programs for the associated drug candidate. Companion diagnostics are subject to regulation as medical
devices and must themselves be approved for marketing by the FDA or certain other foreign regulatory agencies before the related drug candidate may be
commercialized. The approval of a companion diagnostic as part of the product label will limit the use of the drug candidate to only those patients who express
the specific biomarker it was developed to detect. We or our third-party collaborators may also experience delays in developing a sustainable, reproducible and
scalable manufacturing process or transferring that process to commercial partners or negotiating insurance reimbursement for such companion diagnostic, all
of which may prevent us from completing our clinical trials or commercializing our drugs on a timely or profitable basis, if at all.
To date, the FDA has required premarket approval of all companion diagnostics for cancer therapies. We and our third-party collaborators may encounter
difficulties in developing and obtaining approval for these companion diagnostics. Any delay or failure by us or third-party collaborators to develop or obtain
regulatory approval of a companion diagnostic could delay or prevent approval of our related drug candidates or, if regulatory approval is obtained, delay or
limit our ability to commercialize our related drug candidates.
Any delay in obtaining regulatory approval would have an adverse impact on our ability to earn future revenues.
It is possible that none of the drug candidates that we develop will obtain the regulatory approvals necessary for us to begin commercializing them. The
time required to obtain FDA and other approvals is unpredictable but in general takes years following the commencement of clinical trials, depending upon the
nature of the drug candidate. Any analysis we perform of data from clinical activities is subject to confirmation and interpretation by regulatory authorities,
which could delay, limit or prevent
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regulatory approval. Any delay or failure in obtaining required approvals could have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate revenues from the
particular drug candidate including, but not limited to, loss of patent term during the approval period. Furthermore, if we, or our partners, do not reach the
market with our products before our competitors offer products for the same or similar uses, or if we, or our partners, are not effective in marketing our
products, our revenues from product sales, if any, will be reduced.
We face intense competition in our development activities. We face competition from many companies in the United States and abroad, including a
number of large pharmaceutical companies, firms specialized in the development and production of vaccines, adjuvants and vaccine and immunotherapeutic
delivery systems and major universities and research institutions. Most of our competitors have substantially greater resources, more extensive experience in
conducting preclinical studies and clinical testing and obtaining regulatory approvals for their products, greater operating experience, greater research and
development and marketing capabilities and greater production capabilities than those of ours. These companies might succeed in obtaining regulatory
approval for competitive products more rapidly than we can for our products, especially if we experience any delay in obtaining required regulatory approvals.
We may enter into collaboration agreements for the licensing, development and ultimate commercialization of some of our drug candidates including,
where appropriate, for our lead drug candidates. In such cases, we will depend greatly on our third-party collaborators to license, develop and
commercialize such drug candidates, and they may not meet our expectations.
We may enter into co-development and commercialization partnerships for our drug candidates where appropriate. The process of identifying
collaborators and negotiating collaboration agreements for the licensing, development and ultimate commercialization of some of our drug candidates may
cause delays and increased costs. We may not be able to enter into collaboration agreements on terms favorable to us or at all. Furthermore some of those
agreements may give substantial responsibility over our drug candidates to the collaborator. Some collaborators may be unable or unwilling to devote sufficient
resources to develop our drug candidates as their agreements require. They often face business risks similar to ours, and this could interfere with their efforts.
Also, collaborators may choose to devote their resources to products that compete with ours. If a collaborator does not successfully develop any one of our
products, we will need to find another collaborator to do so. The success of our search for a new collaborator will depend on our legal right to do so at the time
and whether the product remains commercially viable.
If we enter into collaboration agreements for one or more of our lead drug candidates, the success of such drug candidates will depend in great part upon
our and our collaborators' success in promoting them as superior to other treatment alternatives. We believe that our drug candidates can be proven to offer
disease treatment with notable advantages over drugs in terms of patient compliance and effectiveness. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able
to prove these advantages or that the advantages will be sufficient to support the successful commercialization of our drug candidates.
We have many competitors in our field, and they may develop technologies that make ours obsolete.
Biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and therapeutics are rapidly evolving fields in which scientific and technological developments are expected to continue
at a rapid pace. We have many competitors in the U.S. and abroad. Our success depends upon our ability to develop and maintain a competitive position in the
product categories and technologies on which we focus. Many of our competitors have greater capabilities, experience and financial resources than we do.
Competition is intense and is expected to
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increase as new products enter the market and new technologies become available. Our competitors may:
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develop technologies and products that are more effective than ours, making ours obsolete or otherwise noncompetitive;
obtain regulatory approval for products more rapidly or effectively than us; and
obtain patent protection or other intellectual property rights that would block our ability to develop competitive products.
Risks Related to Commercialization of Our Drug Candidates
We may face delays, difficulties or unanticipated costs in establishing sales, marketing and distribution capabilities or seeking a partnership for the
commercialization of our drug candidates, even if regulatory approval is obtained.
We may choose to build a commercial organization which we believe could provide us with the strategic options to either retain full economic rights to
our drug candidates or seek favorable economic terms through advantageous commercial partnerships. As a result, we may have full responsibility for
commercialization of one or more of our drug candidates if and when they are approved for sale. We currently lack sufficient marketing, sales and distribution
capabilities to carry out this strategy. If any of our drug candidates are approved by the FDA, we will need a drug sales force with technical expertise prior to
the commercialization of any of our drug candidates. We may not succeed in developing such sales and distribution capabilities, the cost of establishing such
sales and distribution capabilities may exceed any product revenue, or our direct marketing and sales efforts may be unsuccessful. We may find it necessary to
enter into strategic partnerships, co-promotion or other licensing arrangements. To the extent we enter into such strategic partnerships, co-promotion or other
licensing arrangements, our product revenues are likely to be lower than if we directly marketed and sold such drugs, and some or all of the revenues we
receive will depend upon the efforts of third parties, which may not be successful and may not be within our control. If we are unable to enter into such
strategic partnerships, co-promotion or other licensing arrangements on acceptable terms or at all, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our
existing and future drug candidates. If we are not successful in commercializing any drug candidates, for which we obtain regulatory approval, either on our
own or through collaborations with one or more third parties, our future product revenue will suffer, and we may never achieve profitability or become unable
to continue the operation of our business.
If our drug candidates for which we obtain regulatory approval do not achieve broad acceptance from physicians, patients and third-party payors, we may
be unable to generate significant revenues, if any.
Even if we obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates, our approved drugs may not gain market acceptance among physicians and patients. We
believe that effectively marketing our drug candidates, if any of them are approved, will require substantial efforts, both prior to commercial launch and after
approval. Physicians may elect not to prescribe our drugs, and patients may elect not to request or take them, for a variety of reasons, including:
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limitations or warnings contained in a drug's FDA-approved labeling;
changes in the standard of care or the availability of alternative drugs for the targeted indications for any of our drug candidates;
limitations in the approved indications for our drug candidates;
the approval, availability, market acceptance and reimbursement for the companion diagnostic, where applicable;
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demonstrated clinical safety and efficacy compared to other drugs;
significant adverse side effects;
effectiveness of education, sales, marketing and distribution support;
timing of market introduction and perceived effectiveness of competitive drugs;
cost-effectiveness;
adverse publicity about our drug candidates or favorable publicity about competitive drugs;
convenience and ease of administration of our drug candidates; and
willingness of third-party payors to reimburse for the cost of our drug candidates.
If our future drugs fail to achieve market acceptance, we will not be able to generate significant revenues and may never achieve profitability.
Even if any of our drug candidates receive FDA approval, the terms of the approval may limit such drug's commercial potential. Additionally, even after
receipt of FDA approval, such drug would be subject to substantial, ongoing regulatory requirements.
The FDA has complete discretion over the approval of our drug candidates. If the FDA grants approval, the scope of the approval may limit our ability to
commercialize such drug, and in turn, limit our ability to generate substantial product revenue. For example, the FDA may grant approval contingent on the
performance of costly post-approval clinical trials or subject to warnings or contraindications. Additionally, even after granting approval, the manufacturing
processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for such drug will be subject to
extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. In addition, manufacturers of our drug candidates are required to comply with cGMP regulations, which
include requirements related to quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation. Further,
regulatory authorities must inspect and approve these manufacturing facilities before they can be used to manufacture our drug candidates, and these facilities
are subject to continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA and other regulatory authorities for compliance with cGMP regulations. If we or a third
party discover previously unknown problems with a drug, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the
drug is manufactured, a regulatory authority may impose restrictions on that product, the manufacturer or us, including requiring withdrawal of the drug from
the market or suspension of manufacturing. If we, our drug candidates or the manufacturing facilities for our drug candidates fail to comply with regulatory
requirements of the FDA and/or other non-U.S. regulatory authorities, we could be subject to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions, including the
following:
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warning letters;
civil or criminal penalties and fines;
injunctions;
consent decrees;
suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approval;
suspension of any ongoing clinical studies;
voluntary or mandatory product recalls and publicity requirements;
refusal to accept or approve applications for marketing approval of new drugs;
restrictions on operations, including costly new manufacturing requirements; or
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seizure or detention of drugs or import bans.
The regulatory requirements and policies may change, and additional government regulations may be enacted with which we may also be required to
comply. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the
United States or in other countries. If we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may not be permitted to market our future products and our
business may suffer.
Reimbursement decisions by third-party payors may have an adverse effect on pricing and market acceptance of any of our drug candidates. If there is not
sufficient reimbursement for our future drugs, it is less likely that such drugs will be widely used.
Market acceptance and sales of any of our drug candidates for which we obtain regulatory approval will depend on reimbursement policies and may be
affected by future health care reform measures in both the United States and foreign jurisdictions. Government authorities and third-party payors, such as
private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which drugs they will cover and establish payment levels. In addition, government
authorities and these third-party payors are increasingly attempting to contain health care costs by demanding price discounts or rebates and limiting both the
types and variety of drugs that they will cover and the amounts that they will pay for these drugs. In addition, we might need to conduct post-marketing studies
in order to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of any future drugs to such payors' satisfaction. Such studies might require us to commit a significant amount of
management time and financial and other resources.
Reimbursement rates may vary according to the use of the drug and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on payments allowed for lower-
cost products that are already reimbursed, may be incorporated into existing payments for other products or services and may reflect budgetary constraints
and/or imperfections in Medicare or Medicaid data used to calculate these rates. Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates
required by government health care programs. Such programs, or regulatory changes or relaxation of laws that restrict imports of drugs from other countries,
could reduce the net price we receive for any future marketed drugs. In addition, our future drugs might not ultimately be considered cost-effective.
We cannot be certain that reimbursement will be available for any drug candidates that we develop. Also, we cannot be certain that reimbursement policies
will not reduce the demand for, or the price paid for, any future drugs. If reimbursement is not available or is available on a limited basis, we may not be able to
successfully commercialize any drug candidates that we develop.
Other factors could affect the demand for and sales and profitability of any drug candidates that we may commercialize in the future.
In general, other factors that could affect the demand for and sales and profitability of our future drugs include, but are not limited to:
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the timing of regulatory approval, if any, of competitive drugs;
our or any other of our partners' pricing decisions, as applicable, including a decision to increase or decrease the price of a drug, and the pricing
decisions of our competitors;
government and third-party payor reimbursement and coverage decisions that affect the utilization of our future drugs and competing drugs;
negative safety or efficacy data from new clinical studies conducted either in the U.S. or internationally by any party, which could cause the
sales of our future drugs to decrease or a future drug to be recalled;
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the degree of patent protection afforded our future drugs by patents granted to or licensed by us and by the outcome of litigation involving our
or any of our licensor's patents;
marketing exclusivity, if any, awarded by the FDA to our drugs;
the outcome of litigation involving patents of other companies concerning our future drugs or processes related to production and formulation of
those drugs or uses of those drugs;
the increasing use and development of alternate therapies;
the rate of market penetration by competing drugs; and
the termination of, or change in, existing arrangements with our partners.
Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on the sales of any drug candidates that we may commercialize in the future.
Failure to obtain regulatory approvals in foreign jurisdictions will prevent us from marketing our products internationally.
We may seek approval for our drug candidates outside the United States and may market future products in international markets. In order to market our
future products in the European Economic Area, or EEA, and many other foreign jurisdictions, we must obtain separate regulatory approvals. Specifically, in
the EEA, medicinal products can only be commercialized after obtaining a Marketing Authorization, or MA.
Before granting the MA, the European Medicines Agency or the competent authorities of the member states of the EEA make an assessment of the risk-
benefit balance of the product on the basis of scientific criteria concerning its quality, safety and efficacy.
The approval procedures vary among countries and can involve additional clinical testing, and the time required to obtain approval may differ from that
required to obtain FDA approval. Clinical studies conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries. Approval by the
FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries, and approval by one or more foreign regulatory authorities does not ensure approval
by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or by the FDA. However, a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may have a
negative effect on the regulatory process in others. The foreign regulatory approval process may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA
approval. We may not obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all. We may not be able to file for regulatory approvals, and even if we file we
may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market.
If we obtain approval to commercialize any approved products outside of the United States, a variety of risks associated with international operations could
materially adversely affect our business.
If our drug candidates are approved for commercialization outside of the United States, we expect that we will be subject to additional risks related to
international operations and entering into international business relationships, including:
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different regulatory requirements for drug approvals;
reduced protection for intellectual property rights, including trade secret and patent rights;
unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements;
economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability in particular foreign economies and markets;
compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad;
foreign taxes, including withholding of payroll taxes;
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foreign currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenues, and other obligations incident to doing
business in another country;
workforce uncertainty in countries where employment regulations are different than, and labor unrest is more common than, in the United
States;
production shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad;
business interruptions resulting from geopolitical actions, including war and terrorism, or natural disasters, including earthquakes, hurricanes,
floods and fires; and
difficulty in importing and exporting clinical trial materials and study samples.
Risks Related to Reliance on Third Parties
We rely on third parties to plan, conduct and monitor our clinical tests, and their failure to perform as required would interfere with our product
development.
We rely on third parties to conduct a significant portion of our clinical development activities. These activities include clinical patient recruitment and
observation, clinical trial monitoring, clinical data management and analysis, safety monitoring and project management. We conduct project management and
medical and safety monitoring in-house for some of our programs and rely on third parties for the remainder of our clinical development activities. If any of
these third parties is unable to perform in a quality and timely manner, and at a feasible cost, our clinical studies will face delays. Further, if any of these third
parties fails to perform as we expect or if their work fails to meet regulatory standards, our testing could be delayed, cancelled or rendered ineffective.
We rely on contract manufacturers over whom we have limited control. Should the cost, delivery and quality of clinical materials manufactured by us in
our Fall River facility or supplied by contract manufacturers vary to our disadvantage, our business operations could suffer significant harm.
We have limited experience in commercial manufacturing. We rely on CMOs to manufacture drug substance and drug product for any late-stage clinical
studies of our drug candidates as well as for future commercial supplies. Our ability to conduct late-stage clinical trials, manufacture and commercialize our
drug candidates, if regulatory approval is obtained, depends on the ability of such third parties to manufacture our drug candidates on a large scale at a
competitive cost and in accordance with cGMP and foreign regulatory requirements, if applicable. We also rely on CMOs for filling, packaging, storage and
shipping of drug product. In order for us to establish our own commercial manufacturing facility, we would require substantial additional funds and would need
to hire and retain significant additional personnel and comply with extensive cGMP regulations applicable to such a facility. The commercial manufacturing
facility would also need to be licensed for the production of our drug candidates by the FDA.
Prior to approval of any drug candidate, the FDA must review and approve validation studies for drug product. The manufacturing processes for our drug
candidates and immunotherapeutic delivery systems utilize known technologies. We believe that the products we currently have under development can be
scaled up to permit manufacture in commercial quantities. However, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter difficulties in scaling up the
manufacturing processes. Significant scale-up of manufacturing may result in unanticipated technical challenges and may require additional validation studies
that the FDA must review and approve. CMOs may encounter difficulties in scaling up production, including problems involving raw material suppliers,
production yields, technical difficulties, scaled-up product characteristics, quality control and assurance, shortage of qualified personnel, capacity constraints,
changing priorities within the CMOs, compliance with FDA and foreign regulations, environmental compliance, production costs and development of
advanced manufacturing
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techniques and process controls. Any of these difficulties, if they occur and are not overcome to the satisfaction of the FDA or other regulatory agency, could
lead to significant delays and possibly the termination of the development program for such drug candidate. These risks become more acute as we scale up for
commercial quantities, where a reliable source of drug product becomes critical to commercial success. The commercial viability of any of our drug candidates,
if approved, will depend on the ability of our contract manufacturers to produce drug product on a large scale. Failure to achieve this level of supply can
jeopardize and prevent the successful commercialization of the drug.
We operate our own cGMP manufacturing facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, to produce drug substance for our current and planned early-stage clinical
trials. Our Fall River manufacturing facility has 250L and 1000L bioreactor capacity and is able to manufacture in compliance with FDA regulations, allowing
us to distribute potential products to clinical sites in the U.S. for early-stage clinical trials. We currently manufacture CDX-1140, CDX-301, CDX-527 and
CDX-0159 drug substance in our Fall River facility for our current and planned Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. We expect that our existing clinical supplies
of CDX-3379 will be sufficient to carry out our current planned clinical development. Additional manufacturing options are under review and may involve
utilization of the Fall River facility and/or a CMO. All products are then filled and packaged at contract manufacturers. Any manufacturing failures or
compliance issues at contract manufacturers could cause delays in our Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies for these drug candidates.
Our leading drug candidates require specialized manufacturing capabilities and processes. We may face difficulty in securing commitments from U.S. and
foreign contract manufacturers as these manufacturers could be unwilling or unable to accommodate our needs. Relying on foreign manufacturers involves
peculiar and increased risks, including the risk relating to the difficulty foreign manufacturers may face in complying with cGMP requirements as a result of
language barriers, lack of familiarity with cGMP or the FDA regulatory process or other causes, economic or political instability in or affecting the home
countries of our foreign manufacturers, shipping delays, potential changes in foreign regulatory laws governing the sales of our product supplies, fluctuations in
foreign currency exchange rates and the imposition or application of trade restrictions.
There can be no assurances that contract manufacturers will be able to meet our timetable and requirements. Further, contract manufacturers must operate
in compliance with cGMP and failure to do so could result in, among other things, the disruption of product supplies. As noted above, non-U.S. contract
manufacturers may face special challenges in complying with cGMP requirements, and although we are not currently dependent on non-U.S. collaborators or
contract manufacturers, we may choose or be required to rely on non-U.S. sources in the future as we seek to develop stable supplies of increasing quantities of
materials for ongoing clinical trials of larger scale. Our dependence upon third parties for the manufacture of our products may adversely affect our profit
margins and our ability to develop, manufacture, sell and deliver products on a timely and competitive basis.
We currently rely on third-party collaborators to develop and commercialize companion diagnostic tests for certain of our drug candidates.
We do not have experience or capabilities in developing, administering, obtaining regulatory approval for, or commercializing companion diagnostic tests
and will need to rely in large part on third-party collaborators to perform these functions. Companion diagnostic tests are subject to regulation by the FDA and
similar regulatory authorities outside of the United States as medical devices and require separate regulatory approval prior to commercialization. We are
dependent on such third-party collaborators to obtain regulatory approval and commercialize such companion diagnostic tests. Such third-party collaborators:
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may encounter production difficulties that could constrain the supply of the companion diagnostic test;
may have difficulties gaining acceptance of the use of the companion diagnostic test in the clinical community;
may not pursue commercialization of the companion diagnostic test even if they receive any required regulatory approvals;
may elect not to continue the development or commercialization of the companion diagnostic test based on changes in the third parties' strategic
focus or available funding, or external factors such as an acquisition, that divert resources or create competing priorities;
may not commit sufficient resources to the marketing and distribution of the companion diagnostic test; and
may terminate their relationship with us.
If such third-party collaborators fail to develop, obtain regulatory approval or commercialize the companion diagnostic test, we may not be able to enter
into arrangements with another diagnostic company to obtain supplies of an alternative diagnostic test for use in connection with the development and
commercialization of our drug candidates or do so on commercially reasonable terms, which could adversely affect and/or delay the development or
commercialization of our drug candidates.
Our reliance on third parties requires us to share our trade secrets, which increases the possibility that a competitor will discover them.
Because we rely on third parties to develop our drug candidates, we must share trade secrets with them. We seek to protect our proprietary technology in
part by entering into confidentiality agreements and, if applicable, material transfer agreements, collaborative research agreements, consulting agreements or
other similar agreements with our collaborators, advisors, employees and consultants prior to beginning research or disclosing proprietary information. These
agreements typically restrict the ability of our collaborators, advisors, employees and consultants to publish data potentially relating to our trade secrets. Our
academic collaborators typically have rights to publish data, provided that we are notified in advance and may delay publication for a specified time in order to
secure our intellectual property rights arising from the collaboration. In other cases, publication rights are controlled exclusively by us, although in some cases
we may share these rights with other parties. We also conduct joint research and development programs which may require us to share trade secrets under the
terms of research and development partnership or similar agreements. Despite our efforts to protect our trade secrets, our competitors may discover our trade
secrets, either through breach of these agreements, independent development or publication of information including our trade secrets in cases where we do not
have proprietary or otherwise protected rights at the time of publication. A competitor's discovery of our trade secrets would impair our competitive position.
We or the third parties upon whom we depend may be adversely affected by natural disasters and our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may
not adequately protect us from a serious disaster.
Events outside of our control, including natural disasters and public health emergencies, 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, or public health emergency such as the novel coronavirus,
power outage or other event occurred that prevented us from using all or a significant portion of our manufacturing and lab facilities, that damaged critical
infrastructure, such as third-party manufacturing facilities, or that otherwise disrupted operations and travel, 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 may prove inadequate in
the event of a
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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 could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Risks Related to Business Operations
We may engage in strategic transactions that could impact our liquidity, increase our expenses and present significant distractions to our management.
From time to time we may consider strategic transactions, including acquisitions of companies, such as our acquisition of Kolltan in the fourth quarter of
2016, asset purchases and out-licensing or in-licensing of products, drug candidates or technologies. Additional potential transactions that we may consider
include a variety of different business arrangements, including spin-offs, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, restructurings, divestitures, business
combinations, acquisitions of assets and investments. Any such transaction may require us to incur non-recurring or other charges, may increase our near and
long-term expenditures and may pose significant integration challenges or disrupt our management or business, which could adversely affect our operations
and financial results. For example, these transactions may entail numerous operational and financial risks, including:
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exposure to unknown liabilities;
disruption of our business and diversion of our management's time and attention in order to develop acquired products, drug candidates or
technologies;
incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of equity securities to pay for acquisitions;
higher than expected acquisition and integration costs;
write-downs of assets or goodwill or impairment charges;
increased amortization expenses;
difficulty and cost in combining the operations and personnel of any acquired businesses with our operations and personnel;
impairment of relationships with key suppliers or customers of any acquired businesses due to changes in management and ownership; and
inability to retain key employees of any acquired businesses.
Accordingly, although there can be no assurance that we will undertake or successfully complete any transactions of the nature described above, any
transactions that we do complete could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
We depend greatly on the intellectual capabilities and experience of our key executives and scientists, and the loss of any of them could affect our ability to
develop our products.
The loss of any of our executive officers could harm us. We entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers, although an
employment agreement as a practical matter does not guarantee retention of an employee. We also depend on our scientific and clinical collaborators and
advisors, all of whom have outside commitments that may limit their availability to us. In addition, we believe that our future success will depend in large part
upon our ability to attract and retain highly skilled scientific, managerial and marketing personnel, particularly as we expand our activities in clinical trials, the
regulatory approval process and sales and manufacturing. We routinely enter into consulting agreements with our scientific and clinical collaborators and
advisors, key opinion leaders and heads of academic departments in the ordinary course of our business. We also enter into contractual agreements with
physicians and institutions who recruit patients into our clinical trials on our behalf in
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the ordinary course of our business. Notwithstanding these arrangements, we face significant competition for this type of personnel from other companies,
research and academic institutions, government entities and other organizations. We cannot predict our success in hiring or retaining the personnel we require
for continued growth.
We may expand our clinical development, regulatory and sales and marketing capabilities, and as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our
growth, which could disrupt our operations.
We expect that if our drug candidates continue to progress in development, we may require significant additional investment in personnel, management
systems and resources, particularly in the build out of our commercial capabilities. To date we have hired a core commercial team to plan for potential
commercial launches if any of our drug candidates are approved. Over the next several years, we may experience significant growth in the number of our
employees and the scope of our operations, particularly in the areas of drug development, regulatory affairs and sales and marketing. To manage this potential
future growth, we may continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and
train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial resources and the limited experience of our management team in managing a company with
such anticipated growth, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. The
physical expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Any inability to
manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.
We may not realize the anticipated benefits of our acquisition of Kolltan.
The success of the Kolltan merger will depend on, among other things, the successful development of the preclinical and clinical programs acquired from
Kolltan. The time periods to receive approvals from the FDA and other regulatory agencies are subject to uncertainty and therefore we will continue to evaluate
the development progress for these preclinical and clinical programs and monitor the remaining intangible assets for further impairment. If we experience
further delays or do not successfully develop the preclinical and clinical programs acquired from Kolltan, we may incur further impairment charges and may
not realize the anticipated benefits of the Kolltan acquisition, which would have an adverse effect on our business prospects and results of operations.
Our employees may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements, which could
have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other misconduct. Misconduct by employees could include intentional failures to comply with FDA
regulations, provide accurate information to the FDA, comply with applicable privacy laws, comply with manufacturing standards we have established, comply
with federal and state health care fraud and abuse laws and regulations, report financial information or data accurately or disclose unauthorized activities to us.
In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the health care industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud,
kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and
promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Employee misconduct could also involve the improper use of
information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. We have adopted a Code of
Business Conduct and Ethics and launched a Health Care Compliance program, but it is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct. 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 be in compliance
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with such laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions
could have a significant effect on our business and results of operations, including the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions.
We may not be able to successfully integrate our existing technology or to modify our technologies to create new immunotherapeutic drugs.
If we are able to integrate our acquired assets and licensed assets with our immunotherapy technologies, we believe these assets will give our
immunotherapeutic drugs a competitive advantage. However, if we are unable to successfully integrate licensed assets, or other technologies which we have
acquired or may acquire in the future, with our existing technologies and potential products currently under development, we may be unable to realize any
benefit from our acquisition of these assets, or other technologies which we have acquired or may acquire in the future, and we may face the loss of our
investment of financial resources and time in the integration process.
We believe that our immunotherapy technology portfolio may offer opportunities to develop immunotherapeutic drugs that treat a variety of cancers and
inflammatory and infectious diseases by stimulating a patient's immune system against those diseases. If our immunotherapy technology portfolio cannot be
used to create effective immunotherapeutic drugs against a variety of diseases, we may lose all or portions of our investment in development efforts for new
drug candidates.
Our internal computer systems, or those of our CROs, CMOs, or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, which could result
in a material disruption of our drug development programs.
Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our CROs, CMOs, and other contractors and consultants are
vulnerable to damage from cyberattacks, malicious intrusion, computer viruses, unauthorized access, loss of data privacy, natural disasters, terrorism, war and
telecommunication, electrical failures or other significant disruption. If such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in
a material disruption of our drug development programs and commercialization efforts. For example, the loss of clinical study data from completed or ongoing
clinical studies for any of our drug candidates could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or
reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of or damage to our data or applications or inappropriate
disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development or commercialization of our drug candidates could be
delayed.
Our business requires us to use hazardous materials, which increases our exposure to dangerous and costly accidents.
Our research and development activities involve the use of hazardous chemicals, biological materials and radioactive compounds. Although we believe
that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of hazardous materials comply with the standards prescribed by applicable laws and regulations, we
cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of an accident, an injured party will likely sue us
for any resulting damages with potentially significant liability. The ongoing cost of complying with environmental laws and regulations is significant and may
increase in the future.
We face the risk of product liability claims, which could exceed our insurance coverage, and product recalls, each of which could deplete our cash
resources.
As a participant in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and immunotherapeutic drug industries, we are exposed to the risk of product liability claims
alleging that use of our drug candidates caused an
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injury or harm. These claims can arise at any point in the development, testing, manufacture, marketing or sale of our drug candidates and may be made
directly by patients involved in clinical trials of our products, by consumers or health care providers or by individuals, organizations or companies selling our
products. Product liability claims can be expensive to defend, even if the drug or drug candidate did not actually cause the alleged injury or harm.
Insurance covering product liability claims becomes increasingly expensive as a drug candidate moves through the development pipeline to
commercialization. Under our license agreements, we are required to maintain clinical trial liability insurance coverage up to $15 million. However, there can
be no assurance that such insurance coverage is or will continue to be adequate or available to us at a cost acceptable to us or at all. We may choose or find it
necessary under our collaborative agreements to increase our insurance coverage in the future. We may not be able to secure greater or broader product liability
insurance coverage on acceptable terms or at reasonable costs when needed. Any liability for damages resulting from a product liability claim could exceed the
amount of our coverage, require us to pay a substantial monetary award from our own cash resources and have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, a product recall, if required, could generate substantial negative publicity about our products and
business and inhibit or prevent development of our drug candidates and, if approval is obtained, commercialization of our future drugs.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
We license technology from other companies to develop products, and those companies could influence research and development or restrict our use of it.
In addition, if we fail to comply with our obligations in our intellectual property licenses with third parties, we could lose license rights that are important
to our business.
Companies that license technologies to us that we use in our research and development programs may require us to achieve milestones or devote
minimum amounts of resources to develop products using those technologies. They may also require us to make significant royalty and milestone payments,
including a percentage of any sublicensing income, as well as payments to reimburse them for patent costs. The number and variety of our research and
development programs require us to establish priorities and to allocate available resources among competing programs. From time to time we may choose to
slow down or cease our efforts on particular products. If in doing so we fail to fully perform our obligations under a license, the licensor can terminate the
license or permit our competitors to use the technology. Termination of these licenses or reduction or elimination of our licensed rights may result in our having
to negotiate new or reinstated licenses with less favorable terms. Moreover, we may lose our right to market and sell any products based on the licensed
technology. The occurrence of such events could materially harm our business.
Our ability to successfully develop and, if regulatory approval is obtained, commercialize our drug candidates may be materially adversely affected if we
are unable to obtain and maintain effective intellectual property rights for our drug candidates and technologies.
Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection and other intellectual property protection for our drug candidates and
proprietary technology. We have sought to protect our proprietary position by filing patent applications in the United States and abroad related to our drug
candidates and technology that are important to our business. This 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. 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. Our existing patents and any future patents we obtain may not be sufficiently
broad to prevent others from using our technologies or from developing competing drugs and technologies.
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Biotechnology patents involve complex legal, scientific and factual questions and are highly uncertain. To date, there is no consistent policy regarding the
breadth of claims allowed in biotechnology patents, particularly in regard to patents for technologies for human uses like those we use in our business. We
cannot predict whether the patents we or our licensors seek will issue. If such patents are issued, a competitor may challenge them and limit their scope.
Moreover, our patents may not afford effective protection against competitors with similar technology. A successful challenge to any one of our patents could
result in a third party's ability to use the technology covered by the patent. We also face the risk that others will infringe, avoid or circumvent our patents.
Technology that we license from others is subject to similar risks and this could harm our ability to use that technology. If we, or a company that licenses
technology to us, were not the first creator of an invention that we use, our use of the underlying product or technology will face restrictions, including
elimination.
If we must defend against suits brought against us or prosecute suits against others involving intellectual property rights, we will incur substantial costs. In
addition to any potential liability for significant monetary damages, a decision against us may require us to obtain licenses to patents or other intellectual
property rights of others on potentially unfavorable terms. If those licenses from third parties are necessary but we cannot acquire them, we would attempt to
design around the relevant technology, which would cause higher development costs and delays and may ultimately prove impracticable.
We may need to license intellectual property from third parties, and such licenses may not be available or may not be available on commercially reasonable
terms.
A third party may hold intellectual property, including patent rights, that are important or necessary to the development of our drug candidates. It may be
necessary for us to use the patented or proprietary technology of a third party to commercialize our own technology or drug candidates, in which case we
would be required to obtain a license from such third party. A license to such intellectual property may not be available or may not be available on
commercially reasonable terms, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
We may be unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, thus harming our business and competitive position.
We rely upon trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information to develop and maintain our competitive
position, which we seek to protect, in part, by confidentiality agreements with our employees and our collaborators and consultants. We also have agreements
with our employees that obligate them to assign their inventions to us. However, it is possible that technology relevant to our business will be independently
developed by a person that is not a party to such an agreement. Furthermore, if the employees, consultants or collaborators that are parties to these agreements
breach or violate the terms of these agreements, we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach or violation, and we could lose our trade secrets
through such breaches or violations. Further, our trade secrets could be disclosed, misappropriated or otherwise become known or be independently discovered
by our competitors. In addition, intellectual property laws in foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property to the same extent as the laws of the
United States. If our trade secrets are disclosed or misappropriated, it would harm our ability to protect our rights and have a material adverse effect on our
business.
We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe our patents. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be
expensive and time-consuming. In addition, in an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent of ours is invalid or unenforceable or may
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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. An adverse result in
any litigation proceeding could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly. 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.
Third parties may initiate legal proceedings alleging that we are infringing their intellectual property rights, the outcome of which would be uncertain and
could have a material adverse effect on the success of our business.
Our commercial success depends upon our ability and the ability of our collaborators to develop, manufacture, market and sell our drug candidates and
use our proprietary technologies without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the proprietary rights or intellectual property of third parties. We
may become party to, or be threatened with, future adversarial proceedings or litigation regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our drug
candidates and technology. Third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on existing patents or patents that may be granted in the future. If we
are found to infringe a third-party's intellectual property rights, we could be required to obtain a license from such third-party to continue developing our drug
candidates and technology. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to
obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. We could be forced, including by
court order, to cease developing the infringing technology or product. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages. Claims that we have
misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties can have a similar negative impact on our business.
Third parties may assert that our employees or consultants have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information or misappropriated trade secrets.
We employ individuals who were previously employed at universities or other diagnostic or biopharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or
potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees and consultants do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their
work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed
intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of a former employer or other third parties. Litigation may be necessary to defend
against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or
personnel. 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.
Regulatory Risks
We may not be able to obtain or maintain orphan drug designation or exclusivity for our product candidates.
We may seek orphan drug designation for some of our product candidates in the United States. Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the
United States and Europe, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a
product as an orphan drug if it is a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000
individuals in the United States.
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
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marketing exclusivity, which precludes the FDA or the EMA from approving another marketing application for the same indication for that drug during that
time period. The applicable period is seven years in the United States and ten years in Europe. The European exclusivity period can be reduced to six years if a
drug no longer meets the criteria for orphan drug designation or if the drug is sufficiently profitable so that market exclusivity is no longer justified. Orphan
drug exclusivity may be lost if the FDA or the EMA determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to
assure sufficient quantity of the drug to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.
We cannot assure you that any future application for orphan drug designation with respect to any product candidate will be granted. If we are unable to
obtain orphan drug designation in the United States, we will not be eligible to obtain the period of market exclusivity that could result from orphan drug
designation or be afforded the financial incentives associated with orphan drug designation. Even 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 can subsequently approve the same drug for the same condition if the FDA 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.
Any fast track designation or grant of priority review status by the FDA may not actually lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval
process, nor will it assure FDA approval of our product candidates. Additionally, our product candidates may treat indications that do not qualify for
priority review vouchers.
We may seek fast track designation for some of our product candidates or priority review of applications for approval of our product candidates. If a drug
is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition and the drug demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for this
condition, the drug sponsor may apply for FDA fast track designation. If a product candidate offers major advances in treatment, the FDA may designate it
eligible for priority review. The FDA has broad discretion whether or not to grant these designations, so even if we believe a particular product candidate is
eligible for these designations, we cannot assure you that the FDA would decide to grant them. Even if we do receive fast track designation or priority review,
we may not 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.
Any breakthrough therapy designation granted by the FDA for our product candidates may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or
approval process, and it does not increase the likelihood that our product candidates will receive marketing approval.
We may seek a breakthrough therapy designation for some of our product candidates. A breakthrough therapy is defined as a drug that is intended, alone
or in combination with one or more other drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the
drug 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 drugs and biologics 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 in
ineffective control regimens. Drugs designated as breakthrough therapies by the FDA may also be eligible for accelerated approval if the relevant criteria are
met.
Designation as a breakthrough therapy is within the discretion of the FDA. Accordingly, even if we believe one of our product candidates meets the
criteria for designation as a breakthrough therapy, the
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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 drugs considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures and does
not assure ultimate approval by the FDA. In addition, even if one or more of our product candidates qualify as breakthrough therapies, the FDA may later
decide that the products no longer meet the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened.
If our processes and systems are not compliant with regulatory requirements, we could be subject to delays in submitting BLAs, NDAs or restrictions on
marketing of drugs after they have been approved.
We currently are developing drug candidates for regulatory approval and are in the process of implementing regulated processes and systems required to
obtain and maintain regulatory approval for our drug candidates. Certain of these processes and systems for conducting clinical trials and manufacturing
material must be compliant with regulatory requirements before we can apply for regulatory approval for our drug candidates. These processes and systems
will be subject to continual review and periodic inspection by the FDA and other regulatory bodies. If we are unable to achieve compliance in a timely fashion
or if compliance issues are identified at any point in the development and approval process, we may experience delays in filing for regulatory approval for our
drug candidates or delays in obtaining regulatory approval after filing. In addition, any later discovery of previously unknown problems or safety issues with
approved drugs or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements may result in restrictions on such drugs or manufacturing
processes, withdrawal of drugs from the market, the imposition of civil or criminal penalties or a refusal by the FDA and/or other regulatory bodies to approve
pending applications for marketing approval of new drugs or supplements to approved applications, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our
business. In addition, we are a party to agreements that transfer responsibility for complying with specified regulatory requirements, such as filing and
maintenance of marketing authorizations and safety reporting or compliance with manufacturing requirements, to our collaborators and third-party
manufacturers. If our collaborators or third-party manufacturers do not fulfill these regulatory obligations, any drugs for which we or they obtain approval may
be subject to later restrictions on manufacturing or sale or may even risk withdrawal, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Even if we receive regulatory approval for a drug candidate, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which
may result in significant additional expense and subject us to penalties if we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements.
Once regulatory approval has been granted, the approved product and its manufacturer are subject to continual review by the FDA and/or non-U.S.
regulatory authorities. Any regulatory approval that we or our collaboration partners receive for our drug candidates may be subject to limitations on the
indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing follow-up studies to monitor the safety and
efficacy of the product. In addition, if the FDA and/or non-U.S. regulatory authorities approve any of our drug candidates, we will be subject to extensive and
ongoing regulatory requirements by the FDA and other regulatory authorities with regard to the labeling, packaging, adverse event reporting, storage,
advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for our products. In addition, manufacturers of our drug products are required to comply with cGMP regulations,
which include requirements related to quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation. Further,
regulatory authorities must inspect and approve these manufacturing facilities before they can be used to manufacture our drug products, and these facilities are
subject to continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA and other regulatory authorities for compliance with cGMP regulations. If we or a third party
discover previously unknown problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency or
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problems with the facility where the product is manufactured, a regulatory authority may impose restrictions on that product, the manufacturer or us, including
requiring withdrawal of the product from the market or suspension of manufacturing. If we, our drug candidates or the manufacturing facilities for our drug
candidates fail to comply with regulatory requirements of the FDA and/or other non-U.S. regulatory authorities, we could be subject to administrative or
judicially imposed sanctions, including the following:
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warning letters;
civil or criminal penalties and fines;
injunctions;
consent decrees;
suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approval;
suspension of any ongoing clinical studies;
voluntary or mandatory product recalls and publicity requirements;
refusal to accept or approve applications for marketing approval of new drugs;
restrictions on operations, including costly new manufacturing requirements; or
seizure or detention of drugs or import bans.
The regulatory requirements and policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted with which we may also be required to
comply. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the
United States or in other countries. If we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may not be permitted to market our future products, and our
business may suffer.
We may be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state health care fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws and health information privacy and
security laws. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.
If we obtain FDA approval for any of our drug candidates and begin commercializing those products in the United States, our operations will be directly,
or indirectly through our customers, subject to various federal and state fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute
and the federal False Claims Act. These laws may affect, among other things, our proposed sales, marketing and education programs. In addition, we may be
subject to patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The laws that may affect our ability to
operate include:
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the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or
paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce, or in return for, the purchase or recommendation of an item or service reimbursable under
a federal health care program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalty laws, which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from
knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid or other third-party payors that are false or
fraudulent;
the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for
Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or
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HITECH, and its implementing regulations, which impose certain requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually
identifiable health information;
the federal transparency requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires manufacturers of drugs, devices,
biologics and medical supplies to report to the Department of Health and Human Services information related to physician payments and other
transfers of value and physician ownership and investment interests; and
state law and foreign law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items
or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers, and state laws governing the privacy and security of health
information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus
complicating compliance efforts.
Although compliance programs can mitigate the risk of investigation and prosecution for violations of these laws, the risks cannot be entirely eliminated.
If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to
penalties, including exclusion from payment by federal health care programs, civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines and the curtailment or restructuring
of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. Moreover, achieving and sustaining
compliance with applicable federal and state privacy, security and fraud laws may prove costly.
Compliance with laws and regulations pertaining to the privacy and security of health information may be time consuming, difficult and costly, particularly
in light of increased focus on privacy issues in countries around the world, including the U.S. and the EU.
We are subject to various domestic and international privacy and security regulations. The confidentiality, collection, use and disclosure of personal data,
including clinical trial patient-specific information, are subject to governmental regulation generally in the country that the personal data were collected or
used. In the United States we are subject to various state and federal privacy and data security regulations, including but not limited to HIPAA and as amended
in 2014 by the HITECH Act. HIPAA mandates, among other things, the adoption of uniform standards for the electronic exchange of information in common
health care transactions, as well as standards relating to the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information, which require the adoption of
administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect such information. In the EU personal data includes any information that relates to an identified or
identifiable natural person with health information carrying additional obligations, including obtaining the explicit consent from the individual for collection,
use or disclosure of the information. We are also subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 ("GDPR") which came into effect on May 25,
2018. Furthermore, the legislative and regulatory landscape for privacy and data protection continues to evolve, and there has been an increasing amount of
focus on privacy and data protection issues. The United States and the EU and its member states continue to issue new privacy and data protection rules and
regulations that relate to personal data and health information.
Compliance with these laws may be time consuming, difficult and costly. If we fail to comply with applicable laws, regulations or duties relating to the
use, privacy or security of personal data we could be subject to the imposition of significant civil and criminal penalties, be forced to alter our business
practices and suffer reputational harm.
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Changes in health care law and implementing regulations, including government restrictions on pricing and reimbursement, as well as health care policy
and other health care payor cost-containment initiatives, may have a material adverse effect on us.
In the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the
health care system and efforts to control health care costs, including drug prices, that could have a significant negative impact on our business, including
preventing, limiting or delay regulatory approval of our drug candidates and reducing the sales and profits derived from our products once they are approved.
For example, in the United States, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 ("ACA") substantially changed the way health care is financed
by both governmental and private insurers and significantly affects the pharmaceutical industry. Many provisions of ACA impact the biopharmaceutical
industry, including that in order for a biopharmaceutical product to receive federal reimbursement under the Medicare Part B and Medicaid programs or to be
sold directly to U.S. government agencies, the manufacturer must extend discounts to entities eligible to participate in the drug pricing program under the
Public Health Services Act, or PHS. Since its enactment, there have been judicial and Congressional challenges and amendments to certain aspects of ACA.
There is continued uncertainty about the implementation of ACA, including the potential for further amendments to the ACA and legal challenges to or efforts
to repeal the ACA.
We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether government regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed,
or what the impact of such changes would be on the marketing approvals, sales, pricing, or reimbursement of our drug candidates or products, if any, may be.
Risks Related to Our Capital Stock
Our history of losses and uncertainty of future profitability make our common stock a highly speculative investment.
We have had no commercial revenue to date from sales of our drug candidates. We had an accumulated deficit of $1.0 billion as of December 31, 2019.
We expect to spend substantial funds to continue the research and development testing of our drug candidates.
In anticipation of FDA approval of these products, we will need to make substantial investments to establish sales, marketing, quality control, regulatory
compliance capabilities and commercial manufacturing alliances. These investments will increase if and when any of these drug candidates receive FDA
approval. We cannot predict how quickly our lead drug candidates will progress through the regulatory approval process. As a result, we may continue to lose
money for several years.
We cannot be certain that we will achieve or sustain profitability in the future. Failure to achieve profitability could diminish our ability to sustain
operations, pay dividends on our common stock, obtain additional required funds and make required payments on our present or future indebtedness.
We completed the reverse stock split in order to regain compliance with the listing requirements of NASDAQ. However, the reverse stock split may not
result in our stock price remaining compliant with the minimum price requirements of NASDAQ.
Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. In order to maintain that listing, we must satisfy minimum financial and other requirements
including, without limitation, a requirement that our closing bid price be at least $1.00 per share. At our annual meeting of stockholders in June 2018, our
stockholders approved a proposal to grant discretionary authority to our Board of Directors to amend our certificate of incorporation to effect a reverse stock
split of our outstanding shares of common stock within a range of one share of common stock for every ten shares of common stock to
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one share of common stock for every fifteen shares of common stock, with the exact reverse stock split ratio to be decided by the Board of Directors. On
February 8, 2019 we announced that our Board of Directors had approved a one for fifteen reverse stock split of our issued and outstanding shares of common
stock. On February 11, 2019, our common stock began trading on a split-adjusted basis on the NASDAQ Capital Market.
There can be no assurance that in the future we will be able to maintain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement or we will otherwise be in
compliance with other NASDAQ listing criteria. If we fail to maintain compliance with the minimum bid requirement or to meet the other applicable continued
listing requirements for the NASDAQ Capital Market in the future and NASDAQ determines to delist our common stock, the delisting could adversely affect
the market price and liquidity of our common stock and reduce our ability to raise additional capital. In addition, if our common stock is delisted from
NASDAQ and the trading price remains below $5.00 per share, trading in our common stock might also become subject to the requirements of certain rules
promulgated under the Exchange Act, which require additional disclosure by broker-dealers in connection with any trade involving a stock defined as a "penny
stock" (generally, any equity security not listed on a national securities exchange or quoted on NASDAQ that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share,
subject to certain exceptions).
Our share price has been and could remain volatile.
The market price of our common stock has historically experienced and may continue to experience significant volatility. From January 2019 through
December 2019, the market price of our common stock has fluctuated from a high of $11.62 per share in the first quarter of 2019, to a low of $2.01 per share in
the third quarter of 2019 (giving retroactive effect to our recently completed one for fifteen reverse stock split). Our progress in developing and
commercializing our products, the impact of government regulations on our products and industry, the potential sale of a large volume of our common stock by
stockholders, our quarterly operating results, changes in general conditions in the economy or the financial markets and other developments affecting us or our
competitors could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially with significant market losses. If our stockholders sell a substantial
number of shares of common stock, especially if those sales are made during a short period of time, those sales could adversely affect the market price of our
common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital. In addition, in recent years, the stock market has experienced significant price and volume
fluctuations. This volatility has affected the market prices of securities issued by many companies for reasons unrelated to their operating performance and may
adversely affect the price of our common stock. In addition, we could be subject to a securities class action litigation as a result of volatility in the price of our
stock, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of management's attention and resources and could harm our stock price, business, prospects, results
of operations and financial condition.
We completed the reverse stock split of our shares of common stock, which may reduce and may limit the market trading liquidity of the shares due to the
reduced number of shares outstanding, and may potentially have an anti-takeover effect.
We completed the reverse stock split of our common stock by a ratio of one for fifteen effective February 8, 2019. The liquidity of our common stock may
be adversely affected by the reverse stock split as a result of the reduced number of shares outstanding following the reverse stock split. In addition, the reverse
stock split may increase the number of stockholders who own odd lots of our common stock, creating the potential for such stockholders to experience an
increase in the cost of selling their shares and greater difficulty affecting such sales. Reducing the number of outstanding shares of our common stock through
the reverse stock split is intended, absent other factors, to increase the per share market price of our common stock. However, other factors, such as our
financial
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results, market conditions and the market perception of our business may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. As a result, there can be no
assurance that the reverse stock split will result in the intended benefits, that the market price of our common stock will remain higher following the reverse
stock split or that the market price of our common stock will not decrease in the future. Further, since the reverse stock split was not accompanied by a
corresponding decrease in the number of shares authorized for issuance under our Third Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the relative increase in the
number of shares authorized for issuance could, under certain circumstances, have an anti-takeover effect by enabling our Board of Directors to issue additional
shares of common stock in a transaction making it more difficult for a party to obtain control of us by tender offer or other means.
If certain preclinical and clinical milestones are achieved, our stockholders may experience significant dilution as a result of milestone payments to former
Kolltan stockholders.
The Merger Agreement pursuant to which we acquired Kolltan provides that, in the event that certain specified preclinical and clinical development
milestones related to Kolltan's development programs and/or Celldex's development programs and certain commercial milestones related to Kolltan's drug
candidates are achieved, we will be required to pay Kolltan's stockholders milestone payments of up to $172.5 million. Certain Kolltan Milestones have been
abandoned consistent with the provisions of the Merger Agreement and, because of this, as of December 31, 2019, we believe that the adjusted amount we may
be required to pay for future consideration is up to $127.5 million contingent upon the achievement of the Kolltan Milestones. We have previously sent an
abandonment notice to the representative of Kolltan's former stockholders with respect to certain of those milestone payments, to which the representative
subsequently objected. We disagree with their objection and believe their objection to be without merit. We are, however, discussing potential amendments to
the milestone payments with that stockholder representative. We cannot assure you whether any such amendment will be completed on terms acceptable to us,
or at all.
Milestone payments under the Merger Agreement may be made, at our sole election, in cash, in shares of our common stock or a combination of both,
subject to the provisions of the Merger Agreement. The number of shares of our common stock issuable in connection with a milestone payment, if any, will be
determined based on the average closing price per share of our common stock for the five trading day period ending three calendar days prior to the
achievement of such milestone. If we elect to issue additional shares of our common stock, in lieu of paying cash, for such milestone payments, our
stockholders may experience significant dilution.
Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards will be subject to limitation and, under certain circumstances, may be eliminated.
Utilization of our net operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to substantial annual limitation due to ownership
change limitations that have occurred previously or that could occur in the future provided by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or
Section 382, as well as similar state provisions. In general, an ownership change, as defined by Section 382, results from transactions increasing the ownership
of certain shareholders or public groups in the stock of a corporation by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period.
In October 2007, June 2009, December 2009 and December 2013, we experienced a change in ownership as defined by Section 382 of the Internal
Revenue Code. Historically, we have raised capital through the issuance of capital stock on several occasions which, combined with shareholders' subsequent
disposition of those shares, has resulted in three changes of control, as defined by Section 382. As a result of these ownership changes, utilization of our
Federal net operating loss carryforwards is subject to an annual limitation. Any unused annual limitation may be carried over to later years, and the amount of
the limitation may, under certain circumstances, be subject to adjustment if the fair value of our net assets is determined to be below or in excess of the tax
basis of
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such assets at the time of the ownership change, and such unrealized loss or gain is recognized during the five-year period after the ownership change.
Subsequent ownership changes, as defined in Section 382, could further limit the amount of net operating loss carryforwards and research and development
credits that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income. Additionally, as provided above, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act limited the deduction for net
operating losses to 80% of taxable income while providing that net operating loss carryovers for years after 2017 will not expire.
We have not undertaken a study to assess whether an ownership change or multiple ownership changes has occurred for (i) acquired businesses prior to the
acquisition, (ii) the Company on the state level, (iii) the Company since March 2015 or (iv) research and development credits. If, based on such a study, we
were to determine that there has been an ownership change at any time since its formation, utilization of net operating loss or tax credit carryforwards would be
subject to an annual limitation under Section 382.
Refer to Note 15, "Income Taxes," in the accompanying notes to the financial statements for additional discussion on income taxes.
Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
Item 2. PROPERTIES
As of February 29, 2020, our significant leased properties are described below.
Property Location
Hampton, New Jersey
Needham, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
New Haven, Connecticut
Approximate
Square Feet
Use
33,400 Headquarters, Office and Laboratory
46,700 Office and Laboratory
33,900 Manufacturing Facility
17,700 Office and Laboratory
Lease Expiration Date
July 2025(1)
July 2020
July 2021(2)
April 2022
(1)
(2)
Lease includes an early termination option and one renewal option of five years.
Lease includes two renewal options of two years each followed by one renewal option of five years.
Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings.
Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF
EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock currently trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market (NASDAQ) under the symbol "CLDX." On February 8, 2019, we effected a one for
fifteen reverse stock split of our common stock. As of March 13, 2020, there were approximately 176 shareholders of record of our common stock. On
March 13, 2020 the closing price of our common stock, as reported by NASDAQ, was $1.87 per share. We have not paid any dividends on our common stock
since our inception and do not intend to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future.
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC., NASDAQ MARKET INDEX—U.S. AND
PEER GROUP INDICES
The graph below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on the common stock for the period from December 31, 2014 through December 31,
2019, with the cumulative return on (i) NASDAQ U.S. Benchmark TR Index and (ii) NASDAQ Pharmaceutical (Subsector) Index. The comparison assumes
investment of $100 on December 31, 2014 in our common stock and in each of the indices and, in each case, assumes reinvestment of all dividends. The points
on the graph are as of December 31 of the year indicated.
Celldex Therapeutics, Inc.
NASDAQ U.S. Benchmark TR Index
NASDAQ Pharmaceutical (Subsector) Index
Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
2016
2015
2014
$ 100 $
1
19 $
$ 100 $ 100 $ 114 $ 138 $ 130 $ 171
$ 100 $ 105 $ 104 $ 124 $ 134 $ 154
16 $
86 $
1 $
2019
2018
2017
The following selected financial data are derived from our audited financial statements. The statement of operations data for the years ended
December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 have been derived from our audited financial statements
included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This data should be read in conjunction with
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our audited financial statements and related notes which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and "Management's Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included in Item 7 below.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS DATA
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
REVENUE:
Product Development and Licensing Agreements
Contracts and Grants
Total Revenue
$
473 $
3,100
3,573
3,341 $
6,197
9,538
3,153 $
9,590
12,743
2,174 $
4,612
6,786
1,442
4,038
5,480
2019
Year Ended December 31,
2017
2016
2018
2015
OPERATING EXPENSE:
Research and Development
Other Operating Expense
Total Operating Expense
Operating Loss
Investment and Other Income, Net
Net Loss Before Income Tax Benefit
Income Tax Benefit
Net Loss
Basic and Diluted Net Loss Per Common Share
Shares Used in Calculating Basic and Diluted Net
42,672
15,932
58,604
(55,031)
4,153
66,449
99,525
165,974
(156,436)
4,487
96,171
38,099
134,270
(121,527)
4,214
100,171
34,850
135,021
(129,541)
2,344
$ (50,878) $ (151,949) $ (117,313) $ (128,530) $ (127,197)
24,282
—
(93,031) $ (128,530) $ (127,197)
(19.66)
(10.86) $
$ (50,878) $ (151,184) $
(14.48) $
$
102,726
36,976
139,702
(132,916)
4,386
(18.99) $
(3.51) $
765
—
—
Loss Per Common Share
14,507
10,442
8,570
6,769
6,470
(Reflects one for fifteen reverse stock split effective February 8, 2019)
BALANCE SHEET DATA
(In thousands)
Working Capital*
Total Assets
Long-Term Liabilities
Accumulated Deficit
Total Stockholders' Equity
$
2019
55,055 $
122,933
17,264
(1,013,316)
94,026
2018
86,477 $
155,809
19,147
(962,438)
124,060
December 31,
2017
117,020 $
315,624
51,519
(812,517)
236,369
2016
160,346 $
383,358
82,704
(719,486)
265,431
2015
264,696
337,584
17,239
(590,956)
290,105
*
Total current assets less total current liabilities
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Item 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
On February 8, 2019 we announced that our Board of Directors had approved a one for fifteen reverse stock split of our issued and outstanding shares of
common stock, effective February 8, 2019. On February 11, 2019, our common stock began trading on a split-adjusted basis on the NASDAQ Capital Market.
The number of authorized shares of the Company remain unchanged. Stockholders who would have otherwise been entitled to fractional shares as a result of
the reverse stock split received a cash payment in lieu of receiving fractional shares. All share and per share amounts in this Annual Report are shown on a
post-split basis.
OVERVIEW
We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of immunotherapies and other targeted biologics. Our drug
candidates are derived from a broad set of human and bispecific antibodies which have the ability to engage the human immune system and/or directly inhibit
tumors to treat specific types of cancer or other diseases. They are aimed at addressing market opportunities for which we believe current therapies are
inadequate or non-existent.
We are focusing our efforts and resources on the continued research and development of:
•
•
•
•
CDX-1140, an agonist monoclonal antibody targeted to CD40, a key activator of immune response, currently being studied as a single-agent
and in combination with CDX-301, a dendritic cell growth factor. Dose escalation was recently completed in a Phase 1 study in solid tumors
and lymphoma and the recommended dose for further study was determined to be 1.5 mg/kg for both CDX-1140 monotherapy and in
combination with CDX-301. Celldex has initiated multiple expansion cohorts within the study, including a combination cohort with
KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab). The Company is exploring additional combination cohorts with mechanisms that we believe could be
complementary or synergistic with CDX-1140.
CDX-3379, a monoclonal antibody designed to block the activity of ErbB3 (HER3), currently in an early Phase 2 study in advanced head and
neck squamous cell cancer in combination with Erbitux®;
CDX-0159, a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds the KIT receptor and potently inhibits its activity, which is currently completing a
Phase 1 study in healthy subjects. We plan to study CDX-0159 in mast cell driven diseases, including, initially, chronic spontaneous urticaria
(CSU) and chronic inducible urticarias (CINDUs); and,
CDX-527, a bispecific antibody that uses our proprietary highly active anti-PD-L1 and CD27 human antibodies to couple CD27 co-stimulation
with blockade of the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway, for which we are planning a Phase 1 study in advanced solid tumors.
We routinely work with external parties to collaboratively advance our drug candidates. In addition to Celldex-led studies, we also have an Investigator
Initiated Research (IIR) program with multiple studies ongoing with our drug candidates.
Our goal is to build a fully integrated, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops important therapies for patients with unmet medical
needs. We believe our program assets provide us with the strategic options to either retain full economic rights to our innovative therapies or seek favorable
economic terms through advantageous commercial partnerships. This approach allows us to maximize the overall value of our technology and product portfolio
while best ensuring the expeditious development of each individual product. Currently, all programs are fully owned by Celldex.
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We estimate that clinical trials of the type we generally conduct are typically completed over the following timelines:
Clinical Phase
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Estimated
Completion
Period
1 - 2 Years
1 - 5 Years
1 - 5 Years
The duration and the cost of clinical trials may vary significantly over the life of a project as a result of differences arising during the clinical trial protocol,
including, among others, the following:
•
•
•
•
•
the number of patients that ultimately participate in the trial;
the duration of patient follow-up that seems appropriate in view of results;
the number of clinical sites included in the trials;
the length of time required to enroll suitable patient subjects; and
the efficacy and safety profile of the drug candidate.
We test potential drug candidates in numerous preclinical studies for safety, toxicology and immunogenicity. We may then conduct multiple clinical trials
for each drug candidate. As we obtain results from trials, we may elect to discontinue or delay clinical trials for certain drug candidates in order to focus our
resources on more promising drug candidates.
An element of our business strategy is to pursue the discovery, research and development of a broad portfolio of drug candidates. This is intended to allow
us to diversify the risks associated with our research and development expenditures. To the extent we are unable to maintain a broad range of drug candidates,
our dependence on the success of one or a few drug candidates increases.
Regulatory approval is required before we can market our drug candidates as therapeutic products. In order to proceed to subsequent clinical trial stages
and to ultimately achieve regulatory approval, the regulatory agency must conclude that our clinical data demonstrate that our product candidates are safe and
effective. Historically, the results from preclinical testing and early clinical trials (through Phase 2) have often not been predictive of results obtained in later
clinical trials. A number of new drugs and biologics have shown promising results in early clinical trials but subsequently failed to establish sufficient safety
and efficacy data to obtain necessary regulatory approvals.
Furthermore, our business strategy includes the option of entering into collaborative arrangements with third parties to complete the development and
commercialization of our drug candidates. In the event that third parties take over the clinical trial process for one of our drug candidates, the estimated
completion date would largely be under control of that third party rather than us. We cannot forecast with any degree of certainty which proprietary products, if
any, will be subject to future collaborative arrangements, in whole or in part, and how such arrangements would affect our development plan or capital
requirements. Our programs may also benefit from subsidies, grants, contracts or government or agency-sponsored studies that could reduce our development
costs.
As a result of the uncertainties discussed above, among others, it is difficult to accurately estimate the duration and completion costs of our research and
development projects or when, if ever, and to what extent we will receive cash inflows from the commercialization and sale of a product. Our inability to
complete our research and development projects in a timely manner or our failure to enter into collaborative agreements, when appropriate, could significantly
increase our capital requirements and could adversely impact our liquidity. These uncertainties could force us to seek additional, external sources of financing
from time to time in order to continue with our business strategy. Our inability to
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raise additional capital, or to do so on terms reasonably acceptable to us, would jeopardize the future success of our business.
During the past five years through December 31, 2019, we incurred an aggregate of $408.2 million in research and development expenses. The following
table indicates the amount incurred for each of our significant research programs and for other identified research and development activities during the years
ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017. The amounts disclosed in the following table reflect direct research and development costs, license fees associated
with the underlying technology and an allocation of indirect research and development costs to each program.
CDX-1140
CDX-3379
CDX-0159/Anti-KIT Program
CDX-527
TAM
Other Programs
Total R&D Expense
Year Ended
December 31, 2019
Year Ended
December 31, 2018
(In thousands)
Year Ended
December 31, 2017
$
$
7,380 $
4,273
4,370
9,117
4,449
13,083
42,672 $
5,666 $
3,778
7,330
1,407
5,452
42,816
66,449 $
6,909
4,167
4,156
—
5,512
75,427
96,171
Clinical Development Programs
CDX-1140
CDX-1140 is a fully human agonist monoclonal antibody targeted to CD40, a key activator of immune response, which is found on dendritic cells,
macrophages and B cells and is also expressed on many cancer cells. Potent CD40 agonist antibodies have shown encouraging results in early clinical studies;
however, systemic toxicity associated with broad CD40 activation has limited their dosing. CDX-1140 has unique properties relative to other CD40 agonist
antibodies: potent agonist activity is independent of Fc receptor interaction, contributing to more consistent, controlled immune activation; CD40L binding is
not blocked, leading to potential synergistic effects of agonist activity near activated T cells in lymph nodes and tumors; and the antibody does not promote
cytokine production in whole blood assays. CDX-1140 has shown direct anti-tumor activity in preclinical models of lymphoma. Preclinical studies of CDX-
1140 clearly demonstrate strong immune activation effects and low systemic toxicity and support the design of the Phase 1 study to identify the dose for
characterizing single-agent and combination activity.
We initiated a Phase 1 study of CDX-1140 in November 2017. This study is expected to enroll up to approximately 220 patients with recurrent, locally
advanced or metastatic solid tumors and B cell lymphomas. The study is designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose, or MTD, during a dose-escalation
phase (0.01 to 3.0 mg/kg once every four weeks until confirmed progression or intolerance) and to recommend a dose level for further study in a subsequent
expansion phase. The expansion is designed to further evaluate the tolerability and biologic effects of selected dose(s) of CDX-1140 in specific tumor types.
Secondary objectives include assessments of safety and tolerability, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity and additional measures of anti-
tumor activity, including clinical benefit rate. We believe that the potential for CDX-1140 will be best defined in combination studies with other
immunotherapies or conventional cancer treatments.
In support of this, the Phase 1 study protocol also allows for the exploration of CDX-1140 in combination with CDX-301 at a fixed dose of CDX-301 and
escalating doses of CDX-1140. Dendritic cells, which express CD40, are often rare or missing from the tumor microenvironment and are critical for initiating
anti-tumor immunity. CDX-301, a recombinant FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand, or
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Flt3L, is a hematopoietic cytokine that uniquely expands dendritic cells and hematopoietic stem cells, and in combination with other agents may potentiate
anti-tumor responses. CDX-301 is being utilized as a priming agent in this study to increase the number of dendritic cells in blood and tissue available for
CDX-1140 activation. CDX-1140 should, in turn, activate and mature the dendritic cells, an important step for enhancing anti-tumor immune responses.
Interim data from this ongoing study were presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer's (SITC) 34th Annual Meeting in November 2019. CDX-
1140 monotherapy dose escalation in the study is complete and the maximum tolerated dose and recommended Phase 2 dose was defined as 1.5 mg/kg every
four weeks. CDX-1140 monotherapy and combination with CDX-301 was generally well tolerated, with mostly grade 1 or grade 2 drug related adverse events
reported. Two patients out of six experienced pneumonitis as dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) in the CDX-1140 3.0 mg/kg monotherapy cohort. There were no
dose DLTs observed in the CDX-301 combination cohorts up to 0.72 mg/kg CDX-1140. A cohort of CDX-1140 at 1.5 mg/kg plus CDX-301, which was
ongoing at the time of data release, has subsequently completed dose escalation with no DLTs observed; therefore, the recommended dose of CDX-1140 in
combination with CDX-301 is 1.5mg/kg.
As of the cut-off date for data reporting for SITC, 62 patients with advanced refractory solid tumors or lymphoma were enrolled and 38 patients had pre-
and post-treatment scans available. Patients were heavily pretreated (median of 4 prior therapies) and per protocol were required to have received all standard
of care treatments prior to study entry. CDX-1140 demonstrated clinical and biological activity in the study.
•
•
•
•
Two of five patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with CDX-1140 doses of 0.72 mg/kg or higher experienced
clinical activity. The first patient experienced dramatic shrinkage of a large, protruding neck mass on physical exam after two doses of CDX-
1140 at 1.5 mg/kg with documented evidence of tumor necrosis/cavitation on CT scan. This patient also reported decreased tumor pain. A
second patient experienced cavitation of greater than 50% of lung metastases on CT scan after one dose of CDX-1140 3 mg/kg.
A patient with gastroesophageal carcinoma experienced a RECIST response after two cycles of CDX-1140 0.36 mg/kg plus CDX-301 that
included 41% shrinkage of liver and lymph node target lesions, with near complete resolution of the liver lesion. This response was durable for
four months.
Six patients experienced stable disease (n=4 CDX-1140 monotherapy; n=2 CDX-1140/CDX-301 combination) with a duration of 1.8 months to
5.4 months.
One patient experienced immune unconfirmed progressive disease on their first scan and continued on treatment for 10+ months without
confirmation of progressive disease at CDX-1140 0.09 mg/kg plus CDX-301.
Potent pharmacological effects associated with immune activation were also observed, including transient induction of inflammatory cytokines and
chemokines associated with dendritic cell and T cell activation at higher dose levels. Similar activation was observed with each cycle of therapy. Peripheral
blood immune cells had upregulated immune activation markers and CDX-301 markedly increased the number of dendritic cells and was associated with
higher IL-12p40 induction, a key molecule for inducing anti-tumor T cell responses.
CDX-1140 monotherapy expansion cohorts in HNSCC, renal cell carcinoma and gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma have been added to the study, along
with a combination cohort of CDX-1140 and CDX-301 in HNSCC. In addition, we have amended the ongoing Phase 1 study to evaluate CDX-1140 in
combination with KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, under a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Merck (known as MSD
outside of the U.S. and Canada). The cohort is designed to characterize the safety, pharmacodynamics and activity of CDX-1140 in combination with
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pembrolizumab in patients refractory to PD1/PDL1 treatment. Enrollment is ongoing. The Company is exploring additional combination cohorts with
mechanisms that we believe could be complementary or synergistic with CDX-1140.
CDX-3379
CDX-3379 is a human monoclonal antibody with half-life extension designed to block the activity of ErbB3 (HER3). We believe ErbB3 may be an
important receptor regulating cancer cell growth and survival as well as resistance to targeted therapies. ErbB3 is expressed in many cancers, including head
and neck, thyroid, breast, lung and gastric cancers, as well as melanoma. We believe the proposed mechanism of action for CDX-3379 sets it apart from other
drugs in development in this class due to its ability to block both ligand-independent and ligand-dependent ErbB3 signaling by binding to a unique epitope. It
has a favorable pharmacologic profile, including a longer half-life and slower clearance relative to other drug candidates in this class. We believe CDX-3379
also has potential to enhance anti-tumor activity and/or overcome resistance in combination with other targeted and cytotoxic therapies to directly kill tumor
cells. Tumor cell death and the ensuing release of new tumor antigens has the potential to serve as a focus for combination therapy with immuno-oncology
approaches, even in refractory patients. CDX-3379 has been evaluated in three Phase 1 studies for the treatment of multiple solid tumors that express ErbB3
and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 study.
Enrollment opened in November 2017 to an open-label Phase 2 study in combination with Erbitux in patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) negative,
Erbitux-resistant, advanced HNSCC who have previously been treated with an anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor, a population with limited options and a
particularly poor prognosis. The study was initially designed as a Simon two-stage design with an interim futility analysis following enrollment of the first 13
patients. According to the study design, if at least one patient achieved an objective response in the first stage, enrollment could progress to the second stage.
The primary endpoint of the study is objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints include assessments of clinical benefit response (CBR), duration of
response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety and pharmacokinetics associated with the combination. Enrollment to the
first stage of the Phase 2 study (n=15) is complete and interim data from the study were presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting in June that support the
continued development of CDX-3379.
Patients had a median of 3 (range of 2-6) prior cancer therapy treatments. All patients had received prior checkpoint inhibitor treatment and 14 of 15
patients were cetuximab refractory. Notable clinical activity was observed in this refractory patient population. A durable confirmed complete response (11+
months) was observed. An unconfirmed partial response (uPR) in a patient that had not received cetuximab was also observed. 7 patients experienced stable
disease (47%; includes uPR). A clinical benefit rate of 29% was achieved (objective response or stable disease greater than or equal to 12 weeks). CDX-3379
in combination with cetuximab was generally associated with the expected target-mediated adverse events of diarrhea and rash.
Emerging data from the Phase 2 study and earlier studies of CDX-3379 suggest that antitumor activity may be associated with somatic mutations in
certain genes. Based on these observations, next-generation sequencing was performed on tumor samples from 18 patients with HNSCC treated with CDX-
3379 across three clinical studies of CDX-3379 that have enrolled patients with HNSCC. This data set included four patients with clinical responses, eight
patients with stable disease and/or tumor shrinkage, and six patients with progressive disease. Key findings are outlined below.
•
•
All four clinical responses occurred in patients with mutations in the FAT1 gene.
All four clinical responses occurred in patients with a primary tumor site of oral cavity.
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•
•
•
Three of the four clinical responses occurred in patients who also had mutations in NOTCH1, NOTCH2 or NOTCH3 genes.
Also, of note, all patients (n=7 of 18) who experienced clinical benefit (objective response or stable disease greater than or equal to 12 weeks)
had FAT1 and/or NOTCH1-3 mutations.
FAT1 and NOTCH genes are associated with tumor suppression. Inactivating mutations in the FAT1 and NOTCH genes occur in sizeable
subsets of HPV negative HNSCC tumors, having been identified in 32% (FAT1) and 26% (NOTCH) of these tumors, respectively. Preclinical
studies investigating the association of CDX-3379 sensitivity and inactivating mutations of FAT1 and other genes are ongoing.
Based on these biomarker observations and the notable clinical activity observed in this refractory patient population, the study has been expanded (n=
~45 patients, including at least 15 patients with FAT1 mutations) to allow for an evaluation of the utility of biomarkers for future patient selection. Enrollment
is ongoing.
CDX-0159
CDX-0159 is a humanized monoclonal antibody that specifically binds the receptor tyrosine kinase KIT and potently inhibits its activity. KIT is expressed
in a variety of cells, including mast cells, and its activation by its ligand SCF regulates mast cell growth, differentiation, survival, chemotaxis and
degranulation. In certain inflammatory diseases, such as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), also known as chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) and chronic
inducible urticarias (CINDUs), mast cell degranulation plays a central role in the onset and progression of the disease.
CDX-0159 is designed to block KIT activation by disrupting both SCF binding and KIT dimerization. Celldex believes that by targeting KIT, CDX-0159
may be able to inhibit mast cell activity and decrease mast cell numbers to provide potential clinical benefit in mast cell related diseases.
We initiated a Phase 1a study of CDX-0159 in November 2019. The study is designed to evaluate the safety profile, pharmacokinetics and
pharmacodynamics of single ascending doses of CDX-0159 in healthy subjects. Following completion of this study, we plan to iniate studies of CDX-0159 in
CSU and CINDU, both mast cell-related diseases, by year-end 2020. CSU presents as itchy hives, angioedema or both for at least six weeks without a specific
trigger; multiple episodes can play out over years or even decades. About 50% of patients with CSU achieve symptomatic control with antihistamines or
leukotriene receptor antagonists. Omalizumab, an IgE inhibitor, provides relief for roughly half of the remaining antihistamine/leukotriene refractory patients.
Consequently, there is a need for more effective later line therapies. CINDUs are forms of urticaria that have an attributable cause or trigger associated with
them, typically resulting in hives or wheals. We are exploring cold-induced and dermographism-induced (scratching the skin) urticarias.
A review of the CDX-0159 early development program was presented at American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting
in November 2019.
CDX-527
CDX-527 is the first candidate from Celldex's bispecific antibody platform. Bispecifics provide opportunities to engage two independent pathways
involved in controlling immune responses to tumors. CDX-527 uses Celldex's proprietary highly active anti-PD-L1 and CD27 human antibodies to couple
CD27 co-stimulation with blockade of the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway to help prime and activate anti-tumor T cell responses through CD27 costimulation, while
preventing PD-1 inhibitory signals that subvert the immune response.
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Celldex's prior clinical experience with combining CD27 activation and PD-1 blockade provide the rationale for linking these two pathways into one
molecule. Preclinical data presented at the SITC 34th Annual Meeting in November 2019 demonstrated that CDX-527 is more potent at T cell activation and
anti-tumor immunity than the combination of parental monoclonal antibodies.
Celldex plans to initiate a Phase 1 dose-escalation study in up to 90 patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors that have progressed during or after
standard of care therapy in the second half of 2020, followed by tumor-specific expansion cohorts to further evaluate the tolerability, biologic and anti-tumor
effects of selected dose level(s) of CDX-527 in specific tumor types.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to the financial statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K. We believe our most critical
accounting policies include accounting for contingent consideration, revenue recognition, intangible and long-lived assets, research and development expenses
and stock-based compensation expense.
The methods, estimates and judgments we use in applying our most critical accounting policies have a significant impact on the results we report in our
financial statements. We evaluate our estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and on assumptions that we
believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our experience and assumptions form the basis for our judgments about the carrying value of assets and
liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may vary from what we anticipate and different assumptions or estimates about the
future could materially change our reported results. We believe the following accounting policies are the most critical to us in that they are important to the
portrayal of our financial statements and they require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments in the preparation of our financial statements:
Contingent Consideration
We record contingent consideration resulting from a business combination at its fair value on the acquisition date. We determine the fair value of the
contingent consideration based primarily on the following factors:
•
•
•
timing and probability of success of clinical events or regulatory approvals;
timing and probability of success of meeting clinical and commercial milestones; and
discount rates.
Our contingent consideration liabilities arose in connection with our acquisition of Kolltan. On a quarterly basis, we revalue these obligations and record
increases or decreases in their fair value as an adjustment to operating earnings. Changes to contingent consideration obligations can result from adjustments to
discount rates, accretion of the discount rates due to the passage of time, changes in our estimates of the likelihood or timing of achieving development or
commercial milestones, changes in the probability of certain clinical events or changes in the assumed probability associated with regulatory approval.
The assumptions related to determining the value of contingent consideration include a significant amount of judgment, and any changes in the underlying
estimates could have a material impact on the amount of contingent consideration expense recorded in any given period.
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Revenue Recognition
Revenues are recognized when performance obligations under agreements or contracts are satisfied, in an amount that reflects the consideration the
Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those services.
The Company determines revenue recognition through the following steps:
•
•
•
•
•
Identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer;
Identification of the performance obligations in the contract;
Determination of the transaction price;
Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and
Recognition of revenue when, or as, the Company satisfies a performance obligation.
Revenue for the Company has historically been derived from biopharmaceutical product development agreements with collaborative partners for the
research and development of therapeutic drug candidates. The terms of the agreements may include nonrefundable signing and licensing fees, funding for
research, development and manufacturing, milestone payments and royalties on any product sales derived from collaborations. The Company assesses the
multiple obligations typically within product development contracts to determine the distinct performance obligations and how to allocate the arrangement
consideration to each distinct performance obligation.
Under product development agreements, revenue is generally recognized using a cost-to-cost measure of progress. Revenue is recognized based on the
costs incurred to date as a percentage of the total estimated costs to fulfill the contract. Incurred cost represents work performed, which corresponds with, and
thereby best depicts, the transfer of control to the customer. Due to the nature of the work performed in these arrangements, the estimation of cost at completion
is complex, subject to many variables, such as expected clinical trial costs, and requires significant judgements. Circumstances can arise that change original
estimates of costs or progress toward completion. Any revisions to estimates are reflected in revenue on a cumulative catch-up basis in the period in which the
change in circumstances became known.
Revenue for the Company is also derived from manufacturing and research and development arrangements. The Company owns and operates a cGMP
manufacturing facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, to produce drug substance for its current and planned early-stage clinical trials. In order to utilize excess
capacity, the Company has, from time to time, entered into contract manufacturing and research and development arrangements in which services are provided
on a time-and-material basis or at a negotiated fixed-price. Revenue from time-and-material contracts is generally recognized on an output basis as labor hours
and/or direct expenses are incurred. Under fixed-price contracts, revenue is generally recognized on an output basis as progress is made toward completion of
the performance obligations using surveys of performance completed to date.
Intangible and Long-Lived Assets
We evaluate the recoverability of our long-lived assets, including property and equipment, and finite-lived intangible assets when circumstances indicate
that an event of impairment may have occurred. Determination of recoverability is based on an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows resulting from the
use of the asset and its eventual disposition. In the event that such cash flows are not expected to be sufficient to recover the carrying amount of the assets, the
assets are written-down to their estimated fair values.
IPR&D assets acquired in a business combination initially are recorded at fair value and accounted for as indefinite-lived intangible assets. These assets
are capitalized on our balance sheets until either
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the project underlying them is completed or the assets become impaired. If a project is completed, the carrying value of the related intangible asset is amortized
over the remaining estimated life of the asset beginning in the period in which the project is completed. If a project becomes impaired or is abandoned, the
carrying value of the related intangible asset is written down to its fair value and an impairment charge is taken in the period in which the impairment occurs.
Discounted cash flow models are typically used in these tests, and the models require the use of significant estimates and assumptions including but not limited
to:
•
•
•
•
timing and costs to complete the in-process projects;
timing and probability of success of clinical events or regulatory approvals;
estimated future cash flows from product sales resulting from completed products and in-process projects; and
discount rates
Each IPR&D asset is assessed for impairment at least annually or when impairment indicators are present. We performed an annual impairment test of the
IPR&D assets during the fourth quarter of 2019 and concluded that the IPR&D assets were not impaired.
Intangible assets acquired in a business combination with a finite life are recorded at fair value and amortized over the greater of economic consumption
or on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development costs, including internal and contract research costs, are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses consist
mainly of clinical trial costs, manufacturing of clinical material, toxicology and other preclinical studies, personnel costs, depreciation, license fees and funding
of outside contracted research.
Clinical trial expenses include expenses associated with clinical research organization, or CRO, services. Contract manufacturing expenses include
expenses associated with contract manufacturing organization, or CMO, services. The invoicing from CROs and CMOs for services rendered can lag several
months. We accrue the cost of services rendered in connection with CRO and CMO activities based on our estimate of costs incurred. We maintain regular
communication with our CROs and CMOs to assess the reasonableness of our estimates. Differences between actual expenses and estimated expenses recorded
have not been material and are adjusted for in the period in which they become known.
Stock-Based Compensation Expense
We record stock-based compensation expense for all stock-based awards made to employees, directors and non-employees based on the estimated fair
values of the stock-based awards expected to vest at the grant date and adjust, if necessary, to reflect actual forfeitures. Our estimates of employee stock option
values rely on estimates of future uncertain events. Significant assumptions include the use of historical volatility to estimate the expected stock price volatility.
We also estimate expected term based on historical exercise patterns. For non-employee grants, we may elect to use the contractual term as the expected term in
the option-pricing model. Actual volatility and lives of options may be significantly different from our estimates. Compensation expense for all stock-based
awards to employees and directors is recognized using the straight-line method over the term of vesting or performance.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended December 31, 2019 compared with Year Ended December 31, 2018
Year Ended
December 31,
2019
2018
Increase/
(Decrease)
$
Increase/
(Decrease)
%
(In thousands)
Revenues:
Product Development and Licensing Agreements
Contracts and Grants
Total Revenue
Operating Expenses:
$
$
473 $
3,100
3,573 $
3,341 $
6,197
9,538 $
(2,868)
(3,097)
(5,965)
Research and Development
General and Administrative
Goodwill Impairment
Intangible Asset Impairment
Other Asset Impairment
Gain on Fair Value Remeasurement of Contingent Consideration
Amortization of Acquired Intangible Assets
Total Operating Expense
Operating Loss
Investment and Other Income, Net
Net Loss Before Income Tax Benefit
Income Tax Benefit
Net Loss
Net Loss
66,449
19,269
90,976
18,677
—
42,672
15,426
—
—
1,800
(1,294)
—
58,604
(55,031)
4,153
(50,878)
(23,777)
(3,843)
(90,976)
(18,677)
1,800
(28,327)
(224)
(107,370)
(101,405)
(334)
(101,071)
(765)
$ (50,878) $ (151,184) $ (100,306)
(29,621)
224
165,974
(156,436)
4,487
(151,949)
765
—
(86)%
(50)%
(63)%
(36)%
(20)%
(100)%
(100)%
n/a
(96)%
(100)%
(65)%
(65)%
(7)%
(67)%
(100)%
(66)%
The $100.3 million decrease in net loss for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, was primarily the result
of a decrease in non-cash goodwill and intangible asset impairment expense and a decrease in research and development expenses, partially offset by the
decrease in gain on fair value remeasurement of contingent consideration.
Revenue
The $2.9 million decrease in product development and licensing agreements revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to the year
ended December 31, 2018, was primarily due to a decrease in revenue related to our BMS agreement as a result of the completion of our combination clinical
study. The $3.1 million decrease in contracts and grants revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,
was primarily related to a decrease in services performed under our contract manufacturing and research and development agreements with Rockefeller
University and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. We expect revenue to decrease over the next twelve months, although there may be fluctuations on a
quarterly basis.
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Research and Development Expense
Research and development expenses consist primarily of (i) personnel expenses, (ii) laboratory supply expenses relating to the development of our
technology, (iii) facility expenses and (iv) product development expenses associated with our drug candidates as follows:
Personnel
Laboratory Supplies
Facility
Product Development
Year Ended
December 31,
2019
2018
Increase/
(Decrease)
$
%
(In thousands)
$ 21,410 $ 28,045 $
4,249
6,790
6,136
4,176
7,531
18,540
73
(6,635) (24)%
2%
(741) (10)%
(12,404) (67)%
Personnel expenses primarily include salary, benefits, stock-based compensation and payroll taxes. The $6.6 million decrease in personnel expenses for
the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, was primarily due to a decrease in headcount, lower stock-based
compensation expense and lower severance expense related to the workforce reduction that occurred in the second quarter of 2018 as a result of the
discontinuation of the Glemba program. We expect personnel expenses to remain relatively consistent over the next twelve months, although there may be
fluctuations on a quarterly basis.
Laboratory supplies expenses include laboratory materials and supplies, services, and other related expenses incurred in the development of our
technology. The $0.1 million increase in laboratory supply expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,
was primarily due to higher laboratory materials and supplies purchases. We expect laboratory supplies expenses to remain relatively consistent over the next
twelve months, although there may be fluctuations on a quarterly basis.
Facility expenses include depreciation, amortization, utilities, rent, maintenance and other related expenses incurred at our facilities. The $0.7 million
decrease in facility expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, was primarily due to lower
depreciation expense. We expect facility expenses to decrease over the next twelve months as a result of the reduction in leased space in our Hampton, New
Jersey facility and our decision to consolidate our Massachusetts lab and manufacturing facilities. The lease in Needham, MA will not be renewed and most
functions and employees will be integrated into our Fall River, MA facility during the second quarter of 2020.
Product development expenses include clinical investigator site fees, external trial monitoring costs, data accumulation costs, contracted research and
outside clinical drug product manufacturing. The $12.4 million decrease in product development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared
to the year ended December 31, 2018, was primarily due to a decrease in clinical trial expenses of $8.1 million and a decrease in contract manufacturing
expenses of $3.6 million. We expect product development expenses to remain relatively consistent over the next twelve months, although there may be
fluctuations on a quarterly basis.
General and Administrative Expense
The $3.8 million decrease in general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to the year ended December 31,
2018, was primarily due to a decrease in stock-based compensation expense, lower commercial planning costs and lower lease restructuring expense. We
expect general and administrative expenses to remain relatively consistent over the next twelve months, although there may be fluctuations on a quarterly basis.
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Goodwill Impairment
We recorded a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $91.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2018 as a result of the discontinuation of the
Glemba program.
Intangible Asset Impairment
We recorded a non-cash intangible asset impairment charge of $18.7 million on the Glemba program intangible assets during the year ended December 31,
2018 as a result of the discontinuation of the Glemba program. Due to the nature of IPR&D projects, the Company may experience future delays or failures to
obtain regulatory approvals to conduct clinical trials, failures of such clinical trials or other failures to achieve a commercially viable product, and as a result,
may recognize further impairment losses in the future.
Other Asset Impairment
We concluded that the Company's investment in an undisclosed private company was impaired as a result of a deterioration in the private company's
financial condition and recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $1.8 million during the first quarter of 2019.
Gain on Fair Value Remeasurement of Contingent Consideration
The $1.3 million gain on fair value remeasurement of contingent consideration for the year ended December 31, 2019 was primarily due to changes in
discount rates, the passage of time and updated assumptions for the varlilumab program.
Amortization Expense
The $0.2 million decrease in amortization expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, was due to
the full impairment of intangible assets subject to amortization recorded in the first quarter of 2018 as a result of the discontinuation of the Glemba program.
Investment and Other Income, Net
The $0.3 million decrease in investment and other income, net for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2018,
was primarily due to lower levels of cash and investment balances. We anticipate investment income to decrease over the next twelve months due to lower
levels of cash and investment balances.
Income Tax Benefit
We recorded a non-cash income tax benefit of $0.8 million related to the impairment of the Glemba IPR&D assets during the year ended December 31,
2018.
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Year Ended December 31, 2018 compared with Year Ended December 31, 2017
Year Ended
December 31,
2018
2017
Increase/
(Decrease)
$
Increase/
(Decrease)
%
(In thousands)
Revenues:
Product Development and Licensing Agreements
Contracts and Grants
Total Revenue
Operating Expenses:
$
$
3,341 $
6,197
9,538 $
3,153 $
9,590
12,743 $
188
(3,393)
(3,205)
Research and Development
General and Administrative
Goodwill Impairment
Intangible Asset Impairment
Gain on Fair Value Remeasurement of Contingent Consideration
Amortization of Acquired Intangible Assets
Total Operating Expense
Operating Loss
Investment and Other Income, Net
Net Loss Before Income Tax Benefit
Income Tax Benefit
Net Loss
Net Loss
66,449
19,269
90,976
18,677
(29,621)
224
165,974
(156,436)
4,487
(151,949)
765
96,171
25,003
—
13,000
(800)
896
134,270
(121,527)
4,214
(117,313)
24,282
(93,031) $
(29,722)
(5,734)
90,976
5,677
28,821
(672)
31,704
34,909
273
34,636
(23,517)
58,153
$ (151,184) $
6%
(35)%
(25)%
(31)%
(23)%
n/a
44%
3,603%
(75)%
24%
29%
6%
30%
(97)%
63%
The $58.2 million increase in net loss for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily the result
of the increase in the non-cash goodwill impairment and the decrease in the non-cash income tax benefit. This effect was partially offset by the increase in the
non-cash gain on fair value remeasurement of contingent consideration and the decrease in research and development expenses.
Revenue
The $0.2 million increase in product development and licensing agreements revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to the year ended
December 31, 2017, was primarily due to an increase in reimbursable clinical trial expenses related to our BMS agreement. The $3.4 million decrease in
contracts and grants revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily related to a decrease in
services performed under our contract manufacturing and research and development agreements with International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and Frontier
Biotechnologies, Inc.
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Research and Development Expense
Research and development expenses consist primarily of (i) personnel expenses, (ii) laboratory supply expenses relating to the development of our
technology, (iii) facility expenses and (iv) product development expenses associated with our drug candidates as follows:
Personnel
Laboratory Supplies
Facility
Product Development
Year Ended
December 31,
2018
2017
Increase/
(Decrease)
$
%
(In thousands)
$ 28,045 $ 36,470 $
4,176
7,531
18,540
4,514
8,617
36,711
(338)
(8,425) (23)%
(7)%
(1,086) (13)%
(18,171) (49)%
Personnel expenses primarily include salary, benefits, stock-based compensation and payroll taxes. The $8.4 million decrease in personnel expenses for
the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily due to a decrease in headcount and lower stock-based
compensation expense partially offset by severance expense of $1.0 million.
Laboratory supplies expenses include laboratory materials and supplies, services, and other related expenses incurred in the development of our
technology. The $0.3 million decrease in laboratory supply expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to the year ended December 31,
2017, was primarily due to lower laboratory materials and supplies purchases.
Facility expenses include depreciation, amortization, utilities, rent, maintenance and other related expenses incurred at our facilities. The $1.1 million
decrease in facility expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily due to lower
depreciation expense.
Product development expenses include clinical investigator site fees, external trial monitoring costs, data accumulation costs, contracted research and
outside clinical drug product manufacturing. The $18.2 million decrease in product development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared
to the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily due to a decrease in clinical trial expenses of $8.7 million and a decrease in contract manufacturing
expenses of $7.2 million.
General and Administrative Expense
The $5.7 million decrease in general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to the year ended December 31,
2017, was primarily due to a decrease in headcount and lower commercial planning costs.
Goodwill Impairment
We recorded a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $91.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2018 as a result of the discontinuation of the
Glemba program.
Intangible Asset Impairment
We recorded a non-cash intangible asset impairment charge of $18.7 million on the Glemba program intangible assets during the year ended December 31,
2018 as a result of the discontinuation of the Glemba program. Due to the nature of IPR&D projects, the Company may experience future delays or failures to
obtain regulatory approvals to conduct clinical trials, failures of such clinical trials or other failures to achieve a commercially viable product, and as a result,
may recognize further impairment losses in the future.
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Gain on Fair Value Remeasurement of Contingent Consideration
The $29.6 million gain on fair value remeasurement of contingent consideration for the year ended December 31, 2018 was due to discontinuation of the
Glemba and CDX-014 programs, updated assumptions for the varlilumab program, and lower probability that milestones related to our anti-KIT program
would be triggered by our current anti-KIT program development.
Amortization Expense
The $0.7 million decrease in amortization expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2017, was due to
the full impairment of intangible assets subject to amortization recorded in the first quarter of 2018 as a result of the discontinuation of the Glemba program.
Investment and Other Income, Net
The $0.3 million increase in investment and other income, net for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2017,
was primarily due to higher interest rates on fixed income investments.
Income Tax Benefit
We recorded a non-cash income tax benefit of $0.8 million related to the impairment of the Glemba IPR&D assets during the year ended December 31,
2018.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Our cash equivalents are highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase and consist primarily of investments in
money market mutual funds with commercial banks and financial institutions. We maintain cash balances with financial institutions in excess of insured limits.
We do not anticipate any losses with respect to such cash balances. We invest our excess cash balances in marketable securities, including municipal bond
securities, U.S. government agency securities and high-grade corporate bonds that meet high credit quality standards, as specified in our investment policy. Our
investment policy seeks to manage these assets to achieve our goals of preserving principal and maintaining adequate liquidity.
The use of our cash flows for operations has primarily consisted of salaries and wages for our employees; facility and facility-related costs for our offices,
laboratories and manufacturing facility; fees paid in connection with preclinical studies, clinical studies, contract manufacturing, laboratory supplies and
services; and consulting, legal and other professional fees. To date, the primary sources of cash flows from operations have been payments received from our
collaborative partners and from government entities. The timing of any new collaboration agreements, government contracts or grants and any payments under
these agreements, contracts or grants cannot be easily predicted and may vary significantly from quarter to quarter.
At December 31, 2019, our principal sources of liquidity consisted of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $64.4 million. We have had
recurring losses and incurred a loss of $50.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Net cash used in operations for the year ended December 31, 2019
was $46.4 million. We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital
expenditure requirements into the first quarter of 2021. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we have determined that there is substantial doubt about our ability to
continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. See Note 1 to the
consolidated
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financial statements for further discussion of our liquidity and the conditions and events that raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going
concern.
During the next twelve months, we will take further steps to raise additional capital to meet our liquidity needs including, but may not be limited to, one or
more of the following: the licensing of drug candidates with existing or new collaborative partners, possible business combinations, issuance of debt, or the
issuance of common stock or other securities via private placements or public offerings. Although we have been successful in raising capital in the past, there
can be no assurance that additional financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all, and our negotiating position in capital-raising efforts may worsen
as existing resources are used. There is also no assurance that we will be able to enter into further collaborative relationships. Additional equity financings may
be dilutive to our stockholders; debt financing, if available, may involve significant cash payment obligations and covenants that restrict our ability to operate
as a business; and licensing or strategic collaborations may result in royalties or other terms which reduce our economic potential from products under
development. Our ability to continue funding our planned operations into and beyond twelve months from the issuance date is also dependent on the timing and
manner of payment of future contingent milestones from the Kolltan acquisition, in the event that we achieve the drug candidate milestones related to those
payments. We may decide to pay those milestone payments in cash, shares of our common stock or a combination thereof. If we are unable to raise the funds
necessary to meet our liquidity needs, we may have to delay or discontinue the development of one or more programs, discontinue or delay ongoing or
anticipated clinical trials, license out programs earlier than expected, raise funds at a significant discount or on other unfavorable terms, if at all, or sell all or a
part of our business.
Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $46.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $75.2 million for the year ended December 31,
2018. The decrease in net cash used in operating activities was primarily due to decreases in both general and administrative and research and development
expenses. We expect that cash used in operating activities will remain relatively consistent over the next twelve months, although there may be fluctuations on
a quarterly basis.
Net cash used in operating activities was $75.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to $99.9 million for the year ended December 31,
2017. The decrease in net cash used in operating activities was primarily due to decreases in both general and administrative and research and development
expenses.
We have incurred and will continue to incur significant costs in the area of research and development, including preclinical and clinical trials and clinical
drug product manufacturing as our drug candidates are developed. We plan to spend significant amounts to progress our current drug candidates through the
clinical trial processes as well as to develop additional drug candidates. As our drug candidates progress through the clinical trial process, we may be obligated
to make significant milestone payments.
Investing Activities
Net cash provided by investing activities was $17.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $29.8 million for the year ended
December 31, 2018. The decrease in net cash provided by investing activities was primarily due to net sales and maturities of marketable securities for the year
ended December 31, 2019 of $17.8 million as compared to $30.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. We expect that cash provided by investing
activities will increase over the next twelve months as we fund our operations through the combination of net proceeds from the sales and maturities of
marketable securities, cash provided by financing activities and/or new partnerships,
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although there may be significant fluctuations on a quarterly basis based on the amount of cash provided by financing activities and/or new partnerships.
Net cash provided by investing activities was $29.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to $46.5 million for the year ended
December 31, 2017. The decrease in net cash provided by investing activities was primarily due to net sales and maturities of marketable securities for the year
ended December 31, 2018 of $30.3 million as compared to $48.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2017.
Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities was $16.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $29.4 million for the year ended
December 31, 2018. Net proceeds from stock issuances, including stock issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, were $16.3 million during the year ended
December 31, 2019 compared to $29.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2018.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $29.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to $51.3 million for the year ended
December 31, 2017. Net proceeds from stock issuances, including stock issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, were $29.4 million during the year ended
December 31, 2018 compared to $51.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2017.
Equity Offerings
In December 2016, we filed a shelf registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to register for sale any combination of the types
of securities described in the shelf registration statement up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $250.0 million. Such registration statement was declared
effective on February 13, 2017. In December 2019, we filed a new shelf registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to register for
sale any combination of the types of securities described in the shelf registration statement up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $150.0 million.
In May 2016, we entered into an agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. ("Cantor") to allow us to issue and sell shares of our common stock having an
aggregate offering price of up to $60.0 million from time to time through Cantor, acting as agent. In November 2017, we filed a prospectus supplement
registering the offer and sale of shares of common stock of up to an additional $75.0 million under the agreement with Cantor. During the years ended
December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we issued 5.0 million, 2.7 million and 1.2 million shares of common stock, respectively, under this controlled equity
offering sales agreement with Cantor resulting in net proceeds of $16.2 million, $29.0 million and $51.0 million, respectively, after deducting commission and
offering expenses. At December 31, 2019, we had $20.7 million remaining in aggregate gross offering price available under the Cantor agreement. From
January 1, 2020 through February 29, 2020, we issued 520,606 shares of our common stock resulting in net proceeds of $1.2 million.
AGGREGATE CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
We have entered into license agreements whereby we have received licenses or options to license technology, specified patents and/or patent applications.
These license and collaboration agreements generally provide for royalty payments equal to specified percentages of product sales, annual license maintenance
fees, continuing patent prosecution costs and potential future milestone payments to third parties upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory
and/or commercial milestones. Because the achievement of these milestones had not occurred as of December 31, 2019 such contingencies have not been
recorded in our financial statements. We expect to incur approximately $0.2 million of license and milestone payments in 2020.
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The following table summarizes our contractual obligations (not including contingent royalty and milestone payments as described above) at
December 31, 2019 and the effect such obligations and commercial commitments are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flow in future years. These
obligations, commitments and supporting arrangements represent expected payments based on current operating forecasts, which are subject to change:
Contractual obligations(1)(2):
Total contractual obligations(3)
Total
2020
2021 - 2022
2023 - 2024
Thereafter
$ 732 $ 732 $
$ 732 $ 732 $
(In thousands)
— $
— $
— $
— $
—
—
(1)
(2)
We enter into agreements in the normal course of business with contract research organizations for clinical trials, contract
manufacturing organizations, vendors for preclinical research studies and other services and products for operating purposes. We have
included obligations in the table above if the contracts are not cancelable at any time by us, generally upon 30 days prior written notice
to the vendor.
The merger agreement between us and Kolltan ("Merger Agreement") provides that we will be required to pay Kolltan's former
stockholders contingent consideration in the form of development, regulatory approval and sales-based milestones ("Kolltan
Milestones") of up to $172.5 million. Certain Kolltan Milestones have been abandoned consistent with the provisions of the Merger
Agreement and, because of this, as of December 31, 2019, we believe that the adjusted amount we may be required to pay for future
consideration is up to $127.5 million contingent upon the achievement of the Kolltan Milestones. We have previously sent an
abandonment notice to the representative of Kolltan's former stockholders with respect to certain of those Kolltan Milestones, to which
the representative subsequently objected. We disagree with their objection and believe their objection to be without merit. We are,
however, discussing potential amendments to the Merger Agreement with respect to the Kolltan Milestones with that stockholder
representative. At this time, we are unable to reasonably assess the ultimate outcome of our disagreement with the representative of
Kolltan's former stockholders over its objection to our abandonment of certain Kolltan Milestones or determine an estimate of potential
losses, if any. We cannot assure you whether any such amendment will be completed on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Because the
timing and certainty of these milestones being achieved is unknown, these potential future obligations are not included within the table.
(3)
Refer to Note 7, "Leases," in the accompanying notes to the financial statements for details on future minimum lease payments that will
become due under non-cancellable leases.
RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
Refer to Note 2, "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies," in the accompanying notes to the financial statements for a discussion of recent
accounting pronouncements.
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
None.
Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We own financial instruments that are sensitive to market risk as part of our investment portfolio. Our investment portfolio is used to preserve our capital
until it is used to fund operations, including our research and development activities. None of these market-risk sensitive instruments are held for trading
purposes. We invest our cash primarily in money market mutual funds. These investments are
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evaluated quarterly to determine the fair value of the portfolio. From time to time, we invest our excess cash balances in marketable securities, including
municipal bond securities, U.S. government agency securities, and high-grade corporate bonds that meet high credit quality standards, as specified in our
investment policy. Our investment policy seeks to manage these assets to achieve our goals of preserving principal and maintaining adequate liquidity. Because
of the short-term nature of these investments, we do not believe we have material exposure due to market risk. The impact to our financial position and results
of operations from changes in interest rates is not material.
We do not utilize derivative financial instruments. The carrying amounts reflected in the balance sheet of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivables
and accounts payable approximates fair value at December 31, 2019 due to the short-term maturities of these instruments.
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Item 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Celldex Therapeutics, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiary (the "Company") as of December 31, 2019
and 2018, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, of stockholders' equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in
the period ended December 31, 2019, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the "consolidated financial statements"). In our opinion, the
consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the
results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019 in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America.
Substantial Doubt About the Company's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in
Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has incurred recurring losses and cash outflows from operations since its inception and has an
accumulated deficit, that raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans in regard to these matters are also
described in Note 1. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Change in Accounting Principle
As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for leases in 2019.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the
Company's consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the
applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to
error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our
audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the
effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or
fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and
disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating
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the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial
statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
March 26, 2020
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2008.
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Marketable Securities
Accounts and Other Receivables
Prepaid and Other Current Assets
Total Current Assets
Property and Equipment, Net
Operating Lease Right-of-Use Assets, Net
Intangible Assets, Net
Other Assets
Total Assets
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
Accounts Payable
Accrued Expenses
Current Portion of Operating Lease Liabilities
Current Portion of Long-Term Liabilities
Total Current Liabilities
Long-Term Portion of Operating Lease Liabilities
Other Long-Term Liabilities
Total Liabilities
Commitments and Contingent Liabilities (Note 14)
Stockholders' Equity:
December 31, 2019
December 31, 2018
$
11,232 $
53,151
1,015
1,300
66,698
4,031
3,473
48,690
41
$
122,933 $
$
1,174 $
6,499
1,944
2,026
11,643
1,713
15,551
28,907
24,310
69,712
3,162
1,895
99,079
6,111
—
48,690
1,929
155,809
1,069
7,007
—
4,526
12,602
—
19,147
31,749
Convertible Preferred Stock, $.01 Par Value; 3,000,000 Shares Authorized; No
Shares Issued and Outstanding at December 31, 2019 and 2018
Common Stock, $.001 Par Value; 297,000,000 Shares Authorized; 16,972,077
and 11,957,635 Shares Issued and Outstanding at December 31, 2019 and
2018, Respectively
Additional Paid-In Capital
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Accumulated Deficit
Total Stockholders' Equity
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
—
—
17
1,104,706
2,619
(1,013,316)
94,026
122,933 $
12
1,083,903
2,583
(962,438)
124,060
155,809
$
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
(Reflects one for fifteen reverse stock split effective February 8, 2019)
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
REVENUES:
Product Development and Licensing Agreements
Contracts and Grants
Total Revenues
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Research and Development
General and Administrative
Goodwill Impairment
Intangible Asset Impairment
Other Asset Impairment
Gain on Fair Value Remeasurement of Contingent
Consideration
Amortization of Acquired Intangible Assets
Total Operating Expenses
Operating Loss
Investment and Other Income, Net
Net Loss Before Income Tax Benefit
Income Tax Benefit
Net Loss
Basic and Diluted Net Loss Per Common Share
Shares Used in Calculating Basic and Diluted Net Loss per
Share
COMPREHENSIVE LOSS:
Net Loss
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss):
Unrealized Gain on Marketable Securities
Comprehensive Loss
Year Ended
December 31, 2019
Year Ended
December 31, 2018
Year Ended
December 31, 2017
$
$
$
$
473 $
3,100
3,573
42,672
15,426
—
—
1,800
(1,294)
—
58,604
(55,031)
4,153
(50,878) $
—
(50,878) $
(3.51) $
3,341 $
6,197
9,538
66,449
19,269
90,976
18,677
—
(29,621)
224
165,974
(156,436)
4,487
(151,949) $
765
(151,184) $
(14.48) $
3,153
9,590
12,743
96,171
25,003
—
13,000
—
(800)
896
134,270
(121,527)
4,214
(117,313)
24,282
(93,031)
(10.86)
14,507
10,442
8,570
$
(50,878) $
(151,184) $
(93,031)
$
36
(50,842) $
19
(151,165) $
23
(93,008)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
(Reflects one for fifteen reverse stock split effective February 8, 2019)
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
(In thousands, except share amounts)
Cantor Agreement
1,181,524
Consolidated Balance at
December 31, 2016
Shares Issued under Stock Option
and Employee Stock Purchase
Plans
Shares Issued in Connection with
Shares Issued in Connection with
Kolltan Severance
Share-Based Compensation
Unrealized Gains on Marketable
Securities
Net Loss
Consolidated Balance at
December 31, 2017
Shares Issued under Stock Option
and Employee Stock Purchase
Plans
Shares Issued in Connection with
Shares Issued in Connection with
Kolltan Severance
Share-Based Compensation
Unrealized Gains on Marketable
Securities
Adoption of ASC 606
Net Loss
Consolidated Balance at
December 31, 2018
Shares Issued under Stock Option
and Employee Stock Purchase
Plans
Shares Issued in Connection with
Cantor Agreement
Share-Based Compensation
Unrealized Gains on Marketable
Securities
Net Loss
Consolidated Balance at
December 31, 2019
Common
Stock
Shares
Common
Stock Par
Value
Additional
Paid-In
Capital
Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income
Accumulated
Deficit
Total
Stockholders'
Equity
8,034,443
8
982,368
2,541
(719,486)
265,431
9,234,693
9
1,046,313
2,564
(812,517)
236,369
11,581
7,145
—
—
—
16,047
4,235
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
—
—
—
265
51,024
344
12,312
—
—
—
—
—
—
23
—
—
—
—
—
—
(93,031)
265
51,025
344
12,312
23
(93,031)
—
3
—
—
—
—
—
419
29,019
71
8,081
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
19
—
—
—
—
—
—
419
29,022
71
8,081
—
1,263
(151,184)
19
1,263
(151,184)
11,957,635
12
1,083,903
2,583
(962,438)
124,060
3,285
5,011,157
—
—
—
—
5
—
—
—
9
16,243
4,551
—
—
—
—
—
36
—
—
—
—
—
(50,878)
9
16,248
4,551
36
(50,878)
16,972,077 $
17 $ 1,104,706 $
2,619 $ (1,013,316) $
94,026
Cantor Agreement
2,702,660
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
(Reflects one for fifteen reverse stock split effective February 8, 2019)
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
Year Ended
December 31, 2019
Year Ended
December 31, 2018
Year Ended
December 31, 2017
$
(50,878) $
(151,184) $
(93,031)
Cash Flows From Operating Activities:
Net Loss
Adjustments to Reconcile Net Loss to Net Cash Used in
Operating Activities:
Depreciation and Amortization
Amortization of Intangible Assets
Amortization and Premium of Marketable Securities, Net
Loss on Sale or Disposal of Assets
Goodwill Impairment
Intangible Asset Impairment
Other Asset Impairment
Gain on Fair Value Remeasurement of Contingent
Consideration
Non-Cash Income Tax Benefit
Stock-Based Compensation Expense
Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities:
Accounts and Other Receivables
Prepaid and Other Current Assets
Other Assets
Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses
Other Liabilities
Net Cash Used in Operating Activities
Cash Flows From Investing Activities:
Sales and Maturities of Marketable Securities
Purchases of Marketable Securities
Acquisition of Property and Equipment
Proceeds from Sale or Disposal of Assets
Net Cash Provided by Investing Activities
Cash Flows From Financing Activities:
Net Proceeds from Stock Issuances
Proceeds from Issuance of Stock from Employee Benefit
Plans
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities
Net Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period
Non-cash Investing Activities
Accrued construction in progress
Non-cash Supplemental Disclosure
Shares issued to former Kolltan executive for settlement of
severance
$
$
$
4,858
—
(1,140)
11
—
—
1,800
(1,294)
—
4,551
2,274
362
(39)
(321)
(6,599)
(46,415)
113,173
(95,382)
(731)
20
17,080
3,577
224
(1,048)
1,220
90,976
18,677
—
(29,621)
(765)
8,081
(777)
1,783
—
(13,110)
(3,268)
(75,235)
201,469
(171,182)
(813)
342
29,816
16,248
29,022
9
16,257
(13,078)
24,310
11,232 $
419
29,441
(15,978)
40,288
24,310 $
25 $
107 $
— $
71 $
4,414
896
(290)
55
—
13,000
—
(800)
(24,282)
12,312
(96)
793
205
(8,744)
(4,363)
(99,931)
219,236
(170,980)
(1,788)
—
46,468
51,025
265
51,290
(2,173)
42,461
40,288
20
344
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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(1) Nature of Business and Overview
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company" or "Celldex") is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of several
immunotherapy technologies and other cancer-targeting biologics. The Company is primarily focusing its efforts and resources on the continued research and
development of CDX-1140, CDX-3379, CDX-0159 and CDX-527.
The Board of Directors of the Company approved a one for fifteen reverse stock split of the Company's outstanding common stock, which was effected on
February 8, 2019. All share and per share amounts in the financial statements have been retroactively adjusted for all periods presented to give effect to the
reverse stock split, including reclassifying an amount equal to the reduction in par value to additional paid-in capital.
Under U.S. GAAP, the Company has the responsibility to evaluate whether conditions and/or events raise substantial doubt about its ability to meet its
future financial obligations as they become due within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. This evaluation shall initially not take into
consideration the potential mitigating effects of plans that have not been fully implemented as of the date the financial statements are issued. The Company's
financial statements have been prepared on the basis of continuity of operations, realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of
business. At December 31, 2019, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $64.4 million. The Company has had recurring losses
and incurred a loss of $50.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Net cash used in operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 was
$46.4 million. As of March 26, 2020, the date of issuance of the consolidated financial statements, the Company expects that its cash, cash equivalents and
marketable securities of $64.4 million as of December 31, 2019 will be sufficient to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the
first quarter of 2021. The future viability of the Company beyond that point is dependent on the Company's ability to raise additional capital to finance its
operations. The Company has generated no product revenue to date and cannot predict when and if it will generate product revenue. The Company has had
recurring losses and anticipate operating losses to continue for the foreseeable future due to, among other things, costs related to research, development of
product candidates, conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, facilities and general and administrative expenses. These conditions raise substantial doubt
about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern for one year after the date that the financial statements are issued.
During the next twelve months and beyond, the Company will take further steps to raise additional capital to meet its liquidity needs including, but may
not be limited to, one or more of the following: the licensing of drug candidates with existing or new collaborative partners, possible business combinations,
issuance of debt, or the issuance of common stock or other securities via private placements or public offerings. Although the Company has been successful in
raising capital in the past, there can be no assurance that additional financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all, and the Company's negotiating
position in capital-raising efforts may worsen as existing resources are used. There is also no assurance that the Company will be able to enter into further
collaborative relationships. Additional equity financings may be dilutive to the Company's stockholders; debt financing, if available, may involve significant
cash payment obligations and covenants that restrict the Company's ability to operate as a business; and licensing or strategic collaborations may result in
royalties or other terms which reduce the Company's economic potential from products under development. The Company's ability to continue funding its
planned operations into and beyond twelve months from the issuance date is also dependent on the timing and manner of payment of contingent milestones
from the Kolltan acquisition, in the event that the Company achieves the drug candidate
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(1) Nature of Business and Overview (Continued)
milestones related to those payments. The Company, at its option, may decide to pay those milestone payments in cash, shares of its common stock or a
combination thereof. If the Company is unable to raise the funds necessary to meet its liquidity needs, it may have to delay or discontinue the development of
one or more programs, discontinue or delay ongoing or anticipated clinical trials, license out programs earlier than expected, raise funds at a significant
discount or on other unfavorable terms, if at all, or sell all or a part of the Company. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result
from the outcome of this uncertainty.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, now referred to as COVID-19, surfaced in Wuhan, China. The virus continues to spread globally, has
been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and has spread to over 100 countries, including the United States. The impact of this pandemic has
been and will likely continue to be extensive in many aspects of society, which has resulted in and will likely continue to result in significant disruptions to the
global economy, as well as businesses and capital markets around the world. In an effort to halt the outbreak of COVID-19, the United States has placed
significant restrictions on travel and many businesses have announced extended closures which could adversely impact our operations. Potential impacts to our
business include delays in planned and ongoing preclinical and clinical trials including enrollment of patients, disruptions in time and resources provided by
independent clinical investigators, contract research organizations, other third-party service providers, temporary closures of our facilities, disruptions or
restrictions on our employees' ability to travel, and delays in manufacturing and/or shipments to and from third party suppliers and contract manufacturers for
APIs and drug product. Any prolonged negative impacts to our business could materially impact our operating results and could lead to impairments of our
Intangible (IPR&D) assets which amounted to $48.7 million at December 31, 2019.
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The balance sheets and statements of operations and comprehensive loss, stockholders' equity, and cash flows, are consolidated for the years ended
December 31, 2019 and 2018. These consolidated financial statements reflect the operations of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The
Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Celldex Australia PTY LTD was liquidated in the third quarter of 2019. All intercompany balances and transactions have
been eliminated in consolidation. The Company operates in one segment, which is the business of development, manufacturing and commercialization of novel
therapeutics for human health care.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP)
requires management to make estimates and use assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets
and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ
from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with a maturity date of 90 days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Cash
equivalents consist principally of money market funds and debt securities.
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
Marketable Securities
The Company invests its excess cash balances in marketable securities, including municipal bond securities, U.S. government agency securities, and
highly rated corporate bonds. The Company classifies all of its marketable securities as current assets on the balance sheets because they are available-for-sale
and available to fund current operations. Marketable securities are stated at fair value with unrealized gains and losses included as a component of accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss), which is a separate component of stockholders' equity, until such gains and losses are realized. If a decline in the fair value
is considered other-than-temporary, based on available evidence, the unrealized loss is reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to the
statements of operations. Realized gains and losses are determined on the specific identification method and are included in investment and other income, net.
Concentration of Credit Risk and of Significant Customers and Suppliers
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk primarily consist of cash, cash equivalents, marketable
securities and accounts receivable. The Company invests its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities in debt instruments and interest-bearing accounts
at major financial institutions in excess of insured limits. The Company mitigates credit risk by limiting the investment type and maturity to securities that
preserve capital, maintain liquidity and have a high credit quality. The Company has not historically experienced credit losses from its accounts receivable and
therefore has not established an allowance for doubtful accounts.
Combined revenue from Rockefeller University and Duke University represented 74% of total Company revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Combined revenue from BMS, Rockefeller University and International AIDS Vaccine Initiative represented 86% of total Company revenue for the year ended
December 31, 2018 and 77% of total Company revenue for the year ended December 31, 2017.
The Company relies on contract manufacturing organizations (CMO) to manufacture drug substance and drug product as well as for future commercial
supplies. The Company also relies on CMOs for supply of raw materials as well as filling, packaging, storing and shipping our drug products. The Company
relies on third-party collaborators to develop companion diagnostic tests.
Fair Value Measurements
The Company has certain assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value in the financial statements. The Company seeks to maximize the use of
observable inputs (market data obtained from sources independent from the Company) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (the Company's
assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities) when measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities. These assets and
liabilities are classified into one of three levels of the following fair value hierarchy as defined by U.S. GAAP:
Level 1: Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a
market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for
identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs based on the Company's assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or
liability.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment is stated at cost and depreciated over the estimated useful lives of the related assets using the straight-line method. Laboratory
equipment and office furniture and equipment are depreciated over five years, and computer equipment is depreciated over three years. Manufacturing
equipment is amortized over seven to ten years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful life or the non-cancelable term
of the related lease, including any renewals that are reasonably assured of occurring. Property and equipment under construction is classified as construction in
progress and is depreciated or amortized only after the asset is placed in service. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense whereas the
costs of significant improvements which extend the life of the underlying asset are capitalized. Upon retirement or sale, the cost of assets disposed of and the
related accumulated depreciation are eliminated and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in the Company's statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
The treatment of costs to construct property and equipment depends on the nature of the costs and the stage of construction. Costs incurred in the project
planning, design, construction and installation phases are capitalized as part of the cost of the asset. The Company stops capitalizing these costs when the asset
is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. For manufacturing property and equipment, the Company also capitalizes the cost of validating these
assets for the underlying manufacturing process. The Company completes the capitalization of validation costs when the asset is substantially complete and
ready for its intended use. Costs capitalized include incremental labor and fringe benefits, and direct consultancy services.
Leases
The Company has operating leases of office, manufacturing and laboratory space, which have remaining lease terms of one to six years and may include
one or more options to renew or terminate early.
The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at inception. Operating lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities are recognized based on
the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at commencement date. Certain adjustments to the right-of-use asset may be
required for items such as prepaid or accrued lease payments, initial direct costs paid or incentives received. The Company's leases do not contain an implicit
rate, and therefore the Company uses an estimated incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date in
determining the present value of lease payments. Options to extend or terminate the lease are reflected in the calculation when it is reasonably certain that the
option will be exercised. The Company has elected to account for lease and non-lease components as a single lease component, however non-lease components
that are variable, such as common area maintenance and utilities, are generally paid separately from rent based on actual costs incurred and therefore are not
included in the right-of-use asset and operating lease liability and are reflected as an expense in the period incurred. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or
less are not recorded on the balance sheet.
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
Other Assets
Other assets included a $1.8 million non-controlling investment in a privately-held company that was accounted for under the cost method of accounting
as of December 31, 2018. Based on information received in April 2019, it was determined that there was a deterioration of the private company's financial
condition due to a working capital deficiency and an inability to secure additional funding. Therefore, the Company concluded that the investment was
impaired, and a non-cash impairment charge of $1.8 million was recorded during the first quarter of 2019.
Contingent Consideration
The Company records contingent consideration resulting from a business combination at its fair value on the acquisition date. The Company determines
the fair value of the contingent consideration based primarily on the (i) timing and probability of success of clinical events or regulatory approvals; (ii) timing
and probability of success of meeting clinical and commercial milestones; and (iii) discount rates. The Company's contingent consideration liabilities arose in
connection with its acquisition of Kolltan. On a quarterly basis, the Company revalues these obligations and records increases or decreases in their fair value as
an adjustment to operating earnings. Changes to contingent consideration obligations can result from adjustments to discount rates, accretion of the discount
rates due to the passage of time, changes in the Company's estimates of the likelihood or timing of achieving development or commercial milestones, changes
in the probability of certain clinical events or changes in the assumed probability associated with regulatory approval. The assumptions related to determining
the value of contingent consideration include a significant amount of judgment, and any changes in the underlying estimates could have a material impact on
the amount of contingent consideration expense recorded in any given period.
Intangible Assets
IPR&D assets acquired in a business combination initially are recorded at fair value and accounted for as indefinite-lived intangible assets. These assets
are capitalized on the Company's balance sheets until either the project underlying them is completed or the assets become impaired. If a project is completed,
the carrying value of the related intangible asset is amortized over the remaining estimated life of the asset beginning in the period in which the project is
completed. If a project becomes impaired or is abandoned, the carrying value of the related intangible asset is written down to its fair value and an impairment
charge is taken in the period in which the impairment occurs.
Each IPR&D asset is assessed for impairment at least annually or when impairment indicators are present. As a result of the discontinuation of the Glemba
program, the Company concluded that the Glemba IPR&D asset was fully impaired, and a non-cash impairment charge of $11.8 million was recorded in the
first quarter of 2018. The remaining IPR&D assets were assessed for impairment during 2018 and 2019 and were determined not to be impaired. During the
year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recorded a partial impairment charge of $13.0 million related to changes in projected development and regulatory
timelines regarding the anti-KIT program.
Intangible assets acquired in a business combination with a finite life are recorded at fair value and amortized over the greater of economic consumption
or on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life. As a result of the discontinuation of the Glemba program, it was concluded that the Company's finite-
lived intangible asset was fully impaired and a non-cash impairment charge of $6.9 million was recorded in the first quarter of 2018.
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
Goodwill
The difference between the purchase price and the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination is allocated to goodwill.
Goodwill is evaluated for impairment on an annual basis or when impairment indicators are present. The Company has the option to assess qualitative factors
to determine if it is more likely than not that goodwill might be impaired and whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative single-step goodwill impairment
test required under U.S. GAAP. As a result of the discontinuation of the Glemba program, the Company evaluated goodwill for potential impairment in the first
quarter of 2018. It was determined that the goodwill asset was fully impaired and an impairment charge of $91.0 million was recorded.
Impairment of Intangible and Long-Lived Assets
The Company evaluates the recoverability of its long-lived assets, including property and equipment, right-of-use assets, and intangible assets when
circumstances indicate that an event of impairment may have occurred. Determination of recoverability is based on an estimate of undiscounted future cash
flows resulting from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition. In the event that such cash flows are not expected to be sufficient to recover the carrying
amount of the assets, the assets are written-down to their estimated fair values.
Revenue Recognition
Revenues are recognized when performance obligations under agreements or contracts are satisfied, in an amount that reflects the consideration the
Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those services.
The Company determines revenue recognition through the following steps:
•
•
•
•
•
Identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer;
Identification of the performance obligations in the contract;
Determination of the transaction price;
Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and
Recognition of revenue when, or as, the Company satisfies a performance obligation.
Revenue for the Company has historically been derived from biopharmaceutical product development agreements with collaborative partners for the
research and development of therapeutic drug candidates. The terms of the agreements may include nonrefundable signing and licensing fees, funding for
research, development and manufacturing, milestone payments and royalties on any product sales derived from collaborations. The Company assesses the
multiple obligations typically within product development contracts to determine the distinct performance obligations and how to allocate the arrangement
consideration to each distinct performance obligation.
Under product development agreements, revenue is generally recognized using a cost-to-cost measure of progress. Revenue is recognized based on the
costs incurred to date as a percentage of the total estimated costs to fulfill the contract. Incurred cost represents work performed, which corresponds with, and
thereby best depicts, the transfer of control to the customer. Due to the nature of the work performed in these arrangements, the estimation of cost at completion
is complex, subject to many variables, such as expected clinical trial costs, and requires significant judgements. Circumstances can
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
arise that change original estimates of costs or progress toward completion. Any revisions to estimates are reflected in revenue on a cumulative catch-up basis
in the period in which the change in circumstances became known.
Revenue for the Company is also derived from manufacturing and research and development arrangements. The Company owns and operates a cGMP
manufacturing facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, to produce drug substance for its current and planned early-stage clinical trials. In order to utilize excess
capacity, the Company has, from time to time, entered into contract manufacturing and research and development arrangements in which services are provided
on a time-and-material basis or at a negotiated fixed-price. Revenue from time-and-material contracts is generally recognized on an output basis as labor hours
and/or direct expenses are incurred. Under fixed-price contracts, revenue is generally recognized on an output basis as progress is made toward completion of
the performance obligations using surveys of performance completed to date.
Contract Assets and Liabilities
The Company classifies the right to consideration in exchange for products or services transferred to a client as either a receivable or a contract asset. A
receivable is a right to consideration that is unconditional as compared to a contract asset which is a right to consideration that is conditional upon factors other
than the passage of time.
The Company's contract liabilities result from arrangements where the Company has received payment in advance of performance under the contract.
These amounts are included as deferred revenue within current portion of long-term liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development costs, including internal and contract research costs, are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses consist
mainly of clinical trial costs, manufacturing of clinical material, toxicology and other preclinical studies, personnel costs, depreciation, license fees and funding
of outside contracted research.
Clinical trial expenses include expenses associated with clinical research organization, or CRO, services. Contract manufacturing expenses include
expenses associated with contract manufacturing organization, or CMO, services. The invoicing from CROs and CMOs for services rendered can lag several
months. The Company accrues the cost of services rendered in connection with CRO and CMO activities based on our estimate of costs incurred. The
Company maintains regular communication with our CROs and CMOs to assess the reasonableness of its estimates. Differences between actual expenses and
estimated expenses recorded have not been material and are adjusted for in the period in which they become known.
Patent Costs
Patent costs are expensed to general and administrative expense as incurred. Certain patent costs are reimbursed by the Company's product development
and licensing partners. Any reimbursed patent costs are recorded as product development and licensing agreement revenues in the Company's financial
statements.
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company records stock-based compensation expense for all stock-based awards made to employees, directors and non-employees based on the
estimated fair values of the stock-based awards expected to vest at the grant date and adjust, if necessary, to reflect actual forfeitures. Compensation expense
for all stock-based awards is recognized using the straight-line method over the term of vesting or performance.
Foreign Currency Translation
Net unrealized gains and losses resulting from foreign currency translation are included in accumulated other comprehensive income. At December 31,
2019 and 2018, accumulated other comprehensive income includes a net unrealized gain related to foreign currency translation of $2.6 million.
Income Taxes
The Company uses the asset and liability method to account for income taxes, including the recognition of deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities
for the anticipated future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement amounts and their respective tax basis. Quarterly, the
Company reviews its deferred tax assets for recovery. A valuation allowance is established when the Company believes that it is more likely than not that its
deferred tax assets will not be realized. Changes in valuation allowances from period to period are included in the Company's tax provision in the period of
change.
The Company records uncertain tax positions in the financial statements only if it is more likely than not that the uncertain tax position will be sustained
upon examination by the taxing authorities. The Company records interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense.
Comprehensive Loss
Comprehensive loss is comprised of net loss and certain changes in stockholders' equity that are excluded from net loss. The Company includes foreign
currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains and losses on marketable securities in other comprehensive loss. The statements of operations and
comprehensive loss reflect total comprehensive loss for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017.
Net Loss Per Share
Basic net loss per common share is based upon the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding restricted stock
that has been issued but is not yet vested. Diluted net loss per common share is based upon the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during
the period plus additional weighted-average potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period when the effect is dilutive. In periods in which
the Company reports a net loss, there is no difference between basic and diluted net loss per share because dilutive shares of common stock are not assumed to
have been issued as their effect is anti-dilutive. The potentially
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
dilutive common shares that have not been included in the net loss per common share calculations because the effect would have been anti-dilutive are as
follows:
Stock options
Restricted stock
Newly-Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
2019
1,699,202
1,110
1,700,312
Year Ended December 31,
2018
866,132
3,552
869,684
2017
723,747
6,445
730,192
On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted a new U.S. GAAP accounting standard which requires that all lessees recognize the assets and liabilities that
arise from leases on the balance sheet and disclose qualitative and quantitative information about its leasing arrangements. The new standard was adopted using
the modified retrospective transition method, which requires the Company to apply the standard as of the effective date and does not require restatement of
prior periods. The Company elected to apply the package of practical expedients, which allowed the Company to not reassess: (i) whether expired or existing
contracts contain leases; (ii) lease classification for any expired or existing leases; and (iii) initial direct costs for any existing leases. Adoption of this standard
did not have a material impact on the Company's Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss or Statement of Cash Flow, however, upon
adoption, the Company recorded right-of-use assets of $3.8 million and lease liabilities of $4.7 million on its Consolidated Balance Sheet related to the
Company's operating leases. The difference between the right-of-use assets and lease liabilities recorded upon adoption is due to certain adjustments required to
the right-of-use assets for prepaid rent and accrued termination expenses. Refer to Note 7 "Leases" for additional details on this adoption and the Company's
updated disclosures.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") or other standard setting bodies
that are adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes that the impact of recently issued
standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements upon adoption.
In August 2018, the FASB issued amendments that modify certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. The amendments become
effective, including interim periods, beginning January 1, 2020. The adoption of this new guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's
consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In November 2018, the FASB issued guidance to clarify the interaction between the accounting guidance for collaborative arrangements and revenue from
contracts with customers. The amendments become effective, including interim periods, beginning January 1, 2020. This guidance is required to be applied
retrospectively as of the date of our adoption of the new revenue standard on January 1, 2018. The adoption of this new guidance is not expected to have a
material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance on the Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The guidance requires that credit losses be
reported using an expected losses model rather than the incurred losses model that is currently used, and establishes additional disclosures related to credit
risks. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, the standard now requires allowances to be recorded instead of reducing the amortized cost
of the investment. This standard will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2023. We are currently evaluating the potential impact that this standard may
have on the Company's consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
(3) Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
The changes in accumulated other comprehensive income, which is reported as a component of stockholders' equity, for the year ended December 31,
2019 are summarized below:
Balance at December 31, 2018
Other comprehensive gain
Balance at December 31, 2019
Unrealized
Gain (Loss) on
Marketable
Securities
Foreign
Currency Items
(In thousands)
Total
$
$
(13) $
36
23 $
2,596 $ 2,583
36
2,596 $ 2,619
—
No amounts were reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017.
(4) Fair Value Measurements
The following tables set forth the Company's financial assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurements:
Assets:
Money market funds and cash equivalents
Marketable securities
Liabilities:
Kolltan acquisition contingent consideration
As of
December 31, 2019
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
(In thousands)
$
$
$
$
4,024
53,151
57,175
12,485
12,485
4,024
— $
—
53,151
— $ 57,175
—
—
—
—
—
— $ 12,485
— $ 12,485
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(4) Fair Value Measurements (Continued)
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Assets:
Money market funds and cash equivalents
Marketable securities
Liabilities:
Kolltan acquisition contingent consideration
As of
December 31, 2018
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
(In thousands)
$
$
$
$
15,755
69,712
85,467
13,779
13,779
— $ 15,755
—
69,712
— $ 85,467
—
—
—
—
—
— $ 13,779
— $ 13,779
The Company's financial assets consist mainly of cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities and are classified as Level 2 within the valuation
hierarchy. The Company values its marketable securities utilizing independent pricing services which normally derive security prices from recently reported
trades for identical or similar securities, making adjustments based on significant observable transactions. At each balance sheet date, observable market inputs
may include trade information, broker or dealer quotes, bids, offers or a combination of these data sources.
The following table reflects the activity for the Company's contingent consideration liabilities measured at fair value using Level 3 inputs for the year
ended December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
Balance at December 31, 2018
Fair value adjustments included in operating expenses
Balance at December 31, 2019
Other Liabilities:
Contingent
Consideration
$
$
13,779
(1,294)
12,485
The valuation technique used to measure fair value of the Company's Level 3 liabilities, which consist of contingent consideration related to the
acquisition of Kolltan in 2016 (Note 17), was primarily an income approach. The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the
contingent consideration are estimates, including probability of success, discount rates and amount of time until the conditions of the milestone payments are
met.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded a $1.3 million gain on fair value remeasurement of contingent consideration, primarily
due to changes in discount rates, the passage of time and updated assumptions for the varlilumab program.
The Company did not have any transfers of assets or liabilities between the fair value measurement classifications during the years ended December 31,
2019 and 2018.
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(5) Marketable Securities
The following is a summary of marketable debt securities, classified as available-for-sale:
December 31, 2019
Marketable securities
U.S. government and municipal obligations
Maturing in one year or less
Maturing after one year through three years
Total U.S. government and municipal obligations
Corporate debt securities
Maturing in one year or less
Maturing after one year through three years
Total corporate debt securities
Total marketable securities
December 31, 2018
Marketable securities
U.S. government and municipal obligations
Maturing in one year or less
Maturing after one year through three years
Total U.S. government and municipal obligations
Corporate debt securities
Maturing in one year or less
Maturing after one year through three years
Total corporate debt securities
Total marketable securities
Amortized
Cost
Gross
Unrealized
Gains
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
(In thousands)
Fair
Value
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
18,509 $
—
18,509 $
34,619 $
—
34,619 $
53,128 $
27,355 $
—
27,355 $
42,370 $
—
42,370 $
69,725 $
13 $
—
13 $
13 $
—
13 $
26 $
— $
—
— $
— $
—
— $
— $
— $ 18,522
—
—
— $ 18,522
(3) $ 34,629
—
—
(3) $ 34,629
(3) $ 53,151
(4) $ 27,351
—
—
(4) $ 27,351
(9) $ 42,361
—
—
(9) $ 42,361
(13) $ 69,712
The Company holds investment grade marketable securities, and none were considered to be other-than-temporarily impaired as of December 31, 2019.
Marketable securities include $0.2 million and $0.1 million in accrued interest at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(6) Property and Equipment, Net
Property and Equipment, Net includes the following:
Laboratory Equipment
Manufacturing Equipment
Office Furniture and Equipment
Leasehold Improvements
Construction in Progress
Total Property and Equipment
Less: Accumulated Depreciation and Amortization
Property and Equipment, Net
December 31,
2019
December 31,
2018
$
$
(In thousands)
8,622 $
2,510
3,873
17,238
191
32,434
(28,403)
4,031 $
8,272
2,497
3,791
17,408
327
32,295
(26,184)
6,111
Depreciation and amortization expense related to property and equipment was $2.7 million, $3.6 million and $4.4 million for the years ended
December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
(7) Leases
The Company has operating leases of office, manufacturing and laboratory space, which have remaining lease terms of one to six years and may include
one or more options to renew or terminate early.
During the first quarter of 2019, the Company amended its Hampton, New Jersey lease to eliminate 16,200 square feet of space and extend the remaining
33,400 square feet of space for an additional five-year term with an early termination option after three years. The Company recorded an additional right-of-use
asset and lease liability of $1.4 million during the first quarter of 2019 for the initial 3 years related to the amendment.
Operating lease expense and variable lease expense was $2.5 million and $1.5 million for year ended December 31, 2019, respectively. Under the prior
lease accounting guidance, the Company recorded total operating lease expense and variable lease expense of $4.0 million and $4.1 million for the years ended
December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities during the year ended
December 31, 2019 was $3.3 million. As of December 31, 2019, the weighted-average remaining lease term was 2 years and the weighted-average discount
rate was 11.0%.
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(7) Leases (Continued)
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable leases as of December 31, 2019 were as follows:
2020
2021
2022
2023
Total lease payments
Less imputed interest
Present value of operating lease liabilities
$ 2,218
875
747
311
4,151
(494)
$ 3,657
Under the prior lease accounting guidance, operating lease obligations, including estimated variable lease obligations, as of December 31, 2018 were as
follows:
2019
2020
Thereafter
Total lease payments
(8) Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Intangible Assets, Net
$ 4,648
3,140
—
$ 7,788
The Company's finite-lived intangible assets consisted solely of license rights amended under a 2009 agreement with Amgen Fremont related to
developing and commercializing Glemba. As a result of the discontinuation of the Glemba program, the Company concluded that the finite-lived intangible
asset was fully impaired and a non-cash impairment charge of $6.9 million was recorded in the first quarter of 2018. Amortization expense for finite intangible
assets was $0.0 million, $0.2 million and $0.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017.
At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company recorded indefinite-lived intangible assets of $48.7 million. At December 31, 2019, indefinite-lived
intangible assets consist of acquired in-process research and development ("IPR&D") related to the development of CDX-3379, the anti-KIT program and the
TAM program. CDX-3379 is in Phase 2 development, the anti-KIT program is in Phase 1 development and the TAM program is in preclinical development. As
of December 31, 2019, no IPR&D asset had reached technological feasibility nor did any have alternative future uses.
Each IPR&D asset is assessed for impairment at least annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that IPR&D assets may
be impaired. The Company performed its annual impairment test of the IPR&D assets during the fourth quarter of 2019 and concluded that the IPR&D assets
were not impaired. In the first quarter of 2018, as a result of the discontinuation of the Glemba program, the Company concluded that the Glemba IPR&D asset
was fully impaired and a non-cash impairment charge of $11.8 million was recorded. Due to the nature of IPR&D projects, the Company may experience
future delays or failures to obtain regulatory approvals to conduct clinical
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(8) Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Continued)
trials, failures of such clinical trials or other failures to achieve a commercially viable product, and as a result, may recognize further impairment losses in the
future.
Goodwill
In the first quarter of 2018, the Company's goodwill was evaluated for potential impairment due to the discontinuation of the Glemba program. The
carrying amount of the Company was compared to the Company's fair value. The Company's fair value assessment reflected a number of significant
management assumptions and estimates including the Company's probability forecasts for pipeline assets, income taxes, capital expenditures, market premium
and changes in working capital requirements. Changes in these assumptions and/or discount rates could materially impact the Company's conclusions. Through
this assessment, it was determined that the carrying amount of the Company exceeded its fair value by over $91.0 million. As such, the full goodwill asset was
considered impaired and a charge of $91.0 million was recorded during the first quarter of 2018.
(9) Accrued Expenses
Accrued expenses include the following:
Accrued Payroll and Employee Benefits
Accrued Research and Development Contract Costs
Accrued Professional Fees
Other Accrued Expenses
(10) Other Long-Term Liabilities
Other long-term liabilities include the following:
Net Deferred Tax Liabilities Related to IPR&D (Note 15)
Deferred Income From Sale of Tax Benefits
Other
Contingent Milestones (Note 4)
Deferred Revenue
Total
Less Current Portion
Long-Term Portion
December 31,
2019
December 31,
2018
$
$
(In thousands)
4,575 $
1,186
400
338
6,499 $
4,400
1,766
620
221
7,007
December 31,
2019
December 31,
2018
$
$
(In thousands)
3,007 $
1,831
—
12,485
254
17,577
(2,026)
15,551 $
3,007
4,218
1,083
13,779
1,586
23,673
(4,526)
19,147
In November 2015, the Company received approval from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and agreed to sell New Jersey tax benefits of
$9.8 million to an independent third party for
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(10) Other Long-Term Liabilities (Continued)
$9.2 million. Under the agreement, the Company must maintain a base of operations in New Jersey for five years or the tax benefits must be paid back on a
pro-rata basis based on the number of years completed. During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded $2.4 million,
$2.5 million and $2.7 million to other income related to the sale of these tax benefits, respectively.
(11) Stockholders' Equity
Common Stock
In December 2016, the Company filed a new shelf registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to register for sale any
combination of the types of securities described in the shelf registration statement up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $250 million. Such registration
statement was declared effective on February 13, 2017. In December 2019, the Company filed a new shelf registration statement with the Securities and
Exchange Commission to register for sale any combination of the types of securities described in the shelf registration statement up to a maximum aggregate
offering price of $150.0 million.
In May 2016, the Company entered into an agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. ("Cantor") to allow the Company to issue and sell shares of its
common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $60.0 million from time to time through Cantor, acting as agent. In November 2017, the Company
filed a prospectus supplement registering the offer and sale of shares of common stock of up to an additional $75.0 million under the agreement with Cantor.
During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company issued 5.0 million, 2.7 million and 1.2 million shares of its common stock,
respectively, under this controlled equity offering sales agreement with Cantor resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $16.2 million, $29.0 million and
$51.0 million, respectively, after deducting commission and offering expenses. At December 31, 2019, the Company had $20.7 million remaining in aggregate
gross offering price available under the Cantor agreement. From January 1, 2020 through February 29 2020, the Company issued 520,606 shares of its common
stock resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $1.2 million.
Convertible Preferred Stock
At December 31, 2019, the Company had authorized 3,000,000 shares of preferred stock all of which have been designated Class C Preferred Stock
including 350,000 shares which have been designated Series C-1 Junior Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock (the "Series C-1 Preferred Stock"). No shares
of Series C-1 Preferred Stock were outstanding at December 31, 2019 or 2018.
(12) Stock-Based Compensation
The Company has the following stock-based compensation plans: the 2004 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "2004 ESPP Plan") and the 2008 Stock
Option and Incentive Plan (the "2008 Plan").
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
At December 31, 2019, a total of 276,666 shares of common stock are reserved for issuance under the 2004 ESPP Plan. Under the 2004 ESPP Plan, each
participating employee may purchase shares of
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(12) Stock-Based Compensation (Continued)
common stock through payroll deductions at a purchase price equal to 85% of the lower of the fair market value of the common stock at either the beginning of
the offering period or the applicable exercise date. During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company issued 3,507, 9,524 and 5,359
shares under the 2004 ESPP Plan, respectively. At December 31, 2019, 250,159 shares were available for issuance under the 2004 ESPP Plan.
Employee Stock Option and Incentive Plan
The 2008 Plan permits the granting of incentive stock options (intended to qualify as such under Section 422A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended), non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance share units, restricted stock and other awards of restricted stock in lieu of cash
bonuses to employees, consultants and non-employee directors.
At December 31, 2019, the 2008 Plan allowed for a maximum of 2,233,333 shares of common stock to be issued for grants of new awards until June 9,
2025 and grants of incentive stock options until April 16, 2025. The Company's Board of Directors determines the term of each option, option price, and
number of shares for which each option is granted and the rate at which each option vests. Options generally vest over a period not to exceed four years. The
term of each option cannot exceed ten years (five years for options granted to holders of more than 10% of the voting stock of the Company), and the exercise
price of stock options cannot be less than the fair market value of the common stock at the date of grant (110% of fair market value for incentive stock options
granted to holders of more than 10% of the voting stock of the Company). Vesting of all employee and non-employee director stock option awards may
accelerate upon a change in control as defined in the 2008 Plan.
A summary of stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2019 is as follows:
Options Outstanding at December 31, 2018
Granted
Exercised
Canceled
Options Outstanding at December 31, 2019
Options Vested and Expected to Vest at December 31, 2019
Options Exercisable at December 31, 2019
Shares Available for Grant Under the 2008 Plan
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
Per Share
Shares
866,132 $
940,040 $
— $
(106,970) $
1,699,202 $
1,580,780 $
93.70
2.77
—
70.22
44.87
47.90
573,996 $ 121.76
424,263
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term (In Years)
7.1
8.0
7.9
5.5
The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $0.0 million. The weighted average
grant-date fair value of stock options granted during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $2.08, $6.60 and $23.70, respectively. The total
fair value of stock options vested during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $4.9 million, $8.0 million and $13.4 million, respectively.
95
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(12) Stock-Based Compensation (Continued)
The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options outstanding at December 31, 2019 was $0.0 million. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options vested
and expected to vest at December 31, 2019 was $0.0 million. As of December 31, 2019, total compensation cost related to non-vested employee and non-
employee director stock options not yet recognized was approximately $3.8 million, net of estimated forfeitures, which is expected to be recognized as expense
over a weighted average period of 3.0 years.
Restricted Stock
A summary of restricted stock activity under the 2008 Plan for the year ended December 31, 2019 is as follows:
Outstanding and unvested at December 31, 2018
Granted
Vested
Canceled
Outstanding and unvested at December 31, 2019
Weighted
Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
(per share)
Shares
3,552 $
— $
(2,220) $
(222) $
1,110 $
43.84
—
49.25
34.83
34.83
Valuation and Expenses Information
Stock-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was recorded as follows:
2019
2018
(In thousands)
2017
Research and development
General and administrative
Total stock-based compensation expense
$ 2,053 $ 3,874 $
6,693
5,619
$ 4,551 $ 8,081 $ 12,312
4,207
2,498
The fair values of employee and director stock options granted during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 were valued using the Black-
Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions:
Expected stock price volatility
Expected option term
Risk-free interest rate
Expected dividend yield
2019
90 - 91%
2018
73 - 85%
2017
75 - 77%
6.0 Years
6.0 Years
6.0 Years
1.6 - 2.5%
None
2.8 - 3.1%
None
2.0 - 2.3%
None
The Company estimates expected term based on historical exercise patterns. The Company uses its historical stock price volatility consistent with the
expected term of grant as the basis for its expected
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CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(12) Stock-Based Compensation (Continued)
volatility assumption. The risk-free interest rate is based upon the yield of U.S. Treasury securities consistent with the expected term of the option. The
dividend yield assumption is based on the Company's history of zero dividend payouts and expectation that no dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future.
(13) Revenue
On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted a new revenue accounting standard, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" (ASC 606). Upon adoption
using the modified retrospective application, the Company recognized a $1.3 million decrease to accumulated deficit, a $0.8 million decrease in deferred
revenue and $0.5 million increase in accounts receivable due to the cumulative impact of adopting ASC 606. This impact was driven by the acceleration of
revenue using a percentage-of-completion method of accounting under ASC 606 for an open contract that had previously been accounted for using the
Contingency Adjusted Performance Model ("CAPM") under previous guidance.
Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC 606 while prior period amounts were not adjusted and continue to
be reported in accordance with historic accounting under previous guidance. There was not a material impact to revenues as a result of applying ASC 606 for
the year ended December 31, 2018, and there have not been significant changes to the Company's business processes, systems or internal controls as a result of
adopting the new standard. Revenue recognition remained largely unchanged under the new standard.
Contract Assets and Liabilities
At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company's right to consideration under all contracts was considered unconditional, and as such, there were no
recorded contract assets. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had $0.3 million and $1.6 million in contract liabilities recorded, respectively.
Revenue recognized from contract liabilities as of December 31, 2018 during the year ended December 31, 2019 was $1.4 million.
Product Development and Licensing Revenue
The Company entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with BMS in 2014 to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of varlilumab
and Opdivo®, BMS's PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, in a Phase 1/2 study. Under this agreement, BMS made an upfront payment to Celldex of
$5.0 million and provides funding for 50% of the external costs incurred by the Company in connection with the clinical trial. The performance obligations
under the collaboration agreement consist of intellectual property licenses and the performance of research and development services. The Company
determined that the performance obligations were not separately identifiable and were not distinct (and did not have standalone value) due to the specialized
nature of the services to be provided, the dependent relationship between the performance obligations and the Company's proprietary technology that makes
them uniquely qualified to perform the R&D services. Therefore, the Company concluded that the collaboration agreement has a single identified or combined
performance obligation. As of December 31, 2019, deferred revenue related to the Company's remaining performance obligation under this arrangement was
$0.0 million. The Company recorded $0.2 million, $3.3 million and $2.8 million in revenue related to this agreement during the years ended December 31,
2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
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(13) Revenue (Continued)
Contract and Grants Revenue
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
The Company has entered into agreements with Rockefeller University and Duke University pursuant to which the Company performs manufacturing and
research and development services on a time-and-materials basis. The Company recognized $2.6 million, $3.2 million and $2.2 million in revenue for labor
hours and direct costs incurred under these agreements during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
The Company has entered into fixed-fee manufacturing and research and development arrangements with both the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
(IAVI) and Frontier Biotechnologies, Inc (Frontier). The Company recognized $0.3 million, $3.0 million and $6.6 million in revenue under these agreements
during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
(14) Collaboration Agreements
The Company has entered into license agreements whereby the Company has received licenses or options to license technology, specified patents or patent
applications. The Company's licensing and development collaboration agreements generally provide for royalty payments equal to specified percentages of
product sales, annual license maintenance fees, continuing patent prosecution costs and potential future milestone payments to third parties upon the
achievement of certain developmental, regulatory and/or commercial milestones. Nonrefundable license fee expense of $0.1 million, $0.7 million and
$0.7 million was recorded to research and development expense for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
University of Southampton, UK (Southampton)
Under a license agreement with Southampton, the Company acquired the rights to develop human antibodies towards CD27, a potentially important target
for immunotherapy of various cancers. The Company may be required to pay Southampton milestones of up to approximately $1.0 million upon obtaining first
approval for commercial sale in a first indication and royalty payments in the low-single digits on any net product sales with respect to development and
commercialization of CDX-527.
Amgen Inc. (Amgen)
Under a license agreement with Amgen, the Company acquired the exclusive rights to CDX-301 and CD40 ligand, or CD40L. CDX-301 and CD40L are
immune modulating molecules that increase the numbers and activity of immune cells that control immune responses. The Company may be required to pay
Amgen milestones of up to $0.9 million upon obtaining first approval for commercial sale in a first indication and royalty payments in the low-single digits on
any net product sales with respect to development and commercialization of the technology licensed from Amgen, including CDX-301.
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(14) Collaboration Agreements (Continued)
Yale University (Yale)
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
Under a license agreement with Yale, the Company may be required to make a one-time payment to Yale of $3.0 million with respect to each therapeutic
or prophylactic RTK royalty-bearing product, including CDX-3379, that achieves a specified commercial milestone. In addition, the Company may be required
to pay a low single-digit royalty on annual worldwide net sales of each RTK royalty-bearing product, including CDX-3379. Unless earlier terminated by us or
Yale, the Yale license agreement is due to expire no later than May 2038 but may expire earlier on a country by country basis under specified circumstances.
MedImmune, LLC (MedImmune)
Under a license agreement with MedImmune, the Company acquired exclusive rights to specified patent rights and know-how that are controlled by
MedImmune and relate to the research, development, manufacture and commercialization of CDX-3379. The Company may be required to pay Medimmune
up to $45.0 million upon obtaining specified regulatory and development milestones in the first indication of CDX-3379. In addition, the Company may be
required to pay MedImmune one-time milestone payments of up to $125.0 million if specified annual net sale thresholds are met related to the first indication
of CDX-3379. The Company may also be required to pay MedImmune a tiered royalty on annual net sales of CDX-3379 at rates ranging from high single-digit
to low teens percentages. These royalties may be reduced in specified circumstances and are payable on a product by product and country by country basis until
the later to occur of ten years after the first commercial sale of the product in that country and the expiration of MedImmune's patent rights that cover the sale
of the product in that country. The Company may also be required to pay specified royalties on annual net sales of CDX-3379 at a rate in the low single digits
to certain other third parties from whom MedImmune licensed certain intellectual property.
(15) Income Taxes
The components of income tax benefit (provision) are as follows:
Income Tax Benefit (Provision):
Federal
State
Foreign
Expiration of NOLs and R&D Credit
Income Tax Rate Change
Deferred Tax Valuation Allowance
2019
Year Ended December 31,
2018
(In thousands)
2017
$
13,869 $
2,170
—
(18,966)
—
(2,927)
2,927
$
— $
22,255 $
6,406
913
—
—
29,574
(28,809)
765 $
57,547
(2,479)
2,448
—
(99,528)
(42,012)
66,294
24,282
99
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(15) Income Taxes (Continued)
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
A reconciliation between the amount of reported income tax and the amount computed using the U.S. Statutory rate is as follows:
Pre-Tax Loss
Loss at Statutory Rates
Difference in Foreign Tax Rates
Research and Development Credits
State Taxes
Income Tax Rate Change
Other
Change in Fair Value Remeasurement of Contingent Consideration
Intangible Impairment
Recognition of APIC NOLs
Impact of Pass-through Entities
Expiration of NOLs and R&D Credit
Change in Valuation Allowance
Income Tax (Benefit) Provision
2019
2017
(31,909)
(10,684)
2018
(In thousands)
$ (50,878) $ (151,949) $ (117,313)
(39,887)
326
(2,847)
(6,283)
99,528
(321)
—
—
(5,729)
(2,775)
—
(66,294)
(24,282)
—
(1,902)
(2,170)
—
(1,011)
(272)
—
—
—
18,966
(2,927)
— $
—
(2,056)
(6,406)
—
(1,175)
(6,220)
19,105
—
(913)
—
28,809
(765) $
$
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities
using future expected enacted rates. The principal components of the deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, are as
follows:
Gross Deferred Tax Assets
Net Operating Loss Carryforwards
Foreign Net Operating Loss Carryforwards
Tax Credit Carryforwards
Deferred Research and Development Expenses
Stock-based Compensation
Fixed Assets
Accrued Expenses and Other
Gross Deferred Tax Liabilities
IPR&D Intangibles
Total Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities
Valuation Allowance
Net Deferred Tax Liability
100
December 31,
2019
December 31,
2018
(In thousands)
$
172,745 $
—
42,642
70,042
12,651
1,759
328
300,167
168,239
4,485
39,761
76,555
11,977
1,761
316
303,094
(12,748)
287,419
(290,426)
(3,007) $
(12,748)
290,346
(293,353)
(3,007)
$
Table of Contents
(15) Income Taxes (Continued)
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
The Company has evaluated the positive and negative evidence bearing upon the realizability of its net deferred tax assets and considered its history of
losses, ultimately concluding that it is "more likely than not" that the Company will not recognize the benefits of federal, state and foreign deferred tax assets
and, as such, has maintained a full valuation allowance on its deferred tax assets.
During year ended December 31, 2017, the Company's gross deferred tax assets and corresponding valuation allowance each increased by $17.7 million.
This was a one-time increase due to the adoption of a new accounting standard removing the requirement to recognize excess tax benefits from the exercise of
stock options in additional paid-in-capital when realized.
On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA") was enacted, leading to significant changes to U.S. tax law. Among other provisions, the
TCJA lowered the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, limited the deduction for net operating losses to 80% of taxable income while
providing that net operating loss carryovers for years after 2017 will not expire, imposed a mandatory one-time transition tax on previously deferred foreign
earnings and eliminated or reduced certain income tax deductions.
As a result of the TCJA, the Company revalued its deferred tax liabilities at the new federal rate of 21%, resulting in a $6.9 million decrease and a
corresponding income tax benefit. The Company also scheduled out reversals of its deferred tax assets and liabilities, determining that their reversal would
create future indefinite-lived net operating losses under the TCJA. As such, the valuation allowance was reduced relating to the remaining indefinite-lived
federal deferred tax liabilities balance, leading to an additional income tax benefit of $12.2 million. The Company's deferred tax asset balance was also
revalued at the new 21% rate resulting in a $99.5 million decrease in the balance with a corresponding decrease to the valuation allowance. The Company's
accounting for the tax effects of the TCJA was complete as of December 31, 2018.
The net deferred tax liability of $3.0 million at December 31, 2019 and 2018 relates to the temporary differences associated with the IPR&D intangible
assets acquired in previous business combinations and are not deductible for tax purposes. The Company recorded an income tax benefit of $0.8 million during
the year ended December 31, 2018 due to a decrease in deferred tax liabilities resulting from the partial impairment of the anti-KIT program.
As of December 31, 2019, the Company had federal and state net operating loss carryforwards of $638.9 million and $595.1 million, respectively, which
may be available to offset certain future income tax liabilities and begin to expire in 2019 and 2028, respectively. Of the federal net operating loss
carryforwards of $638.9 million, approximately $146.0 million are from 2018 and 2019 and have no expiration date. As of December 31, 2019, the Company
also had federal and state research and development tax credit carryforwards of $33.4 million and $11.7 million, respectively, which may be available to offset
future income tax liabilities and begin to expire in 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards and research and credit carryforwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation under
Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or Section 382, due to ownership changes that occurred previously or that could occur in the future. These
ownership changes may limit the amount of carryforwards that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income. In general, an ownership change, as
defined by Section 382, results from transactions increasing the ownership of certain shareholders or public groups in the stock of a corporation by more than
50% over a three-year period. The Company has estimated the amounts of net operating loss and
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(15) Income Taxes (Continued)
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
research and development tax credit carryforwards which will expire unutilized as a result of its estimated annual limitations under Section 382 and has
excluded those amounts from the carryforward amounts disclosed above and in the deferred tax assets and liabilities table included in this footnote. The
Company has concluded Section 382 studies through 2015 for Celldex generated NOLs.
The Company incurred a foreign pre-tax loss of $0.0 million and $3.0 million during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Beginning with the 2016 tax returns, the Company elected to classify the Australian entity as a disregarded entity for income tax purposes. The foreign pre-tax
losses have been included with the Federal net operating loss carryforwards. In 2019 the Australian Subsidiary was liquidated and $14.9 million of Foreign Net
Operating Loss Carryovers related to the foreign subsidiary were written off.
As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company did not have any unrecognized tax benefits.
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut are the jurisdictions in which the Company primarily operates or has operated and has income tax
nexus. The Company is not currently under examination by these or any other jurisdictions for any tax year. Generally, in U.S. federal and state taxing
jurisdictions, all years which generated net operating losses and/or tax credit carryforwards remain subject to examination to the extent those carryforwards are
utilized in a subsequent period.
(16) Retirement Savings Plan
The Company maintains a 401(k) Plan which is available to substantially all employees. Under the terms of the 401(k) Plan, participants may elect to
contribute up to 60% of their compensation or the statutory prescribed limits. The Company may make 50% matching contributions on up to 4% of a
participant's annual salary. Benefit expense for the 401(k) Plan was $0.3 million, $0.4 million and $0.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018
and 2017, respectively.
(17) Kolltan Acquisition
On November 29, 2016, the Company acquired all of the share and debt interests of Kolltan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Kolltan"), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company, in exchange for 1,217,200 shares of the Company's common stock plus contingent consideration in the form of development,
regulatory approval and sales-based milestones ("Kolltan Milestones") of up to $172.5 million. The Kolltan Milestone payments, if any, may be made, at
Celldex's sole election, in cash, in shares of Celldex's common stock or a combination of both, subject to provisions of the Merger Agreement. Certain Kolltan
Milestones have been abandoned consistent with the provisions of the Merger Agreement and, because of this, as of December 31, 2019, the Company believes
that the adjusted amount we may be required to pay for future consideration is up to $127.5 million contingent upon the achievement of the Kolltan Milestones.
In October 2019, the Company received a letter from the representative of Kolltan's former stockholders notifying the Company that it objected to the
Company's abandonment of certain Kolltan Milestones relating to development, regulatory approval and sales-based milestones. The Company disagrees with
their objection and believes their objection to be without merit. The Company is discussing with the representative of Kolltan's former stockholders potential
amendments to the Merger Agreement with respect to the Kolltan Milestones. There can be no assurances that an amendment to the Merger Agreement will be
completed on terms acceptable to the Company or at all. At this time,
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(17) Kolltan Acquisition (Continued)
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
the Company is unable to reasonably assess the ultimate outcome of the Company's disagreement with the representative of Kolltan's former stockholders over
its objection to the Company's abandonment of certain Kolltan Milestones or determine an estimate of potential losses, if any.
(18) Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)
2019
Q1 2019
Q2 2019
Q3 2019
Q4 2019
Total revenue
Net loss
Basic and diluted net loss per common share
$
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
546 $
(11,413)
(0.75)
715 $
(11,779)
(0.84)
1,425 $
(17,239)
(1.40)
887
(10,447)
(0.64)
2018
Total revenue
Net loss
Basic and diluted net loss per common share
$
Q1 2018
Q2 2018
Q3 2018
Q4 2018
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
941 $
2,763 $
(7,243)
(16,407)
(0.66)
(1.67)
4,068 $
(118,132)
(12.61)
1,764
(9,402)
(0.81)
103
Table of Contents
Item 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of December 31, 2019, we evaluated, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of our
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")). Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective
at the reasonable assurance level as of December 31, 2019. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that
information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within time
periods specified by the SEC's rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management's Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting. Internal control over financial
reporting is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act as the process designed by, or under the supervision of, our Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and effected by our Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the
reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles, and includes those policies and procedures that:
•
•
•
pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of assets;
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with the authorizations of
management and directors; and
provide reasonable assurance regarding the prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of assets that could
have a material effect on our financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of
effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance
with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an
evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework provided in Internal Control—Integrated Framework
(2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that our
internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2019.
104
Table of Contents
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the three months ended December 31, 2019 that have materially affected, or
are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
105
Table of Contents
Item 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
PART III
The information required by this Item 10 will be included in the definitive Proxy Statement for our 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, or the 2020
Proxy Statement, under "Information Regarding Our Current Directors and Executive Officers," "Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports," "Code of Business
Conduct and Ethics" and "The Board of Directors and Its Committees" and is incorporated herein by reference. If the 2020 Proxy Statement is not filed with
the SEC within 120 days after the end of our most recent fiscal year, we will provide such information by means of an amendment to this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
Item 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information required by this Item 11 will be included in the 2020 Proxy Statement under "Executive Compensation," and "Compensation Committee
Interlocks and Insider Participation," and is incorporated herein by reference. If the 2020 Proxy Statement is not filed with the SEC within 120 days after the
end of our most recent fiscal year, we will provide such information by means of an amendment to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER
MATTERS
The information required by this Item 12 will be included in the 2020 Proxy Statement under "Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and
Management" and "Equity Compensation Plan Information" and is incorporated herein by reference. If the 2020 Proxy Statement is not filed with the SEC
within 120 days after the end of our most recent fiscal year, we will provide such information by means of an amendment to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The information required by this Item 13 will be included in the 2020 Proxy Statement under "Election of Directors" and "Approval of Related Person
Transactions and Transactions with Related Persons" and is incorporated herein by reference. If the 2020 Proxy Statement is not filed with the SEC within
120 days after the end of our most recent fiscal year, we will provide such information by means of an amendment to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
The information required by this Item 14 will be included in the 2020 Proxy Statement under "Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" and is
incorporated herein by reference. If the 2020 Proxy Statement is not filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of our most recent fiscal year, we will
provide such information by means of an amendment to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
106
Table of Contents
Item 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(A)
The following documents are filed as part of this Form 10-K:
PART IV
(1)
Financial Statements:
The Financial Statements and Supplementary Data are included in Part II Item 8 of this report.
(2)
Financial Statement Schedules:
Schedules are omitted since the required information is not applicable or is not present in amounts sufficient to require submission of the schedule, or
because the information required is included in the Financial Statements or Notes thereto.
(3)
Exhibits:
No.
Description
Plan of Acquisition, Reorganization, Arrangement, Liquidation or Succession
2.1 Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November 1, 2016, by and
among Kolltan Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Celldex Therapeutics, Inc.,
Connemara Merger Sub 1 Inc. and Connemara Merger Sub 2 LLC.
Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws
3.1 Third Restated Certificate of Incorporation
3.2 Certificate of Amendment of Third Restated Certificate of
Incorporation
3.3 Second Certificate of Amendment of Third Restated Certificate of
Incorporation
3.4 Third Certificate of Amendment of Third Restated Certificate of
Incorporation
3.5 Fourth Certificate of Amendment of Third Restated Certificate of
Incorporation
3.6 Fifth Certificate of Amendment of Third Restated Certificate of
Incorporation
3.7 Sixth Certificate of Amendment of Third Restated Certificate of
Incorporation
3.8 Amended and Restated By-Laws, dated April 7, 2014
3.9 Seventh Certificate of Amendment of Third Restated Certificate of
Incorporation
Instruments Defining the Rights of Security Holders
4.1 Specimen of Common Stock Certificate
107
Incorporated by Reference to
Form and
SEC File No.
Exhibit
No.
SEC
Filing Date
8-K
(000-15006)
2.1
11/1/16
S-4
(333-59215)
S-4
(333-59215)
S-4
(333-59215)
10-Q
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
10-Q
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
3.1
7/16/98
3.1
7/16/98
3.2
7/16/98
3.1
5/10/02
3.1
3/11/08
3.2
3/11/08
3.7 11/10/08
3.1
4/8/14
3.1
2/8/19
4.1
2/8/19
Table of Contents
No.
Description
4.2 Certificate of Designations, Preferences and Rights of a Series of
Preferred Stock classifying and designating the Series C-1 Junior
Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock
4.3 Description of Securities
Material Contracts—Leases
10.1 Commercial Lease Agreement of May 1, 1996 between the Company
and Fourth Avenue Ventures Limited Partnership
10.2 Extension of Lease Agreement of May 1, 1997 between the Company
and DIV Needham 53 LLC (successor in interest to Fourth Avenue
Ventures Limited Partnership) dated as of August 23, 2001
10.3 First Amendment to Lease by and between the Company and DIV
Needham 115 LLC (successor in interest to Fourth Avenue Ventures
Limited Partnership) dated November 29, 2005
10.4 Second Amendment to Lease by and between the Company and DIV
Needham 115 LLC dated as of August 1, 2015
*10.5 Lease Agreement, by and between the Company and the
Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, dated as of
December 22, 2003
10.6 First Amendment to Lease between Massachusetts Development
Finance Agency and the Company dated March 17, 2005
10.7 Second Amendment to Lease by and between the Company and the
Massachusetts Development Finance Agency dated as of November 4,
2005
10.8 Third Amendment to Lease between Massachusetts Development
Finance Agency and the Company dated December 20, 2006
10.9 Fifth Amendment to Lease between Massachusetts Development
Finance Agency and the Company dated October 3, 2008
10.10 Sixth Amendment to Lease between Massachusetts Development
Finance Agency and the Company dated August 20, 2009
10.11 Seventh Amendment to Lease by and between the Company and the
Massachusetts Development Finance Agency dated as of June 22,
2010
108
Incorporated by Reference to
Form and
SEC File No.
8-A
(000-15006)
Filed herewith
10-Q/A
(000-15006)
10-K
(000-15006)
10-K
(000-15006)
10-K/A
(000-15006)
10-Q
(000-15006)
10-K/A
(000-15006)
10-K
(000-15006)
10-K/A
(000-15006)
10-K/A
(000-15006)
10-K/A
(000-15006)
10-Q
(000-15006)
Exhibit
No.
3.1
SEC
Filing Date
11/8/04
10.11
8/23/96
10.9
3/27/02
10.40
3/16/06
10.4
2/25/16
10.1
4/30/04
10.6 12/23/10
10.41
3/16/06
10.7 12/23/10
10.8 12/23/10
10.9 12/23/10
10.1
8/5/10
Table of Contents
No.
10.12 Eighth Amendment to Lease by and between the Company and
Description
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth dated as of November 1, 2015
Incorporated by Reference to
Form and
SEC File No.
10-K/A
(000-15006)
Exhibit
No.
10.12
SEC
Filing Date
2/25/16
10.13 Ninth Amendment to Lease by and between the Company and
Filed herewith
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth dated as of October 1, 2019
10.14 Lease Agreement dated as of May 1, 2013 by and between Crown
Perryville, LLC and the Company.
10.15 First Amendment to Lease between Company and Crown
Perryville, LLC dated as of June 17, 2015
10.16 Second Amendment to Lease Agreement between the Company and
Crown Perryville, LLC dated as of March 8, 2019
Material Contracts—License, Collaboration, Supply and Distribution Agreements
*10.17 Exclusive Patent and Know-How License Agreement dated as of
November 5, 2008 between the Company and the University of
Southampton
*10.18 License and Assignment Agreement, between Amgen Inc. and the
Company dated March 16, 2009
*10.19 License and Option Agreement by and between MedImmune, LLC
and the Company, dated July 24, 2013, as amended by the
Amendment, dated October 27, 2015
*10.20 Third Amended and Restated License Agreement by and between Yale
University and the Company, dated March 14, 2013, as amended by
the Amendments, dated March 21, 2014 and December 1, 2014
Material Contracts—Stock Purchase, Financing and Credit Agreements
10.21 Sales Agreement, dated May 19, 2016, by and between Celldex
Therapeutics, Inc. and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
Material Contracts—Management Contracts and Compensatory Plans
†10.22 Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2008 Stock Option
and Incentive Plan (as amended, effective as of June 19, 2019)
†10.23 Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2004 Employee
Stock Purchase Plan (effective as of June 19, 2019)
†10.24 2008 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, as amended and restated
109
10-Q
(000-15006)
10-Q
(000-15006)
10-Q
(000-15006)
10.1
5/03/13
10.2
8/10/15
10.1
5/7/19
10-K
(000-15006)
10.47
3/2/09
10-K/A
(000-15006)
10-K
(000-15006)
10-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
10-K
(000-15006)
10.1 12/23/10
10.24
3/7/18
10.25
3/7/18
1.1
5/19/16
10.1
6/19/19
10.2
6/19/19
10.27
3/7/18
Table of Contents
No.
Description
†10.25 2004 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended and restated
†10.26 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of
January 1, 2018, by and between Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. and
Anthony S. Marucci
†10.27 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of
January 1, 2018, by and between Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. and Sam
Martin
†10.28 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of
January 1, 2018, by and between Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. and Tibor
Keler, Ph.D.
†10.29 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of
January 1, 2018, by and between Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. and
Ronald Pepin, Ph.D.
†10.30 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of
January 1, 2018, by and between Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. and Sarah
Cavanaugh
†10.31 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of
January 1, 2018, by and between Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. and
Margo Heath-Chiozzi, M.D.
†10.32 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of
January 1, 2018, by and between Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. and
Elizabeth Crowley
†10.33 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of
January 1, 2018, by and between Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. and
Richard Wright, Ph.D.
†10.34 Employment Agreement, dated as of July 8, 2019, by and between
Diane Young and Celldex Therapeutics., Inc.
†10.35 Form of Stock Option Agreement
†10.36 Form of Restricted Stock Award
Incorporated by Reference to
Form and
SEC File No.
10-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
8-K
(000-15006)
10-Q
(000-15006)
10-K
(000-15006)
Exhibit
No.
10.28
SEC
Filing Date
3/7/18
10.1 12/29/17
10.2 12/29/17
10.3 12/29/17
10.4 12/29/17
10.5 12/29/17
10.6 12/29/17
10.7 12/29/17
10.8 12/29/17
10.1
6/24/19
10.1
8/08/18
10.42
3/12/10
21.1 Subsidiaries of Celldex Therapeutics, Inc.
Filed herewith
23.1 Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Independent Registered
Filed herewith
Public Accounting Firm
31.1 Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer
Filed herewith
31.2 Certification of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Filed herewith
32 Section 1350 Certifications
Furnished herewith
110
Table of Contents
No.
Description
101 XBRL Instance Document
101 XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
Incorporated by Reference to
Exhibit
No.
SEC
Filing Date
Form and
SEC File No.
Filed herewith
Filed herewith
101 XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
Filed herewith
101 XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
Filed herewith
101 XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
Filed herewith
101 XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
Filed herewith
*
†
Confidential treatment has been requested for certain provisions of this Exhibit pursuant to Rule 24b-2 promulgated under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Indicates a management contract or compensation plan, contract or arrangement.
Item 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
111
Table of Contents
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
SIGNATURES
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
By:
/s/ ANTHONY S. MARUCCI
Date
March 26, 2020
Anthony S. Marucci
President and Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and
in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature
Title
Date
/s/ ANTHONY S. MARUCCI
Anthony S. Marucci
/s/ SAM MARTIN
Sam Martin
/s/ KAREN L. SHOOS
Karen L. Shoos
/s/ KEITH L. BROWNLIE
Keith L. Brownlie
/s/ HERBERT J. CONRAD
Herbert J. Conrad
/s/ JAMES J. MARINO
James J. Marino
/s/ HARRY H. PENNER, JR.
Harry H. Penner, Jr.
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)
March 26, 2020
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
March 26, 2020
Director, Chair of the Board of Directors
March 26, 2020
Director
Director
Director
Director
112
March 26, 2020
March 26, 2020
March 26, 2020
March 26, 2020
Exhibit 4.3
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934
The following description of our common stock summarizes the material terms and provisions of our common stock. The following description of our
capital stock does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, our Third Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended,
(the “Certificate of Incorporation”) and our Amended and Restated By-Laws (the “Bylaws”) which are exhibits to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, of which this Exhibit 4.3 forms a part. The terms of our common stock may also be affected by Delaware
law.
General
We are authorized to issue up to 297,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share. We are also authorized to issue up to 3,000,000 shares of
preferred stock, all of which have been designated as Class C Preferred Stock, including 350,000 shares which have been designated as Series C-1 Junior
Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock, the terms of which are to be determined by our Board of Directors.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “CLDX”.
Description of Common Stock
Dividends
The Board of Directors may, out of funds legally available, at any regular or special meeting, declare dividends to the holders of shares of our common
stock as and when they deem expedient, subject to the rights of holders of the preferred stock, if any.
Voting
Each share of common stock entitles the holders to one vote per share on all matters requiring a vote of the stockholders, including the election of directors.
No holders of shares of common stock shall have the right to vote such shares cumulatively in any election for the Board of Directors.
Rights Upon Liquidation
In the event of our voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up, the holders of our common stock will be entitled to share equally in our
assets available for distribution after payment in full of all debts and after the holders of preferred stock, if any, have received their liquidation preferences
in full.
Miscellaneous
No holders of shares of our common stock shall have any preemptive rights to subscribe for, purchase or receive any shares of any class, whether now or
hereafter authorized, or any options or warrants to purchase any such shares, or any securities convertible into or exchanged for any such shares, which
may at any time be issued, sold or offered for sale by Celldex.
Anti-Takeover Provisions
Certain provisions in our third restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and applicable Delaware corporate law, may have the effect of
discouraging a change of control of Celldex, even if such a transaction is favored by some of our stockholders and could result in stockholders receiving a
substantial premium over the current market price of our shares. The primary purpose of these provisions is to encourage negotiations with our
management by persons interested in acquiring control of our corporation. These provisions may also tend to perpetuate present management and make it
difficult for stockholders owning less than a majority of the shares to be able to elect even a single director.
Computershare Trust Company, N.A. is presently the transfer agent and registrar for our common stock.
NINTH AMENDMENT TO LEASE
Exhibit 10.13
This NINTH AMENDMENT TO LEASE (this “Amendment”) is made as of the 1 day of October 2019, (the “Effective Date”) by and between
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS DARTMOUTH, an institution of Higher Education of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with an address of
285 Old Westport Rd. North Dartmouth Massachusetts 02747 (“Landlord”) and CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC. (formerly AVANT
Immunotherapeutics, Inc.), a Delaware corporation, with an address of 53 Frontage Road, Hampton NJ 08827 (“Tenant”).
st
RECITALS
WHEREAS, Tenant and the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency (“MDFA”) entered into a certain Lease dated effective December 22,
2003 ( the “Lease), as amended by that certain First Amendment to Lease dated as of March 17, 2005 (the “First Amendment”), that certain Second
Amendment to Lease dated as of November 4, 2005 (the “Second Amendment”), that certain Third Amendment To Lease dated as of December 20, 2006
(the “Third Amendment”), that certain Fourth Amendment to Lease dated as of July 18, 2008 (the “Fourth Amendment”), that certain Fifth Amendment
to Lease dated as of October 3, 2008 (the “Fifth Amendment”), that certain Sixth Amendment to Lease dated as of August 20, 2009 (the “Sixth
Amendment”), that certain Seventh Amendment to Lease dated June 22, 2010 (the “Seventh Amendment”) and that certain Eight Amendment to lease
dated November 15, 2015 (the “Eight Amendment”) of certain premises consisting of approximately 23,413 rentable square feet of space (the
“Premises”) in the building (the “Building”) located at 151 Martine Street, Fall River, Massachusetts (the “Property”) in the South Coast Research &
Technology Park (the “Park”); and
1
WHEREAS, on June 24, 2014, MDFA conveyed all of its rights, title and interest in the Building and assigned the Lease to Landlord; and
WHEREAS, the Premises is comprised of: (i) the original premises demised by the Lease, as amended through the Third Amendment, being
11,756 rentable square feet on the second (2nd) floor of the Building, (ii) the Additional Space (as defined in the First Amendment) demised by the First
Amendment, being 71 rentable square feet on the first (1st) floor of the Building, (iii) the Expansion Premises (as defined in the Second Amendment),
being 2,487 rentable square feet on the second (2nd) floor of the Building; (iv) the Second Expansion Premises (as defined in the Third Amendment), being
1,853 rentable square feet on the second (2nd) floor of the Building; (v) the Substitute Third Expansion Premises (as defined in the Fifth Amendment),
being 4,864 rentable square feet of space on the second floor of the Building (referred to therein as the “Third Expansion Premises”); (vi) the Fourth
Expansion Premises (as defined in the Sixth Amendment), being 2,382 rentable square feet on the second (2nd) floor of the Building; and (v) the Fifth
Expansion Premises (as defined in the Eight Amendment), being 5,511 rentable square feet on the second (2 ) floor of the Building such that the “Premises
Square Footage” (as stated in the Eight Amendment) is defined to be 28,924 rentable square feet; and
nd
WHEREAS, Landlord and Tenant have agreed to enter into this Ninth Amendment to Lease to extend the term of the Lease and to amended
certain additional provisions to the Lease,
NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby mutually acknowledged, Landlord and
Tenant agree as follows:
1. Capitalized Terms. Unless otherwise defined herein, all capitalized terms used in this Amendment shall have the meanings ascribed to them in
the Lease, and all references in the
2
Lease to the “Lease” or “this Lease” or “herein” or “hereunder” or similar terms or to any Section thereof shall, after the Effective Date, mean the Lease, or
such Section thereof, as amended by this Amendment.
2. Demise of Sixth Expansion Premises. Commencing on January 1, 2020, Landlord does hereby lease to Tenant and Tenant does lease from
st
nd
Landlord the approximately 5,007 rentable square feet - 4,686 rentable square feet on the first (1 ) floor of the building and 321 rentable square feet on the
second (2 ) floor of the Building, as shown on the floor plan attached hereto as Exhibit A-9 (the “Sixth Expansion Premises”) to have and to hold for the
remainder of the Lease Term as set forth in the Lease. Tenant shall have access to the Sixth Expansion Premises as of October 1, 2019. Rental fee shall
commence three months after all Sixth Expansion Premises has been made available or January 1, 2020. Any delay in access to all Sixth Expansion
Premises will result in similar delay in rent commencement. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, Tenant’s lease of the Sixth Expansion
Premises shall be on all of the terms and conditions of the Lease (including, without limitation, extension rights of Tenant for Extension Terms) and the
term of the Lease with respect to the Sixth Expansion Premises shall be coterminous with the Term (and, if exercised, Extension Terms) of the Lease for the
Existing Premises. As of the Sixth Expansion Premises Commencement Date, all references in the Lease to (i) the “Premises” and/or premises demised by
the Lease shall mean the Existing Premises and the Sixth Expansion Premises collectively as shown on Exhibit A to the Lease, Exhibit A-1, attached to the
First Amendment , Exhibit A-2, attached to the Second Amendment, Exhibit A-3, attached to the Third Amendment, and on Exhibit A-5, attached to the
Fifth Amendment, Exhibit A-6, attached to the Sixth Amendment, Exhibit A-7, attached to the Seventh Amendment, Exhibit A-8 attached to the Eight
Amendment and Exhibit A-9
3
attached to this Amendment; (ii) the “Tenant’s Proportionate Fraction” shall mean 59.03% which is calculated by adding the Premises Square Footage as
set forth in the Eight Amendment and the Sixth Expansion Premises and dividing the Building’s rentable square foot into that sum; and (iii) the “Premises
Square Footage shall mean 33,931 rentable square feet.
3. Section 2.2. Term. Section 2.2 of the Lease shall be amended as of August 1, 2019 to read as follows:
“Section 2.2. Term. TO HAVE AND TO HOLD for a term (the “Term”) beginning on the Term Commencement Date which shall be
November 1, 2015 and expiring on July 31, 2021 (the “Term Expiration Date”), unless earlier terminated as provided for in Section 2.4.”
4. Section 2.3. Renewal Term. Section 2.3 of the Lease is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following provision:
“Section 2.3. Option to Extend Term for Extension Terms. Tenant shall have three (3) separate options to extend the Lease Term for
two (2) two (2) year terms, and an additional five (5) year period (i.e., for a total, if all three such options are exercised as provided
herein, of nine (9) successive years beyond the Term) beyond the Term or the first Extension Term, as the case may be (each extension
period being referred to herein as an “Extension Term”), provided (i) Tenant shall give notice to Landlord of its exercise of such option
not less than twelve (12) months prior to the expiration of the Term or the first Extension Term, as the case may be, and (ii) no default
beyond any applicable grace period in the obligations of Tenant under this Lease shall exist at the time each such notice is given. All of
the terms and provisions of this Lease, as amended, shall be applicable to each Extension Term except that Tenant shall have no option to
extend the Lease Term beyond the third Extension Term. Landlord and Tenant have determined the Annual Fixed Rental Rate for the first
two (2) year extension term. Landlord and Tenant must determine the Annual Fixed Rental Rate for each remaining Extension Term at
the time of each such notice, using an independent fair market rental value analysis for comparable buildings used for research and
development, of similar age, quality, size, construction and appearance, with similar services and amenities, and in comparable locations
within Massachusetts, but outside of the Greater-Boston MSA , excluding therefrom any cost to renovate such space for a tenant’s
occupancy for advertising and lease negotiation costs, free rent or other inducements, and any other items which would normally be
offered to a new tenant but which a continuing tenant would not seek. The cost of the independent analysis will be shared equally
4
between the parties. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 10.13 of the Lease, at the end of the Term or either Extension Term,
Tenant shall be entitled to hold over within the Premises for up to three (3) months, and the Annual Fixed Rental Rate shall be one
hundred and twenty-five (125%) percent of the Annual Fixed Rental Rate which was payable during the last month of the Term or either
Extension Term, as the case may be, and one hundred and fifty (150%) percent thereof for the period beyond three (3) months and up to a
total of six (6) months. “
5. Annual Fixed Rental Rate. Section 1.1 of the Lease is amended by deleting the provisions regarding the “Annual Fixed Rental Rate” and
inserting, the following language:
Annual Fixed Rental Rate:
As of August 1, 2019 and through July 31, 2021: $18.59 per rentable square foot per annum for
the Premises not including the Sixth Expansion Premises. Rental fee shall commence for the
Sixth Expansion Premises three months after all Sixth Expansion Premises has been made
available or January 1, 2020. Any delay in access to all Sixth Expansion Premises will result in
similar delay in rent commencement.
First two (2) year extension, as of August 1, 2021 and through July 31, 2023: $19.52 per
rentable square foot.
6. Landlord Work. Prior to the commencement of work by Tenant in the Sixth Expansion Premises, Landlord shall, at Landlord’s sole cost and
expense, deliver same to Tenant vacant and in broom clean condition. Landlord shall make the Sixth Expansion Premises available to Tenant on October 1,
2019, to allow for Tenant’s installation of Tenant’s furniture, fixtures, carpeting and voice/data systems as well as warehouse storage and equipment rooms.
Landlord shall also be solely responsible to deliver same to Tenant in compliance with all fire, life safety, environmental and occupational health
and safety laws, regulations and ordinances (including, but not limited to, the Americans with Disabilities Act). Landlord
5
represents that the Sixth Expansion Premises, as well as the Building, the Premises and the public areas of the Building also comply with such laws,
regulations and ordinances and, if they do not, that Landlord shall, at its sole cost and expanse, promptly cause same to so comply.
In addition, as of the Effective Date of this Amendment Landlord shall promptly repair all affected exterior windows in the Tenant’s premises
7. Section 10.4 Tenant Work: Shall be amended by adding the following:
“10.4.1 Tenant Work Sixth Expansion Premise: Landlord in accordance with section 10.4 consents to Tenant building out the space on
the First Floor portion of the Sixth Expansion Premises, at the sole expense of Tenant to include installation of drop ceilings, carpeting
and voice/data as well as warehouse storage and equipment rooms, in accordance with provisions of section 10.4.”
8. Section 14.14 and related Exhibit G Parking Rights: Shall be replaced in its entirety as follows:
“Subject to the below provisions of this Section 14.14, Tenant shall have a non-exclusive revocable license to use Tenant’s Proportionate
Fraction of the parking spaces at no additional charge (except to the extent of Tenant’s share of the common area maintenance expenses
relating to such spaces) in common with other tenants of the Building, located on the Lot on a “first-come, first served” basis. Landlord
shall employ various means, including but not limited to the use of signage and decals to direct third parties that are given access to the
facility from time to time to park in the North Parking Areas such that Tenant is given priority to the parking adjacent to the Building
(“Primary Parking Area for 151 Martine Street”). In the event that Tenant shall not be able to use such percentage of spaces on the Lot,
Tenant shall have the right to make up such deficient percentage by using the North Parking Areas to cover such deficiency, in
6
common with other tenants of the Park, on a “first-come first served” basis. Landlord shall have the right in its sole discretion to adopt
and subsequently amend rules and regulations regarding the use of parking spaces on the Lot and on the North Parking Areas. Landlord
also reserves the right to relocate, reconfigure, restripe or reduce the parking spaces on the Lot and the North Parking Areas, subject to
the terms and conditions set forth in this Lease, including without limitation, Section 2.1. Additionally, Landlord reserves the right to
designate certain parking spaces or parking areas on the Lot or the North Parking Areas for parking by particular tenants and if Landlord
does so, Landlord shall similarly designate certain parking spaces or parking areas for Tenant’s use; provided that Landlord shall not
provide unfavorable treatment to Tenant in designating such parking spaces or parking areas. As used in this Lease, the term “North
Parking Areas” and “Primary Parking Area for 151 Martine Street” shall mean these areas as shown on as Exhibit G attached hereto.”
9. Landlord Representation Regarding Environmental Hazards. To its knowledge, Landlord represents that there are no environmental hazards or
violations of any environmental laws, regulations or ordinances in or around the Building which violations might pose a present danger to health, life or
safety.
10. Non-disturbance of Tenancy. Landlord represents that it has no financing on the Building whereby Landlord’s lender would be entitled to
disturb the tenancy of Tenant upon a default therein Landlord. Landlord further represents that it shall not enter into any such financing, but rather shall
negotiate with any such lender so as to permit Tenant to remain in
7
possession of the Premises on a direct rental relationship with such lender so long as Tenant is not in default of its obligations under this Lease.
11. Restoration Obligation. The Parties agree that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the original Lease or prior Amendments, Tenant’s
restoration obligations as to all Premises are as follows: regarding mechanical equipment installed by it shall be governed by this Section 11. In the case of
the Sixth Expansion Premises, if the Tenant migrates controls from Landlord’s existing HVAC equipment to Tenant’s management system during the Term,
upon Tenant’s vacation of the Sixth Expansion Premises, Tenant shall return the controls to Landlord’s management system. Furthermore, should Tenant
vacate the entire Premises, Tenant shall leave its building management system installed for Landlord’s use, at Tenant’s cost, and shall surrender all right
title and interest in said system to Landlord, which shall be Tenant’s sole responsibility regarding restoration.
12. Ratification. Except as expressly modified by this Amendment, the Lease shall remain in full force and effect, and as further modified by this
Amendment, is expressly ratified and confirmed by the parties hereto. This Amendment shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto
and their respective successors and assigns, subject to the provisions of the Lease regarding assignment and subletting.
13. Governing Law; Interpretation; and Partial Invalidity. This Amendment shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. If any term of this Amendment, or the application thereof to any person or circumstances, shall to any extent be invalid
or unenforceable, the remainder of this Amendment, or the application of such term to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is invalid or
unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby, and each term of this Amendment shall be valid
8
and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law. The titles for the paragraphs are for convenience only and not to be considered in construing this
Amendment. This Amendment contains all of the agreements of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior dealings
between them with respect to such subject matter. No delay or omission on the part of either party to this Amendment in requiring performance by the
other party or exercising any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver of any provision hereof or any rights hereunder, and no waiver, omission or delay in
requiring performance or exercising any right hereunder on any one occasion shall be construed as a bar to or waiver of such performance or right on any
future occasion.
14. Counterparts and Authority, This Amendment may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of
which together shall constitute one and the same document. Landlord and Tenant each warrant to the other that the person or persons executing this
Amendment on its behalf has or have authority to do so and that such execution has fully obligated and bound such party to all terms and provisions of this
Amendment.
9
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned executed this Amendment as of the date and year first written above.
LANDLORD:
University Of Massachusetts Dartmouth
By:
/s/ Robert Johnson
Name:
Title:
Robert Johnson
Chancellor
TENANT:
CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.,
By:
/s/ Anthony S. Marucci
Name: Anthony S. Marucci
President and CEO
Title:
10
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SUBSIDIARIES OF CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
Name
Celldex Therapeutics Switzerland GmbH
Jurisdiction of
Organization
Switzerland
Ownership
Percentage
100%
Exhibit 21.1
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Exhibit 21.1
SUBSIDIARIES OF CELLDEX THERAPEUTICS, INC.
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CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements on Form S-8 (Nos. 333-232253, 333-232255, 333-219867, 333-
219869, 333-205694, 333-189336, 333-151728 and 333-117602) and on Form S-3 (Nos. 333-214882 and 333-215747) of Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. of our
report dated March 26, 2020 relating to the financial statements, which appears in this Form 10-K.
Exhibit 23.1
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
March 26, 2020
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Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
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I, Anthony S. Marucci, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Celldex Therapeutics, Inc.;
CERTIFICATION
Exhibit 31.1
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in the Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for
the registrant and have:
(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities,
particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our
supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent
fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially
affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and
5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the
registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's Board of Directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal
control over financial reporting.
Date: March 26, 2020
By:
/s/ ANTHONY S. MARUCCI
Name:
Title:
Anthony S. Marucci
President and Chief Executive Officer
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Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION
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I, Sam Martin, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Celldex Therapeutics, Inc.;
CERTIFICATION
Exhibit 31.2
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in the Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for
the registrant and have:
(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities,
particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our
supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent
fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially
affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and
5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the
registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's Board of Directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal
control over financial reporting.
Date: March 26, 2020
By:
/s/ SAM MARTIN
Name:
Title:
Sam Martin
Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
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Exhibit 31.2
CERTIFICATION
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CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
Exhibit 32
Each of the undersigned hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, in
his capacity as an officer of Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company"), that, to his knowledge, the Annual Report of the Company on Form 10-K for the
period ended December 31, 2019 (the "Form 10-K"), fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15
U.S.C. §78m or 78o(d)) and that the information contained in such report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of
operations of the Company. This written statement is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Form 10-K. A signed
original of this statement has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or
its staff upon request.
Date: March 26, 2020
By:
/s/ ANTHONY S. MARUCCI
Date: March 26, 2020
By:
/s/ SAM MARTIN
Name:
Title:
Anthony S. Marucci
President and Chief Executive Officer
Name:
Title:
Sam Martin
Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
This certification shall not be deemed "filed" for any purpose, nor shall it be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities
Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act.
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Exhibit 32
CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED
PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002