UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
OR
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended
OR
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
OR
SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Date of event requiring this shell company report
For the transition period from to
Commission file number:
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
N/A
(Translation of Registrant’s Name Into English)
(Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
Phone: +
Email:
(Name, Telephone, Email and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class |
| Trading Symbol |
| Name of Each Exchange |
|
|
*
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of Class)
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:
None
(Title of Class)
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report:
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ☐ Yes ☒
If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. ☐ Yes ☒
Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | |
Emerging growth company |
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
†The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accountant firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this fling:
| International Financial Reporting Standards as issued |
| Other ☐ | |
by the International Accounting Standards Board | ☐ |
If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. ☐ Item 17 ☐ Item 18
If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. ☐ Yes ☐ No
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
INTRODUCTION
Unless otherwise indicated and except where the context otherwise requires, references in this annual report on Form 20-F to:
| ● | “ADRs” refer to the American depositary receipts that evidence our ADSs; |
| ● | “ADSs” refer to our American depositary shares, each ten (10) ADSs represent twenty-three (23) ordinary shares; |
| ● | “China” or “the PRC” refers to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purposes of this annual report only, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and “Greater China” does not exclude Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; |
| ● | “China Portfolio” refers to our investigational drugs of which we in-license Greater China rights from reputable global biopharmaceutical companies and rely on our own research and development capabilities to advance into pivotal clinical trials and commercialize in Greater China with an aim for near-term product launch; |
| ● | “Global Portfolio” refers to our own proprietary novel or differentiated drug candidates that we are advancing towards clinical validation in the United States; |
| ● | “I-Mab,” “we,” “us,” “our company” and “our” refer to I-Mab, a Cayman Islands exempted company, and its subsidiaries; |
| ● | “RMB” refers to the legal currency of China; |
| ● | “shares” or “ordinary shares” refer to our ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share; and |
| ● | “US$,” “U.S. dollars,” “$,” and “dollars” refer to the legal currency of the United States. |
1
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigations Reform Act of 1995.
You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to:
| ● | the timing of initiation and completion, and the progress of our drug discovery and research programs; |
| ● | the timing and likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; |
| ● | our ability to advance our drug candidates into drugs, and the successful completion of clinical trials; |
| ● | the approval, pricing and reimbursement of our drug candidates; |
| ● | the commercialization of our drug candidates; |
| ● | the market opportunities and competitive landscape of our drug candidates; |
| ● | the payment, receipt and timing of any milestone payments in relation to the licensing agreements; |
| ● | estimates of our costs, expenses, future revenues, capital expenditures and our needs for additional financing; |
| ● | our ability to attract and retain senior management and key employees; |
| ● | our future business development, financial condition and results of operations; |
| ● | future developments, trends, conditions and competitive landscape in the industry and markets in which we operate; |
| ● | our strategies, plans, objectives and goals and our ability to successfully implement these strategies, plans, objectives and goals; |
| ● | our ability to consummate the listings of our securities on other stock exchanges; |
| ● | our ability to continue to maintain our market position in China’s biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industries; |
| ● | our ability to identify and integrate suitable acquisition targets; and |
| ● | changes to regulatory and operating conditions in our industry and markets. |
2
You should read this annual report and the documents that we refer to in this annual report and have filed as exhibits to this annual report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. Other sections of this annual report discuss factors which could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The forward-looking statements made in this annual report relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this annual report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Our reporting currency is Renminbi, or RMB. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB in this annual report are made at a rate of RMB6.8972 to US$1.00, the exchange rate in effect as of December 30, 2022 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We make no representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all.
3
PART I
ITEM 1.IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS
Not applicable.
ITEM 2.OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE
Not applicable.
ITEM 3.KEY INFORMATION
Our Holding Company Structure
I-Mab is not an operating company but a Cayman Islands holding company with operations primarily conducted by its subsidiaries based in China and the United States. We and our subsidiaries face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties related to doing business in China. A significant part of our business operations in China are conducted through our PRC subsidiaries, and we and our subsidiaries are subject to complex and evolving PRC laws and regulations. For example, the PRC government has recently issued statements and regulatory actions relating to areas such as the regulatory approvals on offshore offerings and listings by, and foreign investment in, China-based users, anti-monopoly actions and oversight on cybersecurity and data privacy. In addition, we also face risks arising from the prospective uncertainties associated with the ability of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the PCAOB, to completely inspect registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China (including our independent auditor). These risks and uncertainties may impact our ability to conduct certain businesses, accept foreign investments, or list or conduct offerings on a United States or other foreign exchange, and could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, or cause such securities to significantly decline in value. For a detailed description of risks related to doing business in China, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China.”
The PRC government has significant authority in regulating our operations and may influence our operations. It may exert more oversight and control over offerings conducted overseas by, and foreign investment in, China-based issuers, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. Implementation of industry-wide regulations, including data security or anti-monopoly related regulations, in this nature may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The PRC government’s significant oversight and discretion over our business operations could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs.”
Risks and uncertainties arising from the legal system in China, including risks and uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and quickly evolving rules and regulations in China, could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could materially and adversely affect us.”
Permissions Required from the PRC Authorities
We conduct our business in China primarily through our subsidiaries in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, our PRC subsidiaries have obtained the requisite licenses and permits from the PRC government authorities that are material for their business operations in China. Given the uncertainties of interpretation and implementation of relevant laws and regulations and the enforcement practice by relevant government authorities, we may be required to obtain additional licenses, permits, filings or approvals for the functions and services of our platform in the future, or renew our current licenses, permits, filings or approvals. For more detailed information, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The pharmaceutical industry in China is highly regulated and such regulations are subject to change which may affect approval and commercialization of our drugs.”
4
Furthermore, the PRC government has recently promulgated certain regulations and rules to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. In connection with the nature and scale of data processed or handled by us in our business operations and our historical issuance of securities to foreign investors, under the current PRC laws, regulations and regulatory rules, as of the date of this annual report, we and our PRC subsidiaries, (i) are not required to go through the filing procedures with regard to the listing and historical issuance of securities by our company to foreign investors with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, under the Trial Administrative Measures of the Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (the “Overseas Listing Trial Measures”), (ii) are not required by the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, or any of its local counterparts, to go through the cybersecurity review under the Cybersecurity Review Measures, and (iii) have not received or were denied such permissions by the CSRC or the CAC. Nevertheless, in the event that we conduct any securities offerings in the future that will be captured by the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, we will have to go through the filing procedures with the CSRC within three business days following the closing of the securities issuance or offering. For more detailed information, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The approval of and filing with relevant PRC government authorities may be required in connection with our offshore offerings under PRC law, and, if required, we cannot predict whether or for how long we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.”
If (i) we do not receive or maintain any requisite permissions or approvals, (ii) we inadvertently concluded that certain permissions or approvals have been acquired or are not required, or (iii) applicable laws, regulations or interpretations thereof change and we become subject to the requirement of additional permissions or approvals in the future, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain such permissions or approvals in a timely manner, or at all, and such approvals may be rescinded even if obtained. Any such circumstance could subject us to penalties, including fines, suspension of business and revocation of required licenses, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act
Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit our shares or the ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, including our auditor. In May 2022, the SEC conclusively listed us as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA following the filing of this annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. For this reason, we do not expect to be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA after we file this annual report on Form 20-F. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong and we continue to use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year. There can be no assurance that we would not be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for any future fiscal year, and if we were so identified for two consecutive years, we would become subject to the prohibition on trading under the HFCAA. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of our auditor in the past has deprived our investors with the benefits of such inspections” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Our ADSs may be prohibited from trading in the United States under the HFCAA in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. The delisting of the ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.”
5
Cash and Asset Flows through Our Organization
I-Mab is a holding company with no operations of its own. We conduct our business primarily through our subsidiaries in China and the United States. As a result, although other means are available for us to obtain financing at the holding company level, our ability to pay dividends to the shareholders and investors of the ADSs and to service any debt it may incur may depend upon dividends paid by our subsidiaries. If any of our subsidiaries incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends to I-Mab. In addition, our PRC subsidiaries are permitted to pay dividends to I-Mab only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Further, our PRC subsidiaries are required to make appropriations to certain statutory reserve funds or may make appropriations to certain discretionary funds, which are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of a solvent liquidation of the companies. For more details, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Holding Company Structure.”
Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries are subject to certain restrictions with respect to paying dividends or otherwise transferring any of their net assets to us. Remittance of dividends by a wholly foreign-owned enterprise out of China is also subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. The amounts restricted include the paid-up capital and the statutory reserve funds of our PRC subsidiaries, totaling RMB455.0 million, RMB486.9 million and RMB490.0 million (US$71.0 million) as of December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. Furthermore, cash transfers from our PRC subsidiaries to entities outside of China are subject to PRC government control of currency conversion. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may temporarily delay the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency denominated obligations. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, no dividends or distributions were made to I-Mab by our subsidiaries. For risks relating to the fund flows of our operations in China, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.”
Under PRC law, I-Mab may provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries only through capital contributions or loans, subject to satisfaction of applicable government registration and approval requirements. In the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, I-Mab extended loans with outstanding principal amount of RMB776.2 million, RMB1,079.6 million and RMB898.6 million (US$130.3 million), respectively, to our intermediate holding companies and subsidiaries.
I-Mab has not declared or paid any cash dividends, nor does it have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Dividend Policy.” For PRC and United States federal income tax considerations of an investment in our ADSs, see “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation.”
Selected Financial Data
As of December 31, 2022, we had cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term investments of RMB3.5 billion (US$514.2 million), compared with RMB4.3 billion as of December 31, 2021. Our cash balance provides us with adequate funding to support our key business for at least the next three years based on our current estimation, taking our current cash position together with the expected upcoming milestone payments from the previous out-licensing deals and collaborations.
The following selected consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) data for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2021 and 2022 and selected consolidated statements of cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report. The selected consolidated statements of comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and selected consolidated statements of cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this annual report. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP.
6
Our historical results do not necessarily indicate results expected for any future periods. The selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” below.
For the Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||||||||
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| US$ | |
(in thousands, except for share and per share data) | ||||||||||||
Selected Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Licensing and collaboration revenue(1) |
| 53,781 |
| 30,000 |
| 1,542,668 |
| 40,115 |
| (249,665) |
| (36,198) |
Supply of investigational products |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| 47,911 |
| 28,102 |
| 4,074 |
Total revenues |
| 53,781 |
| 30,000 |
| 1,542,668 |
| 88,026 |
| (221,563) |
| (32,124) |
Cost of revenues |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| (46,432) |
| (27,237) |
| (3,949) |
Expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Research and development expenses (2) |
| (426,028) |
| (840,415) |
| (984,689) |
| (1,212,958) |
| (904,901) |
| (131,198) |
Administrative expenses (2) |
| (66,391) |
| (654,553) |
| (402,409) |
| (899,943) |
| (815,766) |
| (118,275) |
Income (loss) from operations |
| (438,638) |
| (1,464,968) |
| 155,570 |
| (2,071,307) |
| (1,969,467) |
| (285,546) |
Interest income |
| 4,597 |
| 30,570 |
| 24,228 |
| 21,333 |
| 26,908 |
| 3,901 |
Interest expense |
| (11,695) |
| (2,991) |
| (957) |
| — |
| (9) |
| (1) |
Other income (expenses), net |
| (16,780) |
| (20,205) |
| 412,892 |
| 83,162 |
| (126,587) |
| (18,353) |
Equity in loss of affiliates (2) |
| — |
| — |
| (108,587) |
| (367,883) |
| (437,465) |
| (63,426) |
Fair value change of warrants |
| 61,405 |
| 5,644 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| — |
Income (loss) before income tax expense |
| (401,111) |
| (1,451,950) |
| 483,146 |
| (2,334,695) |
| (2,506,620) |
| (363,425) |
Income tax benefit (expense) |
| (1,722) |
| — |
| (12,231) |
| 3,154 |
| (697) |
| (101) |
Net income (loss) attributable to I-Mab |
| (402,833) |
| (1,451,950) |
| 470,915 |
| (2,331,541) |
| (2,507,317) |
| (363,526) |
Deemed dividend to Series C-1 preferred shareholders at extinguishment of Series C-1 Preferred Shares |
| — |
| (5,283) |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| — |
Deemed dividend to Series B-1, B-2 and C preferred shareholders at modification of Series B-1, B-2 and C Preferred Shares |
| — |
| (27,768) |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| — |
Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders |
| (402,833) |
| (1,485,001) |
| 470,915 |
| (2,331,541) |
| (2,507,317) |
| (363,526) |
Other comprehensive income (loss) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of nil tax |
| 53,689 |
| 10,747 |
| (120,920) |
| (135,717) |
| 400,304 |
| 58,039 |
Total comprehensive income (loss) attributable to I-Mab |
| (349,144) |
| (1,441,203) |
| 349,995 |
| (2,467,258) |
| (2,107,013) |
| (305,487) |
Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders |
| (402,833) |
| (1,485,001) |
| 470,915 |
| (2,331,541) |
| (2,507,317) |
| (363,526) |
Weighted-average number of ordinary shares used in calculating net income (loss) per share |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Basic |
| 6,529,092 |
| 7,381,230 |
| 134,158,824 |
| 174,707,055 |
| 189,787,292 |
| 189,787,292 |
Diluted |
| 6,529,092 |
| 7,381,230 |
| 157,231,652 |
| 174,707,055 |
| 189,787,292 |
| 189,787,292 |
Net income (loss) per share attributable to ordinary shareholders |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Basic |
| (61.70) |
| (201.19) |
| 3.51 |
| (13.35) |
| (13.21) |
| (1.92) |
Diluted |
| (61.70) |
| (201.19) |
| 3.00 |
| (13.35) |
| (13.21) |
| (1.92) |
Net income (loss) per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Basic |
| (141.91) |
| (462.74) |
| 8.07 |
| (30.71) |
| (30.38) |
| (4.41) |
Diluted |
| (141.91) |
| (462.74) |
| 6.90 |
| (30.71) |
| (30.38) |
| (4.41) |
Notes:
7
For the Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||||||||
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| USS | |
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||
Research and development expenses |
| 1,056 |
| 470 |
| 284,431 |
| 201,926 |
| 117,876 |
| 17,090 |
Administrative expenses |
| 2,464 |
| 514,733 |
| 209,033 |
| 406,683 |
| 239,272 |
| 34,691 |
Equity in loss of affiliates |
| — |
| — |
| 32,707 |
| 13,267 |
| 13,852 |
| 2,008 |
Total |
| 3,520 |
| 515,203 |
| 526,171 |
| 621,876 |
| 371,000 |
| 53,789 |
The following table presents our selected consolidated statements of balance sheet data as of the dates indicated:
As of December 31, | ||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||||||||
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| US$ | |
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||
Selected Consolidated Statements of Balance Sheet Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
| 1,588,278 |
| 1,137,473 |
| 4,758,778 |
| 3,523,632 |
| 3,214,005 |
| 465,987 |
Restricted cash |
| 92,653 |
| 55,810 |
| — |
| — |
| 96,764 |
| 14,029 |
Accounts receivable |
| — |
| — |
| 130,498 |
| 33,081 |
| — |
| — |
Contract assets |
| 11,000 |
| — |
| 227,391 |
| 253,780 |
| — |
| — |
Short-term investments |
| — |
| 32,000 |
| 31,530 |
| 753,164 |
| 235,429 |
| 34,134 |
Inventories |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| 27,237 |
| — |
| — |
Prepayments and other receivables |
| 88,972 |
| 136,036 |
| 195,467 |
| 190,824 |
| 80,278 |
| 11,639 |
Other financial assets |
| 255,958 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| — |
Total current assets |
| 2,036,861 |
| 1,361,319 |
| 5,343,664 |
| 4,781,718 |
| 3,626,476 |
| 525,789 |
Property, equipment and software |
| 27,659 |
| 30,069 |
| 25,272 |
| 45,716 |
| 60,841 |
| 8,821 |
Operating lease right-of-use assets |
| — |
| 16,435 |
| 14,997 |
| 112,781 |
| 63,125 |
| 9,152 |
Intangible assets |
| 148,844 |
| 148,844 |
| 120,444 |
| 119,666 |
| 118,888 |
| 17,237 |
Goodwill |
| 162,574 |
| 162,574 |
| 162,574 |
| 162,574 |
| 162,574 |
| 23,571 |
Investment accounted for using the equity method |
| — |
| — |
| 664,832 |
| 352,106 |
| 30,850 |
| 4,473 |
Other non-current assets |
| — |
| 18,331 |
| 2,010 |
| 26,634 |
| 10,911 |
| 1,582 |
Total assets |
| 2,375,938 |
| 1,737,572 |
| 6,333,793 |
| 5,601,195 |
| 4,073,665 |
| 590,625 |
Total liabilities |
| 415,684 |
| 668,090 |
| 706,648 |
| 1,041,635 |
| 1,163,763 |
| 168,729 |
Total mezzanine equity |
| 2,915,358 |
| 3,104,177 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| — |
Shareholders’ deficit |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value, 800,000,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2021 and 2022; 183,826,753 and 190,879,919 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2021 and 2022, respectively) |
| 6 |
| 6 |
| 114 |
| 126 |
| 132 |
| 19 |
Treasury stock |
| (1) |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| (21,249) |
| (3,081) |
Additional paid-in capital |
| — |
| 389,379 |
| 7,701,116 |
| 9,100,777 |
| 9,579,375 |
| 1,388,879 |
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) |
| 59,380 |
| 70,127 |
| (50,793) |
| (186,510) |
| 213,794 |
| 30,997 |
Accumulated deficit |
| (1,014,489) |
| (2,494,207) |
| (2,023,292) |
| (4,354,833) |
| (6,862,150) |
| (994,918) |
Total shareholders’ equity/(deficit) |
| (955,104) |
| (2,034,695) |
| 5,627,145 |
| 4,559,560 |
| 2,909,902 |
| 421,896 |
Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders’ equity/(deficit) |
| 2,375,938 |
| 1,737,572 |
| 6,333,793 |
| 5,601,195 |
| 4,073,665 |
| 590,625 |
8
The following table presents our selected consolidated statements of cash flow data for the years indicated:
For the Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||||||||
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| RMB |
| USS | |
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||
Selected Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash (used in) generated from operating activities |
| (280,705) |
| (867,982) |
| 433,558 |
| (973,093) |
| (1,102,805) |
| (159,892) |
Net cash generated from (used in) investing activities |
| 9,500 |
| 212,462 |
| (201,901) |
| (727,206) |
| 458,382 |
| 66,459 |
Net cash generated from financing activities |
| 1,479,669 |
| 152,709 |
| 3,440,481 |
| 593,924 |
| 42,357 |
| 6,141 |
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash |
| 59,754 |
| 15,163 |
| (106,643) |
| (128,771) |
| 389,203 |
| 56,429 |
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash |
| 1,268,218 |
| (487,648) |
| 3,565,495 |
| (1,235,146) |
| (212,863) |
| (30,863) |
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of the year |
| 412,713 |
| 1,680,931 |
| 1,193,283 |
| 4,758,778 |
| 3,523,632 |
| 510,879 |
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of the year |
| 1,680,931 |
| 1,193,283 |
| 4,758,778 |
| 3,523,632 |
| 3,310,769 |
| 480,016 |
A. | Reserved |
B. | Capitalization and Indebtedness |
Not applicable.
C. | Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds |
Not applicable.
D. Risk Factors
Summary of Risk Factors
An investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares involves significant risks. Below is a summary of material risks we face, organized under relevant headings. These risks are discussed more fully in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors.”
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital
| ● | We have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance. |
| ● | We have incurred net losses in the past and we may not be able to maintain profitability in the future. |
| ● | We recorded net cash outflow from operating activities in the past. We may need to obtain additional financing to fund our operations. If we are unable to obtain such financing, we may be unable to complete the development and commercialization of our major drug candidates. |
Risks Related to Clinical Development of Our Drug Candidates
| ● | Clinical development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future trial results. |
9
| ● | We depend substantially on the success of our drug candidates, all of which are in pre-clinical or clinical development, and our ability to identify additional drug candidates. If we are unable to successfully identify new drug candidates, complete clinical development, obtain regulatory approval and commercialize our drug candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially banned. |
| ● | We may not be able to identify, discover or in-license new drug candidates, and may allocate our limited resources to pursue a particular drug candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on drug candidates or indications that may later prove to be more profitable, or for which there is a greater likelihood of success. |
Risks Related to Obtaining Regulatory Approval for Our Drug Candidates
| ● | All material aspects of the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products are heavily regulated. |
| ● | The regulatory approval processes of the NMPA, the FDA and other comparable regulatory authorities are time-consuming and may evolve over time, and if we are ultimately unable to obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates, our business will be substantially harmed. |
| ● | The failure to obtain patent term extension and data exclusivity for approved pharmaceutical products could increase the risk of generic competition with our products. |
Risks Related to Commercialization of Our Drug Candidates
| ● | Our drug candidates may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success. |
| ● | We face intense competition and rapid technological change and the possibility that our competitors may develop therapies that are similar, more advanced, or more effective than ours, which may adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to successfully commercialize our drug candidates. |
| ● | The manufacture of biopharmaceutical products is a complex process which requires significant expertise and capital investment, and if we encounter problems in sourcing manufacturing capabilities or manufacturing our future products, our business could suffer. |
Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties
| ● | As we rely on third parties to conduct our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, if we lose our relationships with these third parties or if they do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our drug candidates and our business could be substantially harmed. |
| ● | We expect to rely on third parties to manufacture at least a portion of our drug candidate supplies, and we intend to rely on third parties for at least a portion of the manufacturing process of our drug candidates, if approved. Our business could be harmed if those third parties fail to provide us with sufficient quantities of product or fail to do so at acceptable quality levels or prices. |
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
| ● | If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent and other intellectual property protection for our drug candidates, or if the scope of such intellectual property rights obtained is not sufficiently broad, third parties could develop and commercialize products and technologies similar or identical to ours and compete directly against us, and our ability to successfully commercialize any product or technology may be adversely affected. |
| ● | We enjoy only limited geographical protection with respect to certain patents and may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world, including in the PRC. |
10
| ● | 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. |
Risks Related to Our Industry, Business and Operations
| ● | Our future success depends on our ability to attract, retain and motivate senior management and qualified scientific employees. |
| ● | We will need to increase the size and capabilities of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing our growth. |
| ● | The data and information that we gather in our research and development process could be inaccurate or incomplete, which could harm our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations. |
Risks Related to Doing Business in China
| ● | The PRC government’s significant oversight and discretion over our business operations could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs. |
| ● | The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of our auditor in the past has deprived our investors with the benefits of such inspections. |
| ● | Our ADSs may be prohibited from trading in the United States under the HFCAA in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. The delisting of the ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. |
| ● | The approval of and filing with relevant PRC government authorities may be required in connection with our offshore offerings under PRC law, and, if required, we cannot predict whether or for how long we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing. |
General Risks Related to Our ADSs
| ● | The trading price of our ADSs may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to you. |
| ● | We may face an increased risk of securities class action litigation. |
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital
We have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance.
We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history. Our operations to date have focused on organizing and staffing our operations, business planning, raising capital, establishing our intellectual property portfolio and conducting pre-clinical and clinical trials of our drug candidates. We have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully manufacture, obtain marketing approvals for or commercialize our drug candidates. We have no products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any revenue from the sales of our commercial products. Consequently, any predictions about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history.
11
We are focused on the discovery and development of innovative drugs for the treatment of various immuno-oncological and immuno-inflammatory diseases. Our limited operating history, particularly in light of the rapidly evolving drug research and development industry in which we operate and the changing regulatory and market environments we encounter, may make it difficult to evaluate our prospects for future performance. As a result, any assessment of our future performance or viability is subject to significant uncertainty. We will encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by early-stage companies in rapidly evolving fields as we seek to transition to a company capable of supporting commercial activities. If we do not address these risks and difficulties successfully, our business will suffer.
We have incurred net losses in the past and we may not be able to maintain profitability in the future.
Investment in the development of biopharmaceutical products is highly speculative as it entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risks that a drug candidate may fail to demonstrate efficacy and/or safety to gain regulatory or marketing approvals or become commercially viable. To date, we have financed our activities primarily through public and private placements. While we have generated revenue from licensing and collaboration deals, we have only started to generate revenue from supply of investigational products since 2021, and we may continue to incur significant research and development expenses and other expenses related to our ongoing operations. As a result, we had generated a net income of RMB470.9 million in 2020 primarily due to contributions from licensing and collaboration deals, incurred a net loss of RMB2,331.5 million in 2021 and a net loss of RMB2,507.3 million (US$363.5 million) in 2022, respectively. Substantially all of our net losses have resulted from costs incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate net profits in the future. Our ability to achieve and maintain profitability depends in large part on our ability to out-license some of our commercialization rights and execute our product commercialization strategies as our business further grows in scale. Accordingly, we intend to continue to invest for the foreseeable future in certain activities relating to our development, including, but not limited to, the following:
| ● | conducting clinical trials of our drug candidates; |
| ● | manufacturing clinical trial materials through contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs, in and out of China; |
| ● | seeking regulatory approvals for our drug candidates; |
| ● | commercializing our drug candidates for which we have obtained marketing approval; |
| ● | completing the construction of and maintaining our manufacturing facilities; |
| ● | hiring additional clinical, operational, financial, quality control and scientific personnel; |
| ● | establishing a sales, marketing and commercialization team for any future products that have obtained regulatory approval; |
| ● | seeking to identify additional drug candidates; |
| ● | obtaining, maintaining, expanding and protecting our intellectual property portfolio; |
| ● | enforcing and defending any intellectual property-related claims; and |
| ● | acquiring or in-licensing other drug candidates, intellectual property and technologies. |
12
Typically, it takes many years to develop one new drug from the time it is discovered to when it becomes available for treating patients. During the process, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. The size of our future net losses will depend partially on the rate of the future growth of our expenses, our ability to generate revenues and the timing and amount of milestone payments and other payments that we receive from or pay to third parties. If any of our drug candidates fails during clinical trials or does not gain regulatory approval, or, even if approved, fails to achieve market acceptance, our business may not become profitable. Even if we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods thereafter. Our prior losses and expected future losses have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our working capital and shareholders’ equity.
We recorded net cash outflow from operating activities in the past. We may need to obtain additional financing to fund our operations. If we are unable to obtain such financing, we may be unable to complete the development and commercialization of our major drug candidates.
Since our inception, our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash. We had raised over US$400 million in pre-IPO financing in the past and received total net proceeds of approximately US$105.3 million from our initial public offering. We generated RMB433.6 million in net cash from our operations in 2020 primarily due to collection of upfront payment from licensing and collaboration deals, and spent RMB973.1 million and RMB1,102.8 million (US$160.0 million) in net cash to finance our operations in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
We expect our expenses to increase significantly in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance the clinical development of our clinical-stage drug candidates, continue the research and development of our pre-clinical stage drug candidates and initiate additional clinical trials of, and seek regulatory approval for, these and other future drug candidates.
In addition, if we obtain regulatory approvals for any of our drug candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses relating to product manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution and post-approval commitments to continue monitoring the efficacy and safety data of our future products on the market. In particular, costs that may be required for the manufacture of any drug candidate that has received regulatory approval may be substantial as we may need to modify or increase our production capacity in the future at manufacturing facilities. We have incurred and may continue to incur expenses as we create additional infrastructure to support our operations as a public company. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations through public or private equity offerings, debt financing, collaborations or licensing arrangements or other sources. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on acceptable terms, we could be forced to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our research and development programs or any future commercialization efforts.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought uncertainties and interruptions to global economy and caused significant volatility across the financial markets, which had a cooling effect on the financing and investing activities in general. We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents, together with our cash generated from operating activities, financing activities, our initial public offering and private placement(s), will be sufficient to meet our present anticipated working capital requirements and capital expenditures. However, if the volatility in the financial markets continues (including the impact that may arise from the COVID-19), our financing activities in future to raise additional capital may be materially and adversely affected, which may in turn have an adverse effect on our ability to meet our working capital requirement and our liquidity. For other risks related to the COVID-19, see “—Our business and results of operations could be adversely affected by public health crisis (including the COVID-19 global pandemic) and natural catastrophes or other disasters outside of our control in the locations in which we, our suppliers, CROs, CMOs and other contractors operate.”
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to the interests to the holders of our ADSs and our shareholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or drug candidates.
We may seek additional funding through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, licensing arrangements, strategic alliances or partnerships and government grants or subsidies. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a holder of our ADSs. The incurrence of additional indebtedness or the issuance of certain equity securities could give rise to increased fixed payment obligations and also result in certain additional restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt or issue additional equity, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. In addition, the issuance of additional equity securities, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our ADSs to decline.
13
In the event we enter into collaborations or licensing arrangements in order to raise capital, we may be required to accept unfavorable terms, including relinquishing or licensing to a third party our rights to technologies or drug candidates on unfavorable terms, which we would have otherwise sought to develop or commercialize on our own or reserve for future potential arrangements when we are more likely to achieve more favorable terms.
Risks Related to Clinical Development of Our Drug Candidates
Clinical development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future trial results.
Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. While our exclusive focus is to develop drug candidates with potential to become novel or highly differentiated drugs in China and globally, we cannot guarantee that we are able to achieve this for any of our drug candidates. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical development process. The results of pre-clinical studies and early clinical trials of our drug candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials. Drug candidates during later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired results in safety and efficacy despite having progressed through pre-clinical studies and initial clinical trials and despite the level of scientific rigor in the study, design and adequacy of execution. For example, in July 2022, due to an unexpected high incidence of fatal bleeding, MacroGenics terminated a phase 2 study of enoblituzumab as a combination therapy with PD-1 antibody or PD-1/LAG3 bispecific antibody in patients with head and neck cancers. As a result of such incident, we exercised our right to terminate the collaboration agreement with MacroGenics by serving a termination notice on August 29, 2022 and the termination came into effect in February 2023. In addition, there can be significant variability in safety and/or efficacy results among different trials of the same drug candidate due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to, differences in individual patient conditions, including genetic differences, and other compounding factors, such as other medications or pre-existing medical conditions.
In the case of any trials we conduct, results may differ from earlier trials due to the larger number of clinical trial sites and additional countries and languages involved in such trials. A number of companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to a lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. We cannot guarantee that our future clinical trial results will be favorable based on currently available clinical and pre-clinical data.
We depend substantially on the success of our drug candidates, all of which are in pre-clinical or clinical development, and our ability to identify additional drug candidates. If we are unable to successfully identify new drug candidates, complete clinical development, obtain regulatory approval and commercialize our drug candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
Our business will depend on the successful development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our drug candidates for the treatment of patients with our targeted indications, all of which are still in pre-clinical or clinical development, and other new drug candidates that we may identify and develop. As of the date of this annual report, we have obtained investigational new drug (IND) approvals from the NMPA for seven of our drug candidates, felzartamab, efineptakin alfa, lemzoparlimab, uliledlimab, eftansomatropin alfa, TJ210 and givastomig. In addition, we have obtained IND approvals from the FDA for five of our drug candidates, lemzoparlimab, uliledlimab, TJ210, TJ-L14B and givastomig and from the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (the “TFDA”) for felzartamab. However, we cannot guarantee that we are able to obtain regulatory approvals for our other existing drug candidates in a timely manner, or at all. In addition, none of our drug candidates has been approved for marketing in China or any other jurisdiction. Each of our drug candidates will require additional pre-clinical and/ or clinical development, regulatory approvals in multiple jurisdictions, development of manufacturing supply and capacity, substantial investment and significant marketing efforts before we generate any revenue from product sales.
The success of our drug candidates will depend on several factors, including, but not limited to, the successful completion of pre-clinical and/or clinical trials or studies, receipt of regulatory approvals from applicable regulatory authorities for planned clinical trials, future clinical trials or drug registrations, establishing adequate manufacturing capabilities and capacities, commercialization of our existing drug candidates, hiring sufficient technical experts to oversee all development and regulatory activities and license renewal and meeting of the safety requirements.
14
If we do not achieve one or more of these in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays in our ability to obtain approval for our drug candidates, which would materially harm our business and we may not be able to generate sufficient revenues and cash flows to continue our operations. As a result, our financial condition, results of operations and prospects will be materially and adversely harmed.
We may not be able to identify, discover or in-license new drug candidates, and may allocate our limited resources to pursue a particular drug candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on drug candidates or indications that may later prove to be more profitable, or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.
Although a substantial amount of our effort will focus on the continued clinical testing, potential approval, and commercialization of our existing drug candidates, the success of our business depends in part upon our ability to identify, license, discover, develop, or commercialize additional drug candidates. Research programs to identify new drug candidates require substantial technical, financial, and human resources. We may focus our efforts and resources on potential programs or drug candidates that ultimately prove to be unsuccessful. Our research programs or licensing efforts may fail to identify, discover or in-license new drug candidates for clinical development and commercialization for a number of reasons, including, without limitation, the following:
| ● | our research or business development methodology or search criteria and process may be unsuccessful in identifying potential drug candidates; |
| ● | our potential drug candidates may be shown to have harmful side effects or may have other characteristics that may make the products unmarketable or unlikely to receive marketing approval; and |
| ● | it may take greater human and financial resources to identify additional therapeutic opportunities for our drug candidates or to develop suitable potential drug candidates through internal research programs than we possess, thereby limiting our ability to diversify and expand our drug portfolio. |
Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we focus on research programs and drug candidates for specific indications. As a result, we may forgo or delay pursuit of opportunities with other drug candidates or for other indications that later may prove to have greater commercial potential or a greater likelihood of success. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities.
Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will ever be able to identify additional therapeutic opportunities for our drug candidates or to develop suitable potential drug candidates through internal research programs, which could materially adversely affect our future growth and prospects.
If we encounter delays or difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials, our clinical development progress could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected.
We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our drug candidates if we are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials as required by the NMPA, the FDA, or similar regulatory authorities, or if there are delays in the enrollment of eligible patients as a result of the competitive clinical enrollment environment. The inability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who meet the applicable criteria for our clinical trials would result in significant delays. As of the date of this annual report, we have initiated clinical trials for efineptakin alfa and eftansomatropin alfa in China, for felzartamab in Greater China, for TJ210 and TJ-L14B in the United States, for lemzoparlimab, uliledlimab and givastomig in China and the United States.
In addition, some of our competitors have ongoing clinical trials for drug candidates that treat the same indications as our drug candidates, and patients who would otherwise be eligible for our clinical trials may instead enroll in the clinical trials of our competitors’ drug candidates, which may further delay our clinical trial enrollments.
Patient enrollment for our clinical trials may be affected by other factors, including, but not limited to, the following:
| ● | severity of the disease under investigation; |
| ● | total size and nature of the relevant patient population; |
15
| ● | design and eligibility criteria for the clinical trial in question; |
| ● | perceived risks and benefits of the drug candidate under study; |
| ● | our resources to facilitate timely enrollment in clinical trials; |
| ● | patient referral practices of physicians; |
| ● | availability of competing therapies also undergoing clinical trials; |
| ● | our investigators’ or clinical trial sites’ efforts to screen and recruit eligible patients; and |
| ● | proximity and availability of clinical trial sites for prospective patients. |
Even if we are able to enroll a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials, delays in patient enrollment may result in increased costs or may affect the timing or outcome of the planned clinical trials, which could prevent completion of these trials and adversely affect our ability to advance the development of our drug candidates.
If clinical trials of our drug candidates fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of regulatory authorities or do not otherwise produce positive results, we may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of our drug candidates.
Before obtaining regulatory approval for the sale of our drug candidates, we must conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our drug candidates in humans. We may experience numerous unexpected events during, or as a result of, clinical trials that could delay or prevent our ability to receive regulatory approval or commercialize our drug candidates, including, without limitation:
| ● | regulators, institutional review boards, or IRBs, or ethics committees may not authorize us or our investigators to commence a clinical trial or conduct a clinical trial at a prospective trial site; |
| ● | our inability to reach agreements on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites; |
| ● | manufacturing issues, including problems with manufacturing, supply quality, compliance with good manufacturing practice, or GMP, or obtaining sufficient quantities of a drug candidate from third parties for use in a clinical trial; |
| ● | our partners identify safety concerns in the clinical assets that we licensed, which lead to the termination of the collaboration and development of the underlying clinical assets with our partners; |
| ● | clinical trials of our drug candidates may produce negative or inconclusive results, and we may decide to conduct additional clinical trials or abandon drug development programs, or regulators may require us to do so; |
| ● | the number of patients required for clinical trials of our drug candidates may be larger than we anticipate, enrollment may be insufficient or slower than we anticipate or patients may drop out at a higher rate than we anticipate; |
| ● | our third-party contractors, including clinical investigators, may fail to comply with regulatory requirements or meet their contractual obligations to us in a timely manner, or at all; |
| ● | we might have to suspend or terminate clinical trials of our drug candidates for various reasons, including a finding of a lack of clinical response or other unexpected characteristics or a finding that participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks; |
| ● | regulators, IRBs or ethics committees may require that we or our investigators suspend or terminate clinical research or not rely on the results of clinical research for various reasons, including non-compliance with regulatory requirements; |
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| ● | the cost of clinical trials of our drug candidates may be greater than we anticipate; and |
| ● | the supply or quality of our drug candidates, companion diagnostics or other materials necessary to conduct clinical trials of our drug candidates may be insufficient or inadequate. |
If we fail to timely and effectively address the above challenges, we may (i) be delayed in obtaining regulatory approval for our drug candidates; (ii) obtain approval for indications that are not as broad as intended; (iii) not obtain regulatory approval at all; (iv) have the drug removed from the market after obtaining regulatory approval; (v) be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements; (vi) be subject to restrictions on how the drug is distributed or used; or (vii) be unable to obtain reimbursement for use of the drug.
Significant clinical trial delays may also increase our development costs and could shorten any periods during which we have the exclusive right to commercialize our drug candidates or allow our competitors to bring drugs to market before we do. This could impair our ability to commercialize our drug candidates and may harm our business and results of operations.
Risks Related to Obtaining Regulatory Approval for Our Drug Candidates
All material aspects of the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products are heavily regulated.
All jurisdictions in which we intend to conduct our pharmaceutical-industry activities regulate these activities in great depth and detail. We intend to focus our activities in the major markets of China and the United States. These jurisdictions strictly regulate the pharmaceutical industry, and in doing so they employ broadly similar regulatory strategies, including regulation of product development and approval, manufacturing, and marketing, sales and distribution of products. However, there are differences in the regulatory regimes that make for a more complex and costly regulatory compliance burden for a company like us that plans to operate in these regions.
The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and compliance with appropriate laws and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable requirements at any time during the product development process and approval process, or after approval, may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions. These sanctions could include: refusal to approve pending applications; withdrawal of an approval; license revocation; clinical hold; voluntary or mandatory product recalls; product seizures; total or partial suspension of production or distribution; injunctions; fines; refusals of government contracts; providing restitution; undergoing disgorgement; or other civil or criminal penalties. Failure to comply with these regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The regulatory approval processes of the NMPA, the FDA and other comparable regulatory authorities are time-consuming and may evolve over time, and if we are ultimately unable to obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates, our business will be substantially harmed.
The time required to obtain the approval of the NMPA, the FDA and other comparable regulatory authorities is inherently uncertain and depends on numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. Generally, such approvals take many years to obtain following the commencement of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, although they are typically provided within 12 to 18 months after clinical trials are completed. In addition, approval policies, regulations or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a drug candidate’s clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions. As of the date of this annual report, we have obtained IND approvals from the NMPA for seven of our drug candidates, felzartamab, efineptakin alfa, lemzoparlimab, uliledlimab, eftansomatropin alfa, TJ210 and givastomig. In addition, we have obtained IND approvals from the FDA for five of our drug candidates, lemzoparlimab, uliledlimab, TJ210, TJ-L14B and givastomig; from the TFDA for felzartamab. However, we cannot guarantee that we are able to obtain regulatory approvals for our other existing drug candidates or any drug candidates we may discover, in-license or acquire and seek to develop in the future.
Our drug candidates could fail to receive the regulatory approval of the NMPA, the FDA or a comparable regulatory authority for many reasons, including, without limitation:
| ● | disagreement with the design or implementation of our clinical trials; |
| ● | failure to demonstrate that a drug candidate is safe and effective and potent for its proposed indication; |
| ● | failure of our clinical trial results to meet the level of statistical significance required for approval; |
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| ● | failure of our clinical trial process to pass relevant good clinical practice (“GCP”) inspections; |
| ● | failure to demonstrate that a drug candidate’s clinical and other benefits outweigh its safety risks; |
| ● | disagreement with our interpretation of data from pre-clinical studies or clinical trials; |
| ● | insufficient data collected from the clinical trials of our drug candidates to support the submission and filing of a new drug application, or NDA, or other submissions or to obtain regulatory approval; |
| ● | failure of our drug candidates to pass current Good Manufacturing Practice (“GMP”), inspections during the regulatory review process or across the production cycle of our drug; |
| ● | failure of our clinical sites to pass audits carried out by the NMPA, the FDA or comparable regulatory authorities, resulting in a potential invalidation of our research data; |
| ● | findings by the NMPA, the FDA or comparable regulatory authorities of deficiencies related to our manufacturing processes or the facilities of third-party manufacturers with whom we contract for clinical and commercial supplies; |
| ● | changes in approval policies or regulations that render our pre-clinical and clinical data insufficient for approval; and |
| ● | failure of our clinical trial process to keep up with any scientific or technological advancements required by approval policies or regulations. |
The NMPA, the FDA or a comparable regulatory authority may require more information, including additional pre-clinical or clinical data, to support approval, which may delay or prevent approval and our commercialization plans. Even if we were to obtain approval, regulatory authorities may approve any of our drug candidates for fewer or more limited indications than we request, grant approval contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing clinical trials, or approve a drug candidate with an indication that is not desirable for the successful commercialization of that drug candidate. Any of the foregoing scenarios could materially harm the commercial prospects of our drug candidates.
The failure to obtain patent term extension and data exclusivity for approved pharmaceutical products could increase the risk of generic competition with our products.
In the United States, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the law generally referred to as “Hatch-Waxman,” provides the opportunity for patent-term restoration, meaning a patent term extension of up to five years to reflect patent term lost during certain portions of product development and the FDA regulatory review process. Hatch-Waxman also has a process for patent linkage, pursuant to which the FDA will stay approval of certain follow-on applications during the pendency of litigation between the follow-on applicant and the patent holder or licensee, generally for a period of 30 months. Finally, Hatch-Waxman provides for statutory exclusivities that can prevent submission or approval of certain follow-on marketing applications. For example, federal law provides a five-year period of exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to obtain approval of a new chemical entity and three years of exclusivity protecting certain innovations to previously approved active ingredients where the applicant was required to conduct new clinical investigations to obtain approval for the modification. Similarly, the United States Orphan Drug Act provides seven years of market exclusivity for certain drugs to treat rare diseases, where the FDA designates the drug candidate as an orphan drug and the drug is approved for the designated orphan indication. These provisions, designed to promote innovation, can prevent competing products from entering the market for a certain period of time after the FDA grants marketing approval for the innovative product.
Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of any FDA marketing approval process for any drug candidates we may develop, one or more of our U.S. patents, if issued, may be eligible for limited patent term extension under Hatch-Waxman. Hatch-Waxman permits a patent extension term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during clinical trials and the FDA regulatory review process. A patent term extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of drug approval, only one patent may be extended and only those claims covering the approved drug, a method for using it, or a method for manufacturing it may be extended. However, we may not be granted an extension because of, for example, failing to exercise due diligence during the testing phase or regulatory review process, failing to apply within applicable deadlines, failing to apply prior to expiration of relevant patents, or otherwise failing to satisfy applicable requirements. Furthermore, the applicable time period or the scope of patent protection afforded could be less than we request.
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In China, the PRC Patent Law, which was most recently amended by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on October 17, 2020, and became effective on June 1, 2021, for the first time, generally provides for patent term compensation and patent linkage system. Under the PRC Patent Law, patent term compensation can be obtained for regulatory delays in the review and approval of new drugs but are limited to no more than five years and the total post-marketing patent term of the new drug cannot exceed 14 years, which is similar to the provisions of Hatch-Waxman. However, to be implemented, the patent term compensation requires further promulgation of detailed implementation measures. Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of any NMPA marketing approval process for any drug candidates we may develop, one or more of our China patents, if issued, may not be eligible for or only be eligible for limited patent term compensation. The PRC Patent Law, for the first time, introduces a system for the early resolution of patent disputes concerning generic drug applications, which is similar to the U.S. patent linkage system. The Implementation Measures for Early Resolution Mechanism of Pharmaceutical Patent Disputes (for Trial Implementation) jointly issued by the NMPA and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (the “CNIPA”) on July 4, 2021 and the Administrative Ruling Measures on the Early Resolution Mechanism for Drug Patent Dispute issued by the CNIPA on July 5, 2021 collectively set forth, for the first time, details of how such patent linkage system would be implemented. As the China trial version of patent linkage system was just implemented commencing from July 2021, substantial uncertainties remain as to whether this trial system can effectively block early generic competition with our products. Although the Regulations for Implementation of the Drug Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China has provided six-year data exclusivity for a new chemical entity, and Chinese regulators have proposed a framework for integrating data exclusivity into the Chinese regulatory regime in 2018, the system of data exclusivity was not really implemented in practice. Consequently, the absence of currently implemented data exclusivity may result in weaker protection for us against generic competition in China than could be available to us in the United States. If we are unable to obtain patent term extension or the term of any such extension is less than we request, our competitors may obtain approval of competing products following our patent expiration, and our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects could be materially harmed.
Our drug candidates may cause undesirable adverse events or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial profile of an approved label, or result in significant negative consequences following regulatory approval.
Undesirable adverse events caused by our drug candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and may result in a more restrictive label, a delay or denial of regulatory approval by the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities, or a significant change in our clinical protocol or even our development plan. In particular, as is the case with drugs treating cancers and auto-immune diseases, it is likely that there may be side effects, such as nausea, fatigue and infusion-related reactions, associated with the use of certain of our drug candidates. Results of our trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity or prevalence of certain adverse events. In such an event, our trials could be suspended or terminated and the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities could order us to cease further development of, or deny approval of, our drug candidates for any or all targeted indications. Adverse events related to our drug candidates may affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled subjects to complete the trial, and could result in potential liability claims. Any of these occurrences may significantly harm our reputation, business, financial condition and prospects.
Additionally, if we or others identify undesirable side effects caused by those of our existing drug candidates that have received regulatory approval, or our other drug candidates after having received regulatory approval, this may lead to potentially significant negative consequences which include, but are not limited to, the following:
| ● | we may suspend marketing of the drug candidate; |
| ● | regulatory authorities may withdraw their approvals of or revoke the licenses for the drug candidate; |
| ● | regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label; |
| ● | the FDA may require the establishment of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, or the NMPA or a comparable regulatory authority may require the establishment of a similar strategy that may, for instance, restrict distribution of our drugs and impose burdensome implementation requirements on us; |
| ● | we may be required to conduct specific post-marketing studies; |
| ● | we could be subjected to litigation proceedings and held liable for harm caused to subjects or patients; and |
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| ● | our reputation may suffer. |
Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of any particular drug candidate that is approved and could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.
Further, combination therapy, such as using our wholly-owned drug candidates as well as third-party agents, may involve unique adverse events that could be exacerbated compared with adverse events from monotherapies. Results of our trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity or prevalence of adverse events. These types of adverse events could be caused by our drug candidates and could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and may result in a more restrictive indication or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authority.
If we are unable to obtain the NMPA approval for our drug candidates to be eligible for an expedited registration pathway as innovative drug candidates, the time and cost we incur to obtain regulatory approvals may increase.
The NMPA has mechanisms in place for expedited review and approval for drug candidates that are innovative drug applications, provided such drug or drug candidate has a new and clearly defined structure, pharmacological property and apparent clinical value and has not been marketed anywhere in the world. However, there is no assurance that an innovative drug designation will be granted by the NMPA for any of our drug candidates. Moreover, an innovative drug designation, which is typically granted only towards the end of a drug’s developmental stage, does not increase the likelihood that our drug candidates will receive regulatory approval on a fast-track basis, or at all.
Further, there have been recent regulatory initiatives in China in relation to clinical trial approvals, the evaluation and approval of certain drugs and medical devices and the simplification and acceleration of the clinical trial process.
As a result, the regulatory process in China is evolving and subject to change. Any future policies, or changes to current polices might require us to change our planned clinical study design or otherwise spend additional resources and effort to obtain approval of our drug candidates. In addition, policy changes may contain significant limitations related to use restrictions for certain age groups, warnings, precautions or contraindications, or may be subject to burdensome post-approval study or risk management requirements. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates in the PRC, or any approval contains significant limitations, we may not be able to obtain sufficient funding or generate sufficient revenue to continue the development of our drug candidates or any other drug candidate that we may in-license, acquire or develop in the future.
Even if we receive regulatory approval for our drug candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expenses and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our drug candidates.
If the NMPA, the FDA or a comparable regulatory authority approves any of our drug candidates, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for the drug will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements on pharmacovigilance. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, random quality control testing, adherence to any chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (“CMC”), variations, continued compliance with current GMPs, and GCPs and potential post-approval studies for the purposes of license renewal.
Any regulatory approvals that we receive for our drug candidates may also be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the drug may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing studies, including Phase 4 studies for the surveillance and monitoring of the safety and efficacy of the drug.
In addition, once a drug is approved by the NMPA, the FDA or a comparable regulatory authority for marketing, it is possible that there could be a subsequent discovery of previously unknown problems with the drug, including problems with third-party manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements. If any of the foregoing occurs with respect to our drug products, it may result in, among other things:
| ● | restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the drug, withdrawal of the drug from the market, or voluntary or mandatory drug recalls; |
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| ● | fines, warning letters or holds on our clinical trials; |
| ● | refusal by the NMPA, the FDA or comparable regulatory authorities to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us, or suspension or revocation of drug license approvals; |
| ● | refusal by the NMPA, the FDA or comparable regulatory authorities to accept any of our other IND approvals, NDAs or BLAs; |
| ● | drug seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of drugs; and |
| ● | injunctions or the imposition of civil, administrative or criminal penalties. |
Any government investigation of alleged violations of law could require us to expend significant time and resources and could generate negative publicity. Moreover, regulatory policies may change or additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our drug candidates. If we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose the regulatory approvals that we have already obtained and may not achieve or sustain profitability, which in turn could significantly harm our business, financial condition and prospects.
Illegal and/or parallel imports and counterfeit pharmaceutical products may reduce demand for our future approved drug candidates and could have a negative impact on our reputation and business.
The illegal importation of competing products from countries where government price controls or other market dynamics result in lower prices may adversely affect the demand for our future approved drug candidates and, in turn, may adversely affect our sales and profitability in China and other countries where we commercialize our products. Unapproved foreign imports of prescription drugs are illegal under the current laws of China. However, illegal imports may continue to occur or even increase as the ability of patients and other customers to obtain these lower priced imports continues to grow. Furthermore, cross-border imports from lower-priced markets (which are known as parallel imports) into higher-priced markets could harm sales of our future drug products and exert commercial pressure on pricing within one or more markets. In addition, competent government authorities may expand consumers’ ability to import lower priced versions of our future approved products or competing products from outside China or other countries where we operate. Any future legislation or regulations that increase consumer access to lower priced medicines from outside China or other countries where we operate could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Certain products distributed or sold in the pharmaceutical market may be manufactured without proper licenses or approvals, or be fraudulently mislabeled with respect to their content or manufacturers. These products are generally referred to as counterfeit pharmaceutical products. The counterfeit pharmaceutical product control and enforcement system, particularly in developing markets such as China, may be inadequate to discourage or eliminate the manufacturing and sale of counterfeit pharmaceutical products imitating our products. Since counterfeit pharmaceutical products in many cases have very similar appearances compared with the authentic pharmaceutical products but are generally sold at lower prices, counterfeits of our products could quickly erode the demand for our future approved drug candidates.
In addition, counterfeit pharmaceutical products are not expected to meet our or our collaborators’ rigorous manufacturing and testing standards. A patient who receives a counterfeit pharmaceutical product may be at risk for a number of dangerous health consequences. Our reputation and business could suffer harm as a result of counterfeit pharmaceutical products sold under our or our collaborators’ brand name(s). In addition, thefts of inventory at warehouses, plants or while in-transit, which are not properly stored and which are sold through unauthorized channels, could adversely impact patient safety, our reputation and our business.
Risks Related to Commercialization of Our Drug Candidates
Our drug candidates may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.
Even if our drug candidates receive regulatory approval, they may nonetheless fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians and patients and others in the medical community. Physicians and patients may prefer other drugs or drug candidates to ours. If our drug candidates do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant revenue from sales of our drugs or drug candidates and may not become profitable.
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The degree of market acceptance of our drug candidates, if and only when they are approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to:
| ● | the clinical indications for which our drug candidates are approved; |
| ● | physicians, hospitals and patients considering our drug candidates as a safe and effective treatment; |
| ● | whether our drug candidates have achieved the perceived advantages of our drug candidates over alternative treatments; |
| ● | the prevalence and severity of any side effects; |
| ● | product labeling or package insert requirements of the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities; |
| ● | limitations or warnings contained in the labeling approved by the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities; |
| ● | timing of market introduction of our drug candidates as well as competitive drugs; |
| ● | cost of treatment in relation to alternative treatments; |
| ● | availability of adequate coverage and reimbursement under the national and provincial reimbursement drug lists in the PRC, or from third-party payors and government authorities in the United States or any other jurisdictions; |
| ● | willingness of patients to pay any out-of-pocket expenses in the absence of coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors and government authorities; |
| ● | relative convenience and ease of administration, including as compared with alternative treatments and competitive therapies; and |
| ● | the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts. |
If our drug candidates are approved but fail to achieve market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals or others in the medical community, we will not be able to generate significant revenue or become profitable. Even if our drugs achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to maintain such market acceptance over time if new products or technologies are introduced which are more favorably received than our drugs, are more cost effective or render our drugs obsolete.
We face intense competition and rapid technological change and the possibility that our competitors may develop therapies that are similar, more advanced, or more effective than ours, which may adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to successfully commercialize our drug candidates.
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are intensely competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological change. While our exclusive focus is to develop drug candidates with potential to become novel or highly differentiated drugs, we continue to face competition with respect to our current drug candidates, and will face competition with respect to any drug candidates that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future. Our competitors include major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies worldwide. We are developing our drug candidates for the treatment of cancer in competition with a number of large biopharmaceutical companies that currently market and sell drugs or are pursuing the development of drugs also for the treatment of cancer. Some of these competitive drugs and therapies are based on scientific approaches that are the same as or similar to our approach, and others are based on entirely different approaches. For details, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Our Drug Pipeline.” Potential competitors further include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization.
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Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical, and other resources, such as larger research and development staff and experienced marketing and manufacturing organizations. Additional mergers and acquisitions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries may result in even more resources being concentrated in our competitors. As a result, these companies may obtain regulatory approval from the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities more rapidly than we are able to and may be more effective in selling and marketing their products as well. For example, the NMPA has recently accelerated market approval of drugs for diseases with high unmet medical need. In particular, the NMPA may review and approve drugs that have gained regulatory market approval in the United States, the European Union or Japan in the recent ten years without requiring further clinical trials in China. This may lead to potential increased competition from drugs which have already obtained approval in other jurisdictions.
Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large, established companies. Competition may increase further as a result of advances in the commercial applicability of technologies and greater availability of capital for investment in these industries. Our competitors may succeed in developing, acquiring, or licensing on an exclusive basis, products that are more effective or less costly than any drug candidate that we may develop, or achieve earlier patent protection, regulatory approval, product commercialization, and market penetration than we do. Additionally, technologies developed by our competitors may render our potential drug candidates uneconomical or obsolete, and we may not be successful in marketing our drug candidates against competitors.
The manufacture of biopharmaceutical products is a complex process which requires significant expertise and capital investment, and if we encounter problems in sourcing manufacturing capabilities or manufacturing our future products, our business could suffer.
We have limited experience in managing the manufacturing process. The manufacture of biopharmaceutical products is a complex process, in part due to strict regulatory requirements. We have invested in a comprehensive biologics manufacturing facility in Hangzhou, China (the “Hangzhou Facility”) held by I-Mab Biopharma (Hangzhou) Limited (“I-Mab Hangzhou”), an unconsolidated affiliate of our company, as part of our strategic plan to become a global biopharma company. Concrete steps have been taken to execute this plan. These steps include detailed operational planning for the facility, actions taken to secure an appropriate site, and negotiations with external financing providers. The construction of the Hangzhou Facility commenced in April 2021. The Hangzhou Facility has established a pilot capacity of two production lines (one line configured with 2 x 2,000L and the other line with 1 x 2,000L). However, the investment for building the new biologics manufacturing facility that is compliant with cGMP regulations will be a significant upfront cost for I-Mab Hangzhou and its shareholders. In turn, this could materially harm our commercialization plans.
In addition, problems may arise during the manufacturing process for a variety of reasons, including equipment malfunction, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, problems with raw materials, delays related to the construction of new facilities or expansion of any future manufacturing facilities, including changes in manufacturing production sites and limits to manufacturing capacity due to regulatory requirements, changes in the types of products produced, increases in the prices of raw materials, physical limitations that could inhibit continuous supply, man-made or natural disasters and environmental factors. If problems arise during the production of a batch of future products, that batch of future products may have to be discarded and we may experience product shortages or incur added expenses. This could, among other things, lead to increased costs, lost revenue, damage to customer relationships, time and expense spent investigating the cause and, depending on the cause, similar losses with respect to other batches or products. If problems are not discovered before such product is released to the market, recall and product liability costs may also be incurred.
We have no experience in launching and marketing drug candidates. We may not be able to effectively build and manage our sales network, or benefit from third-party collaborators’ sales network.
We currently have no sales, marketing or commercial product distribution capabilities and have no experience in marketing drugs. We and our third-party collaborators will have to compete with other biopharmaceutical companies to recruit, hire, train and retain marketing and sales personnel.
If we are unable or decide not to establish internal sales, marketing and commercial distribution capabilities for any or all of the drugs we develop, we will likely pursue collaborative arrangements regarding the sales and marketing of our drugs. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to establish or maintain such collaborative arrangements, or, if we are able to do so, that they will have effective sales forces. Any revenue we receive will depend on the efforts of such third parties, which may not be successful. We may have little or no control over the marketing and sales efforts of such third parties, and our revenue from product sales may be lower than if we had commercialized our drug candidates ourselves. We will also face competition in our search for third parties to assist us with the sales and marketing efforts of our drug candidates.
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There can be no assurance that we will be able to develop in-house sales and commercial distribution capabilities or establish or maintain relationships with third-party collaborators to successfully commercialize any product, and as a result, we may not be able to generate product sales revenue.
Even if we are able to commercialize any approved drug candidates, reimbursement may be limited or unavailable in certain market segments for our drug candidates, and we may be subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, which could harm our business.
The regulations that govern regulatory approvals, pricing and reimbursement for new therapeutic products vary widely from country to country. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or licensing approval is granted. In some non-U.S. markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we might obtain regulatory approval for a drug in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay our commercial launch of the drug and negatively impact the revenues we are able to generate from the sale of the drug in that country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability to recoup our investment in one or more drug candidates, even if our drug candidates obtain regulatory approval. For example, according to a statement, Opinions on Reforming the Review and Approval Process for Pharmaceutical Products and Medical Devices, issued by the PRC State Council in August 2015, the enterprises applying for new drug approval will be required to undertake that the selling price of new drug on PRC mainland market will not be higher than the comparable market prices of the product in its country of origin or PRC’s neighboring markets, as applicable.
Our ability to commercialize any drugs successfully will also depend in part on the extent to which reimbursement for these drugs and related treatments will be available from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations. Government authorities and third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which medications they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. A primary trend in the global healthcare industry is cost containment. Government authorities and these third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for medical products. We cannot be sure that reimbursement will be available for any drug that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any drug for which we obtain regulatory approval. Obtaining reimbursement for our drugs may be particularly difficult because of the higher prices often associated with drugs administered under the supervision of a physician. If reimbursement is not available or is available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any drug candidate that we successfully develop.
There may be significant delays in obtaining reimbursement for approved drug candidates, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the drug candidates are approved by the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not imply that any drug will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Interim payments for new drugs, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent. Payment rates may vary according to the use of the drug and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on payments allowed for lower cost drugs that are already reimbursed, and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future weakening of laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and profitable payment rates from both government-funded and private payors for any future approved drug candidates and any new drugs that we develop could have a material adverse effect on our business, our operating results, and our overall financial condition.
Current and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us to obtain marketing approval of and commercialize our drug candidates and affect the prices we may obtain.
In the United States and certain other jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of our drug candidates, restrict post-approval activities and affect our ability to sell profitably any drug candidates for which we obtain marketing approval.
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or collectively the ACA, became law. The ACA is a sweeping law intended to broaden access to health insurance, reduce or constrain the growth of healthcare spending, enhance remedies against fraud and abuse, add new transparency requirements for the healthcare and health insurance industries, impose new taxes and fees on the health industry and impose additional health policy reforms. The following sets forth the major provisions of the ACA that may affect our drug candidates:
| ● | an annual, nondeductible fee on any entity that manufactures or imports specified branded prescription drugs and biologic products; |
| ● | an increase in the statutory minimum rebates a manufacturer must pay under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program; |
| ● | expansion of healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute, new government investigative powers, and enhanced penalties for noncompliance; |
| ● | a new Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which manufacturers must agree to offer 50% point-of-sale discounts off negotiated prices; |
| ● | extension of manufacturers’ Medicaid rebate liability; |
| ● | expansion of eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs; |
| ● | expansion of the entities eligible for discounts under the Public Health Service Act’s pharmaceutical pricing program; |
| ● | new requirements to report to CMS financial arrangements with physicians and teaching hospitals; |
| ● | a new requirement to annually report to the FDA drug samples that manufacturers and distributors provide to physicians; and |
| ● | a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to oversee, identify priorities in, and conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research, along with funding for such research. |
Legislative and regulatory proposals have been made to expand post-approval requirements and restrict sales and promotional activities for pharmaceutical products. We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether the FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes on the marketing approvals, if any, of our drug candidates may be. In addition, increased scrutiny by the U.S. Congress of the FDA’s approval process may significantly delay or prevent marketing approval, as well as subject us to more stringent product labeling and post-marketing conditions and other requirements.
As we out-license some of our commercialization rights and engage in other forms of collaboration worldwide, including conducting clinical trials abroad, we may be exposed to specific risks of conducting our business and operations in international markets.
Markets outside of China form an important component of our growth strategy, as we out-license some of our commercialization rights to third parties outside the PRC and conduct certain of our clinical trials abroad. If we fail to obtain applicable licenses or fail to enter into strategic collaboration arrangements with third parties in these markets, or if these collaboration arrangements turn out unsuccessful, our revenue-generating growth potential will be adversely affected.
Moreover, international business relationships subject us to additional risks that may materially adversely affect our ability to attain or sustain profitable operations, including:
| ● | efforts to enter into collaboration or licensing arrangements with third parties in connection with our international sales, marketing and distribution efforts may increase our expenses or divert our management’s attention from the acquisition or development of drug candidates; |
| ● | changes in a specific country’s or region’s political and cultural climate or economic condition; |
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| ● | differing regulatory requirements for drug approvals and marketing internationally; |
| ● | difficulty of effective enforcement of contractual provisions in local jurisdictions; |
| ● | potentially reduced protection for intellectual property rights; |
| ● | potential third-party patent rights; |
| ● | unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements; |
| ● | economic weakness, including inflation or political instability; |
| ● | compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees traveling abroad; |
| ● | the effects of applicable non-PRC tax structures and potentially adverse tax consequences; |
| ● | currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenue, and other obligations incidental to doing business in another country; |
| ● | workforce uncertainty and labor unrest; |
| ● | the potential for so-called parallel importing, which is what happens when a local seller, faced with high or higher local prices, opts to import goods from an international market with low or lower prices rather than buying them locally; |
| ● | failure of our employees and contracted third parties to comply with Office of Foreign Assets Control rules and regulations and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of the United States, and other applicable rules and regulations; |
| ● | production shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad; and |
| ● | business interruptions resulting from geo-political actions, including war and terrorism, or natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, floods, hurricanes and fires. |
These and other risks may materially adversely affect our ability to attain or sustain revenue from international markets.
If safety, efficacy, or other issues arise with any medical product that is used in combination with our drug candidates, we may be unable to market such drug candidate or may experience significant regulatory delays or supply shortages, and our business could be materially harmed.
We plan to develop certain of our drug candidates for use as a combination therapy. If the NMPA, the FDA or another comparable regulatory agency revokes its approval of another therapeutic we use in combination with our drug candidates, we will not be able to market our drug candidates in combination with such revoked therapeutic. If safety or efficacy issues arise with these or other therapeutics that we seek to combine with our drug candidates in the future, we may experience significant regulatory delays, and we may be required to redesign or terminate the applicable clinical trials. In addition, if manufacturing or other issues result in a supply shortage of any component of our combination drug candidates or if we cannot secure supply of any component of our drug candidates at commercially reasonable or acceptable prices, we may not be able to complete clinical development of our drug candidates on our current timeline or within our current budget, or at all.
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Lack of third-party combination drugs may materially and adversely affect demand for our drugs.
Our drug candidates may be administered in combination with drugs of other pharmaceutical companies as one regimen. In addition, we often use such third-party drugs in our development and clinical trials as controls for our studies. As a result, both the results of our clinical trials and the sales of our drugs may be affected by the availability of these third-party drugs. If other pharmaceutical companies discontinue these combination drugs, regimens that use these combination drugs may no longer be prescribed, and we may not be able to introduce or find an alternative drug to be used in combination with our drugs at all or in a timely manner and on a cost-effective basis. As a result, demand for our drugs may be lowered, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties
As we rely on third parties to conduct our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, if we lose our relationships with these third parties or if they do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our drug candidates and our business could be substantially harmed.
We have relied on and plan to continue to rely on third-party contract research organization (“CROs”) to monitor and manage data for some of our ongoing pre-clinical and clinical programs. We rely on these parties for the execution of our pre-clinical and clinical trials, and control only certain aspects of their activities. Nevertheless, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our studies is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol and legal, regulatory and scientific standards, and our reliance on the CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities.
We also rely on third parties to assist in conducting our pre-clinical studies in accordance with Good Laboratory Practices (“GLP”). We and our CROs are required to comply with GCP, GLP and other regulatory regulations and guidelines enforced by the NMPA, the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities for all of our drug candidates in clinical development. Regulatory authorities enforce these GCP, GLP or other regulatory requirements through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, investigators and trial sites. If we or any of our CROs fail to comply with applicable GCP, GLP or other regulatory requirements, the relevant data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical studies before approving our marketing applications. There can be no assurance that upon inspection by a given regulatory authority, such regulatory authority will determine that any of our clinical trials complies with GCP requirements. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with drug candidates or products produced under cGMP requirements. Failure to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat pre-clinical and clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.
Our CROs have the right to terminate their agreements with us in the event of an unrectified material breach. If any of our relationships with our third-party CROs is terminated, we may not be able to (i) enter into arrangements with alternative CROs or do so on commercially reasonable terms or (ii) meet our desired clinical development timelines. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new CRO commences work, and the new CRO may not provide the same type or level of services as the original provider and data from our clinical trials may be compromised as a result. There is also a need for relevant technology to be transferred to the new CRO, which may take time and further delay our development timelines.
Except for remedies available to us under our agreements with our CROs, we cannot control whether or not our CROs devote sufficient time and resources to our ongoing clinical, nonclinical and pre-clinical programs. If our CROs do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations or meet expected deadlines or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to their failure to adhere to our clinical protocols, regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize our drug candidates. As a result, our results of operations and the commercial prospects for our drug candidates would be harmed and our costs could increase. In turn, our ability to generate revenues could be delayed or compromised.
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Because we rely on third parties, our internal capacity to perform these functions is limited. Outsourcing these functions involves certain risks that third parties may not perform to our standards, may not produce results in a timely manner or may fail to perform at all. In addition, the use of third-party service providers requires us to disclose our proprietary information to these third parties, which could increase the risk that such information will be misappropriated. We currently have a small number of employees, which limits the internal resources we could utilize to identify and monitor our third-party service providers. To the extent we are unable to identify and successfully manage the performance of third-party service providers in the future, our business may be adversely affected. Though we carefully manage our relationships with our CROs, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter similar challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.
We expect to rely on third parties to manufacture at least a portion of our drug candidate supplies, and we intend to rely on third parties for at least a portion of the manufacturing process of our drug candidates, if approved. Our business could be harmed if those third parties fail to provide us with sufficient quantities of product or fail to do so at acceptable quality levels or prices.
Although we plan to secure a facility that we can control for clinical-scale manufacturing and processing of our drug candidates, we intend to also partially rely on third-party vendors to manufacture supplies and process our drug candidates. We have not yet manufactured or processed our drug candidates on a commercial scale and may not be able to do so for any of our drug candidates. We have limited experience in managing the manufacturing process, and our process may be more difficult or expensive than the approaches currently in use.
Our anticipated reliance on third-party manufacturers exposes us to certain risks, including, but not limited to, the following:
| ● | we may be unable to identify manufacturers on acceptable terms or at all because the number of potential manufacturers is limited and the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities must approve any manufacturers as part of their regulatory oversight of our drug candidates. This approval would require new testing and cGMP-compliance inspections by the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities. In addition, a new manufacturer would have to be educated in, or develop substantially equivalent processes for, production of our drugs; |
| ● | our contract manufacturers may have little or no experience with manufacturing our drug candidates, and therefore may require a significant amount of support from us in order to implement and maintain the infrastructure and processes required to manufacture our drug candidates; |
| ● | our contract manufacturers may have limited capacity or limited manufacturing slots, which may affect the timeline for the production of our drugs; |
| ● | our contract manufacturers might be unable to timely manufacture our drug candidates or produce the quantity and quality required to meet our clinical and commercial needs, if any; |
| ● | contract manufacturers may not be able to execute our manufacturing procedures and other logistical support requirements appropriately; |
| ● | our future contract manufacturers may not perform as agreed, may not devote sufficient resources to our drugs, or may not remain in the contract manufacturing business for the time required to supply our clinical trials or to successfully produce, store and distribute our drugs; |
| ● | our contract manufacturers are subject to ongoing periodic unannounced inspections by the NMPA and the FDA to ensure strict compliance with cGMP and other government regulations in the PRC and the United States, respectively, and by other comparable regulatory authorities for corresponding regulatory requirements. We do not have control over third-party manufacturers’ compliance with these regulations and requirements; |
| ● | we may not own, or may have to share, the intellectual property rights to any improvements made by our third-party manufacturers in the manufacturing process for our drugs; |
| ● | our contract manufacturers could breach or terminate their agreements with us; |
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| ● | our contract manufacturers may be unable to sustain their business and become bankrupt as a result; |
| ● | raw materials and components used in the manufacturing process, particularly those for which we have no other source or supplier, may not be available or may not be suitable or acceptable for use due to material or component defects; |
| ● | products and components from our third-party manufacturers may be subject to additional customs and import charges, which may cause us to incur delays or additional costs as a result; |
| ● | our contract manufacturers and critical reagent suppliers may be subject to inclement weather, as well as natural or man-made disasters; and |
| ● | our contract manufacturers may have unacceptable or inconsistent product quality success rates and yields. |
Each of these risks could delay or prevent the completion of our clinical trials or the approval of any of our drug candidates by the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities, result in higher costs or adversely impact the commercialization of our drug candidates. In addition, we will rely on third parties to perform certain specification tests on our drug candidates prior to delivery to patients. If these tests are not appropriately done and test data is not reliable, patients could be put at risk of serious harm and the NMPA, the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities could place significant restrictions on our company until deficiencies are remedied.
The manufacture of biopharmaceutical products is complex and requires significant expertise and capital investment, including the development of advanced manufacturing techniques and process controls. Currently, our drug raw materials for our manufacturing activities are supplied by multiple source suppliers. We have agreements for the supply of drug materials with manufacturers or suppliers that we believe have sufficient capacity to meet our demands. In addition, we believe that adequate alternative sources for such supplies exist. However, there is a risk that, if supplies are interrupted, our business would be materially harmed.
Manufacturers of biopharmaceutical products often encounter difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up or out, validating the production process, and assuring high reliability of the manufacturing process, including the absence of contamination. These problems include logistics and shipping, difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, including stability of the product, product testing, operator error and availability of qualified personnel, as well as compliance with strictly enforced regulations in the PRC, the United States and other applicable jurisdictions. Further, if contaminants are discovered in the supply of our drug candidates or in the manufacturing facilities, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time for us to investigate and remedy the contamination. There can be no assurance that any stability failures or other issues relating to the manufacture of our drug candidates will not occur in the future. Additionally, our contract manufacturers may experience manufacturing difficulties due to resource constraints or as a result of labor disputes or unstable political environment. If our contract manufacturers were to encounter any of these difficulties, or otherwise fail to comply with their contractual obligations, our ability to provide our drug candidate to patients in clinical trials would be jeopardized. Any delay or interruption in the supply of clinical trial supplies could delay the completion of our clinical trials, increase the costs associated with maintaining clinical trial programs and, depending upon the period of delay, require us to begin new clinical trials at additional expense or terminate clinical trials completely.
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We have entered into collaborations and may form or seek collaborations or strategic alliances or enter into additional licensing arrangements in the future, and we may not realize the benefits of such alliances or licensing arrangements.
We may form or seek strategic alliances, create joint ventures or collaborations, or enter into additional licensing arrangements with third parties that we believe will complement or augment our development and commercialization efforts with respect to our drug candidates and any future drug candidates that we may develop. Any of these relationships may require us to incur recurring or non-recurring expenses and other charges, increase our near and long-term expenditures, issue securities that dilute the value of our ADSs, or disrupt our management and business. For example, we have entered into a license and collaboration agreement with MorphoSys AG (“MorphoSys”), pursuant to which we in-licensed from MorphoSys the development and commercialization rights of felzartamab in Greater China. Another example is our collaboration with AbbVie Ireland Unlimited Company (“AbbVie”). In September 2020, we granted AbbVie a global license, excluding mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, to develop and commercialize lemzoparlimab (as well as certain other compounds directed against CD47), and we retain all rights to develop and commercialize lemzoparlimab in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. On August 15, 2022, we and AbbVie Global Enterprises Ltd. (as an assignee of AbbVie) entered into an amendment to the original licensing and collaboration agreement (as amended, the “AbbVie Collaboration Agreement”). The parties are collaborating on the global development of anti-CD47 antibody therapy under the AbbVie Collaboration Agreement. AbbVie discontinued the global Phase 1b study of lemzoparlimab combination therapy with AZA and venetoclax, in patients with MDS and AML and a Phase 1b study of lemzoparlimab in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. These discontinuations were not related to any specific or unexpected safety concerns. This change led to a lowered probability of achieving a key milestone that was included in the consideration of revenue recognition in prior years. We recorded a reduction in the revenue of approximately US$48.0 million in the second half of 2022. For a more detailed discussion, please see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Licensing and Collaboration Arrangements—B. Out-Licensing Arrangements—License and Collaboration Agreement with AbbVie” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.”
In addition, we face significant competition in seeking appropriate strategic partners and the negotiation process is time-consuming and complex. Moreover, we may not be successful in our efforts to establish a strategic partnership or other alternative arrangements for our drug candidates because they may be deemed to be at too early a stage of development for collaborative effort and third parties may not view our drug candidates as having the requisite potential to demonstrate safety and efficacy. If and when we collaborate with a third party for the development and commercialization of a drug candidate, we can expect to relinquish some or all of the control over the future success of that drug candidate to the third party.
Further, collaborations involving our drug candidates are subject to specific risks, which include, but are not limited to, the following:
| ● | collaborators have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to a collaboration; |
| ● | collaborators may not pursue the development and commercialization of our drug candidates or may elect not to continue or renew the development or commercialization programs based on clinical trial results, change in their strategic focus due to the acquisition of competitive drugs, availability of funding, or other external factors, such as a business combination that diverts resources or creates competing priorities; |
| ● | collaborators may delay clinical trials, provide insufficient funding for a clinical trial, discontinue a clinical trial, repeat or conduct new clinical trials, or require a new formulation of a drug candidate for clinical testing; |
| ● | collaborators could independently develop, or develop with third parties, drugs that compete directly or indirectly with our drug candidates or future drugs; |
| ● | collaborators with marketing and distribution rights to one or more of our drug candidates or future drugs may not commit sufficient resources to their marketing and distribution; |
| ● | collaborators may not properly maintain or defend our intellectual property rights or may use our intellectual property or proprietary information in a way that gives rise to actual or threatened litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property or proprietary information or expose us to potential liability; |
| ● | collaborators may not always be cooperative or responsive in providing their services in a clinical trial; |
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| ● | disputes may arise between us and a collaborator that cause a delay or termination of the research, development or commercialization of our drug candidates, or that result in costly litigation or arbitration that diverts management attention and resources; |
| ● | collaborations may be terminated and, if terminated, may result in a need for additional capital to pursue further development or commercialization of the applicable drug candidates; and |
| ● | collaborators may own or co-own intellectual property covering our drug candidates or future drugs that results from our collaborating with them, and in such cases, we would not have the exclusive right to commercialize such intellectual property. |
As a result, if we enter into collaboration agreements and strategic partnerships or license our drugs, we may not be able to realize the benefit of such transactions if we are unable to address the risks mentioned above and successfully integrate these agreements or partnerships with our existing operations and company culture, which could delay our timelines or otherwise adversely affect our business. For example, disputes have arisen between Tracon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Tracon”) and us in relation to the collaboration agreements to co-develop our proprietary CD73 antibody, TJD5 (the “TJD5 Agreement”) and to co-develop up to five bispecific antibodies (the “BsAbs Agreement”). The disputes relating to the TJD5 Agreement and the BsAbs Agreement were presented to a binding arbitration proceeding under the Rules of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce before an arbitration tribunal. On April 25, 2023, the arbitration award determined that the TJD5 Agreement has been terminated for a pre-agreed termination fee of US$9.0 million plus interest payable pursuant to the original agreement, and therefore Tracon has no rights to share any future economics with I-Mab. The arbitration award completely denied Tracon’s damages claim of over US$200 million for any breach and awarded no damages to Tracon. The tribunal also confirmed the termination of the BsAb Agreement. Based on the arbitration award, I-Mab will bear a portion of Tracon’s legal fees and costs, totaling approximately US$13.5 million. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings” for details. We cannot assure you that similar disputes will not occur again and we cannot assure you that no lawsuits will be initiated by other companies in the future. Also, these legal proceedings may be expensive, time-consuming and disruptive to our operations and divert our management’s attention. We cannot predict the possible outcome of the legal proceedings of such nature in the future and there can also be no assurance that we will prevail in those legal proceedings.
Neither can we be certain that, following a strategic transaction or license, we will be able to achieve the revenue or specific net income that justifies such transaction. If we are unable to reach agreements with suitable collaborators on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all, we may have to curtail the development of a drug candidate, reduce or delay its development program or one or more of our other development programs, delay its potential commercialization or reduce the scope of any sales or marketing activities, or increase our expenditures and undertake development or commercialization activities at our own expense. If we elect to fund and undertake development or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional expertise and additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we fail to enter into collaborations and do not have sufficient funds or expertise to undertake the necessary development and commercialization activities, we may not be able to further develop our drug candidates or bring them to market and generate product sales revenue, which would harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent and other intellectual property protection for our drug candidates, or if the scope of such intellectual property rights obtained is not sufficiently broad, third parties could develop and commercialize products and technologies similar or identical to ours and compete directly against us, and our ability to successfully commercialize any product or technology may be adversely affected.
Our success depends in large part on our ability to protect our proprietary technology and drug candidates from competition by obtaining, maintaining, defending and enforcing our intellectual property rights, including patent rights. As of December 31, 2022, our owned patent portfolio consisted of 113 issued patents and 185 patent applications primarily in connection with the drug candidates in our Global Portfolio, including 19 Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT”) patent applications, 21 U.S. patent applications, 30 PRC patent applications and 228 patent applications in other jurisdictions. In addition, as of December 31, 2022, we in-licensed the Greater China and Korea rights relating to 35 issued patents and 26 pending patent applications primarily in connection with felzartamab, eftansomatropin alfa, efineptakin alfa and TJ210. We seek to protect the drug candidates and technology that we consider commercially important by filing patent applications in China, the United States and other countries or regions, relying on trade secrets or pharmaceutical regulatory protection or employing a combination of these methods. This process is expensive and time-consuming, and we or our licensors may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications in all jurisdictions at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we or our licensors will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection.
The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are highly uncertain. Our pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued which protect our technology or drug candidates or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and drug candidates. The patent examination process may require us or our licensors to narrow the scope of the claims of our or our licensors’ pending and future patent applications, which may limit the scope of patent protection that may be obtained. We cannot assure that all of the potentially relevant prior art relating to our patents and patent applications has been found. If such prior art exists, it can invalidate a patent or prevent a patent application from being issued as a patent.
Even if patents do issue on any of these applications, there can be no assurance that a third party will not challenge their validity, enforceability, or scope, which may result in the patent claims being narrowed or invalidated, or that we will obtain sufficient claim scope in those patents to prevent a third party from competing successfully with our drug candidates. We may become involved in interference, inter partes review, post grant review, ex parte reexamination, derivation, opposition or similar other proceedings challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. An adverse determination in any such proceeding could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or drug candidates and compete directly with us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize drug candidates without infringing third-party patent rights. Thus, even if our patent applications issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors from competing with us or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage.
Our competitors may be able to circumvent our patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or drug candidates in a non-infringing manner. The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its scope, validity or enforceability, and our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and other countries. Such challenges may result in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, which could limit our ability to stop or prevent us from stopping others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and drug candidates, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and drug candidates. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new drug candidates, patents protecting such assets might expire before or shortly after such assets are commercialized. As a result, our patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing drug candidates similar or identical to ours.
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Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection. Under the America Invents Act (“AIA”) enacted in 2011, the United States moved to this first-to-file system in early 2013 from the previous system under which the first to make the claimed invention was entitled to the patent. Assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, the first to file a patent application is entitled to the patent. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions.
We enjoy only limited geographical protection with respect to certain patents and may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world, including in the PRC.
Filing and prosecuting patent applications and defending patents covering our drug candidates in all countries throughout the world could be prohibitively expensive. Competitors may use our and our licensors’ technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own drug candidates and, further, may export otherwise infringing drug candidates to territories, including the PRC, where we and our licensors have patent protection, but enforcement rights are not as strong as that in the United States or Europe. These drug candidates may compete with our drug candidates, and our and our licensors’ patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.
The laws of some jurisdictions, including the PRC, do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws or rules and regulations in the United States and Europe, and many companies have encountered significant difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in such jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing drug candidates in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in other jurisdictions, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing as patents, and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license. Furthermore, while we intend to protect our intellectual property rights in our expected significant markets, we cannot ensure that we will be able to initiate or maintain similar efforts in all jurisdictions in which we may wish to market our drug candidates. Accordingly, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate, which may have an adverse effect on our ability to successfully commercialize our drug candidates in all of our expected significant foreign markets. If we or our licensors encounter difficulties in protecting, or are otherwise precluded from effectively protecting, the intellectual property rights important for our business in such jurisdictions, the value of these rights may be diminished and we may face additional competition from others in those jurisdictions.
Some countries also have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In addition, some countries limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In those countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of such patents. If we or any of our licensors is forced to grant a license to third parties with respect to any patents relevant to our business, our competitive position may be impaired.
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 United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) and foreign patent agencies over the lifetime of a patent. In addition, the USPTO and other foreign patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment, and other similar provisions during the patent application process. While an inadvertent failure to make payment of such fees or to comply with such provisions 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 such non-compliance will result in the abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, and the partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction.
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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, and non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents within prescribed time limits. If we or our licensors fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our drug candidates or if we or our licensors otherwise allow our patents or patent applications to be abandoned or lapse, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which would hurt our competitive position and could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our drug candidates in any indication for which they are approved.
Our owned and in-licensed patents and other intellectual property may be subject to further priority disputes or to inventorship disputes and similar proceedings. If we or our licensors are unsuccessful in any of these proceedings, we may be required to obtain licenses from third parties, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or to modify or cease the development, manufacture and commercialization of one or more of the drug candidates we may develop, which could have a material adverse impact on our business.
We or our licensors may be subject to claims that former employees, collaborators or other third parties have an interest in our owned or in-licensed patents or other intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. If we or our licensors are unsuccessful in any interference proceedings or other priority or validity disputes (including any patent oppositions) to which we or they are subject, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights through the loss of one or more patents owned or licensed or our owned or licensed patent claims may be narrowed, invalidated, or held unenforceable. In addition, if we or our licensors are unsuccessful in any inventorship disputes to which we or they are subject, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or the exclusive right to use, our owned or in-licensed patents. If we or our licensors are unsuccessful in any interference proceeding or other priority or inventorship dispute, we may be required to obtain and maintain licenses from third parties, including parties involved in any such interference proceedings or other priority or inventorship disputes. Such licenses may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or may be non-exclusive. If we are unable to obtain and maintain such licenses, we may need to modify or cease the development, manufacture, and commercialization of one or more of our drug candidates. The loss of exclusivity or the narrowing of our owned and licensed patent claims could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical drug products. Any of the foregoing could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or prospects. Even if we are successful in an interference proceeding or other similar priority or inventorship disputes, it could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to our management and other employees.
Claims that our drug candidates or the sale or use of our future products infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate the patents or other intellectual property rights of third parties could result in costly litigation or could require substantial time and money to resolve, even if litigation is avoided.
We cannot guarantee that our drug candidates or the sale or use of our future products do not and will not in the future infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate third-party patents or other intellectual property rights. Third parties might allege that we are infringing their patent rights or that we have misappropriated their trade secrets, or that we are otherwise violating their intellectual property rights, whether with respect to the manner in which we have conducted our research, or with respect to the use or manufacture of the compounds we have developed or are developing. Litigation relating to patents and other intellectual property rights in the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries is common, including patent infringement lawsuits. The various markets in which we plan to operate are subject to frequent and extensive litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights. Some claimants may have substantially greater resources than we have and may be able to sustain the costs of complex intellectual property litigation to a greater degree and for longer periods of time than we could. Third parties might resort to litigation against us or other parties we have agreed to indemnify, which litigation could be based on either existing intellectual property or intellectual property that arises in the future. For example, we are aware of a third-party U.S. patent and its counterpart European patents that relate to the use of antibodies having specificity to PD-L1 to treat cancer.
It is also possible that we failed to identify, or may in the future fail to identify, relevant patents or patent applications held by third parties that cover our drug candidates. Publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature often lags behind actual discoveries. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we were the first to invent, or the first to file patent applications on, our drug candidates or for their uses, or that our drug candidates will not infringe patents that are currently issued or that are issued in the future. In the event that a third party has also filed a patent application covering one of our drug candidates or a similar invention, our patent application may be regarded as a competing application and may not be approved in the end. Additionally, pending patent applications that have been published can, subject to certain limitations, be later amended in a manner that could cover our products or their use.
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If a third party were to assert claims of patent infringement against us, even if we believe such third-party claims are without merit, a court of competent jurisdiction could hold that these third-party patents are valid, enforceable and infringed, and the holders of any such patents may be able to block our ability to commercialize the applicable product unless we obtained a license under the applicable patents, or until such patents expire or are finally determined to be invalid or unenforceable. Similarly, if any third-party patents were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover aspects of our compositions, formulations, or methods of treatment, prevention, or use, the holders of any such patents may be able to block our ability to develop and commercialize the applicable product unless we obtained a license or until such patent expires or is finally determined to be invalid or unenforceable. In addition, defending such claims would cause us to incur substantial expenses and could cause us to pay substantial damages, if we are found to be infringing a third party’s patent rights. These damages potentially include increased damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have infringed such rights willfully. In order to avoid or settle potential claims with respect to any patent or other intellectual property rights of third parties, we may choose or be required to seek a license from a third party and be required to pay license fees or royalties or both, which could be substantial. These licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, the rights may be nonexclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. Ultimately, we could be prevented from commercializing a drug candidate, or be forced, by court order or otherwise, to modify or cease some or all aspects of our business operations, if, as a result of actual or threatened patent or other intellectual property claims, we are unable to enter into licenses on acceptable terms. Further, we could be found liable for significant monetary damages as a result of claims of intellectual property infringement.
Defending against claims of patent infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets or other violations of intellectual property rights could be costly and time-consuming, regardless of the outcome. 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. Thus, even if we were to ultimately prevail, or to settle at an early stage, such litigation could burden us with substantial unanticipated costs.
Issued patents covering one or more of our drug candidates could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged in court.
Despite measures we take to obtain and maintain patent and other intellectual property rights with respect to our drug candidates, our intellectual property rights could be challenged or invalidated. For example, if we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering one of our drug candidates, the defendant could counterclaim that our patent is invalid and/or unenforceable. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, for example, lack of novelty, obviousness or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the USPTO, CNIPA, or the applicable foreign counterpart, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. Although we believe that we have conducted our patent prosecution in accordance with a duty of candor and in good faith, the outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability during patent litigation is unpredictable. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on a drug candidate. Even if a defendant does not prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, our patent claims may be construed in a manner that would limit our ability to enforce such claims against the defendant and others. Even if we establish infringement, the court may decide not to grant an injunction against further infringing activity and instead award only monetary damages, which may not be an adequate remedy. In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our patents is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop, or commercialize our current or future drug candidates. Any loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on one or more of our drug candidates and our business.
Enforcing our intellectual property rights against third parties may also cause such third parties to file other counterclaims against us, which could be costly to defend and could require us to pay substantial damages, cease the sale of certain drugs or enter into a license agreement and pay royalties (which may not be possible on commercially reasonable terms or at all).