UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
x | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009
OR
¨ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission file number: 001-12465
CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Washington | 91-1533912 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) | |
501 Elliott Avenue West, Suite 400 Seattle, WA 98119 (Address of principal executive offices) |
98119 (Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (206) 282-7100
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class |
Name of each exchange on which registered | |
Common Stock, no par value | The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC |
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 x 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 ¨ No x
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 x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted 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 ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer x |
Accelerated filer ¨ | |
Non-accelerated filer ¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Smaller reporting company ¨ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ¨ No x
As of June 30, 2009, the aggregate market value of the registrants common equity held by non-affiliates was $846,371,774. Shares of common stock held by each executive officer and director and by each person known to the registrant who beneficially owns more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the registrants common stock have been excluded in that such persons may under certain circumstances be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of executive officer or affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes. The registrant has no non-voting common stock outstanding.
The number of outstanding shares of the registrants common stock as of February 22, 2010 was 616,116,231.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None.
CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
Page | ||||
PART I | ||||
ITEM 1. | 2 | |||
ITEM 1A. | 18 | |||
ITEM 1B. | 36 | |||
ITEM 2. | 36 | |||
ITEM 3. | 36 | |||
ITEM 4. | 38 | |||
PART II | ||||
ITEM 5. | 40 | |||
ITEM 6. | 42 | |||
ITEM 7. | MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
44 | ||
ITEM 7A. | 60 | |||
ITEM 8. | 61 | |||
ITEM 9. | CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE |
112 | ||
ITEM 9A. | 112 | |||
ITEM 9B. | 112 | |||
PART III | ||||
ITEM 10. | 113 | |||
ITEM 11. | 116 | |||
ITEM 12. | SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS |
140 | ||
ITEM 13. | CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE |
141 | ||
ITEM 14. | 144 | |||
PART IV | ||||
ITEM 15. | 145 | |||
153 | ||||
Forward Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents incorporated by reference may contain, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act. These statements relate to our future plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and financial performance, and assumptions that underlie these statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements for the purposes of these provisions, including:
| any statements regarding future operations, plans, regulatory filings or approvals; |
| any statement regarding the performance, or likely performance, or outcomes or economic benefit of any licensing or other agreement, including any agreement with Novartis International Pharmaceutical Ltd., or Novartis, or its affiliates, including whether or not such partner will elect to participate, terminate or otherwise make elections under any such agreement or whether any regulatory authorizations required to enable such agreement will be obtained; |
| any projections of cash resources, revenues, operating expenses or other financial terms; |
| any statements of the plans and objectives of management for future operations or programs; |
| any statements concerning proposed new products or services; |
| any statements on plans regarding proposed or potential clinical trials or new drug filing strategies or timelines; |
| any statements regarding pending or future mergers or acquisitions; and |
| any statement regarding future economic conditions or performance, and any statement of assumption underlying any of the foregoing. |
When used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, terms such as anticipates, believes, continue, could, estimates, expects, intends, may, plans, potential, predicts, should, or will or the negative of those terms or other comparable terms are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause industry trends or actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these statements. Our actual results may differ significantly from the results discussed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, those listed under Part I, Item I Business, Item 1A Risk Factors, Item 7 Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to conform these statements to actual results or changes in our expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
You may review a copy of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including exhibits and any schedule filed therewith, and obtain copies of such materials at prescribed rates, at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions, or the SEC, Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants, such as Cell Therapeutics, Inc., that file electronically with the SEC.
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Item 1. | Business |
Overview
We develop, acquire and commercialize novel treatments for cancer. Our goal is to build a leading biopharmaceutical company with a diversified portfolio of proprietary oncology drugs. Our research, development, acquisition and in-licensing activities concentrate on identifying and developing new, less toxic and more effective ways to treat cancer. We are currently focusing our efforts on pixantrone, OPAXIO, brostallicin and bisplantinates.
We are developing pixantrone, a novel anthracycline derivative, for the treatment of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, or NHL, and various other hematologic malignancies, solid tumors and immunological disorders. Pixantrone was studied in our EXTEND, or PIX301, clinical trial, which is the first randomized, controlled, phase III single-agent clinical trial of pixantrone for patients with relapsed, aggressive NHL who received two or more prior therapies and who were sensitive to treatment with anthracyclines. In November 2008, we announced that this trial achieved the primary efficacy endpoint. Based on the outcome of the EXTEND trial and on the basis of a pre-New Drug Application, or NDA, communication we received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, relating to this phase III trial, we began a rolling NDA submission to the FDA in April 2009. We completed the submission in June 2009 and we have been notified by the FDA that a Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, action date of April 23, 2010 under standard review has been established. Based on this PDUFA date, if pixantrone is approved, it could be available to patients in the United States as early as the second quarter of 2010.
The FDAs Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, or ODAC, was scheduled to review the NDA for pixantrone on February 10, 2010, however that meeting was postponed due to severe winter weather conditions in the Washington D.C. area. The FDA indicated that it intends to reschedule the meeting as soon as the FDA can determine a schedule that will allow them to reconvene the advisory panel. ODAC is an independent panel of experts that evaluates data concerning the efficacy and safety of marketed and investigational products for use in the treatment of cancer and makes recommendations to the FDA. The FDA regulations indicate that although the FDA will consider the recommendation of the panel, the final decision regarding the approval of the product is made by the FDA.
The results of the EXTEND trial showed that patients randomized to treatment with pixantrone achieved a significantly higher rate of confirmed and unconfirmed complete remissions compared to patients treated with standard chemotherapy, had a significantly increased overall response rate and experienced a statistically significant improvement in median progression free survival. Pixantrone was safely administered at the proposed dose and schedule in the PIX301 clinical trial in heavily pre-treated patients. The most common (incidence greater than or equal to 10%) grade 3/4 adverse events reported for pixantrone-treated subjects across the studies were neutropenia and leucopenia. Use of growth factor support was minimal. Other common adverse events (any grade) included infection, anemia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, asthenia, pyrexia, and cough. Overall, the incidence of grade 3 or greater cardiac adverse events was 7% (5 patients) on the pixantrone arm and 2% (1 patient) on the comparator arm. There were an equal number of deaths due to an adverse event in both the pixantrone and comparator arm.
We also conducted the RAPID, or PIX203, phase II clinical trial study (CHOP-R vs. CPOP-R) in which pixantrone is substituted for doxorubicin in the CHOP-R regimen compared to the standard CHOP-R regimen in patients with aggressive NHL. An interim analysis of the RAPID trial, reported in July 2007, showed that to date, a majority of patients on both arms of the study achieved a major objective anti-tumor response (complete response or partial response). Patients on the pixantrone arm of the study had clinically significant less left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) drops, infections, and thrombocytopenia (a reduction in platelets in the blood), as well as significant reduction in febrile neutropenia. In early 2008, we closed enrollment on the RAPID
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trial because we had adequate sample size to demonstrate differences in cardiac events and other clinically relevant side effects between pixantrone and doxorubicin. We expect to report results from the RAPID trial in mid-2010.
In July 2009, we were notified by the European Medicines Agency, or EMEA, that pixantrone is eligible to be submitted for a Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, through the EMEAs centralized procedure. The centralized review process provides for a single coordinated review for approval of pharmaceutical products that is conducted by the EMEA on behalf of all European Union, or EU, member states. The EMEA also designated pixantrone as a New Active Substance, or NAS; if approved, compounds designated as an NAS receive a 10-year market exclusivity period in EU member states. In September 2009, we submitted a Pediatric Investigation Plan, or PIP, to the EMEA as part of the required filing process for approval of pixantrone for treating relapsed, aggressive NHL in Europe. Based upon feedback from European authorities, we are requesting a waiver from executing a PIP. In September 2009, we also applied to the EMEA for orphan drug designation for pixantrone which was granted in December 2009. We anticipate the formal MAA filing for pixantrone for the treatment of relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL in mid-2010.
We are currently focusing our development of OPAXIO (paclitaxel poliglumex), which we have previously referred to as XYOTAX, as a potential maintenance therapy for women with advanced stage ovarian cancer who achieve a complete remission following first-line therapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin. This study, the GOG0212 trial, is under the control of the Gynecologic Oncology Group, or GOG, and is expected to enroll 1,100 patients with over 600 patients enrolled to date. Given the expected rate of progression in the control (no treatment) arm and the 5 year duration of study enrollment to date, we requested that the Data Monitoring Committee, or DMC, perform an interim futility analysis examining progression free survival as a surrogate for overall survival. We made this request based on input from our external statistical expert who proposed a boundary for futility that, if exceeded, would predict a likely positive effect on overall survival at study conclusion. Alternatively if the boundary was not met then the likelihood of positive benefit on overall survival would be low, thus making further enrollment futile. The GOG informed us that, in closed session deliberation, the DMC denied our request and plans to conduct an interim analysis for overall survival which is projected to occur in 2011.
In June 2009, we announced that, in a study released from Brown University at the 2009 American Society for Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, patients with cancer of the lower esophagus had evidence of a high pathological complete response rate when given OPAXIO in addition to cisplatin and full-course radiotherapy. In this phase II clinical trial study, preliminary data suggests that OPAXIO may provide enhanced radiation sensitization as compared to standard therapy. We plan to meet with the FDA in 2010 to explore a potential phase III registration study utilizing OPAXIO as a radiation sensitizer in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
In March 2008, we submitted an MAA to the EMEA for first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, who are poor performance status, or PS2, based on a non-inferior survival and improved side effect profile which we believe was demonstrated in our previous clinical trials. The application was based on a positive opinion we received from the EMEAs Scientific Advice Working Party, or SAWP; the EMEA agreed that switching the primary endpoint from superiority to non-inferiority was feasible if the retrospective justification provided in the marketing application was adequate. In September 2009, we notified the EMEA of our decision to withdraw the MAA and we refocused our resources on the approval of OPAXIO for its potential superiority indication in maintenance therapy for ovarian cancer and as a radiation sensitizer in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
We are also continuing to develop OPAXIO for women with pre-menopausal levels of estrogen, regardless of age, who have advanced NSCLC with normal or poor performance status. We believe the lack of safe and effective treatment for women with advanced first-line NSCLC, who have pre-menopausal estrogen levels, represents an unmet medical need. Based on a pooled analysis of STELLAR 3 and 4 phase III trials for treatment of first-line NSCLC PS2 patients, we believe that there is a demonstrated statistically significant survival
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advantage among women receiving OPAXIO when compared to women or men receiving standard chemotherapy. A survival advantage for women over men was also demonstrated in a first-line phase II clinical trial of OPAXIO and carboplatin, known as the PGT202 trial, supporting the potential benefit observed in the STELLAR 3 and 4 trials. In September 2007, we initiated our PGT307 trial which focuses exclusively on NSCLC in women with pre-menopausal estrogen levels, the subset of patients where OPAXIO demonstrated the greatest potential survival advantage in the STELLAR trials. Although the FDA has established the requirement that two adequate and well-controlled pivotal studies demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in overall survival will be required for approval of OPAXIO in the NSCLC setting, we believe that compelling results from PGT307, along with supporting evidence from prior clinical trials, may enable us to submit an NDA in the United States. Currently, we have limited the enrollment on the PGT307 study to sites in the United States only and we will continue to consider the expansion of the trial.
We are developing brostallicin through our wholly owned subsidiary, Systems Medicine LLC, or SM, which holds worldwide rights to use, develop, import and export brostallicin, a synthetic DNA minor groove binding agent that has demonstrated anti-tumor activity and a favorable safety profile in clinical trials in which more than 230 patients have been treated to date. SM currently uses a genomic-based platform to guide the development of brostallicin. We expect to use that platform to guide the development of our licensed oncology products in the future. We also have a strategic affiliation with the Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen, and have the ability to use TGens extensive genomic platform and high throughput capabilities to target a cancer drugs context-of-vulnerability, which is intended to guide clinical trials toward patient populations where the highest likelihood of success should be observed, thereby potentially lowering risk and shortening time to market.
A phase II clinical trial study of brostallicin in relapsed/refractory soft tissue sarcoma met its predefined activity and safety hurdles and resulted in a first-line phase II clinical trial study that is currently being conducted by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, or EORTC. Planned enrollment for this study was completed in August 2008 and the EORTC conducted the final data analysis in 2009; and a study report is expected in 2010. Brostallicin has also demonstrated synergy with new targeted agents as well as established treatments in preclinical trials. A multi-arm combination study with brostallicin and other agents, including Avastin (bevacizumab) was completed in the first quarter of 2009. Results are pending.
In March 2009, we divested our interest in the radiopharmaceutical product Zevalin® (ibritumomab tiuxetan) by selling our 50% interest in the Zevalin joint venture, RIT Oncology, to Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Spectrum, for $16.5 million. Previously, in December 2008, we closed our transaction with Spectrum to form RIT Oncology, to commercialize and develop Zevalin in the United States. We originally acquired the U.S. rights to develop, market and sell Zevalin from Biogen Idec Inc., or Biogen, in December 2007. We received an initial payment of $6.5 million in gross proceeds from Spectrum in March 2009, $750,000 of which was used to pay a consent fee to Biogen, and an additional $6.5 million in gross proceeds in April 2009. The remaining $3.5 million we expected to receive from Spectrum, subject to certain adjustments, was disputed and was ultimately released to Spectrum based on the outcome of an arbitration hearing held in May 2009. In addition, as part of the divestiture transaction, we agreed to forego the right to receive up to $15 million in product sales milestone payments in connection with the original transaction establishing the joint venture.
Platinates constitute an important class of cornerstone chemotherapy agents used to treat a wide variety of cancers. There are three currently commercially available platinates (cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin) which are first-line agents in ovarian cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer, and colorectal cancer and are also used in a broad variety of other diseases. We are developing new analogues of the dinuclear-platinum complex CT-3610 that is more potent than any of the commercially available platinates. These bisplatinates have a different mechanism of action than the commercially available platinum compounds and are substantially more active on many preclinical models including those with resistance to monoplatinates. We have initiated an Investigational New Drug application, or IND, enabling activities for bisplatinates.
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We were incorporated in Washington in 1991. Our principal executive offices are located at 501 Elliott Avenue West, Suite 400, Seattle, Washington 98119. Our telephone number is (206) 282-7100. The address for our website is http://www.celltherapeutics.com. We make available free of charge on our website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and amendments to such filings, as soon as reasonably practicable after each is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.
CTI and OPAXIO are our proprietary marks. All other product names, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners.
The Oncology Market
Overview. According to the American Cancer Society, or ACS, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, resulting in close to 560,000 deaths annually, or more than 1,500 people per day. The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 11.1 million people in the United States with a history of cancer were alive in January 2005, and it is estimated that slightly more than one in three American women, and slightly less than one in two American men will develop cancer in their lifetime. Approximately 1.5 million new cases of cancer were expected to be diagnosed in 2009 in the United States. The most commonly used methods for treating patients with cancer are surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Patients usually receive a combination of these treatments depending upon the type and extent of their disease.
Despite recent advances in sequencing the human genome and the introduction of new biologic therapies for the treatment of cancer, almost all patients with advanced cancer will receive chemotherapy at some point during the treatment of their disease. The cornerstone classes of chemotherapy agents include anthracyclines, camptothecins, platinates and taxanes. Unfortunately, there are significant limitations and complications associated with these agents that result in a high rate of treatment failure. The principal limitations of chemotherapy include:
| treatment-related toxicities, |
| inability to selectively target tumor tissue, and |
| the development of resistance to the cancer-killing effects of chemotherapy. |
Treatment-related toxicities. The majority of current chemotherapy agents kill cancer cells by disrupting the cell division and replication process. Although this mechanism often works in cancer cells, which grow rapidly through cell division, non-cancerous cells are also killed because they too undergo routine cell division. This is especially true for cells that line the mouth, stomach and intestines, hair follicles, blood cells and reproductive cells (sperm and ovum). Because the mechanism by which conventional cancer drugs work is not limited to cancer cells, their use is often accompanied by toxicities. These toxicities limit the effectiveness of cancer drugs and seriously impact the patients quality of life.
Inability to selectively target tumor tissue. When administered, chemotherapy circulates through the bloodstream, reaching both tumor and normal tissues. Normally dividing tissues are generally as sensitive as tumor cells to the killing effects of chemotherapy and toxic side effects limit the treatment doses that can be given to patients with cancer.
Chemotherapy resistance. Resistance to the cancer killing effects of conventional chemotherapy is a major impediment to continued effective treatment of cancer. Many cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy ultimately develop resistance to one or more chemotherapy agents and eventually die from their disease. Because many chemotherapies share similar properties, when a tumor develops resistance to a single drug, it may become resistant to many other drugs as well. Drugs that work differently from existing chemotherapies and are less susceptible to the same mechanisms of resistance have consequently begun to play an important role in treating resistant tumors.
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We believe developing agents which improve on the cornerstone chemotherapy classes, in addition to novel drugs designed to treat specific types of cancer and cancer patients, fills a significant unmet need for cancer patients. Our cancer drug development pipeline includes a modified anthracycline, a taxane and a DNA minor groove binding agent, each of which has the potential to treat a variety of cancer types.
Pixantrone
Anthracyclines are one of the most potent classes of anti-cancer agents used in first-line treatment of aggressive NHL, leukemia and breast cancer. For these diseases, anthracycline-containing regimens can often produce long-term cancer remissions and cures. However, the currently marketed anthracyclines can cause severe, permanent and life-threatening cardiac toxicity when administered beyond widely recognized cumulative lifetime doses. This toxicity often prevents repeat use of anthracyclines in patients who relapse after first-line anthracycline treatment. In addition, the cardiac toxicity of anthracyclines prevents their use in combination with other drugs, such as trastuzumab, that also can cause cardiac toxicity. As a result, chemotherapy regimens that do not include anthracyclines often are used for the second-line treatment of relapsed NHL. There are no drugs approved in the United States for patients with aggressive NHL that relapse after, or are refractory to, second-line treatment.
We believe a next-generation anthracycline with better ease of administration, greater anti-tumor activity and less cardiac toxicity could gain a significant share of the anthracycline market. We also believe that such a drug could allow repeat therapy in relapsed patients and could allow combination therapy with a broader range of chemotherapies. Pixantrone (BBR 2778) is being developed to improve the activity and safety in treating cancers usually treated with the anthracycline family of anti-cancer agents. It is a novel DNA major groove binder with an aza-anthracenedione molecular structure, differentiating it from anthracycline chemotherapy agents. Pixantrone has been studied in both indolent and aggressive NHL. The drug has demonstrated encouraging activity as a single agent in aggressive NHL, and recent clinical results suggest the compound also may be synergistic with other agents commonly used in combination therapy.
Pixantrone is an azo-anthracenedione that has distinct structural and physiochemical properties that make its anti-tumor unique in this class of agents. Similar to anthracyclines, pixantrone inhibits topo-isomerase II but, unlike anthracyclines, rather than interacalation with DNA, pixantrone hydrogen bonds to and alkylates DNA, thus forming stable DNA adducts with particular specificity for CpG righ, hypermethylated sites. In addition, the structural motifs on anthracylcline-like agents are responsible for the generation of oxygen free radicals and the formation of toxic drug-metal complexes have also been modified in pixantrone to prevent iron binding and perpetuation of superoxide production, both of which are the putative mechanism of anthracycline induced acute cardiotoxicity. These novel pharmacologic differences may allow re-introduction of anthracycline-like potency in the treatment of relapsed/refractory aggressive lymphoma for patients who are otherwise at their lifetime recommended doxorubicin exposure.
Pixantrone for relapsed aggressive NHL
We have several clinical trials with pixantrone, including a pivotal phase III trial, known as the EXTEND, or PIX301, trial of pixantrone for the treatment of patients with relapsed aggressive NHL, a condition for which there are no chemotherapy drugs approved in the United States. This study was an international, randomized trial comparing pixantrone to a single agent of the treating physicians choice. The primary endpoint of the study was complete remission rate. The trial enrolled 140 patients from 24 countries and patients were randomized in a 1:1 fashion to receive either pixantrone or another single-agent drug currently used for the treatment of this patient population, as selected by the physician, for up to six cycles of treatment. Tumor assessments were performed at baseline and every eight weeks thereafter through an 18-month follow-up period. The primary efficacy analysis occurred when the last patient enrolled completed treatment in September 2008. All responses of efficacy were assessed by an independent assessment panel.
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We announced in November 2008 that we had achieved the primary efficacy endpoint of the PIX301 trial. Patients randomized to treatment with pixantrone achieved a high rate of confirmed and unconfirmed complete remissions compared to patients treated with standard chemotherapy (14/70 (20.0%) for pixantrone arm compared to 4/70 (5.7%) for the standard chemotherapy arm, p = 0.02). No patient (0%) in the standard chemotherapy arm achieved a confirmed complete remission compared to 8/70 (11%) of pixantrone recipients. Pixantrone treatment also significantly increased the overall response rate (CR/CRu+PR) with 26/70 (37.1%) for pixantrone arm compared to 10/70 (14.3%) for the control arm, p = 0.003. On an intent-to-treat analysis, pixantrone recipients who achieved a complete remission did so during the first 2 cycles of therapy, compared to 4 cycles among standard chemotherapy recipients, (1.9 months vs. 3.6 months, pixantrone vs. standard chemotherapy).
The duration of response in the patients was similar in the 37% of pixantrone patients who had either a partial or complete response compared to the 14% of comparator patients with a major response. However, the overall progression-free survival (PFS) results that show patients treated with pixantrone experienced a statistically significant improvement in median progression-free survival, compared with other single-agent chemotherapeutic (4.7 months vs. 2.6 months, hazard ratio = 0.6; p = 0.0074, pixantrone vs. standard chemotherapy) based on an intent-to-treat analysis. Progression-free survival, CR/CRu and ORR were determined by an independent assessment panel that was blinded to the treatment assignments.
Pixantrone was safely administered at the proposed dose and schedule in the PIX301 clinical trial in heavily pretreated patients. The most common (incidence greater than or equal to 10%) grade 3/4 adverse events reported for pixantrone-treated subjects across the studies were neutropenia and leucopenia. Febrile neutropenia occurred at a rate of 7% in pixantrone and 3% in comparator patients. Use of growth factor support was minimal. Other common adverse events (any grade) included infection, anemia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, asthenia, pyrexia, and cough.
During the conduct of the PIX301 trial, we conducted prospective monitoring for cardiac events. At baseline, more pixantrone patients had a pre-existing cardiac disease, including five patients with histories of CHF or cardiomyopathy with none reported in the comparator arm. Two pixantrone and one comparator patient had grade 3 troponin levels at study entry. Overall, the incidence of grade 3 or greater cardiac adverse events was 7% (5 patients) on the pixantrone arm and 2% (1 patient) on the comparator arm. One of these pixantrone patients had a reversible asymptomatic grade 3 decline in LVEF. Examination of LVEF values has shown no relationship between dose or cumulative exposure to pixantrone and the occurrence grade 3 or greater cardiac adverse events. There were an equal number of deaths due to an adverse event in both pixantrone and the comparator arm (15 each); in the pixantrone arm, three patients died due to progressive disease while nine comparator patients died due to progressive disease. An updated efficacy analysis was performed in conjunction with the Day 120 Safety Update in June 2009. The complete response rate, progression free survival and overall survival continued to improve on follow-up.
Based on the outcome of the EXTEND trial and on the basis of a pre-NDA communication we received from the FDA relating to this phase III trial, we began a rolling NDA submission to the FDA in April 2009. We completed the submission in June 2009 and we have been notified by the FDA that a PDUFA action date of April 23, 2010 has been established. Based on this PDUFA date, if pixantrone is approved, it could be available to patients in the United States as early as the second quarter of 2010.
In line with our company values, we have made pixantrone available on a compassionate use basis. Accordingly, in May 2009 we entered into an agreement with IDIS, Limited, or IDIS, to manage pixantrone as an investigational drug on a named-patient basis in Europe. Pixantrone will be supplied by IDIS to healthcare professionals for the treatment of individual patients with relapsing aggressive non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
We also conducted the RAPID, or PIX203, phase II clinical trial study (CHOP-R vs. CPOP-R) in which pixantrone is substituted for doxorubicin in the CHOP-R regimen compared to the standard CHOP-R regimen in
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patients with aggressive NHL. Preliminary results of this trial were reported at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology, or ASH, in December 2007. The interim analysis of the RAPID trial, in which 78 patients were evaluated for safety and 40 of the 78 patients were evaluated for efficacy, was reported in July 2007. In early 2008, we closed enrollment on the RAPID study, based on adequate sample size to demonstrate difference in cardiac events and other clinically relevant side effects between pixantrone and doxorubicin. We expect to report results from this trial in mid-2010.
In July 2009, we were notified by the EMEA that pixantrone is eligible to be submitted for a Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, through the EMEAs centralized procedure. The centralized review process provides for a single coordinated review for approval of pharmaceutical products that is conducted by the EMEA on behalf of all EU member states. The EMEA also designated pixantrone as an NAS; if approved, compounds designated as an NAS receive a 10-year market exclusivity period in EU member states. In September 2009, we submitted a PIP to the EMEA as part of the required filing process for approval of pixantrone for treating relapsed, aggressive NHL in Europe. Based upon feedback from European authorities, we are requesting a waiver from executing a PIP. In September 2009, we also applied to the EMEA for orphan drug designation for pixantrone, which was granted in December 2009. We anticipate the formal MAA filing for pixantrone for the treatment of relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL in mid-2010.
Pixantrone for other indications
Other clinical data suggest pixantrone may be useful in treating indolent NHL, a less rapidly progressive but ultimately fatal form of NHL. In November 2005, we presented results from a multi-center randomized trial, known as AZA302. This trial, evaluating pixantrone plus rituximab versus rituximab alone among patients with relapsed or refractory indolent NHL, was modified and reduced as a result of our strategy to conduct a pivotal phase III trial in aggressive NHL, which we believe provides the fastest route to registration for pixantrone. Of the 38 patients evaluable for response, patients receiving the combination of rituximab and pixantrone had an 87% overall improvement in time to progression, or TTP, compared to rituximab alone. The median TTP estimate for the pixantrone/rituximab recipients was 13.2 months compared to 8.1 months for rituximab alone (hazard ratio 0.13, log rank p <0.001). The one- and two-year progression-free survival estimates were 66% and 44% for the pixantrone/rituximab recipients compared to 0% for the rituximab patients for both measurement intervals (p <0.001 and 0.003, respectively). The study also demonstrated a significant improvement in major objective responses (³ 50% shrinkage in tumor size). The pixantrone-rituximab combination produced a complete response (CR) in seven patients (35%), with eight patients (40%) experiencing a partial response (PR) and four patients (20%) with stable disease (SD). Rituximab monotherapy produced a CR in two patients (11%), PR in four patients (22%) with six patients having SD (33%). This corresponds to a major objective response rate of 75% in the combination therapy arm compared to 33% in the rituximab group (p=0.021). Side effects on pixantrone were generally mild to moderate (grade 1 or 2) with the exception of three cases of serious neutropenia associated with the pixantrone/rituximab arm. The median cumulative dose of pixantrone administered was 1014 mg/m²; no cases of treatment-related grade 3 or 4 cardiac toxicity were reported.
In May 2007, we received special protocol assessment, or a SPA, from the FDA for approval for a new protocol designed to evaluate the combination of fludarabine, pixantrone and rituximab versus fludarabine and rituximab in patients who have received at least one prior treatment for relapsed or refractory indolent NHL, and we received fast track designation from the FDA for pixantrone for the treatment of relapsed or refractory indolent NHL. The protocol, which became our phase III PIX303 trial, was launched in September 2007. However, we closed the trial in January 2008 based on, among other considerations, our plans to refocus the Companys resources on obtaining pixantrone approval based on the EXTEND phase III trial before making additional substantive investments in alternative indications for pixantrone as well as the changing landscape in second line follicular NHL.
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OPAXIO
OPAXIO (paclitaxel poliglumex, CT-2103) is our novel biologically enhanced chemotherapeutic agent that links paclitaxel to a biodegradable polyglutamate polymer, resulting in a new chemical entity. We are currently focusing our development of OPAXIO on ovarian and esophageal cancer.
OPAXIO was designed to improve the delivery of paclitaxel to tumor tissue while protecting normal tissue from toxic side effects. Unlike vessels in healthy tissue, those in tumor tissue have openings that make them porous. Due to the larger size of OPAXIO compared to standard paclitaxel, OPAXIO leaks through the pores in tumor blood vessels and is preferentially trapped and distributed to the tumor tissue. Once in the tumor tissue, OPAXIO is taken up by the tumor cells through a cellular process called endocytosis. Because the biopolymer OPAXIO is made up of biodigestible amino acids, it is slowly metabolized by lysosomal enzymes (principally cathepsin B) inside the lysosome of the tumor cell. This metabolism releases the active chemotherapy agent, paclitaxel. The activity of this enzyme, and thus the rate of release of OPAXIO, is increased in the presence of estrogen.
Because the polymer is water-soluble, OPAXIO can be administered without solvents and other routine pre-medications (such as steroids and antihistamines) generally used to prevent severe allergic reactions, and can be infused over an average of ten to twenty minutes. Patients can drive themselves to and from their treatment centers. OPAXIO remains stable in the bloodstream for several days after administration; this prolonged circulation allows the passive accumulation of OPAXIO in tumor tissue.
Taxanes, including paclitaxel (Taxol®) and docetaxel (Taxotere®), currently are widely used for the treatment of various solid tumors, including non-small cell lung, ovarian, breast and prostate cancers. Paclitaxel is considered a standard-of-care in lung and ovarian cancers, where it is most widely used. Because taxanes are small, hydrophobic agents, their therapeutic potential is limited by unfavorable pharmacokinetic properties. Solvents (such as Cremaphor) are needed for administration, and these solvents are often extremely irritating to blood vessels, requiring surgical placement of a large catheter for administration and a minimum of three hours for infusion. They also can cause severe life threatening allergic reactions that typically require pre-medications with steroids and antihistamines. Patients usually require transportation to and from their treatment location. Taxanes exhibit high peak levels of drug immediately following administration that expose normal tissues to toxic effects. Rapid elimination of the drug from blood limits tumor exposure.
The distribution and metabolism of OPAXIO to tumor tissue and subsequent release of active paclitaxel chemotherapy appears to be enhanced by estrogen, allowing for superior effectiveness in women with pre-menopausal estrogen levels. This gender-targeted benefit could also be exploited in post-menopausal women or men through estrogen supplementation. Preclinical data presented at the 2006 European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancers, National Cancer Institute and American Association for Cancer Research, or EORTC-NCI-AACR, meeting demonstrated that the efficacy of OPAXIO is enhanced in certain human tumors when mice are given additional estrogen. In subsequent clinical studies, more than 1,900 patients were treated in our four pivotal phase III trials of OPAXIO for the treatment of NSCLC. While the STELLAR 2, 3 and 4 trials missed their primary endpoint of superior overall survival, women treated with OPAXIO for newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC in STELLAR 3 and 4 had a significant improvement in their overall survival compared to women or men treated with standard chemotherapy. In addition, with single-agent OPAXIO, we observed a significant reduction in most of the severe toxic side effects associated with the standard chemotherapy agents studied in the STELLAR trials.
OPAXIO for ovarian cancer
The ACS estimates that approximately 21,150 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2009. The standard of care for first-line treatment of ovarian cancer is paclitaxel and carboplatin. In April 2004, we announced that we entered into a clinical trial agreement with the GOG to perform a phase III trial of OPAXIO as maintenance therapy in patients with ovarian cancer. In July 2004, the GOG submitted an
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IND along with the protocol for an SPA to the FDA. The GOG reached agreement with the FDA regarding the SPA in December 2004 and initiated the phase III study in March 2005. This study is expected to enroll 1,100 patients with over 600 patients enrolled to date. Given the expected rate of progression in the control (no treatment) arm and the 5 year duration of study enrollment to date, we requested that the Data Monitoring Committee, or DMC, perform an interim futility analysis examining progression free survival as a surrogate for overall survival. We made this request based on input from our external statistical expert who proposed a boundary for futility that, if exceeded, would predict a likely positive effect on overall survival at study conclusion. Alternatively if the boundary was not met then the likelihood of positive benefit on overall survival would be low, thus making further enrollment futile. The GOG informed us that, in closed session deliberation, the DMC denied our request and plans to conduct an interim analysis for overall survival which is projected to occur in 2011.
OPAXIO for esophageal cancer
In June 2009, we announced that, in a study released from Brown University at the 2009 American Society for Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, patients with cancer of the lower esophagus had evidence of a high pathological complete response rate when given OPAXIO in addition to cisplatin and full-course radiotherapy. In this phase II clinical trial study, preliminary data suggests that OPAXIO may provide enhanced radiation sensitization as compared to standard therapy. We plan to meet with the FDA in 2010 to explore a potential U.S. phase III registration study utilizing OPAXIO as a radiation sensitizer in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
OPAXIO for non-small cell lung cancer
The ACS estimates that 187,000 new cases of NSCLC will be diagnosed in the United States in 2009. Nearly 60 percent of people with lung cancer die within one year of their diagnosis and the five-year survival rate is only 15 percent. Paclitaxel is among the most commonly used cancer drugs to treat NSCLC in the United States.
In March 2005, we announced that our OPAXIO phase III pivotal trial, known as STELLAR 3, for the potential use of OPAXIO in combination with platinum as first-line treatment of PS2 patients with NSCLC missed its primary endpoint of superior overall survival. However, in the STELLAR 3 trial, OPAXIO had a reduction in certain side effects, including hair loss, muscle and joint pain, and cardiac symptoms. In May 2005, we announced that both the STELLAR 2 and 4 clinical trials missed their primary endpoints of superior overall survival, but also had significant reductions in certain severe side effects compared to the comparator agents. The STELLAR 2 pivotal trial was evaluating OPAXIO for potential use as second-line single agent treatment for patients with NSCLC, and the STELLAR 4 pivotal trial was evaluating OPAXIO for potential use as first-line single agent treatment for PS2 patients with NSCLC.
In July 2005, at the 11th World Conference on Lung Cancer, we announced that in a pooled analysis of our STELLAR 3 and 4 pivotal trials the 97 women who received OPAXIO had a significant increase in median and overall survival (9.5 months vs. 7.7 months, hazard ratio 0.70, log rank p=0.03) and in 1-year survival (40% vs. 25%, p=0.013) compared to 101 women who received comparator control agents. These results pooled data from all women randomized on the STELLAR 3 and 4 trials (a so-called intent to treat analysis). Individually, neither study reached statistical significance for overall survival for women, although a positive trend was observed in both trials, with a strong trend in the STELLAR 4 trial (p=0.069). While analysis of survival by gender was pre-specified in the analysis plans for the trials, a gender specific survival advantage for women over men was not a pre-specified endpoint in either trial.
In September 2005, we presented results from a phase II clinical trial, known as PGT202, of OPAXIO in the first-line treatment of men and women with advanced NSCLC which demonstrated a survival advantage for women receiving OPAXIO as first-line therapy for NSCLC when compared to men. In this single-arm study, the 35 women who received OPAXIO plus carboplatin had a 36% probability of living at least one year compared to 16% in the 39 men receiving the same regimen. A pooled analysis of the 463 patients treated with OPAXIO in
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the STELLAR 3, STELLAR 4 and PGT202 trials demonstrated a statistically significant survival advantage for women treated when compared to men, with women having a 39% probability of surviving at least one year compared to 25% for men (hazard ratio 0.63, log rank p=0.014).
In December 2005, we initiated the PIONEER, or PGT305, study comparing OPAXIO to paclitaxel in the first-line treatment of PS2 women with advanced NSCLC. In addition, we initiated preclinical studies on the effect of gender/hormonal status on OPAXIO biodistribution, cellular uptake and metabolism to support the hypothesis for survival improvement in women.
In February 2006, we presented results that confirm the observation of enhanced efficacy in the presence of estrogen seen in the STELLAR first-line trials. In the three first-line trials of OPAXIO (PGT202, STELLAR 3, and STELLAR 4), women of pre-menopausal age or with normal estrogen levels had the strongest survival advantage over their counterparts. In an analysis of the 113 of 198 women in the pooled STELLAR 3 and 4 trial data who are of pre-menopausal age or have normal estrogen levels, women treated with OPAXIO had a highly significant prolongation in the 1-year and overall survival estimates compared to women treated with standard chemotherapy, with the OPAXIO patients having a 44% reduction in the overall risk of dying (log rank p=0.008) and a 43% 1-year survival estimate compared to 19% for women on standard chemotherapy (p=0.003). We believe these data indicate a potential favorable alternative for women with normal estrogen levels who have NSCLC.
In addition, our phase III trials demonstrated that, with the exception of neuropathy known to be associated with taxane therapy, single agent OPAXIO (175-210mg/m²) has a significantly reduced incidence of severe side effects, including a reduction in severe neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, infection and anemia when compared to patients receiving standard chemotherapy agents gemcitabine, vinorelbine or docetaxel. OPAXIO also resulted in less severe allergic reactions, less hair loss, and significant reduction in the requirement for transfusions and use of hematopoietic growth factor support, such as Neupogen®, Neulasta®, Aranesp® and/or Epogen® compared to patients receiving standard chemotherapy.
In December 2006, we agreed with the recommendation of the Data Safety Monitoring Board to close the PIONEER lung cancer clinical trial due, in part, to the diminishing utility of the PIONEER trial given our plans to submit a new protocol to the FDA. In early 2007, we submitted two new protocols under an SPA to the FDA. The new trials, known as PGT306 and PGT307, focus exclusively on NSCLC in women with pre-menopausal estrogen levels, the subset of patients where OPAXIO demonstrated the greatest potential survival advantage in the STELLAR trials. We believe the lack of safe and effective treatment for women with advanced first-line NSCLC who have pre-menopausal estrogen levels represents an unmet medical need. We initiated the PGT307 trial in September 2007. Although the FDA has established the requirement that two adequate and well-controlled pivotal studies demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in overall survival will be required for approval of OPAXIO in the NSCLC setting, we believe that compelling results from a single trial, PGT307, along with supporting evidence from prior clinical trials, may enable us to submit an NDA in the United States. Currently, we have limited enrollment on the PGT307 study to sites in the United States only and we will continue to consider the expansion of the trial.
In March 2008, we submitted an MAA to the EMEA for first-line treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC who are poor performance status, or PS2, based on a non-inferior survival and improved side effect profile which we believe was demonstrated in our previous clinical trials. The application was based on a positive opinion we received from the EMEAs Scientific Advice Working Party, or SAWP; the EMEA agreed that switching the primary endpoint from superiority to non-inferiority was feasible if the retrospective justification provided in the marketing application was adequate. In September 2009, we notified the EMEA of our decision to withdraw the MAA and we refocused our resources on the approval of OPAXIO for its potential superiority indication in maintenance therapy for ovarian cancer and as a radiation sensitizer in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
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Brostallicin
We are developing brostallicin, which is a small molecule, chemotherapeutic agent with a unique mechanism of action and composition of matter patent coverage. Data in more than 230 patients treated with brostallicin in phase I/II clinical trials reveal evidence of activity in patients with refractory cancer and patient/physician-friendly dosage and administration. A phase II clinical trial study of brostallicin in relapsed/refractory soft tissue sarcoma met its pre-defined activity and safety hurdles and resulted in a first-line phase II clinical trial study that is currently being conducted by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, or EORTC. Planned enrollment for this study was completed in August 2008 and the EORTC plans to conduct the final data analysis in 2009 and a study report is expected in 2010. Brostallicin has also demonstrated synergy with new targeted agents as well as established treatments in preclinical trials. A multi-arm combination study with brostallicin and other agents, including Avastin (bevacizumab) was completed in the first quarter of 2009. The results of this study are pending.
Zevalin (Ibritumomab Tiuxetan)
In March 2009, we divested our interest in the radiopharmaceutical product Zevalin® (ibritumomab tiuxetan) by selling our 50% interest in the Zevalin joint venture, RIT Oncology, to Spectrum for $16.5 million. Previously, in December 2008, we closed our transaction with Spectrum to form RIT Oncology, to commercialize and develop Zevalin in the United States. We originally acquired the U.S. rights to develop, market and sell Zevalin from Biogen Idec Inc., or Biogen, in December 2007. We received an initial payment of $6.5 million in gross proceeds from Spectrum in March 2009, $750,000 of which was used to pay a consent fee to Biogen, and an additional $6.5 million in gross proceeds in April 2009. The remaining $3.5 million we expected to receive from Spectrum, subject to certain adjustments, was disputed and was ultimately released to Spectrum based on the outcome of an arbitration hearing held in May 2009. In addition, as part of the divestiture transaction, we agreed to forego the right to receive up to $15 million in product sales milestone payments in connection with the original transaction establishing the joint venture.
CTIs Ongoing Clinical Trials
The following table lists our active clinical trials (indicated by a status of open) and trials that have recently closed to enrollment.
Product Candidate | Indication/Intended Use | Phase/Enrollment Status | ||
Pixantrone |
Aggressive NHL, > 3 relapses, single-agent (PIX301) | III / closed | ||
Aggressive NHL, front-line, CPOP-R (PIX203) | II / closed | |||
OPAXIO (CT-2103) |
NSCLC, first-line, doublet therapy, PS0-2, females with pre-menopausal estrogen levels (PGT307) | III /open | ||
Ovarian first-line maintenance (GOG0212) | III / open | |||
Brostallicin |
Context of vulnerability (BRCA1 or BRCA2 Breast or Ovarian Cancer) (BRS201) | II / open | ||
Advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma, first-line, single agent (EORTC 62061) | II / closed | |||
Myxoid liposarcoma with specific genomic translocations (BRS202) | II / closed | |||
Combination with other anti-cancer drugs (BRS101) | I / closed |
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Research and Preclinical Development
Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug used to treat a wide variety of cancers. We are developing new analogues of the dinuclear-platinum complex, CT-3610, that is more potent than cisplatin. CT-3610 is endowed with a unique mechanism of action, active in preclinical studies on a large panel of tumor models, sensitive and refractory to cisplatin, and has a safety profile comparable to that of cisplatin. The novel bisplatinum analogues are rationally designed and synthesized to have improved biopharmaceutical properties that reduce the intrinsic reactivity of the molecule and that demonstrate preclinical anti-tumor efficacy in solid tumor models.
Research and development is essential to our business. We spent $30.2 million, $51.6 million and $72.0 million in 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively, on company-sponsored research and development activities.
Collaboration, Licensing and Milestone Arrangements
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In December 2008, we formed our 50/50 owned joint venture, RIT Oncology, with Spectrum to commercialize and develop Zevalin in the United States. At the closing of the joint venture transaction, we contributed all assets exclusively related to Zevalin in exchange for a 50% membership interest in RIT Oncology, an initial payment from RIT Oncology of $7.5 million upon closing of the transaction and an additional payment of $7.5 million in early January 2009. In March 2009, we divested our interest in Zevalin by selling our 50% membership interest in RIT Oncology to Spectrum for $16.5 million. We received payments of $13.0 million in gross proceeds and the remaining $3.5 million, which was subject to certain adjustments, was disputed and ultimately released to Spectrum based on the outcome of an arbitration hearing held in May 2009. In addition, as part of the divestiture transaction, we agreed to forego the right to receive up to $15 million in product sales milestone payments in connection with the original transaction establishing the joint venture.
PG-TXL Company, L.P. We have an agreement with PG-TXL Company, L.P., or PG-TXL, which grants us an exclusive worldwide license for the rights to OPAXIO and to all potential uses of PG-TXLs polymer technology. Pursuant to this agreement, we acquired the rights to the research, development, manufacture, marketing and sale of anti-cancer drugs developed using this polymer technology. We are obligated to make payments to PG-TXL upon the achievement of certain development and regulatory milestones and we may be required make additional payments of up to $14.4 million in the future if additional milestones are met. The timing of the remaining milestone payments under the amended agreement is based on trial commencements and completions and regulatory and marketing approval with the FDA and EMEA.
Gynecologic Oncology Group. We have an agreement with the Gynecologic Oncology Group, or GOG, related to the GOG0212 trial which the GOG is conducting. Under this agreement we are required to pay up to $5.1 million in additional milestone payments related to the trial of which $1.6 million may become due in the first quarter of 2010 based on patient enrollment.
Acquisition of Systems Medicine, Inc. In connection with our acquisition of Systems Medicine, Inc., or SMI, we were required to pay its stockholders a maximum of $15.0 million in additional consideration (payable in cash or stock at our election, subject to certain limitations of The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC, or NASDAQ, on the issuance of stock) upon the achievement of certain FDA regulatory milestones for brostallicin. In August 2009, we entered into an amended agreement under which these milestone payments were replaced by an immediate substitute payment of $6.0 million payable in shares of our common stock subject to certain conditions, including required shareholder approval. If the conditions were not satisfied, we would have been required to pay the SMI stockholders $5.0 million cash in lieu of the $6.0 million shares of our common stock. In October 2009, our shareholders approved the issuance of $6.0 million shares of our common stock and we issued approximately 5.6 million shares to SMI stockholders.
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Brostallicin. Under a license agreement entered into for brostallicin, we may be required to pay up to $80.0 million in milestone payments, based on the achievement of certain product development results. Because brostallicin is in an early stage of development, we are not able to determine whether the clinical trials will be successful and therefore cannot make a determination that the milestone payments are reasonably likely to occur at this time.
Cephalon. Pursuant to an acquisition agreement entered into with Cephalon, Inc. in connection with the sale of our former drug, TRISENOX, in June 2005, we may receive up to $100.0 million in payments upon achievement by Cephalon of specified sales and development milestones related to TRISENOX. However, the achievement of any such milestones is uncertain at this time.
Novartis International Pharmaceutical Ltd. In September 2006, we entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Novartis for the development and commercialization of OPAXIO. Total product registration and sales milestones due from Novartis for OPAXIO under the agreement could reach up to $270 million. The agreement also provides Novartis with an option to develop and commercialize pixantrone based on agreed terms. If Novartis exercises its option on pixantrone under certain conditions and we are able to negotiate and sign a definitive license agreement with Novartis, Novartis would pay us a $7.5 million license fee, up to $104 million in registration and sales related milestones and a royalty on pixantrone worldwide net sales as well as reimbursement for certain expenses. As of December 31, 2009, we have not received any milestone payments and we will not receive any milestone payments unless Novartis elects to participate in the development and commercialization of pixantrone or OPAXIO.
Patents and Proprietary Rights
We dedicate significant resources to protecting our intellectual property, which is important to our business. We have exclusive rights to 12 issued U.S. patents and 129 pending or issued U.S. and foreign patent applications relating to our polymer drug delivery technology, of which seven issued U.S. patents and 83 pending or issued U.S. and foreign patent applications are directed to OPAXIO. We have three issued U.S. patents and another 19 pending or issued U.S. and foreign patent applications that are directed to CT-2106. Additionally, we have four issued U.S. patents and 76 pending or issued U.S. and foreign issued patents directed to pixantrone and have licensed five granted U.S. patents and 394 pending and issued U.S. and foreign patent applications directed to brostallicin.
Manufacturing
We currently use, and expect to continue to be dependent upon, contract manufacturers to manufacture each of our product candidates. We have established a quality control and quality assurance program, including a set of standard operating procedures and specifications, designed to ensure that our products and product candidates are manufactured in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMPs, and other applicable domestic and European regulations. We will need to invest in additional manufacturing development, manufacturing and supply chain resources, and may seek to enter into additional collaborative arrangements with other parties that have established manufacturing capabilities. It is likely that we will continue to rely on third-party manufacturers for our development and commercial products on a contract basis. Currently, we have agreements with third-party vendors to produce, test, and distribute pixantrone, OPAXIO and brostallicin drug supply for clinical studies. We will be dependent upon these third-party vendors to supply CTI in a timely manner with products manufactured in compliance with cGMPs or similar standards imposed by U.S. and/or foreign regulatory authorities where our products are being developed, tested, and/or marketed.
We have a purchase agreement with Natural Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or NPI, which was assumed by Phyton Biotech, LLC, or Phyton, upon their purchase of NPI in 2009. Under this purchase agreement, Phyton currently must supply us with either 2.5 kilograms of paclitaxel or the cash equivalent of $0.5 million.
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In October 2009, the FDA inspected our contract manufacturing facility located in Milan, Italy and, based on its inspection, made observations regarding the manufacturing process and controls over our lead compound, pixantrone. Our contract manufacturer addressed and responded to the FDAs observations in November 2009. Neither our contract manufacturer nor the Company have received any further response from the FDA regarding our contract manufacturers planned action as of February 22, 2010.
Competition
Competition in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries is intense. We face competition from a variety of companies focused on developing oncology drugs. We compete with large pharmaceutical companies and with other specialized biotechnology companies, including but not limited to: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Sanofi-Aventis, Wyeth, Roche Group, Genentech, Inc., OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Abraxis, Neopharm Inc., Telik, Inc., TEVA Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. and PharmaMar. Many of our existing or potential competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and human resources than us and may be better equipped to develop, manufacture and market products. Smaller companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large pharmaceutical and established biotechnology companies. Many of these competitors have products that have been approved or are in development and operate large, well-funded research and development programs.
We expect to encounter significant competition for the principal pharmaceutical products we plan to develop. Companies that complete clinical trials, obtain required regulatory approvals and commence commercial sales of their products before us may achieve a significant competitive advantage if their products work through a similar mechanism as our products and if the approved indications are similar. We do not believe competition is as intense among products that treat cancer through novel delivery or therapeutic mechanisms where these mechanisms translate into a clinical advantage in safety and/or efficacy. A number of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are developing new products for the treatment of the same diseases being targeted by us. In some instances, such products have already entered late-stage clinical trials or received FDA approval. However, cancer drugs with distinctly different mechanisms of action are often used together in combination for treating cancer, allowing several different products to target the same cancer indication or disease type. Such combination therapy is typically supported by clinical trials that demonstrate the advantage of combination therapy over that of a single-agent treatment.
We believe that our ability to compete successfully will be based on our ability to create and maintain scientifically advanced technology, develop proprietary products, attract and retain scientific personnel, obtain patent or other protection for our products, obtain required regulatory approvals and manufacture and successfully market our products, either alone or through outside parties. We will continue to seek licenses with respect to technology related to our field of interest and may face competition with respect to such efforts.
Government Regulation
The research, development, testing, manufacture, labeling, promotion, advertising, distribution and marketing, among other things, of our products are extensively regulated by governmental authorities in the United States and other countries. In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, Public Health Service Act, or PHSA, and their implementing regulations. Failure to comply with applicable U.S. requirements may subject us to administrative or judicial sanctions, such as FDA refusal to approve pending new drug applications or supplemental applications, warning letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions and/or criminal prosecution.
Drug Approval Process. None of our drugs may be marketed in the United States until such drug has received FDA approval. The steps required before a drug may be marketed in the United States include:
| preclinical laboratory tests, animal studies and formulation studies; |
| submission to the FDA of an IND for human clinical testing, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin; |
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| adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the investigational product for each indication; |
| submission to the FDA of an NDA; |
| satisfactory completion of an FDA inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the drug is produced, tested, and distributed to assess compliance with cGMPs; and |
| FDA review and approval of the NDA. |
Preclinical tests include laboratory evaluation of product chemistry, toxicity and formulation, as well as animal studies. The conduct of the preclinical tests and formulation of the compounds for testing must comply with federal regulations and requirements. The results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, are submitted to the FDA as part of an IND, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. An IND will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA unless, before that time, the FDA raises concerns or questions about issues such as the conduct of the trials as outlined in the IND. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding FDA concerns or questions before clinical trials can proceed. We cannot be sure that submission of an IND will result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to begin.
Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational product to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing the objectives of the study, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. Each protocol must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND.
Clinical trials typically are conducted in three sequential phases, but the phases may overlap or be combined. The study protocol and informed consent information for study subjects in clinical trials must also be approved by an Institutional Review Board for each institution where the trials will be conducted. Study subjects must sign an informed consent form before participating in a clinical trial. Phase I usually involves the initial introduction of the investigational product into people to evaluate its short-term safety, dosage tolerance, metabolism, pharmacokinetics and pharmacologic actions, and, if possible, to gain an early indication of its effectiveness. Phase II usually involves trials in a limited patient population to (i) evaluate dosage tolerance and appropriate dosage, (ii) identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, and (iii) evaluate preliminarily the efficacy of the product candidate for specific indications. Phase III trials usually further evaluate clinical efficacy and test further for safety by using the product candidate in its final form in an expanded patient population. There can be no assurance that phase I, phase II or phase III testing will be completed successfully within any specified period of time, if at all. Furthermore, we or the FDA may suspend clinical trials at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk.
The FDA and IND sponsor may agree in writing on the design and size of clinical studies intended to form the primary basis of an effectiveness claim in an NDA application. This process is known as a special protocol assessment, or SPA. These agreements may not be changed after the clinical studies begin, except in limited circumstances. The existence of an SPA, however, does not assure approval of a product candidate.
Assuming successful completion of the required clinical testing, the results of the preclinical studies and of the clinical studies, together with other detailed information, including information on the manufacture and composition of the investigational product, are submitted to the FDA in the form of an NDA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. The testing and approval process requires substantial time, effort and financial resources. Submission of an NDA requires payment of a substantial review user fee to the FDA. The FDA will review the application and may deem it to be inadequate to support commercial marketing, and we cannot be sure that any approval will be granted on a timely basis, if at all. The FDA may also seek the advice of an advisory committee, typically a panel of clinicians practicing in the field for which the product is intended, for review, evaluation and a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of the advisory committee.
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The FDA has various programs, including fast track, priority review and accelerated approval, that are intended to expedite or simplify the process for reviewing drugs and/or provide for approval on the basis of surrogate endpoints. Generally, drugs that may be eligible for one or more of these programs are those for serious or life threatening conditions, those with the potential to address unmet medical needs and those that provide meaningful benefit over existing treatments. We cannot be sure that any of our drugs will qualify for any of these programs, or that, if a drug does qualify, the review time will be reduced or the product will be approved.
Before approving an NDA, the FDA usually will inspect the facility or the facilities where the product is manufactured, tested and distributed and will not approve the product unless cGMP compliance is satisfactory. If the FDA evaluates the NDA and the manufacturing facilities as acceptable, the FDA may issue an approval letter, or in some cases, an approvable letter. An approvable letter contains a number of conditions that must be met in order to secure final approval of the NDA. When and if those conditions have been met to the FDAs satisfaction, the FDA will issue an approval letter. The approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the drug for specific indications. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the products safety or efficacy, or impose other post-approval commitment conditions.
After approval, certain changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, making certain manufacturing changes or making certain additional labeling claims, are subject to further FDA review and approval. Obtaining approval for a new indication generally requires that additional clinical studies be conducted.
Post-Approval Requirements. Holders of an approved NDA are required to: (i) report certain adverse reactions to the FDA, (ii) comply with certain requirements concerning advertising and promotional labeling for their products, and (iii) continue to have quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to cGMP after approval. The FDA periodically inspects the sponsors records related to safety reporting and/or manufacturing and distribution facilities; this latter effort includes assessment of compliance with cGMP. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production, quality control and distribution to maintain cGMP compliance. We use and will continue to use third-party manufacturers to produce our products in clinical and commercial quantities, and future FDA inspections may identify compliance issues at our facilities or at the facilities of our contract manufacturers that may disrupt production or distribution, or require substantial resources to correct. In addition, discovery of problems with a product after approval may result in restrictions on a product, manufacturer or holder of an approved NDA, including withdrawal of the product from the market.
Marketing of prescription drugs is also subject to significant regulation through federal and state agencies tasked with consumer protection and prevention of medical fraud, waste and abuse. We must comply with restrictions on off-label use promotion, anti-kickback, ongoing clinical trial registration, and limitations on gifts and payments to physicians. In addition, we have entered into a corporate integrity agreement, or CIA, with the Office of the Inspector General, Health and Human Services, or OIG-HHS, as part of our settlement agreement with the United States Attorneys Office, or USAO, for the Western District of Washington arising out of their investigation into certain of our prior marketing practices relating to TRISENOX, which was divested to Cephalon Inc. in July 2005. The CIA, which became effective in December 2007 upon our acquisition of a commercially marketed drug, Zevalin, requires us to establish a compliance committee and compliance program and adopt a formal code of conduct.
Non-U.S. Regulation. Before our products can be marketed outside of the United States, they are subject to regulatory approval similar to that required in the United States, although the requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, including additional clinical trials that may be required, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary widely from country to country. No action can be taken to market any product in a country until an appropriate application has been approved by the regulatory authorities in that country. The current approval process varies from country to country, and the time spent in gaining approval varies from that required for FDA approval. In certain countries, the sales price of a product must also be approved. The pricing review period often begins after market approval is granted. Even if a product is approved by a regulatory authority, satisfactory prices may not be approved for such product.
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In Europe, marketing authorizations may be submitted at a centralized, a decentralized or national level. The centralized procedure is mandatory for the approval of biotechnology products and provides for the grant of a single marketing authorization that is valid in all European Union members states. As of January 1995, a mutual recognition procedure is available at the request of the applicant for all medicinal products that are not subject to the centralized procedure. There can be no assurance that the chosen regulatory strategy will secure regulatory approvals on a timely basis or at all.
Environmental Regulation
In connection with our research and development activities, we are subject to federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations and policies governing the use, generation, manufacture, storage, air emission, effluent discharge, handling and disposal of certain materials, biological specimens and wastes. Although we believe that we have complied with these laws, regulations and policies in all material respects and have not been required to take any significant action to correct any noncompliance, we may be required to incur significant costs to comply with environmental and health and safety regulations in the future. Our research and development involves the controlled use of hazardous materials, including, but not limited to, certain hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials. Although we believe that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of such materials comply with the standards prescribed by federal, state and local regulations, the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials cannot be eliminated. In the event of such an accident, we could be held liable for any damages that result and any such liability could exceed our resources.
Employees
As of December 31, 2009, we employed 104 individuals in the United States and 3 in Europe. We have 11 employees who hold doctoral degrees. Our U.S. employees do not have a collective bargaining agreement. Our European employees were subject to a collective bargaining agreement. We believe our relations with our employees to be good.
Information regarding our executive officers is set forth in Item 10 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which information is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 1a. | Risk Factors |
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The occurrence of any of the following risks described below and elsewhere in this document, including the risk that our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results or prospects and the trading price of our securities. Additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects and the trading price of our securities.
Factors Affecting Our Operating Results and Financial Condition
We need to raise additional funds and expect that we will need to continue to raise funds in the future, and additional funds may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all; failure to raise significant additional funds may cause us to cease development of our products and operations.
We have substantial operating expenses associated with the development of our product candidates and as of December 31, 2009 we had cash and cash equivalents of $37.8 million.
As of December 31, 2009, our total current liabilities were $63.9 million, including $40.4 million related to our 4% convertible senior subordinated notes which are due in July 2010 and we also had additional debt outstanding. The aggregate long-term principal balance of our outstanding 7.5% and 5.75% convertible senior notes as of December 31, 2009 was $21.2 million.
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We do not expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents, securities available-for-sale, interest receivable as well as proceeds received from our offerings to date will provide sufficient working capital to fund our presently anticipated operations through the third quarter of 2010 and we would therefore need to raise additional capital. We may not be able to raise such capital or if we can, it may not be on favorable terms. There can be no assurance that we will have sufficient earnings, access to liquidity or cash flow in the future to meet our operating expenses and other obligations, including our debt service obligations.
Additional funds may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all; if we fail to raise significant additional funds, we may be forced to cease development of our products and operations.
We may seek to raise additional capital through public or private equity financings, partnerships, joint ventures, dispositions of assets, debt financings or restructurings, bank borrowings or other sources. However, additional funding may not be available on favorable terms or at all and we are subject to certain regulatory and contractual limitations on our financing activities, which may limit our ability to raise additional funding. If adequate funds are not otherwise available, we will further curtail operations significantly, including the delay, modification or cancellation of operations and plans related to pixantrone, OPAXIO and brostallicin, and may be forced to cease operations, liquidate our assets and possibly seek bankruptcy protection.
To obtain additional funding, we may need to enter into arrangements that require us to relinquish rights to certain technologies, drug candidates, products and/or potential markets, such as our transfer of Zevalin assets to RIT Oncology and our subsequent sale of our 50% interest in RIT Oncology.
In addition, some financing alternatives may require us to meet additional regulatory requirements in Italy and the United States, which may increase our costs and adversely affect our ability to obtain financing. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity securities, or securities convertible into our equity securities, our shareholders may experience dilution of their proportionate ownership of us.
If our shareholders do not approve an increase in our authorized shares, we may not be able to raise additional funds through equity offerings.
Our shareholders have been asked to vote on a proposal to amend our articles of incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock at a special meeting of shareholders to be held on April 9, 2010. Even though a quorum requirement has been reduced to one-third of the shares entitled to vote being present or represented at a meeting of our shareholders, the proposed amendment to the articles of incorporation requires an approval of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on the proposal. There is a risk that we may not get shareholder approval to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock. Because of the number of shares reserved for issuance under various convertible securities, derivative securities and otherwise, we do not have enough shares authorized at present to effect an equity financing of any substantial amount. If we do not receive shareholder approval for the proposed increase in authorized shares, our ability to raise capital through equity financings may be adversely affected.
We may need to implement a reduction in expenses across our operations.
We may need substantial additional capital to fund our current operations. If we are unable to secure additional financing on acceptable terms in the near future, we may need to implement additional cost reduction initiatives, such as further reductions in the cost of our workforce and the discontinuation of a number of business initiatives to further reduce our rate of cash utilization and extend our existing cash balances. We believe that these additional cost reduction initiatives, if undertaken, would provide us with additional time to continue our pursuit of additional funding sources and also strategic alternatives. In the event that we are unable to obtain financing on acceptable terms and reduce our expenses, we may be required to limit or cease our operations, pursue a plan to sell our operating assets, or otherwise modify our business strategy, which could materially harm our future business prospects.
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During 2009, we finalized the closure our Italian operations that we used primarily for pre-clinical research. These operations were underutilized due to our current business model that is focused on the development of late-stage compounds and their commercialization. In connection with this closure, we entered into a severance agreement with the unions representing the employees of our Italian operations related to a reduction in force of 56 positions. In addition, we have entered into severance/termination agreements with four Bresso-based directors and are also in the final stages of negotiating severance agreements for the remaining two directors. We expect to save approximately $20.0 million in 2010 and beyond due to the closure of our Italian operations.
We may continue to incur net losses, and we may never achieve profitability.
We were incorporated in 1991 and have incurred a net operating loss every year since our formation. As of December 31, 2009, we had an accumulated deficit of $1.4 billion. We are pursuing regulatory approval for pixantrone, OPAXIO and brostallicin. We will need to conduct research, development, testing and regulatory compliance activities and undertake manufacturing and drug supply activities, expenses which, together with projected general and administrative expenses, may result in operating losses for the foreseeable future. We may never become profitable, even if we are able to commercialize products currently in development or otherwise.
Our debt and operating expenses exceed our net revenues.
We have a substantial amount of debt outstanding, and our annual interest expense with respect to our debt is significant. Unless we raise substantial additional capital and reduce our operating expenses, we may not be able to pay all of our operating expenses or repay our debt or the interest, liquidated damages or other payments that may become due with respect to our debt.
We may be unable to use our net operating losses.
We have substantial tax loss carryforwards for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result of prior changes in the stock ownership of the Company, our ability to use such carryforwards to offset future income or tax liability is limited under section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Moreover, future changes in the ownership of our stock, including those resulting from the issuance of shares of our common stock upon exercise of outstanding warrants, may further limit our ability to use our net operating losses.
We have received audit reports with a going concern disclosure on our consolidated financial statements.
As we may need to raise additional financing to fund our operations and satisfy obligations as they become due, our independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph in their reports on our December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 consolidated financial statements regarding their substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern. This may have a negative impact on the trading price of our common stock and we may have a more difficult time obtaining necessary financing.
Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market and the Mercato Telematico Azionario stock market in Italy, or the MTA, and we may not be able to maintain those listings or trading on these exchanges may be halted or suspended, which may make it more difficult for investors to sell shares of our common stock.
Effective with the opening of trading on January 8, 2009, the U.S. listing of our common stock was transferred to the NASDAQ Capital Market, subject to meeting a minimum market value of listed securities of $35 million. The NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel, or the Panel, approved this transfer after our market capitalization did not comply with the minimum market capitalization required for companies listed on the NASDAQ Global Market, and we presented a plan to the Panel for regaining compliance with the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules. On January 23, 2009, we received an Additional Staff Determination Letter, or the Determination Letter, from the NASDAQ that stated that the NASDAQ staff had concluded that we had violated
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Marketplace Rule 4350(i)(1)(C) (now Marketplace Rule 5635), which requires shareholder approval in connection with an acquisition if the issuance or potential issuance is greater than 20% of the pre-acquisition shares outstanding, and that we had at times not complied with Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(17) regarding submission of a Listing of Additional Shares form. On February 18, 2009, we updated the Panel on our plan for regaining compliance and requested an extension of the deadline to regain compliance with the minimum market capitalization requirement for the NASDAQ Capital Market. On March 6, 2009, we were notified by NASDAQ that the Panel had determined to continue the listing of our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market, subject to the condition that, on or before April 6, 2009, we demonstrate compliance with all applicable standards for continued listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market, including the $35 million minimum market capitalization requirement. In addition, the Panel issued a public reprimand for our prior failures to comply with the shareholder approval requirements and late filing of Listing of Additional Shares forms. On April 2, 2009, we were notified by the NASDAQ that we had complied with the Panels decision dated March 6, 2009, and, accordingly, the Panel had determined to continue the listing of our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market.
NASDAQ reinstated the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement on August 3, 2009 and there can be no assurances that our stock price will be $1.00 or above. At our Special Meeting of Shareholders held on March 24, 2009, the proposal to allow the Board, in its discretion, to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock was not approved by the shareholders. At any time our stock price is below $1.00, we may not be able to effect a reverse stock split to increase our stock price if we are unable to obtain shareholder approval of a reverse stock split in the future.
In the event our common stock is delisted from NASDAQ, we currently expect that our common stock would be eligible to be listed on the OTC Bulletin Board or Pink Sheets. We do not know what impact delisting from NASDAQ may have on our listing with the Borsa Italiana.
Although we continue to be listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market, trading in our common stock may be halted or suspended due to market conditions or if NASDAQ, CONSOB or the Borsa Italiana determines that trading in our common stock is inadvisable. Trading in our common stock was halted by the Borsa Italiana on February 10, 2009, and, as a consequence, trading in our common stock was halted by NASDAQ. After we provided CONSOB with additional information and clarification on our business operations and financial condition, as requested, and published a press release containing such information in Italy, CONSOB and NASDAQ lifted the trading halt on our stock. In addition, on March 23, 2009, the Borsa Italiana halted trading of our common stock on the MTA stock market and resumed trading prior to opening of the MTA the next day after we filed a press release regarding the explanatory paragraph in our auditors reports on our December 31, 2008 and 2007 consolidated financial statements regarding their substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern. As a consequence, NASDAQ also halted trading in our common stock on March 23, 2009, but re-initiated trading later that day. Although we file press releases with CONSOB at the end of each month regarding our business and financial condition, CONSOB may make additional inquiries about our business and financial conditions at any time, and there can be no guarantee that CONSOB or NASDAQ will not halt trading in our shares again in the future.
If our common stock ceases to be listed for trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market, the MTA, or both for any reason or if trading in our stock is halted or suspended on the NASDAQ Capital Market, the MTA or both, such events may harm the trading price of our securities, increase the volatility of the trading price of our securities and make it more difficult for investors to buy or sell shares of our common stock. Moreover, if our common stock ceases to be listed for trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market or if trading in our stock is halted or suspended on the NASDAQ Capital Market, we may become subject to certain obligations. In addition, if we are not listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market and/or if our public float falls below $75 million, we will be limited in our ability to file new shelf registration statements on SEC Form S-3 and/or to fully use one or more registration statements on SEC Form S-3. We have relied significantly on shelf registration statements on SEC Form S-3 for most of our financings in recent years, so any such limitations may have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise the capital we need.
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The global financial crisis may have an impact on our business and financial condition in ways that we currently cannot predict, and may further limit our ability to raise additional funds.
The ongoing credit crisis and related turmoil in the global financial system has had and may continue to have an impact on our business and our financial condition. We may face significant challenges if conditions in the financial markets do not improve or continue to worsen. In particular, our ability to access the capital markets and raise funds required for our operations may be severely restricted at a time when we would like, or need, to do so, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet our current and future funding requirements and on our flexibility to react to changing economic and business conditions.
We are required to comply with the regulatory structure of Italy because our stock is traded on the MTA, which could result in administrative challenges.
Our common stock is traded on the Italian MTA stock market in Italy and we are required to also comply with the rules and regulations of CONSOB, which is the public authority responsible for regulating the Italian securities market, and the Borsa Italiana, which ensures the development of the managed market in Italy. Collectively these entities regulate companies listed on Italys public markets. Conducting our operations in a manner that complies with all of the applicable laws and rules requires us to devote additional time and resources to regulatory compliance matters. For example, the process of seeking to understand and comply with the laws of each country, including tax, labor and regulatory laws, might require us to incur the expense of engaging additional outside counsel, accountants and other professional advisors and might result in delayed business initiatives as we seek to ensure that each new initiative will comply with all of the applicable regulatory regimes. In addition, the Borsa Italiana and CONSOB have made several requests for information asking us to provide additional clarifications about our business operations and financial condition, and we have complied with such requests and have met with CONSOB on several occasions to answer questions. Compliance with Italian regulatory requirements may delay additional issuances of our common stock; we are currently taking steps to attempt to conform to the requirements of the Italian stock exchange and CONSOB to allow such additional issuances.
In addition, under Italian law, we must publish a listing prospectus that has been approved by CONSOB prior to issuing common stock that exceeds, in any twelve-month period, 10% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding at the beginning of that period. We have attempted to publish a listing prospectus in Italy to cover our general offerings for the past two years, beginning in April 2007. After working with CONSOB to meet its requirements to publish that listing prospectus for the remainder of 2007, we were finally able to publish a listing prospectus in January 2008; however, that listing prospectus was limited to shares to be issued to Société Générale under the Step-Up Equity Financing Agreement we entered into with Société Générale in 2006, which has since terminated. After meeting with CONSOB in 2008 to further discuss its requirements for a more general listing prospectus, we filed a new listing prospectus on December 31, 2008, which was rejected by CONSOB on January 16, 2009. On January 28, 2009, we filed a registration document (i.e., one of the three documents that, according to European Regulation No. 809/2004 and together with the securities note and the summary, constitute a listing prospectus, which can be separately filed, examined and eventually approved by CONSOB).
On July 2, 2009, after several requests of supplements, clarifications and submissions of new drafts of our registration document, CONSOB informed us that the relevant administrative procedure for CONSOBs authorization to publish the registration document had expired since CONSOB alleged that we had not amended the text of the registration document to provide certain information CONSOB had requested. On July 23, 2009, we filed a new draft of the registration document and on September 24, 2009, CONSOB approved publication of such registration document. On September 29, 2009, we published the registration document in Italy and we may use it to register our securities on the Italian stock market.
The registration document will be effective for twelve months from the date of its publication (i.e., twelve months from September 29, 2009). Within such twelve-month period, we will also have to obtain CONSOBs
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clearance over the relevant securities note and summary, which together with the registration document, will constitute a listing prospectus. A listing prospectus will allow us to issue common stock and have it admitted to listing on the Italian MTA over the aforesaid threshold of 10% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding at the beginning of any twelve-month period. Pending CONSOBs clearance of the securities note and the summary, we are required to raise money using alternative forms of securities. For example, we may need to use convertible preferred stock and convertible debt in lieu of our common stock because convertible preferred stock and convertible debt, subject to the provisions of European Directive No. 71/2003 and according to the interpretations of the Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR), are not subject to the 10% limitation imposed by European Union and Italian law.
Moreover, on December 23, 2008, CONSOB sent a notice to us requesting that we issue (i) immediately, a press release providing, among other things, information about our debt restructuring plan, the current state of compliance with the relevant covenants regulating our debt and the equity line of credit agreement we entered into with Midsummer Investment Ltd., or Midsummer, on July 29, 2008, and (ii) by the end of each month and starting from the month of December 2008, a press release providing certain information relating to our management and financial situation, updated to the previous month, or the Monthly CONSOB Press Release. On July 31, 2009, CONSOB sent us a notice asserting three violations of the provisions of Section 114, paragraph 5 of the Italian Legislative Decree no. 58/98. The sanctions established by the Section 193, paragraph 1 of the Italian Legislative Decree no. 58/1998 for such violations are pecuniary administrative sanctions amounting to between 5,000 and 500,000, applicable to each one of the three asserted violations. According to the applicable Italian legal provisions, CONSOB may impose such administrative sanctions by means of a decree stating the grounds of its decision only after evaluating our possible defenses that were submitted to CONSOB on August 28, 2009 (within 30 days of July 31, 2009, the notification date of the relevant charges, according to the applicable Italian rules).
On December 10, 2009, CONSOB sent us a notice claiming two violations of the provisions of Section 114, paragraph 1 of the Italian Legislative Decree no. 58/98 due to the asserted late disclosure of certain information reported, at CONSOBs request, in the press release disseminated on December 19, 2008 and March 23, 2009. The sanctions established by the Section 193, paragraph 1 of the Italian Legislative Decree no. 58.1998 for such violations are pecuniary administrative sanctions amounting to between 5,000 and 500,000, applicable to each one of the two asserted violations. According to the applicable Italian legal provisions, CONSOB may impose such administrative sanctions by means of a decree stating the grounds of its decision only after evaluating our possible defenses that were submitted to CONSOB on January 8, 2010 (within 30 days of December 10, 2009, the notification date of the relevant charges, according to the applicable Italian rules).
Our assets and liabilities that remain in our Italian branch make us subject to increased risk regarding currency exchange rate fluctuations.
We are exposed to risks associated with the translation of euro-denominated financial results and accounts into U.S. dollars. As long as we continue to have assets and liabilities held in our Italian branch, the carrying value of these assets and liabilities will be affected by fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar as compared to the euro. Changes in the value of the U.S. dollar as compared to the euro might have an adverse effect on our reported results of operations and financial condition.
We may owe additional amounts for value added taxes related to our operations in Europe.
Our European operations are subject to Value Added Tax, or VAT, which is usually applied to all goods and services purchased and sold throughout Europe. The VAT receivable is $6.3 million as of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008. On April 14, 2009 and December 21, 2009, the Italian Tax Authority, or ITA, issued notices of assessment to CTI (Europe) based on the ITAs audit of CTI (Europe)s VAT returns for the years 2003 and 2005, respectively. The ITA audits concluded that CTI (Europe) did not collect and remit VAT on certain invoices issued to non-Italian clients for services performed by CTI (Europe). The assessment for the year
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2003 is 0.5 million, or approximately $0.8 million as of December 31, 2009, including interest and penalties. The assessment for the year 2005 is 5.5 million, or approximately $7.7 million as of December 31, 2009, including interest and penalties. We believe that the services were non-VAT taxable consultancy services and that the VAT returns are correct as originally filed and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves against the assessment and have requested a dismissal on procedural grounds and merits of the case. However, if we are unable to defend ourselves against the year 2003 and 2005 assessments and if we receive an assessment for subsequent years, it may harm our results of operations and financial condition.
Our financial condition may be adversely affected if third parties default in the performance of contractual obligations.
Because we do not currently have any marketed products producing revenue, our business is dependent on the performance by third parties of their responsibilities under contractual relationships and if third parties default on their performance of their contractual obligations, we could suffer significant financial losses and operational problems, which could in turn adversely affect our financial performance, cash flows or results of operations and may jeopardize our ability to maintain our operations.
We may not realize any royalties, milestone payments or other benefits under the License and Co-Development Agreement entered into with Novartis Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.
We have entered into a License and Co-Development agreement related to OPAXIO and pixantrone with Novartis pursuant to which Novartis received an exclusive worldwide license for the development and commercialization of OPAXIO and an option to enter into an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize pixantrone. We will not receive any royalty or milestone payments under this agreement unless Novartis exercises its option related to pixantrone and we are able to reach a definitive agreement or Novartis elects to participate in the development and commercialization of OPAXIO. Novartis is under no obligation to make such election and enter into a definitive license agreement or exercise such right and may never do so. In addition, even if Novartis exercises such rights, any royalties and milestone payments we may be eligible to receive from Novartis are subject to the receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals and the attainment of certain sales levels. In the event Novartis does not elect to participate in the development of OPAXIO or pixantrone, we may not be able to find another suitable partner for the commercialization and development of those products, which may have an adverse effect on our ability to bring those drugs to market. In addition, we would need to obtain a release from Novartis prior to entering into any agreement to develop and commercialize pixantrone or OPAXIO with a third party. We may never receive the necessary regulatory approvals and our products may not reach the necessary sales levels to generate royalty or milestone payments even if Novartis elects to exercise its option with regard to pixantrone and enter into a definitive license agreement or to participate in the development and commercialization of OPAXIO. Novartis has the right under the agreement in its sole discretion to terminate such agreement at any time upon written notice to us.
We may be delayed, limited or precluded from obtaining regulatory approval of OPAXIO given that our three STELLAR phase III clinical trials for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer did not meet their primary endpoints and we withdrew our Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, from the EMEA for first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small lung cancer, or NSCLC, to refocus our resources on approval of OPAXIO for other indications.
We cannot guarantee that we will obtain regulatory approval to manufacture or market any of our drug candidates. Obtaining regulatory approval to market drugs to treat cancer is expensive, difficult and risky. Preclinical and clinical data can be interpreted in different ways, which could delay, limit or preclude regulatory approval. Negative or inconclusive results or adverse medical events during a clinical trial could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval.
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Our future financial success depends in part on obtaining regulatory approval of OPAXIO. In March 2005, we announced the results of STELLAR 3, and in May 2005, we announced the results of STELLAR 2 and 4, our phase III clinical trials of OPAXIO in non-small cell lung cancer. All three trials failed to achieve their primary endpoints of superior overall survival compared to current marketed agents for treating NSCLC.
In December 2006, we closed the PIONEER clinical trial, and in 2007 we initiated a new study in the United States, PGT307, which focuses on the primary efficacy endpoint of survival in women with NSCLC and pre-menopausal estrogen levels. To conserve limited financial resources, we decided not to initiate an additional study, the PGT306 trial, for which we had submitted an SPA. We also feel that compelling evidence from one trial, the PGT307 trial, along with supporting evidence from earlier clinical trials, may be adequate to submit an NDA for OPAXIO even though the FDA has established a requirement that two adequate and well-controlled pivotal studies demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in overall survival will be required for approval of OPAXIO in the NSCLC setting. We may not receive compelling evidence or any positive results from the PGT307 trial, which would preclude our planned submission of an NDA to the FDA, and would preclude us from marketing OPAXIO for this indication in the United States.
Based on discussions with the EMEA Scientific Advice Working Party, we submitted an MAA for OPAXIO in Europe on March 4, 2008 based on results of the STELLAR trials. In April 2009, the MAA was accepted for review by the EMEA; however, in September 2009, we notified the EMEA of our decision to withdraw the MAA and refocus our resources on the approval of OPAXIO for its potential superiority indication in maintenance therapy for ovarian cancer.
We are subject to extensive government regulation.
We are subject to rigorous and extensive regulation by the FDA in the United States and by comparable agencies in other states and countries. Failure to comply with regulatory requirements could result in various adverse consequences, including possible delay in approval or refusal to approve a product, withdrawal of approved products from the market, product seizures, injunctions, regulatory restrictions on our business and sales activities, monetary penalties, or criminal prosecution.
Our products may not be marketed in the United States until they have been approved by the FDA and may not be marketed in other countries until they have received approval from the appropriate agencies. None of our current product candidates have received approval for marketing in any country. On April 13, 2009, we began submission of a rolling NDA to the FDA for pixantrone to treat relapsed aggressive NHL. We completed the submission in June 2009 and we have been notified by the FDA that a PDUFA action date of April 23, 2010 under standard review has been established.
Obtaining regulatory approval requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and we may not be able to obtain approval of any of our products on a timely basis, or at all. In addition, data obtained from preclinical and clinical trials are susceptible to varying interpretations, and government regulators and our collaborators may not agree with our interpretation of our clinical trial results. If our products are not approved quickly enough to provide net revenues to defray our debt and operating expenses, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.
In the event that we receive marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we will be subject to numerous regulations and statutes regulating the manner of selling and obtaining reimbursement for those products. For example, federal statutes generally prohibit providing certain discounts and payments to physicians to encourage them to prescribe our product. Violations of such regulations or statutes may result in treble damages, criminal or civil penalties, fines or exclusion of us or our employees from participation in federal and state health care programs. Although we have policies prohibiting violations of relevant regulations and statutes, unauthorized actions of our employees or consultants, or unfavorable interpretations of such regulations or statutes may result in third parties or regulatory agencies bringing legal proceedings or enforcement actions
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against us. Because we will likely need to develop a new sales force for any future marketed products, we may have a greater risk of such violations from lack of adequate training or experience. The expense to retain and pay legal counsel and consultants to defend against any such proceedings would be substantial, and together with the diversion of managements time and attention to assist in any such defense, may negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, both before and after approval, our contract manufacturers and our products are subject to numerous regulatory requirements covering, among other things, testing, manufacturing, quality control, labeling, advertising, promotion, distribution and export. Manufacturing processes must conform to current Good Manufacturing Practice, or cGMPs. The FDA and other regulatory authorities periodically inspect manufacturing facilities to assess compliance with cGMPs. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort to maintain compliance.
In October 2009, the FDA inspected our contract manufacturing facility located in Milan, Italy and, based on its inspection, made observations regarding the manufacturing process and controls over our lead compound, pixantrone. Our contract manufacturer addressed and responded to the FDAs observations in November 2009. Neither our contract manufacturer nor the Company have received any further response from the FDA regarding our contract manufacturers planned action as of February 22, 2010. Failure to comply with FDA, EMEA or other applicable regulations may cause us to curtail or stop the manufacture of such products until we obtain regulatory compliance.
The marketing and promotion of pharmaceuticals is also heavily regulated, particularly with regard to prohibitions on the promotion of products for off-label uses. In April 2007, we paid a civil penalty of $10.6 million and entered into a settlement agreement with the United States Attorneys Office for the Western District of Washington arising out of their investigation into certain of our prior marketing practices relating to TRISENOX, which was divested to Cephalon Inc. in July 2005. As part of that settlement agreement and in connection with the acquisition of Zevalin, we also entered into a corporate integrity agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which required us to establish a compliance committee and compliance program and adopt a formal code of conduct.
We face direct and intense competition from our competitors in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and we may not compete successfully against them.
Competition in the oncology market is intense and is accentuated by the rapid pace of technological development. We anticipate that we will face increased competition in the future as new companies enter the market. Our competitors in the United States and elsewhere are numerous and include, among others, major multinational pharmaceutical companies, specialized biotechnology companies and universities and other research institutions. Specifically:
| Because pixantrone is intended to provide less toxic treatments to patients who have failed standard chemotherapy treatment, if we are successful in bringing pixantrone to market, it is not expected to compete directly with many existing chemotherapies. However, pixantrone will face competition from currently marketed anthracyclines, such as mitoxantrone (Novantrone®), and new anti-cancer drugs with reduced toxicity that may be developed and marketed. |
| If we are successful in bringing OPAXIO to market, we will face direct competition from oncology-focused multinational corporations. OPAXIO will compete with other taxanes. Many oncology-focused multinational corporations currently market or are developing taxanes, epothilones, and other cytotoxic agents, which inhibit cancer cells by a mechanism similar to taxanes, or similar products. Such corporations include, among others, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and others, which markets paclitaxel and generic forms of paclitaxel; Sanofi-Aventis, which markets docetaxel; Genentech, Roche and OSI Pharmaceuticals, which market Tarceva; Genentech and Roche, which market Avastin; Eli Lilly, which markets Alimta®; and Abraxis, which markets Abraxane. In addition, other companies such as NeoPharm Inc. and Telik, Inc. are also developing products, which could compete with OPAXIO. |
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| If we are successful in bringing brostallicin to market, we will face direct competition from other minor groove binding agents including Yondelis®, which is currently developed by PharmaMar and has received Authorization of Commercialization from the European Commission for soft tissue sarcoma. |
Many of our competitors, particularly the multinational pharmaceutical companies, either alone or together with their collaborators, have substantially greater financial resources and substantially larger development and marketing teams than us. In addition, many of our competitors, either alone or together with their collaborators, have significantly greater experience than we do in developing, manufacturing and marketing products. As a result, these companies products might come to market sooner or might prove to be more effective, less expensive, have fewer side effects or be easier to administer than ours. In any such case, sales of our current or future products would likely suffer and we might never recoup the significant investments we are making to develop these product candidates.
Uncertainty regarding third-party reimbursement and healthcare cost containment initiatives may limit our returns.
The ongoing efforts of governmental and third-party payors to contain or reduce the cost of healthcare may affect our ability to commercialize our products successfully. Governmental and other third-party payors continue to attempt to contain healthcare costs by:
| challenging the prices charged for health care products and services; |
| limiting both coverage and the amount of reimbursement for new therapeutic products; |
| denying or limiting coverage for products that are approved by the FDA but are considered experimental or investigational by third-party payors; |
| refusing in some cases to provide coverage when an approved product is used for disease indications in a way that has not received FDA marketing approval; and |
| denying coverage altogether. |
The trend toward managed healthcare in the United States, the growth of organizations such as health maintenance organizations, and legislative proposals to reform healthcare and government insurance programs could significantly influence the purchase of healthcare services and products, resulting in lower prices and reducing demand for our products. In addition, in almost all European markets, pricing and choice of prescription pharmaceuticals are subject to governmental control. Therefore, the price of our products and their reimbursement in Europe will be determined by national regulatory authorities.
Even if we succeed in bringing any of our proposed products to the market, they may not be considered cost-effective and third-party reimbursement might not be available or sufficient. If adequate third-party coverage is not available, we may not be able to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in research and product development. In addition, legislation and regulations affecting the pricing of pharmaceuticals may change in ways adverse to us before or after any of our proposed products are approved for marketing.
Even if our drug candidates are successful in clinical trials, we may not be able to successfully commercialize them.
Since our inception in 1991, we have dedicated substantially all of our resources to the research and development of our technologies and related compounds. All of our compounds currently are in research or development, and have not received marketing approval.
Prior to commercialization, each product candidate requires significant research, development and preclinical testing and extensive clinical investigation before submission of any regulatory application for
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marketing approval. The development of anti-cancer drugs, including those we are currently developing, is unpredictable and subject to numerous risks. Potential products that appear to be promising at early stages of development may not reach the market for a number of reasons including that they may:
| be found ineffective or cause harmful side effects during preclinical testing or clinical trials; |
| fail to receive necessary regulatory approvals; |
| be difficult to manufacture on a scale necessary for commercialization; |
| be uneconomical to produce; |
| fail to achieve market acceptance; or |
| be precluded from commercialization by proprietary rights of third parties. |
The occurrence of any of these events could adversely affect the commercialization of our products. Products, if introduced, may not be successfully marketed and/or may not achieve customer acceptance. If we fail to commercialize products or if our future products do not achieve significant market acceptance, we will not likely generate significant revenues or become profitable.
If any of our license agreements for intellectual property underlying pixantrone, OPAXIO, brostallicin, or any other products are terminated, we may lose the right to develop or market that product.
We have licensed intellectual property, including patent applications relating to intellectual property for pixantrone and brostallicin. We have also in-licensed the intellectual property for our drug delivery technology relating to OPAXIO which uses polymers that are linked to drugs, known as polymer-drug conjugates. Some of our product development programs depend on our ability to maintain rights under these licenses. Each licensor has the power to terminate its agreement with us if we fail to meet our obligations under these licenses. We may not be able to meet our obligations under these licenses. If we default under any license agreement, we may lose our right to market and sell any products based on the licensed technology.
If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property, our competitive position could be harmed.
Development and protection of our intellectual property are critical to our business. If we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, competitors may be able to practice our technologies. Our success depends in part on our ability to:
| obtain patent protection for our products or processes both in the United States and other countries; |
| protect trade secrets; and |
| prevent others from infringing on our proprietary rights. |
When polymers are linked, or conjugated, to drugs, the results are referred to as polymer-drug conjugates. We are developing drug delivery technology that links chemotherapy to biodegradable polymers. For example, OPAXIO is paclitaxel, the active ingredient in Taxol®, one of the worlds best selling cancer drugs, linked to polyglutamate. We may not receive a patent for all of our polymer-drug conjugates and we may be challenged by the holder of a patent covering the underlying drug and/or methods for its use or manufacture.
The patent position of biopharmaceutical firms generally is highly uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has not established a consistent policy regarding the breadth of claims that it will allow in biotechnology patents. If it allows broad claims, the number and cost of patent interference proceedings in the United States and the risk of infringement litigation may increase. If it allows narrow claims, the risk of infringement may decrease, but the value of our rights under our patents, licenses and patent applications may also decrease. Patent applications in which we have rights may never issue as patents and the claims of any issued patents may not afford meaningful protection for our technologies or
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products. In addition, patents issued to us or our licensors may be challenged and subsequently narrowed, invalidated or circumvented. Litigation, interference proceedings or other governmental proceedings that we may become involved in with respect to our proprietary technologies or the proprietary technology of others could result in substantial cost to us. Patent litigation is widespread in the biotechnology industry, and any patent litigation could harm our business. Costly litigation might be necessary to protect a patent position or to determine the scope and validity of third-party proprietary rights, and we may not have the required resources to pursue any such litigation or to protect our patent rights. Any adverse outcome in litigation with respect to the infringement or validity of any patents owned by third parties could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require disputed rights to be licensed from third parties or require us to cease using a product or technology.
We also rely upon trade secrets, proprietary know-how and continuing technological innovation to remain competitive. Third parties may independently develop such know-how or otherwise obtain access to our technology. While we require our employees, consultants and corporate partners with access to proprietary information to enter into confidentiality agreements, these agreements may not be honored.
Our products could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others, which may cause us to engage in costly litigation and, if unsuccessful, could cause us to pay substantial damages and prohibit us from selling our products.
We attempt to monitor patent filings for patents that may be relevant to our products and product candidates in an effort to guide the design and development of our products to avoid infringement but have not conducted an exhaustive search. We may not be able to successfully challenge the validity of these patents and could be required to pay substantial damages, possibly including treble damages, for past infringement and attorneys fees if it is ultimately determined that our products infringe a third-partys patents. Further, we may be prohibited from selling our products before we obtain a license, which, if available at all, may require us to pay substantial royalties. Moreover, third parties may challenge the patents that have been issued or licensed to us. Even if infringement claims against us are without merit, or if we challenge the validity of issued patents, lawsuits take significant time, may be expensive and may divert management attention from other business concerns.
We may be unable to obtain a quorum for meetings of our shareholders or obtain necessary shareholder approvals and therefore be unable to take certain corporate actions.
Our amended and restated articles of incorporation require that a quorum, consisting of one-third of the outstanding shares of voting stock, be represented in person or by proxy in order to transact business at a meeting of our shareholders. In addition, amendments to our amended and restated articles of incorporation, such as an amendment to increase our authorized capital stock, require the approval of a majority of our outstanding shares. A substantial majority of our common shares are held by Italian institutions and, under Italian laws and regulations, it is difficult to communicate with the beneficial holders of those shares to obtain votes. In 2006, when a quorum required a majority of the outstanding shares of our voting stock be represented in person or by proxy, we scheduled two annual meetings of shareholders, but were unable to obtain quorum at either meeting. Following that failure to obtain quorum, we contacted certain depository banks in Italy where significant numbers of shares of our common stock were held and asked them to cooperate by making a book-entry transfer of their share positions at Monte Titoli to their U.S. correspondent bank, who would then transfer the shares to an account of the Italian bank at a U.S. broker-dealer that is an affiliate of that bank. Certain of the banks contacted agreed to make the share transfer pursuant to these arrangements as of the record date of the meeting, subject to the relevant beneficial owner taking no action to direct the voting of such shares. Under Rule 452 of the New York Stock Exchange, the U.S. broker-dealer may vote shares absent direction from the beneficial owner on certain matters, such as the uncontested election of directors, an amendment to our amended and restated articles of incorporation to increase authorized shares that are to be used for general corporate purposes, and the ratification of our auditors. As a result of this custody transfer, we were able to hold special meetings of the shareholders in April 2007, January 2008 and March 2009 and annual meetings of the shareholders in September 2007, June 2008 and October 2009. At the meeting in June 2008, our shareholders approved a proposal to reduce
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our quorum requirement from a majority of outstanding voting shares to one-third of outstanding voting shares. However, obtaining a quorum at future meetings even at the lower threshold and obtaining necessary shareholder approvals will depend in part upon the willingness of the Italian depository banks to continue participating in the custody transfer arrangements, and we cannot be assured that those banks that have participated in the past will continue to participate in custody transfer arrangements in the future. We are continuing to explore other alternatives to achieve quorum for and shareholder representation at our meetings; however, we cannot be certain that we will find an alternate method if we are unable to continue to use the custody transfer arrangements. As a result, we may be unable to obtain a quorum at future annual or special meetings of shareholders or obtain shareholder approval of proposals when needed.
If we are unable to obtain a quorum at our shareholder meetings and thus fail to get shareholder approval of corporate actions, such failure could have a materially adverse effect on us. In addition, brokers may only vote on those matters for which broker discretionary voting is allowed under Rule 452 of the New York Stock Exchange, and we may not be able to obtain the required number of votes to approve certain proposals that require a majority of all outstanding shares to approve the proposal due to our reliance on broker discretionary voting. Therefore it is possible that even if we are able to obtain a quorum for our meetings of the shareholders we still may not receive enough votes to approve proxy proposals presented at such meeting and, depending on the proposal in question, including the proposal submitted to our shareholders to be determined at the special meeting of shareholders being held on April 9, 2010 to increase the number of authorized shares of our common stock, such failure could have a material adverse effect on us. For example, a proposal to approve a reverse stock split failed to receive sufficient votes to pass at the March 2009 shareholders meeting.
We could fail in financing efforts or be delisted from NASDAQ if we fail to receive shareholder approval when needed.
We are required under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules to obtain shareholder approval for any issuance of additional equity securities that would comprise more than 20% of the total shares of our common stock outstanding before the issuance of such securities sold at a discount to the greater of book or market value in an offering that is not deemed to be a public offering by NASDAQ. Funding of our operations in the future may require issuance of additional equity securities that would comprise more than 20% of the total shares of our common stock outstanding, but we might not be successful in obtaining the required shareholder approval for such an issuance, particularly in light of the difficulties we have experienced in obtaining a quorum and holding shareholder meetings as outlined above. If we are unable to obtain financing due to shareholder approval difficulties, such failure may have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue operations.
We may be unable to obtain the raw materials necessary to produce our OPAXIO product candidate in sufficient quantity to meet demand when and if such product is approved.
We may not be able to continue to purchase the materials necessary to produce OPAXIO, including paclitaxel, in adequate volume and quality. Paclitaxel is derived from certain varieties of yew trees and the supply of paclitaxel is controlled by a limited number of companies. Paclitaxel is available and we have purchased it from several sources. We purchase the raw materials paclitaxel and polyglutamic acid from single sources. Should the paclitaxel or polyglutamic acid purchased from our sources prove to be insufficient in quantity or quality, should a supplier fail to deliver in a timely fashion or at all, or should these relationships terminate, we may not be able to qualify and obtain a sufficient supply from alternate sources on acceptable terms, or at all.
Our dependence on third-party manufacturers means that we do not always have direct control over the manufacture, testing or distribution of our products.
We do not currently have internal analytical laboratory or manufacturing facilities to allow the testing or production and distribution of drug products in compliance with cGMPs. Because we do not directly control our suppliers, these vendors may not be able to provide us with finished product when we need it.
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We will be dependent upon these third parties to supply us in a timely manner with products manufactured in compliance with cGMPs or similar manufacturing standards imposed by United States and/or foreign regulatory authorities where our products will be tested and/or marketed. While the FDA and other regulatory authorities maintain oversight for cGMP compliance of drug manufacturers, contract manufacturers and contract service providers may at times violate cGMPs. The FDA and other regulatory authorities may take action against a contract manufacturer who violates cGMPs. In October 2009, the FDA inspected our contract manufacturing facility located in Milan, Italy and, based on its inspection, made observations regarding the manufacturing process and controls over our lead compound, pixantrone. Our contract manufacturer addressed and responded to the FDAs observations in November 2009. Neither our contract manufacturer nor the Company have received any further response from the FDA regarding our contract manufacturers planned action as of February 22, 2010. Failure to comply with FDA, EMEA or other applicable regulations may cause us to curtail or stop the manufacture of such products until we obtain regulatory compliance.
In addition, one of our other products under development, OPAXIO, has a complex manufacturing process and supply chain, which may prevent us from obtaining a sufficient supply of drug product for the clinical trials and commercial activities currently planned or underway on a timely basis, if at all. The active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products for pixantrone and brostallicin are both manufactured by a single vendor. Finished product manufacture and distribution for both pixantrone and brostallicin are to be manufactured and distributed by different single vendors. We are currently disputing our right to cancel the exclusive manufacturing contract between us and the former manufacturer of pixantrone. We assert multiple grounds for terminating this exclusive manufacturing agreement, which the former manufacturer disputes. The former manufacturer has asserted that we do not have the right to terminate the manufacturing contracts and has filed a lawsuit in the Court of Milan to compel us to source pixantrone from that manufacturer. A hearing was held on January 21, 2010 to discuss preliminary matters and set a schedule for future filings and hearings. The next hearing date is scheduled for November 11, 2010.
If we do not successfully develop our product candidates into marketable products, we may be unable to generate significant revenue or become profitable.
We divested our commercial product, TRISENOX, in July 2005 and fully divested our commercial product, Zevalin, in March 2009. Currently, we do not have a marketed product, and unless we are able to develop one of our product candidates, such as pixantrone, into an approved commercial product, we will not generate any significant revenues from product sales, royalty payments, license fees or otherwise. Pixantrone, OPAXIO and brostallicin are currently in clinical trials; these clinical trials may not be successful and, even if they are, we may not be successful in developing any of them into a commercial product. For example, our STELLAR phase III clinical trials for OPAXIO for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer failed to meet their primary endpoints. In addition, a number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry, including us, have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after reporting promising results in earlier trials. We will need to commit significant time and resources to develop these and any additional product candidates. Our product candidates will be successful only if:
| our product candidates are developed to a stage that will enable us to commercialize them or sell related marketing rights to pharmaceutical companies; |
| we are able to commercialize product candidates in clinical development or sell the marketing rights to third parties; and |
| our product candidates, if developed, are approved by the regulatory authorities. |
We are dependent on the successful completion of these goals in order to generate revenues. The failure to generate such revenues may preclude us from continuing our research and development of these and other product candidates.
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If we are unable to enter into new in-licensing arrangements, our future product portfolio and potential profitability could be harmed.
One component of our business strategy is in-licensing drug compounds developed by other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies or academic research laboratories. All of our product candidates in clinical development are in-licensed from a third-party, including pixantrone, OPAXIO and brostallicin.
Competition for new promising compounds and commercial products can be intense. If we are not able to identify future in-licensing opportunities and enter into future licensing arrangements on acceptable terms, our future product portfolio and potential profitability could be harmed.
We may take longer to complete our clinical trials than we expect, or we may not be able to complete them at all.
Before regulatory approval for any potential product can be obtained, we must undertake extensive clinical testing on humans to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the product. Although for planning purposes we forecast the commencement and completion of clinical trials, the actual timing of these events can vary dramatically due to a number of factors. For example:
| we may not obtain authorization to permit product candidates that are already in the preclinical development phase to enter the human clinical testing phase; |
| authorized preclinical or clinical testing may require significantly more time, resources or expertise than originally expected to be necessary; |
| clinical testing may not show potential products to be safe and efficacious and, as with many drugs, may fail to demonstrate the desired safety and efficacy characteristics in human clinical trials; |
| clinical testing may show that potential products are not appropriate for the specific indication for which they are being tested; |
| the results from preclinical studies and early clinical trials may not be indicative of the results that will be obtained in later-stage clinical trials; |
| we or regulatory authorities may suspend clinical trials at any time on the basis that the participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks or for other reasons; and |
| completion of clinical trials depends on, among other things, the number of patients available for enrollment in a particular trial, which is a function of many factors, including the number of patients with the relevant conditions, the nature of the clinical testing, the proximity of patients to clinical testing centers, the eligibility criteria for tests as well as competition with other clinical testing programs involving the same patient profile but different treatments. |
We have limited experience in conducting clinical trials. We expect to continue to rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, academic institutions and/or cooperative groups, to conduct, oversee and monitor clinical trials as well as to process the clinical results and manage test requests, which may result in delays or failure to complete trials if the third parties fail to perform or to meet the applicable standards.
If we fail to commence, complete, experience delays in any of our present or planned clinical trials or need to perform more or larger clinical trials than planned, our development costs may increase and/or our ability to commercialize our product candidates may be adversely affected. If delays or costs are significant, our financial results and our ability to commercialize our product candidates may be adversely affected.
If we fail to establish and maintain collaborations or if our partners do not perform, we may be unable to develop and commercialize our product candidates.
We have entered into collaborative arrangements with third-parties to develop and/or commercialize product candidates and are currently seeking additional collaborations. For example, we entered into an agreement with
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the Gynecologic Oncology Group to perform a phase III trial of OPAXIO in patients with ovarian cancer. Additional collaborations might be necessary in order for us to fund our research and development activities and third-party manufacturing arrangements, seek and obtain regulatory approvals and successfully commercialize our existing and future product candidates. If we fail to enter into additional collaborative arrangements or fail to maintain our existing collaborative arrangements, the number of product candidates from which we could receive future revenues would decline. For example, in 2005 we sold our product TRISENOX to Cephalon and, pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement under which TRISENOX was sold, we are entitled to receive milestone payments upon the approval by the FDA of new labeled uses for TRISENOX; however, Cephalon may decide not to submit any additional information to the FDA to apply for label expansion of TRISENOX, in which case we would not receive a milestone payment under the agreement.
Our dependence on collaborative arrangements with third parties will subject us to a number of risks that could harm our ability to develop and commercialize products, including that:
| collaborative arrangements may not be on terms favorable to us; |
| disagreements with partners may result in delays in the development and marketing of products, termination of our collaboration agreements or time consuming and expensive legal action; |
| we cannot control the amount and timing of resources partners devote to product candidates or their prioritization of product candidates and partners may not allocate sufficient funds or resources to the development, promotion or marketing of our products, or may not perform their obligations as expected; |
| partners may choose to develop, independently or with other companies, alternative products or treatments, including products or treatments which compete with ours; |
| agreements with partners may expire or be terminated without renewal, or partners may breach collaboration agreements with us; |
| business combinations or significant changes in a partners business strategy might adversely affect that partners willingness or ability to complete its obligations to us; and |
| the terms and conditions of the relevant agreements may no longer be suitable. |
The occurrence of any of these events could adversely affect the development or commercialization of our products.
Because we base several of our drug candidates on unproven technologies, we may never develop them into commercial products.
We base several of our product candidates upon novel technologies that we are using to develop drugs for the treatment of cancer. These technologies have not been proven. Furthermore, preclinical results in animal studies may not predict outcomes in human clinical trials. Our product candidates may not be proven safe or effective. If these technologies do not work, our drug candidates will not develop into commercial products.
Because there is a risk of product liability associated with our products, we face potential difficulties in obtaining insurance.
Our business exposes us to potential product liability risks inherent in the testing, manufacturing and marketing of human pharmaceutical products, and we may not be able to avoid significant product liability exposure. While we have insurance covering the product use in our clinical trials for our product candidates, it is possible that we will not be able to maintain such insurance on acceptable terms or that any insurance obtained will not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. Our inability to obtain sufficient insurance coverage at an acceptable cost or otherwise to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or limit the commercialization of any products we develop. A successful product liability claim in excess of our insurance coverage could exceed our net worth.
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Since we use hazardous materials in our business, we may be subject to claims relating to improper handling, storage or disposal of these materials.
Our research and development activities involve the controlled use of hazardous materials, chemicals and various radioactive compounds. We are subject to international, federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of such materials and certain waste products. Although we believe that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of such materials comply with the standards prescribed by the regulations, the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials cannot be eliminated completely. In the event of such an accident, we could be held liable for any damages that result and any such liability not covered by insurance could exceed our resources. Compliance with environmental laws and regulations may be expensive, and current or future environmental regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts.
We may not be able to conduct animal testing in the future, which could harm our research and development activities.
Certain of our research and development activities involve animal testing. Such activities have been the subject of controversy and adverse publicity. Animal rights groups and other organizations and individuals have attempted to stop animal testing activities by pressing for legislation and regulation in these areas and by disrupting activities through protests and other means. To the extent the activities of these groups are successful, our business could be materially harmed by delaying or interrupting our research and development activities.
The unfavorable outcome of litigation and other claims against us could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to a variety of claims and lawsuits from time to time, some of which arise in the ordinary course of our business. Adverse outcomes in some or all of such pending cases may result in significant monetary damages or injunctive relief against us. While we currently believe that resolution of these matters, individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse impact on our financial position, results of operations or trading price of our securities, the ultimate outcome of litigation and other claims is subject to inherent uncertainties, and our view of these matters may change in the future. It is possible that our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected in any period in which the effect of an unfavorable final outcome becomes probable and reasonably estimable.
Our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by public health issues, wars and other military action, as well as terrorist attacks and threats and government responses thereto, especially if any such actions were directed at us or our facilities or customers.
Public health issues, terrorist attacks in the United States and elsewhere, government responses thereto, and military actions in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, may disrupt our operations or those of our customers and suppliers and may affect the availability of materials needed to manufacture our products or the means to transport those materials to manufacturing facilities and finished products to customers. In June 2009, the World Health Organization declared an H1N1 influenza, or swine flu, pandemic, and such pandemic could cause damage or disruption to international commerce by creating economic and political uncertainties that may have a strong negative impact on the global economy, us, and our customers or suppliers. Should the severity of the H1N1 influenza pandemic increase or other public health issues arise, we could be negatively impacted by the need for more stringent employee travel restrictions, additional limitations in the availability of freight services, governmental actions limiting the movement of products between various regions and disruptions in the operations of our customers or suppliers. The long-term effects of the H1N1 pandemic, the terrorist attacks, and the ongoing war on terrorism on our business and on the global economy remain unknown. In addition, any of these events could increase volatility in the United States and world financial markets which may depress the price of our common stock and may limit the capital resources available to us or our customers or suppliers,
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which could result in decreased orders from customers, less favorable financing terms from suppliers, and scarcity or increased costs of materials and components of our products. Additionally, terrorist attacks directly upon us may significantly disrupt our ability to conduct our business. Any of these occurrences could have a significant impact on our operating results, revenues and costs and may result in increased volatility of the trading price of our securities.
Risks Related To the Securities Markets
The market price for shares of our common stock is extremely volatile, which may affect our ability to raise capital in the future and may subject the value of your investment in our securities to sudden decreases.
The market price for securities of biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including ours, historically has been highly volatile, and the market from time to time has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of such companies. For example, during the twelve month period ended February 22, 2010, our stock price has ranged from a low of $0.05 to a high of $2.23. Fluctuations in the trading price or liquidity of our common stock may adversely affect the value of your investment in our common stock.
Factors that may have a significant impact on the market price and marketability of our securities include:
| announcements by us or others of results of preclinical testing and clinical trials and regulatory actions; |
| announcements of technological innovations or new commercial therapeutic products by us, our collaborative partners or our present or potential competitors; |
| our issuance of additional debt, equity or other securities, which we need to pursue in 2010 to generate additional funds to cover our current debt and operating expenses; |
| our quarterly operating results; |
| developments or disputes concerning patent or other proprietary rights; |
| developments in our relationships with collaborative partners; |
| acquisitions or divestitures; |
| litigation and government proceedings; |
| adverse legislation, including changes in governmental regulation; |
| third-party reimbursement policies; |
| changes in securities analysts recommendations; |
| short selling; |
| changes in health care policies and practices; |
| halting or suspension of trading in our common stock by NASDAQ, CONSOB or the Borsa Italiana; |
| economic and other external factors; and |
| general market conditions. |
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a companys securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted. For example, in the case of our Company, beginning in March 2005, several class action lawsuits were instituted against us and certain of our directors and officers and a derivative action lawsuit was filed against our full board of directors. While these lawsuits were dismissed with prejudice, as a result of these types of lawsuits, we could incur substantial legal fees and our managements attention and resources could be diverted from operating our business as we respond to the litigation. We maintain significant
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insurance to cover these risks for us and our directors and officers, but our insurance is subject to high deductibles to reduce premium expense, and there is no guarantee that the insurance will cover any specific claim that we may face in the future, or that it will be adequate to cover all potential liabilities and damages.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Washington law could make removal of incumbent management or an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our shareholders, more difficult.
Provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of deterring or delaying attempts by our shareholders to remove or replace management, to commence proxy contests, or to effect changes in control. These provisions include:
| a classified board so that only approximately one third of the board of directors is elected each year; |
| elimination of cumulative voting in the election of directors; |
| procedures for advance notification of shareholder nominations and proposals; |
| the ability of our board of directors to amend our bylaws without shareholder approval; and |
| the ability of our board of directors to issue shares of preferred stock without shareholder approval upon the terms and conditions and with the rights, privileges and preferences as the board of directors may determine. |
We implemented a Shareholder Rights Agreement, dated December 28, 2009, which may also have the effect of deterring or delaying attempts by our shareholders to remove or replace management, to commence proxy contests, or to effect changes in control.
In addition, as a Washington corporation, we are subject to Washington law which imposes restrictions on some transactions between a corporation and certain significant shareholders. These provisions, alone or together, could have the effect of deterring or delaying changes in incumbent management, proxy contests or changes in control.
Item 1b. | Unresolved Staff Comments |
None.
Item 2. | Properties |
We currently lease approximately 77,000 square feet of space at 501 Elliott Avenue West in Seattle, Washington under an amended lease for our executive offices and administrative operations, which expires in July 2012. We also lease approximately 2,700 square feet in Milan, Italy with a lease expiration date of December 2015. In addition, our wholly owned subsidiary SM, acquired in July 2007, leased approximately 2,000 square feet of office and laboratory space in Scottsdale, Arizona which was terminated in January 2010. We believe our existing and planned facilities are adequate to meet our present requirements. We anticipate that additional space will be available, when needed, on commercially reasonable terms.
Item 3. | Legal Proceedings |
On January 2, 2008, Tang Capital Partners LP, or Tang, filed a civil action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in which Tang alleged that we breached a Securities Purchase Agreement, executed on or about April 16, 2007 in connection with the issuance of our Series B convertible preferred stock, or Series B preferred stock. On January 3, 2009, we entered into a settlement agreement with Tang with respect to the civil action filed by Tang on January 2, 2008. In exchange for the full release of all claims arising directly or indirectly out of or related to Tangs purchase, acquisition, ownership, interest in or rights under our Series B 3% preferred stock, we agreed to pay Tang $5.1 million. Final payment was completed
36
on January 29, 2009. A holder of our Series C convertible preferred stock, Enable Capital Management LLC, or Enable, filed a lawsuit on January 23, 2008 in the Supreme Court of the State of New York with similar claims to the Tang action. On September 29, 2008, Enable entered into a release agreement with us to fully resolve this action. On May 5, 2008, RHP Master Fund, Ltd., or RHP, a holder of our Series A convertible preferred stock filed suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging breach of contract and violation of Washington Business Corporation Act, and breach of fiduciary duty by certain officer and director defendants. On February 4, 2009, for $0.1 million and 4.0 million shares of our common stock, we settled all claims that were filed or could have been filed by RHP.
On January 22, 2007, we filed a complaint in King County Washington Superior Court against The Lash Group, Inc. and Documedics Acquisition Co., Inc., our former third party reimbursement expert for TRISENOX, seeking recovery of damages, including losses incurred by us in connection with our investigation, defense and settlement of claims by the United States concerning Medicare reimbursement for TRISENOX. On February 28, 2007, defendant The Lash Group, Inc. removed the case to federal court in the Western District of Washington. On June 19, 2008, the trial judge dismissed our claims and we filed a timely notice of appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. An appeal hearing was held on August 31, 2009, and on November 18, 2009, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court and held that the False Claims Act did not preclude us from seeking recovery and bringing claims against The Lash Group, Inc. for their alleged violations. On December 1, 2009, the Lash Group, Inc. filed a petition for rehearing with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which was formally denied on January 6, 2010. The case has been remanded for trial in the District Court. A status conference was held on February 17, 2010, and the parties must report back to the court with updates within 60 days. There is no guarantee that we will prevail at trial.
On February 20, 2009, we notified Spectrum that we had exercised our option to sell to Spectrum all of our membership interest in their 50/50 owned joint venture, RIT Oncology, and on March 2, 2009, Spectrum made the first payment totaling $6.5 million. The sale of our membership interest to Spectrum closed on March 15, 2009, and the remaining $10.0 million of the total $16.5 million purchase price was deposited into an escrow account to be paid to us in two additional installments. On April 3, 2009, $6.5 million was released to us from this escrow account and the final installment of $3.5 million, subject to an adjustment for certain operational liabilities and other obligations, was scheduled to be released to us on April 15, 2009. This final installment payment was not released to us because we and Spectrum disputed the amount of the adjustment. On April 10, 2009, we filed a demand for arbitration regarding Spectrums payment of the final installment. On April 22, 2009, Spectrum filed a cross-claim alleging that Spectrum was entitled to the entire amount held in escrow and that Spectrum was owed additional amounts by us. The arbitration hearing was held on May 14, 2009. On May 21, 2009, the arbitrator ordered that the final installment of $3.5 million be released from the escrow account and distributed to Spectrum; additionally, we were ordered to pay $0.8 million to Spectrum. Of these amounts, $3.2 million was determined by the arbitrator to be outstanding Excluded Liabilities under the Limited Liability Company Interest Assignment Agreement entered into between Spectrum and CTI, dated March 15, 2009, of which $2.0 million was included in our accounts payable balance as of the settlement date. Accordingly, Spectrum is responsible for paying certain liabilities incurred or to be incurred by us totaling $3.2 million, including an obligation payable to Bayer for a clinical trial. The arbitrators award to Spectrum also included $2.1 million related to expenses incurred by RIT Oncology. On May 26, 2009, we paid Spectrum $0.8 million.
In April 2007, we entered into a settlement agreement with the United States Attorneys Office, or USAO, for the Western District of Washington arising out of their investigation into certain of our prior marketing practices relating to TRISENOX® (arsenic trioxide). We made the settlement payment of $10.6 million in April 2007. The settlement agreement did not address separate claims brought against us by the private party plaintiff for his attorneys fees and expenses. After further litigation concerning attorneys fees and expenses, on January 28, 2009 all remaining claims were settled for approximately $0.5 million, and in consequence, the case has been fully and finally resolved.
37
On May 1, 2008 Ingenix Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., or Ingenix, a contract research organization, sent a letter claiming we owed Ingenix $2.2 million pursuant to clinical support work. All of these charges had been previously invoiced to us, but the invoices were being evaluated for the association of the work being billed to the contract assignments, as well as the relationship of the pass-through costs to approvable work. On November 6, 2008, Ingenix filed a demand for arbitration of this dispute with the American Arbitration Association, seeking damages of $2.2 million. On September 28, 2009, we entered into a settlement agreement and release with Ingenix pursuant to which we paid Ingenix $1.6 million and each party agreed to a full release of the other party from any and all claims related to the dispute.
On August 3, 2009, Sicor Italia, or Sicor, filed a lawsuit in the Court of Milan court to compel us to source pixantrone from Sicor according to the terms of a supply agreement executed between Sicor and NovusPharma on October 4, 2002. A hearing was held on January 21, 2010 to discuss preliminary matters and set a schedule for future filings and hearings. The next hearing date is scheduled for November 11, 2010. Sicor alleges that the agreement was not terminated according to its terms. We assert that the supply agreement in question was properly terminated and that we have no further obligation to comply with its terms. No estimate of a loss, if any, can be made at this time in the event that we do not prevail.
On December 23, 2008, CONSOB sent a notice to us requesting that we issue (i) immediately, a press release providing, among other things, information about our debt restructuring plan, the current state of compliance with the relevant covenants regulating our debt and the equity line of credit agreement we entered into with Midsummer on July 29, 2008, and (ii) by the end of each month and starting from the month of December 2008, a press release providing certain information relating to our management and financial situation, updated to the previous month, or the Monthly CONSOB Press Release. On July 31, 2009, CONSOB sent us a notice asserting three violations of the provisions of Section 114, paragraph 5 of the Italian Legislative Decree no. 58/98. The sanctions established by the Section 193, paragraph 1 of the Italian Legislative Decree no. 58/1998 for such violations are pecuniary administrative sanctions amounting to between 5,000 and 500,000, applicable to each one of the three asserted violations. According to the applicable Italian legal provisions, CONSOB may impose such administrative sanctions by means of a decree stating the grounds of its decision only after evaluating our possible defenses that were submitted to CONSOB on August 28, 2009 (within 30 days of July 31, 2009, the notification date of the relevant charges, according to the applicable Italian rules).
On April 14, 2009 and December 21, 2009, the Italian Tax Authority, or ITA, issued notices of assessment to CTI (Europe) based on the ITAs audit of CTI (Europe)s VAT returns for the years 2003 and 2005, respectively. The ITA audits concluded that CTI (Europe) did not collect and remit VAT on certain invoices issued to non-Italian clients for services performed by CTI (Europe). The assessment for the year 2003 is 0.5 million, or approximately $0.8 million as of December 31, 2009, including interest and penalties. The assessment for the year 2005 is 5.5 million, or approximately $7.7 million as of December 31, 2009, including interest and penalties. We believe that the services were non-VAT taxable consultancy services and that the VAT returns are correct as originally filed. As such, we have not booked an impairment to the carrying amount of our VAT receivable and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves against the assessment and have requested a dismissal on procedural grounds and merits of the case.
In addition to the litigation discussed above, we are from time to time subject to legal proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of business, some of which may be covered in whole or in part by insurance.
Item 4. | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders |
(a) On October 20, 2009, we held an Annual Meeting of Shareholders, or the Annual Meeting. The record date for the Annual Meeting was September 14, 2009. Each share of our common stock was entitled to one vote per share.
(b) See (c) below.
38
(c) At the Annual Meeting, the following directors were elected to serve on our board of directors until the later of the 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders or until their respective successors are elected and qualified:
Director Nominated |
VOTES FOR | WITHHELD | ||
Richard L. Love |
238,790,144 | 28,691,589 | ||
Mary O. Mundinger, Dr. PH |
244,580,372 | 22,901,362 | ||
Jack W. Singer, M.D. |
244,552,361 | 22,929,373 |
The other directors whose terms of office continued after the Annual Meeting are John H. Bauer, James A. Bianco, M.D., Vartan Gregorian, Ph.D., Phillip M. Nudelman, Ph.D., and Frederick W. Telling Ph.D.
Our shareholders approved an amendment to our 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, or the Plan, to increase the maximum number of shares authorized for issuance under the plan by 45,000,000 shares, for a total of 71,661,082 shares. With respect to this proposal, there were 98,105,992 votes cast for the proposal, 12,793,885 votes cast against the proposal, 12,292,779 abstentions and 144,289,078 broker non-votes.
Our shareholders approved an amendment to our 2007 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the Purchase Plan to increase the maximum number of shares authorized for issuance under the Purchase Plan by 500,000 shares for a total of 1,525,000 shares. With respect to this proposal, there were 102,922,331 votes cast for the proposal, 7,745,437 votes cast against the proposal, 12,524,888 abstentions and 144,289,078 broker non-votes.
Our shareholders ratified the selection of Stonefield Josephson, Inc. as our independent auditors for the year ending December 31, 2009. With respect to this proposal, there were 242,055,188 votes cast for the proposal, 6,944,120 votes cast against the proposal and 18,482,424 abstentions.
Our shareholder also approved the issuance of $6.0 million shares of our common stock in lieu of future milestone payments to the SMI shareholders in connection with our drug candidate brostallicin. With respect to this proposal, there were 103,856,939 votes cast for the proposal, 5,747,300 votes cast against the proposal, 13,588,417 abstentions and 144,289,078 broker non-votes.
39
Item 5. | Market for Registrants Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities |
Our common stock is currently traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol CTIC and the MTA (formerly known as the MTAX and, prior to that, as the Nuovo Mercato) in Italy, also under the ticker symbol CTIC. Prior to January 8, 2009, our common stock was traded on the NASDAQ Global Market. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low reported sales prices per share of the common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Global or Capital Market, our principal trading market (as adjusted to reflect the one-for-ten reverse stock split effective August 31, 2008).
High | Low | |||
2008 |
||||
First Quarter |
19.90 | 4.70 | ||
Second Quarter |
9.60 | 4.60 | ||
Third Quarter |
4.90 | 0.58 | ||
Fourth Quarter |
0.89 | 0.12 | ||
2009 |
||||
First Quarter |
0.97 | 0.05 | ||
Second Quarter |
2.23 | 0.27 | ||
Third Quarter |
1.83 | 1.10 | ||
Fourth Quarter |
1.30 | 0.86 |
On February 22, 2009, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market was $0.71 per share. As of February 22, 2009, there were approximately 234 shareholders of record of our common stock.
Dividend Policy
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and do not currently anticipate declaring or paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance operations. Any future determination relating to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on a number of factors, including future earnings, capital requirements, financial conditions, future prospects, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.
Sales of Unregistered Securities
Not applicable.
Stock Repurchases in the Fourth Quarter
Not applicable.
40
Stock Performance Graph
3/31/05 | 6/30/05 | 9/30/05 | 12/31/05 | |||||||||
Cell Therapeutics, Inc. |
$ | 44.10 | $ | 33.29 | $ | 35.14 | $ | 26.78 | ||||
NASDAQ Stock Index (U.S.) |
$ | 91.87 | $ | 95.00 | $ | 99.52 | $ | 102.13 | ||||
NASDAQ Pharmaceutical Index |
$ | 87.82 | $ | 91.97 | $ | 108.12 | $ | 110.12 | ||||
3/31/06 | 6/30/06 | 9/30/06 | 12/31/06 | |||||||||
Cell Therapeutics, Inc. |
$ | 23.46 | $ | 17.69 | $ | 21.01 | $ | 21.50 | ||||
NASDAQ Stock Index (U.S.) |
$ | 108.35 | $ | 101.00 | $ | 104.94 | $ | 112.19 | ||||
NASDAQ Pharmaceutical Index |
$ | 113.10 | $ | 101.18 | $ | 105.72 | $ | 107.79 | ||||
3/31/07 | 6/30/07 | 9/30/07 | 12/31/07 | |||||||||
Cell Therapeutics, Inc. |
$ | 19.53 | $ | 9.37 | $ | 11.27 | $ | 5.77 | ||||
NASDAQ Stock Index (U.S.) |
$ | 112.35 | $ | 120.38 | $ | 124.20 | $ | 121.68 | ||||
NASDAQ Pharmaceutical Index |
$ | 105.49 | $ | 110.14 | $ | 115.32 | $ | 113.36 | ||||
3/31/08 | 6/30/08 | 9/30/08 | 12/31/08 | |||||||||
Cell Therapeutics, Inc. |
$ | 2.03 | $ | 1.47 | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.04 | ||||
NASDAQ Stock Index (U.S.) |
$ | 104.79 | $ | 105.30 | $ | 97.93 | $ | 58.64 | ||||
NASDAQ Pharmaceutical Index |
$ | 107.26 | $ | 109.75 | $ | 114.75 | $ | 105.48 | ||||
3/31/09 | 6/30/09 | 9/30/09 | 12/31/09 | |||||||||
Cell Therapeutics, Inc. |
$ | 0.12 | $ | 0.53 | $ | 0.38 | $ | 0.35 | ||||
NASDAQ Stock Index (U.S.) |
$ | 56.80 | $ | 67.89 | $ | 78.58 | $ | 84.28 | ||||
NASDAQ Pharmaceutical Index |
$ | 98.22 | $ | 107.26 | $ | 118.23 | $ | 118.52 |
41
Item 6. Selected Consolidated Financial Data
The data set forth below should be read in conjunction with Item 7, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Consolidated Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto appearing at Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | ||||||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Consolidated Statements of Operations Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Product sales |
$ | | $ | 11,352 | $ | 47 | $ | | $ | 14,599 | ||||||||||
License and contract revenue |
80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 1,493 | |||||||||||||||
Total revenues |
80 | 11,432 | 127 | 80 | 16,092 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses, net: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of product sold |
| 3,244 | 49 | | 518 | |||||||||||||||
Research and development |
30,179 | 51,614 | 72,019 | 61,994 | 68,767 | |||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative |
57,725 | 41,607 | 35,517 | 35,303 | 61,717 | |||||||||||||||
Amortization of purchased intangibles |
| 1,658 | 913 | 792 | 1,254 | |||||||||||||||
Restructuring charges and related gain on sale of assets or asset impairments, net(1) |
3,979 | | | 591 | 12,780 | |||||||||||||||
Gain on sale of Zevalin(2) |
| (9,444 | ) | | | | ||||||||||||||
Gain on sale of investment in joint venture(3) |
(10,244 | ) | | | | | ||||||||||||||
Acquired in-process research and development(4) |
| 36 | 24,615 | | | |||||||||||||||
Gain on divestiture of TRISENOX(5) |
| | | | (71,211 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Total operating expenses, net |
81,639 | 88,715 | 133,113 | 98,680 | 73,825 | |||||||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(81,559) | (77,283) | (132,986) | (98,600) | (57,733) | |||||||||||||||
Other income (expense): |
||||||||||||||||||||
Investment and other income, net |
133 | 549 | 2,430 | 2,866 | 2,588 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(4,806 | ) | (8,559 | ) | (8,237 | ) | (8,852 | ) | (14,283 | ) | ||||||||||
Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs |
(5,788 | ) | (66,530 | ) | (4,280 | ) | (10,977 | ) | (2,263 | ) | ||||||||||
Foreign exchange gain |
33 | 3,637 | 4,657 | 1,877 | 8 | |||||||||||||||
Make-whole interest expense |
(6,345 | ) | (70,243 | ) | (2,310 | ) | (24,753 | ) | (1,013 | ) | ||||||||||
Gain on derivative liabilities, net |
7,218 | 69,739 | 3,672 | 6,024 | 236 | |||||||||||||||
Gain (loss) on exchange of convertible notes |
7,381 | (25,103 | ) | (972 | ) | 7,978 | | |||||||||||||
Equity loss from investment in joint venture |
(1,204 | ) | (123 | ) | | | | |||||||||||||
Milestone modification expense |
(6,000 | ) | | | | | ||||||||||||||
Settlement expense, net |
(4,710 | ) | (3,393 | ) | (160 | ) | (11,382 | ) | | |||||||||||
Write-off of financing arrangement costs |
| (2,846 | ) | | | | ||||||||||||||
Debt conversion expense |
| | | | (23,608 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of royalty obligation |
| | | | (6,437 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Loss before minority interest |
(95,647 | ) | (180,155 | ) | (138,186 | ) | (135,819 | ) | (102,505 | ) | ||||||||||
Minority interest in net loss of subsidiary |
252 | 126 | 78 | | | |||||||||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (95,395 | ) | $ | (180,029 | ) | $ | (138,108 | ) | $ | (135,819 | ) | $ | (102,505 | ) | |||||
Gain on restructuring of preferred stock |
2,116 | | | | | |||||||||||||||
Preferred stock dividends |
(24 | ) | (662 | ) | (648 | ) | | | ||||||||||||
Deemed dividends on preferred stock |
(23,460 | ) | (22,216 | ) | (9,549 | ) | | | ||||||||||||
Net loss attributable to common shareholders |
$ | (116,763 | ) | $ | (202,907 | ) | $ | (148,305 | ) | $ | (135,819 | ) | $ | (102,505 | ) | |||||
Basic and diluted net loss per common share(6) |
$ | (0.25 | ) | $ | (7.00 | ) | $ | (32.75 | ) | $ | (48.39 | ) | $ | (63.51 | ) | |||||
Shares used in calculation of basic and diluted net loss per common share |
458,356 | 28,967 | 4,529 | 2,807 | 1,614 | |||||||||||||||
42
December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | ||||||||||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Consolidated Balance Sheets Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents, securities available-for-sale and interest receivable |
$ | 37,811 | $ | 10,671 | $ | 18,392 | $ | 54,407 | $ | 69,067 | ||||||||||
Restricted cash(7) |
| 6,640 | | | 25,596 | |||||||||||||||
Working capital |
(21,694 | ) | (14,141 | ) | (30,909 | ) | 30,166 | 76,288 | ||||||||||||
Total assets |
69,595 | 64,243 | 73,513 | 101,821 | 155,440 | |||||||||||||||
10% Convertible senior notes |
| 19,784 | | | | |||||||||||||||
9% Convertible senior notes |
| 4,104 | | | | |||||||||||||||
7.5% Convertible senior notes |
10,102 | 32,601 | 32,220 | 48,186 | | |||||||||||||||
6.75% Convertible senior notes |
| 6,926 | 6,922 | 6,945 | 79,046 | |||||||||||||||
5.75% Convertible senior notes |
11,677 | 23,808 | 23,287 | | | |||||||||||||||
5.75% Convertible senior subordinated notes |
| | 16,907 | 27,407 | 66,929 | |||||||||||||||
4.0% Convertible senior subordinated notes |
40,363 | 55,150 | 55,150 | 55,150 | 55,150 | |||||||||||||||
5.75% Convertible subordinated notes |
| | 2,910 | 28,490 | 29,640 | |||||||||||||||
Series A 3% Convertible preferred stock |
| 417 | 5,188 | | | |||||||||||||||
Series B 3% Convertible preferred stock |
| 4,031 | 11,881 | | | |||||||||||||||
Series C 3% Convertible preferred stock |
| 3,221 | 6,229 | | | |||||||||||||||
Series D 7% Convertible preferred stock |
| 734 | 2,938 | | | |||||||||||||||
Other long-term obligations, less current portion |
1,861 | 2,907 | 9,879 | 4,667 | 7,326 | |||||||||||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(1,429,083 | ) | (1,312,320 | ) | (1,109,413 | ) | (961,108 | ) | (825,289 | ) | ||||||||||
Total shareholders deficit |
(18,769 | ) | (132,061 | ) | (134,125 | ) | (101,604 | ) | (107,097 | ) |
(1) | The 2005 and 2006 amounts represent costs related to our 2005 restructuring activities which include excess facilities charges of $7.1 million, employee separation costs of $3.5 million, lease termination payments of $1.2 million and restructuring related asset impairment charges of $1.0 million. The 2009 amount primarily relates to the closure of our Bresso Italy operation as well as the termination of Zevalin-related employees. |
(2) | The gain on sale of Zevalin for the year ended December 31, 2008 related to the gain recognized, net of transaction costs, on the sale of Zevalin to RIT Oncology, our 50/50 joint venture with Spectrum. We subsequently sold our 50% interest in RIT Oncology to Spectrum in March 2009. |
(3) | The gain on sale of investment in joint venture relates to the sale of our 50% interest in RIT Oncology in March 2009. This amount was based on the difference between $16.5 million in gross proceeds and the $4.6 million book value of our investment in RIT Oncology at the time of sale, net of $1.6 million in transaction costs. |
(4) | Acquired in-process research and development represents the value of SMs and Zevalins purchased technology, which had not reached technological feasibility at the time of the acquisitions. Acquired IPRD for SM was $21.4 million and was related to brostallicin. Acquired IPRD for Zevalin was $3.2 million related to label expansions for indication not approved by the FDA. |
(5) | Amount represents the gain recognized on the divestiture of TRISENOX and certain proteasome assets to Cephalon as well as transition services provided to Cephalon related to TRISENOX and proteasome assets. |
(6) | See Notes 1 and 16 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of the computation of the number of shares and net loss per share. |
(7) | The 2008 amount represents cash held in escrow to fund potential make-whole payments on certain of our convertible senior notes. The 2005 amount represents $24.6 million held in escrow to fund potential redemptions of up to 30% of the aggregate amount of our 6.75% convertible senior notes and $1.0 million held in connection with the liquidation of Cell Therapeutics (Ireland) Holding Limited. |
43
Item 7. | Managements Discussion and Analysis of Consolidated Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the following discussion contains forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties and should be read in conjunction with the Selected Consolidated Financial Data and the Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes included in Items 6 and 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. When used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, terms such as anticipates, believes, continue, could, estimates, expects, intends, may, plans, potential, predicts, should, or will or the negative of those terms or other comparable terms are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements, which include statements concerning product sales, research and development expenses, selling, general and administrative expenses, additional financings and additional losses, are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those discussed below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in Factors Affecting Our Operating Results and Financial Condition, that could cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those projected. Although we believe that expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. We will not update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to conform these statements to actual results or changes in our expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We develop, acquire and commercialize novel treatments for cancer. Our goal is to build a leading biopharmaceutical company with a diversified portfolio of proprietary cancer drugs. Our research and in-licensing activities are concentrated on identifying new, less toxic and more effective ways to treat cancer. As of December 31, 2009, we had incurred aggregate net losses of $1.4 billion since inception. Unless, we receive FDA approval for pixantrone, we expect to continue to incur operating losses for at least the next couple of years.
In June 2009, we completed the submission of our NDA to the FDA for pixantrone as a potential treatment for relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL. We have been notified by the FDA that a Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, action date of April 23, 2010 under standard review has been established. Based on this PDUFA date, if pixantrone is approved, it could be available to patients in the United States as early as the second quarter of 2010.
The FDAs Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, or ODAC, was scheduled to review the NDA for pixantrone on February 10, 2010, however that meeting was postponed due to severe winter weather conditions in the Washington D.C. area. The FDA indicated that it intends to reschedule the meeting as soon as the FDA can determine a schedule that will allow them to reconvene the advisory panel. ODAC is an independent panel of experts that evaluates data concerning the efficacy and safety of marketed and investigational products for use in the treatment of cancer and makes recommendations to the FDA. The FDA regulations indicate that although the FDA will consider the recommendation of the panel, the final decision regarding the approval of the product is made by the FDA.
In March 2009, we divested our interest in the radiopharmaceutical product Zevalin® (ibritumomab tiuxetan) by selling our 50% interest in the Zevalin joint venture, RIT Oncology, to Spectrum Pharmaceutical, Inc., or Spectrum, for $16.5 million. Previously, in December 2008, we closed our transaction with Spectrum to form RIT Oncology, to commercialize and develop Zevalin in the United States. We originally acquired the U.S. rights to develop, market and sell Zevalin from Biogen Idec Inc., or Biogen, in December 2007. We received an initial payment of $6.5 million in gross proceeds from Spectrum in March 2009, $750,000 of which was used to pay a consent fee to Biogen, and an additional $6.5 million in gross proceeds in April 2009. The remaining $3.5 million we expected to receive from Spectrum, subject to certain adjustments, was disputed and was ultimately
44
released to Spectrum based on the outcome of an arbitration hearing held in May 2009. In addition, as part of the divestiture transaction, we agreed to forego the right to receive up to $15 million in product sales milestone payments in connection with the original transaction establishing the joint venture.
In July 2007, we completed our acquisition of Systems Medicine, Inc., or SMI, a privately held oncology company, in a stock-for-stock merger, valued at $20 million. SMI stockholders could also receive a maximum of $15 million in additional consideration (payable in cash or stock at our election, subject to certain NASDAQ limitations on issuance of stock) upon the achievement of certain FDA regulatory milestones. In August 2009, we entered into an amended agreement under which these milestone payments were replaced by an immediate substitute payment of $6.0 million which we paid in shares of our common stock. Under the original acquisition agreement, SMI became Systems Medicine, LLC, or SM, and operates as our wholly owned subsidiary. SM holds worldwide rights to use, develop, import and export brostallicin, a synthetic DNA minor groove binding agent that has demonstrated anti-tumor activity and a favorable safety profile in clinical trials.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Management makes certain judgments and uses certain estimates and assumptions when applying accounting principles generally accepted in the United States in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. We evaluate our estimates and judgments on an on-going basis and 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 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 consolidated financial statements and require our subjective or complex judgment in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Product Sales
We recognize revenue from product sales when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, title has passed and delivery has occurred, the price is fixed and determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. Product sales are generally recorded upon shipment net of an allowance for estimated product returns and rebates. We analyze historical returns patterns for our products in determining an appropriate estimate for returns allowance. We may need to adjust our estimates if actual results vary which could have an impact on our earnings in the period of adjustment. If customers have product acceptance rights or product return rights, and we are unable to reasonably estimate returns related to that customer or market, we defer revenue recognition until such rights have expired. All product sales in 2008 and 2007 consisted of sales of Zevalin prior the disposition of Zevalin to RIT Oncology in December 2008. Following the transfer of Zevalin, we no longer have a direct ownership in any commercial products generating product sales revenue.
License and Contract Revenue
We may generate revenue from technology licenses, collaborative research and development arrangements, cost reimbursement contracts and research grants. Revenue under technology licenses and collaborative agreements typically consists of nonrefundable and/or guaranteed technology license fees, collaborative research funding, and various milestone and future product royalty or profit-sharing payments.
Revenue associated with up-front license fees and research and development funding payments under collaborative agreements is recognized ratably over the relevant periods specified in the agreement, generally the research and development period. If the time period is not defined in the agreement, we calculate the revenue recognition period based on our current estimate of the research and development period considering experience with similar projects, level of effort and the stage of development. Should there be a change in our estimate of the research and development period, we will revise the term over which the initial payment is recognized. Revenue
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from substantive at-risk milestones and future product royalties is recognized as earned based on the completion of the milestones and product sales, as defined in the respective agreements. Revenue under cost reimbursement contracts and research grants is recognized as the related costs are incurred. Payments received in advance of recognition as revenue are recorded as deferred revenue.
For multiple element arrangements that had continuing performance obligations, we recognized contract, milestone or license fees together with any up-front payments over the term of the arrangement as we completed our performance obligation, unless the delivered technology had stand alone value to the customer and there was objective, reliable evidence of fair value of the undelivered element in the arrangement. Additionally, unless evidence suggested otherwise, revenue from consideration received was recognized on a straight-line basis over the expected term of the arrangement.
Impairment of Long-lived Assets
We review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of assets may not be fully recoverable or that the useful lives of these assets are no longer appropriate. Each impairment test is based on a comparison of the undiscounted future cash flows to the recorded value of the asset. If an impairment is indicated, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value based on quoted fair market values.
Valuation of Goodwill
We review goodwill for impairment annually and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Goodwill is tested for impairment by comparing the fair value of our single reporting unit to its carrying value. Our estimate of fair value is based on our current market capitalization. If the implied fair value of goodwill is less than its carrying value, an impairment charge would be recorded.
Derivatives Embedded in Certain Debt Securities
Derivative instruments are recorded at fair value with changes in value recognized in the statement of operations in the period of change.
Certain of our convertible senior notes include a feature that calls for make-whole payments upon conversion of these notes. These make-whole features along with the conversion options on the notes represent embedded derivatives that have been accounted for separately from the related debt securities except where our convertible senior notes are recorded entirely at fair value.
We have calculated the fair value of the derivatives related to our convertible notes using either a Monte Carlo simulation model or a discounted cash flow model. Changes in the estimated fair value of the derivative liabilities related to the convertible senior notes are included in gain on derivative liabilities and are remeasured at the end of each reporting period until the relevant feature expires or all of the relevant notes are converted or repurchased.
Purchase Price Allocation
For business combination transactions that occurred prior to December 31, 2008, the purchase price for our acquisitions was allocated to the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values at the acquisition date. For each acquisition, we engaged an independent third-party valuation firm to assist in determining the fair value of in-process research and development and identifiable intangible assets. Such a valuation requires significant estimates and assumptions including but not limited to: determining the timing and expected costs to complete the in-process projects, projecting regulatory approvals, estimating future cash flows from product sales resulting from in-process projects, and developing appropriate discount rates and probability rates by project. We believe the fair values assigned to the assets acquired and
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liabilities assumed are based on reasonable assumptions. However, these assumptions may be inaccurate, and unanticipated events and circumstances may occur. No business combination transactions occurred subsequent to December 31, 2008.
Restructuring Charges
We have recorded charges in connection with restructuring activities, including estimates pertaining to employee separation costs, the related abandonment of excess facilities and impairment of fixed assets, and certain contract termination costs. Restructuring charges are recorded in accordance with ASC 420, Exit or Disposal Cost Obligations. The recognition of restructuring charges requires management to make certain judgments regarding the nature, timing and amount associated with the planned restructuring activities. At the end of each reporting period, we evaluate the appropriateness of the remaining accrued balances.
Stock-Based Compensation Expense
Stock-based compensation expense for all stock-based payment awards made to employees and directors is recognized and measured based on estimated fair values. For option valuations, we have elected to utilize the Black-Scholes valuation method in order to estimate the fair value of options on the date of grant. The risk-free interest rate is based on the implied yield currently available in U.S. Treasury securities at maturity with an equivalent term. We have not declared or paid any dividends on our common stock and do not currently expect to do so in the future. The expected term of options represents the period that our stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding and was determined based on historical weighted average holding periods and projected holding periods for the remaining unexercised shares. Consideration was given to the contractual terms of our stock-based awards, vesting schedules and expectations of future employee behavior. Expected volatility is based on the annualized daily historical volatility, including consideration of the implied volatility and market prices of traded options for comparable entities within our industry. These assumptions underlying the Black-Scholes valuation model involve managements best estimates.
For more complex awards, including our December 2009 performance awards, we employ a Monte Carlo simulation model to calculate estimated grant-date fair value. For the December 2009 performance awards, the average present value is calculated based upon the expected date the award will vest, or the event date, the expected stock price on the event date and the expected current shares outstanding on the event date. The event date, stock price and the shares outstanding are estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation model, which is based on assumptions by management, including the likelihood of achieving milestones and potential future financings. These assumptions impact the fair value of the equity-based award and the expense that will be recognized over the life of the award.
Generally accepted accounting principles for stock-based compensation also requires that we recognize compensation expense for only the portion of awards expected to vest. Therefore, we apply an estimated forfeiture rate that we derive from historical employee termination behavior. If the actual number of forfeitures differs from our estimates, adjustments to compensation expense may be required in future periods. For performance-based awards that do not include market-based conditions, we record stock-based compensation expense only when the performance-based milestone is deemed probable of achievement. We utilize both quantitative and qualitative criteria to judge whether milestones are probable of achievement. For awards with market-based performance conditions, we recognize the grant-date fair value of the award over the derived service period regardless of whether the underlying performance condition is met.
Results of Operations
Years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008.
Product sales. Product sales for the year ended December 31, 2008 relate to Zevalin. As we divested Zevalin to our 50% owned joined venture, RIT Oncology, in December 2008 we recorded no product sales related to Zevalin in 2009. We subsequently sold our 50% interest in RIT Oncology to Spectrum in March 2009.
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License and contract revenue. License and contract revenue for the year ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 represents recognition of deferred revenue from the sale of Lisofylline material to DiaKine Therapeutics, Inc.
Cost of product sold. Cost of product sold for the year ended December 31, 2008 relates to sales of Zevalin and consists primarily of contractual royalties on product sales in addition to cost of product sold to customers. We had no cost of product sold during the year ended December 31, 2009 due to our divestiture of Zevalin to RIT Oncology in December 2008.
Research and development expenses. Our research and development expenses for compounds under development and discovery research are as follows (in thousands):
2009 | 2008 | |||||
Compounds under development: |
||||||
Pixantrone |
$ | 6,256 | $ | 8,238 | ||
OPAXIO |
3,365 | 4,145 | ||||
Brostallicin |
1,096 | 3,860 | ||||
Zevalin |
987 | 5,271 | ||||
Other compounds |
137 | 391 | ||||
Operating expenses |
17,920 | 27,878 | ||||
Discovery research |
418 | 1,831 | ||||
Total research and development expenses |
$ | 30,179 | $ | 51,614 | ||
Costs for compounds under development include external direct expenses such as principal investigator fees, clinical research organization charges and contract manufacturing fees incurred for preclinical, clinical, manufacturing and regulatory activities associated with preparing the compounds for submissions of NDAs or similar regulatory filings to the FDA, EMEA or other regulatory agencies outside the United States and Europe. Operating costs include our personnel and occupancy expenses associated with developing these compounds. Discovery research costs include primarily personnel, occupancy and laboratory expenses associated with the discovery and identification of new drug targets and lead compounds. We do not allocate operating costs to the individual compounds under development as our accounting system does not track these costs by individual compound. As a result, we are not able to capture the total cost of each compound. Direct external costs incurred to date for pixantrone, OPAXIO and brostallicin are $55.1 million, $220.6 million, and $9.2 million, respectively. Costs for pixantrone prior to our merger with Novuspharma S.p.A, a public pharmaceutical company located in Italy, or CTI (Europe), in January 2004 are excluded from this amount. Costs for brostallicin prior to our acquisition of SM in July 2007 are also excluded from this amount.
Research and development expenses decreased to $30.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2009, from $51.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2008. Pixantrone costs decreased primarily due to a decrease in clinical development activity mainly related to the cessation of patient enrollment during 2008 in our RAPID and EXTEND trials. In early 2008, we closed enrollment on the RAPID trial based on adequate sample size to demonstrate differences in cardiac events and other clinically relevant side effects between pixantrone and doxorubicin. Additionally, we closed enrollment on the EXTEND trial during 2008 as we believed that the current accrual rate would not contribute substantially to the trials chance of success. Manufacturing activity for pixantrone decreased during the period. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in clinical activity due to a change in estimate of costs associated with our PIX303 trial, which was closed in early 2008 based on, among other considerations, our plans to refocus our resources on obtaining pixantrone approval based on the EXTEND trial before making additional substantive investments in alternative indications. In addition, regulatory activities increased primarily due to consulting costs and the filing fee for the NDA submission to the FDA. Costs for our OPAXIO program decreased primarily due to a decrease in regulatory and quality activities as well as investigator-sponsored trial costs mainly due to patient enrollment. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in clinical development activity related to our PGT307 trial as well as an increase in the
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GOG0212 study related to the August 2008 amendment to our contract with the GOG, which resulted in a reduction in scope of the GOG0212 study and, accordingly, a reversal of accrued expenses during that period. Costs for brostallicin decreased primarily due to a decrease in clinical development activities related to phase I and phase II studies. Zevalin costs decreased primarily due to the contribution of the product to RIT Oncology, the joint venture we formed with Spectrum on December 15, 2008, which assumed all related Zevalin expenses subsequent to that date. The decrease related to the divestiture of the Zevalin product was partially offset by a change in estimate of our costs associated with clinical studies prior to the divestiture of Zevalin. Our operating expenses decreased primarily due to a reduction in personnel and overhead costs associated with the closure of our Bresso, Italy facility as well as external consulting costs, partially offset by an increase in stock-based compensation costs associated with restricted stock awards. Discovery research also decreased due to the closure of the Bresso, Italy operations as we shift focus to other products closer to commercialization.
Our lead drug candidates, pixantrone, OPAXIO and brostallicin, are currently in clinical trials. Many drugs in human clinical trials fail to demonstrate the desired safety and efficacy characteristics. Even if our drugs progress successfully through initial human testing, they may fail in later stages of development. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry, including us, have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after reporting promising results in earlier trials. Regulatory agencies, including the FDA and EMEA, regulate many aspects of a product candidates life cycle, including research and development and preclinical and clinical testing. We or regulatory authorities may suspend clinical trials at any time on the basis that the participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks. Completion of clinical trials depends on, among other things, the number of patients available for enrollment in a particular trial, which is a function of many factors, including the availability and proximity of patients with the relevant condition. We rely on third parties to conduct clinical trials, which may result in delays or failure to complete trials if the third parties fail to perform or meet applicable standards. We have drug candidates that are still in research and preclinical development, which means that they have not yet been tested on humans. We will need to commit significant time and resources to develop these and additional product candidates.
Our products will be successful and we will be able to generate revenues only if:
| our product candidates are developed to a stage that will enable us to commercialize, sell, or license related marketing rights to third parties; and |
| our product candidates, if developed, are approved. |
Failure to generate such revenues may preclude us from continuing our research, development and commercial activities for these and other product candidates. We also enter into collaboration agreements for the development and commercialization of our product candidates. We cannot control the amount and timing of resources our collaborators devote to product candidates, which may also result in delays in the development or marketing of products.
Selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to $57.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2009, from $41.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2008. This is primarily due to an $18.9 million increase in non-cash stock-based compensation mainly related to restricted stock granted and vested during 2009. This was offset, in part by a decrease in compensation and benefits due to a reduction in headcount primarily related to our restructuring activities and our sale of Zevalin. If we receive FDA approval for pixantrone, we expect selling, general and administrative expenses to increase in 2010 as compared to 2009 due to increased sales and marketing expenses for pixantrone, including increased compensation expense for our pixantrone sales force.
Amortization of purchased intangibles. Amortization for the year ended December 31, 2008 was due to amortization of our workforce intangible related to our Italian operations, which became fully amortized during 2008, and amortization of intangible assets acquired in connection with our acquisition of Zevalin in December 2007, which were contributed to RIT Oncology in December 2008.
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Restructuring charges and related gain on sale of assets, net. Restructuring charges of $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 primarily relate to activities associated with the closure of our Bresso, Italy operations, including $2.6 million in employee termination benefits and $1.5 million in contract termination and clean-up charges related to the Bresso facilities. These amounts were offset by a gain of $0.3 million on the sale of the assets related to the Bresso operations. In addition, we incurred $0.1 million in restructuring charges related to employee separation costs associated with the termination of Zevalin-related employees in connection with the sale of our 50% interest in RIT Oncology to Spectrum.
Gain on sale of Zevalin. The gain on sale of Zevalin for the year ended December 31, 2008 is related to the gain recognized, net of transaction costs, on the sale of Zevalin to RIT Oncology, the 50/50 joint venture we formed with Spectrum. Due to the fact that we received cash for assets contributed, we recorded a gain based on the difference between the book value of the assets contributed and the fair value of these assets as recorded under the joint venture.
Gain on sale of investment in joint venture. During the year ended December 31, 2009, we recorded a $10.2 million one-time gain on the sale of our 50% interest in RIT Oncology in March 2009. This amount was based on the difference between $16.5 million in gross proceeds and the $4.6 million book value of our investment in RIT Oncology at the time of sale, net of $1.6 million in transaction costs.
Acquired in-process research and development. Acquired in-process research and development for the year ended December 31, 2008 relates to adjustments to our one-time charge recorded in connection with our acquisition of Zevalin in December 2007. These adjustments resulted from changes in the estimated acquisition costs used in determining the total estimated purchase price of the acquisition.
Investment and other income, net. Investment and other income for the year ended December 31, 2009 decreased to $0.1 million as compared to $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 primarily due to a lower average securities available-for-sale balance.
Interest expense. Interest expense decreased to $4.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 from $8.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2008. This was due to a decrease of $2.4 million in interest expense on our 10% (due 2012), 9%, 7.5%, 6.75% and 5.75% convertible senior notes and our 4% convertible senior subordinated notes due to conversions and exchanges of these notes during 2009. There was also a decrease of $1.1 million related to our 18.33%, 15% and 9.66% convertible senior notes, which were issued in and were entirely converted or exchanged by the end of 2008. In addition, interest expense related to our 5.75% convertible subordinated and senior subordinated notes decreased by $0.3 million due to their maturity in June 2008.
Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs. Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs decreased to $5.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 as compared to $66.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2008. This was primarily due to the accelerated amortization of issuance costs and debt discount related to conversions and exchanges of our 18.33%, 15.5%, 15%, 13.5%, 10% (due 2012), 9.66% and 9% convertible senior notes during 2008. For the year ended December 31, 2009 as compared to the same period in 2008, the decrease in the amortization of the debt discount related to these notes was $55.2 million and the decrease in the amortization of debt issuance costs was $5.4 million.
Foreign exchange gain. Foreign exchange gains for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 are due to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, primarily related to payables and receivables in our European branch denominated in foreign currencies.
Make-whole interest expense. Make-whole interest expense of $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 is related to $5.4 million in payments made upon the conversion of $18.0 million of our 10% convertible senior notes due 2011 and $0.9 million in payments made upon the conversion of $5.3 million of our 9% convertible senior notes. The amount of $70.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 is related to
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$22.4 million in payments made upon the conversion of $27.6 million of our 13.5% convertible senior notes, $15.5 million in payments made upon conversion of $28.3 million of our 18.33% convertible senior notes, $11.0 million in payments made upon conversion of $40.8 million of our 9% convertible senior notes, $8.8 million in payments made upon conversion of $14.2 million of our 15.5% convertible senior notes, $4.5 million in payments made upon conversion of $15.7 million of our 9.66% convertible senior notes, $4.4 million in payments made upon conversion of $14.7 million of our 10% convertible senior notes due 2011 and $3.6 million in payments made upon conversion of $9.0 million of our 10% convertible senior notes due 2012.
Gain on derivative liabilities. The gain on derivative liabilities of $7.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 is primarily due to a gain of $4.4 million resulting from the change in the estimated fair value of the derivative liability related to the embedded conversion option on our 10% convertible senior notes due 2011 as well as a gain of $2.8 million due to the change in the estimated fair value of the derivative liability related to the Series B Unit Warrant that was issued in connection with our 13.5% convertible senior notes and Series E preferred stock financing and modified in July 2008 in connection with the issuance of our 18.33% convertible senior notes. The Series B Unit Warrant expired in the second quarter of 2009. The gain of $69.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 is primarily due to gains of $22.3 million, $12.0 million, $8.6 million, $6.9 million, $4.6 million, $3.4 million, $2.4 million and $2.2 million resulting from the change in the estimated fair value of the derivative liabilities related to the embedded conversion options on our 13.5%, 9%, 15.5%, 18.33%, 15%, 10% (due 2012), 9.66% and 10% (due 2011) convertible senior notes, respectively. There was also a gain of $7.3 million due to the change in the estimated fair value of the derivative liability related to the Series B Unit Warrant.
Gain (loss) on exchange of convertible notes. The $7.4 million gain on exchange of convertible notes for the year ended December 31, 2009 is primarily related to $7.2 million due to the exchange of $52.9 million principal amount of portions of our 9%, 7.5%, 6.75% and 5.75% convertible senior notes and 4% convertible senior subordinated notes for $7.1 million in cash and 24.2 million shares of our common stock, net of related transaction costs. In addition, we recorded a $0.2 million gain related to the exchange of $3.0 million of our 4% convertible senior subordinated notes and $1.5 million of our 6.75% convertible senior notes as well as accrued and unpaid interest on these notes for 3.3 million shares of our common stock.
The loss on exchange of convertible notes of $25.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 is due to the repurchase of certain of our convertible notes in exchange for new convertible notes or common stock. In July and August 2008, we recorded a $10.3 million loss due to the repurchase of $17.5 million aggregate principal of our 13.5% convertible senior notes in connection with the issuance of our 18.33% convertible senior notes. A loss of $5.5 million was due to the repurchase of $18.2 million of our 15% convertible senior notes in connection with the issuance of our 9.66% convertible senior notes in October 2008. In addition, we repurchased the remaining $4.8 million of our 15% convertible senior notes, $16.3 million of our 18.33% convertible senior notes and $9.0 million of our 9.66% convertible senior notes in connection with the issuance of our 10% convertible senior notes due 2011 and recorded a $3.7 million loss. We also recorded a $3.3 million loss due to the exchange of $5.3 million of our 9% convertible senior notes for units of our 13.5% convertible senior notes, Series E preferred stock and related warrants issued in April 2008 and a loss of $2.3 million due to the extinguishment of $9.1 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.75% convertible senior subordinated and convertible subordinated notes in exchange for 0.7 million shares of our common stock in February 2008.
Equity loss from investment in joint venture. The equity loss from investment in joint venture for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 relates to our 50% interest in RIT Oncology, prior to the sale of this interest in March 2009, which we accounted for using the equity method of accounting.
Milestone modification expense. Milestone modification expense for the year ended December 31, 2009 was due to a $6.0 million payment in shares of our common stock to the SMI shareholders based on the August 2009 amendment to our original acquisition agreement pursuant to which we acquired SMI in a stock-for-stock merger in July 2007.
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Settlement expense. Settlement expense of $4.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 was due to $3.2 million related to amounts paid to Spectrum for the settlement of the final installment payment related to our sale of our 50% interest in RIT Oncology based on the outcome of arbitration proceedings. This amount includes the $3.5 million escrow amount released to Spectrum, our $0.8 million payment to Spectrum based on arbitration proceedings and $0.9 million in receivables recognized in prior periods and owed to us by RIT Oncology. The settlement amount is also net of $2.0 million in payables assumed by Spectrum on our behalf. We also incurred $1.3 million in settlement expense related to the payment made in accordance with our settlement agreement and release with Ingenix Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., or Ingenix, whereby each party agreed to a full release of the other party from any and all claims related to our dispute with Ingenix. The settlement expense recorded is net of $0.3 million in payables to Ingenix that were relieved from our books.
Settlement expense of $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 was primarily related to $2.9 million in payments accrued or made to certain of our preferred stockholders for the release of all claims against us in connection with our alleged breach of contract related to their preferred stock held. In addition, we recorded expense of $0.5 million for the settlement of attorneys fees and costs related to claims brought against us by a private party plaintiff in connection with our litigation with the United States Attorneys Office, or USAO, as discussed in Part I, Item 3, Legal Proceedings.
Write-off of financing arrangement costs. The write-off of financing arrangement costs of $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 primarily relates to a $2.4 million write-off of offering costs associated with the Step-Up Equity Financing Agreement with Société Générale, including costs related to the Italian Listing Prospectus that was published in January 2008 as an Italian regulatory requirement to issue shares under this agreement. The write-off was primarily due to significant uncertainty regarding our ability to pursue further financings under this agreement which terminated in January 2009. In addition, we wrote-off $0.5 million in expenses associated with our equity line of credit with Midsummer Investment, Ltd., or Midsummer, based on our plans to terminate the agreement. We terminated this agreement in March 2009.
Years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007.
Product sales. Product sales for the year ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 relate to Zevalin and increased due to the fact that we did not acquire Zevalin from Biogen until December 2007.
License and contract revenue. License and contract revenue for the year ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 represents recognition of deferred revenue from the sale of Lisofylline material to DiaKine Therapeutics, Inc.
Cost of product sold. Cost of product sold for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 relates to sales of Zevalin and consists primarily of contractual royalties on product sales in addition to cost of product sold to customers. The increase in cost of product sold is consistent with the increase in product sales.
Research and development expenses. Our research and development expenses for compounds under development and discovery research are as follows (in thousands):
2008 | 2007 | |||||
Compounds under development: |
||||||
Pixantrone |
$ | 8,238 | $ | 16,630 | ||
OPAXIO |
4,145 | 20,751 | ||||
Brostallicin |
3,860 | 4,205 | ||||
Zevalin |
5,271 | 143 | ||||
Other compounds |
391 | 813 | ||||
Operating expenses |
27,878 | 27,156 | ||||
Discovery research |
1,831 | 2,321 | ||||
Total research and development expenses |
$ | 51,614 | $ | 72,019 | ||
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Research and development expenses decreased to $51.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, from $72.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. Pixantrone costs decreased primarily due to a decrease in clinical development activity mainly related to the closure of our PIX303 clinical trial in January 2008 as well as the cessation of patient enrollment during 2008 in our RAPID and EXTEND trials. We closed the PIX303 trial based on, among other considerations, our plans to refocus the Companys resources on obtaining pixantrone approval based on the EXTEND phase III trial before making additional substantial investments in alternative indications for pixantrone as well as the changing competitive landscape in second line follicular NHL. In early 2008, we closed enrollment on the RAPID trial based on adequate sample size to demonstrate differences in cardiac events and other clinically relevant side effects between pixantrone and doxorubicin. Additionally, we closed enrollment on the EXTEND trial during 2008 as we believed that the current accrual rate would not contribute substantially to the trials chance of success. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in manufacturing activity for pixantrone. Costs for our OPAXIO program decreased primarily due to a decrease in clinical development activity related to our PGT307 trial, which was reduced in scope to U.S. sites only in early 2008, reduced costs associated with our PIONEER trial which was suspended and closed in the fourth quarter of 2006 and incurred certain wrap-up costs in the first half of 2007 and a decrease in the GOG0212 study related to the amendment to our contract with the GOG. Manufacturing activity for OPAXIO also decreased as we extended activities into 2009 in an effort to conserve cash in 2008. Costs for brostallicin decreased primarily due to a non-recurring license payment during 2007 related to a development agreement, partially offset by an increase in clinical development activities related to phase I and phase II studies. Costs for Zevalin increased due to our acquisition of the product in December 2007 and primarily relate to clinical development activity including $2.0 million in expense related to our payment to Bayer Schering for access to the data from the FIT trial. Our Zevalin product was contributed to RIT Oncology, a joint venture we formed with Spectrum, on December 15, 2008 and we subsequently sold our 50% interest in RIT Oncology to Spectrum in March 2009. Our operating expenses remained fairly consistent in both years, while our discovery research decreased slightly due to a shift in focus to our commercial product Zevalin, which was transferred to the joint venture, as well as other products closer to commercialization.
Selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to $41.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, from $35.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. This is primarily attributed to a $4.8 million increase in sales and marketing expenses due to the acquisition of Zevalin in December 2007 and subsequent expansion of our sales force. In addition, we incurred $1.2 million in legal and consulting fees associated with the potential spin-off, asset divestment, or creation of a joint venture with regard to certain of our operations and assets. We also had an increase in our stock-based compensation expense of $1.8 million as well as an increase in our legal expenses of $0.9 million primarily due to our claim against the Lash Group, Inc. and Documedics Acquisition Co., Inc. Compensation and benefits also increased $0.6 million in part due to key executive personnel hired in 2008. These increases were offset by a $1.3 million decrease in finance and administration and human resources expenses in our Italian operations due to a reduced level of activities. In addition, corporate development expenses decreased $0.8 million primarily related to a reduction in travel costs. Finance and administration expenses also decreased $0.8 million primarily due to a decrease in expenses associated with our shareholder meetings as well as a decrease in certain taxes and insurance premiums.
Amortization of purchased intangibles. Amortization for the year ended December 31, 2008 increased to $1.7 million from $0.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2007 primarily due to the amortization of intangible assets acquired in connection with our acquisition of Zevalin in December 2007.
Gain on sale of Zevalin. The gain on sale of Zevalin for the year ended December 31, 2008 related to the gain recognized, net of transaction costs, on the sale of Zevalin to RIT Oncology, the 50/50 joint venture we formed with Spectrum. Due to the fact that we received cash for assets contributed, we recorded a gain based on the difference between the book value of the assets contributed and the fair value of these assets as recorded under the joint venture.
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Acquired in-process research and development. Acquired in-process research and development for the year ended December 31, 2008 relates to adjustments to our one-time charge recorded in connection with our acquisition of Zevalin in December 2007. These adjustments resulted from changes in the estimated acquisition costs used in determining the total estimated purchase price of the acquisition. The amount for the year ended December 31, 2007 relates to one-time charges of $21.4 million and $3.2 million recorded in connection with our acquisitions of SMI and Zevalin, respectively.
Investment and other income, net. Investment and other income for the year ended December 31, 2008 decreased to $0.5 million as compared to $2.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2007 primarily due to a lower average securities available-for-sale balance.
Interest expense. Interest expense increased to $8.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 from $8.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. This was primarily due to increases of $3.0 million related to interest on our 5.75% convertible senior notes issued in December 2007 as well as interest on our 9%, 15%, 18.33%, 9.66% and 10% (due 2012) convertible senior notes, which were all issued during 2008. These increases were offset by a decrease of $2.8 million in interest expense on our 5.75% convertible subordinated and senior subordinated notes due to the exchange of $36.1 million of these notes for our 5.75% convertible senior notes in December 2007, the cancellation of $9.1 million of these notes in exchange for shares of our common stock in February 2008 and repayment of the remaining amount upon maturity in June 2008.
Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs. Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs increased to $66.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 as compared to $4.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. This increase was primarily due to the accelerated amortization of debt discount and issuance costs related to conversions of certain of our convertible notes issued in 2008. For the year ended December 31, 2008, amortization of the debt discount related to our 13.5%, 9%, 15.5%, 18.33%, 10% (due 2012), 10% (due 2011) and 9.66% convertible senior notes was $23.4 million, $13.2 million, $8.6 million, $5.6 million, $3.4 million, $2.2 million and $1.8 million, respectively, and the amortization of debt issuance costs was $2.0 million, $1.9 million, $0.3 million, $0.5 million, $0.4 million, $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively. This amortization was primarily due to conversions of these notes during the year ended December 31, 2008. These increases were offset by a decrease of $2.9 million in amortization of debt discount and issuance costs on our 7.5% convertible senior notes primarily related to conversions of these notes during the year ended December 31, 2007.
Foreign exchange gain. Foreign exchange gains for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 are due to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, primarily related to payables and receivables in our European branch denominated in foreign currencies.
Make-whole interest expense. Make-whole interest expense of $70.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 is related to $22.4 million in payments made upon the conversion of $27.6 million of our 13.5% convertible senior notes, $15.5 million in payments made upon conversion of $28.3 million of our 18.33% convertible senior notes, $11.0 million in payments made upon conversion of $40.8 million of our 9% convertible senior notes, $8.8 million in payments made upon conversion of $14.2 million of our 15.5% convertible senior notes, $4.5 million in payments made upon conversion of $15.7 million of our 9.66% convertible senior notes, $4.4 million in payments made upon conversion of $14.7 million of our 10% convertible senior notes (due 2011) and $3.6 million in payments made upon conversion of $9.0 million of our 10% convertible senior notes (due 2012). Make-whole interest expense of $2.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2007 is due to payments made related to the conversion of $13.6 million of our 7.5% convertible senior notes.
Gain on derivative liabilities. The gain on derivative liabilities of $69.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 is primarily due to gains of $22.3 million, $12.0 million, $8.6 million, $6.9 million, $4.6 million, $3.4 million, $2.4 million and $2.2 million resulting from the change in the estimated fair value of the
54
derivative liabilities related to the embedded conversion options on our 13.5%, 9%, 15.5%, 18.33%, 15%, 10% (due 2012), 9.66% and 10% (due 2011) convertible senior notes, respectively. There was also a gain of $7.3 million due to the change in the estimated fair value of the derivative liability related to the Series B Unit Warrant. The gain on derivative liabilities of $3.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2007 primarily represents the change in the estimated fair value of the derivative liabilities related to the interest make-whole provisions on our 7.5% convertible senior notes.
Gain (loss) on exchange of convertible notes. The loss on exchange of convertible notes of $25.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 is due to the repurchase of certain of our convertible notes in exchange for new convertible notes or common stock. In July and August 2008, we recorded a $10.3 million loss due to the repurchase of $17.5 million aggregate principal of our 13.5% convertible senior notes in connection with the issuance of our 18.33% convertible senior notes. A loss of $5.5 million was due to the repurchase of $18.2 million of our 15% convertible senior notes in connection with the issuance of our 9.66% convertible senior notes in October 2008. In addition, we repurchased the remaining $4.8 million of our 15% convertible senior notes, $16.3 million of our 18.33% convertible senior notes and $9.0 million of our 9.66% convertible senior notes in connection with the issuance of our 10% convertible senior notes (due 2011) and recorded a $3.7 million loss. We also recorded a $3.3 million loss due to the exchange of $5.3 million of our 9% convertible senior notes for units of our 13.5% convertible senior notes, Series E preferred stock and related warrants issued in April 2008 and a loss of $2.3 million due to the extinguishment of $9.1 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.75% convertible senior subordinated and convertible subordinated notes in exchange for 0.7 million shares of our common stock in February 2008.
The loss of $1.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2007 is due to the extinguishment of $36.1 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.75% convertible senior subordinated and convertible subordinated notes in exchange for $23.3 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.75% convertible senior notes and 5.5 million shares of our common stock in the fourth quarter of 2007.
Equity loss from investment in joint venture. The loss for the year ended December 31, 2008 relates to our 50% interest in RIT Oncology, which we account for using the equity method of accounting.
Settlement expense. Settlement expense of $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 was primarily related to $2.9 million in payments accrued or made to certain of our preferred stock holders for the release of all claims against us in connection with our alleged breach of contract related to their preferred stock held. In addition, we recorded expense of $0.5 million for the settlement of attorneys fees and costs related to claims brought against us by a private party plaintiff in connection with our litigation with the United States Attorneys Office, or USAO, as discussed in Part I, Item 3, Legal Proceedings.
Settlement expense for the year ended December 31, 2007 relates to interest accrued on the $10.5 million payment to the USAO for release of all claims in connection with the investigation of our marketing practices relating to TRISENOX and related matters. Interest was accrued from the date of reaching an agreement in principle with the USAO in the fourth quarter of 2006 and the payment was made in April 2007.
Write-off of financing arrangement costs. The write-off of financing arrangement costs of $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 primarily relates to a $2.4 million write-off of offering costs associated with the Step-Up Equity Financing Agreement with Société Générale, including costs related to the Italian Listing Prospectus that was published in January 2008 as an Italian regulatory requirement to issue shares under this agreement. The write-off was primarily due to significant uncertainty regarding our ability to pursue further financings under this agreement which terminated in January 2009. In addition, we wrote-off $0.5 million in expenses associated with our equity line of credit with Midsummer based on our plans to terminate the agreement. We terminated the agreement in March 2009.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2009, we had $37.8 million in cash and cash equivalents and we also received gross proceeds of $30.0 million in January 2010 for the issuance of 30,000 shares of our Series 3 preferred stock and related warrants.
Net cash used in operating activities totaled $88.2 million in 2009, compared to $80.2 million in 2008 and $103.6 million in 2007. The increase in net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2009 as compared to 2008 was primarily due to an increase in cash payments used to decrease our accounts payable and accrued expenses for the year ended December 31, 2009 as compared to an increase in these liability amounts during the comparable period in 2008. During 2009, we also had a decrease in cash received from sales of Zevalin as well as increased cash payments due to settlement expenses and restructuring charges. These were offset by decreased selling, general and administrative and research and development expense, excluding the allocation of non-cash stock based compensation expense to these activities as well as a decrease in cash paid for interest expense. The decrease in net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2008 as compared to 2007 was primarily due to a decrease in our selling, general and administrative and research and development expenses as well as an increase in cash collected from our sales of Zevalin. If we receive FDA approval for pixantrone, we expect cash used in operating activities to increase in 2010 as compared to 2009 due to increased sales and marketing expenses for pixantrone, including increased compensation expense for our pixantrone sales force.
Net cash provided by investing activities totaled $21.8 million in 2009 as compared to $4.4 million in 2008 and $21.5 million in 2007. Net cash provided by investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2009 was primarily due to $6.8 million in net proceeds from Spectrum in January 2009 related to the initial formation of RIT Oncology in December 2008 and $15.0 million in net proceeds from Spectrum related to the sale of our 50% interest in RIT Oncology in 2009. Net cash provided by investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2008 was primarily due to $6.8 million in net cash received in December 2008 in connection with our disposition of Zevalin to RIT Oncology in exchange for a 50% interest in RIT Oncology as well as proceeds from sales and maturities of securities available-for-sale, offset by purchases of securities available-for-sale, purchases of property and equipment and cash paid for acquisition costs related to our purchase of Zevalin in December 2007. Net cash provided by investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2007 was primarily due to the net amount of cash received from sales, maturities and purchases of securities available-for-sale offset by cash paid for the acquisition of Zevalin.
Net cash provided by financing activities totaled $94.8 million in 2009, $73.7 million in 2008 and $84.7 million in 2007. Net cash provided by financing activities for year ended December 31, 2009 was primarily due to $40.3 million in net proceeds from the issuance of 33.7 million shares of our common stock and warrants to purchase up to 8.4 million shares of our common stock in a public offering in July 2009 as well as $18.9 million in net proceeds from the issuance of 16.0 million shares of our common stock and warrants to purchase 4.8 million shares of our common stock May 2009. We also received $28.4 million in net proceeds from the issuance of 30,000 shares of our Series 2 preferred stock and warrants to purchase up to 4.7 million shares of our common stock in August 2009. In addition, in May 2009, we received $18.7 million in net proceeds from the issuance of 20,000 shares of our Series 1 preferred stock and related Class A and Class B warrants as well as $3.8 million and $4.3 million upon the exercise of the Class A and Class B warrants in May and October 2009, respectively. These proceeds were offset by $10.0 million in cash paid, net of transaction costs and in addition to 24.2 million shares of our common stock, for the exchange of $52.9 million principal amount of our convertible notes. We also repurchased $6.4 million shares of our common stock for cash in connection with the vesting of employee share awards based on taxes owed by employees due to the vesting of the awards. In addition, we made a $3.0 million deemed dividend payment in connection with our settlement with Tang Capital Partners LP for full release of all claims against us in connection with our alleged breach of contract related to Tangs Series B preferred stock. This amount was accrued as of December 31, 2008 and paid in January 2009.
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Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2008 was primarily due to issuances of our convertible senior notes. Proceeds from the issuance of our 9% convertible senior notes were $35.4 million, net of issuance costs and restricted cash placed in escrow to fund make-whole payments. We also made a deemed dividend payment of $16.2 million to induce existing holders of our Series A, B, C and D convertible preferred stock to convert their shares of preferred stock into common stock in connection with this issuance. Proceeds from the issuance of our 13.5% convertible senior notes and Series E preferred stock were $19.6 million, net of issuance costs, restricted cash placed in escrow to fund make-whole payments and the cancellation of $5.3 million of our 9% convertible senior notes. Upon cancellation of these notes, $1.4 million was released to us from the amount placed in escrow to fund make-whole payments. Proceeds from the issuance of our 15% convertible senior notes were $11.4 million, net of issuance costs and restricted cash placed in escrow to fund make-whole payments. We received $1.8 million in proceeds from the issuance of our 18.33% convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs, restricted cash placed in escrow to fund make-whole payments and the repurchase of $17.5 million of our 13.5% convertible senior notes and warrants. Upon cancellation of the 13.5% convertible senior notes and warrants, $6.5 million was released to us from the amount placed in escrow to fund make-whole payments. We received proceeds of $10.1 million from the issuance of our 10% convertible senior notes (due 2012) and 15.5% convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs and restricted cash placed in escrow to fund make-whole payments. In connection with these issuances, we made another deemed dividend payment of $2.0 million to induce an existing holder of our Series C preferred stock to convert its shares of preferred stock into common stock. We made a net payment of $1.1 million for the issuance of our 9.66% convertible senior notes and the cancellation of $18.2 million of our 15% convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs and a net payment of $6.5 million for the issuance of our 10% convertible senior notes (due 2011) and the cancellation of $16.3 million of our 18.33% convertible senior notes, $9.0 million of our 9.66% convertible senior notes and $4.8 million of our 15% convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs. In connection with the cancellations of these notes, $20.8 million was released to us from amounts placed in escrow to fund make-whole payments. We also received $5.1 million in net proceeds from the sale of our common stock under equity financing agreements. Cash received from these financings were offset by the repayment of the outstanding $10.7 million principal balance on our 5.75% convertible subordinated and senior subordinated notes upon their maturity in June 2008.
Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2007 was primarily due to net proceeds of $18.6 million received from the sale of 20,000 shares of our Series A 3% convertible preferred stock and common stock warrants in February 2007, net proceeds of $34.8 million received from the sale of 37,200 shares of our Series B 3% convertible preferred stock and common stock warrants in April 2007, net proceeds of $18.9 million received from the sale of 20,250 shares of our Series C 3% convertible preferred stock and common stock warrants in July 2007, net proceeds of $6.1 million received from the sale of 6,500 shares of our Series D 7% convertible preferred stock and common stock warrants in December 2007 and net proceeds of $7.0 million received from the sale of our common stock and common stock warrants in December 2007.
We have prepared our financial statements assuming that we will continue as a going concern, which contemplates realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. We have incurred net losses since inception and, unless we receive FDA approval for pixantrone, we expect to generate losses from operations for at least the next couple of years primarily due to research and development costs for pixantrone, OPAXIO and brostallicin. If we receive FDA approval and have a successful commercial launch of pixantrone in the second quarter of 2010 and we are successful in exchanging or retiring our convertible notes due July 1, 2010, we expect to be cash flow positive in the fourth quarter of 2010. However, if we do not receive FDA approval but we are successful in exchanging our convertible notes due July 1, 2010, we expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents, including the cash received from the issuance of our Series 3 preferred stock and warrants, are sufficient to fund our presently anticipated operations through the fourth quarter of 2010.
While we have recently started hiring our sales force for pixantrone, in 2009, we achieved cost savings initiatives to reduce operating expenses, including the reduction of employees related to Zevalin operations and the closure of our operations in Italy and we continue to seek additional areas for cost reductions. However, we
57
must also raise additional funds and are currently exploring alternative sources of financing. We may seek to raise such capital through public or private equity financings, partnerships, joint ventures, disposition of assets, debt financings or restructurings, bank borrowings or other sources. If additional funds are raised by issuing equity securities, substantial dilution to existing shareholders may result. If we fail to obtain capital when required, we may be required to delay, scale back, or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs and may be forced to cease operations, liquidate our assets and possibly seek bankruptcy protection.
Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
| results of our clinical trials; |
| regulatory approval of our products; |
| success in acquiring or divesting products, technologies or businesses; |
| progress in and scope of our research and development activities; |
| finding appropriate partners for the development and commercialization of our products if they are approved for marketing; and |
| competitive market developments. |
Future capital requirements will also depend on the extent to which we acquire or invest in businesses, products and technologies or sell or license our products to others. We will require additional financing and such financing may not be available when needed or, if available, we may not be able to obtain it on terms favorable to us or to our shareholders. Insufficient funds may require us to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs, or may adversely affect our ability to operate as a going concern. If additional funds are raised by issuing equity securities, substantial dilution to existing shareholders may result.
The following table includes information relating to our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2009 (in thousands):
Contractual Obligations |
Payments Due by Period | ||||||||||||||
Total | 1 Year | 2-3 Years | 4-5 Years | After 5 Years | |||||||||||
7.5% Convertible senior notes(1) |
10,250 | | 10,250 | | | ||||||||||
5.75% Convertible senior notes(2) |
10,913 | | 10,913 | | | ||||||||||
4.0% Convertible senior subordinated notes(3) |
40,363 | 40,363 | | | | ||||||||||
Interest on convertible notes |
3,054 | 2,201 | 853 | | | ||||||||||
Operating leases: |
|||||||||||||||
Facilities |
11,838 | 4,470 | 7,099 | 269 | | ||||||||||
Long-term obligations(4) |
2,319 | 956 | 1,336 | 27 | | ||||||||||
$ | 78,737 | $ | 47,990 | $ | 30,451 | $ | 296 | $ | | ||||||
(1) | The 7.5% convertible senior notes are convertible into shares of CTI common stock at a conversion rate of 11.96298 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the notes, which is equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $83.59 per share. |
(2) | The 5.75% convertible senior notes are convertible into shares of CTI common stock at a conversion rate of 33.33333 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the notes, which is equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $30.00 per share. |
(3) | The 4.0% convertible senior subordinated notes are convertible into shares of CTI common stock at a conversion rate of 1.85185 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the notes, which is equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $540.00 per share. |
(4) | Long-term obligations do not include $0.9 million related to excess facilities charges. |
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Additional Milestone Activities
We have an agreement with PG-TXL Company L.P., or PG-TXL, which grants us an exclusive worldwide license for the rights to OPAXIO and to all potential uses of PG-TXLs polymer technology. We may be required to pay up to $14.4 million in additional milestone payments under this agreement. The timing of the remaining milestone payments under the amended agreement is based on trial commencements and completions and regulatory and marketing approval with the FDA and EMEA.
We have an agreement with the Gynecologic Oncology Group, or GOG, related to the GOG0212 trial which the GOG is conducting. Under this agreement we are required to pay up to $5.1 million in additional milestone payments related to the trial of which $1.6 million may become due in the first quarter of 2010 based on patient enrollment.
Under a license agreement entered into for brostallicin, we may be required to pay up to $80.0 million in milestone payments, based on the achievement of certain product development results. Because brostallicin is in an early stage of development, we are not able to determine whether the clinical trials will be successful and therefore cannot make a determination that the milestone payments are reasonably likely to occur at this time.
In connection with our acquisition of SMI we were required to pay its stockholders a maximum of $15.0 million in additional consideration (payable in cash or stock at our election, subject to certain NASDAQ limitations on the issuance of stock) upon the achievement of certain FDA regulatory milestones for brostallicin. In August 2009, we entered into an amended agreement under which these milestone payments were replaced by an immediate substitute payment of $6.0 million payable in shares of our common stock subject to certain conditions, including required shareholder approval. If the conditions were not satisfied, we would have been required to pay the SMI stockholders $5.0 million cash in lieu of the $6.0 million shares of our common stock. In October 2009, our shareholders approved the issuance of $6.0 million in shares of our common stock and we issued 5.6 million shares of our common stock to SMI stockholders.
Pursuant to an acquisition agreement entered into with Cephalon, Inc. in June 2005, we may receive up to $100.0 million in payments upon achievement by Cephalon of specified sales and development milestones related to TRISENOX. However, the achievement of any such milestones is uncertain at this time.
Under our agreement with Novartis Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., or Novartis, if Novartis elects to participate in the development and commercialization of OPAXIO or if Novartis exercises its option to develop and commercialize pixantrone and we are able to negotiate a definitive agreement with Novartis, we may receive up to $374.0 million in registration and sales related milestone payments. Novartis is under no obligation to make such election or exercise such right and may never do so. Additionally, even if Novartis exercises such rights, any milestone payments we may be eligible to receive from Novartis are subject to the receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals, which we may never receive.
Impact of Inflation
In the opinion of management, inflation has not had a material effect on our operations including selling prices, capital expenditures and operating expenses.
New Accounting Standards
In June 2009, the FASB, issued the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, or Codification. All existing accounting standard documents were superceded by the Codification and the Codification became the source of all authoritative generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, except for rules and interpretive releases from the SEC, which are still sources of authoritative GAAP for SEC registrants. All guidance contained in the Codification carries an equal level of authority. All other non-grandfathered, non-SEC accounting literature not included in the Codification has become nonauthoritative. The Codification is effective for interim or annual
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periods ending after September 15, 2009, and we are using the new guidelines and numbering systems prescribed by the Codification when referring to GAAP in these financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2009. As the Codification was not intended to change or alter existing GAAP, it did not have any impact on our financial position or results of operations.
In May 2009, the FASB issued a new accounting standard that established general standards of accounting for and disclosure of events that occur after the balance sheet date but before the financial statements are issued or are available to be issued. As codified in ASC 855, this standard requires the disclosure of the date through which an entity has evaluated subsequent events and whether that date represents the date the financial statements were issued or were available to be issued. This standard is effective for annual and interim periods ending after June 15, 2009 and should be applied prospectively. We have evaluated subsequent events through February 26, 2010, the issuance date of our financial statements.
In April 2009, the FASB issued a new accounting standard that amends the guidance in ASC 805 to require that assets and liabilities assumed in a business combination that arise from contingencies be recognized at fair value if fair value can be reasonably estimated. The adoption of this provision, which was effective January 1, 2009, did not have a material impact on our financial statements.
Item 7a. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk |
Foreign Exchange Market Risk
We are exposed to risks associated with foreign currency transactions insofar as we use U.S. dollars to make contract payments denominated in euros or vice versa. As the net positions of our unhedged foreign currency transactions fluctuate, our earnings might be negatively affected. As of December 21, 2009, our foreign currency transactions are minimal and changes to the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies would have an immaterial affect on our earnings. In addition, the reported carrying value of our euro-denominated assets and liabilities that remain in our Bresso branch will be affected by fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar as compared to the euro. As of December 31, 2009, we had a net asset balance in our European branch. If the euro were to weaken 20% against the U.S. dollar, our net asset balance would decrease by approximately $0.7 million as of this date.
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Item 8. | Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data |
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page | ||
Reports of Stonefield Josephson, Inc., Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
62 | |
64 | ||
65 | ||
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders Deficit and Other Comprehensive Loss |
66 | |
69 | ||
72 |
61
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and
Shareholders of Cell Therapeutics, Inc.
We have audited Cell Therapeutics, Inc.s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2009, based on criteria established in Internal ControlIntegrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Cell Therapeutics, Inc.s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Managements Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the companys internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
A companys internal control over financial reporting is a process designed 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. A companys internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) 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 of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the companys assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, 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.
In our opinion, Cell Therapeutics, Inc maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2009, based on criteria established in Internal ControlIntegrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders deficit and other comprehensive loss, and cash flows of Cell Therapeutics, Inc. for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2009, of Cell Therapeutics, Inc, and our report dated February 26, 2010 expressed an unqualified opinion.
/s/ Stonefield Josephson, Inc.
Stonefield Josephson, Inc.
San Francisco, California
February 26, 2010
62
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To The Board of Directors and
Shareholders of Cell Therapeutics, Inc.
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders deficit and other comprehensive loss, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2009. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Companys management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Cell Therapeutics, Inc. as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2009, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
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 sustained loss from operations over the audit periods, incurred an accumulated deficit, and has substantial monetary liabilities in excess of monetary assets as of December 31, 2009. Given these factors and the Companys inability to demonstrate its ability to satisfy the monetary liabilities raises substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern. Managements plans concerning these matters are described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded assets, or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary in the event the Company cannot continue in existence.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the Companys internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2009, based on criteria established in Internal ControlIntegrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) and our report dated February 26, 2010 expressed an unqualified opinion.
/s/ Stonefield Josephson, Inc.
Stonefield Josephson, Inc.
San Francisco, California
February 26, 2010
63
CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
(In thousands, except share amounts)
December 31, 2009 |
December 31, 2008 |
|||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 37,811 | $ | 10,072 | ||||
Restricted cash |
| 6,640 | ||||||
Securities available-for-sale |
| 599 | ||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
| 982 | ||||||
Note receivable from joint venture |
| 7,500 | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
4,354 | 2,368 | ||||||
Total current assets |
42,165 | 28,161 | ||||||
Property and equipment, net |
3,430 | 4,324 | ||||||
Goodwill |
17,064 | 17,064 | ||||||
Investment in joint venture |
| 5,830 | ||||||
Other assets |
6,936 | 8,864 | ||||||
Total assets |
$ | 69,595 | $ | 64,243 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS DEFICIT |
||||||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts payable |
$ | 7,297 | $ | 9,327 | ||||
Accrued expenses |
14,807 | 29,308 | ||||||
Warrant liability |
| 2,830 | ||||||
Current portion of deferred revenue |
80 | 80 | ||||||
Current portion of long-term obligations |
1,312 | 757 | ||||||
4% convertible senior subordinated notes |
40,363 | | ||||||
Total current liabilities |
63,859 | 42,302 | ||||||
Deferred revenue, less current portion |
239 | 319 | ||||||
Long-term obligations, less current portion |
1,861 | 2,907 | ||||||
10% convertible senior notes due 2011 |
| 19,784 | ||||||
9% convertible senior notes |
| 4,104 | ||||||
7.5% convertible senior notes |
10,102 | 32,601 | ||||||
6.75% convertible senior notes |
| 6,926 | ||||||
5.75% convertible senior notes |
11,677 | 23,808 | ||||||
4% convertible senior subordinated notes |
| 55,150 | ||||||
Total liabilities |
87,738 | 187,901 | ||||||
Commitments and contingencies |
||||||||
Preferred stock, no par value: |
||||||||
Authorized shares10,000,000 |
||||||||
Series A 3% Convertible Preferred Stock, $1,000 stated value, 20,000 shares designated; 0 and 550 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively |
| 417 | ||||||
Series B 3% Convertible Preferred Stock, $1,000 stated value, 37,200 shares designated; 0 and 5,218 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively |
| 4,031 | ||||||
Series C 3% Convertible Preferred Stock, $1,000 stated value, 20,250 shares designated; 0 and 4,284 shares issued and outstanding at December, 2009 and 2008, respectively |
| 3,221 | ||||||
Series D 7% Convertible Preferred Stock, $1,000 stated value, 6,500 shares designated; 0 and 1,000 shares issued and outstanding at December, 2009 and 2008, respectively |
| 734 | ||||||
Common stock purchase warrants |
626 | | ||||||
Shareholders deficit: |
||||||||
Common stock, no par value: |
||||||||
Authorized shares800,000,000 |
||||||||
Issued and outstanding shares590,282,575 and 186,411,922 at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively |
1,418,931 | 1,188,071 | ||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
(8,412 | ) | (7,812 | ) | ||||
Accumulated deficit |
(1,429,083 | ) | (1,312,320 | ) | ||||
Total CTI shareholders deficit |
(18,564 | ) | (132,061 | ) | ||||
Noncontrolling interest |
(205 | ) | | |||||
Total shareholders deficit |
(18,769 | ) | (132,061 | ) | ||||
Total liabilities and shareholders deficit |
$ | 69,595 | $ | 64,243 | ||||
See accompanying notes.
64
CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | ||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||
Product sales |
$ | | $ | 11,352 | $ | 47 | ||||||
License and contract revenue |
80 | 80 | 80 | |||||||||
Total revenues |
80 | 11,432 | 127 | |||||||||
Operating expenses, net: |
||||||||||||
Cost of product sold |
| 3,244 | 49 | |||||||||
Research and development |
30,179 | 51,614 | 72,019 | |||||||||
Selling, general and administrative |
57,725 | 41,607 | 35,517 | |||||||||
Amortization of purchased intangibles |
| 1,658 | 913 | |||||||||
Restructuring charges and related gain on sale of assets, net |
3,979 | | | |||||||||
Gain on sale of Zevalin |
| (9,444 | ) | | ||||||||
Gain on sale of investment in joint venture |
(10,244 | ) | | | ||||||||
Acquired in-process research and development |
| 36 | 24,615 | |||||||||
Total operating expenses, net |
81,639 | 88,715 | 133,113 | |||||||||
Loss from operations |
(81,559 | ) | (77,283 | ) | (132,986 | ) | ||||||
Other income (expense): |
||||||||||||
Investment and other income, net |
133 | 549 | 2,430 | |||||||||
Interest expense |
(4,806 | ) | (8,559 | ) | (8,237 | ) | ||||||
Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs |
(5,788 | ) | (66,530 | ) | (4,280 | ) | ||||||
Foreign exchange gain |
33 | 3,637 | 4,657 | |||||||||
Make-whole interest expense |
(6,345 | ) | (70,243 | ) | (2,310 | ) | ||||||
Gain on derivative liabilities, net |
7,218 | 69,739 | 3,672 | |||||||||
Gain (loss) on exchange of convertible notes |
7,381 | (25,103 | ) | (972 | ) | |||||||
Equity loss from investment in joint venture |
(1,204 | ) | (123 | ) | | |||||||
Milestone modification expense |
(6,000 | ) | | | ||||||||
Settlement expense |
(4,710 | ) | (3,393 | ) | (160 | ) | ||||||
Write-off of financing arrangement costs |
| (2,846 | ) | | ||||||||
Other expense, net |
(14,088 | ) | (102,872 | ) | (5,200 | ) | ||||||
Net loss before noncontrolling interest |
(95,647 | ) | (180,155 | ) | (138,186 | ) | ||||||
Noncontrolling interest |
252 | 126 | 78 | |||||||||
Net loss attributable to CTI |
(95,395 | ) | (180,029 | ) | (138,108 | ) | ||||||
Gain on restructuring of preferred stock |
2,116 | | | |||||||||
Preferred stock dividends |
(24 | ) | (662 | ) | (648 | ) | ||||||
Deemed dividends on preferred stock |
(23,460 | ) | (22,216 | ) | (9,549 | ) | ||||||
Net loss attributable to common shareholders |
$ | (116,763 | ) | $ | (202,907 | ) | $ | (148,305 | ) | |||
Basic and diluted net loss per common share |
$ | (0.25 | ) | $ | (7.00 | ) | $ | (32.75 | ) | |||
Shares used in calculation of basic and diluted net loss per common share |
458,356 | 28,967 | 4,529 | |||||||||
See accompanying notes.
65
CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS DEFICIT AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(In thousands)
Common Stock | Accumulated Deficit |
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss) |
Noncontrolling Interest |
Total Shareholders (Deficit) |
||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | |||||||||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2006 |
3,639 | $ | 860,691 | $ | (961,108 | ) | $ | (1,187 | ) | $ | | $ | (101,604 | ) | ||||||||
Conversion of convertible preferred stock to common stock |
924 | 37,648 | | | | 37,648 | ||||||||||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of warrants in connection with issuance of convertible preferred stock, net |
| 14,526 | | | | 14,526 | ||||||||||||||||
Value of beneficial conversion feature of preferred stock |
| 9,549 | | | | 9,549 | ||||||||||||||||
Conversion of 7.5% convertible senior notes to common stock |
183 | 15,294 | | | | 15,294 | ||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in connection with SMI acquisition |
421 | 19,872 | | | | 19,872 | ||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in connection with exchange of 5.75% senior subordinated and subordinated notes |
546 | 13,704 | | | | 13,704 | ||||||||||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of common stock and warrants, net |
347 | 6,537 | | | | 6,537 | ||||||||||||||||
Equity-based compensation |
185 | 1,588 | | | | 1,588 | ||||||||||||||||
Other |
(1 | ) | (114 | ) | | | | (114 | ) | |||||||||||||
Dividends on preferred stock |
| | (648 | ) | | | (648 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Deemed dividends on preferred stock |
| | (9,549 | ) | | | (9,549 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss: |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation loss |
| | | (2,807 | ) | | (2,807 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Unrealized losses on securities available-for-sale |
| | | (13 | ) | | (13 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Net loss for the year ended |
||||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2007 |
| | (138,108 | ) | | | (138,108 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss |
(140,928 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2007 |
6,244 | $ | 979,295 | $ | (1,109,413 | ) | $ | (4,007 | ) | $ | | $ | (134,125 | ) |
See accompanying notes.
66
CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS DEFICIT AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS(Continued)
(In thousands)
Common Stock | Accumulated Deficit |
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss) |
Noncontrolling Interest |
Total Shareholders (Deficit) |
|||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | ||||||||||||||||||||
Conversion of convertible preferred stock to common stock |
463 | 17,832 | | | | 17,832 | |||||||||||||||
Conversion of 18.33% convertible senior notes to common stock |
3,576 | 28,250 | | | | 28,250 | |||||||||||||||
Conversion of 15.5% convertible senior notes to common stock |
11,189 | 14,210 | | | | 14,210 | |||||||||||||||
Conversion of 13.5% convertible senior notes to common stock |
3,494 | 27,600 | | | | 27,600 | |||||||||||||||
Conversion of 10% convertible senior notes due 2012 to common stock |
7,087 | 9,000 | | | | 9,000 | |||||||||||||||
Conversion of 10% convertible senior notes due 2011 to common stock |
106,944 | 14,651 | | | | 14,651 | |||||||||||||||
Conversion of 9.66% convertible senior notes to common stock |
41,316 | 15,700 | | | | 15,700 | |||||||||||||||
Conversion of 9% convertible senior notes to common stock |
2,895 | 40,820 | | | | 40,820 | |||||||||||||||
Conversion of 5.75% convertible senior notes to common stock |
8 | 250 | | | | 250 | |||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in connection with connection with issuance of convertible with exchange of 5.75% convertible subordinated and preferred stock, net senior subordinated notes |
685 | 11,133 | | | | 11,133 | |||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in connection with financing agreement |
80 | 1,183 | | | | 1,183 | |||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock under the Midsummer Equity Line |
1,545 | 4,351 | | | | 4,351 | |||||||||||||||
Premium on 15% convertible senior notes due to exercise of with SMI acquisition Series B warrant |
| 11,158 | | | | 11,158 | |||||||||||||||
Issuance of warrants in connection with the 9% convertible preferred stock senior notes |
| 3,358 | | | | 3,358 | |||||||||||||||
Issuance of warrants in connection with the 13.5%, 15% notes to common stock and 18.33% convertible senior notes |
| 7,491 | | | | 7,491 | |||||||||||||||
Repurchase of warrants in connection with the issuance of notes to common stock 13.5% and 18.33% notes |
| (2,042 | ) | | | | (2,042 | ) | |||||||||||||
Equity-based compensation |
878 | 3,995 | | | | 3,995 | |||||||||||||||
Noncontrolling interest |
| (126 | ) | | | | (126 | ) | |||||||||||||
Other |
8 | (38 | ) | | | | (38 | ) | |||||||||||||
Dividends on preferred stock |
| | (662 | ) | | | (662 | ) | |||||||||||||
Deemed dividends on preferred stock |
| | (22,216 | ) | | | (22,216 | ) | |||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss: |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation loss |
| | | (3,801 | ) | | (3,801 | ) | |||||||||||||
Unrealized losses on securities available-for-sale |
| | | (4 | ) | | (4 | ) | |||||||||||||
Net loss for the year ended |
|||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2008 |
| | (180,029 | ) | | | (180,029 | ) | |||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss |
(183,834 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2008 |
186,412 | $ | 1,188,071 | $ | (1,312,320 | ) | $ | (7,812 | ) | $ | | $ | (132,061 | ) |
See accompanying notes.
67
CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS DEFICIT AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS(Continued)
(In thousands)
Common Stock | Accumulated Deficit |
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss) |
Noncontrolling Interest |
Total Shareholders (Deficit) |
|||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock and warrants |
49,732 | 59,233 | | | | 59,233 | |||||||||||||||||
Conversion of 10% convertible senior notes due 2011 to common stock |
131,387 | 18,000 | | | | 18,000 | |||||||||||||||||
Conversion of 9% convertible senior notes to common stock |
372 | 5,250 | | | | 5,250 | |||||||||||||||||
Conversion of Series F preferred stock to common stock |
47,871 | 3,866 | | | | 3,866 | |||||||||||||||||
Conversion of Series 1 preferred stock to common stock |
66,667 | 18,537 | | | | 18,537 | |||||||||||||||||
Conversion of Series 2 preferred stock to common stock |
18,853 | 27,796 | | | | 27,796 | |||||||||||||||||
Value of beneficial conversion features related to Series 1 and 2 preferred stock |
| 13,194 | | | | 13,194 | |||||||||||||||||
Issuance of warrants in connection with Series 2 preferred stock |
| 6,138 | | | | 6,138 | |||||||||||||||||
Exercise of Class A warrants |
9,184 | 5,222 | | | | 5,222 | |||||||||||||||||
Exercise of Class B warrants |
10,378 | 5,732 | | | | 5,732 | |||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in exchange for convertible notes |
27,535 | 39,523 | | | | 39,523 | |||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in connection with Series A preferred stock settlement |
4,000 | 509 | | | | 509 | |||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in exchange for milestone modification |
5,607 | 6,000 | | | | 6,000 | |||||||||||||||||
Conversion or exchange of Series A, B and D convertible preferred stock to common stock |
3,786 | 4,288 | | | | 4,288 | |||||||||||||||||
Reacquisition of BCF in connection with exchange of Series A, B and C convertible preferred stock for Series F preferred stock |
| (961 | ) | | | | (961 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Equity-based compensation |
33,821 | 24,937 | | | | 24,937 | |||||||||||||||||
Repurchase of shares in connection with taxes on restricted stock vesting |
(5,364 | ) | (6,394 | ) | | | | (6,394 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Employee stock purchase plan |
42 | 36 | | | | 36 | |||||||||||||||||
Noncontrolling interest |
| (47 | ) | | | (205 | ) | (252 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Dividends on preferred stock |
| 1 | (24 | ) | | | (23 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Gain on restructuring of preferred stock |
2,116 | | | 2,116 | |||||||||||||||||||
Deemed dividends on preferred stock |
| | (23,460 | ) | | | (23,460 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss: |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation loss |
| | | (601 | ) | | (601 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Unrealized gains on securities available-for-sale |
| | | 1 | | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Net loss for the year ended |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2009 |
| | (95,395 | ) | | | (95,395 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss |
(95,995 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2009 |
590,283 | $ | 1,418,931 | $ | (1,429,083 | ) | $ | (8,412 | ) | $ | (205 | ) | $ | (18,769 | ) | ||||||||
See accompanying notes.
68
CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | ||||||||||
Operating activities |
||||||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (95,395 | ) | $ | (180,029 | ) | $ | (138,108 | ) | |||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
||||||||||||
Non-cash interest expense |
5,788 | 66,530 | 4,280 | |||||||||
Non-cash gain on derivative liabilities |
(7,218 | ) | (69,739 | ) | (3,672 | ) | ||||||
Non-cash milestone modification expense |
6,000 | | | |||||||||
Gain on disposition of Zevalin to the JV |
| (9,444 | ) | | ||||||||
Gain on sale of equity investment in joint venture |
(10,244 | ) | | | ||||||||
(Gain) loss on exchange of convertible notes |
(7,381 | ) | 25,103 | 972 | ||||||||
Acquired in-process research and development |
| 36 | 24,615 | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
1,771 | 5,228 | 4,955 | |||||||||
Equity-based compensation expense |
24,937 | 3,995 | 1,588 | |||||||||
Equity loss from investment in joint venture |
1,204 | 123 | | |||||||||
Noncontrolling interest |
(252 | ) | | | ||||||||
Other |
(487 | ) | (229 | ) | (512 | ) | ||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Restricted cash |
6,640 | 71,608 | | |||||||||
Interest receivable |
9 | 37 | 524 | |||||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
982 | (932 | ) | (51 | ) | |||||||
Inventory |
| 291 | (290 | ) | ||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
(2,649 | ) | 1,438 | 6,431 | ||||||||
Other assets |
519 | 2,801 | (1,216 | ) | ||||||||
Accounts payable |
(1,484 | ) | 2,786 | 4,297 | ||||||||
Accrued expenses |
(10,750 | ) | 779 | (4,961 | ) | |||||||
Other liabilities |
(176 | ) | (589 | ) | (2,470 | ) | ||||||
Total adjustments |
7,209 | 99,822 | 34,490 | |||||||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
(88,186 | ) | (80,207 | ) | (103,618 | ) | ||||||
Investing activities |
||||||||||||
Cash received for disposition of Zevalin to joint venture, net |
6,844 | 6,754 | | |||||||||
Proceeds received from sale of investment in joint venture, net |
14,987 | | | |||||||||
Cash paid for acquisition of Zevalin |
| (542 | ) | (11,735 | ) | |||||||
Cash acquired in acquisition of Systems Medicine, Inc., net |
| | 555 | |||||||||
Purchases of securities available-for-sale |
| (10,721 | ) | (36,463 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds from sales of securities available-for-sale |
| 11,550 | 48,431 | |||||||||
Proceeds from maturities of securities available-for-sale |
600 | 1,074 | 22,442 | |||||||||
Investment in joint venture |
| (1,800 | ) | | ||||||||
Purchases of property and equipment |
(1,478 | ) | (1,907 | ) | (1,753 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds from sales of property and equipment |
887 | | | |||||||||
Net cash provided by investing activities |
21,840 | 4,408 | 21,477 | |||||||||
See accompanying notes.
69
CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS(Continued)
(In thousands)
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | ||||||||||
Financing activities |
||||||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Series 1 preferred stock, net of issuance costs |
18,745 | | | |||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Series 2 preferred stock, net of issuance costs |
28,430 | | | |||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of common stock and warrants, net of issuance costs |
59,233 | 5,080 | 7,007 | |||||||||
Proceeds from exercise of Class A warrants |
3,765 | | | |||||||||
Proceeds from exercise of Class B warrants |
4,255 | | | |||||||||
Cash paid for the exchange of convertible notes, net of transaction costs |
(9,965 | ) | | | ||||||||
Cash paid for the repurchase of shares in connection with taxes on restricted stock vesting |
(6,394 | ) | ||||||||||
Payment of deemed dividends on conversion of preferred stock |
(3,000 | ) | (18,149 | ) | | |||||||
Proceeds from issuance of 13.5% convertible senior notes and Series E preferred stock, net of exchange of 9% convertible senior notes and issuance costs |
| 56,069 | | |||||||||
Restricted cash from issuance of 13.5% convertible senior notes |
| (36,456 | ) | | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of 9% convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs |
| 49,317 | | |||||||||
Restricted cash from issuance of 9% convertible senior notes |
| (13,947 | ) | | ||||||||
Release of restricted cash in connection with exchange of 9% convertible senior notes |
| 1,420 | | |||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of 15% convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs |
| 21,794 | | |||||||||
Restricted cash form issuance of 15% convertible senior notes |
| (10,350 | ) | | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of 18.33% convertible senior notes, net of repurchase of 13.5% convertible senior note and issuance costs |
| 26,226 | | |||||||||
Restricted cash from issuance of 18.33% convertible senior notes |
| (24,471 | ) | | ||||||||
Release of restricted cash in connection with repurchase of 13.5% convertible senior notes |
| 6,525 | | |||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of 10% convertible senior note due 2012, net of issuance costs |
| 8,635 | | |||||||||
Restricted cash from issuance of 10% convertible senior notes due 2012 |
| (3,600 | ) | | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of 15.5% convertible senior note, net of issuance costs |
| 13,863 | | |||||||||
Restricted cash from issuance of 15.5% convertible senior notes |
| (8,811 | ) | | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of 9.66% convertible senior notes, net of repurchase of 15% convertible senior note and issuance costs |
| 6,053 | | |||||||||
Restricted cash from issuance of 9.66% convertible senior notes |
| (7,158 | ) | | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of 10% convertible senior notes due 2011, net of repurchase of 9.66%, 15% and 18.33% convertible senior note and issuance costs |
| 3,252 | | |||||||||
Restricted cash from issuance of 10% convertible senior notes due 2011 |
| (9,795 | ) | | ||||||||
Release of restricted cash in connection with repurchase of 9.66% convertible senior notes |
| 2,553 | | |||||||||
Release of restricted cash in connection with repurchase of 15% convertible senior notes |
| 10,043 | | |||||||||
Release of restricted cash in connection with repurchase of 18.33% convertible senior notes |
| 8,224 | | |||||||||
Repayment of 5.75% convertible subordinated and senior subordinated notes |
| (10,724 | ) | | ||||||||
Transaction costs related to exchange of convertible subordinated and senior subordinated notes |
| (304 | ) | | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Series A 3% convertible preferred stock and warrants, net |
| | 18,607 | |||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Series B 3% convertible preferred stock and warrants, net |
| | 34,836 | |||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Series C 3% convertible preferred stock and warrants, net |
| | 18,938 | |||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Series D 7% convertible preferred stock and warrants, net |
| | 6,073 | |||||||||
Payment of additional offering costs related to December 2007 issuance of common stock and warrants |
| (473 | ) | | ||||||||
Payment of dividends on preferred stock |
(111 | ) | (708 | ) | (395 | ) | ||||||
Repayment of long-term obligations |
(154 | ) | (343 | ) | (429 | ) | ||||||
Other |
(29 | ) | (39 | ) | 63 | |||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
94,775 | 73,726 | 84,700 | |||||||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
(690 | ) | (3,653 | ) | (3,890 | ) | ||||||
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents |
27,739 | (5,726 | ) | (1,331 | ) | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year |
10,072 | 15,798 | 17,129 | |||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year |
$ | 37,811 | $ | 10,072 | $ | 15,798 | ||||||
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information |
||||||||||||
Cash paid during the period for interest |
$ | 12,047 | $ | 77,499 | $ | 10,759 | ||||||
Cash paid for taxes |
$ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||
See accompanying notes.
70
CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS(Continued)
(In thousands)
Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | |||||||
Supplemental disclosure of noncash financing and investing activities |
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Exchange of Series A 3% convertible preferred stock for Series F preferred stock |
$ | 151 | $ | | $ | | |||
Exchange of Series B 3% convertible preferred stock for Series F preferred stock |
$ | 1,713 | $ | | $ | | |||
Exchange of Series C 3% convertible preferred stock for Series F preferred stock |
$ | 3,221 | $ | | $ | | |||
Issuance of Series F preferred stock for Series A, B and C convertible preferred stock |
$ | 3,931 | $ | | $ | | |||
Conversion of Series F preferred stock to common stock |
$ | 3,866 | $ | | $ | | |||
Conversion of Series 1 preferred stock to common stock |
$ | 18,537 | $ | | $ | | |||
Conversion of Series 2 preferred stock to common stock |
$ | 27,796 | $ | | $ | | |||
Issuance of common stock in exchange for convertible notes |
$ | 35,193 | $ | | $ | | |||
Issuance of common stock in exchange for milestone modification |
$ | 6,000 | $ | | $ | | |||
Conversion of series A 3% convertible preferred stock to common stock |
$ | | $ | 4,771 | $ | 9,959 | |||
Conversion of series B 3% convertible preferred stock to common stock |
$ | 2,317 | $ | 7,850 | $ | 16,855 | |||
Conversion of series C 3% convertible preferred stock to common stock |
$ | | $ | 3,008 | $ | 8,998 | |||
Conversion of series D 7% convertible preferred stock to common stock |
$ | | $ | 2,203 | $ | 1,836 | |||
Conversion of series E 13.5% convertible preferred stock to 13.5% convertible senior notes |
$ | | $ | 9,118 | $ | | |||
Issuance of common stock in exchange for Series A 3% convertible preferred stock |
$ | 688 | $ | | $ | | |||
Issuance of common stock in exchange for Series D 7% convertible preferred stock |
$ | 1,793 | $ | | $ | | |||
Conversion of 9% convertible senior notes to common stock |
$ | 5,250 | $ | 40,820 | $ | | |||
Conversion of 18.33% convertible senior notes to common stock |
$ | | $ | 28,250 | $ | | |||
Conversion of 15.5% convertible senior notes to common stock |
$ | | $ | 14,211 | $ | | |||
Conversion of 13.5% convertible senior notes to common stock |
$ | | $ | 27,600 | $ | | |||
Conversion of 10% convertible senior notes due 2012 to common stock |
$ | | $ | 9,000 | $ | | |||
Conversion of 10% convertible senior notes due 2011 to common stock |
$ | 18,000 | $ | 14,651 | $ | | |||
Conversion of 9.66% convertible senior notes to common stock |
$ | | $ | 15,700 | $ | | |||
Conversion of 7.5% convertible senior notes to common stock |
$ | | $ | | $ | 15,294 | |||
Conversion of 5.75% convertible senior notes to common stock |
$ | | $ | 250 | $ | | |||
Issuance of common stock for acquisition of Systems Medicine, Inc. |
$ | | $ | | $ | 19,872 | |||