PART I
Forward-looking statements
This Form 10-K/A contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, or the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Form 10-K/A, including statements regarding our future results of operations and
financial position, business strategy, prospective products, product approvals, research and development costs, timing of receipt of clinical trial, field study and other study data, and likelihood of
success, commercialization plans and timing, other plans and objectives of management for future operations, and future results of current and anticipated products are forward-looking statements.
These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "aim," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project,"
"contemplate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this Form 10-K/A are
only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business,
financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K/A and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions
described under the sections in this Form 10-K/A titled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and elsewhere in this
Form 10-K/A. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control. The events and
circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, we
operate in a dynamic industry and economy. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties that we
may face. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events,
changed circumstances or otherwise.
Jaguar Animal Health, our logo, Canalevia and Neonorm are our trademarks that are used in this Form 10-K/A. This Form 10-K/A also includes trademarks, tradenames and
service marks that are the property of other organizations. Solely for convenience, trademarks and tradenames referred to in this Form 10-K/A appear without the ©, ® or
symbols, but those references are not intended to indicate that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or that the applicable owner will not assert
its rights, to these trademarks and tradenames.
Recent Developments
Proposed Merger with Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
On February 8, 2017, we entered into a binding agreement of terms, or Binding Agreement of Terms, for the acquisition of Napo
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Napo, which was our parent company until May 13, 2015. Following the merger, Napo will operate as our wholly-owned subsidiary, focused on human health. The
binding financial terms of the merger include a 3-to-1 Napo-to-Jaguar value ratio to calculate the relative ownership of the combined entity. As of January 31, 2017, Napo owned approximately
19% of the outstanding shares of our common stock.
The
Binding Agreement of Terms sets forth the financial terms of the merger and customary conditions to closing, which include but are not limited to completion of due diligence, receipt
of a fairness
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opinion,
and stockholder and other approvals. Additionally, the financial terms of the merger and conditions to closing include provisions that (i) Napo's secured convertible debt shall not
exceed $10.0 million and its unsecured debt shall not exceed $3.0 million, and (ii) a third party will invest $3.0 million in us for approximately four million shares of
our newly issued common stock with the investment proceeds loaned to Napo immediately prior to the consummation of the merger. The Binding Agreement of Terms also provides that if the merger fails to
close for any reason on or prior to July 31, 2017, other than as a result directly or indirectly of (x) lack of stockholder approval by either party or (y) Napo (i) failing
to perform in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement or (ii) failing to abide by or breaching the provisions or representations, warranties and covenants of the agreement or
the merger documents, then, on or before the close of business on August 7, 2017, we will be required to issue 2,000,000 shares of our restricted common stock to Napo.
Collaboration with Elanco for Development and Co-Promotion of Canalevia
On January 27, 2017, we entered into a licensing, development, co-promotion and commercialization agreement, or the Elanco Agreement,
with Elanco US Inc., or Elanco, to license, develop and commercialize Canalevia, our drug product candidate under investigation for treatment of acute and chemotherapy-induced diarrhea in dogs,
and other drug product formulations of crofelemer for treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, conditions and symptoms in cats and other companion animals, or collectively, the Licensed Products. The
Elanco Agreement grants Elanco exclusive global rights to Canalevia, a product whose active pharmaceutical ingredient is sustainably isolated and purified from the Croton lechleri tree, for use in
companion animals. Pursuant to the Elanco Agreement, Elanco will have exclusive rights globally outside the U.S. and co-exclusive rights with us in the U.S. to direct all marketing, advertising,
promotion, launch and sales activities related to the Licensed Products.
Under
the terms of the Elanco Agreement, we received a $1.5 million upfront payment and will receive additional payments upon achievement of certain development, regulatory and
sales milestones in an aggregate amount of up to $61.0 million payable throughout the term of the Elanco Agreement, as well as product development expense reimbursement, and royalty payments on
global sales. The Elanco Agreement specifies that we will supply the Licensed Products to Elanco, and that the parties will agree to set a minimum sales requirement that Elanco must meet to maintain
exclusivity. Elanco will also reimburse us for Canalevia-related expenses, including reimbursement for Canalevia-related expenses in Q4 2016, certain development and regulatory expenses related to our
planned target animal safety study and the completion of our field study of Canalevia for acute diarrhea in dogs.
The
Elanco Agreement became effective on January 27, 2017, and the term of the collaboration will continue throughout the development and commercialization of the product
candidates, on a country-by-country and Licensed Product-by- Licensed Product basis, until the latest of (i) the date on which no valid claim of certain issued or granted patents specified in
the Elanco Agreement in the respective country exists, (ii) the expiration of any regulatory exclusivity in such country covering such Licensed Product, or (iii) the fifteenth
anniversary of the first commercial sale of a Licensed Product in such country.
The
Elanco Agreement may be terminated by Elanco on a voluntary basis upon completion of the dose ranging study or at any time upon 90 days' written notice to us, or for cause for
our failure to complete a quality assessment of a certain facility of Glenmark Pharmaceutical Limited to Elanco's satisfaction within six months of the effective date of the Elanco Agreement.
The Elanco Agreement may also be terminated by either party (i) for the other party's material breach, where such breach is not cured within the timeframe specified by the agreement,
(ii) upon the bankruptcy, insolvency or dissolution of the other party, or (iii) for certain activities involving the challenge of certain patents licensed by us to Elanco. Upon
expiration of the term of the Elanco Agreement or termination for our breach, among other things, we have agreed to assign to Elanco all registrations and trademarks obtained in connection with the
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Licensed
Products. Upon termination for Elanco's breach, among other things, Elanco has agreed to assign to us all registrations obtained in connection with the Licensed Products.
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
BUSINESS
Overview
We are an animal health company focused on developing and commercializing first-in-class gastrointestinal products for companion and production
animals, foals, and high value horses. Canalevia is our lead prescription drug product candidate, intended for treatment of various forms of diarrhea in dogs. We achieved statistically significant
results in a multicenter canine proof-of-concept study completed in February 2015, supporting the conclusion that Canalevia treatment is superior to placebo. As we announced in December 2015, the
pivotal clinical field study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Canalevia for acute diarrhea in dogs is underway. Two-hundred dogs were enrolled in the Canalevia pivotal study, which
completed enrollment in January 2017. Jaguar has received Minor Use in a Minor Species (MUMS) designation for Canalevia for Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhea (CID) in dogs. Canalevia is a canine-specific
formulation of crofelemer, an active pharmaceutical ingredient isolated and purified from the
Croton lechleri
tree, which is sustainably harvested. A
human-specific formulation of crofelemer, Mytesi (formerly known as Fulyzaq), was approved by the FDA in 2012 for the symptomatic relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS on
antiretroviral therapy. Members of our management team developed crofelemer while at Napo. The reception among users of our lead non-prescription productsNeonorm Calf and Neonorm Foal, an
anti-diarrheal product we launched for newborn horses in early 2016has been quite positive. The clinically-proven performance of Neonorm Foal, in
combination with our heightened understanding of market needs within the global equine space, is driving our increased focus on equine product development. Equilevia (formerly referred to as SB-300)
is Jaguar's prescription drug product candidate for treatment of gastrointestinal ulcers in horses. Equilevia is a pharmaceutical formulation of a standardized botanical extract. Neonorm is a
standardized botanical extract derived from the
Croton lechleri
tree. We launched Neonorm Calf in the United States at the end of 2014 for preweaned
dairy calves. Canalevia, Equilevia and Neonorm are distinct products formulated to address specific species and market channels. We have filed nine investigational new animal drug applications, or
INADs, with the FDA and intend to develop species-specific formulations of Neonorm in six additional target species, and Canalevia for both cats and dogs. In July 2016 we released data from two
China-based studies sponsored by Fresno, California-based Integrated Animal Nutrition and Health Inc. showing remarkable resolution of diarrhea and cure of piglets afflicted with diarrhea
following treatment with a
Croton lechleri
botanical extract administered in water.
As
we announced in December 2016, Jaguar has signed a distribution agreement with Henry Schein, Inc., the world's largest provider of health care products and services to
office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners, for exclusive distribution of Neonorm Foal product to all segments of the U.S. equine market. Henry Schein's animal health business,
Dublin, Ohio-based Henry Schein Animal Health, employs approximately 900 team members and had 2015 net sales of $2.9 billion. The agreement became effective on December 9, 2016, and,
subject to provisions specified in the agreement, shall continue in force for an initial period of one year. Thereafter, unless either party notifies the other of its intent not to renew the term of
the agreement at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term, the term shall be automatically renewed upon expiration for successive renewal terms of one year.
As
we announced in September 2016, we have signed an exclusive supply and distribution agreement for this botanical extract with Integrated Animal Nutrition and Health Inc. for
dairy cattle and pigs in the Chinese marketplace. According to the Minnesota-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, swine production was expected to reach 723 million head in 2014 in
China, where pork is still the main protein source for many consumers. In 2015 there were an estimated 15.6 million dairy cattle in China, according
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to
Index Muni. Integrated Animal Nutrition and Health, Inc. has minimum purchase requirements of the botanical extract to maintain their exclusivity.
Since
inception, we have been primarily focused on designing and conducting studies of Canalevia to treat diarrhea in dogs and of Neonorm to help retain fluid in calves and to function
as an anti-diarrheal in foals. We are also focused on developing a full suite of equine products to support and improve gastrointestinal health in foals and adult horses. Gastrointestinal conditions
such as acute diarrhea, ulcers and diarrhea associated with acute colitis can be extremely debilitating for horses, and
present a significant economic and emotional burden for veterinarians and owners around the world. A portion of our activities has also been focused on other efforts associated with being a recently
formed company, including securing necessary intellectual property, recruiting management and key employees, and financing activities.
In
January 2016 we announced positive topline results from the proof-of-concept study we initiated in November 2015 to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Equilevia, our
investigational new animal drug for treatment of gastrointestinal ulcers in horses. In April 2016, we announced that standard drug testing in race horses having received Equilevia did not
detect any substances commonly disallowed by horse racing authorities. The results of this initial study show that Equilevia may offer horse owners an additional advantage in the competition horse
world, where requirements exist for animals to compete free from the effect of any drugs. Future work is being planned to confirm these results. The study also provided visual evidence suggesting that
feed does not interfere with the product candidate's local availability in the gut. In November 2016 we completed enrollment in a dose determination study of the target commercial paste formulation of
Equilevia, with both a placebo control arm and a positive control comparator, Merial's GASTROGARD® product. The randomized, blinded, controlled, multisite dose determination study enrolled
121 racehorses two years of age or older. All enrolled horses were diagnosed with glandular and squamous gastric ulcers. The primary objective of the study is to select the minimally effective
dose of Equilevia for the treatment of equine gastric ulcers in a future pivotal field study.
Horses
on treatment with Equilevia in the dose determination study had higher average winnings as a percent of purse in races during the study treatment period compared with the period
in which they raced prior to the study. Horses on placebo or on the positive control had a reduction in their average winnings as a percent of purse during the study treatment period compared with the
period in which they raced prior to the study.
Additionally,
horses on treatment with Equilevia had higher average total dollar winnings in races during the study period compared with the period in which they raced prior to the
study. However, horses on placebo had a reduction in total earnings in races during the study period compared with the period in which they raced prior to the study, whereas horses on
GASTROGARD® had essentially no change in their earnings in races compared with the period in which they raced prior to the study.
When
analyzing data according to whether or not a horse finished a race in the top 3 or in the top 5, there was also an improvement seen for horses treated with Equilevia during the
study treatment period compared with the period in which they raced prior to the study. Horses treated with placebo, however, had a reduction in frequency of finishing in the top 3 or in the top 5 in
the study period compared with the period in which they raced prior to the study.
No
statistically significant comparisons were generated for the aforementioned exploratory analyses. Racing results in horses treated with Equilevia during our dose determination study
are of interest because ulcers are a particular problem in equine athletes. This study was not powered for this type of result nor would we expect to have such a result listed in a product
label.
A
full analysis of the dose determination study data with scoring of squamous and glandular ulcers is awaiting an independent, blinded review by an equine veterinarian experienced
in gastric ulcer disease, and is expected to be available in early Q1, 2017.
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Ulcers
are lesions of the lining of the digestive tract and are very common in horses used for many competitive activities. We believe that because
Croton
lechleri
-derived products have been shown to act locally in the gut and have traditional use and rodent model benefit for ulcers, Equilevia has the potential to
address ulcers in horses, as well as diarrhea. We are initially developing this product for the indication of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS), and we plan to potentially investigate
the possible efficacy of this product candidate for treatment of colonic ulcers in horses as a potential follow on indication following the anticipated launch of Equilevia. EGUS results from
both squamous and glandular gastric ulceration. Ulcers can negatively impact the performance of horses which are expected to perform at peak efficiency, including show horses and race
horses. We believe a significant market exists for a product that treats both squamous and glandular ulcers in horses without altering stomach pH. According to a 2005 study, 54% of performance
horses have both colonic and gastric ulcers and 97% of performance horses have either a gastric (87%) or a colonic (63%) ulcer. Data from the American Horse Council states that there are
currently 9.2 million horses in the U.S., a population that includes 844,531 race horses, more than 2.7 million show horses, and more than 3.9 million recreational horses. Data
from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicate that there were approximately 5.7 million horses in Europe in 2013 and nearly 60.0 million horses in 2013
worldwide. Our goal is to see Equilevia serve as an important tool in the standard of care for equine ulcers.
Diarrhea
is one of the most common reasons for veterinary office visits for dogs and is the second most common reason for visits to the veterinary emergency room, yet to our knowledge
there are currently no FDA-approved anti-secretory agents to treat canine diarrhea. We estimate that in the United States, veterinarians see approximately 6.0 million annual cases of acute and
chronic watery diarrhea in dogs, approximately two-thirds of which are acute diarrhea. We believe that Canalevia will be effective in treating acute diarrhea because it acts at the last physiological
step, conserved across mammalian species, in the manifestation of acute diarrhea, regardless of cause, by normalizing ion and water flow in the intestinal lumen. We have received MUMS designation for
Canalevia for the treatment of CID in dogs. We plan to market Canalevia for the MUMS indication in 2017, if approved, and for acute diarrhea in early 2018, if approved, through our focused commercial
efforts and to complement our relationships with distribution partners.
According
to the
Dairy 2007
study conducted by the USDA, almost one in four preweaned dairy heifers, or female calves, suffers from
diarrhea or other digestive problems. The preweaning period is generally the first 60 days after birth. Scours, diarrhea or other digestive problems are responsible for more than half of all
preweaned heifer calf deaths, and result in impaired weight gain and long-term
reduction in milk production. We believe that the incidence rate of scours and its corresponding financial impact represent a health and business opportunity and that Neonorm Calf has the potential to
effectively meet this need.
A
challenge clinical study was completed in May 2014 by researchers from Cornell, and published in 2015 in the official journal of the American Dairy Science Association,
Journal of Dairy Science
. The
results of this study suggest that Neonorm Calf can significantly increase the fecal dry matter of neonatal calves with
experimentally-induced enterotoxigenic
E. coli
diarrhea, and suggest a potential benefit of Neonorm Calf in supporting weight gain in calves.
A
further analysis, completed in October 2015, of the above-referenced Cornell study supports a benefit of Neonorm Calf on the optimization of the intestinal microbiome profile in
preweaned dairy calves, a potential prebiotic benefit. The microbiome is a community of microorganisms that live normally in the gut and are vital to maintenance of gut health.
In
January 2016 we announced the initiation of a placebo-controlled study in conjunction with researchers from Cornell to evaluate the efficacy of the prophylactic use of a
second-generation formulation of Neonorm Calf administered in liquid on naturally occurring diarrhea and dehydration in preweaned dairy calves and investigate the possible prebiotic benefit of the
product. This double-blinded,
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randomized
study involved 40 Holstein bull calves affected with naturally occurring diarrhea. The study results, announced in June and September of 2016, show that calves under prophylactic
administration of Neonorm Calf had significantly lower water content in fecal samples at multiple measurement points, lower incidence of diarrhea, and had fewer fluid therapy interventions. We are
developing a second generation Neonorm Calf product formulation to be administered in liquid for total herd prophylactic management of diarrhea, or scours. A paper on this study, titled "Prophylactic
use of a standardized botanical extract for the prevention of naturally occurring diarrhea in newborn Holstein calves", was recently published in the official journal of the American Dairy Science
Association,
Journal of Dairy Science
a leading peer-reviewed general dairy research journal.
In
November 2015 we completed an initial proof-of-concept study (NEO101) of Neonorm Foal that involved 60 foals. The objective of this randomized, multi-site, blinded, placebo-controlled
study was to evaluate the safety and performance of the product for treatment of foals suffering from secretory diarrhea, and the treated animals received Neonorm Foal in combination with a
third-party probiotic. In December 2015 we announced positive results for an exploratory, investigator-initiated follow-up study (ARG102) which assessed the safety and performance of Neonorm Foal,
without inclusion of a probiotic, in preweaned foals with watery diarrhea. The results of a meta-analysis between the two
studies demonstrated a significantly higher percentage of foals with clinical response and resolution of diarrhea for Neonorm Foal, from either ARG102 or NEO101, compared with the placebo group in
NEO101.
During
the 72-hour administration period, 35% of foals receiving the placebo in NEO101 were identified as clinical responders, compared with 85% of foals treated with Neonorm Foal in
ARG102. For the purposes of both studies, clinical responders were defined as foals that achieved a formed stool by the end of the reported period.
During
the 72-hour administration period, resolution of diarrhea was observed in 41% of placebo-treated foals in NEO101 compared with 85% of foals receiving Neonorm Foal in ARG102. For
the purposes of both studies, resolution of diarrhea was defined as a foal that produced a formed stool at any point during the reported period.
The
reception among users of Neonorm Foal, the anti-diarrheal for newborn horses that we launched in early 2016 with a nationwide campaign offering samples, has been overwhelmingly
positive. User feedback regarding Neonorm Calf also continues to be very favorable. Commercialization of these two non-prescription products has provided numerous benefits that we intend to leverage
during our expected introductions of high value, first-in-class prescription drug products into the U.S. marketplace and beyond. The commercialization process has allowed us to extend to animals the
clinical utility of the novel mechanism of action of
Croton lechleri
-derived anti-secretory products, refine messaging to veterinarians, fine-tune
internal processes, forge commercial manufacturing relationships, and develop commercial infrastructure with important distributors relevant to both prescription and non-prescription products.
As
we announced on February 2, 2017, Jaguar has begun entry into the organic market with Neonorm Calf, following listing of Neonorm Calf with an organization that evaluates
livestock products in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Standards on behalf of specified producers in New York state. Additionally, Jaguar is applying to have
Neonorm Calf listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). OMRI is an international nonprofit organization that determines which input products are allowed for use in organic production and
processing. OMRI Listed® products are allowed for use in certified organic operations under the USDA National Organic Program. According to the Organic Trade Association's (OTA) 2016
Organic Industry Survey, the U.S. organic industry posted new records in 2015, with total organic product sales hitting a new benchmark of $43.3 billion, up 11% from the previous year's record
level and outpacing the overall food market's growth rate of 3%. According to OTA, dairy, the second biggest organic food category, accounted for $6.0 billion in sales, an increase of over 10%,
and dairy accounts for 15% of total organic food sales.
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Organic
livestock production plays a vital role in support of a sustainable and safe farm and food system, both in the U.S. and internationally. According to a report published by Allied
Market Research, the global market for organic dairy food and drinksorganic milk, yogurt, cheese, and othersis expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14.25%
from 2016 to reach $36.7 billion by 2022 from $14.5 billion in 2015. We believe Neonorm Calf will qualify as allowable for use on certified organic dairies throughout the U.S., and we're
currently working to obtain additional required listings.
Canalevia
utilizes the same mechanism of action as Neonorm Foal and Neonorm Calfand of Mytesi (formerly known as Fulyzaq), the human drug approved by the FDA in 2012 for the
symptomatic relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy. Each of these products normalizes ion and water flow into the intestinal lumen. Because this is a
physiological pathway generally present in mammals, we have validated our low risk strategy of extending the clinical success in humans to preweaned dairy calves, foals, piglets, and dogs; and we
believe these clinical benefits will continue to be confirmed in other mammalian species.
We
have an exclusive worldwide license to Napo's intellectual property rights and technology related to our products and product candidates, including rights to its library of over 2,300
medicinal plants, for all veterinary treatment uses and indications for all species of animals. This includes rights to Neonorm, Canalevia, and other distinct prescription drug product candidates in
our pipeline along with the corresponding existing preclinical and clinical data packages. We also recently expanded our intellectual property portfolio to include combinations of our proprietary
anti-secretory product lines, Canalevia and Neonorm, with the non-absorbed antibiotic, rifaximin, for gastrointestinal indications in all animals.
Our
management team has significant experience in gastrointestinal and animal health product development. This experience includes the development of crofelemer for human use, from
discovery and preclinical and clinical toxicity studies, including the existing animal studies to be used for Canalevia regulatory approvals, through human clinical development. Our team also includes
individuals who have prior animal health experience at major pharmaceutical companies.
Product Pipeline
We are developing a pipeline of prescription drug product candidates and non-prescription (non-drug) products to address unmet needs in animal
health. Our pipeline currently includes prescription drug product candidates for nine indications across multiple species, and non-prescription products targeting seven species.
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Prescription Drug Product Candidates
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Product
Candidates
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Species
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Indication
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Recent Developments
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Anticipated Near-Term
Milestones
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Canalevia
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Dogs
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CID
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Completed safety study with
commercial formulation in June 2015
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Initiate pilot study for
TKI associated diarrhea management
Commercial launch in 2017
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Dogs
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Acute diarrhea
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Concurred protocol
Initiated pivotal field trial to evaluate safety and effectiveness
Entered into License, Development, Co-Promotion and
Commercilization Agreement with Elanco in January 2017
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Pivotal field trial
completes enrollment
File all major sections of NADA in mid-2017
Commercial launch in early 2018
Development, co-promote and distribution partner
Initiate development of
second generation chew formulation for chronic administration
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Species-specific formulations of crofelemer
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Horses
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Diarrhea associated with acute colitis
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Completed pilot safety
study in December 2015
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Seek MUMS designation
and product development 2017
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Equilevia
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Horses
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Ulcers
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Proof-of-concept safety and
effectiveness results in January 2016
Product development meeting with FDA in first half 2016
Initiated dose confirmation study
Positive racing results
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Product development
meeting with FDA in first half of 2017
Minimum dose results, commercial dose selection, and commence pivotal field trial
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Product
Candidates
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Species
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Indication
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Recent Developments
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Anticipated Near-Term
Milestones
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Cats
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Acute diarrhea
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INAD opened in 2014
Entered into License, Development, Co-Promotion and Commercilization Agreement with Elanco in January 2017
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Initiate safety and
proof-of-concept
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Virend (topical)
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Cats
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Herpes virus
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INAD opened in
2014
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Initiate safety and
proof-of-concept
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Species-specific formulations of NP-500
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Dogs
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Obesity-related metabolic dysfunction
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INAD opened in
2014
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Horses
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Metabolic syndrome
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INAD opened in
2014
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Cats
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Type II diabetes
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INAD opened in
2014
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Non-Prescription Products
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Products
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Species
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Use
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Recent Developments
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Anticipated Near-Term
Milestones
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Neonorm Calf
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Dairy & beef calves
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Helps proactively retain fluids in calvesaiding the animals in avoiding debilitating, dangerous levels of dehydration
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Field study supports
beneficial effect on prewean weight gain
Positive prophylactic results
Distribution deal China
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Launch second generation
formulation for administration in liquid, prophylaxis
Commercial launch in South America
Business development
activities
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Species-specific formulations of Neonorm
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Horse foals
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Anti-diarrheal for newborn horses
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Completed proof-of-concept
study in November 2015
Soft-launched product in December 2015
Commercial launch with exclusive Schein distribution deal at AAEP,
2016
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Evaluation of Neonorm
Horse product
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Products
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Species
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Use
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Recent Developments
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Anticipated Near-Term
Milestones
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Piglets
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Normalize fecal formation in piglets
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Positive preliminary
topline results of two studies by Integrated Animal Nutrition and Health Inc. to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Neonorm in piglets
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Expansion of
distribution in China
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Other farm/production animals
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Supports gut health normalizing fecal formation
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Selected clinical
research
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Initiate
proof-of-concept studies and partnering discussions, multiple species; multiple geographies
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Canalevia
is our lead prescription drug product candidate, intended for the treatment of various forms of diarrhea in dogs. Equilevia is our prescription drug product candidate for the
treatment of gastrointestinal ulcers in horses. Canalevia and Equilevia contain ingredients isolated and purified from the
Croton lechleri
tree,
which is sustainably harvested. Neonorm Calf and Neonorm Foal are our lead non-prescription products. Neonorm is a standardized botanical extract derived from the
Croton
lechleri
tree, which is also provided as botanical extract for piglets and dairy calves to China, under an exclusive distribution agreement. Canalevia and Neonorm are distinct
products that act at the same last step in a physiological pathway generally present in mammals.
We
are developing Canalevia as a prescription drug product and Neonorm as a non-prescription product due to differences between the companion, horse and production animal markets. Owners
of companion animals and equine athletes generally visit veterinarians, who prescribe a product to treat a disease or condition. We believe the ability to make a disease treatment claim is important
in this market, and such a claim is only possible with FDA approval as a prescription product. In contrast, dairy farmers and other production animal owners generally make purchasing decisions based
on a product's ability to demonstrate an economic benefit from health endpoints, such as weight gain.
For
our prescription product line, we are seeking protocol concurrences with the FDA where appropriate. A protocol concurrence in animal drug development means that the FDA agrees that
the design and analyses proposed in a protocol are acceptable to support regulatory approval of the product candidate with respect to effectiveness of the indication studied and will not change its
view of these matters, unless public or animal health concerns arise that were not recognized at the time of
concurrence or we change the protocol. We plan to seek concurrence on all major regulatory trials.
We
have licensed intellectual property from Napo to develop prescription drug product candidates for diabetes and metabolic syndrome for dogs, cats and horses, as well as a topical
herpes product for cats. Similar to our lead prescription drug product candidate, these products were tested in animals for safety to support their development for use in humans. We recently expanded
our gastrointestinal product line to include combinations of our proprietary anti-secretory products derived from
Croton lechleri
with the non-absorbed
antibiotic, rifaximin, a human approved product, for gastrointestinal indications in all animals. We are leveraging the data and knowledge gained during the development of human therapeutics into
veterinary applications.
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Business Strategy
Our goal is to become a leading animal health company with first-in-class products that address unmet medical needs in both the companion and
production animal markets, and the equine market. To accomplish this goal, we plan to:
Leverage our significant gastrointestinal knowledge, experience and intellectual property portfolio to
develop a line of
Croton lechleri
-derived products for production and companion animals, and horses.
Our management team collectively has more than 100 years of experience in the development of gastrointestinal prescription drug and
non-prescription products. This experience covers all aspects of product development, including discovery, preclinical and clinical development and regulatory strategy.
In
addition to our near-term development efforts advancing Canalevia for dogs, Neonorm Calf for preweaned dairy calves, and Neonorm Foal for young horses, we are developing formulations
of Canalevia and Neonorm to address the unmet medical need for the treatment of acute diarrhea and to improve gut health and normalize fecal formation across multiple animal species and market
channels. The development of a full suite of products to support and improve gastrointestinal health in adult horses is one of our core focus areas. Gastrointestinal conditions such as acute
diarrhea, ulcers and diarrhea associated with acute colitis can be extremely debilitating for horses, and present a significant economic and emotional burden for veterinarians and horse owners
around the world. Our products are designed with a thorough understanding of not only species-specific health issues, but also market practices, the economics of current treatment strategies,
competitive dynamics, government initiatives such as concern for extensive antibiotic usage, and effective channels for new product introductions. Many of our products are being formulated into
separate and distinct gastrointestinal products accounting for multiple specific species, markets and regulatory dynamics.
Establish commercial capabilities, including third-party sales and distribution networks and our own
targeted commercial efforts, through the launch of Neonorm Calf and Neonorm Foal.
In 2014 we launched Neonorm in the United States under the brand name Neonorm Calf, and in December 2015 we conducted the soft launch of Neonorm
Foal. We intend to establish a focused direct commercial effort, initially for the production animal markets. We will direct our commercial efforts on educational activities and outreach to key
opinion leaders and decision makers at targeted regional and global accounts and also plan to continue to partner with leading distributors to commercialize our products. We expect that our current
and future distribution partners will have the presence, name recognition, reputation and reach in the veterinary markets and in both key urban and rural centers, as appropriate. We believe this
overall approach is scalable and transferable as we expand our commercialization efforts to companion animals, as well as when we expand internationally.
Launch Canalevia and our other product candidates for companion animals, if approved, leveraging the
commercial capabilities and brand awareness we are currently building.
We have nine active INADs filed with the FDA and intend to develop species-specific formulations of Neonorm in six additional target species,
formulations of Equilevia in horses, and Canalevia for cats and dogs, and potentially for diarrhea associated with acute colitis in horses.
Expand to international markets.
We intend to leverage our proprietary product development in the United States to international markets, with meaningful partnerships to address
international requirements for product development, registration, and access to commercialization in relevant markets for each of our prescription and non-prescription products. As an example, in
February 2015 we signed a distribution agreement with Biogenesis Bagó, a large veterinary biotechnology company in Latin America, a region that contained
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approximately
401 million dairy and beef cattle in 2009 and produces approximately 11% of the world's milk supply. The distribution agreement provides Biogenesis Bagó with
exclusive distribution rights for Neonorm Calf in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia.
Additionally,
in September 2016, we entered an exclusive supply and distribution agreement for
Croton lechleri
botanical extract with
Fresno, California-based Integrated Animal Nutrition and Health Inc. for dairy cattle and pigs in the Chinese marketplace. The agreement was executed following the positive results, which we
announced in July 2016, of two studies to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the botanical extract in piglets. The terms of the agreement specify annual minimum purchase amounts that are
required to maintain exclusivity, and state that Integrated Animal Nutrition and Health Inc. is responsible for all activities and costs to obtain all required product registrations, marketing
authorizations, and customs clearances for the Chinese market.
According
to Index Muni, swine production is projected to reach 672.5 million head in 2017 in China, where pork is still the main protein source for many consumers. According to
New Zealand-based NZX Agri, in 2017 there will be 7 million cows "in milk" (lactating cows) in China. With the world's largest population, China has been experiencing an increase in demand for
dairy products as a result of sharply increasing income levels, fast-changing food habits, the desire of parents to feed their babies high-protein formula, and the loosening in 2015 of China's
longstanding one-child policy, among other factors.
As
we work to expand our commercialization efforts, we intend to seek out additional opportunities to enter key international markets. Certain markets, such as high performance horses,
have strong international synergies benefiting market awareness and demand. We may also enter into partnerships that include payment of upfront licensing fees for our products and product candidates
for markets outside the United States where appropriate.
Identify market needs that can be readily accessed and develop species-specific products by leveraging
our broad intellectual property portfolio, deep pipeline and extensive botanical library.
In addition to our anti-secretory gastrointestinal product development efforts, we have expanded the depth of our gastrointestinal pipeline
product candidates to include combinations of our proprietary anti-secretory products derived from
Croton lechleri
with the non-absorbed antibiotic,
rifaximin, a human approved product, for gastrointestinal indications in all animals. We are also developing products such as Virend for feline herpes and NP-500 for Type II diabetes and
metabolic syndrome. Both of these product candidates have been through Phase 2 human clinical testing. In addition, we have exclusive worldwide rights to Napo's library of over 2,300 medicinal
plants for veterinary use in all species. We believe we have the product candidates and expertise to address many unmet animal health needs for both companion and production animals. We believe our
extensive library of medicinal plants will enable us to develop first-in-class products that address significant health issues and concerns of many markets and geographies.
Products in Development
Market BackgroundAcute Diarrhea
We believe there is an unmet medical need for the treatment of acute diarrhea. The devastating dehydration that often occurs as a result of
acute diarrhea in animals, including dogs, horses and preweaned dairy calves, can manifest quickly, have long-term health implications and result in death. Other than the FDA-approved human
formulation of crofelemer, there are currently no approved anti-secretory agents we are aware of that directly address the water loss associated with acute diarrhea. Current treatments for acute
diarrhea include oral rehydration solution, or ORS, anti-motility agents, absorbents and antibiotics. However, each of these approaches has known limitations. While ORS replaces the water loss
associated with diarrhea, it can often extend the duration and severity of diarrhea. Anti-motility agents work by the mechanism of constipation, or temporarily paralyzing normal intestinal
contractions, or peristaltic activity. These agents are contraindicated for chronic use and are therefore
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inappropriate
for certain conditions, such as chronic CID. Anti-motility agents can also cause pain, cramping, and rebound diarrhea. Absorbents simply attempt to absorb the toxin in the gut, often
causing additional pain and cramping, and do not directly address the water loss. Antibiotics attempt to treat the infectious agent releasing the toxin, but do not directly address water loss and
carry a risk of altering gut flora, which alteration itself can cause diarrhea. Systemic antibiotic usage has also come under increased scrutiny by the FDA due to problems associated with antibiotic
resistance.
We
believe that an ideal treatment for acute diarrhea would directly address water loss without causing constipation, affecting normal peristaltic activity or altering normal body
absorption of other drugs or normal physiological function of the gut. We believe addressing water loss associated with acute diarrhea will improve the quality of life of dogs and provide attendant
benefits to the dog owner, improve the health and productivity of dairy cattle and provide similar health and economic benefits in multiple other species. Our gastrointestinal products and product
candidates act by normalizing the flow of ions and water in the intestinal lumen, the dysregulation of which is the last step common to the manifestation of acute diarrhea. As a result, we believe
that our products and product candidates may be effective in addressing acute diarrhea, regardless of cause. In addition, the channels that regulate this ion and water flow, including channels known
as CFTR and CaCC (the sites of action of our gastrointestinal products), are generally present in mammals. We therefore expect that the clinical benefit shown in humans, preweaned dairy calves, foals,
and dogs will be confirmed in multiple other species, including cats and adult horses. Accordingly, we believe we can bring to market multiple products among multiple species that are first-in-class
and effective in preventing the debilitating and devastating ramifications of acute diarrhea in animals.
The
following diagram illustrates the mechanism of action of our gastrointestinal products, which normalize chloride and water flow and transit time of fluids within the intestinal
lumen.
CanaleviaChemotherapy-Induced Diarrhea in Dogs
Canalevia
is a three-day, twice-daily formulation of crofelemer that we are developing for the treatment of CID in dogs. Canalevia is enteric-coated for targeted
release of crofelemer, the active pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, in Canalevia, in the intestine. We have received MUMS designation for Canalevia for the treatment of CID in dogs, which provides an
opportunity to shorten the timeframe to commercialization. In June 2015 we completed a multi-site pilot safety study involving the anticipated commercial formulation of Canalevia for CID. We've
completed submission of all required major technical sections for the NADA for CID to the FDA for phased review. We expect to receive FDA acknowledgment of the completion of all required technical
sections in support of conditional approval of Canalevia in 2017 for CID in dogs. Under MUMS designation, we would be required to initiate a pivotal study in the five years following conditional
approval to generate the data required for full approval.
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As
we announced on January 31, 2017, Jaguar and Elanco US Inc., a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, have signed an agreement to license, develop, co-promote and
commercialize Canalevia,
Jaguar's drug product candidate under investigation for treatment of acute and CID in dogs. The agreement grants Elanco exclusive global rights to Canalevia for use in companion animals. Jaguar and
Elanco will collaborate on the global development of the product and on its commercialization in the U.S. Under the terms of the agreement, Jaguar has retained the commercial responsibility for the
CID indication of Canalevia in dogs, which has received MUMS designation from the FDA and which the company expects will be the first indication available commercially in the next year.
We
believe there is a significant unmet medical need for the treatment of CID in dogs. There is currently no FDA-approved anti-secretory product that we are aware of to
treat CID in dogs. We estimate that there are over 230,000 dogs receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer each year in the United States, with over 25% suffering from CID. Severe diarrhea is a
frequent side effect of the most commonly administered chemotherapy drugs. Similar to the effects in humans, we believe that if left untreated, CID in dogs can result
in:
-
-
fluid and electrolyte losses, which can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and renal insufficiency;
-
-
nutritional deficiencies from alteration of gastrointestinal transit and digestion; and
-
-
increased risk of infectious complication.
Efficacy
of the underlying cancer treatment may also be jeopardized if CID severity requires reductions in the absorption, frequency and/or dosage of chemotherapy. From the dog owner's
perspective, there are significant practical implications of CID in dogs that may affect living arrangements, as well as the cost, time and attention required to clean and care for the dog and its
surroundings on a daily basis. Veterinarians sometimes prescribe human drugs in an effort to treat CID in dogs, but do not have the benefit of clinical support with respect to efficacy or dosing. In
addition, administering a potentially unpalatable human formulation is often difficult and may lead to further uncertainty of the amount actually ingested by the dog.
We
believe that Canalevia is an ideal treatment for CID in dogs because of its demonstrated novel anti-secretory mechanism of action. Canalevia acts locally in the gut
and is minimally absorbed systemically. It does not alter gastrointestinal motility, has no significant effects on normally functioning intestinal ion channels and electrolyte or fluid transport, and
has no side effects different from placebo. These features are further augmented by its lack of effects on the absorption and/or metabolism of co-administered chemotherapy drugs, orally or by other
routes of administration. Canalevia acts by normalizing the flow of excess ions and water in the intestinal lumen. The flow of excess ions and water into the intestinal lumen is the last step common
to the manifestation of acute diarrhea. As a result, we believe Canalevia may be effective in the treatment of acute diarrhea, regardless of cause, including CID. We intend to conduct a study in
tyrosine kinase inhibitor ("TKI") induced diarrhea in dogs with cancer in 2017, to assist our educational and commercial efforts in anticipation of conditional approval of Canalevia for CID.
Human
formulations of crofelemer have been studied and found effective in human patients with various types of watery diarrhea, including traveler's diarrhea, HIV-related diarrhea and
other acute infectious diarrheas, including cholera. Crofelemer has been clinically demonstrated to have a safety profile not different from placebo in humans and several animal species, including
dogs.
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Canalevia
is a canine-specific formulation of crofelemer. A human-specific formulation of crofelemer, Mytesi (formerly known as Fulyzaq), was approved by the FDA in
2012 for the symptomatic relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy. A number of clinical studies of crofelemer were conducted by Napo in dogs in support of
this approval that included dose toxicity studies. Safety was established by conducting a series of toxicity studies involving a total of 32 dogs six months of age and older. Dosage levels varied
within and across the studies: two single dose acute toxicity studies were conducted on four dogs each; two seven-day repeat administration studies were conducted on four dogs each; one 30-day repeat
administration study was conducted on four dogs; and one nine-month repeat administration study on eight dogs. The toxicology
studies in dogs showed minimal to no adverse effects following dosing up to approximately 50 times the anticipated efficacious dose. The clinical studies previously conducted in dogs also included
multiple dose studies. We are currently conducting safety studies in dogs as young as eight weeks of age to expand the studied dog population for safety labelof Canalevia to include younger dogs.
In
multiple third-party human clinical trials involving approximately 2,400 patients, enteric-coated crofelemer showed statistically significant results relative to placebo in
normalizing stool formation and improvements in other endpoints related to treating watery diarrhea. In these trials, the "p" values were statistical calculations to determine whether the effects of
crofelemer were significant in comparison to placebo based on pre-specified statistical targets. Depending on the trial design, we specified that any result less than p=0.05 would be significant. In a
pivotal trial in support of approval for human use, crofelemer demonstrated significant benefit in the chronic indication of diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS on anti-retroviral therapy, achieving
highly significant results (p=0.0096) in the primary endpoint measuring frequency of diarrhea.
In
addition to the pivotal trial in HIV/AIDS associated diarrhea, human clinical trials included double-blind, placebo-controlled chronic and acute studies, across different human
patient populations, and included safety studies in pediatric patients as young as three months of age. For example, in a 3-day treatment study of approximately 100 adult human patients with acute
watery diarrhea of multiple and/or unknown etiologies, crofelemer achieved clinical success in 79% of the patients, compared to 28% receiving placebo (p<0.05). Clinical success was
defined as the complete cessation of diarrhea for 12 hours or two consecutive normal stools within 48 hours of first dose. Crofelemer also achieved statistical significance across each
of the seven other endpoints measured in that study, including a 96% reduction in watery stools from baseline, compared to 54% for placebo (p<0.05) and an 89% reduction in urgency
compared to 43% for placebo (p<0.05). Across the diseases and human patient populations studied to date with crofelemer, there have been no drug related serious adverse events or safety
profile different from placebo.
In
June 2015 we completed a pilot safety study involving the anticipated commercial formulation of Canalevia in dogs suffering from CID. The objective of the multi-site study was to
determine the safety and tolerability of enteric-coated crofelemer tablets in dogs with CID when administered orally twice daily for six treatments at the recommended dose range of 2-4mg/kg. The eight
dogs that participated in the study were enrolled based on current or historical episodes of diarrhea correlating to chemotherapy treatment. The study was a safety assessment as requested by the FDA,
and diarrhea or unformed stool consistency was not an eligibility criteria. However, 25% of the dogs entered the study with unformed stools and responded during the treatment with formed or amorphous
stools or no stool. None of the remaining dogs progressed to unformed stools.
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CanaleviaExpansion to Acute Diarrhea in Dogs
We
are also developing Canalevia for acute diarrhea in dogs, regardless of cause. In December 2015 we initiated a pivotal field study to evaluate the safety and
effectiveness of Canalevia for the treatment of acute diarrhea in dogs. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there were approximately 70.0 million dogs in the United States
in 2012. In February 2015 we completed a randomized, blind, multicenter proof-of-concept study of Canalevia in dogs, with statistically significant results. Crofelemer, the API in Canalevia,
demonstrated efficacy in numerous human clinical trials of acute watery diarrhea induced by various infectious pathogens, including
E. coli
,
V. cholera
and
non-specific pathogens (
e.g.
, Traveler's). Following oral dosing for two or three days,
crofelemer, together with ORS, produced significant reduction in watery diarrhea, as demonstrated by the reduction of watery stool passage as well as reduced duration of diarrhea, urgency and
dehydration.
As
we announced on January 31, 2017, Jaguar and Elanco US Inc., a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, have signed an agreement to license, develop, co-promote, and
commercialize Canalevia, Jaguar's drug product candidate under investigation for treatment of acute and CID in dogs. The agreement grants Elanco exclusive global rights to Canalevia for use in
companion animals. Jaguar and Elanco will collaborate on the global development of the product and on its commercialization in the U.S. Under the terms of the agreement, Jaguar has retained the
commercial responsibility for the CID indication of Canalevia in dogs, which has received MUMS designation from the FDA and which the company expects will be the first indication available
commercially in the next year.
Diarrhea
is one of the most common reasons for veterinary office visits for dogs and the second most common reason for visits to the veterinary emergency room, yet
there are currently no FDA-approved anti-secretory agents we are aware of to treat the indication. We estimate that veterinarians see approximately six million annual cases of acute and chronic
diarrhea in dogs in the United States, approximately two-thirds of which are acute diarrhea.
Veterinarians
typically treat acute diarrhea in dogs with antibiotics, probiotics, dietary restrictions and products approved and formulated for humans, such as Imodium and other
anti-motility agents, as well as binding agents that absorb water such as Kaopectate and Pepto-Bismol. None of these treatment options address the water loss associated with acute diarrhea. Further,
because none of the human products are FDA approved for animal use, veterinarians do not have the benefit of clinical support with respect to efficacy or dosing. Moreover, administering a potentially
unpalatable human formulation is often difficult and may lead to further uncertainty of the amount actually ingested by the dog.
We
believe that Canalevia is an ideal treatment for acute diarrhea in dogs because of its demonstrated novel anti-secretory mechanism of action. If approved for use in acute diarrhea in
dogs, we believe Canalevia will be the only FDA-approved anti-secretory agent to treat diarrhea in dogs.
Overview.
Canalevia demonstrated a statistically significant clinical response and resolution of diarrhea in a randomized, blind,
multicenter study,
which assessed the clinical efficacy in alleviating clinical signs associated with watery diarrhea in dogs. The five-month trial was completed in February 2015. This was a proof of concept study with
the goal of defining endpoint assessments and statistical analyses to inform a trial design to FDA for a pivotal regulatory dog Canalevia study for the more general watery diarrhea indications.
The
protocol for this study is based on our experience and success in previous human and dairy calf studies evaluating
Croton lechleri
derivatives and their effect on acute diarrhea. Based on the results, we
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designed
the pivotal trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Canalevia for the indication of acute diarrhea in dogs. In December 2015 we initiated this pivotal trial. The prospective,
blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study is being conducted on an inpatient basis at private veterinary practices, animal shelters and animal rescues across the U.S. A single protocol is being
followed at all
sites, and enrolled dogs remain on-site and are individually housed for the duration of the study. The study enrolled 200 dogs exhibiting secretory, or watery, diarrhea. Participating dogs were
randomized to receive either Canalevia or a placebo orally twice daily for three days. The study's primary endpoint is to demonstrate a resolution of diarrhea. The study period is divided into three
24-hour treatment periods followed by a 24-hour observation period, and fecal assessments are completed at least six times daily. Study completion testing includes a physical examination, clinical
pathology testing and a final fecal assessment. Jaguar has completed enrollment of this study and expects top-line results in 1H, 2017. The company expects to file all major section of the NADA,
including the results from this pivotal trial, by mid-2017.
Equine Product Candidates
Jaguar is developing a full suite of products to support and improve gastrointestinal health in foals and adult horses. Gastrointestinal
conditions such as acute diarrhea, ulcers and diarrhea associated with acute colitis can be extremely debilitating for horses, and present a significant economic and emotional burden for
veterinarians and owners around the world.
We
intend to develop a species-specific formulation of crofelemer to treat diarrhea associated with acute colitis in horses. We believe colitis affects thousands of horses in the United
States each year, and in December 2015 we completed a pilot safety study in conjunction with Louisiana State University to evaluate crofelemer in adult horses, the first step in the development
program for diarrhea associated with acute colitis. The study involved three healthy horses treated with three consecutive, three-day cycles of escalating dose levels (up to approximately eight times
the proposed dosage in horses) of an oral crofelemer paste. Clinical observations, vital signs, biochemical changes (complete blood count, serum chemistry and urinalysis) and adverse events were
evaluated for dose-limiting toxicity after each dose level. The study concluded that dose-limiting toxicities were not observed at any of the three dose levels.
We
are also developing a formulation of a
Croton lechleri
product for the treatment of ulcers in horses. Ulcers are lesions
of the lining of the digestive tract and are very common in horses used for many competitive activities including racing, dressage, show jumping, endurance events, and western performance. Diarrhea is
often a coincident problem. We believe that because
Croton lechleri
-derived products have been shown to act locally in the gut and have traditional use
and rodent model benefit for ulcers, this equine formulation of a
Croton lechleri
-derived product has the potential to address ulcers in
horses, as well as diarrhea. Data from the American Horse Council states that there are currently 9.2 million horses in the U.S., a population that includes 844,531 race horses, more than
2.7 million show horses, and more than 3.9 million recreational horses. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicate that there were approximately
5.7 million horses in Europe in 2013 and nearly 60 million horses in 2013 worldwide. We believe that many owners give their horses daily doses of omeprazole and/or sucralfate to treat
and prevent ulcers, which practice can cost up to $50 per day.
In
January 2016 we announced positive topline results from the proof-of-concept study we initiated in November 2015 to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of our investigational new
animal drug, Equilevia, for the treatment of EGUS in horses.
In
this prospective, blinded, randomized, negative controlled study, Standardbred or Thoroughbred racehorses were randomized to one of three groups (10 horses per group) and treated for
28 days: horses in the placebo group received water-filled syringes every 6 hours; those in the TRT5 group received 5 grams of Equilevia divided into 2 doses per day; and those in
the TRT40 group received 40 grams of Equilevia divided into 4 doses per day. Strict enrollment criteria required patients to have both squamous (non-glandular) and glandular
gastric ulcerations. All horses were examined by gastroscopy (stomach endoscope) by blinded equine investigators on Day 0 (prior to treatment; baseline), and on Day 14 (mid-study), Day 28 (last
day of treatment) and Day 35 (7 days after last treatment). Treatment-related adverse events were not observed.
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With respect to glandular ulcerations, a statistically significantly greater number of horses in both the TRT40 (89%) and the TRT5 (78%) group had an
improvement or a resolution of glandular ulcerations, compared with the placebo (25%) group as soon as Day 14. By Day 35, all of the Equilevia treated horses had experienced improvement or
resolution, whereas 25% of horses in the placebo group still had not improved or resolved during the study.
With
respect to squamous ulcerations, a non-statistically significant dose-dependent effect was observed with 40% and 33% of horses achieving an improvement or a resolution by Day
14 in the TRT40 and TRT5 groups, respectively, compared with 11% of placebo horses. By Day 35, numerically more horses in the TRT40 (60%) and TRT5 (55%) groups had achieved an improvement or a
resolution compared with 33% of placebo horses.
In
February 2016 we announced that further analysis of the study results indicates that Equilevia did not alter gastric pH during the trial, or for 7 days after therapy. Gastric
pH during therapy was observed to be similar to baseline gastric pH at all measured study time points. Whereas other ulcer treatments (e.g. proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole) rely
on a mechanism of action that blocks gastric acid secretion for the treatment and prevention of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS), our preliminary data indicate that Equilevia may have
advantages. Treatments for EGUS that do not alter gastric pH are important because maintaining low gastric pH is essential for digestion, for gut immunity and first line defense against pathogens, for
the absorption of vitamins and minerals, and for potentially other downstream effects.
Equilevia
may offer horse owners an additional advantage over omeprazole in the competition horse world, where the requirement exists for equine athletes to compete free from the effect
of any drugs. International screening limits for horse racing state that omeprazole has a 72-hour detection time. Detection time is defined as the first observed time point at which urine and/or
plasma samples collected from a horse are negative for the presence of a specified drug. Because Equilevia acts locally in the gut and is minimally absorbed, it is unlikely that use of this drug
product candidate will present any issues related to detection time. We intend to demonstrate that Equilevia is not systemically absorbed in horses, thereby providing a treatment regimen that can
continue without mandatory withdrawal prior to competition. Moreover, we also aim to demonstrate that Equilevia can be administered in the presence of feed, another constraint of omeprazole
administration.
Following
the late stage development toward anticipated FDA approval of Equilevia, Jaguar plans to focus initial promotional efforts on the segment of the equine market that is most
likely to seek treatment for EGUS: owners and caregivers of high-value horses, equine athletes, and horses that are insured. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, an estimated 9%
of horse owners in the U.S. have insurance for the animals.
The
U.S. patent for use of omeprazole to treat equine ulcers expired in 2015.
Until
recently, treatment recommendations for equine ulcers have not differentiated between squamous and glandular disease. However, a series of recent third-party studies
indicate considerably lower healing rates for glandular ulcers with standard of care (e.g. omeprazole). Subclinically, these lesions can compromise athletic performance.
It
is clear that development of a natural alternative treatment for EGUS that maintains stomach health without altering stomach pH is desirable. As previously announced, we initiated a
dose determination study in May 2016 to determine the minimum effective dose of Equilevia for the treatment of EGUS and to support development of the optimal commercial formulation. As we announced in
November 2016, the dose determination study has been completed, and a full analysis of the study data with scoring of squamous and glandular ulcers is expected to be available in Q1, 2017. We
also plan to initiate a field study for Equilevia, timed to take place during horse racing off-season, when race horses are available to participate.
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Our
goal is to see Equilevia serve as an important tool in the standard of care of horses with all types of ulcers. Additionally, we believe a significant market exists for a
product that treats both gastric and colonic ulcers in horses without altering stomach pH. According to a 2005 study, 54% of performance horses have both colonic and gastric ulcers and
97% of performance horses have either a gastric (87%) or a colonic (63%) ulcer. While we are initially developing Equilevia for the indication of EGUS, we plan to investigate the possible
efficacy of this product candidate for treatment of colonic ulcers as a follow on indication in horses following the anticipated launch of Equilevia.
CrofelemerCats
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there were approximately 74.0 million cats in the United States in 2012. We
estimate that veterinarians see approximately 2.9 million annual cases of acute diarrhea in cats. Veterinarians typically treat acute diarrhea in cats with the same treatments used for dogs,
namely antibiotics, probiotics, dietary restrictions and products approved and formulated for humans, such as Imodium and other anti-motility agents, as well as binding agents that absorb water such
as Kaopectate and Pepto-Bismol.
We
are currently developing a species-specific formulation of crofelemer, Felevia, for cats. We intend to initiate safety and proof-of-concept studies in cats in 2017.
As
we announced on January 31, 2017, Jaguar and Elanco US Inc., a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, have signed an agreement to license, develop, co-promote, and
commercialize Canalevia, Jaguar's drug product candidate under investigation for treatment of acute and CID in dogs. The agreement grants Elanco exclusive global rights to Canalevia for use in
companion animals. Jaguar and Elanco will collaborate on the global development of the product and on its commercialization in the U.S..
Neonorm CalfHelps proactively retain fluids in dairy and beef calvesaiding
the animals in avoiding debilitating, dangerous levels of dehydration
This
formulation of Neonorm is an enteric-coated tablet designed to be orally administered to preweaned dairy and beef calves twice daily for three days. In our
clinical study completed in May 2014, Neonorm demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in morbidity, as well as reduced mortality and improved weight gain as compared to placebo, in newborn
dairy calves with scours. We recently launched Neonorm for preweaned calves in the United States under the brand name Neonorm Calf. We do not believe that Neonorm Calf fits within the FDA's definition
of an animal drug, food or feed additive. Thus, we do not believe that it is regulated by the FDA at this time. The FDA previously regulated a human-specific formulation as a dietary supplement,
rather than as a drug. To support the commercial launch, we completed field studies of Neonorm Calf involving approximately 400 preweaned dairy calves in total with Cornell University and in
collaboration with our distributor, Animart.
Scours
refers to watery diarrhea in production animals, including dairy calves, which results from infectious agents that cause the secretion of ions and water into the
intestinal lumen. Animals with scours may experience severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, which can lead to renal insufficiency, nutritional deficiencies, lower production in dairy cattle and
even death. Current therapy include fluid and electrolyte replacement, continuous milk feeding, antibiotics (for calves with systemic involvement (
e.g.
,
fever) with an increased risk of bacteremia), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy and vaccines.
According
to the USDA, there are approximately 9.2 million lactating dairy cows in the United States. We estimate from USDA sources that there were over 11.0 million dairy
calves born in 2013. Dairy cows are continuously bred, both to maintain lactation and to produce dairy calves to maintain the herd. Dairy
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calves
are separated from their mothers shortly after birth and raised on commercial milk replacers until weaned at about 60 days of age. Almost one in four, or 23.9%, of dairy heifer calves
had diarrhea or other digestive problems according to the USDA
Dairy 2007
study. Scours, diarrhea or other digestive problems are responsible for more
than half of all preweaned calf deaths, and result in supportive care and treatment costs, impaired weight gain and long-term reduction in milk production. Of dairy farm operations surveyed in the
Dairy 2007
study, 62.1% used antibiotics for diarrhea or other digestive problems, including preweaned heifer calves not reporting diseases or
disorders. Of preweaned calves that were affected by diarrhea or other digestive problems, almost three-fourths, or 74.5%, were treated with an antibiotic.
We
believe Neonorm Calf is an ideal solution to aid fluid retention in dairy and beef calves suffering from scours. Neonorm Calf has been formulated and clinically
tested to support fluid retention by specifically addressing the normalization of stool formation and ion and water flow in the intestinal lumen of newborn dairy calves with scours. There are an
estimated 22.0 million beef calves in the United States, and published sources indicate that approximately 2.4% of beef calves younger than three weeks old suffer from diarrhea. Like Canalevia,
Neonorm Calf acts locally in the gut and is minimally absorbed systemically. It does not alter gastrointestinal motility, has no significant effects on normally functioning intestinal ion channels and
electrolyte or fluid transport, and has no side effects different from placebo. As a result, stool formation is normalized in a short period of time, weight loss is mitigated, supportive care costs
and rehydration therapies such as ORS are reduced, and the risk of mortality is minimized.
A
challenge clinical study was completed in May 2014 by researchers from Cornell, and published in 2015 in the official journal of the American Dairy Science
Association,
Journal of Dairy Science
. The results of this study suggest that Neonorm Calf can significantly increase the fecal dry matter of neonatal
calves with experimentally-induced enterotoxigenic
E. coli
diarrhea, and suggest a potential benefit of Neonorm Calf in supporting weight gain in
calves.
A
further analysis, completed in October 2015, of the above-referenced Cornell study supports a benefit of Neonorm Calf on the optimization of the intestinal microbiome profile in
preweaned dairy calves, a potential prebiotic benefit. The microbiome is a community of microorganisms that live normally in the gut and are vital to maintenance of gut health.
We
recently completed a placebo-controlled study in conjunction with researchers from Cornell to evaluate the herd-wide efficacy of the prophylactic use of a second-generation
formulation of Neonorm Calf administered in liquid on naturally occurring diarrhea in preweaned dairy calves and investigate the possible prebiotic benefit of the product. This double-blinded,
randomized study involved 40 Holstein bull calves affected with naturally occurring diarrhea. The study results show that calves under prophylactic administration of Neonorm Calf had significantly
lower water content in fecal samples at multiple measurement points, lower incidence of diarrhea, and had fewer fluid therapy interventions. The possible beneficial prebiotic mechanism of Neonorm Calf
would supplement and is potentially synergistic with the anti-secretory and weight gain benefits of the product.
Fecal
scoring, which was conducted daily during the study period, indicated a significantly lower incidence of diarrhea among Neonorm-treated calves on most treatment days than among
calves in the placebo group. The study also assessed the incidence of diarrhea from days 1 to 25 of life. Calves in the Neonorm-treated group experienced a highly significant reduction in the
incidence of diarrhea during this period compared to those in the placebo group.
Dehydration
was assessed twice daily for all calves in the study. Results showed that severe dehydration requiring the administration of intravenous ("IV") fluid therapy was reduced by
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approximately
50% in the Neonorm-treated calves. Moreover, overall rescue therapy, requiring either oral or IV fluid administration, for both severe and moderate dehydration, was significantly reduced
in the Neonorm-treated animals.
As
we announced on February 2, 2017, Jaguar has begun entry into the organic market with Neonorm Calf, following listing of Neonorm Calf with an organization that evaluates
livestock products in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Standards on behalf of specified producers in New York state. Additionally, Jaguar is applying to have
Neonorm Calf listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). OMRI is an international nonprofit organization that determines which input products are allowed for use in organic production and
processing. OMRI Listed® products are allowed for use in certified organic operations under the USDA National Organic Program. According to the Organic Trade Association's (OTA) 2016
Organic Industry Survey, the U.S. organic industry posted new records in 2015, with total organic product sales hitting a
new benchmark of $43.3 billion, up 11% from the previous year's record level and outpacing the overall food market's growth rate of 3%. According to OTA, dairy, the second biggest organic food
category, accounted for $6.0 billion in sales, an increase of over 10%, and dairy accounts for 15% of total organic food sales.
Organic
livestock production plays a vital role in support of a sustainable and safe farm and food system, both in the U.S. and internationally. According to a report published by Allied
Market Research, the global market for organic dairy food and drinksorganic milk, yogurt, cheese, and othersis expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14.25%
from 2016 to reach $36.7 billion by 2022 from $14.5 billion in 2015. We believe Neonorm Calf will qualify as allowable for use on certified organic dairies throughout the U.S., and we're
currently working to obtain additional required listings.
Neonorm Line Extensions
We believe that due to Neonorm Calf's mechanism of action and our data in preweaned dairy calves, we will be able to develop and commercialize
species-specific formulations of Neonorm for multiple other animal species, such as horses, goats and sheep. We believe that there is an opportunity to target large-scale commercial livestock
operations, first in the United States, and later, internationally. In less developed nations, where not only dairy and beef cattle but also buffalo, goat and sheep provide livelihoods for local
populations, reducing losses related to diarrhea can provide significant monetary, social and health benefits. Today, these groups are already accessed by distributors with whom we intend to work to
extend the reach of Neonorm Calf and line extension products.
In
December 2015 we conducted the soft launch of Neonorm Foal, our lead non-drug product to promote normal fecal formation and reduce fluid loss in foals. We are planning studies of an
equine formulation of Neonorm for adult horses with episodic diarrhea. Published studies estimate that there were 9.2 million horses in the United States in 2005. Diarrhea is among the most
common clinical complaints in foals. Often, diarrhea occurs in the first 30 days of the foal's life, both from infections and non-infectious causes, such as lactose intolerance and overfeeding.
Some cases are severe and life threatening. A majority of foals will exhibit diarrhea at some point within the first two months of life. In adult horses, episodic diarrhea is mostly associated with
diseases of the large intestine and damage to the colon or disturbance of colonic function. Typically, diarrhea in horses is treated with fluid replenishment and electrolytes, deworming agents and
antibiotics, and intestinal protectants and absorbents, as well as anti-motility agents. To our knowledge there are currently no anti-secretory products approved by the FDA for veterinary use.
In
December 2015 we announced positive results for an exploratory, investigator-initiated follow-up study which assessed the safety and performance of Neonorm Foal, without inclusion of
a probiotic, in pre-weaned foals with watery diarrhea. This six-day, multi-site study (ARG102) involved 20 foals
suffering from secretory, or watery, diarrhea, all of which were placed into one treatment group. During the treatment period, which lasted 72 hours, Neonorm Foal was administered orally, in
paste formulation,
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twice
daily for six treatments. In this study, a non-enteric form of Neonorm Foal was used. The treatment period was followed by a 72-hour observation period. Fecal scoring was conducted every six
hours during both the treatment and observation periods. The study took place in Argentina, during the southern hemisphere foaling season.
In
November 2015 we completed an initial proof-of-concept study (NEO101) of Neonorm Foal in Argentina that involved 60 foals. The objective of this earlier, randomized, multi-site,
blinded, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the safety and performance of the product for treatment of foals suffering from secretory diarrhea, and the treated animals received Neonorm Foal in
combination with a third-party probiotic. The results of a meta-analysis between the two studies demonstrated a significantly higher percentage of foals with clinical response and resolution of
diarrhea for Neonorm Foal, from either ARG102 or NEO101, compared with the placebo group in NEO101.
During
the 72-hour treatment period, 35% of placebo-treated foals in NEO101 were identified as clinical responders, compared with 85% of foals treated with Neonorm Foal in ARG102. For
the purposes of both studies, clinical responders were defined as foals that achieved a formed stool by the end of the reported period.
During
the 72-hour treatment period, resolution of diarrhea was observed in 41% of placebo-treated foals in NEO101 compared with 85% of foals treated with Neonorm Foal in ARG102. For the
purposes of both studies, resolution of diarrhea was defined as a foal that produced a formed stool at any point during the reported period.
Other Product Candidates and Development
We have planned multiple clinical studies over the next 12 to 18 months to expand Canalevia and Neonorm to additional species. We believe
that we will be successful because:
-
-
we have existing safety and efficacy data for our products and product candidates in dogs, dairy calves and/or humans;
-
-
each of these products works through the normalization of ion and water flow into the intestinal lumen; and
-
-
this physiological pathway is generally present in mammals.
Additionally,
we plan to initiate a safety and proof of concept study for Virend in 2017. Both Virend and NP-500 have been through Phase 2 human clinical testing by third parties
and studies with combinations of rifaximin and
Croton lechleri
derived products. NP-500 is isolated and purified from a plant indigenous to the
southwestern United States, and in traditional medicine, the plant was brewed as a tea and used for the treatment of diabetes and other various illnesses. We are currently developing species-specific
formulations of NP-500 to treat obesity-related metabolic dysfunction in dogs, Type II diabetes in cats and metabolic syndrome in horses, and have filed three INADs for these indications.
According
to a 2013 national survey of veterinarians, approximately 17% of dogs in the United States are obese. Studies show that obesity is more common in elderly dogs, as well as in
neutered dogs. Obesity-related metabolic dysfunction manifests in altered lipid profiles, insulin resistance and mild hypertension, which could decrease a dog's lifespan. There are currently no
FDA-approved products for the treatment of metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance in dogs. In cats, the prevalence of obesity-related diabetes or Type II diabetes is high and increasing. In
horses, insulin resistance is associated with an equine metabolic syndrome characterized by obesity, regional adiposity and hypertriglyceridemia. It is also known to be a risk factor for laminitis.
Various studies report the prevalence of insulin resistance as 10% and 28% in horses and ponies, respectively. There are also currently no FDA-approved products for the treatment of metabolic syndrome
in horses.
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We
anticipate that our development activities will benefit from centralized activities, including shared use of the manufacturing and regulatory documentation for chemistry,
manufacturing and controls, or
CMC. We also anticipate being able to enter into combined clinical research agreements and activities with companion animal clinical trial sites for dogs and cats.
Sales and Distribution
As we announced on January 31, 2017, Jaguar and Elanco US Inc., a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, have signed an agreement to
license, develop, co-promote, and commercialize Canalevia, Jaguar's drug product candidate under investigation for treatment of acute and CID in dogs. The agreement grants Elanco exclusive global
rights to Canalevia for use in companion animals. Jaguar and Elanco will collaborate on the global development of the product and on its commercialization in the U.S.. Under the terms of the
agreement, Jaguar has retained the commercial responsibility for the CID indication of Canalevia in dogs, which has received MUMS designation from the FDA and which the company expects will be the
first indication available commercially in the next year.
As
we announced on December 12, 2016, Jaguar has signed a distribution agreement with Henry Schein, Inc., the world's largest provider of health care products and services
to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners, for exclusive distribution of Jaguar's Neonorm Foal product to all segments of the U.S. equine market. Henry Schein's animal health
business, Dublin, Ohio-based Henry Schein Animal Health, employs approximately 900 team members and had 2015 net sales of $2.9 billion. With 12 strategically positioned, state-of-the-art
distribution facilities and 10 inside sales centers nationwide, we believe Henry Schein Animal Health is positioned to bring a broad selection of veterinary products and strategic business solutions
to more than 26,000 veterinary professionals nationwide. The agreement became effective on December 9, 2016, and, subject to provisions specified in the agreement, shall continue in force for
an initial period of one year. Thereafter, unless either party notifies the other of its intent not to renew the term of the agreement at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current
term, the term shall be automatically renewed upon expiration for successive renewal terms of one year.
In
September 2014, we launched Neonorm for preweaned dairy calves under the brand name Neonorm Calf in the Upper Midwest region, and expanded the launch nationwide in early 2015. In
December 2015 we conducted the soft launch of Neonorm Foal, our non-prescription anti-diarrheal product for newborn horses. We expect to launch Canalevia in 2017 for CID, and acute diarrhea in early
2018. We intend to continue the development of our focused commercial effort for both the production and companion animal markets. We will focus our commercial efforts on educational activities and
outreach to key opinion leaders and decision makers at key regional and global accounts for production animals and high prescriber veterinarians for companion animals. In August 2014, we entered into
our first regional distribution agreement for the Upper Midwest region, and in September 2014, entered into an agreement with a national master distributor, who also distributes prescription products
for the companion animal market. In February 2015, we entered into a five-year distribution agreement with Biogenesis Bagó for sale and distribution of Neonorm Calf in South America.
Biogenesis Bagó is the largest veterinary biotechnology company in Latin America, a region that contained approximately 401 million dairy and beef cattle in 2009 and produces
approximately 11% of the world's milk supply. In 2014 Biogenesis Bagó was named "Best Animal Health Company in Latin/South America" by a
publication called Animal Pharm. Our distribution agreement provides Biogenesis Bagó with exclusive distribution rights for Neonorm Calf in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and
Bolivia. Under the terms of the distribution agreement, we can terminate the agreement if Biogenesis Bagó fails to meet annual sales goals for each year of the five-year agreement, and
we may revoke exclusivity if Biogenesis Bagó fails to meet guaranteed minimum sales. We also agreed to additional incentive payments if stretch goals are exceeded.
We
plan to partner with other leading distributors to deliver our products to customers both in the United States and internationally, and may also explore entering into partnerships
that include payment of upfront licensing fees for our products and product candidates for markets outside the United States
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where
appropriate. We expect that our current and future partners will have the presence, name recognition, reputation and reach in the veterinary markets and in both key urban and rural centers, as
appropriate. We believe this overall approach is scalable and transferable as we expand our commercialization efforts, as well as when we further expand internationally including to
resource-constrained countries where food safety issues are emerging global challenges.
Manufacturing
The plant material used to manufacture Canalevia, Neonorm and related products is crude plant latex, or CPL, extracted and purified from
Croton
lechleri
, a widespread and naturally regenerating tree in the rainforest that is managed as part of sustainable harvesting programs. The tree is
found in several South American countries and has been the focus of long-term sustainable harvesting research and development work. Our collaborating suppliers obtain CPL and arrange for the shipment
of CPL to our third party contract manufacturer. CPL will also be shipped to us for manufacturing after we establish our own API manufacturing capability.
Our
third-party contract manufacturer will process CPL into both crofelemer, the API in Canalevia, and the botanical extract used in both Neonorm Calf and Neonorm Foal. This
manufacturing process uses exclusive Napo intellectual property licensed pursuant to the Napo License Agreement. Canalevia will be manufactured by the same process used to manufacture the API that was
used in the animal safety studies and the human studies in support of the approval of Mytesi (formerly known as Fulyzaq). Napo has also licensed this intellectual property to third parties in
connection with its licenses related to the development and commercialization of crofelemer for human use. While we believe these third parties have developed their own proprietary manufacturing
specifications pursuant to their license agreements, such third-party intellectual property is unknown to us, is not licensed to us pursuant to
the Napo License Agreement, and is not part of the intellectual property that we intend to use for the manufacture of API in our licensed field of use. Similarly, the manufacture of Neonorm depends
only on technology licensed from Napo. The license grant specifically excludes intellectual property rights developed pursuant to a prior collaboration agreement between Napo and Glenmark
Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., or Glenmark, the manufacturer of the API in Mytesi (formerly known as Fulyzaq). In May 2014 and June 2014, and as amended in February 2015, we entered into binding
memorandums of understanding with Indena S.p.A. to negotiate a definitive commercial supply agreement for the manufacture of the API in Canalevia and the botanical extract in Neonorm. We have
furnished equipment to Indena S.p.A. for use in a facility that will be dedicated to the manufacture of crofelemer and the botanical extract.
In
December 2015, Indena delivered 360 kilos of the standardized botanical extract to us. We currently own enough of the Neonorm standardized botanical extract to formulate a combination
of approximately one million treatments of Neonorm Calf or Neonorm Foal.
Pursuant
to the memorandums of understanding as amended, we agreed to pay Indena S.p.A. the following fees in connection with the establishment of our manufacturing
arrangement:
-
-
a start-up fee equal to €500,000, payable in two equal installments, both of which were paid in May 2015;
-
-
fees associated with the technology transfer and manufacturing process adaptation equal to €620,000 for API which was paid in
May and July 2015;
-
-
fees for the design and set up of a dedicated suite qualified for pharmaceutical and veterinary products equal to €170,000
which was paid in May 2015;
-
-
deliverables fees equal to €500,000, €250,000 of which was paid in December 2015, and €250,000
of which was payable by the end of March 2016, with the understanding that these fees will be credited against payments agreed to under the future commercial supply agreement; and
-
-
a €300,000 bonus fee payable in two equal installments, the first of which was paid in March 2015, with the remainder paid by
the end of March 2016.
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We have made all contractual payments to Indena as of March 31, 2016. In March 2015, Indena S.p.A. agreed to delay payment of the fees payable by
the end of March 2015 until the earlier of April 30, 2015 or the completion of our initial public offering. In July 2015 and December 2015 Indena S.p.A agreed to delay payment of certain fees
payable until March 2016. We have made all contractual payments to Indena as of March 31, 2016. In June 2014, as contemplated by the memorandums of understanding, we also issued
Indena S.p.A. a warrant to acquire 16,666 shares our common stock at an exercise price per share equal to 90% of the initial public offering price, which expires in June 2019.
In
September, 2015 we entered into a distribution agreement with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., or Glenmark. With the execution of the agreement, we intend to use Glenmark as our
primary manufacturer of crofelemer for animal health use. Our agreement with Glenmark supplements our previously announced manufacturing agreement with Indena S.p.A for the standardized botanical
extract in Neonorm Calf and Neonorm Foal. We intend to eventually use Indena as an alternative supplier for crofelemer.
In
October 2015, we announced that we signed a crofelemer formulation development and manufacturing contract with Patheon Pharmaceuticals Inc., or Patheon, a leading global
provider of drug development and delivery solutions to the global pharmaceutical and biopharma industries. Under the terms of the contract, Patheon will provide enteric-coated crofelemer tablets for
Jaguar for use in animals. The tablets will be used in our pivotal efficacy trial for Canalevia, which began in the fourth quarter of 2015. We expect to use safety and effectiveness data from this
trial in support of the initiation of the filing of a NADA with the FDA for Canalevia in 2017 for the indication of acute diarrhea in dogs.
Patheon
is the manufacturer of Mytesi (formerly known as Fulyzaq), a human-specific, enteric-coated formulation of crofelemer that was approved by the FDA in 2012 for the symptomatic
relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy. Members of our management team developed crofelemer while working at Napo where the drug was initially developed.
We
also plan to enter into agreements with third parties for the formulation of the API and botanical extracts into finished products to be used for planned studies and
commercialization.
The
facilities of our third-party contract manufacturers that will manufacture our API and botanical extract, as well as formulate our finished products, comply with cGMP and other
relevant manufacturing requirements.
Competition
The animal health industry is dominated by large independent companies such as Zoetis Inc., a standalone animal health company that was
spun out from Pfizer, Inc. in 2013, as well as subsidiaries of large pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis Animal Health Inc., a subsidiary of Novartis International AG., Merck
Animal Health, the animal health division of Merck & Co., Inc., Merial Inc., the animal health division of Sanofi S.A., Elanco Animal Health, the animal health
division of Eli Lilly and Company, Bayer Animal Health GmbH, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, and Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, the animal health division of Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH.
There are also animal health companies based in Europe, including Vétoquinol S.A., Virbac S.A., Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC and Ceva Animal Health S.A.
Additionally,
smaller animal health companies, such as Aratana Therapeutics, Inc., Kindred Biosciences, Inc., Phibro Animal Health Corporation, Nexvet Biopharma and Parnell
Pharmaceuticals
Holdings Ltd, recently completed initial public offerings of their stock in the United States and may choose to develop competitive products. We believe that the large human pharmaceutical
companies may also decide to spin out their animal health subsidiaries into standalone companies.
Although,
to our knowledge, there are currently no FDA-approved anti-secretory products to treat acute diarrhea in dogs, we anticipate that Canalevia, if approved for this indication,
will face competition from various products, including products approved for use in humans that are used extra-label in animals.
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We
are aware that veterinarians typically treat acute diarrhea in dogs with antibiotics, probiotics, dietary restrictions and products approved and formulated for humans, such as Imodium and other
anti-motility agents, as well as binding agents that absorb water, such as Kaopectate and Pepto-Bismol. None of these treatment options address the water loss associated with acute diarrhea. We are
not aware of any veterinarians prescribing Mytesi (formerly known as Fulyzaq) extra-label for use in dogs, and the indication of Mytesi is for a disease that does not occur in dogs. Further, because
none of the human products are FDA approved for animal use, veterinarians, although allowed to dispense human products for animal use, do not have the benefit of clinical support with respect to
efficacy or dosing. Moreover, administering a potentially unpalatable human formulation is often difficult and may lead to further uncertainty of the amount actually ingested by the dog. However, this
practice may continue and Canalevia may face competition from these products. Canalevia could also potentially face competition from Mytesi were veterinarians to prescribe it extra-label. Extra-label
use is the use of an approved drug outside of its cleared or approved indications in the animal context. All of our potential products could also face competition from new products in development.
These and other potential competing products may benefit from greater brand recognition and brand loyalty than our products and product candidates may achieve.
Intellectual Property
Napo License Agreement
In January 2014, we entered into the Napo License Agreement, which we amended and restated in August 2014 and further amended in January 2015,
pursuant to which we acquired an exclusive, sublicensable, transferable, worldwide license to certain intellectual property rights of Napo and its affiliates to research, develop, formulate, make,
have made, use, have used, market, offer for sale, sell, have sold, and import, and to otherwise exploit products of Napo and its other affiliates for all veterinary treatment uses and indications for
all species of animals. The license grant specifically excludes intellectual property rights developed pursuant to a prior collaboration agreement between Napo and Glenmark
Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., the manufacturer of the API in Mytesi (formerly known as Fulyzaq). Under the Napo License Agreement, Napo also assigned to us certain raw materials and equipment and
granted us a right of reference to the entirety of the information included in the human approved new drug application of crofelemer.
Under
the terms of the Napo License Agreement, we are responsible for, and shall ensure, the development and commercialization of products that contain or are derived from the licensed
Napo technology (collectively referred to herein as the Products) worldwide in the field of veterinary treatment uses and indications for all species of animals.
In
consideration for the license, we are obligated to pay a one-time non-refundable license fee of $1.75 million, less the option fee of $100,000 paid in July 2013 pursuant to a
term sheet we signed with Napo. We paid $25,000 to Napo towards the license fee in December 2014 and in January 2015, agreed that the remaining license fee payment will be paid in cash, or, if
mutually agreed with Napo, in shares of our common stock according to the following schedule:
|
|
|
|
|
Payment Date
|
|
License
Fee Amount
|
|
Amendment Date
|
|
$
|
25,000
|
|
March 31, 2015
|
|
$
|
25,000
|
|
June 30, 2015
|
|
$
|
150,000
|
|
September 30, 2015
|
|
$
|
500,000
|
|
December 31, 2015
|
|
$
|
500,000
|
|
March 31, 2016
|
|
$
|
425,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
1,625,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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In
the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, we paid $425,000 and $1.2 million in accordance with the agreement.
Pursuant
to the Napo License Agreement, we will owe Napo a 2% royalty on annual net sales of all Products that are prescription drugs (such as Canalevia and any line extensions) approved
by the FDA or the equivalent regulatory agency in another country, and a 1% royalty of annual net sales of non-prescription products (such as Neonorm and any line extensions) that do not require
pre-marketing approval from the FDA or the equivalent regulatory agency in another country. Upon agreement with Napo, we may elect to remit any milestone payments and/or royalties in the form of our
common stock.
The
royalty term expires on a country-by-country and Product-by-Product basis on the later of: (i) 10 years from the first sale of a Product in such country, on an animal
by animal basis; and (ii) the first date on which there is no longer (A) a valid claim within the licensed patent rights covering the use, manufacture or sale of such Product, or
(B) any data exclusivity with respect to such Product in such country conferred by the applicable regulatory authority, and in each case of (A) and (B), a competitive product has been
introduced into the market in such country. The royalties payable to Napo are subject to reduction, capped at a specified percentage, for any third-party payments made to obtain a license or other
rights to issued patents that might present a commercial obstacle to the development, manufacture, use, or sale of a Product in a country. Additionally, if the royalty term for a Product is ongoing
post-expiration of the last valid claim within the licensed patent rights that covers such product in any given country, then the royalties we owe Napo will be reduced by a specified percentage until
expiration of the royalty term for such Product in such country. Upon the expiration of each royalty term, on a country-by-country and Product-by-Product basis, the license grants shall be fully paid
up and we will have perpetual non-exclusive licenses for such Products in such countries. At any time during the term of the agreement, if Napo sells all of its assets relating to the use, production
or exploitation of
Croton lechleri
derivative products to a third party, all of the rights granted to us relating to
Croton
lechleri
derivative products under the license shall become exclusive in the field of veterinary treatment uses and indications for all species of animals, perpetual, fully
paid-up, royalty-free and irrevocable, with the right to grant sublicenses.
Under
the terms of the Napo License Agreement, we own all rights, title and interest in our intellectual property and any joint intellectual property developed under the license. We
granted Napo a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable worldwide license to our intellectual property developed under the Napo License Agreement for use outside the veterinary field, and an exclusive,
paid-up worldwide license to any joint intellectual property developed under the Napo License Agreement outside the veterinary field. We agreed to defend, indemnify and hold Napo, its affiliates, and
its officers, directors, employees, consultants and contractors harmless from and against any losses, costs, damages, liabilities, fees and expenses arising out of any third-party claim related to our
gross negligence or willful misconduct, breach of our representations, warranties or covenants or the manufacture, sale or use of the Product or Products, in each case, unless such third-party claim
is subject to indemnification by Napo. Napo agreed to defend, indemnify and hold us, our affiliates, and our officers, directors, employees, consultants and contractors harmless from and against any
losses, costs, damages, liabilities, fees and expenses arising out of any third-party claim related to Napo's, its affiliate's or its licensees' (except for us) gross negligence or willful misconduct,
or Napo's breach of its representations, warranties or covenants.
We
may terminate the Napo License Agreement upon Napo's uncured material breach, bankruptcy or at will after certain notification periods. Napo may terminate the Napo License Agreement
upon our uncured material breach or bankruptcy after certain notification periods.
As
we announced on January 31, 2017, Jaguar and Elanco US Inc., a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, have signed an agreement to license, develop, co-promote, and
commercialize Canalevia, Jaguar's drug product candidate under investigation for treatment of acute and CID in dogs. The agreement grants Elanco exclusive global rights to Canalevia for use in
companion animals.
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Patent Portfolio
Under the Napo License Agreement, we have exclusive rights in the veterinary field to an international patent family related to International
Patent Application WO1998/16111. The patents and patent applications in this family are directed to enteric protected formulations of proanthocyanidin polymers isolated from
Croton spp
or
Calophyllum spp.
(such as crofelemer and Neonorm), and methods of treating watery diarrhea
using the enteric protected formulations for both human and veterinary uses. As such, the patents and patent applications of this family cover certain formulations of crofelemer, including Canalevia,
as well as the standardized botanical extract in Neonorm, and methods of treating diarrhea using these formulations. There are three U.S. patents and a pending U.S. patent application in this family,
including, US 7,323,195, which has a term until at least June 7, 2018, US 7,341,744, which has a term until at least January 11, 2018, and US 8,574,634, which has a term until at least
January 11, 2018. The term of one of US 7,323,195 or US 7,341,744 may be extended to June 2021 and December 2020, respectively, to account for regulatory delay in obtaining human marketing
approval for crofelemer (such potential extensions have been filed for and only one of the patents can be extended). Patent protection for enteric protected formulations of crofelemer and methods of
use has also been obtained outside the United States, including in Europe, Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and Taiwan, with terms extending until at least
October 14, 2017 in these jurisdictions. In particular, European patent EP 0 935 417 and Japanese patent no. 4195728 provide protection for enteric protected
formulations of crofelemer and the standardized botanical extract in Neonorm in Europe and Japan, respectively, with terms that extend until at least October 14, 2017.
The
patents and patent applications we licensed from Napo, or the Napo Patents, which cover both human and veterinary uses, were previously licensed by Napo to Salix for certain fields
of human use. On March 4, 2016, Napo and Salix settled litigation and all rights to crofelemer and Mytesi (formerly
known as Fulyzaq) were returned to Napo and the collaboration agreement between Salix and Napo, or the Salix Collaboration Agreement, was terminated. Napo has the responsibility to file, prosecute and
maintain the Napo Patents. As a result, under the Napo License Agreement, we only have the right to maintain any issued patents within the Napo Patents that are not maintained in accordance with the
responsibilities of Napo. There are three issued Napo Patents in the United States that cover, collectively, enteric protected formulations of proanthocyanidin polymers isolated from
Croton spp.
and
methods of treating watery diarrhea using the enteric protected formulations for both human and veterinary uses.
We
have filed and have currently pending four applications under the PCT, four U.S. non-provisional patent applications and three provisional patent applications relating to veterinary
uses of
Croton
proanthocyanidin polymer compositions, including crofelemer, Neonorm and Canalevia, and product combinations under development. These
applications are directed to treatment of watery diarrhea in newborn and young animals, including methods of improving mortality and weight gain in newborn animals, treatment of stress-induced
diarrhea in animals, and treatment of watery diarrhea caused by salmonella in animals. These applications also focus on the treatment of diarrhea in companion animals such as dogs and cats. In
addition, an application has been submitted for the treatment of ulcers and related symptoms in animals with an emphasis on ulcers in horses. An application has also been filed on a
surprising prebiotic effect of crofelemer in bovine and other animal species based on unexpected research findings that indicate a prebiotic enhancement of the gut bacteria in animals. One other
patent application has been filed combining crofelemer with rifaximin, a non-absorbed antibiotic for the treatment of bacteria induced diarrhea in multiple animal species. Applications have been filed
relating to treatment of porcine epidemic virus in piglets and treatment of diarrhea in livestock with a formulation that is not enteric protected. Patents that may issue based upon applications filed
claiming benefit of these provisional patent applications should have terms that extend until at least May 2035.
We
have two issued US patents licensed exclusively from Napo for veterinary use, covering NP-500 and its use. NP-500 is the API in Jaguar's drug product candidates to treat and manage
diseases related to insulin-resistance, such as obesity-related metabolic dysfunction in dogs and cats, diabetes mellitus, and
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potentially
equine laminitis. The two NP-500 patents claim benefit to a provisional application submitted to the USPTO by Napo in April 2011. Per the terms of the license agreement between Napo and
us, we have an exclusive license to these intellectual properties for all veterinary treatment uses and indications for all species of animals except humans.
Trademarks
We plan to market our products under a trademark or trademarks we select and we will own all rights, title and interest, including all goodwill,
associated with such trademarks.
Government Regulation
The development, approval and sale of animal health products are governed by the laws and regulations of each country in which we intend to seek
approval, where necessary, to market and subsequently sell our prescription drug and non-drug products. To comply with these regulatory requirements, we are establishing processes and resources to
provide oversight of the development, approval processes and launch of our products and to position those products in order to gain market share in each respective market.
United States
Certain federal regulatory agencies are charged with oversight and regulatory authority of animal health products in the United States. These
agencies, depending on the product and its intended use may include the FDA, the USDA and the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, the Drug Enforcement Administration regulates animal
therapeutics that are classified as controlled substances. In addition, the Federal Trade Commission may in the case of non-drug products, regulate the marketing and advertising claims being made.
The
approval of prescription drugs intended for animal use is regulated by the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, or CVM. The CVM consists of six offices that work together to, in
part, approve new drugs for commercialization and thereafter monitor those commercialized drugs once in the market. The Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation, or ONADE, is the lead office for reviewing
novel drug candidates. We, as the sponsor of a novel drug candidate, commence the development and approval process by initiating communication with the ONADE and opening an INAD file. As part of this
process, we will also schedule a discussion of the novel drug's development plan in order to obtain agreement from the CVM for the number, type and design of studies needed to obtain FDA
approval of the novel drug.
As
required by the FDA, new animal drug products must obtain marketing approval through the NADA process. Under the Administrative New Animal Drug Application, or Administrative NADA,
process, a sponsor can engage in a phased submission of the required technical sections of an NADA, known as a rolling NADA, as opposed to submitting the entire application at once with a standard
NADA. The requirements for all NADAs are the same regardless of whether a sponsor chooses the rolling NADA or the standard NADA submission. Under the phased review, once all technical sections have
been submitted and reviewed, the sponsor submits an Administrative NADA to reflect that all technical sections of the NADA have been submitted and reviewed, each such technical section meets the
requirements for approval and the CVM has issued technical section complete letters for each technical section. The phased review and Administrative NADA allow a drug sponsor to engage with the FDA as
to each technical section to ensure that each section meets all requirements prior to submission of the application for approval. Phasing of NADA submissions is a voluntary process.
Once
the tasks set forth in the development plan have been completed, including the clinical work as well as the chemistry and manufacturing work (feasibility, validation and stability
of the drug inclusive), we, as the novel drug sponsor will need to provide to the FDA through the application process, information as to the safety and efficacy of the drug candidate, and, if needed,
human food safety studies. These food
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safety
studies are only required for drugs intended for use in production animals, and we currently have no plans to develop drugs for production animals. Additionally, the application will contain a
module on CMC, which describes the plan for manufacturing the drug including the API, the final formulation, where it will be made, how it will be made, how the drug will be packaged, how it can be
stored, the conditions required for storage and how long it can be stored before expiry. A major part of the CMC section is the analysis we employ to ensure that the manufactured drug is of a high
quality, is consistently manufactured under cGMP and is stable. Other significant components to the application we have to complete before receiving drug approval includes a draft label that will list
specific information such as dosing information, intended use, warnings, directions for use, and other information as required by the regulations. The package insert that will contain information on
studies, warnings, drug interactions, intended use and dosing is considered part of the label in addition to that which is adhering to the container itself. The CVM ensures that the labeling provides
all the necessary information to use the drug safely and effectively, and that it clearly discloses the risks associated with the drug.
The
Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act, or MUMS Act, became effective in August 2004. The purpose of the MUMS Act was twofold: first, to encourage the
development and availability of more animal drugs that are intended to be used in a major species defined as dogs, cats, cattle, horses, chickens, turkeys and pigs to treat diseases which occur
infrequently or in limited geographic areas, therefore having an impact on a smaller number of animals on a yearly basis; and second, to encourage the development and availability of animal drugs for
use in minor species (defined as all animals other than humans that are not one of the major species). The drug sponsor may seek conditional approval of the drug product provided the Office of Minor
Use Minor Species, or "OMUMS" acknowledges that the intended use fits within a small number of animals treated per annum. A drug does not have to be designated to be eligible for conditional approval,
however if OMUMS designates a MUMS drug, certain incentives and exclusivities are available to the sponsor. The MUMS designation is modeled on the orphan drug designation for human drug development
and has certain financial incentives available to encourage MUMS drug development such as the availability of grants to help with the cost of the MUMS drug development. Also, drug developers of MUMS
drugs are eligible to apply for a waiver of the user fees once the MUMS designation has been given by OMUMS. We believe that we qualify for MUMS designation for Canalevia as a minor use in a major
species because the estimated total number of dogs in the United States affected by CID is less than 70,000. To obtain conditional approval of a MUMS drug, the company must submit CMC and safety data
similar to that required for an NADA, as well as data suggesting a reasonable expectation of effectiveness. After the submission and the review of the application, the FDA through the CVM can then
grant a conditional approval (CA-1). This approval allows for a commercialization of the product, while the sponsor continues to collect the substantial evidence of effectiveness required for a full
NADA approval. The sponsor has up to five years to demonstrate substantial evidence of effectiveness for a previously conditionally approved drug. Ideally, MUMS designation helps move the product
forward in development; however, it may not shorten the time to full commercialization. A sponsor that gains approval or conditional approval for a MUMS designated drug receives seven years of
marketing exclusivity.
As
we announced in April 2016, Jaguar obtained protocol concurrence from the FDA for our pivotal trial of Canalevia that we initiated in December 2015 for acute
diarrhea in dogs. We plan to pursue protocol concurrences from the FDA for future pivotal trials in other indications. Under this process, a protocol is submitted to the FDA voluntarily by a drug
sponsor. The FDA review of the protocol for a pivotal study makes it more likely that the study will generate information the sponsor needs to demonstrate whether the drug is safe and effective for
its intended use. It creates an expectation by the sponsor that the FDA will not later alter its perspectives on these issues unless public or animal health
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concerns
appear that were not recognized at the time of protocol assessment. Even if FDA issues a protocol concurrence, ultimate approval of an NADA by the FDA is not guaranteed because a final
determination that the agreed-upon protocol satisfies a specific objective, such as the demonstration of efficacy, or supports an approval decision, will be based on a complete review of all the data
submitted to the FDA. Even if we were to obtain protocol concurrence, such concurrence does not guarantee that the results of the study will support a particular finding or approval of the new drug.
We
are currently planning on seeking MUMS designation for some of our prescription drug products and if we receive such a designation, we will be entitled to a
seven-year marketing exclusivity, which means that we will face no competition from another sponsor marketing the same drug in the same dosage form for the same intended use. If we were to lose such
designation or not receive such designation but our application as a new animal drug is found to be a new chemical entity that meets the criteria described by the FDA, we would be entitled to a
five-year marketing exclusivity. In order to receive this five-year exclusivity, the FDA would have to find in its approval of our application that our NADA contains an API not previously approved in
another application, that the application itself is an original application, not a supplemental application, and that our application included the following studies: one or more investigations to
demonstrate substantial evidence of effectiveness of the drug for which we are seeking approval; animal safety studies and human food safety studies (where applicable). If the NADA is seeking approval
of a drug for which we have received conditional approval, we, upon approval would still be entitled to a five-year marketing exclusivity provided it meets the criteria as set forth above. If however,
our NADA is for a drug for which the FDA has determined that the drug contains an API that has previously been approved, regardless of whether the original approval was for use in humans or not, we
may only be entitled to a three-year marketing exclusivity provided that the NADA is an original, not supplemental, application and contains both safety and efficacy studies demonstrating the safety
and efficacy of the drug which is the subject of the application. Jaguar has received MUMS designation for Canalevia for the indication of Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhea, or CID, in dogs.
European Union
The European Union, or EU, definition of a veterinary medicinal product closely matches the definition of an animal drug in the United States.
In the EU, a company can market a veterinary medicinal product only after a marketing authorization has been issued by an EU member state, (
i.e.
,
approval on a country-by-country basis) or by the EU Commission through the European Medicines Agency, or the EMA. Before the EU member state or the EU Commission issues marketing authorization, we
must submit a marketing authorization application, known as the dossier. The dossier includes data from studies showing the product's quality, safety, and efficacy and is similar to an NADA filed with
the FDA.
For
an animal drug, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use, or CVMP, is responsible for the scientific evaluation. Experts from all EU member states are on the CVMP. The
Rapporteur, or lead reviewer on the dossier, prepares an overview of the committee's scientific evaluation, called the CVMP Assessment Report.
The
CVMP Assessment Report:
-
-
summarizes the data submitted by the company on the product's quality, safety, and efficacy;
-
-
explains the assessment done by the CVMP to support the committee's recommendation to the EU Commission to issue a marketing authorization; and
-
-
is the basis for the European Public Assessment Report published on the EMA's website.
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Labeling
The FDA plays a significant role in regulating the labeling, advertising and promotion of animal drugs. This is also true of regulatory agencies
in the EU and other territories. In addition, advertising and promotion of animal health products is controlled by regulations in many countries. These rules generally restrict advertising and
promotion to those claims and uses that have been reviewed and approved by the applicable agency. We will conduct a review of advertising and promotional material for compliance with the local and
regional requirements in the markets where we eventually may sell our product candidates.
Our
non-prescription products will be labeled in accordance with the health guidelines outlined by the National Animal Supplements Council, an industry organization that sets industry
standards for certain non-prescription animal products, including but not limited to product labeling.
Other Regulatory Considerations
We believe regulatory rules relating to human food safety, food additives, or drug residues in food will not apply to the products we currently
are developing because our prescription drug product candidates are not intended for use in production animals, with the exception of horses, which qualify as food animals in Europe and Canada; and
our non-prescription products are not regulated by section 201(g) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which the FDA is authorized to administer.
Our
prescription drug product candidates currently in development, if approved, may eventually face generic competition in the United States and in the EU after the period of exclusivity
has expired. In the United States, a generic animal drug may be approved pursuant to an abbreviated new animal drug application, or ANADA. With an ANADA, a generic applicant is not subject to the
submission of new clinical and safety data but instead must only show that the proposed generic product is a copy of the novel drug product, and bioequivalent to the approved novel product. However,
if our product candidates are the first approved by the FDA or the EMA as applicable for use in animals, they will be eligible for a five-year marketing exclusivity in the United States and
10 years in the EU thereby
prohibiting generic entry into the market. If the product has MUMS designation it has a seven-year marketing exclusivity.
We
do not believe that our non-prescription products are currently subject to regulation in the United States. The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine only regulates those animal
supplements that fall within the FDA's definition of an animal drug, food or feed additive. The Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act defines food as "articles used for food or drink for man or other
animals and articles used as components of any such article." Animal foods are not subject to pre-market approval and are designed to provide a nutritive purpose to the animals that receive them. Feed
additives are defined as those articles that are added to an animal's feed or water as illustrated by the guidance documents. Our non-prescription products are not added to food, are not ingredients
in food nor are they added to any animal's drinking water. Therefore, our non-prescription products do not fall within the definition of a food or feed additive. The FDA seeks to regulate such
supplements as food or food additives depending on the intended use of the product. The intended use is demonstrated by how the article is included in a food, or added to the animals' intake
(
i.e.,
through its drinking water). If the intended use of the product does not fall within the proscribed use making the product a food, it
cannot be regulated as a food. There is no intent to make our non-prescription products a component of an animal food, either directly or indirectly. A feed additive is a product that is added to a
feed for any reason including the top dressing of an already prepared feed. Some additives, such as certain forage, are deemed to be Generally Recognized as Safe, or GRAS, and therefore, not subject
to a feed Additive Petition approval prior to use. However, the substances deemed GRAS are generally those that are recognized as providing nutrients as a food does. We do not believe that our
non-prescription products fit within this framework either. Finally, a new animal drug refers to drugs intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in
animals. Our non-prescription products are not intended to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent disease and therefore, do not fit within the definition of an animal drug. Our non-prescription
products are intended to
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support
a healthy gut, support fluid retention, and normalize stool formation in animals suffering from scours. Additionally, because a previously marketed human formulation of the botanical extract
in our non-prescription products was considered a dietary supplement subject to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (and not regulated as a drug by the FDA), we do not believe that
the FDA would regulate the animal formulation used in our non-prescription products in a different manner. We do not believe that our non-prescription products fit the definition of an animal drug,
food or food additive and therefore are not regulated by the FDA at this time.
In
addition to the foregoing, we may be subject to state, federal and foreign healthcare and/or veterinary medicine laws, including but not limited to anti-kickback laws, as we may from
time to time enter consulting and other financial arrangements with veterinarians, who may prescribe or recommend our products. If our financial relationships with veterinarians are found to be in
violation of such laws that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties.
Employees
As of December 31, 2016, we had 23 employees. Of our employees, eight hold D.V.M. or Ph.D. degrees and fifteen of our employees are
engaged in research and development activities. None of our employees are represented by labor unions or covered by collective bargaining agreements.
Description of Properties
Our corporate headquarters are located in San Francisco, California, where we sublease 6,008 rentable square feet of office space from SeeChange
Health Management Company, Inc. Our sublease agreement expires on August 31, 2018. We believe that our existing facilities are adequate for our near-term needs. We believe that suitable
additional or alternative space would be available if required in the future on commercially reasonable terms if we are not able to convert our current sublease to a lease by August 31, 2018 on
commercially reasonable terms.
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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
The business, financial condition and operating results of the Company may be affected by a number of factors, whether
currently known or unknown, including but not limited to those described below. Any one or more of such factors could directly or indirectly cause the Company's actual results of operations and
financial condition to vary materially from past or anticipated future results of operations and financial condition. Any of these factors, in whole or in part, could materially and adversely affect
the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations and stock price. The following information should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion
and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the consolidated financial statements and related notes in Part II, Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this
Annual Report.
Risks Related to the Merger with Napo
The pendency of the merger with Napo could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock, business,
financial condition, results of operations or business prospects.
While we are not aware of any significant adverse effects to date, the pendency of the merger with Napo could disrupt our business in the
following ways, among others:
-
-
our customers and other third-party business partners may seek to terminate and/or renegotiate their relationships with us as a result of the
merger, whether pursuant to the terms of their existing agreements with us or otherwise;
-
-
the attention of our management may be directed toward the completion of the merger and related matters and may be diverted from our day-to-day
business operations, including from other opportunities that might otherwise be beneficial to us; and
-
-
current and prospective employees may experience uncertainty regarding their future roles with the combined company, which might adversely
affect our ability to retain, recruit and motivate key personnel.
Should
they occur, any of these matters could adversely affect our stock price, or harm our financial condition, results of operations or business prospects.
Failure to complete the merger could adversely affect our stock price and future business and financial
results.
The consummation of the merger may be delayed, the merger may be consummated on terms different than those contemplated by the Binding Agreement
of Terms, or the merger may not be consummated at all. Failure to consummate the merger would prevent our shareholders from realizing the anticipated benefits of the merger. The current market price
of our shares of common stock may reflect a market assumption that the merger will occur, and a failure to consummate the merger could result in a significant decline in the market price of our shares
and a negative perception of us generally. Any delay in the consummation of the merger or any uncertainty about the consummation of the merger could also negatively impact our and/or the combined
company's share price and future business and financial results following the proposed merger.
Completion
of the merger is subject to a number of conditions, including among other things, the receipt of approval of the Jaguar and Napo stockholders. There is no assurance that the
parties will receive the necessary approvals or satisfy the other conditions to the completion of the merger. Failure to complete the proposed merger would prevent our shareholders from realizing the
anticipated benefits of the merger. We will also remain liable for significant transaction costs, including legal, accounting and financial advisory fees. In addition, the market price of our common
stock may reflect various market assumptions as to whether the merger will occur. Consequently, the failure to complete the merger could result in a significant change in the market price of our
common stock.
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The market price of our common stock after the merger may be affected by factors different from those
currently affecting our shares.
Upon completion of the merger and assuming certain financial targets of the combined company are met, holders of Napo common stock will become
holders of our common stock. Our business differs in important respects from that of Napo, and, accordingly, the results of operations of the combined company and the market price of our common stock
after the completion of the merger may be affected by factors different from those currently affecting our operations.
The issuance of shares of our common stock to Napo stockholders in the merger will substantially dilute the
interest in Jaguar held by Jaguar stockholders prior to the merger.
If the merger is completed, it is estimated that we will issue up to an aggregate of approximately 74,561,871 shares of our common stock and
non-voting common stock upon the closing of the merger, assuming no exercise or conversion of outstanding options and warrants. Based on the current number of shares of our common stock and Napo
common stock issued and outstanding, Napo stockholders and creditors before the merger will own, in the aggregate, approximately 25% of the aggregate number of shares of our common stock and
non-voting common stock issued and outstanding immediately after the merger. The issuance of (i) shares of our common stock and non-voting common stock to Napo creditors and
(ii) contingent rights to receive shares of Jaguar voting common stock to Napo stockholders in the merger will cause a 75% reduction in the relative percentage interest of our current
stockholders in our earnings, voting rights, liquidation value and book and market value. It is expected that our stockholders before the merger will hold approximately 25% of our total common stock
and non-voting common stock issued and outstanding immediately following completion of the merger. Thus, our stockholders before the merger will experience dilution in the amount of 75% as a result of
the merger.
Obtaining required approvals necessary to satisfy the conditions to the completion of the merger may delay or
prevent completion of the merger.
To complete the merger, we and Napo must obtain all necessary governmental, board of directors, investment committee, stockholder and
third-party approvals, waivers and consents. We and Napo intend to pursue all required approvals in accordance with the Binding Agreement of Terms. No assurance can be given that the required
approvals will be obtained and, even if all such approvals are obtained, no assurance can be given as to the terms, conditions and timing of the approvals or that they will satisfy the Binding
Agreement of Terms.
If the NASDAQ Stock Market determines that the merger with Napo and the issuance of the merger consideration
results in a change of control of the company, we may be required to submit a new application under NASDAQ's original listing standards and if such application is not approved, our common stock may be
delisted from The NASDAQ Capital Market.
In connection with the merger, we will issue 63,866,684 shares of common stock. NASDAQ Rule 5110(a) provides that a company must apply
for initial listing in connection with a transaction whereby a company combines with a non-NASDAQ entity, resulting in a change of control
of such company and potentially allowing the non-NASDAQ entity to effectively obtain NASDAQ listing. In determining whether a change of control has occurred, NASDAQ considers all relevant factors
including, changes in management, board of directors, voting power, ownership and financial structure of the Company. If The NASDAQ Stock Market determines that a change of control does in fact result
from the consummation of the merger and the issuance of the merger consideration and an original listing application has not been approved prior to the consummation of merger, we will be in violation
of NASDAQ Rule 5110(a) and our common stock could be delisted from The NASDAQ Capital Market.
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Termination of the Binding Agreement of Terms could negatively impact us.
If the Binding Agreement of Terms is terminated, there may be various consequences. For example, our business may be impacted adversely by the
failure to pursue other beneficial opportunities due to the focus of management on the merger, without realizing any of the anticipated benefits of completing the merger. Additionally, if the Binding
Agreement of Terms is terminated, the market price of our common stock could decline to the extent that the current market price of our common stock reflects a market assumption that the merger will
be completed. If the merger is terminated under certain circumstances, we may be required to issue 2,000,000 shares of our common stock to Napo as a break-up fee.
The market price of our common stock after the merger may be affected by factors different from those
currently affecting our shares.
Upon completion of the merger, holders of Napo common stock will become holders of our common stock, assuming certain financial targets of the
combined company that trigger the vesting of the Napo stockholders' contingent rights to receive shares of Jaguar voting common stock are satisfied. Our business differs in important respects from
that of Napo, and, accordingly, the results of operations of the combined company and the market price of our common stock after the completion of the merger may be affected by factors different from
those currently affecting our operations.
Risks Related to Our Business
We have a limited operating history, expect to incur further losses as we grow and may be unable to achieve
or sustain profitability. Our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Since formation in June 2013, our operations have been primarily limited to the research and development of our lead prescription drug product
candidate, Canalevia, to treat various forms of diarrhea in dogs, and our non-prescription product, Neonorm Calf, to help dairies and calf farms proactively retain fluid in calveshelping
the animals avoid debilitating, dangerous levels of dehydration, and the recent commercial launch of Neonorm Foal. As a result, we have limited meaningful historical operations upon which to evaluate
our business and prospects and have not yet demonstrated an ability to broadly commercialize any of our products, obtain any required marketing approval for any of our prescription drug product
candidates or successfully overcome the risks and uncertainties frequently encountered by companies in emerging fields such as the animal health industry. We also have not generated any material
revenue to date, and expect to continue to incur significant research and development and other expenses. Our net loss and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2016 was
$14.7 million. As of December 31, 2016, we had total stockholders' deficit of $2.5 million. We expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, which will increase
significantly from historical levels as we expand our product development activities, seek necessary approvals for our product candidates, conduct species-specific formulation studies for our
non-prescription products and begin commercialization activities. Even if we succeed in developing and broadly commercializing one or more of our products or product candidates, we expect to continue
to incur losses for the foreseeable future, and we may never become profitable. If we fail to achieve or maintain profitability, then we may be unable to continue our operations at planned levels and
be forced to reduce or cease operations.
As
more fully discussed in Note 1 to the Financial Statements, we believe there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern as we do not currently have
sufficient cash resources to fund our operations through February 15, 2018, or one year from the filing date of the Form 10-K. Our financial statements do not include any adjustments
that may result from the outcome of this uncertainty. If we are unable to continue as a viable entity, our stockholders may lose their entire investment.
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We have never generated any material revenue from operations and may not generate any material revenue from
our operations in the foreseeable future.
We are an animal health company focused on developing and commercializing prescription drug and non-prescription products for companion and
production animals, foals, and high value horses. Since inception in June 2013, we have not generated any material revenue from operations. There is no guarantee that our recent commercial launch of
Neonorm Calf for preweaned dairy calves in the United States will be successful or that we will be able to sell any products in the future. Further, in order to commercialize our prescription drug
product candidates, we must receive regulatory approval from the FDA in the United States and other regulatory agencies in various jurisdictions. We have not yet received any regulatory approvals for
our prescription drug product candidates. In addition, certain of our non-prescription products, such as Neonorm Calf, may be subject to regulatory approval outside the United States prior to
commercialization. Accordingly, until and unless we receive any necessary regulatory approvals, we cannot market or sell our products. Moreover, even if we receive the necessary approvals, we may not
be successful in generating revenue from sales of our products as we do not have any meaningful experience marketing or distributing our products. Accordingly, we may never generate any material
revenue from our operations.
We expect to incur significant additional costs as we continue commercialization efforts for Neonorm, and
undertake the clinical trials necessary to obtain regulatory approvals for Canalevia and Equilevia, which will increase our losses.
We commenced sales of Neonorm for preweaned dairy calves in the United States under the brand name Neonorm Calf at the end of 2014. We will need
to continue to invest in developing our internal and third-party sales and distribution network and outreach efforts to key opinion leaders in the dairy industry, including veterinarians. We will also
need to conduct clinical trials for Equilevia and Canalevia in order to obtain necessary initial regulatory approvals and to subsequently broaden Canalevia to additional indications and additional
species. We will also need to conduct species-specific testing with Neonorm to expand to additional animal populations.
We
are actively identifying additional products for development and commercialization, and will continue to expend substantial resources for the foreseeable future to develop Equilevia,
Canalevia and
Neonorm and develop products from the library of over 2,300 medicinal plants that we have licensed. These expenditures will include costs associated with:
-
-
identifying additional potential prescription drug product candidates and non-prescription products;
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-
formulation studies;
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-
conducting pilot, pivotal and toxicology studies;
-
-
completing other research and development activities;
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-
payments to technology licensors;
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maintaining our intellectual property;
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obtaining necessary regulatory approvals;
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-
establishing commercial supply capabilities; and
-
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sales, marketing and distribution of our commercialized products.
We
also may incur unanticipated costs in connection with developing and commercializing our products. Because the outcome of our development activities and commercialization efforts is
inherently
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uncertain,
the actual amounts necessary to successfully complete the development and commercialization of our current or future products and product candidates may be greater than we anticipate.
Because
we anticipate incurring significant costs for the foreseeable future, if we are not successful in broadly commercializing any of our current or future products or product
candidates or raising additional funding to pursue our research and development efforts, we may never realize the benefit of our development efforts and our business may be harmed.
We will need to raise substantial additional capital in the future to fund our operations and we may be
unable to raise such funds when needed and on acceptable terms, which would force us to delay, limit, reduce or terminate one or more of our product development programs or future commercialization
efforts.
We are forecasting continued losses and negative cash flows as we continue to fund our operating and marketing activities and research and
development programs, and we will not have sufficient cash on hand to fund our operating plan through August 2017 and to complete the development of all the current products in our pipeline, or any
additional products we may identify. We will need to seek additional funds sooner than planned through public or private equity or debt financings or other sources such as strategic collaborations.
Other than the loan and security agreement (which provided for an initial loan commitment of $6.0 million) and the common stock purchase agreement, or the CSPA, with Aspire Capital
Fund, LLC, or Aspire Capital (which committed Aspire Capital to purchase up to an aggregate of $15.0 million of our shares of common stock over the term of the CSPA), we have no current
agreements or arrangements with respect to any such financings or collaborations, and any such financings or collaborations may result in dilution to our stockholders, the imposition of debt covenants
and repayment obligations or other restrictions that may harm our
business or the value of our common stock. We may also seek from time to time to raise additional capital based upon favorable market conditions or strategic considerations such as potential
acquisitions.
Our
future capital requirements depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:
-
-
the scope, progress, results and costs of researching and developing our current and future prescription drug product candidates and
non-prescription products;
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-
the timing of, and the costs involved in, obtaining any regulatory approvals for our current and any future products;
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the number and characteristics of the products we pursue;
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the cost of manufacturing our current and future products and any products we successfully commercialize;
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the cost of commercialization activities for Neonorm, Equilevia and Canalevia, if approved, including sales, marketing and distribution costs;
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-
the expenses needed to attract and retain skilled personnel;
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the costs associated with being a public company;
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-
our ability to establish and maintain strategic collaborations, distribution or other arrangements and the financial terms of such agreements;
and
-
-
the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending and enforcing possible patent claims, including litigation costs
and the outcome of any such litigation.
Additional
funds may not be available when we need them on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all. If adequate funds are not available to us on a timely basis, we may be required to
delay, limit, reduce or terminate one or more of our product development programs or future commercialization efforts.
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We are substantially dependent on the success of Equilevia, Canalevia and Neonorm and cannot be certain that
Equilevia or Canalevia will be approved or that we can successfully commercialize these products.
We currently do not have regulatory approval for any of our prescription drug product candidates, including Equilevia and Canalevia. Our current
efforts are primarily focused on the commercial launch of Neonorm Calf and Neonorm Foal in the United States, and development efforts related to Equilevia and Canalevia. We are focused on expanding
Canalevia's proposed indications to cover acute diarrhea in dogs and full FDA approval for CID for dogs. Accordingly, our near-term prospects, including our ability to generate material product
revenue, obtain any new financing if needed to fund our business and operations or enter into potential strategic transactions, will depend heavily on the success of Neonorm and, if approved,
Equilevia and Canalevia.
Substantial
time and capital resources have been previously devoted by third parties in the development of crofelemer, the active pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, in Canalevia, and the
botanical extract used in Neonorm. Both crofelemer and the botanical extract used in Neonorm were originally developed at Shaman Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Shaman, by certain members of our
management team, including Lisa A. Conte, our Chief Executive Officer and President, and Steven R. King, Ph.D., our Executive Vice President, Sustainable Supply, Ethnobotanical Research and
Intellectual Property and Secretary. Shaman spent significant development resources before voluntarily filing for bankruptcy in 2001 pursuant to Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The
rights to crofelemer and the botanical extract used in Neonorm, as well as other intellectual property rights, were subsequently acquired by Napo from Shaman in 2001 pursuant to a court approved sale
of assets. Ms. Conte founded Napo in 2001 and is the current interim chief executive officer of Napo and a member of its board of directors. While at Napo, certain members of our management
team, including Ms. Conte and Dr. King, continued the development of crofelemer. In 2005, Napo entered into license agreements with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., or Glenmark, and
Luye Pharma Group Limited for rights to various human indications of crofelemer in certain territories as defined in the respective license agreements with these licensees. Subsequently, after
expending significant sums developing crofelemer, including trial design and on-going patient enrollment in the final pivotal Phase 3 trial for crofelemer for non-infectious diarrhea in adults
with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy, in late 2008, Napo entered into a collaboration agreement with Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Salix, for development and commercialization rights to
certain indications worldwide and certain rights in North America, Europe, and Japan, to crofelemer for human use. In January 2014, we entered into the Napo License Agreement pursuant to which we
acquired an exclusive worldwide license to Napo's intellectual property rights and technology, including crofelemer and the botanical extract used in Neonorm, for all veterinary treatment uses and
indications for all species of animals. In February 2014, most of the executive officers of Napo, and substantially all Napo's employees, became our employees. If we are not successful in the
development and commercialization of Neonorm and Canalevia, our business and our prospects will be harmed.
The
successful development and commercialization of Neonorm and, if approved, Equilevia and Canalevia will depend on a number of factors, including the
following:
-
-
the successful completion of the pivotal trials and toxicology studies for Equilevia and Canalevia, which may take significantly longer than we
currently anticipate and will depend, in part, upon the satisfactory performance of third-party contractors;
-
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our ability to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA and any other regulatory bodies, the safety and efficacy of Equilevia and Canalevia;
-
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our ability and that of our contract manufacturers to manufacture supplies of Neonorm, Equilevia and Canalevia and to develop, validate and
maintain viable commercial manufacturing processes that are compliant with current good manufacturing practices, or cGMP, if required;
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the success of Neonorm field studies and acceptance of their results by dairy producers;
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our ability to successfully launch Neonorm, whether alone or in collaboration with others;
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our ability to successfully launch Equilevia and Canalevia assuming approval is obtained, whether alone or in collaboration with others;
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the availability, perceived advantages, relative cost, relative safety and relative efficacy of our prescription drug product candidates and
non-prescription products compared to alternative and competing treatments;
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-
the acceptance of our prescription drug product candidates and non-prescription products as safe and effective by veterinarians, animal owners
and the animal health community;
-
-
our ability to achieve and maintain compliance with all regulatory requirements applicable to our business; and
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-
our ability to obtain and enforce our intellectual property rights and obtain marketing exclusivity for our prescription drug product
candidates and non-prescription products, and avoid or prevail in any third-party patent interference, patent infringement claims or administrative patent proceedings initiated by third parties or the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO.
Many
of these factors are beyond our control. Accordingly, we may not be successful in developing or commercializing Neonorm, Equilevia, Canalevia or any of our other potential products.
If we are unsuccessful or are significantly delayed in developing and commercializing Neonorm, Equilevia, Canalevia or any of our other potential products, our business and prospects will be harmed
and you may lose all or a portion of the value of your investment in our common stock.
If we are not successful in identifying, licensing, developing and commercializing additional product
candidates and products, our ability to expand our business and achieve our strategic objectives could be impaired.
Although a substantial amount of our efforts are focused on the commercial launch of Neonorm and the continued development and potential
approvals of Equilevia and Canalevia, a key element of our strategy is to identify, develop and commercialize a portfolio of products to serve the animal health market. Most of our potential products
are based on our knowledge of medicinal plants. Our current focus is primarily on product candidates and products for animals whose active pharmaceutical ingredient or botanical extract has been
successfully commercialized or demonstrated to be safe and effective in human trials. In some instances, we may be unable to further develop these potential products because of perceived regulatory
and commercial risks. Even if we successfully identify potential products, we may still fail to yield products for development and commercialization for many reasons, including the
following:
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competitors may develop alternatives that render our potential products obsolete;
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-
potential products we seek to develop may be covered by third-party patents or other exclusive rights;
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a potential product may on further study be shown to have harmful side effects in animals or other characteristics that indicate it is unlikely
to be effective or otherwise does not meet applicable regulatory criteria;
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a potential product may not be capable of being produced in commercial quantities at an acceptable cost, or at all; and
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a potential product may not be accepted as safe and effective by veterinarians, animal owners, key opinion leaders and other decision-makers in
the animal health market.
While
we are developing species-specific formulations, including flavors, methods of administration, new patents and other strategies with respect to our current potential products, we
may be unable to prevent competitors from developing substantially similar products and bringing those products to market
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earlier
than we can. If such competing products achieve regulatory approval and commercialization prior to our potential products, our competitive position may be impaired. If we fail to develop and
successfully commercialize other potential products, our business and future prospects may be harmed and we will be more vulnerable to any problems that we encounter in developing and commercializing
our current potential products.
The Elanco Agreement is important to our business. If we or Elanco fail to adequately perform under the
Elanco Agreement, or if we or Elanco terminate the Elanco Agreement, the development and commercialization of Canalevia and any other Licensed Products would be delayed or terminated and our business
would be adversely affected.
The Elanco Agreement is important to our business, and our ability to develop and commercialize Canalevia and any other License Product is
dependent upon this agreement.
The
Elanco Agreement may be terminated by Elanco on a voluntary basis upon completion of the dose ranging study or at any time upon 90 days' written notice to us or for our
failure to complete certain a quality assessment with respect to a certain facility within 6 months of the effective date of the Elanco Agreement. The Elanco Agreement may also be terminated by
either party:
-
-
for the other party's material breach, where such breach is not cured within the timeframe specified by the agreement;
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-
upon the bankruptcy, insolvency or dissolution of the other party; or
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-
for certain activities involving the challenge of certain patents licensed by us to Elanco.
Upon
Elanco's voluntary termination or termination for Elanco's breach, among other things, all licenses and rights granted to Elanco will terminate and revert to us, and Elanco has
agreed to assign to us all registrations and trademarks obtained in connection with the products covered by the agreement. Upon expiration of the term of the Elanco Agreement or termination for our
breach, among other things, we have agreed to assign to Elanco all registrations and trademarks obtained in connection with the products covered by the agreement.
Termination
of the Elanco Agreement could cause significant delays in our product development and commercialization efforts that could prevent us from commercializing our Licensed
Products, including
Canalevia, without first expanding our internal capabilities, securing additional financing or entering into another agreement with a third party. Any alternative collaboration or license could also
be on less favorable terms to us.
Under
the Elanco Agreement, among other things, we are responsible for the manufacture and supply of all of Elanco's reasonable requirements of the products covered by the agreement. If
we are unable to meet our manufacture and supply obligations, Elanco may claim that we have materially breached the Elanco Agreement and terminate such agreement, which could adversely affect our
business and our ability to successfully develop and commercialize any products covered by the agreement, including Canalevia.
Under
the Elanco Agreement, Elanco has agreed to provide funding for certain clinical development activities. If the Elanco Agreement were terminated, we may need to seek additional
financing to support the research and development of any terminated products or discontinue any terminated products, which could adversely affect our business. In addition, Elanco is solely
responsible for commercializing products outside the United States. We cannot directly control Elanco's commercialization activities or the resources it allocates to our product candidates. Our
interests and Elanco's interests may differ or conflict from time to time, or we may disagree with Elanco's level of effort or resource allocation. Elanco may internally prioritize our product
candidates differently than we do or it may not allocate sufficient
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resources
to effectively or optimally commercialize them. If these events were to occur, our business would be adversely affected.
Our animal health products face significant competition from other pharmaceutical companies and our operating
results will suffer if we fail to compete effectively.
The development and commercialization of animal health products is highly competitive and our success depends on our ability to compete
effectively with other products in the market. We expect to compete with the animal health divisions of major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies such as Merck Animal Health,
Merial Inc., Elanco Animal Health, Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Novartis Animal Health Inc. and Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, as well as specialty animal health medicines
companies such as Zoetis Inc., Phibro Animal Health Corporation and, in Europe, Virbac S.A., Vétoquinol S.A., Ceva Animal Health S.A. and Dechra
Pharmaceuticals PLC. We are also aware of several early-stage companies that are developing products for use in the animal health market, including Aratana Therapeutics, Inc., Kindred
Biosciences, Inc., Parnell Pharmaceuticals
Holdings Ltd, Nexvet Biopharma and ImmuCell Corporation. We also compete with academic institutions, governmental agencies and private organizations that are conducting research in the field of
animal health products.
Although
there are currently no FDA-approved anti-secretory products to treat acute diarrhea in dogs, we anticipate that Canalevia, if approved, will face competition from various
products, including products approved for use in humans that are used extra-label in animals. Extra-label use is the use of an approved drug outside of its cleared or approved indications in the
animal context. All of our potential products could also face competition from new products in development. These and other potential competing products may benefit from greater brand recognition and
brand loyalty than our products and product candidates may achieve.
Many
of our competitors and potential competitors have substantially more financial, technical and human resources than we do. Many also have more experience in the development,
manufacture, regulation and worldwide commercialization of animal health products, including animal prescription drugs and non-prescription products.
For
these reasons, we cannot be certain that we and our products can compete effectively.
We may be unable to obtain, or obtain on a timely basis, regulatory approval for our existing or future
prescription drug product candidates under applicable regulatory requirements, which would harm our operating results.
The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, sale, marketing and distribution of animal health products are subject to extensive
regulation. We are usually not permitted to market our prescription drug product candidates in the United States until we receive approval of an NADA from the FDA. To gain approval to market an animal
prescription drug for a particular species, we must provide the FDA with safety and efficacy data from pivotal trials that adequately demonstrate that our prescription drug product candidates are safe
and effective in the target species (
e.g.
dogs, cats or horses) for the intended indications. In addition, we must provide manufacturing data
evidencing that we can produce our product candidates in accordance with cGMP. For the FDA, we must also provide data from toxicology studies, also called target animal safety studies, and in some
cases environmental impact data. In addition to our internal activities, we will partially rely on contract research organizations, or CROs, and other third parties to conduct our toxicology studies
and for certain other development activities. The results of toxicology studies and other initial development activities, and of any previous studies in humans or animals conducted by us or third
parties, may not be predictive of future results of pivotal trials or other future studies, and failure can occur at any time during the conduct of pivotal trials and other development activities by
us or our CROs. Our pivotal trials may fail to show the desired safety or efficacy of our prescription drug product candidates despite promising initial data or the results in previous human or animal
studies conducted by others, and success of a prescription drug product candidate in prior animal
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studies,
or in the treatment of humans, does not ensure success in subsequent studies. Clinical trials in humans and pivotal trials in animals sometimes fail to show a benefit even for drugs that are
effective because of statistical limitations in the design of the trials or other statistical anomalies. Therefore, even if our studies and other development activities are completed as planned, the
results may not be sufficient to obtain a required regulatory approval for a product candidate.
Regulatory
authorities can delay, limit or deny approval of any of our prescription drug product candidates for many reasons, including:
-
-
if they disagree with our interpretation of data from our pivotal studies or other development efforts;
-
-
if we are unable to demonstrate to their satisfaction that our product candidate is safe and effective for the target indication and in the
target species;
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-
if they require additional studies or change their approval policies or regulations;
-
-
if they do not approve of the formulation, labeling or the specifications of our current and future product candidates; and
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if they fail to approve the manufacturing processes of our third-party contract manufacturers.
Further,
even if we receive a required approval, such approval may be for a more limited indication than we originally requested, and the regulatory authority may not approve the
labeling that we believe is necessary or desirable for successful commercialization.
Any
delay or failure in obtaining any necessary regulatory approval for the intended indications of our product candidates would delay or prevent commercialization of such product
candidates and would harm our business and our operating results.
The results of our earlier studies of Neonorm may not be predictive of the results in any future
species-specific formulation studies, and we may not be successful in our efforts to develop or commercialize line extensions of Neonorm.
Our product pipeline includes a number of species-specific formulations of Neonorm, our lead non-prescription product. The results of our dairy
calf studies and other initial development activities and of any previous studies in humans or animals conducted by us or third parties may not be predictive of future results of these formulation
studies. Failure can occur at any time during the conduct of these trials and other development activities. Even if our species-specific formulation studies and other development activities are
completed as planned, the results may not be sufficient to pursue a particular line extension for Neonorm. Further, even if we obtain promising results from our species-specific formulation studies,
we may not successfully commercialize any line extension. Because line extensions are developed for a particular species market, we may not be able to leverage our experience from the commercial
launch of Neonorm Calf and Neonorm Foal in new animal species markets. If we are not successful in developing and successfully commercializing these line extension products, we may not be able to grow
our revenue and our business may be harmed.
Development of prescription drug products is inherently expensive, time-consuming and uncertain, and any
delay or discontinuance of our current or future pivotal trials would harm our business and prospects.
Development of prescription drug products for animals remains an inherently lengthy, expensive and uncertain process, and our development
activities may not be successful. We do not know whether our current or planned pivotal trials for any of our product candidates will begin or conclude on time, and they may be delayed or discontinued
for a variety of reasons, including if we are unable to:
-
-
address any safety concerns that arise during the course of the studies;
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complete the studies due to deviations from the study protocols or the occurrence of adverse events;
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-
add new study sites;
-
-
address any conflicts with new or existing laws or regulations; or
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-
reach agreement on acceptable terms with study sites, which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different
sites.
Further,
we may not be successful in developing species-specific formulations for Neonorm, and Neonorm may be subject to the same regulatory regime as prescription drug products in
jurisdictions outside the United States. Any delays in completing our development efforts will increase our costs, delay our development efforts and approval process and jeopardize our ability to
commence product sales and generate revenue. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects. In addition, factors that may cause a delay in the commencement or
completion of our development efforts may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates which, as described above, would harm our business and prospects.
We will partially rely on third parties to conduct our development activities. If these third parties do not
successfully carry out their contractual duties, we may be unable to obtain regulatory approvals or commercialize our current or future product candidates on a timely basis, or at all.
We will partially rely upon CROs to conduct our toxicology studies and for other development activities. We intend to rely on CROs to conduct
one or more of our planned pivotal trials. These CROs are not our employees, and except for contractual duties and obligations, we have limited ability to control the amount or timing of resources
that they devote to our programs or manage the risks associated with their activities on our behalf. We are responsible for ensuring that each of our studies is conducted in accordance with the
development plans and trial protocols presented to regulatory authorities. Any deviations by our CROs may adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approvals, subject us to penalties or harm
our credibility with regulators. The FDA and foreign regulatory authorities also require us and our CROs to comply with regulations and standards, commonly referred to as good clinical practices, or
GCPs, or good laboratory practices, or GLPs, for conducting, monitoring, recording and reporting the results of our studies to ensure that the data and results are scientifically valid and accurate.
Agreements
with CROs generally allow the CROs to terminate in certain circumstances with little or no advance notice. These agreements generally will require our CROs to reasonably
cooperate with us at our expense for an orderly winding down of the CROs' services under the agreements. If the CROs conducting our studies do not comply with their contractual duties or obligations,
or if they experience work stoppages, do not meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the data they obtain is compromised, we may need to secure new arrangements with alternative
CROs, which could be difficult and costly. In such event, our studies also may need to be extended, delayed or terminated as a result, or may need to be repeated. If any of the foregoing were to
occur, regulatory approval, if required, and commercialization of our product candidates may be delayed and we may be required to expend substantial additional resources.
Even if we obtain regulatory approval for Equilevia, Canalevia or our other product candidates, they may
never achieve market acceptance. Further, even if we are successful in commercially launching Neonorm, it may not achieve commercial success.
If we obtain necessary regulatory approvals for Equilevia, Canalevia or our other product candidates, such products may still not achieve market
acceptance and may not be commercially successful. Market acceptance of Canalevia, Equilevia, Neonorm and any of our other products depends on a number of factors,
including:
-
-
the safety of our products as demonstrated in our target animal studies;
-
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the indications for which our products are approved or marketed;
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the potential and perceived advantages over alternative treatments or products, including generic medicines and competing products currently
prescribed by veterinarians, and products approved for use in humans that are used extra-label in animals;
-
-
the acceptance by veterinarians, companion animal owners and production animal owners, including in the dairy industry, of our products as safe
and effective;
-
-
the cost in relation to alternative treatments and willingness on the part of veterinarians and animal owners to pay for our products;
-
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the prevalence and severity of any adverse side effects of our products;
-
-
the relative convenience and ease of administration of our products; and
-
-
the effectiveness of our sales, marketing and distribution efforts.
Any
failure by Canalevia, Equilevia, Neonorm or any of our other products to achieve market acceptance or commercial success would harm our financial condition and results of operations.
The dairy industry is subject to conditions beyond our control and the occurrence of any such conditions may
harm our business and impact the demand for our products.
The demand for production animal health products, such as Neonorm Calf, is heavily dependent on factors that affect the dairy market that are
beyond our control, including the following, any of which may harm our business:
-
-
cost containment measures within the dairy industry, in response to international, national and local general economic conditions, which may
affect the market adoption of our products;
-
-
state and federal government policies, including government-funded programs or subsidies whose discontinuance or modification could erode the
demand for our products;
-
-
a decline in demand for dairy products due to changes in consumer diets away from dairy products, which could adversely affect the demand for
production animal health products;
-
-
adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, and pestilence, which can lower dairy yields; and
-
-
disease or other conditions beyond our control.
Animal products, like human products, are subject to unanticipated post-approval safety or efficacy concerns,
which may harm our business and reputation.
The success of our commercialization efforts will depend upon the perceived safety and effectiveness of animal health products, in general, and
of our products, in particular. Unanticipated safety or efficacy concerns can subsequently arise with respect to approved prescription drug products, or non-prescription products, such as Neonorm,
which may result in product recalls or withdrawals or suspension of sales, as well as product liability and other claims. Any safety or efficacy concerns, or recalls, withdrawals or suspensions of
sales of our products, or human products derived from
Croton lechleri
, if any, could harm our reputation and business, regardless of whether such
concerns or actions are justified.
Future federal and state legislation may result in increased exposure to product liability claims, which
could result in substantial losses.
Under current federal and state laws, companion and production animals are generally considered to be the personal property of their owners and,
as such, the owners' recovery for product liability claims involving their companion and production animals may be limited to the replacement value of the animal. Companion animal owners and their
advocates, however, have filed lawsuits from time to time seeking
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non-economic
damages such as pain and suffering and emotional distress for harm to their companion animals based on theories applicable to personal injuries to humans. If new legislation is passed to
allow recovery for such non-economic damages, or if precedents are set allowing for such recovery, we could be exposed to increased product liability claims that could result in substantial losses to
us if successful. In addition, some horses can be worth millions of dollars or more, and product liability for horses may be very high. While we currently have product liability insurance, such
insurance may not be sufficient to cover any future product liability claims against us.
If we fail to retain current members of our senior management, or to identify, attract, integrate and retain
additional key personnel, our business will be harmed.
Our success depends on our continued ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified management and scientific personnel. We are highly
dependent upon our senior management, particularly Lisa A. Conte, our president and Chief Executive Officer. The loss of services of any of our key personnel would cause a disruption in our ability to
develop our current or future product pipeline and commercialize our products and product candidates. Although we have offer letters with these key members of senior management, such agreements do not
prohibit them from resigning at any time. For example, the resignation of our former Chief Financial Officer, Charles O. Thompson, in September 2014, and the mutually agreed departure of our former
Chief Veterinary Officer, Serge Martinod, D.V.M., Ph.D. in February 2015, caused us to incur additional expenses and expend resources to ensure a smooth transition with their respective successors,
which diverted management attention away from executing our operational plan during this period. We currently do not maintain "key man" life insurance on any of our senior management team. The loss of
Ms. Conte or other members of our current senior management could adversely affect the timing or outcomes of our current and planned studies, as well as the prospects for commercializing our
products.
In
addition, competition for qualified personnel in the animal health field is intense, because there are a limited number of individuals who are trained or experienced in the field.
Further, our headquarters are located in San Francisco, California, and the dairy and agriculture industries are not prevalent in urban areas such as San Francisco. We will need to hire additional
personnel as we expand our product development and commercialization activities. Even if we are successful in hiring qualified individuals, as we are a growing organization, we do not have a track
record for integrating and retaining individuals. If we are not successful in identifying, attracting, integrating or retaining qualified personnel on acceptable terms, or at all, our business will be
harmed.
We are dependent on two suppliers for the raw material used to produce the active pharmaceutical ingredient
in Canalevia and the botanical extract in Neonorm. The termination of either of these contracts would result in a disruption to product development and our business will be harmed.
The raw material used to manufacture Canalevia and Neonorm is crude plant latex, or CPL, derived from the
Croton
lechleri
tree, which is found in countries in South America, principally Peru. The ability of our contract suppliers to harvest CPL is governed by the terms of their respective
agreements with local government authorities. Although CPL is available from multiple suppliers, we only have contracts with two suppliers to obtain CPL and arrange the shipment to our contract
manufacturer. Accordingly, if our contract suppliers do not or are unable to comply with the terms of our respective agreements, and we are not able to negotiate new agreements with alternate
suppliers on terms that we deem commercially reasonable, it may harm our business and prospects. The countries from which we obtain CPL could change their laws and regulations regarding the export of
the natural products or impose or increase taxes or duties payable by exporters of such products. Restrictions could be imposed on the harvesting of the natural products or additional requirements
could be implemented for the replanting and regeneration of the raw material. Such events could have a significant impact on our cost and ability to produce Canalevia, Neonorm and anticipated line
extensions.
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We are dependent upon third-party contract manufacturers, both for the supply of the active pharmaceutical
ingredient in Canalevia and the botanical extract in Neonorm, as well as for the supply of finished products for commercialization.
To date, the CPL, API, botanical extract and some finished products that we have used in our studies and trials were obtained from Napo. We have
also contracted with third parties for
the formulation of API and botanical extract into finished products for our studies. We have entered into memorandums of understanding with Indena S.p.A. for the manufacture of CPL received
from our suppliers into the API in Canalevia to support our regulatory filings, as well as the botanical extract in Neonorm and agreed to negotiate a commercial supply agreement. Indena S.p.A.
has never manufactured either such ingredient to commercial scale. As a second supplier situation, we have entered into a four-year manufacturing and supply agreement with Glenmark for the supply of
the API in Canalevia. Glenmark is the current manufacturer of crofelemer, the active API in Canalevia, for the FDA-approved human anti-secretory product, and the manufacturer on file for the NADA to
which we have a right of reference. We have contracted with a third-party manufacturer for formulation development and manufacturing, whereby the manufacturer will provide enteric-coated tablets to us
for use in animals. We also may contract with additional third parties for the formulation and supply of finished products, which we will use in our planned studies and commercialization efforts.
We
will be dependent upon our contract manufacturers for the supply of the API in Canalevia. We currently have sufficient quantities of the botanical extract used in Neonorm to support
initial commercialization of Neonorm. However, we will require additional quantities of the botanical extract if our commercial launch of Neonorm is successful. If we are not successful in reaching
agreements with third parties on terms that we consider commercially reasonable for manufacturing and formulation, or if our contract manufacturer and formulator are not able to produce sufficient
quantities or quality of API, botanical extract or finished product under their agreements, it could delay our plans and harm our business prospects.
The
facilities used by our third-party contractors are subject to inspections, including by the FDA, and other regulators, as applicable. We also depend on our third-party contractors to
comply with cGMP. If our third-party contractors do not maintain compliance with these strict regulatory requirements, we and they will not be able to secure or maintain regulatory approval for their
facilities, which would have an adverse effect on our operations. In addition, in some cases, we also are dependent on our third-party contractors to produce supplies in conformity to our
specifications and maintain quality control and quality assurance practices and not to employ disqualified personnel. If the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority does not approve the
facilities of our third-party contractors if so required, or if it withdraws any such approval in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing or formulation facilities, which could
result in delays in our ability to develop or commercialize our products, if at all. We and our third-party contractors also may be subject to penalties and sanctions from the FDA and other regulatory
authorities for any violations of applicable regulatory requirements. The USDA and the European Medicines Agency, or the EMA, employ different regulatory standards than the FDA, so we may require
multiple manufacturing processes and facilities for the same product candidate or any approved product. We are also exposed to risk if our third-party contractors do not comply with the negotiated
terms of our agreements, or if they suffer damage or destruction to their facilities or equipment.
If we are unable to establish sales capabilities on our own or through third parties, we may not be able to
market and sell our current or future products and product candidates, if approved, and generate product or other revenue.
We currently have limited sales, marketing or distribution capabilities, and prior to our launch of Neonorm for preweaned dairy calves, had no
experience in the sale, marketing and distribution of animal health products. There are significant risks involved in building and managing a sales organization, including our potential inability to
attract, hire, retain and motivate qualified individuals, generate sufficient sales leads, provide adequate training to sales and marketing personnel and effectively oversee a
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geographically-dispersed
sales and marketing team. Any failure or delay in the development of our internal sales, marketing and distribution capabilities and entry into adequate arrangements with
distributors or other partners would adversely impact the commercialization of Neonorm, Equilevia and Canalevia, if approved. If we are not successful in commercializing Neonorm, Equilevia, Canalevia
or any of our other line extension products, either on our own or through one or more distributors, or in generating upfront licensing or other fees, we may never generate significant revenue and may
continue to incur significant losses, which would harm our financial condition and results of operations.
Changes in distribution channels for animal prescription drugs may make it more difficult or expensive to
distribute our prescription drug products.
In the United States, animal owners typically purchase their animal prescription drugs from their local veterinarians who also prescribe such
drugs. There is a trend, however, toward increased purchases of animal prescription drugs from Internet-based retailers, "big-box" retail stores and other over-the-counter distribution channels, which
follows an emerging shift in recent years away from the traditional veterinarian distribution channel. It is also possible that animal owners may come to rely increasingly on Internet-based animal
health information rather than on their veterinarians. We currently expect to market our animal prescription drugs directly to veterinarians, so any reduced reliance on veterinarians by animal owners
could harm our business and prospects by making it more difficult or expensive for us to distribute our prescription drug products. Animal owners also may substitute human health products for animal
prescription drugs if the human health products are less expensive or more readily available, which could also harm our business.
Legislation
has been or may be proposed in various states that would require veterinarians to provide animal owners with written prescriptions and disclosures that the animal owner has
the right to fill the prescriptions through other means. If enacted, such legislation could lead to a reduction in the number of animal owners who purchase their animal pharmaceuticals directly from
veterinarians, which also could harm our business.
Consolidation of our customers could negatively affect the pricing of our products.
Veterinarians will be our primary customers for our prescription drug products, as well as, to some extent, our non-prescription products, such
as Neonorm. In recent years, there has been a trend towards the consolidation of veterinary clinics and animal hospitals. If this trend continues, these large clinics and hospitals could attempt to
leverage their buying power to obtain favorable pricing from us and other animal health product companies. Any downward pressure on the prices of any of our products could harm our operating results
and financial condition.
We will need to increase the size of our organization and may not successfully manage such growth.
As of December 31, 2016, we had 23 employees. Our ability to manage our growth effectively will require us to hire, train, retain, manage
and motivate additional employees and to implement and improve our operational, financial and management systems. These demands also may require the hiring of additional senior management personnel or
the development of additional expertise by our senior management personnel. If we fail to expand and enhance our operational, financial and management systems in conjunction with our potential future
growth, it could harm our business and operating results.
Our research and development relies on evaluations in animals, which is controversial and may become subject
to bans or additional regulations.
The evaluation of our products and product candidates in target animals is required to develop, formulate and commercialize our products and
product candidates. Although our animal testing will be subject to GLPs and GCPs, as applicable, animal testing in the human pharmaceutical industry and in
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other
industries continues to be the subject of controversy and adverse publicity. Some organizations and individuals have sought to ban animal testing or encourage the adoption of additional
regulations applicable to animal testing. To the extent that such bans or regulations are imposed, our research and development activities, and by extension our operating results and financial
condition, could be harmed. In addition, negative publicity about animal practices by us or in our industry could harm our reputation among potential customers.
If approved, our prescription drug product candidates may be marketed in the United States only in the target
animals and for the indications for which they are approved, and if we want to expand the approved animals or indications, we will need to obtain additional approvals, which may not be granted.
If our prescription drug product candidates are approved by regulatory authorities, we may market or advertise them only in the specific species
and for treatment of the specific indications for which they were approved, which could limit use of the products by veterinarians and animal owners. We intend to develop, promote and commercialize
approved products for other animals and new treatment indications in the future, but we cannot be certain whether or at what additional time and expense we will be able to do so. If we do not obtain
marketing approvals for other species or for new indications, our ability to expand our business may be harmed.
Under
the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act of 1994, veterinarians are permitted to prescribe extra-label uses of certain approved animal drugs and approved human drugs for
animals under certain conditions. While veterinarians may in the future prescribe and use human-approved products or our products for extra-label uses, we may not promote our products for extra-label
uses. If the FDA determines that any of our marketing activities constitute promotion of an extra-label use, we could be subject to regulatory enforcement, including seizure of any misbranded or
mislabeled drugs, and civil or criminal penalties, any of which could have an adverse impact on our reputation and expose us to potential liability. We will continue to spend resources ensuring that
our promotional claims for our products and product candidates remain compliant with applicable FDA laws and regulations, including materials we post or link to on our website. For example, in 2012,
our Chief Executive Officer received an "untitled letter" from the FDA while at Napo regarding preapproval promotion statements constituting misbranding of crofelemer, which was then an
investigational drug. These statements were included in archived press releases included on Napo's website. Napo was required to expend time and resources to revise its website to remove the links in
order to address the concerns raised in the FDA's letter.
If our prescription drug product candidates are approved by regulatory authorities, the misuse or extra-label
use of such products may harm our reputation or result in financial or other damages.
If our prescription drug product candidates are approved by regulatory authorities, there may be increased risk of product liability if
veterinarians, animal owners or others attempt to use such products extra-label, including the use of our products in species (including humans) for which they have not been approved. Furthermore, the
use of an approved drug for indications other than those indications for which such products have been approved may not be effective, which could harm our reputation and lead to an increased risk of
litigation. If we are deemed by a governmental or regulatory agency to have engaged in the promotion of any approved product for extra-label use, such agency could request that we modify our training
or promotional materials and practices and we could be subject to significant fines and penalties, and the imposition of these sanctions could also affect our reputation and position within the
industry. Any of these events could harm our reputation and our operating results.
We may not maintain the benefits associated with MUMS designation, including market exclusivity.
Although we have received MUMS designation for Canalevia for the treatment of CID in dogs, we may not maintain the benefits associated with MUMS
designation. MUMS designation is a status similar to "orphan drug" status for human drugs. When we are granted MUMS designation, we are eligible for
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incentives
to support the approval or conditional approval of the designated use. This designation does not allow us to commercialize a product until such time as we obtain approval or conditional
approval of the product.
Because
Canalevia has received MUMS designation for the identified particular intended use, we are eligible to obtain seven years of exclusive marketing rights upon approval (or
conditional approval) of Canalevia for that intended use and become eligible for grants to defray the cost of our clinical work. Each designation that is granted must be unique,
i.e.
, only one
designation can be granted for a particular API in a particular dosage form for a particular intended use. The intended use includes both
the target species and the disease or condition to be treated.
At
some point, we could lose MUMS designation. The basis for a lost designation can include but is not limited to, our failure to engage with due diligence in moving forward with a
non-conditional approval, or a competing product has received conditional approval or approval prior to our product candidate for the same indication or species. In addition, MUMS designation may be
withdrawn for a variety of reasons such as where the FDA determines that the request for designation was materially defective, or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the
prescription drug product to meet the needs of animals with the rare disease or condition. If this designation is lost, it could have a negative impact on the product and our company, which includes
but is not limited to, market exclusivity related to MUMS designation, or eligibility for grants as a result of MUMS designation.
The market for our products, and the animal health market as a whole, is uncertain and may be smaller than we
anticipate, which could lead to lower revenue and harm our operating results.
It is very difficult to estimate the commercial potential of any of our products because of the emerging nature of our industry as a whole. The
animal health market continues to evolve and it is difficult to predict the market potential for our products. The market will depend on important factors such as safety and efficacy compared to other
available treatments, changing standards of care, preferences of veterinarians, the willingness of companion and production animal owners to pay for such products, and the availability of competitive
alternatives that may emerge either during the product development process or after commercial introduction. If the market potential for our products is less than we anticipate due to one or more of
these factors, it could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, the willingness of companion and production animal owners to pay for our products may be
less than we anticipate, and may be negatively affected by overall economic conditions. The current penetration of animal insurance in the United States is low, animal owners are likely to have to pay
out-of-pocket, and such owners may not be willing or able to pay for our products.
Our largest stockholder, Napo, controls a significant percentage of our common stock, and its interests may
conflict with those of our other stockholders.
As of January 31, 2017, Napo owned in the aggregate approximately 19% of our common stock, and following the proposed merger. This
concentration of ownership gives Napo significant influence over the way we are managed and the direction of our business. In addition, because we and Napo are party to a license agreement, Napo's
interests as the licensor of our technology may be different from ours or those of our other stockholders. As a result, the interests of Napo with respect to matters potentially or actually involving
or affecting us, such as future acquisitions, licenses, financings and other corporate opportunities and attempts to acquire us, may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders. Further,
Napo has pledged its interests in our common stock as security for certain of its monetary obligations. Accordingly, Napo's ability to take action with respect to these shares may be limited by its
agreements with its secured lenders, which may conflict with your interests or those of our other stockholders. If these secured lenders were to
foreclose on such shares, these lenders would have significant influence over the way we are managed and the direction of our business. In addition, our Chief Executive Officer is also the interim
chief executive officer of Napo and her duties as interim chief executive officer of Napo may conflict with
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her
duties as our Chief Executive Officer, and the resolution of these conflicts may not always be in our or your best interest.
Napo's
principal business currently consists of, among other activities, the management of its intellectual property portfolio, including rights under license agreements with respect to
such intellectual property. Napo has limited assets, and its primary sources of revenues in recent years have been license fees, warrant exercises, equity and debt investments and, since late 2013,
the receipt of royalties pursuant to its license agreements, which have been limited to date. If Napo fails to generate sufficient revenues to cover its operating costs, it could revise its business
strategy in ways that could affect its relationship with our company. For example, it could decide to divest its assets, including its stock in our company. Napo's interests in managing its business,
including its ownership in our company, may conflict with your interests.
If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, the accuracy and
timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting, as defined in
Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
Preparing our consolidated financial statements involves a number of complex manual and automated processes, which are dependent upon individual data input or review and require
significant management judgment. One or more of these elements may result in errors that may not be detected and could result in a material misstatement of our consolidated financial statements. If we
fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls over financial reporting, our business and operating results may be harmed and we may fail to meet our financial reporting obligations. If
material weaknesses in our internal control are discovered or occur, our consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements and we could be required to restate our financial results.
Our internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements because of its inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, the circumvention or
overriding of controls, or fraud. Even effective internal controls can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements. Any failure of
our internal controls could adversely affect the results of the periodic management evaluations regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. If we cannot provide
reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and results of operations could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, and the trading price of our
stock may decline.
We may engage in future acquisitions that increase our capital requirements, dilute our stockholders, cause
us to incur debt or assume contingent liabilities and subject us to other risks.
We may evaluate various strategic transactions, including licensing or acquiring complementary products, technologies or businesses. Any
potential acquisitions may entail numerous risks, including increased operating expenses and cash requirements, assimilation of operations and products, retention of key employees, diversion of our
management's attention and uncertainties in our ability to maintain key business relationships of the acquired entities. In addition, if we undertake acquisitions, we may issue dilutive securities,
assume or incur debt obligations, incur large one-time expenses and acquire intangible assets that could result in significant future amortization expense. Moreover, we may not be able to locate
suitable acquisition opportunities and this inability could impair our ability to grow or obtain access to technology or products that may be important to the development of our business.
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Certain of the countries in which we plan to commercialize our products in the future are developing
countries, some of which have potentially unstable political and economic climates.
We may commercialize our products in jurisdictions that are developing and emerging countries. This may expose us to the impact of political or
economic upheaval, and we could be subject to unforeseen administrative or fiscal burdens. At present, we are not insured against the political and economic risks of operating in these countries. Any
significant changes to the political or economic climate in any of the developing countries in which we operate or plan to sell products either now or in the future may have a substantial adverse
effect on our business, financial condition, trading performance and prospects.
Fluctuations in the exchange rate of foreign currencies could result in currency transactions losses.
As we expand our operations, we expect to be exposed to risks associated with foreign currency exchange rates. We anticipate that we will
commercialize Neonorm for preweaned dairy calves and its line extensions, as well as possibly Canalevia and its line extensions in jurisdictions outside the United States. As a result, we will also be
further affected by fluctuations in exchange rates in the future to the extent that sales are denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars. We do not currently employ any hedging or other
strategies to minimize this risk, although we may seek to do so in the future.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
We are dependent upon our license agreement with Napo and if the agreement is terminated for any reason our
business will be harmed.
In January 2014, we entered into a license agreement with Napo, or the Napo License Agreement, which we amended and restated in August 2014 and
further amended in January 2015. Pursuant to the Napo License Agreement, we acquired an exclusive worldwide license to Napo's intellectual property rights and technology, including rights to its
library of over 2,300 medicinal plants, for all veterinary treatment uses and indications for all species of animals except humans. Under the terms of the Napo License Agreement, we are responsible
for, and shall ensure, the development and commercialization of products that contain or are derived from the licensed Napo technology worldwide in the field of veterinary treatment uses and
indications for all species of animals. In consideration for the license, we are obligated to pay a one-time non-refundable license fee and royalties. Napo has the right to terminate the Napo License
Agreement upon our uncured material breach of the agreement or if we declare bankruptcy. If the Napo License Agreement is terminated for any reason, our business will be harmed.
Napo
has also entered into secured financing agreements with certain secured lenders, for whom Nantucket Investments Limited is acting as collateral agent. The security includes certain
assets, including the intellectual property and technology licensed to us pursuant to the Napo License Agreement and Napo's shares of our common stock. Although Napo and Nantucket Investments Limited,
on behalf of the secured lenders, have entered into a non-disturbance agreement with respect
to the Napo License Agreement, in the event of a bankruptcy of Napo or foreclosure action with respect to Napo's assets, there can be no guarantee that the bankruptcy trustee or any other party to
such action will not attempt to interfere with or terminate the Napo License Agreement or otherwise require its terms to be changed, which could harm our business. Under the terms of the Napo License
Agreement, certain events, such as an acquisition of Napo or a sale by Napo of all of the intellectual property and technology licensed to us pursuant to the Napo License Agreement, should result in a
fully-paid up license to us of all of such intellectual property and technology. If for any reason, Napo ceases to be the owner of the intellectual property and technology licensed to us pursuant to
the Napo License Agreement in such a manner that did not result in a fully-paid up license provided for therein, the owner of such intellectual property and technology could attempt to interfere with
or terminate the Napo License Agreement or otherwise attempt to renegotiate the arrangement, which would harm our business.
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If Napo experiences financial difficulties, becomes unable to pay its liabilities when due, or declares
bankruptcy, its creditors could attempt to assert claims against Napo relating to the formation of our company and the grant of an exclusive license to us.
Napo formed our company in June 2013, and in January 2014, we entered into the Napo License Agreement. Napo currently has no commercial
operations and its potential sources of revenue are limited to the third parties who have licensed or may license Napo's intellectual property and technology, or collaborate with Napo in the future.
Napo was involved in litigation with Salix and expended significant resources in the litigation and subsequent settlement. At the time of the formation of our company and the date of the Napo License
Agreement, Napo's liabilities exceeded its assets on a balance sheet prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Napo has been able to pay its liabilities when due but
if Napo experiences financial difficulties, becomes unable to pay its liabilities when due, or declares bankruptcy, a creditor, trustee in bankruptcy, or other representative of a Napo bankruptcy
estate could attempt to assert claims against us relating to our formation and Napo's grant of an exclusive license to us. One theory such a party could use to challenge our formation and the license
grant is that of fraudulent conveyance. This theory is used by creditors to challenge the transfer of assets made with actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors, or where a financially
distressed entity transfers assets without receiving reasonably equivalent value in exchange, provided such litigation is brought within the applicable statute of limitations. Although we do not
believe that our formation or Napo's grant of the license was a fraudulent conveyance, litigation based on such theory, if successful, could result in a court order setting aside the license for the
benefit of the creditor pursuing the litigation or all creditors of Napo should it occur in the context of a Napo bankruptcy. Even if unsuccessful, any such action would divert management's attention,
potentially be costly to defend and could harm our business.
We currently do not own any issued patents, most of our intellectual property is licensed from Napo and we
cannot be certain that our patent strategy will be effective to enhance marketing exclusivity.
The patent prosecution process is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to prepare, file and prosecute all necessary or desirable
patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of inventions made in the course of development and
commercialization activities in time to obtain patent protection on them. Moreover, in some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent
applications, or to maintain the patents, covering technology that we license from third parties. In particular, we are dependent upon Napo and its licensees to file, prosecute and maintain the
intellectual property we license pursuant to the Napo License Agreement. The patents and patent applications we licensed from Napo, or the Napo Patents, which cover both human and veterinary uses,
were previously licensed by Napo to Salix for certain fields of human use. On March 4, 2016, Napo and Salix settled litigation and all rights to crofelemer and Fulyzaq were returned to Napo and
the collaboration agreement between Salix and Napo, or the Salix Collaboration Agreement, was terminated. Napo has the responsibility to file, prosecute and maintain the Napo Patents. As a result,
under the Napo License Agreement, we only have the right to maintain any issued patents within the Napo Patents that are not maintained in accordance with the responsibilities of Napo. There are three
issued Napo Patents in the United States that cover, collectively, enteric protected formulations of proanthocyanidin polymers isolated from
Croton spp.
and methods of treating watery diarrhea using the enteric protected formulations for both human and veterinary uses.
Napo
has also licensed its
Croton lechleri
related intellectual property to Glenmark and Luye Pharma Group Limited to develop and
commercialize crofelemer for human indications in various geographies. Fulyzaq is dependent upon intellectual property protection from the Napo Patents. Napo currently markets Fulyzaq in the United
States for human use and the three issued Napo Patents that cover enteric protected formulations of proanthocyanidin polymers isolated from
Croton spp
.
and methods of treating watery diarrhea using the enteric protected formulations are listed in the FDA's Orange Book for Fulyzaq.
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We
rely on these issued Napo Patents as intellectual property protection for our prescription drug product candidates and non-prescription products. Pending patent applications within Napo Patents
either may not be relevant to veterinary indications and/or may not issue as patents. If any patent application within the Napo Patents is not filed or prosecuted for any reason, including as a result
of a lack of financial resources, and we are not able to file and prosecute such patent application within the Napo Patents, our business may be harmed. In addition, as between Napo and us, Napo has
the first right to enforce the Napo Patents against potential infringers. If we are not the party who enforces the Napo Patents, we will receive no proceeds from such enforcement action. In each case,
such proceeds are subject to reimbursement of costs and expenses incurred by the other party in connection with such
action. If our current or future licensors fail to establish, maintain or protect such patents and other intellectual property rights, such rights may be reduced or eliminated.
We
currently do not own any issued patents. We have filed and have currently pending three applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT, one U.S. non-provisional patent
application and eight provisional patent applications in the veterinary field, of which we control the filing, prosecution and maintenance; however, patents based on any patent applications we may
submit may never be issued. We have an exclusive worldwide license from Napo to various issued patents and pending patent applications in the field of animal health. The strength of patents in the
field of animal health involves complex legal and scientific questions and can be uncertain. Even if patents do successfully issue, third parties may challenge their validity, enforceability or scope,
which may result in such patents being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable. Furthermore, even if they are unchallenged, our patents, if issued, and the patents we have licensed may not
adequately protect our intellectual property or prevent others from designing around their claims. If we cannot obtain issued patents or the patents we have licensed are not maintained or their scope
is significantly narrowed, our business and prospects would be harmed.
Recent
patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of any patent applications and the enforcement or defense of any patents that
issue. On September 16, 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the Leahy-Smith Act, was signed into law. The Leahy-Smith Act includes a number of significant changes to U.S. patent law.
These include provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted, redefine prior art, may affect patent litigation, and switch the U.S. patent system from a "first-to-invent" system to
a "first-to-file" system. Under a "first-to-file" system, assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application generally will be entitled
to the patent on an invention regardless of whether another inventor had made the invention earlier. The USPTO has developed new regulations and procedures to govern administration of the Leahy-Smith
Act, and many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the Leahy-Smith Act, and in particular, the first-to-file provisions, became effective on March 16, 2013. Among some of
the other changes to the patent laws are changes that limit where a patentee may file a patent infringement suit and that provide opportunities for third parties to challenge any issued patent
in the USPTO. The Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of any patents
that issue, all of which could harm our business and financial condition.
Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document
submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.
Periodic maintenance and annuity fees on any issued patent are due to be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies in several stages over
the lifetime of the patent. The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the
patent application process. While an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance
with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent
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application,
resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application
include failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we or our licensors fail to maintain
the patents and patent applications covering prescription drug product candidates and non-prescription products, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which would harm our business.
Third parties may initiate legal proceedings alleging that we are infringing their intellectual property
rights, which would be costly, time-consuming and, if successfully asserted against us, delay or prevent the development and commercialization of our current or future products and product candidates.
Our research, development and commercialization activities may infringe or otherwise violate or be claimed to infringe or otherwise violate
patents owned or controlled by other parties. There may be patents already issued of which we are unaware that might be infringed by one of our current or future prescription drug product candidates
or non-prescription products. Moreover, it is also possible that patents may exist that we are aware of, but that we do not believe are relevant to our current or future prescription drug product
candidates or non-prescription products, which could nevertheless be found to block our freedom to market these products. Because patent applications can take many years to issue and may be
confidential for 18 months or more after filing, there may be applications now pending of which we are unaware and which may later result in issued patents that may be infringed by our current
or future prescription drug product candidates or non-prescription products. We cannot be certain that our current or future prescription drug product candidates or non-prescription products will not
infringe these or other existing or future third-party patents. In addition, third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies infringes upon these patents.
To
the extent we become subject to future third-party claims against us or our collaborators, we could incur substantial expenses and, if any such claims are successful, we could be
liable to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorney's fees if we or our collaborators are found to be willfully infringing a third party's patents. If a patent infringement suit
were brought against us or our collaborators, we or they could be forced to stop or delay research, development, manufacturing or sales of the prescription drug or non-prescription product that is the
subject of the suit. Even if we are successful in defending such claims, infringement and other intellectual property claims can be expensive and time-consuming to litigate and divert management's
attention from our business and operations. As a result of or in order to avoid potential patent infringement claims, we or our
collaborators may be compelled to seek a license from a third party for which we would be required to pay license fees or royalties, or both. Moreover, these licenses may not be available on
acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we or our collaborators were able to obtain such a license, the rights may be nonexclusive, which could allow our competitors access to the same intellectual
property. Any of these events could harm our business and prospects.
There
has been substantial litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights in the field of therapeutics, as well as patent challenge proceedings, including
interference, derivation and administrative law proceedings before the USPTO, and oppositions and other comparable proceedings in foreign jurisdictions. Under U.S. patent reform laws, new procedures,
including
inter partes
review and post-grant review, were implemented as of September 16, 2012, with post-grant review available for patents
issued on applications filed on or after March 16, 2013, and the implementation of such reform laws presents uncertainty regarding the outcome of any challenges to our future patents, if any,
and to patents we have in licensed. In addition to possible infringement claims against us, we may be subject to third-party pre-issuance submission of prior art to the USPTO, or become involved in
opposition, derivation, reexamination,
inter partes
review, post-grant review, or other patent office proceedings or litigation in the United States or
elsewhere, challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. For applications filed before March 16, 2013 or patents issuing from such applications, if third parties have prepared
and
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filed
patent applications in the United States that also claim technology to which we have rights, we may have to participate in interference proceedings in the USPTO to determine the priority of
invention. Because patent applications in the United States and most other countries are confidential for a period of time after filing, we cannot be certain that we were the first to either file
patent applications on or invent any of the inventions claimed in our patent applications. Because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in United
States federal court necessary to invalidate a patent claim, a third party could potentially provide evidence in a USPTO proceeding sufficient for the USPTO to hold a claim invalid even though the
same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. We may also become involved in opposition or similar proceedings in patent offices in other
jurisdictions regarding our intellectual property rights with respect to our prescription drug or non-prescription products and technology. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding
or litigation could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our future patent rights, if any, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us, without payment
to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products without infringing third-party patent rights.
Our proprietary position depends upon patents that are formulation or method-of-use patents, which do not
prevent a competitor from using the same drug candidate for another use.
Composition-of-matter patents on the API in prescription drug products are generally considered to be the strongest form of intellectual
property protection because such patents provide protection without regard to any particular method of use or manufacture or formulation of the API used. The composition-of-matter patents for
crofelemer, the API in Canalevia, have expired, and we have licensed from Napo patents and applications covering formulations and methods of use for crofelemer and the botanical extract in Neonorm.
Method-of-use
patents protect the use of a product for the specified method and formulation patents cover formulations of the API or botanical extract. These types of patents do not
prevent a competitor from developing or marketing an identical product for an indication that is outside the scope of the patented method or from developing a different formulation that is outside the
scope of the patented formulation. Moreover, with respect to method-of-use patents, even if competitors do not actively promote their product for our targeted indications or uses for which we may
obtain patents, veterinarians may recommend that animal owners use these products extra-label, or animal owners may do so themselves. Although extra-label use may infringe or contribute to the
infringement of method-of-use patents, the practice is common and such infringement is difficult to prevent or prosecute.
If our efforts to protect intellectual property are not adequate, we may not be able to compete effectively
in our markets.
We intend to rely upon a combination of regulatory exclusivity periods, patents, trade secret protection, confidentiality agreements, and
license agreements to protect the intellectual property related to our current prescription drug product candidates and non-prescription products and our development programs.
If
the breadth or strength of protection provided by any patents, patent applications or future patents we may own, license, or pursue with respect to any of our current or future
product candidates or products is threatened, it could threaten our ability to commercialize any of our current or future product candidates or products. Further, if we encounter delays in our
development efforts, the period of time during which we could market any of our current or future product candidates or products under any patent protection we obtain would be reduced.
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Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates or products, patents protecting such candidates
might expire before or shortly after such product candidates or products are commercialized. Patent term extensions have been applied for US 7,323,195 and US 7,341,744 to account for regulatory
delays in obtaining human marketing approval for crofelemer, however, only one patent may be extended per marketed compound. If such extensions are received, then US 7,323,195 may be extended to June
2021 or US 7,341,744 may be extended to December 2020. However, the applicable authorities, including the USPTO and the FDA, and any equivalent regulatory authority in other countries, may not agree
with our assessment of whether such extensions are available, and may refuse to grant extensions to patents, or may grant more limited extensions than requested. If this occurs, our competitors may
take advantage of our investment in development and trials by referencing our clinical and preclinical data and launch their product earlier than might otherwise be the case.
Even
where laws provide protection or we are able to obtain patents, costly and time-consuming litigation may be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights,
and the outcome of such litigation would be uncertain. Moreover, any actions we may bring to enforce our intellectual property against our competitors could provoke them to bring counterclaims against
us, and some of our competitors have substantially greater intellectual property portfolios than we have.
If we are unable to prevent disclosure of our trade secrets or other confidential information to third
parties, our competitive position may be impaired.
We also rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary know-how that is not patentable or for which we
have not filed patent applications, processes for which patents are difficult to enforce and other elements of our product development processes that involve proprietary know-how, information or
technology that is not covered by patents. Although we require all of our employees to assign their inventions to us, and endeavor to execute confidentiality agreements with all of our employees,
consultants, advisors and any third parties who have access to our proprietary know-how, information or technology, we cannot be certain that we have executed such agreements with all parties who may
have helped to develop our intellectual property or had access to our proprietary information, or that our agreements will not be breached. We cannot guarantee that our trade secrets and other
confidential proprietary information will not be disclosed or that competitors will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and
techniques. If we are unable to prevent disclosure of our intellectual property to third parties, we may not be able to maintain a competitive advantage in our market, which would harm our business.
Any
disclosure to or misappropriation by third parties of our confidential proprietary information could enable competitors to quickly duplicate or surpass our technological
achievements, and erode our competitive position in our market.
We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce any future patents issued to us, which could be
expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe upon any patents that may issue to us, or any patents that we may license. To counter infringement or unauthorized use
of any patents we may obtain, we may be required to file infringement claims or request that our licensor file an infringement claim, which can be expensive and time-consuming to litigate. In
addition, if we or one of our future collaborators were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering our current product candidates, or one of our future products,
the defendant could counterclaim that the patent is invalid or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or unenforceability are
commonplace. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness,
non-enablement or lack of statutory subject matter. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution
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of
the patent withheld relevant material information from the USPTO, or made a materially misleading statement, during prosecution. Third parties may also raise similar validity claims before the
USPTO in post-grant proceedings such as
ex parte
reexaminations,
inter partes
review, or post-grant
review, or oppositions or similar proceedings outside the United States, in parallel with litigation or even outside the context of litigation. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and
unenforceability is unpredictable. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of any future patent protection
on our current or future product candidates. Such a loss of patent protection could harm our business. We cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art, of which we and the patent examiner
were unaware during prosecution. For the patents and patent applications that we have licensed, we may have limited or no right to participate in the defense of any licensed patents against challenge
by a third party.
Litigation
proceedings may fail and, even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount
of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation.
In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be
unsuccessful, it could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock. Finally, we may not be able to prevent, alone or with the support of our licensors, misappropriation of our trade
secrets or confidential information, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect those rights as fully as in the United States.
Changes in U.S. patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to
protect our products.
As is the case with other animal health product companies, our success is heavily dependent on intellectual property, particularly patents.
Obtaining and enforcing patents in the animal health industry involves both technological and legal complexity. Therefore, obtaining and enforcing patents is costly, time-consuming and inherently
uncertain. In addition, the United States has recently enacted and implemented wide-ranging patent reform legislation. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years, either
narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our
ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once obtained. Depending on decisions by the U.S. Congress, the
federal courts, and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing
patents could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce patents that we have licensed or that we might obtain in the future.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world, which could impair our
business.
Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on prescription drug products, product candidates and non-prescription products throughout the world
would be prohibitively expensive. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and, further, may export otherwise
infringing products to territories where we may obtain patent protection, but where patent enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products in
jurisdictions where we do not have any issued or licensed patents and any future patent claims or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from so
competing.
Many
companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries,
particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to animal health products, which could make
it difficult for us to stop the
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infringement
of our future patents, if any, or patents we have in licensed, or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Further, the laws of some foreign
countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent or in the same manner as the laws of the United States. As a result, we may encounter significant problems in protecting and defending
our intellectual property both in the United States and abroad. Proceedings to enforce our future patent rights, if any, in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost and divert our
efforts and attention from other aspects of our business.
Our business could be harmed if we fail to obtain certain registered trademarks in the United States or in
other countries.
In October 2014, our trademark applications for Canalevia and Neonorm were approved for publication. Although we have filed a trademark
application for our company name and our logo in the United States, our applications have not been granted and the corresponding marks have not been registered in the United States. We have not filed
for these or other trademarks in any other countries. During trademark registration proceedings, we may receive rejections of our trademark applications. If so, we will have an opportunity to respond,
but we may be unable to overcome such rejections. In addition, the USPTO and comparable agencies in many foreign jurisdictions may permit third parties to oppose pending trademark applications and to
seek to cancel registered trademarks. If opposition or cancellation proceedings are filed against any of our trademark applications or any registered trademarks, our trademarks may not survive such
proceedings. Moreover, any name we propose to use with our prescription drug product candidates in the United States, including Canalevia, must be approved by the FDA, regardless of whether we have
registered or applied to register as a trademark. The FDA typically conducts a review of proposed prescription drug product names, including an evaluation of potential for confusion with other product
names. If the FDA objects to any of our proposed proprietary product names, we may be required to expend significant additional resources in an effort to identify a suitable substitute name that would
qualify under applicable trademark laws, not infringe the existing rights of third parties and be acceptable to the FDA.
We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or independent contractors have wrongfully used
or disclosed confidential information of third parties.
We have received confidential and proprietary information from third parties. In addition, we employ individuals who were previously employed at
other biotechnology, pharmaceutical or animal health companies. We may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise improperly
used or disclosed confidential information of these third parties or our employees' former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against any such claims. Even if we are successful in
defending against any such claims, such litigation could result in substantial cost and be a distraction to our management and employees.
Risks Related to Government Regulation
Even if we receive any required regulatory approvals for our current or future prescription drug product
candidates and non-prescription products, we will be subject to ongoing obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense.
If the FDA or any other regulatory body approves any of our current or future prescription drug product candidates, or if necessary, our
non-prescription products, the manufacturing processes, clinical development, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for the
product may be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements could include, but are not limited to, submissions of efficacy and safety and other post-marketing
information and reports, establishment registration, and product listing, compliance with new rules promulgated under the FSMA, as well as continued compliance with cGMP, GLP and GCP for
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any
studies that we conduct post-approval. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our contract
manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, are reportable events to the FDA and may result in, among other
things:
-
-
restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product, withdrawal of the product from the market, revised labeling, or voluntary or
involuntary product recalls;
-
-
additional clinical studies fines, warning letters or holds on target animal studies;
-
-
refusal by the FDA, or other regulators to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us or our strategic
collaborators related to the unknown problems, or suspension or revocation of the problematic product's license approvals;
-
-
product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of products; and
-
-
injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
The
FDA or other regulatory agency's policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product
candidates or require certain changes to the labeling or additional clinical work concerning safety and efficacy of the product candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of
government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or
the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain
profitability, which would harm our business. In addition, failure to comply with these regulatory requirements could result in significant penalties.
In
addition, from time to time, we may enter into consulting and other financial arrangements with veterinarians, who prescribe or recommend our products, once approved. As a result, we
may be subject to state, federal and foreign healthcare and/or veterinary medicine laws, including but not limited to anti-kickback laws. If our financial relationships with veterinarians are found to
be in violation of such laws that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties.
The issuance by the FDA of protocol concurrences for our pivotal studies does not guarantee ultimate approval
of our NADA.
We intend to seek protocol concurrences from the FDA for the pivotal trial of Canalevia that we have initiated for acute diarrhea in dogs and
for future pivotal trials in other indications. A pivotal study protocol is submitted to the FDA by a drug sponsor for purposes of obtaining FDA review of the protocol. Prior FDA review of the
protocol for a pivotal study makes it more likely that the study will generate information the sponsor needs to demonstrate whether the drug is safe and effective for its intended use. It creates an
expectation by the sponsor that the FDA should not later alter its perspectives on these issues unless public or animal health concerns appear that were not recognized at the time of protocol
assessment. Even if the FDA issues a protocol concurrence, ultimate approval of an NADA by the FDA is not guaranteed because a final determination that the agreed-upon protocol satisfies a specific
objective, such as the demonstration of efficacy, or supports an approval decision, will be based on a complete review of all the data submitted to the FDA. Even if we
were to obtain protocol concurrence such concurrence does not guarantee that the results of the study will support a particular finding or approval of the new drug.
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Any of our current or future prescription drug product candidates or non-prescription products may cause or
contribute to adverse medical events that we would be required to report to regulatory authorities and, if we fail to do so, we could be subject to sanctions that would harm our business.
If we are successful in commercializing any of our current or future prescription drug product candidates or non-prescription products, certain
regulatory authorities will require that we report certain information about adverse medical events if those products may have caused or contributed to those adverse events. The timing of our
obligation to report would be triggered by the date we become aware of the adverse event as well as the nature of the event. We may fail to report adverse events we become aware of within the
prescribed timeframe. We may also fail to appreciate that we have become aware of a reportable adverse event, especially if it is not reported to us as an adverse event or if it is an adverse event
that is unexpected or removed in time from the use of our products. If we fail to comply with our reporting obligations, the regulatory authorities could take action including, but not limited to,
criminal prosecution, seizure of our products, facility inspections, removal of our products from the market, recalls of certain lots or batches, or cause a delay in approval or clearance of future
products.
Legislative or regulatory reforms with respect to animal health may make it more difficult and costly for us
to obtain regulatory clearance or approval of any of our current or future product candidates and to produce, market, and distribute our products after clearance or approval is obtained.
From time to time, legislation is drafted and introduced in the U.S. Congress or other jurisdictions in which we intend to operate that could
significantly change the statutory provisions governing the testing, regulatory clearance or approval, manufacture, and marketing of regulated products. In addition, the FDA's regulations and guidance
are often revised or reinterpreted by the FDA and such other regulators in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products and product candidates. Similar changes in laws or
regulations can occur in other countries. Any new regulations or revisions or reinterpretations of existing regulations in the United States or in other countries may impose additional costs or
lengthen review times of any of our current or future products and product candidates. We cannot determine what effect changes in regulations, statutes, legal
interpretation or policies, when and if promulgated, enacted or adopted may have on our business in the future. Such changes could, among other things,
require:
-
-
changes to manufacturing methods;
-
-
additional clinical trials or testing;
-
-
new requirements related to approval to enter the market;
-
-
recall, replacement, or discontinuance of certain products; and
-
-
additional record keeping or the development of certain regulatory required hazard identification plans.
Each
of these would likely entail substantial time and cost and could harm our financial results. In addition, delays in receipt of or failure to receive regulatory clearances or
approvals for any future products would harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We believe that our non-prescription products are not subject to regulation by regulatory agencies in the
United States, but there is a risk that regulatory bodies may disagree with our interpretation, or may redefine the scope of its regulatory reach in the future, which would result in additional
expense and could delay or prevent the commercialization of these products.
The FDA retains jurisdiction over all animal prescription drug products however, in many instances, the Federal Trade Commission will exercise
primary or concurrent jurisdiction with FDA on non-prescription products as to post marketing claims made regarding the product. On April 22, 1996, the FDA published a statement in the Federal
Register, 61 FR 17706, that it believes that the Dietary
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Supplement
and Health Education Act, or DSHEA, does not apply to animal health supplement products, such as our non-prescription products. Accordingly, the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine only
regulates those animal supplements that fall within the FDA's definition of an animal drug, animal food or animal feed additive. The Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act defines food as "articles used
for food or drink for man or other animals and articles used as components of any such article." Animal foods are not subject to pre-market approval and are designed to provide a nutritive purpose to
the animals that receive them. Feed additives are defined as those articles that are added to an animal's feed or water as illustrated by the guidance documents. Our non-prescription products are not
added to food, are not ingredients in food nor are they added to any animal's drinking water. Therefore, our non-prescription products do not fall within the definition of a food or feed additive. In
light of the pronouncement by the FDA that the DSHEA was not intended to apply to animals, the FDA seeks to regulate such supplements as food or food additives depending on the intended use of the
product. The intended use is demonstrated by how the article is included in a food, or added to the animals' intake (
i.e.,
through its drinking
water). If the intended use of the product does not fall within the proscribed use making the product a food, it cannot be regulated as a food. There is no intent to make our non-prescription products
a component of an animal food, either directly or indirectly. A feed additive is a product that is added to a feed for any reason including the top dressing of an already prepared feed. Some
additives, such as certain forage, are deemed to be Generally Recognized as Safe, or GRAS, and therefore, not subject to a feed Additive Petition approval prior to use. However, the substances deemed
GRAS are generally those that are recognized as providing nutrients as a food does. We do not believe that our non-prescription products fit within this framework either. Finally, a new animal drug
refers to drugs intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in animals. Our non-prescription Neonorm Foal and Neonorm Calf products are not intended to
diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent disease and therefore, do not fit within the definition of an animal drug. Additionally, because a previously marketed human formulation of the botanical
extract in our non-prescription products was regulated as a human dietary supplement subject to the DSHEA (and not regulated as a drug by the FDA), we do not believe that the FDA would regulate the
animal formulation used in our non-prescription products in a different manner. We do not believe that our non-prescription products fit the definition of an animal drug, food or food additive and
therefore are not regulated by the FDA at this time.
However,
despite many such unregulated animal supplements currently on the market, the FDA may choose in the future to exercise jurisdiction over animal supplement products in which
case, we may be subject to unknown regulations thereby inhibiting our ability to launch or to continue marketing our non-prescription products. In the past, the FDA has redefined or attempted to
redefine some non-prescription non-feed products as falling within the definition of drug, feed or feed additive and therefore subjected those products to the relevant regulations. We have not
discussed with the FDA our belief that the FDA currently does not exercise jurisdiction over our non-prescription products. Should the FDA assert regulatory authority over our non-prescription
products, we would take commercially reasonable steps to address the FDA's concerns, potentially including but not limited to, seeking registration for such products, reformulating such products to
further distance such products from regulatory control, or ceasing sale of such products. Further, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, an agency of the USDA, may at some point choose to
exercise jurisdiction over certain non-prescription products that are not intended for production animals. We do not believe we are currently subject to such regulation, but could be in the future. If
the FDA or other regulatory agencies, such as the USDA, try to regulate our non-prescription products, we could be required to seek regulatory approval for our non-prescription products, which would
result in additional expense and could delay or prevent the commercialization of these products.
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Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of The NASDAQ Capital Market could result in a
delisting of our common stock.
Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market, which imposes, among other requirements, a minimum stockholders equity requirement. On
August 22, 2016 we received a notice from NASDAQ of non-compliance with its continuing listing rules, namely that our stockholders' equity at June 30, 2016 of $1,565,316, as reported in
our Form 10-Q for the quarter then ended, was less than the $2,500,000 minimum. The failure to meet continuing compliance standards subjects our common stock to delisting. Based on the plan
that we submitted to regain compliance, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, granted us an extension until February 21, 2017 to regain compliance.
Another
requirement for continued listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market is the minimum bid requirement. The closing bid price for our common stock must remain at or above $1.00 per share
to comply with NASDAQ's minimum bid requirement for continued listing. If the closing bid price for our common stock is less than $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days, NASDAQ may send us a
notice stating we will be provided a period of 180 days to regain compliance with the minimum bid requirement or else NASDAQ may make a determination to delist our common stock. Our stock
traded for less than $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days, and we received notice of this from The NASDAQ Capital Market on December 28, 2016. We have a 180 calendar day grace period, or
until June 26, 2017, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. The continued listing standard will be met if our common stock has a minimum closing bid price of at least
$1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days during the 180 calendar day grace period.
The
delisting of our common stock from NASDAQ may make it more difficult for us to raise capital on favorable terms in the future. Such a delisting would likely have a negative effect on
the price of our common stock and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock when you wish to do so. Further, if we were to be delisted from The NASDAQ Capital Market, our common
stock would cease to be recognized as covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
While
we presented a plan to regain compliance, there can be no assurance that our plan will be successful. Moreover, there is no assurance that any actions that we take to restore our
compliance with NASDAQ's listing requirements would stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from remaining below the NASDAQ minimum bid price
required for continued listing or prevent future non-compliance with NASDAQ's listing requirements.
If our shares become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.
The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally
equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems,
provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not retain a listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market and
if the price of our common stock is less than $5.00, our common stock will be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise
exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a
penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the
purchaser's written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a
written suitability statement.
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These
disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock, and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares.
The price of our common stock could be subject to volatility related or unrelated to our operations, and
purchasers of our common stock could incur substantial losses.
The trading price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our
control. These factors include those discussed previously in this "Risk Factors" section of this report and others, such as:
-
-
delays in the commercialization of Neonorm, Canalevia, Equilevia or our other current or future prescription drug product candidates and
non-prescription products;
-
-
any delays in, or suspension or failure of, our current and future studies;
-
-
announcements of regulatory approval or disapproval of any of our current or future product candidates or of regulatory actions affecting us or
our industry;
-
-
manufacturing and supply issues that affect product candidate or product supply for our studies or commercialization efforts;
-
-
quarterly variations in our results of operations or those of our competitors;
-
-
changes in our earnings estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;
-
-
the payment of licensing fees or royalties in shares of our common stock;
-
-
announcements by us or our competitors of new prescription drug products or product candidates or non-prescription products, significant
contracts, commercial relationships, acquisitions or capital commitments;
-
-
announcements relating to future development or license agreements including termination of such agreements;
-
-
adverse developments with respect to our intellectual property rights or those of our principal collaborators;
-
-
commencement of litigation involving us or our competitors;
-
-
any major changes in our board of directors or management;
-
-
new legislation in the United States relating to the prescription, sale, distribution or pricing of animal health products;
-
-
product liability claims, other litigation or public concern about the safety of our prescription drug product candidates and non-prescription
products or any such future products;
-
-
market conditions in the animal industry, in general, or in the animal health sector, in particular, including performance of our competitors;
and
-
-
general economic conditions in the United States and abroad.
In
addition, the stock market, in general, or the market for stocks in our industry, in particular, may experience broad market fluctuations, which may adversely affect the market price
or liquidity of our common stock. Any sudden decline in the market price of our common stock could trigger securities class-action lawsuits against us. If any of our stockholders were to bring such a
lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and the time and attention of our management would be diverted from our business and operations. We also could be subject to
damages claims if we are found to be at fault in connection with a decline in our stock price.
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No active market for our common stock exists or may develop, and you may not be able to resell your common
stock at or above the public offering price.
Prior to our initial public offering in May 2015, there was no public market for shares of our common stock. The listing of our common stock on
The NASDAQ Capital Market does not assure that a meaningful, consistent and liquid trading market exists. Although our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market, trading volume in our common
stock has been limited and an active trading market for our shares my never develop or be sustained. If an active market for our common stock does not develop, you may be unable to sell your shares
when you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider attractive or satisfactory. The lack of an active market may also adversely affect our ability to raise capital by selling securities in the
future, or impair our ability to license or acquire other product candidates, businesses or technologies using our shares as consideration.
The sale of our common stock to Aspire Capital may cause substantial dilution to our existing stockholders
and the sale of the shares of common stock acquired by Aspire Capital could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
On June 8, 2016, we entered into the CSPA with Aspire Capital, in which Aspire Capital committed to purchase, at our election, up to an
aggregate of $15.0 million shares of our common stock over a period of approximately 30 months (i.e., 30 months from July 8, 2016, the effective date of the initial
registration statement on Form S-1 that we filed to register the shares that we issued and may issue to Aspire pursuant to the CSPA).
Through
January 31, 2017, we have issued 2,027,490 shares of our common stock to Aspire Capital under the CSPA for gross proceeds of approximately $2.7 million. We may
ultimately sell all, some or none of the approximately $12.3 million of common stock remaining under the CSPA to Aspire Capital, and Aspire Capital may sell all, some or none of our shares that
it holds or comes to hold under the CSPA. Sales by Aspire Capital of shares acquired pursuant to the CSPA may result in dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock. The sale of a
substantial number of shares of our common stock by Aspire Capital, or anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a
time and at a price that we might otherwise wish to effect sales. However, we have the right to control the timing and amount of sales of our shares to Aspire Capital, and the CSPA may be terminated
by us at any time at our discretion without any penalty or cost to us.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our company, or if they issue an
adverse or misleading opinions regarding us or our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our
business. We do not influence or control the reporting of these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrade or provide a negative outlook on our company or our industry, or the
stock of any of our competitors, the price of our common stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn
could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
You may be diluted by exercises of outstanding options and warrants.
As of December 31, 2016, we had outstanding options to purchase an aggregate of 2,571,220 shares of our common stock at a weighted
average exercise price of $2.52 per share and warrants to purchase an aggregate of 5,968,876 shares of our common stock at a weighted-average exercise price of $1.40 per share. The exercise of such
outstanding options and warrants will result in further dilution of your investment. In addition, you may experience additional dilution if we issue common stock in the future. As a result of this
dilution, you may receive significantly less in net tangible book value than the full purchase price you paid for the shares in the event of liquidation.
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Provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could discourage a takeover that stockholders may
consider favorable and may lead to entrenchment of management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent changes in
control or changes in our management without the consent of our board of directors. These provisions to include the following:
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a classified board of directors with three-year staggered terms, which may delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership of a
majority of our board of directors;
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no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates;
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the exclusive right of our board of directors to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the
resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our board of directors;
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the ability of our board of directors to authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock and to determine the terms of those shares,
including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval, which could adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders or be used to deter a possible acquisition of our company;
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the ability of our board of directors to alter our bylaws without obtaining stockholder approval;
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the required approval of the holders of at least 75% of the shares entitled to vote at an election of directors to adopt, amend or repeal our
bylaws or repeal the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation regarding the election and removal of directors;
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a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which forces stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special meeting of our
stockholders;
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the requirement that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive
officer, the president or the board of directors, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors; and
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advance notice procedures that stockholders must comply with in order to nominate candidates to our board of directors or to propose matters to
be acted upon at a stockholders' meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer's own slate of directors or otherwise
attempting to obtain control of us.
These
provisions could inhibit or prevent possible transactions that some stockholders may consider attractive.
We
are also subject to the anti-takeover provisions contained in Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Under Section 203, a corporation generally may not
engage in a business combination with any holder of 15% or more of its capital stock unless the holder has held the stock for three years or, among other exceptions, the board of directors has
approved the transaction.
Our amended and restated bylaws designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and
exclusive forum for certain actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or
our directors, officers or other employees.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of
Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty
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owed
by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law,
(iv) any action asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine or (v) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our certificate of
incorporation or bylaws. Any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to this provision of our
amended and restated bylaws. This choice-of-forum provision may limit our stockholders' ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors,
officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our amended and restated bylaws inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to
one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business and financial
condition.
We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock, and your ability to achieve a return on your
investment will depend on appreciation in the market price of our common stock.
We currently intend to invest our future earnings, if any, to fund our growth and not to pay any cash dividends on our common stock. Because we
do not intend to pay dividends, your ability to receive a return on your investment will depend on any future appreciation in the market price of our common stock. We cannot be certain that our common
stock will appreciate in price.
Our principal stockholders own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant
control over matters subject to stockholder approval.
As of February 1, 2017, our executive officers, directors, holders of 5% or more of our capital stock and their respective affiliates
beneficially owned in the aggregate approximately 58.9% of our outstanding shares of common stock. As a result of their stock ownership, these stockholders may have the ability to influence our
management and policies, and will be able to significantly affect the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval such as elections of directors, amendments of our organizational documents or
approvals of any merger, sale of assets or other major corporate transaction. This may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that you may feel are in
your best interest as one of our stockholders.
The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the
Exchange Act and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, may strain our resources, increase our costs and distract management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or
cost-effective manner.
Our initial public offering had a significant, transformative effect on us. Prior to our initial public offering, our business operated as a
privately-held company, and we were not required to comply with public reporting, corporate governance and financial accounting practices and policies required of a publicly-traded company. As a
publicly-traded company, we incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses compared to historical levels. In addition, new and changing laws, regulations and standards relating to
corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, as well as under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act,
the JOBS Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC and The NASDAQ Capital Market, may result in an increase in our costs and the time that our board of directors and management must devote to our
compliance with these rules and regulations. These rules and regulations have substantially increased our legal and financial compliance costs and diverted management time and attention from our
product development and other business activities.
The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting annually and the effectiveness of our disclosure
controls and procedures quarterly. In particular, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, requires us to perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal
control over financial reporting to allow
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management
to report on, and our independent registered public accounting firm potentially to attest to, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We have needed to expend
time and resources on documenting our internal control over financial reporting so that we are in a position to perform such evaluation when required. As an "emerging growth company," we expect to
avail ourselves of the exemption from the requirement that our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting under
Section 404. However, we may no longer avail ourselves of this exemption when we cease to be an "emerging growth company." When our independent registered public accounting firm is required to
undertake an assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, the cost of our compliance with Section 404 will correspondingly increase. Our compliance with applicable provisions of
Section 404 requires that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management time on compliance-related issues as we implement additional corporate governance practices
and comply with reporting requirements. Moreover, if we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 applicable to us in a timely manner, or if we or our independent registered
public accounting firm identifies deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be
subject to sanctions or investigations by
the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
We are an "emerging growth company" and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements
applicable to "emerging growth companies" will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an "emerging growth company," as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage
of certain exemptions and relief from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not "emerging growth companies." In particular, while we are an "emerging
growth company" (i) we will not be required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) we will be subject to reduced
disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and (iii) we will not be required to hold nonbinding advisory votes on executive
compensation or stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can delay its adoption of any new or
revised accounting standards, but we have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this exemption and, therefore, we will be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other
public companies that are not emerging growth companies. In addition, investors may find our common stock less attractive if we rely on the exemptions and relief granted by the JOBS Act. If some
investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may decline and/or become more volatile.
We
may remain an "emerging growth company" until as late as December 31, 2020 (the fiscal year-end following the fifth anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering,
which occurred on May 18, 2015), although we may cease to be an "emerging growth company" earlier under certain circumstances, including (i) if the market value of our common stock that
is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of any June 30, in which case we would cease to be an "emerging growth company" as of December 31 of such year, (ii) if
our gross revenue exceeds $1.0 billion in any fiscal year or (iii) if we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our corporate headquarters are located in San Francisco, California, where we sublease 6,008 rentable square feet of office space from SeeChange
Health Management Company, Inc. Our sublease agreement expires on August 31, 2018. We believe that our existing facilities are adequate for our near-term needs. We believe that suitable
additional or alternative space would be available if required in the future on commercially reasonable terms if we are not able to convert our current sublease to a lease by August 31, 2018 on
commercially reasonable terms. We believe that our existing facilities are adequate to meet our business requirements for at least the next 12 months and that additional space will be available
on commercially reasonable terms, if required.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, we may become involved in litigation relating to claims arising from the ordinary course of business. There are currently no
claims or actions pending against us, the ultimate disposition of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Not applicable.
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