UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

OR

Commission File Number: 001-38554

 

FORTY SEVEN, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

 

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (650) 352-4150

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    YES ☒   NO ☐

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.    YES  ☐    NO  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    YES  ☒    NO  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    YES  ☒    NO  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the Registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    YES  ☐    NO  ☒

 

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of June 28, 2019, the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $132.9 million, based on the closing price of the Registrant’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market of $10.60 per share.  

  

As of March 16, 2020, the Registrant had 48,156,251 shares of common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.  

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

 

 

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CAUTIONARY INFORMATION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections, concerning our business, operations, and financial performance and condition as well as our plans, objectives, and expectations for business operations and financial performance and condition. Any statements contained herein that are not of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. You can identify these statements by words such as “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and other similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and management's beliefs and assumptions and are not guarantees of future performance or development and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are in some cases beyond our control. As a result, any or all of our forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may turn out to be inaccurate. Factors that could materially affect our business operations and financial performance and condition include, but are not limited to, those risks and uncertainties described herein under “Item 1A - Risk Factors.” You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless required by law, we do not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future events or otherwise. You should, however, review the factors and risks we describe in the reports we will file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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PART I

 

Overview

 

We are a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on developing novel therapies to activate macrophages in the fight against cancer. We founded Forty Seven based on the insight that blocking CD47, a key signaling molecule that is overexpressed on cancer cells, renders tumors susceptible to macrophages. By harnessing macrophages, we believe that our lead product candidate, magrolimab (formerly known as 5F9), can transform the treatment of cancer. Magrolimab has demonstrated promising activity in multiple Phase 1b/2 clinical trials in which we have treated over 400 cancer patients with solid or hematologic tumors. In March 2020, Forty Seven entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Gilead Sciences, Inc., which is expected to close during the second quarter of 2020.

 

We are also preparing to advance two additional investigational compounds into clinical testing. FSI-174, an anti-cKIT antibody, is being developed alone or in combination with magrolimab as a novel, all-antibody conditioning regimen to address the limitations of current stem cell transplantation conditioning regimens. FSI-189, an anti-SIRPα antibody, is being developed for the treatment of cancer, as well as certain non-oncology conditions, including transplantation conditioning.

 

We focus our efforts on targeting the CD47 pathway as a way to engage macrophages in fighting tumors. Macrophages function as first responders, swallowing foreign and abnormal cells, including cancer cells, and mobilizing other components of the immune system including T cells and antibodies. Cancer cells use CD47, a “don’t eat me” signal, in order to evade detection by the immune system and subsequent destruction by macrophages. Overexpression of CD47 is common to nearly all types of tumors including myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or NHL, colorectal cancer, or CRC, gastric cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer with overexpression correlating with poor prognosis in many of these cancers. Despite the central role of macrophages as cell-eating scavengers and first responders, the pharmaceutical industry is only beginning to bring this key group of cells into the fight against cancer.

 

Our company was founded in 2014 by leading scientists at Stanford University who uncovered the fundamental role of CD47 in cancer evasion. Preclinical work performed in the laboratory of our co-founder, Irving L. Weissman, at Stanford University and at Forty Seven demonstrated that:

 

Our lead product candidate, magrolimab, is a humanized IgG4 subclass monoclonal antibody against CD47 that is designed to interfere with recognition of CD47 by the SIRPα receptor on macrophages, thus blocking the “don’t eat me” signal. The design of magrolimab, combined with our proprietary dosing regimen, overcomes the toxicity limitations of previously tested anti-CD47 therapies developed by others. Across all study populations, magrolimab has been well tolerated with no maximum tolerated dose, or MTD, observed in any study despite dosing up to 45 mg/kg. The most common treatment-associated effects observed to date were the expected CD47-mechanism-based effects on red blood cells, which led to a temporary and reversible anemia. Other reported treatment-related adverse events include infusion reactions, headache, fatigue, chills, fever and nausea. The majority of these adverse events were mild to moderate in severity and were generally easily managed. To date, there are no approved therapies that target the CD47 checkpoint of the innate immune system.

 

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The targeting of CD47 to make cancer cells susceptible to macrophages, a component of the innate immune system, is analogous to the approach that has been applied with checkpoint inhibitors and T cells, a component of the adaptive immune system. Since their introduction in 2011, T cell checkpoint inhibitors have become frontline therapies for certain cancers and we estimate that they generated over $22 billion in sales in 2019. Despite the success of T cell checkpoint inhibitors, these therapies have been shown to be effective only in a subset of tumors, highlighting the need for additional therapies. Similar to the way cancer cells overexpress programmed death-ligand 1, or PD-L1, to avoid attack by T cells, cancer cells overexpress CD47 as a way to avoid destruction by macrophages. We believe targeting CD47 represents a compelling and analogous approach.

 

Recent Updates

Merger Agreement

 

On March 1, 2020, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, or Merger Agreement, with Gilead Sciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or Parent, and Toro Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, or Purchaser (or together with Parent, Gilead), pursuant to which we agreed to be acquired by Gilead in an all-cash transaction for an approximate value of $4.9 billion. On March 10, 2020, in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement, Purchaser commenced a tender offer, to acquire all of our outstanding shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, at a price of $95.50 per share, to be paid net to the seller in cash, without interest and subject to any required withholding of taxes, upon the terms and conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, as amended or supplemented, and in the accompanying Letter of Transmittal, as amended or supplemented (together with the Offer to Purchase, the Offer). The consummation of Purchaser’s pending Offer is subject to certain conditions, including the tender of shares representing at least one more than 50% of the total number of our shares of common stock outstanding at the time of the expiration of the Offer, the expiration or termination of the waiting period (or any extension thereof) applicable to the Offer under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and other customary conditions. The Merger Agreement provides, among other things, that following the consummation of the Offer and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, and other applicable law, Purchaser will merge with and into the Company, the separate existence of Purchaser will cease and the Company will continue as the surviving corporation and as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (such merger, the Merger) and together with the Offer, the Proposed Transaction. We expect the Merger to close during the second quarter of 2020, subject to the regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions described above and in the Merger Agreement.

 

Additional information about the Proposed Transaction is set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC.

Key Clinical and Regulatory Events in 2019

In early December 2019, we presented updated clinical data from our ongoing trial evaluating magrolimab in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of MDS and AML in an oral presentation at the 61^st American Society of Hematology, or ASH, Annual Meeting. The new results showed that the combination of magrolimab and azacitidine is highly active and well-tolerated in patients with MDS and AML.

Our Phase 1b trial is designed to evaluate magrolimab in combination with azacitidine in untreated patients with higher risk MDS and untreated patients with AML, who are ineligible for induction chemotherapy. All patients received a 1 mg/kg priming dose of magrolimab, coupled with intrapatient dose escalation, to mitigate on-target anemia. Patients were then treated with full doses of azacitidine and a magrolimab maintenance dose of 30 mg/kg once weekly.

As of the data cutoff of November 18, 2019, 62 patients had been treated with the combination in the Phase 1b portion of the trial, including 35 patients with MDS and 27 patients with AML.

As of the data cutoff, 46 patients were evaluable for response assessment, including 24 patients with untreated higher-risk MDS and 22 patients with untreated AML, who are ineligible for induction chemotherapy.

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Mutational analyses are ongoing to correlate subgroups with response. Seven of nine (78%) evaluable TP53 mutant AML patients achieved an objective response, with 44% achieving CR and 33% achieving CRi. TP53 mutations are often associated with a poor prognosis and patients with TP53 mutant disease are refractory to existing therapies. In AML patients who achieved an objective response, a significant increase in CD4 and CD8 T cell infiltration was observed in the bone marrow while on therapy, demonstrating that magrolimab and azacitidine can induce an adaptive T cell response.

As of the data cutoff, the combination of magrolimab and azacitidine was well-tolerated, with no evidence of increased toxicities compared to azacitidine alone. Adverse events (AEs) were consistent with prior clinical experience. No deaths were observed in the first 60 days on combination treatment and only one patient out of 62 (1.6%) discontinued treatment due to a treatment-related AE.

We achieved alignment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, on the final design of our potentially registration-enabling clinical development program for magrolimab in higher-risk MDS. In December 2019, the FDA granted Orphan Drug designation to magrolimab for the treatment of MDS. Based on recent interactions under a Special Protocol Assessment, or SPA, we now plan to continue enrolling patients in our ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial with an amended protocol, and to initiate a Phase 3 randomized control trial, or RCT, ENHANCE, to evaluate the combination of magrolimab and azacitidine compared to azacitidine alone in the second quarter of 2020. This approach provides two distinct opportunities to achieve an accelerated approval, with a potential Biologic License Application, or BLA, submission expected as early as the fourth quarter of 2021.

We have amended the protocol for our ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial to evaluate dosing every two weeks, and remain on track to complete enrollment of approximately 90 patients in the third quarter of 2020. ENHANCE, which will initiate in the second quarter of 2020, will enroll approximately 180 patients, randomized 1:1 to receive magrolimab and azacitidine or azacitidine alone. We expect to present updated data from our ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial in mid-2020. For both studies, the primary endpoint will be CR rate and duration of response, and either study could serve as the basis for an accelerated approval. ENHANCE will have an adaptive design, such that it can be extended to include additional patients evaluated for a longer period of time for overall survival benefit in support of a potential full approval based on maturing data in the ongoing Phase 1b trial. Additionally, given the decision to design ENHANCE as an RCT with standard, well-validated endpoints, the SPA process is no longer required.

We plan to continue to enroll additional patients with TP53 mutant disease in the ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial, with potential future regulatory interactions to be considered pending analysis of the maturing data. Updated data from our Phase 1b clinical trial will be presented in mid-2020.

Also at the 61st ASH annual meeting, we presented in a poster session preclinical proof-of-concept data for our novel all antibody conditioning regimen, comprised of FSI-174, its anti-cKIT antibody, and magrolimab, its anti-CD47 antibody. Preclinical studies in a non-human primate model showed that the combination of FSI-174 and magrolimab significantly depleted hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow, with no dose limiting toxicities.

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Our novel all antibody condition regimen seeks to address the limitations of current stem cell transplantation, or SCT, conditioning regimens, which utilize chemotherapy and/or radiation to kill HSCs and make space for transplanted cells. These regimens are highly toxic, induce immune suppression and may require hospitalization. Numerous comorbidities are often observed, including severe infections, impaired brain development, infertility, endocrine dysfunction, secondary malignancies and organ damage. As a result, many patients are ineligible for, or choose not to undergo, SCT.

In the preclinical data presented at ASH, FSI-174 demonstrated binding affinity to both human and NHP cKIT receptors, and induced phagocytosis as well as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, FSI-174 was well-tolerated when administered to NHPs as a single agent, with no dose-limiting toxicities. The no-observed-adverse-effect level was established at 50 mg/kg, the highest dose tested.

When administered together, FSI-174 and magrolimab demonstrated a synergistic benefit, promoting the highest level of phagocytosis of cKIT expressing target cells and inducing significant HSC depletion nine days after infusion compared to placebo. As expected, there were no changes in blood cell counts over the course of the study, with no cytopenias observed with either monotherapy or combination treatment. These pharmacodynamic and NHP data demonstrate the specificity and safety of FSI-174 and magrolimab, and reveal a window for SCT where the cKIT antibody is washed out, but the depletion of HSCs is sustained long enough to enable the transplantation of donor HSCs.

We believe that a safe, well-tolerated conditioning regimen may substantially broaden the population eligible for SCT, potentially expanding its use for a wide range of genetic blood disorders, as well as for autoimmune diseases, leukemias and lymphomas.

In September 2019, we entered into a research collaboration with bluebird bio, Inc. (“bluebird”) to pursue clinical proof-of-concept for our novel antibody-based conditioning regimen, FSI-174 (anti-cKIT antibody) plus magrolimab (anti-CD47 antibody), with bluebird’s ex vivo lentiviral vector hematopoietic stem cell (LVV HSC) gene therapy platform. This collaboration will focus initially on diseases that have the potential to be corrected with transplantation of autologous gene-modified blood-forming stem cells.

 

In March 2020, we announced a research collaboration with Rocket Pharmaceuticals to pursue clinical proof-of-concept for Forty Seven’s novel antibody-based conditioning regimen, FSI-174 (anti-cKIT antibody) plus magrolimab (anti-CD47 antibody), with Rocket’s ex vivo lentiviral vector hematopoietic stem cell (LVV HSC) gene therapy, RP-L102. The initial collaboration will evaluate this treatment regimen in Fanconi Anemia (FA), a genetic disease that affects patients’ capacity to produce blood cells and is associated with an increased risk of leukemia and other neoplasms. RP-L102, Rocket’s gene therapy approach for FA, involves treatment with patients’ own gene-corrected blood forming stem cells (hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs).

Our Development Pipeline  

We are conducting clinical trials using magrolimab as monotherapy and in combination with other approved cancer therapies in a wide variety of tumors, including both solid and hematological cancers. Our clinical trials are investigating multiple types of CD47 combination therapies: magrolimab with chemotherapeutic agents, magrolimab with tumor targeting antibodies and magrolimab with T cell checkpoint inhibitors, in a wide variety of tumors, including both solid and hematological cancers. We have treated over 400 patients across programs with magrolimab both as a monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy and cytotoxics like azacitidine, tumor targeting antibodies such as rituximab and cetuximab, and checkpoint inhibitors. While the primary goal of our trials has been to demonstrate safety, we have also observed early signs of clinical activity in multiple tumor types. These signs include patients with partial and complete responses, as well as patients with “stable disease.” We use standard clinical assessment criteria to evaluate the growth or reduction in existing tumor size, within set parameters, as well as growth of new tumors and metabolic activity. Broadly stated, “stable disease” indicates a growth or reduction in tumor size that is insufficient to meet the definitions of either progressive disease or partial or complete response. In contrast, patients with partial or complete responses have substantial reductions in tumor size.

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Additional Pipeline Programs

Forty Seven is developing a broad pipeline of additional programs, which take advantage of the CD47/SIRPα pathway as a rich target for engaging macrophages. FSI-174, an anti-cKIT antibody, is being developed in combination with magrolimab as a novel, all-antibody conditioning regimen to address the limitations of current stem cell transplantation conditioning regimens. FSI-189, an anti-SIRPα antibody, is being developed for the treatment of cancer, as well as certain non-oncology conditions including transplantation conditioning.

The following table summarizes our development programs, target indications and current stages of development.

 

Scientific Background

The Role of Macrophages in the Treatment of Cancer

The innate and adaptive components of the human immune system form a complex organization of tissues, cells and proteins that serve to protect the body from invading pathogens. For the body to mount an effective response to a foreign cell or a cancer cell, the innate and adaptive immune systems must generally work in concert.

Macrophages, a key component of the innate immune system, serve as a first line of immune defense and initiate an immune response based on non-specific signals of foreign or abnormal cells. Macrophages also play a key role in alerting cells of the adaptive immune system to the presence of potential targets such as cancer cells. By making cancer cells susceptible to macrophages, we believe that our therapeutic candidates can be effective both as a monotherapy and in combination with other immunotherapies, such as the PD-1/PD-L1-directed and CTLA-4-directed checkpoint inhibitors.

The Role of Macrophages in the Innate and Adaptive Immune Response

The innate immune system, of which macrophages are a key component, serves as the first line of immune defense. Macrophages specialize in engulfing and digesting cellular debris, foreign substances, invading microorganisms and other cells. Macrophages determine what to attack by recognizing certain “eat me” signals common to pathogens or cancer cells.

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Macrophages also play a key role in alerting highly-specialized cells of the adaptive immune system to the presence of potential targets, including cancer cells. Although these highly specialized adaptive immune cells take longer to mobilize, they are capable of providing long-term, effective protection against specific antigens and, importantly, can recall antigens to which they have previously been exposed. As first responders, macrophages swallow the abnormal cells in a process called phagocytosis, digest them and recruit and activate the second line of defense, the adaptive immune system.

Interfering with Suppression of Immune Signaling Pathways

A critical capability of both the innate and adaptive immune systems is the ability to distinguish cells that are normally found in the body from foreign invaders. Components of both immune systems rely on the presence of certain surface proteins on cells that serve as markers for normal cells to prevent immune attacks. For the innate immune system, CD47 is expressed on cells throughout the body and functions as a “don’t eat me” signal to prevent attack by macrophages. Similarly, for the adaptive immune system, PD-L1 expression prevents attack by T cells.

Recent developments in the field of immuno-oncology have demonstrated that interfering in the PD-L1-based immune suppression system allows the adaptive immune system to attack cancer cells, resulting in significant reduction in tumor burden and increasing overall survival in some cancers. These therapies are generally referred to as checkpoint inhibitors and include both therapies that target PD-1 or PD-L1 such as nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, durvalumab and avelumab as well as therapies such as ipilimumab that target another checkpoint known as CTLA-4. These agents, all of which target the adaptive immune system, have resulted in remarkable efficacy in some patients and, as of March 2020, were the focus of 1,701 active clinical trials.

To date, there have been no therapies approved that target the CD47 checkpoint of the innate immune system. Preclinical data have demonstrated that binding by a CD47 antibody increases antigen presentation by macrophages and stimulates the development of anti-tumor cytotoxic T cell responses. We believe that by targeting CD47 and activating the macrophage and other components of the innate and adaptive immune system, we can create a new class of therapies with the potential to treat multiple types of solid and hematological tumors.

The below table outlines our macrophage-focused approach targeting the innate immune system as compared to T cell checkpoint inhibitors targeting the adaptive immune system.

 

The Role of CD47 in the Treatment of Cancer

There are two opposing mechanisms that macrophages rely on to determine whether to attack a cell: one set of markers found on some cells, including bound IgG and calreticulin, triggers an “eat me” signal; the other, centered around CD47, found on both healthy cells as well as many cancer cells, sends a “don’t eat me” signal. This “don’t eat me” signal is essential to prevent macrophages from attacking. Macrophages recognize CD47 through a receptor, SIRPα, that can specifically bind to CD47. Binding of SIRPα receptors on macrophages to CD47 on cancer cells prevents macrophages from attacking and digesting these cancer cells. Macrophages only remove cells whose balance of “eat me” signals outweigh the CD47 “don’t eat me” signals.

 

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Nearly all types of tumors overexpress CD47 as a way to avoid the innate immune system. Sending this “don’t eat me” signal prevents the initial attack by macrophages and other phagocytic cells. Because these cancer cells are not digested, the macrophages cannot present components of the cancer cells to the adaptive immune system thereby preventing the activation of T cells that could specifically target them. Expression of CD47 by cancer cells can thus render these cells invisible to innate immune recognition. Interfering with CD47 binding to SIRPα has the potential to activate an immune response to cancer cells that is upstream of current checkpoint inhibitors that target PD-1/PD-L1 or CTLA-4. As shown in the following figure the overexpression of CD47 in many types of cancer has been demonstrated by a variety of scientific techniques.

 

Overexpression of CD47 is associated with poor prognosis in multiple cancers including AML, gastric cancer, lung cancer, NHL and ovarian cancer. In CRC patients with tumors containing high levels of macrophages and low levels of CD47 have increased long-term survival.

The progression from normal cell to cancer cell involves changes in genes and/or gene expression that can subvert normal cellular control mechanisms, and overexpression of CD47 represents an important checkpoint allowing the cancer cells to survive. In animal models, CD47-blocking antibodies have been shown to inhibit human cancer growth and metastasis by enabling the phagocytosis of cancer cells. CD47-blocking antibodies have been shown to exhibit potent synergy with tumor targeting monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, cetuximab and trastuzumab. Thus, we believe CD47 has a strong potential as a therapeutic target for the treatment of a variety of cancers.

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Magrolimab Monotherapy

In our monotherapy trials, magrolimab treatment demonstrated biological responses including a confirmed objective response and multiple cases of stable disease in Phase 1 patients with refractory AML, as of October 2019. In biologic responders, defined as a reduction in bone marrow blasts, we confirmed the presence of macrophages in tumor tissues and we observed that other components of the immune system, including T cells, had been recruited.

We also investigated magrolimab as a monotherapy in ovarian cancer and other solid tumors. In a Phase 1 trial of magrolimab, we observed confirmed partial responses in 2 out of 21 evaluable patients in a cohort with ovarian cancer receiving either 20 mg/kg or higher doses of magrolimab, as of April 2018. Both were heavily pre-treated patients failing seven or more previous treatment regimens. One of these patients had a durable partial response of more than six months in duration. We believe the signals from these monotherapy trials have been encouraging. However, we have determined that the limited responses in these late stage patients are not adequate for us to initiate a trial of magrolimab as a single agent aimed at supporting registration by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and we are now focused on combination approaches that have a strong scientific rationale and that are backed by preclinical data.

Magrolimab in Combination with Chemotherapeutic Agents

We are also exploring a combination of azacitidine, a chemotherapeutic agent, with magrolimab in patients with untreated AML and myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS. We have shown in preclinical studies that azacitidine induces “eat me” signals on AML cells which leads to enhanced phagocytosis when combined with magrolimab. These results were presented at the 2018 American Society of Hematology meeting.

We are conducting a Phase 1b trial of magrolimab with azacitidine in untreated AML and MDS patients to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this combination therapy.  

In early December 2019, we presented updated clinical data from our ongoing trial evaluating magrolimab in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of MDS and AML in an oral presentation at the 61 ^st  American Society of Hematology, or ASH, Annual Meeting. The new results showed that the combination of magrolimab and azacitidine is highly active and well-tolerated in patients with MDS and AML.

Our Phase 1b trial is designed to evaluate magrolimab in combination with azacitidine in untreated patients with higher risk MDS and untreated patients with AML, who are ineligible for induction chemotherapy. All patients received a 1 mg/kg priming dose of magrolimab, coupled with intrapatient dose escalation, to mitigate on-target anemia. Patients were then treated with full doses of azacitidine and a magrolimab maintenance dose of 30 mg/kg once weekly.

As of the data cutoff of November 18, 2019, 62 patients had been treated with the combination in the Phase 1b portion of the trial, including 35 patients with MDS and 27 patients with AML.

As of the data cutoff, 46 patients were evaluable for response assessment, including 24 patients with untreated higher-risk MDS and 22 patients with untreated AML, who are ineligible for induction chemotherapy.

 

 

 

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Mutational analyses are ongoing to correlate subgroups with response. Seven of nine (78%) evaluable TP53 mutant AML patients achieved an objective response, with 44% achieving CR and 33% achieving CRi. TP53 mutations are often associated with a poor prognosis and patients with TP53 mutant disease are refractory to existing therapies. In AML patients who achieved an objective response, a significant increase in CD4 and CD8 T cell infiltration was observed in the bone marrow while on therapy, demonstrating that magrolimab and azacitidine can induce an adaptive T cell response.

As of the data cutoff, the combination of magrolimab and azacitidine was well-tolerated, with no evidence of increased toxicities compared to azacitidine alone. Adverse events, or AEs, were consistent with prior clinical experience. No deaths were observed in the first 60 days on combination treatment and only one patient out of 62 (1.6%) discontinued treatment due to a treatment-related AE.

Based on our application summarizing the early MDS/AML trial data, the FDA granted Fast Track designations to magrolimab for the treatment of both MDS and AML Based on the encouraging early clinical data and feedback from a Type A meeting with the FDA, we believe a single-arm trial design may be sufficient to support the approval of magrolimab in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of naïve (1st line) intermediate to very high risk MDS patients.

We plan to expand our current Phase 1b trial, with weekly 30 mg/kg dosing for the first eight weeks and biweekly dosing beginning in week nine, to accrue a total of 91 patients.  We anticipate completing enrollment of this trial in the third quarter of 2020.  In addition, we plan to initiate a second trial of magrolimab plus azacitidine in untreated intermediate to very high risk MDS patients.  This Phase 3 randomized study “ENHANCE” plans to accrue a total of 180 patients to support potential full U.S. and ex-U.S. approval. Dosing in this trial will be weekly 30 mg/kg dosing for the first eight weeks and biweekly dosing beginning in week nine.  The primary endpoints of the study are expected to be complete response rate and durability of response.  This trial is expected to begin enrollment in the first half of 2020.  Based on ongoing data from the Phase 1b trial , we intend to evaluate and determine whether to file for Breakthrough Therapy Designation.  Based on chemistry manufacturing controls, or CMC, and BLA enabling studies, the earliest we expect we can submit our BLA will be in the fourth quarter of 2021.

We are also exploring a combination of azacitidine with magrolimab in untreated AML patients with TP53 mutations.  As of November 2019, in our Phase 1b trial of magrolimab with azacitidine in untreated AML patients with a TP53 mutation, 9 patients had been evaluated and 7 (78%) have had an objective response during the study.  In 4 (44%) of these patients, we observed a complete response.

 

Magrolimab in Combination with Tumor Targeting Antibodies

 

We are also pursuing multiple trials of magrolimab in combination with tumor targeting antibodies in order to test the synergistic potency of these combinations. We believe that we can enhance the effect of magrolimab on cancer by using tumor targeting antibodies that bind to cancer cells and present an “eat me” signal to macrophages. Hence, we are combining magrolimab with tumor targeting antibodies such as rituximab and cetuximab. Based on our preclinical research and on publications by academic groups, we believe that this combination of an “eat me” signal by these antibodies and the blocking of a “don’t eat me” signal by magrolimab could be highly effective.

 

We are conducting a Phase 1b/2 combination trial using magrolimab and rituximab in patients with relapsed and refractory NHL. As of May 2019, 97 patients with refractory NHL were evaluable for response assessment including 59 patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, or DLBCL, 35 patients with follicular lymphoma, or FL, and 3 patients with marginal zone lymphoma.  In the 97 patients in Phase 1b/2, 44 (45%) have had an objective response during the dose finding study of magrolimab in combination with rituximab. In 18 (19%) of these patients, we observed a complete response, an uncommon therapeutic finding for such a heavily pre-treated population.   In the same study as of May 2019, out of 59 DLBCL patients in Phase 1b/2, 21 (36%) had an objective response and 9 (15%) had a complete response.

 

In November 2018, the Phase 1b NHL findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Based on our application summarizing the early NHL trial data, in April 2018, the FDA granted Fast Track designations to magrolimab for the treatment of relapsed and/or refractory DLBCL.

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Based on feedback from a Type C meeting with the FDA in May 2019, we believe a single-arm trial design may be sufficient to support the approval of magrolimab plus rituximab in heavily pretreated relapsed or refractory DLBCL patients, defined as ≥ 2 prior lines of therapy.  

 

We plan to initiate a potential registrational trial of magrolimab plus rituximab in DLBCL in the first half of 2020, and to report interim efficacy data by the fourth quarter of 2020. We anticipate this trial will enroll approximately 100 patients with advanced forms of DLBCL using refined patient eligibility criteria based on our Phase 1 and 2 trials. The dosing regimen for the trial is anticipated to be 30 mg/kg for the first eight weeks and biweekly dosing beginning in week nine. The primary endpoints of the study are expected to be objective response rate, including both complete and partial responses, and durability of response. The anticipated efficacy follow up in this trial will be six months. In parallel with the foregoing, we continue to evaluate biomarkers for potential predictive value, which could enable advancement into earlier lines of treatment.

 

We have also evaluated opportunities to advance magrolimab in combination with rituximab for patients with indolent lymphoma.  As of May 2019, 38 patients with indolent lymphoma had been evaluated in Phase 1b/2 and 23 (61%) had an objective response during the dose finding study of magrolimab in combination with rituximab. In 9 (24%) of these patients, we observed a complete response.  Based on our application summarizing the early indolent lymphoma data, in April 2018, the FDA granted Fast Track designations to magrolimab for the treatment of relapsed and/or refractory FL.

 

In addition, we are evaluating magrolimab with other combinations in DLBCL. In February 2019, we dosed our first patient in an expansion cohort of our magrolimab 003 NHL Phase 1 trial with a combination of magrolimab plus rituximab with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin. We anticipate enrolling up to 26 patients into this cohort. We anticipate sharing data from this cohort in the second half of 2020.

 

In May 2019, we announced a clinical trial collaboration with Acerta Pharma, AstraZeneca’s hematology research and development center of excellence, to evaluate the triple combination of magrolimab and rituximab with CALQUENCE (acalabrutinib), an inhibitor of Bruton Tyrosine Kinase, in patients with DLBCL. We will supply magrolimab and Acerta will conduct the study.

 

We are conducting a Phase 1b/2 trial of magrolimab with cetuximab in patients with CRC to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this combination therapy. As of November 2019, 30 KRASwt (wild type) CRC patients have been evaluated and 2 (6.7%) have had an objective response.  In addition, 40 KRASm (mutant) patients have been evaluated with 0 objective response but 45% had stable disease.  While our data did not support a registrational approach, it has informed us about important translational elements for our future study considerations. 

Magrolimab Combinations with Checkpoint Inhibitors

 

We believe there is a strong rationale to combine magrolimab and T cell checkpoint inhibitors and we have combination clinical trials in both solid and hematological tumors. Magrolimab induces a potent anti-tumor T cell response by enabling macrophages to ingest cancer cells and present antigens derived from these cancer cells to T cells. Thus, we believe the combination of a T cell checkpoint inhibitor with magrolimab is likely to further enhance an anti-tumor T cell response and to further mobilize both the innate and adaptive immune systems to eliminate cancer.

 

In early 2018, we announced clinical trial collaboration and supply agreements with two pharmaceutical companies to combine magrolimab with PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors, while retaining full economic rights to our products. Pursuant to these agreements, we are conducting clinical trials with Merck KGaA on the combination of magrolimab with BAVENCIO (avelumab) in ovarian cancer patients; and with Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, on the combination of magrolimab and TECENTRIQ (atezolizumab) in patients with bladder cancer and in patients with AML.  

 

In April 2019, we announced an extension of our clinical trial collaboration agreement with Genentech to also evaluate magrolimab in combination with rituximab and TECENTRIQ in patients with DLBCL. We will supply magrolimab, and Merck KGaA and Genentech will supply their respective drug products for these trials.

 

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In January 2020, we announced results from our Phase 1b combination study of magrolimab with avelumab in ovarian cancer patients.  As of November 2019, 24 ovarian cancer patients have been evaluated and 0 have had an objective response although 10 (42%) had stable disease.  While our data did not support a registrational approach, it has informed us about important translational elements for our future study considerations.

Key Clinical and Regulatory Events Expected in 2020

 

We expect to provide updates from our ongoing clinical trials at major medical meetings throughout the year. We have submitted an investigational new drug, or IND, application for FSI-174 to the FDA and had planned on initiating our Phase 1 clinical trial of FSI-174 in healthy volunteers in the first quarter of 2020. However, this timeline has been delayed due to the widespread impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We will continue to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and expect to re-evaluate the timing of potential trial initiation in the second quarter of 2020. Similarly, we plan to submit an IND application for FSI-189 to the FDA during the first quarter of 2020 and we plan to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of FSI-189 in the second quarter of 2020, subject to any further delays or impact on our clinical trial programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

We also expect to initiate a single-arm, registration-enabling trial evaluating the combination of magrolimab and rituximab DLBCL patients who have failed at least two prior lines of therapy in the second quarter of 2020.  MDS/AML and DLBCL will be the focus for our current development efforts going forward. We do not expect to continue or expand our trials in colorectal and ovarian cancer.

License and Collaboration Agreements

Exclusive (Equity) Agreement with The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

In November 2015, we entered into a license agreement with Stanford under which we obtained a worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicenseable license under certain patents, know-how and other intellectual property, including rights associated with the composition of matter of magrolimab, to develop, manufacture and commercialize products for use in certain licensed fields, the scope of which would include the application of the licensed intellectual property in oncology. The license granted to us in the agreement is exclusive, subject to certain pre-existing non-exclusive or exclusive rights that Stanford granted to third parties with respect to certain categories of the licensed patents in certain fields of use and retained rights by Stanford and all other non-profit institutions to use and practice the licensed patents and technology for internal research and other non-profit purposes.

In consideration for the rights granted to us under the agreement, we paid Stanford non-refundable license fees totaling $200,000, reimbursed Stanford for past patent expenses totaling approximately $933,000 and in November 2016 we issued to Stanford 1,000,160 shares of our common stock. In addition, we are obligated to pay Stanford ongoing patent expenses and an annual license maintenance fee ranging from $20,000 to $70,000, depending on the year, which will be creditable against any royalties payable to Stanford in any such year following the first commercial sale of licensed products under the agreement. We are required to make milestone payments up to $5.6 million in respect of the first three licensed products that successfully satisfy certain clinical and regulatory milestones in the United States, major European countries and Japan. The first clinical milestone payment of $75,000 was paid to Stanford in February 2018, recognizing the initiation of the Phase 2 trial of magrolimab in NHL. We also agreed to pay Stanford tiered royalties on a specified percentage of net sales made by us, our affiliates and our sublicensees of licensed products at rates ranging from a low-to-high single digit percentage, subject to certain reductions and offsets, with the royalty rate on magrolimab reaching a high single digit percentage when its net sales exceed $3 billion. To the extent we enter into any sublicensing agreements granting rights to any of the licensed patents to a third party, other than the right to make, have made, use or sell licensed products on behalf of us or our affiliates, we will be required to pay Stanford a low-to-mid double digit percentage of all non-royalty income received from such sublicensees, which decreases based on our level of investment in the licensed products or licensed services and their stage of development. Our license, on a product-by-product and country-by country basis, shall become royalty-free and fully paid-up upon the later of (i) the date on which the last valid claim included in the licensed patents expires and (ii) the ten year anniversary of the first commercial sale of the licensed product.

We are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to commercialize the inventions covered by the licensed patent rights. We are also required to achieve certain specified milestones by specified times, provided that an extension of such timelines can be obtained upon mutual agreement by the parties.

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Stanford retains sole responsibility for the prosecution and maintenance of certain patents relating to SIRPα, upon consultation with us. We are responsible for the prosecution and maintenance of the other licensed patents, at our expense and using commercially reasonable efforts, but Stanford retains final approval of such matters. Except for the patents prosecuted and maintained by Stanford, we have the first right to enforce the licensed patents, at our expense.

We may terminate the license at any time for any reason with at least 30 days’ written notice to Stanford. Stanford may terminate the license if we enter into an insolvency-related event or in the event of our material breach of the agreement or other specified obligations therein, in each case, that remains uncured for 30 days after the date that we are provided with written notice of such breach by Stanford. In addition, if we fail to achieve any specified diligence milestone by the specified time, Stanford has the right to terminate our license solely with respect to the applicable licensed products for which the milestone was not achieved, which could include magrolimab. Our obligations to pay royalties that are accrued or accruable will survive any termination.

Clinical Trial Collaboration and Supply Agreement with Merck KGaA

In January 2018, we entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Ares Trading S.A., a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, to evaluate the safety, tolerability and clinical activity of magrolimab combined with Merck KGaA’s cancer immunotherapy, avelumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody targeting PD-L1, in a Phase 1b clinical trial in patients with ovarian cancer. Pursuant to the agreement, we will act as the sponsor of the study and will hold the regulatory filings relating to the study. We will supply magrolimab and Merck KGaA will supply avelumab for the study, and we and Merck KGaA will jointly pay for the cost of the study. We will conduct the study under the supervision of a joint combination study committee comprised of an equal number of representatives from each of Merck KGaA and us.

Under the terms of the agreement, we own the rights to any inventions or discoveries arising from the study that relate solely to magrolimab. Merck KGaA owns the rights to any inventions or discoveries arising from the study that relate solely to avelumab. Both parties will jointly own the rights to inventions or discoveries relating to magrolimab and avelumab in combination. Each party has the sole right to prosecute and maintain patents relating to its solely owned inventions or discoveries, and we will be primarily responsible for, upon consultation with Merck KGaA, the prosecution, maintenance and defense of patents relating to jointly owned inventions or discoveries. We and Merck KGaA each have the first right to initiate legal action to enforce patents relating to jointly owned discoveries where the alleged infringement or misappropriation results from the development or sale of magrolimab or avelumab, respectively.

During the course of the agreement and for 90 days after our delivery of the final clinical study report to Merck KGaA, we agreed to work exclusively with Merck KGaA for any trials testing magrolimab in combination with an anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibody in the specific field of ovarian cancer. In addition we have an option to initiate an additional study under the agreement to evaluate magrolimab and avelumab in combination in patients with a different cancer indication or another indication that may be agreed by the parties, which Merck may elect to co-fund at its discretion.

 

The agreement will expire after 90 days following our provision of the final clinical study report to Merck KGaA. We and Merck KGaA each have the right to terminate the agreement in the event of an uncured material breach of the agreement by the other party. In addition, each party may terminate the agreement upon its own reasonable good faith determination (i) that the study presents a safety risk or (ii) that it is required to be terminated for medical, scientific, legal or regulatory reasons, or if an applicable regulatory authority takes any action that prevents the supply of its respective compound for use in the study. If Merck KGaA terminates the agreement for medical, scientific, legal or regulatory reasons relating to avelumab, we will be able to continue any study that is ongoing as of the effective date of termination.

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Master Combination Study Agreement with Genentech, Inc.

In November 2017, we entered into a master clinical trial collaboration agreement with Genentech to evaluate the safety, tolerability and clinical activity of magrolimab combined with Genentech’s cancer immunotherapy, atezolizumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody targeting PD-L1, in two separate Phase 1b clinical trials (in patients with bladder cancer and AML, respectively). Pursuant to the agreement, we will supply magrolimab for the studies and will partially reimburse Genentech for its costs in connection with the bladder cancer study, and Genentech will supply atezolizumab for the studies and be solely responsible for all of its costs in connection with the AML study. Genentech will conduct the studies under the supervision of a joint development committee comprised of representatives of both parties.

Under the terms of the agreement, we own the rights to any inventions or discoveries arising from the study that relate solely to magrolimab. Genentech owns the rights to any inventions or discoveries arising from the study that relate solely to atezolizumab. Both parties will jointly own the rights to inventions or discoveries relating to magrolimab and atezolizumab in combination, without the right to assign or license any patents that relate to such jointly owned rights to third parties unless necessary for the research, development or commercialization of products utilizing the combination of magrolimab and atezolizumab. Additionally, each party grants the other a non-exclusive, worldwide, fully-paid, perpetual, sublicenseable license to research, develop and commercialize combinations of magrolimab and atezolizumab. Genentech does not receive any rights from us to research, develop or commercialize magrolimab except in combination with atezolizumab and we do not receive any rights from Genentech to research, develop or commercialize atezolizumab except in combination with magrolimab. Each party has the sole right to prosecute, maintain and enforce patents relating to its solely owned inventions or discoveries, and we and Genentech shall jointly prosecute, maintain and enforce patents relating to jointly owned inventions or discoveries.

As part of the agreement, we agreed to notify Genentech if we intend to commence discussions with a third party regarding an agreement to commercialize magrolimab in combination with a PD-L1 or PD-1 antagonist. Following such notice, we may not execute any such agreement until the earlier of 30 days following the date of such notice and Genentech’s written confirmation that it does not intend to discuss with us a similar commercial arrangement.

The agreement shall expire after the later of (i) five years after its effective date and (ii) the expiration, termination or completion of all studies being performed under the agreement. We and Genentech each have the right to terminate the agreement in the event of a material breach of the agreement by the other party that remains uncured for 30 days after the date that such party is provided with written notice of such breach. In addition, subject to certain discussion obligations and limitations, each party may suspend or terminate a study under the agreement if, based on its review of the study data and other related information, such party determines that the study presents a safety risk or if an applicable regulatory authority withdraws authorization to conduct such study or takes any action that prevents the supply of magrolimab or atezolizumab for use in the study.

Clinical Trial Collaboration and Supply Agreement with Eli Lilly and Company

In August 2016, we entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly and Company and its subsidiary ImClone LLC, collectively Lilly, to evaluate the safety, tolerability and clinical activity of magrolimab combined with Lilly’s cancer immunotherapy, cetuximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor, in a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in patients with solid tumors and CRC. Pursuant to the agreement, we will act as the sponsor of the study and will hold the applicable regulatory filings relating to the study. Lilly will supply cetuximab for the study at no cost to us, and we will supply magrolimab and bear all other costs of the study.

Under the terms of the agreement, we own the rights to any inventions or discoveries arising from the study that relate solely to magrolimab. Lilly owns the rights to any inventions or discoveries arising from the study that relate solely to cetuximab. Both parties will jointly own the rights to inventions or discoveries relating to magrolimab and cetuximab in combination. Pursuant to the agreement, the prosecution, maintenance and defense of patents relating to jointly owned inventions or discoveries will be managed jointly by the parties. Each party has the first right to initiate legal action to enforce patents relating to jointly owned discoveries depending on whether the alleged infringement or misappropriation results from the development or sale of a biosimilar or interchangeable version of magrolimab, in which case we will have the first right, or cetuximab, in which case Lilly will have the first right. Each party has the sole right to prosecute, maintain and enforce patents relating to its solely owned inventions or discoveries.

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Unless earlier terminated, the agreement will expire after each party completes all of its obligations under the agreement. Each party may terminate the agreement for an uncured material breach by the other party, for certain violations of anti-corruption and other applicable laws by the other party, if such party determines in good faith that the continuation of the study presents an unreasonable safety risk to patients, or if an applicable regulatory authority takes any action that prevents the supply of its respective compound for use in the study. In addition, we can terminate the agreement if we discontinue the development of magrolimab, and Lilly can terminate the agreement if cetuximab is no longer commercially available.

Ono Pharmaceutical License and Collaboration Agreement

 

On July 10, 2019, we entered into an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., or Ono. Under the agreement, we granted Ono an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize magrolimab, our monoclonal antibody against CD47, as well as other anti-CD47 antibodies controlled by us in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the ASEAN countries, or the Ono Territory. We retain all rights to magrolimab and other licensed antibodies outside of the Ono Territory.

 

Under the agreement, the parties will collaborate on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of magrolimab and other licensed antibodies. Each party will be responsible for conducting development and commercialization of licensed antibodies in its respective territory at its own cost. Further, each party will have the right to participate, at its own cost, in global clinical studies of magrolimab and other licensed antibodies conducted by the other party. We will initially be responsible for supplying magrolimab and other licensed antibodies to Ono for development and commercialization within the Ono Territory at Ono’s cost. Ono has the right to elect that such manufacturing activities be transferred to Ono. During the term of the agreement, neither party may manufacture or commercialize any competing products in the Ono Territory.

 

We received a one-time upfront payment from Ono of 1.7 billion Japanese Yen and will be eligible to receive up to an additional 11.2 billion Japanese Yen if specified future development and commercial milestones are achieved by Ono. We are also eligible to receive tiered percentage royalties spanning from the mid-teens to the low-twenties on future net sales of magrolimab and other licensed antibodies in the Ono Territory, subject to certain offsets. Ono’s obligation to pay royalties expires, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, on the later of (1) the expiration of the first regulatory exclusivity for such product in such country, (2) the expiration of the last to expire patent controlled by us that covers the composition of matter of a licensed antibody in such product in such country, or (3) the tenth anniversary of the first commercial sale of such product in such country.

The agreement will remain in effect until the expiration of all of Ono’s royalty obligations, after which Ono’s license shall be fully paid-up. Ono may terminate the agreement on a country-by-country basis for convenience upon 90 days’ prior written notice to us prior to the first commercial sale of the first licensed product in the Ono Territory, or 180 days’ prior written notice after such first sale. Either party may also terminate the agreement for the other party’s uncured material breach or insolvency, subject to specified notice and cure periods. In the event of any early termination, all rights in magrolimab and other licensed antibodies will revert to us, subject to certain royalties due to Ono in the case of Ono’s termination for our breach or insolvency.

bluebird bio, Inc. Research Collaboration Agreement

In September 2019, we entered into a research collaboration with bluebird bio, Inc., or bluebird, to pursue clinical proof-of-concept for our novel antibody-based conditioning regimen, FSI-174 (anti-cKIT antibody) plus magrolimab (anti-CD47 antibody), with bluebird’s ex vivo lentiviral vector hematopoietic stem cell (LVV HSC) gene therapy platform. This collaboration will focus initially on diseases that have the potential to be corrected with transplantation of autologous gene-modified blood-forming stem cells.

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Rocket Pharmaceuticals Research Collaboration Agreement

 

In March 2020, we announced a research collaboration with Rocket Pharmaceuticals to pursue clinical proof-of-concept for Forty Seven’s novel antibody-based conditioning regimen, FSI-174 (anti-cKIT antibody) plus magrolimab (anti-CD47 antibody), with Rocket’s ex vivo lentiviral vector hematopoietic stem cell (LVV HSC) gene therapy, RP-L102. The initial collaboration will evaluate this treatment regimen in Fanconi Anemia (FA), a genetic disease that affects patients’ capacity to produce blood cells and is associated with an increased risk of leukemia and other neoplasms. RP-L102, Rocket’s gene therapy approach for FA, involves treatment with patients’ own gene-corrected blood forming stem cells (hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs).

Sales and Marketing

Given our stage of development, we have not yet established a commercial organization or distribution capabilities. We plan to build focused capabilities in the United States and European Union to commercialize our development programs focused on MDS, AML and NHL, where we believe the patient populations and medical specialists for the indications we are targeting are sufficiently concentrated to allow us to effectively promote our product, if approved for commercial sale, with a targeted sales team. In other markets for which commercialization may be less capital efficient for us, we may selectively pursue strategic collaborations with third parties in order to maximize the commercial potential of our drug candidates.

Manufacturing and Supply

We currently do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities. We rely, and expect to continue to rely for the foreseeable future, on third party contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs, including Lonza and Northway BiotechPharma, or BTPH, to produce our product candidates for preclinical and clinical testing, as well as for commercial manufacture if our product candidates receive marketing approval. We require that our CMOs produce bulk drug substances and finished drug products in accordance with current cGMPs and all other applicable laws and regulations. We maintain agreements with our manufacturers that include confidentiality and intellectual property provisions to protect our proprietary rights related to our product candidates.

We have engaged Lonza to manufacture magrolimab for preclinical and clinical use. Additional CMOs are used to label, package and distribute magrolimab for preclinical and clinical use. We obtain our supplies from these CMOs on a purchase order basis and do not have any long-term commercial supply arrangements in place. We do not currently have arrangements in place for redundant supply. For all of our product candidates, we intend to identify and qualify additional manufacturers to provide the active pharmaceutical ingredient and fill-and-finish services prior to seeking regulatory approval.

 

In August 2016 and December 2017, we entered into development and manufacturing agreements with Lonza relating to the manufacturing of magrolimab-related products and preclinical testing. The August 2016 agreement was amended in November 2017 to provide for the manufacturing of our other preclinical program related products. In July 2018, we entered into development and manufacturing agreements with BTPH relating to the manufacturing of FSI-174 related products and preclinical testing. For additional details, please see “Management Discussion and Analysis—Contractual Obligations and Commitments” section.

 

Competition

The pharmaceutical industry and the immuno-oncology subsector are characterized by rapidly advancing technologies, intense competition and a strong emphasis on proprietary drugs. We face potential competition from many different sources, including major pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions, governmental agencies and public and private research institutions. Any drug candidates that we successfully develop and commercialize will compete with existing treatments and new treatments that may become available in the future.

The key competitive factors affecting the success of magrolimab, if approved, are likely to be its efficacy, safety, convenience, pricing and durability.

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We are aware that Celgene Corporation, Trillium Therapeutics, ALX Oncology, Arch Oncology, Surface Oncology, Novimmune, OSE Immunotherapeutics, Innovent, I-MAB BIOPHARMA, Aurigene Discovery Technologies and others are developing drugs targeting the CD47 pathway that may have utility for the treatment of indications that we are targeting.  We are also aware of competing cKIT antibodies being developed for conditioning treatments prior to transplantation by Magenta, Jasper and Amgen/Stanford.

As noted above, there are existing treatment alternatives in each of the indications we are targeting, and we will face competition from the incumbent drug therapies in each of those markets.

Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize drugs that are safer, more effective, more convenient, less expensive or with a more favorable label than magrolimab or any other drug that we may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approvals for their drugs more rapidly than we may obtain approval for our drug, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. Many of the companies against which we are competing, or against which we may compete in the future, have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved drugs than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These competitors will also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical trial sites and subject registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or that may be necessary for, our programs.

Intellectual Property

Our commercial success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain proprietary protection for our current and future product candidates, novel discoveries, product development technologies and know-how, to operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of others and to prevent others from infringing our proprietary rights. We seek to protect our proprietary position by, among other methods, filing or in-licensing U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications related to technology, inventions and improvements that are important to the development and implementation of our business. We also rely on trademarks, trade secrets, copyright protection, know-how, continuing technological innovation and confidential information to develop and maintain our proprietary position.

Regardless of the coverage we seek under our existing patent applications, there is always a risk that an alteration to the product or process may provide sufficient basis for a competitor to avoid infringement claims. In addition, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before a patent is issued and courts can reinterpret patent scope after issuance. Moreover, many jurisdictions, including the United States, permit third parties to challenge issued patents in administrative proceedings, which may result in further narrowing or even cancellation of patent claims. Moreover, we cannot provide any assurance that any patents will be issued from our pending or any future applications or that any current or future issued patents will adequately protect our intellectual property.

As of December 31, 2019, we own seven pending U.S. provisional patent applications, three pending PCT applications, 8 pending U.S. utility patent applications and 15 pending foreign patent applications.  Our portfolio of licensed patents, which we license from Stanford, includes approximately 222 issued patents (36 of which are in the United States) and approximately 120 pending patent applications (about 20 of which are in the United States). These licensed patents are expected to expire between 2029 and 2034 excluding any extension of patent term that may be available. For more information regarding our license agreement with Stanford, please see “Business—License and Collaboration Agreements.”

Our patent portfolio licensed from Stanford contains patent families directed to the magrolimab composition of matter and methods of using magrolimab as a monotherapy and in combination with certain other therapeutic compounds, which are comprised of 11 U.S. issued patents, four U.S. patent applications and two granted European patents which have each been validated as national patents in 12 different European countries. These patents are

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subject to retained rights by Stanford to allow academic and non-profit research institutions to practice the licensed technology and patents for non-commercial purposes. In addition, some of these patents are subject to certain pre-existing non-exclusive rights that Stanford has granted to two third parties. In particular, a non-exclusive license to certain patents was granted to a third party in the field of research product sales and diagnostics for use in a flow cytometry platform. Another non-exclusive license to certain patents was granted to a different third party for the use of certain SIRPα proteins, SIRPα fragments and SIRPα fusion proteins as therapeutic agents for use in the therapeutics field. For clarity, we believe that these pre-existing non-exclusive licenses do not relate to magrolimab or our other product candidates or their use in the therapeutic field. These patents are expected to expire between 2029 and 2034 excluding any extension of patent term that may be available.

Provisional patent applications are not eligible to become issued patents until, among other things, we file a non-provisional patent application within 12 months of filing of one or more of our related provisional patent applications. If we do not timely file any non-provisional patent applications, we may lose our priority date with respect to our provisional patent applications and any patent protection on the inventions disclosed in our provisional patent applications. While we intend to timely file non-provisional patent applications relating to our provisional patent applications, we cannot predict whether any such patent applications will result in the issuance of patents that provide us with any competitive advantage.

Individual patents extend for varying periods depending on the date of filing of the patent application or the date of patent issuance and the legal term of patents in the countries in which they are obtained. Generally, utility patents issued for applications filed in the United States are granted a term of 20 years from the earliest effective filing date of a non-provisional patent application. In addition, in certain instances, a patent term can be extended to recapture a portion of the delay by the USPTO, in issuing the patent as well as a portion of the term effectively lost as a result of the FDA regulatory review period. However, as to the FDA component, the restoration period cannot be longer than five years, the total patent term including the restoration period must not exceed 14 years following FDA approval, only one patent applicable to each regulatory review period may be extended and only those claims covering the approved drug or a method for using it may be extended. The duration of foreign patents varies in accordance with provisions of applicable local law, but typically is also 20 years from the earliest effective filing date. The actual protection afforded by a patent may vary on a product-by-product basis and from country to country and can depend upon many factors, including the type of patent, the scope of its coverage, the availability of regulatory-related extensions, the availability of legal remedies in a particular country and the validity and enforceability of the patent.

Furthermore, we rely upon trade secrets and know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect our proprietary information, in part, using confidentiality agreements with our employees and consultants and any potential commercial partners and collaborators and invention assignment agreements with our employees. We also have implemented or intend to implement confidentiality agreements or invention assignment agreements with our selected consultants and any potential commercial partners. These agreements are designed to protect our proprietary information and, in the case of the invention assignment agreements, to grant us ownership of technologies that are developed through a relationship with a third party. These agreements may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. To the extent that our commercial partners, collaborators, employees and consultants use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions.

Our commercial success will also depend in part on not infringing upon, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual or proprietary rights of third parties. The issuance of third-party patents could require us to alter our development or commercial strategies, change our products or processes, obtain licenses to additional third-party patents or other intellectual property or cease certain activities. Our breach of any license agreements or failure to obtain a license to proprietary rights that we may require to develop or commercialize our future products may have an adverse impact on us. Given that patent applications in the United States and certain other jurisdictions are maintained in secrecy for 18 months or potentially longer, and since publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature often lags behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain of the priority of inventions covered by pending patent applications. Moreover, we may have to participate in interference, revocation, derivation, re-examination, post-grant review, inter partes review, or opposition proceedings brought by third parties or declared by the USPTO or an equivalent foreign body.

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We have also obtained a sublicense to a family of patent and patent applications owned by Stichting Sanquin Bloedvoorziening, or SSB, and licensed to Synthon Biopharmaceuticals B. V., or Synthon, that encompass certain combination therapies for the treatment of cancer using anti-CD47 antibodies. This family of U.S. and foreign patents includes U.S. Patent No. 9,352,037, or the U.S. ‘037 Patent, the related European Patent No. EP 2 282 772, or the EP ’772 Patent, and its UK counterpart EP (UK) 2 282 772, or the UK ’772 Patent. These patents relate to the treatment of cancer with an anti-CD47 antibody or an anti-SIRPα antibody in combination with certain other antibodies, including rituximab or cetuximab.

We are aware of an opposition filed by different third parties against European patent number EP 2 242 512, or the EP ’512 Patent, a European patent that we exclusively in-licensed from Stanford. The EPO opposition proceeding may involve issues including, but not limited to, procedural formalities related to filing the European patent application, priority, and the patentability of the involved claims. The independent claims of EP ’512 patent was maintained in the EPO Opposition Division on November 15, 2018. The opponents have appealed the EPO Opposition Division decision to the Technical Boards of Appeal at the EPO. The outcome at the Technical Boards of Appeal cannot be predicted.  In addition, one or more of the third parties that have filed oppositions against the EP ’512 Patent or other third parties may file future oppositions or other challenges, in Europe or other jurisdictions, against other patents that we in-license or own.

We are also aware of an opposition filed by different third parties against European patent number EP 208,864 or the EP 864 patent, another European patent that we exclusively in-licensed from Stanford. The EPO opposition proceeding may involve issues including, but not limited to, procedural formalities related to filing the European patent application, priority, and the patentability of the involved claims. The claims of EP ’864 patent were maintained in the EPO Opposition Division on November 6, 2019. The opponents may appeal the EPO Opposition Division decision to the Technical Boards of Appeal at the EPO. The outcome at the Technical Boards of Appeal cannot be predicted.  In addition, one or more of the third parties that have filed oppositions against the EP ’864 Patent or other third parties may file future oppositions or other challenges, in Europe or other jurisdictions, against other patents that we in-license or own.

In addition, oppositions have been filed against European patent numbers EP 3 056 514, EP 3 056, 515 and EP 2 970,493 (the “EP 514 patent”, “EP 515 patent” and the “EP 493 patent”), all exclusively licensed from Stanford.   These EPO opposition proceeding also involve issues including, but not limited to, procedural formalities related to filing the European patent application, priority, and the patentability of the involved claims.  In addition, one or more of the third parties that have filed oppositions against the EP ’512 Patent or other third parties may file future oppositions or other challenges, in Europe or other jurisdictions, against other patents that we in-license or own.    The loss of priority for, or the loss of, the EP ’512 Patent, the EP 864 patent, the EP 493 patent, the EP 514 patent, the EP 515 patent or our other patents could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

For more information regarding the risks related to our intellectual property, including the above referenced intellectual property proceedings, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property.”

Government Regulation

The FDA and comparable regulatory authorities in state and local jurisdictions and in other countries impose substantial and burdensome requirements upon companies involved in the clinical development, manufacture, marketing and distribution of products, such as those we are developing. These agencies and other federal, state and local entities regulate, among other things, the research and development, testing, manufacture, quality control, safety, effectiveness, labeling, storage, record keeping, approval, advertising and promotion, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, sampling and export and import of our product candidates.

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United States Government Regulation

In the United States, the FDA regulates pharmaceuticals under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, the Public Health Service Act, or PHSA, and their implementing regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with applicable federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval may subject an applicant to a variety of administrative or judicial sanctions, such as the FDA’s refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, imposition of a clinical hold, issuance of warning letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement or civil or criminal penalties.

 

The process required by the FDA before a pharmaceutical product may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:

Preclinical Studies

Preclinical studies include laboratory evaluation of product chemistry, toxicity and formulation, as well as animal studies to assess potential safety and efficacy. An IND sponsor must submit the results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information, analytical data and any available clinical data or literature, among other things, to the FDA as part of an IND. Some preclinical testing may continue even after the IND is submitted. An IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises concerns or questions related to one or more proposed clinical trials and places the clinical trial on a clinical hold. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. As a result, submission of an IND may not result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to commence.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational new drug to human patients under the supervision of qualified investigators in accordance with GCP requirements, which include the requirement that all research patients provide their informed consent in writing for their participation in any clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the trial, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. A protocol for each clinical trial and any subsequent protocol amendments must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. In addition, an IRB at each institution participating in the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at that institution. Information about certain clinical trials must be submitted within specific timeframes to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, for public dissemination on their www.clinicaltrials.gov website.

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Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases, which may overlap or be combined:

 

Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted at least annually to the FDA and more frequently if serious adverse events occur. Each of Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials may not be completed successfully within any specified period, or at all. Furthermore, the FDA or the sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the drug has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.

Marketing Approval

Assuming successful completion of the required clinical testing, the results of the preclinical studies and clinical trials, together with detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacture, controls and proposed labeling, among other things, are submitted to the FDA as part of a BLA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. In most cases, the submission of a BLA is subject to a substantial application user fee. Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, guidelines that are currently in effect, the FDA has a goal of ten months from the date of “filing” of a standard BLA to review and act on the submission. This review typically takes 12 months from the date the BLA is submitted to FDA because the FDA has approximately two months to make a “filing” decision.

In addition, under the Pediatric Research Equity Act of 2003, or PREA, as amended and reauthorized, certain applications or supplements must contain data that are adequate to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations, and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the applicant, grant deferrals for submission of some or all pediatric data until after approval of the product for use in adults, or full or partial waivers from the pediatric data requirements.

The FDA also may require submission of a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS, plan to ensure that the benefits of the drug outweigh its risks. The REMS plan could include medication guides, physician communication plans, assessment plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries, or other risk minimization tools.

The FDA conducts a preliminary review of all BLAs within the first 60 days after submission, before accepting them for filing, to determine whether they are sufficiently complete to permit substantive review. The FDA may request additional information rather than accept a BLA for filing. In this event, the application must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application is also subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing. Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review. The FDA reviews a BLA to determine, among other things, whether the biologic is safe and effective and whether the facility in which it is manufactured, processed, packaged or held meets standards designed to assure the product’s continued safety, quality and purity.

The FDA may refer an application for a novel drug to an advisory committee. An advisory committee is a panel of independent experts, including clinicians and other scientific experts, that reviews, evaluates and provides a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions.

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Before approving a BLA, the FDA typically will inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, before approving a BLA, the FDA may inspect one or more clinical trial sites to assure compliance with GCP requirements.

After evaluating the BLA and all related information, including the advisory committee recommendation, if any, and inspection reports regarding the manufacturing facilities and clinical trial sites, the FDA may issue an approval letter, or, in some cases, a complete response letter. A complete response letter generally contains a statement of specific conditions that must be met in order to secure final approval of the application and may require additional clinical or preclinical testing in order for the FDA to reconsider the application. Even with submission of this additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval. If and when those conditions have been met to the FDA’s satisfaction, the FDA will typically issue an approval letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the drug with specific prescribing information for specific indications.

Even if the FDA approves a product, it may limit the approved indications for use of the product, require that contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling, require that post-approval studies, including Phase 4 clinical trials, be conducted to further assess a drug’s safety after approval, require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the product after commercialization, or impose other conditions, including distribution and use restrictions or other risk management mechanisms under a REMS, which can materially affect the potential market and profitability of the product. The FDA may prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of post-marketing studies or surveillance programs. After approval, some types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, manufacturing changes and additional labeling claims, are subject to further testing requirements and FDA review and approval.

Post-Approval Requirements

Pharmaceuticals manufactured or distributed pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, requirements relating to recordkeeping, periodic reporting, product sampling and distribution, advertising and promotion and reporting of adverse experiences with the product. After approval, most changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications or other labeling claims are subject to prior FDA review and approval. There also are continuing, annual program user fee requirements for any marketed products, as well as new application fees for supplemental applications with clinical data.

The FDA may impose a number of post-approval requirements as a condition of approval of an application. For example, the FDA may require post-marketing testing, including Phase 4 clinical trials, and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product’s safety and effectiveness after commercialization.

In addition, pharmaceutical manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved products are required to register their establishments with the FDA and state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and these state agencies for compliance with cGMP requirements. Changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated and often require prior FDA approval before being implemented. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMP requirements and impose reporting and documentation requirements upon the sponsor and any third-party manufacturers that the sponsor may decide to use. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance.

Once an approval is granted, the FDA may withdraw the approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in mandatory revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-market studies or clinical trials to assess new safety risks; or imposition of distribution or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:

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The FDA strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of products that are placed on the market. Drugs may be promoted only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability.

Orphan Drug Designation in the United States

Under the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, the FDA may grant orphan designation to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States. Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting a BLA or supplemental BLA. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the name of the sponsor, identity of the drug or biologic and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. The orphan drug designation does not shorten the duration of the regulatory review or approval process, but does provide certain advantages, such as a waiver of PDUFA, fees, enhanced access to FDA staff and potential waiver of pediatric research requirements.

If a product that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan product exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same drug or biologic for the same indication for seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity. Orphan drug exclusivity does not prevent the FDA from approving a different drug or biologic for the same disease or condition, or the same drug or biologic for a different disease or condition. Among the other benefits of orphan drug designation are tax credits for certain research and a waiver of the application user fee. A designated orphan drug may not receive orphan drug exclusivity if it is approved for a use that is broader than the indication for which it received orphan designation. In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.

In May 2016, the FDA granted orphan drug designation in the United States for magrolimab for the treatment of AML. In December 2019, the FDA granted orphan drug designation in the United States for magrolimab for the treatment of MDS.  We intend to pursue orphan drug designation for magrolimab in additional indications, as well as for potential other future product candidates, in the United States and in the European Union as we deem it appropriate. Even if we obtain orphan drug designation for a product candidate, we may not obtain orphan exclusivity and that exclusivity may not effectively protect the drug or biologic from the competition of different drugs or biologics for the same condition, which could be approved during the exclusivity period.

Expedited Development and Review Programs

The FDA is required to facilitate the development and expedite the review of pharmaceutical products that are intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition for which there is no effective treatment and which demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the condition. Under the fast track program, the sponsor of a new drug candidate may request the FDA to designate the product for a specific indication as a fast track product concurrent with or after the filing of the IND for the product candidate. The FDA must determine if the product candidate qualifies for fast track designation within 60 days after receipt of the sponsor’s request.

In addition to other benefits, such as the ability to have more frequent interactions with the FDA, the agency may initiate review of sections of a fast track product’s BLA before the application is complete. This rolling review is available if the applicant provides and the FDA approves a schedule for the submission of the remaining information and the applicant pays applicable user fees. However, the FDA’s PDUFA review period for a fast track application does not begin until the last section of the BLA is submitted. In addition, the fast track designation may be withdrawn by the FDA if the agency believes that the designation is no longer supported by data emerging in the clinical trial process.

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Products studied for their safety and effectiveness in treating serious or life-threatening illnesses and that provide meaningful therapeutic benefit over existing treatments may be eligible for accelerated approval and may be approved on the basis of adequate and well-controlled clinical trials establishing that the drug product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require a sponsor of a drug receiving accelerated approval to perform post-marketing studies to verify and describe the predicted effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical endpoint, and the drug may be subject to accelerated withdrawal procedures.

Coverage and Reimbursement

Sales of our drug candidates, if approved, will depend, in part, on the extent to which such products will be covered by third-party payors, such as government health care programs, commercial insurance and managed healthcare organizations. These third-party payors are increasingly limiting coverage or reducing reimbursements for medical products and services. In addition, the U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments have continued implementing cost-containment programs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products. Third-party payors decide which therapies they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. Non-governmental third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own coverage and reimbursement policies. However, decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided for any drug candidates that we develop will be made on a payor-by-payor basis. Each payor determines whether or not it will provide coverage for a therapy, what amount it will pay the manufacturer for the therapy, and on what tier of its formulary it will be placed. The position on a payor’s list of covered drugs, or formulary, generally determines the co-payment that a patient will need to make to obtain the therapy and can strongly influence the adoption of such therapy by patients and physicians. Adoption of price controls and cost-containment measures, and adoption of more restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could further limit our net revenue and results. Decreases in third-party reimbursement for our drug candidates or a decision by a third-party payor to not cover our drug candidates could reduce physician usage of our drug candidates, once approved, and negatively impact our sales, results of operations and financial condition.

Other Healthcare Laws

Because of our current and future arrangements with healthcare professionals, principal investigators, consultants, customers and third-party payors, we will also be subject to healthcare regulation and enforcement by the federal government and the states and foreign governments in which we will conduct our business, including our clinical research, proposed sales, marketing and educational programs. Failure to comply with these laws, where applicable, can result in the imposition of significant civil penalties, criminal penalties, or both. The U.S. laws that may affect our ability to operate, among others, include: HIPAA, as amended by HITECH, which is a federal law governing the conduct of certain electronic healthcare transactions and protects the security and privacy of protected health information; certain state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, some of which are more stringent than HIPAA and many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts; the federal healthcare programs’ Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, in exchange for or to induce either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, any good or service for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs; federal false claims laws which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid, or other third-party payors that are false or fraudulent; federal criminal laws that prohibit executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or making false statements relating to healthcare matters; the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies to report annually to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors) and teaching hospitals, and ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members; and state law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers.

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In addition, many states have similar laws and regulations, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws that may be broader in scope and may apply regardless of payor, in addition to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs. Additionally, to the extent that our product is sold in a foreign country, we may be subject to similar foreign laws.

Current and future legislative proposals to further reform healthcare or reduce healthcare costs may result in lower reimbursement for our products. The cost containment measures that payors and providers are instituting and the effect of any healthcare reform initiative implemented in the future could significantly reduce our revenues from the sale of our products.

Orphan Drug Designation in the European Union

In accordance with Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No. 141/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 1999 on orphan medicinal products, a medicinal product may be designated as an orphan medicinal product if: (1) it is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition; (2) either (a) such condition affects no more than five in 10,000 persons in the European Union when the application is made, or (b) the product, without the incentives derived from orphan medicinal product status, would not generate sufficient return in the European Union to justify investment; and (3) there exists no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of such condition authorized for marketing in the European Union, or if such a method exists, the product will be of significant benefit to those affected by the condition.

Products authorized in the European Union as orphan medicinal products are entitled to 10 years of market exclusivity. The 10-year market exclusivity may be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is established that the product no longer meets the criteria for orphan designation. Additionally, marketing authorization may be granted to a similar product during the 10-year period of market exclusivity for the same therapeutic indication at any time if:

In November 2015, the EMA granted orphan drug designation in the European Union for magrolimab for the treatment of AML.

U.S. Healthcare Reform

Current and future legislative proposals to further reform healthcare or reduce healthcare costs may result in lower reimbursement for our products. The cost containment measures that payors and providers are instituting and the effect of any healthcare reform initiative implemented in the future could significantly reduce our revenues from the sale of our products.

 

For example, implementation of the Affordable Care Act has substantially changed healthcare financing and delivery by both governmental and private insurers, and significantly impacted the pharmaceutical industry. The Affordable Care Act, among other things, established an annual, nondeductible fee on any entity that manufactures or imports certain specified branded prescription drugs and biologic agents, revised the methodology by which rebates owed by manufacturers to the state and federal government for covered outpatient drugs under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program are calculated, increased the minimum Medicaid rebates owed by most manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, extended the Medicaid Drug Rebate program to utilization of prescriptions of individuals enrolled in Medicaid managed care organizations, and provided incentives to programs that increase the federal government’s comparative effectiveness research.

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There remain judicial and congressional challenges to certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act. In January 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing federal agencies with authorities and responsibilities under the Affordable Care Act to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision of the Affordable Care Act that would impose a fiscal or regulatory burden on states, individuals, healthcare providers, health insurers, or manufacturers of pharmaceuticals or medical devices. While Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal legislation, several bills affecting the implementation of certain taxes under the Affordable Care Act have been signed into law. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or Tax Act, included a provision which repealed, effective January 1, 2019, the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the Affordable Care Act on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year that is commonly referred to as the “individual mandate”. Additionally, the 2020 federal spending package permanently eliminated, effective January 1, 2020, the Affordable Care Act-mandated “Cadillac” tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage and medical device tax and, effective January 1, 2021, also eliminates the health insurer tax.  Congress will likely consider other legislation to replace elements of the Affordable Care Act. On December 14, 2018, a Texas U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress as part of the Tax Act. Additionally, on December 18, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld the District Court ruling that the individual mandate was unconstitutional and remanded the case back to the District Court to determine whether the remaining provisions of the Affordable Care Act are invalid as well. It is unclear how this decision, future decisions, subsequent appeals, and other efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act will impact the Affordable Care Act.  

In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the Affordable Care Act was enacted. For example, in August 2011, then-President Obama signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011, which, among other things, created the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to recommend to Congress proposals in spending reductions. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction did not achieve a targeted deficit reduction, which triggered the legislation’s automatic reduction to several government programs. This includes aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of, on average, 2% per fiscal year through 2029 unless Congress takes additional action. Recently, there has been increasing legislative and enforcement interest in the United States with respect to specialty drug pricing practices. Specifically, there have been several recent U.S. congressional inquiries and proposed bills designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, reduce the cost of prescription drugs under Medicare, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs. In addition, the Trump administration’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2021 includes a $135 billion allowance to support legislative proposals seeking to reduce drug prices, increase competition, lower out-of-pocket drug costs for patients, and increase patient access to lower-cost generic and biosimilar drugs. In addition, the Trump administration previously released a “Blueprint” to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs of drugs that contains additional proposals to increase manufacturer competition, increase the negotiating power of certain federal healthcare programs, incentivize manufacturers to lower the list price of their products, and reduce the out of pocket costs of drug products paid by consumers. The Department of Health and Human Services has solicited feedback on some of these measures and has implemented others under its existing authority. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.

We expect that additional federal and state, as well as foreign, healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could result in reduced demand for our products or additional pricing pressure.

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Employees

As of December 31, 2019, we had 68 full-time employees, (i) 51 of whom were primarily engaged in research and development activities and (ii) 23 of whom had an M.D. or Ph.D. degree. None of our employees is represented by a labor union and we consider our employee relations to be good.

Available Information

We were incorporated in the State of Delaware in 2014 as CD47 Sciences, Inc. Our telephone number is +1 (650) 352 4150. Our website address is www.fortyseveninc.com. Information found on, or accessible through, our website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We file or furnish electronically with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We make available on our website at www.fortyseveninc.com, free of charge, copies of these reports as soon as reasonably practicable after filing these reports with, or furnishing them to, the SEC.

 

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Item 1A. Risk Factors.

RISK FACTORS

Our business involves significant risks, some of which are described below. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the financial statements and the related notes. If any of the following risks actually occur, it could harm our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition and future prospects. In such event, the market price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. This report on Form 10-K also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of factors that are described below and elsewhere in this Annual Report.

 

Risks Related to the Merger Agreement

 

The conditions under the Merger Agreement to Purchaser’s consummation of the Offer and our subsequent Merger with Purchaser may not be satisfied at all or in the anticipated timeframe.

 

Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, the consummation of Purchaser’s pending Offer and subsequent Merger is subject to customary conditions. Satisfaction of certain of the conditions is not within our control, and difficulties in otherwise satisfying the conditions may prevent, delay, or otherwise materially adversely affect the consummation of the pending Offer and subsequent Merger. These conditions include, among other things, there being validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn), a number of shares of our common stock that, considered together with all other shares of our common stock beneficially owned by Parent or any of its wholly owned subsidiaries (including Purchaser), subject to certain conditions, represent one more than 50% of the sum of (i) the total number of outstanding shares of our common stock at the expiration of the Offer, plus (ii) the total number of shares of our common stock that would be required to be issued upon conversion, settlement, exchange or exercise of all options, warrants, rights or securities vested and outstanding at the expiration of the Offer that are convertible, exchangeable or exercisable into shares of our common stock (whether then outstanding or for which the conversion, settlement, exchange or exercise date has already occurred, but in any event without duplication).  We cannot predict with certainty whether and when any of the required conditions will be satisfied. If the Proposed Transaction does not receive, or timely receive, the required regulatory approvals and clearances, or if another event occurs delaying or preventing the Proposed Transaction, such delay or failure to complete the Proposed Transaction may create uncertainty or otherwise have negative consequences that may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations, as well as the price per share for our common stock.

 

While Purchaser’s Offer and the proposed Merger are pending, we are subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions that could disrupt our business.

 

Whether or not the pending Offer and subsequent Merger is consummated, the Proposed Transaction may disrupt our current plans and operations, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results. The pendency of the pending Offer and subsequent Merger may also divert management’s attention and our resources from ongoing business and operations, and our employees and other key personnel may have uncertainties about the effect of the pending Offer and subsequent Merger, and the uncertainties may impact our ability to retain, recruit, and hire key personnel while the Proposed Transaction is pending or if it fails to close.

 

The preparations for the consummation of the Proposed Transaction have placed and we expect will continue to place a significant burden on many of our management, employees and on our internal resources. The diversion of management’s attention away from operating the Company in the ordinary course could adversely affect our financial results. Also, if, despite our efforts, key personnel depart because of these uncertainties and burdens, or because they do not wish to remain with the combined company, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses due to legal, advisory, printing and financial services fees related to the Proposed Transaction. These expenses must be paid regardless of whether the Proposed Transaction is consummated, which may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

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Furthermore, we cannot predict how our business partners will view or react to the pending Offer and subsequent Merger upon consummation. If we are unable to reassure our business partners to continue transacting business with us, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

In addition, the Merger Agreement generally requires the Company to operate its business and operations in the ordinary course pending consummation of the Merger and also restricts us from taking certain actions without Parent’s prior written consent during the interim period between the execution of the Merger Agreement and the effective time of the Merger (or the date on which the Merger Agreement is earlier terminated). For these and other reasons, the pendency of the proposed Merger could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

Our executive officers and directors may have interests that are different from, or in addition to, those of our stockholders generally.

 

Our executive officers and directors may have interests in the Merger that are different from, or are in addition to, those of our stockholders generally. These interests include direct or indirect ownership of our common stock, stock options and restricted stock units, and for executive officers, employment agreements, retention bonuses and employee benefits following the completion of the pending Offer and subsequent Merger.

 

Litigation filed or that may be filed against us and/or the members of our board of directors could prevent or delay the consummation of the Proposed Transaction.

 

Lawsuits filed, or that may be filed, could delay or prevent our acquisition by Gilead, divert the attention of our management and employees from our day-to-day business and otherwise adversely affect us financially. The outcome of any lawsuit filed or that may be filed challenging the Proposed Transaction is uncertain. One of the conditions to the closing of the Proposed Transaction is that there has not been issued by any court of competent jurisdiction and remains in effect any judgment, temporary restraining order, preliminary or permanent injunction or other order preventing the consummation of the Proposed Transaction. Accordingly, if any lawsuit (including but not limited to the legal proceedings discussed in this report in Part I, Item 3 — “Legal Proceedings”) is successful in obtaining an order enjoining the Proposed Transaction, then the Proposed Transaction may not be consummated within the expected time frame, or at all, and could result in substantial costs, including but not limited to, costs associated with the indemnification of our directors and officers.

 

In the event that the Proposed Transaction is not consummated, the trading price of our common stock and our future business and results of operations may be negatively affected.

 

The conditions to the consummation of the pending Offer and subsequent Merger may not be satisfied, as noted above. If the Proposed Transaction is not consummated, we would remain liable for significant transaction costs, and the focus of our management would have been diverted from seeking other potential strategic opportunities, in each case without realizing any benefits of the Proposed Transaction. For these and other reasons, not consummating the Proposed Transaction could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

Furthermore, if t the pending Offer and subsequent Merger are not consummated, the price of our common stock may decline significantly from the current market price, which we believe reflects a market assumption that the Proposed Transaction will be consummated. Further, a failure of the Proposed Transaction may result in negative publicity and a negative impression of us in the investment community, and have a negative impact on our ability to raise additional financing in the future. Finally, any disruptions to our business resulting from the announcement and pendency of the Proposed Transaction, including any adverse changes in our relationships with our business partners and employees or recruiting and retention efforts, could continue or accelerate in the event of a failed transaction.

 

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If the Merger Agreement is terminated, we may, under certain circumstances, be obligated to pay a termination fee to Parent. These costs could require us to use available cash that would have otherwise been available for other uses.

 

If the Proposed Transaction is not completed, in certain circumstances, we could be required to pay a termination fee of $160 million to Parent. If the Merger Agreement is terminated, the termination fee we may be required to pay, if any, under the Merger Agreement may require us to use available cash that would have otherwise been available for general corporate purposes or other uses. For these and other reasons, termination of the Merger Agreement could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition, which in turn would materially and adversely affect the price per share of our common stock.

The following risk factors assume that we remain a stand-alone company except as otherwise noted.

Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

We have a limited operating history and have incurred significant losses since inception and we anticipate that we may continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

We are an immuno-oncology company with a limited operating history. Since inception in 2014, we have not generated any revenue and have incurred significant operating losses. Our net loss was $44.9 million, $70.4 million and $87.6 million for 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, we had an accumulated deficit of $227.4 million. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. Since inception, we have devoted substantially all of our efforts to research and preclinical and clinical development of our product candidates, as well as to building out our management team and infrastructure. It could be several years, if ever, before we have a commercialized drug. The net losses we incur may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if, and as, we:

In addition, because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with pharmaceutical products and development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. Our expenses could increase and profitability could be further delayed if we decide to or are required by the FDA or other regulatory authorities such as the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, or the U.K. Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, or MHRA, to perform studies or trials in addition to those currently expected, or if there are any delays in the development, or in the completion of any planned or future preclinical studies or clinical trials of our current and future product candidates. Even if we complete the development and regulatory processes described above, we anticipate incurring significant costs associated with launching and commercializing our current and future product candidates.

Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease the value of our company and could impair our ability to raise capital, maintain our research and development efforts, expand our business or continue our operations. A decline in the value of our company also could cause you to lose all or part of your investment.

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We will need substantial funding to pursue our business objectives. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on terms favorable to us, we could be forced to delay, reduce or terminate our product development, other operations or commercialization efforts.

Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain regulatory approval and begin selling any approved products. We expect our expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we continue to develop our product candidates. Our expenses could increase beyond our current expectations if the FDA requires us to perform clinical trials and other studies in addition to those that we currently anticipate. In addition, if we obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce or terminate our research and development programs or future commercialization efforts.

As of December 31, 2019, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $329.1 million. In July 2019 and December 2019, we closed underwritten public offerings with net proceeds of approximately $80.5 and $183.6 million, respectively. Based upon our current operating plan and assumptions, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, including the proceeds from the recently completed public offering and the upfront payment from Ono, will enable us to meet our financial needs through the first quarter of 2022. This estimate is based on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we expect. Changes may occur beyond our control that would cause us to consume our available capital before that time, including changes in and progress of our development activities and changes in regulation. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

We will require additional capital to complete our planned clinical development programs for our current product candidates to obtain regulatory approval. Any additional capital raising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize our current and future product candidates, if approved.

In addition, we cannot guarantee that future financing will be available on a timely basis, in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Moreover, the terms of any financing may adversely affect the holdings or the rights of our stockholders and the issuance of additional securities by us, whether equity or debt, or the market perception that such issuances are likely to occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. If we are unable to obtain funding on a timely basis on acceptable terms, we may be required to delay, reduce or terminate one or more of our research and development programs or the commercialization of any product candidates that may be approved.

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Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish proprietary rights.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. 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 of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a common stockholder. Debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends.

If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to third parties to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Risks Related to the Development of Our Product Candidates

We depend primarily on the success of our lead product candidate, magrolimab, which is in clinical development and which has not completed a pivotal trial. If we do not obtain regulatory approval for and successfully commercialize our lead product candidate in one or more indications or we experience significant delays in doing so, we may never generate any revenue or become profitable.

We do not have any products that have received regulatory approval and may never be able to develop marketable product candidates. We expect that a substantial portion of our efforts and expenses over the next several years will be devoted to the development of our lead product candidate, magrolimab, in our multiple ongoing clinical trials, including trials in monotherapy and in combination with anti-cancer antibodies such as rituximab and cetuximab. As a result, our business currently depends heavily on the successful development, regulatory approval and, if approved, commercialization of magrolimab in one or more of these indications. We cannot be certain that magrolimab will receive regulatory approval or will be successfully commercialized even if it receives regulatory approval. The research, testing, manufacturing, safety, efficacy, labeling, approval, sale, marketing and distribution of magrolimab is, and will remain, subject to comprehensive regulation by the FDA and similar foreign regulatory authorities. Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any product candidate, we must demonstrate through preclinical studies and clinical trials that the product candidate is safe and effective for use in each target indication. Drug development is a long, expensive and uncertain process, and delay or failure can occur at any stage of any of our clinical trials. Failure to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates in the United States will prevent us from commercializing and marketing our product candidates. The success of magrolimab and any other product candidates, including FSI-189 and FSI-174, will depend on several additional factors, including:

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Many of these factors are beyond our control, including the time needed to adequately complete clinical testing, the regulatory submission process, potential threats to our intellectual property rights and changes in the competitive landscape. It is possible that none of our product candidates will ever obtain regulatory approval, even if we expend substantial time and resources seeking such approval. If we do not achieve one or more of these factors in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or an inability to successfully complete clinical trials, obtain regulatory approval or, if approved, commercialize our product candidates, which would materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, the clinical trial requirements of the FDA, the EMA, the MHRA and other regulatory agencies and the criteria these regulators may use to determine the safety and efficacy of a product candidate vary substantially according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use and market of the potential products. The regulatory approval process for novel product candidates such as ours can be more expensive and take longer than for other, better known or extensively studied pharmaceutical or other product candidates.

Our product candidates are based on a novel technology, which makes it difficult to predict the time and cost of product candidate development.

We have concentrated our product research and development efforts on our novel therapeutic approach, and our future success depends on the successful development of our lead product candidate, magrolimab, FSI-189 and FSI-174 and other product candidates. There can be no assurance that any development problems we experience in the future related to our novel therapy will not cause significant delays or unanticipated costs, or that such development problems can be solved. We may also experience delays in developing a sustainable, reproducible and scalable manufacturing process or transferring that process to commercial partners, which may prevent us from completing our clinical trials or commercializing our product candidates on a timely or profitable basis, if at all.

Magrolimab is being developed for use in combination with other drugs, rather than as monotherapy.  Therefore, we depend on the continued availability of those approved drugs.

Our lead development program is magrolimab administered with an approved drug, azacitidine, for the treatment of higher risk MDS.  We therefore depend on the continued availability of azacitidine for completion of our proposed clinical development programs and ultimately, for commercial market acceptance, if approved.

We may seek accelerated approval for some or all of our product candidates from the FDA, however, the FDA may disagree and may require completion of additional clinical trials before considering an NDA for review.

We may seek accelerated approval for magrolimab in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of higher risk MDS.  Under the FDA’s accelerated approval program, the FDA may approve a drug or biologic for a serious or life-threatening illness that provides meaningful therapeutic benefit to patients over existing treatments based upon a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. For drugs granted accelerated approval, post-marketing confirmatory trials have been required to describe the anticipated effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit. These confirmatory trials must be completed with due diligence. Moreover, the FDA may withdraw approval of an indication approved under the accelerated approval pathway if, for example:

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Clinical trials are very expensive, time-consuming and difficult to design and implement, and involve uncertain outcomes. Furthermore, results of earlier preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of results of future preclinical studies or clinical trials.

The risk of failure for our product candidates is high. It is impossible to predict when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans or will receive regulatory approval. To obtain the requisite regulatory approvals to market and sell any of our product candidates, we must demonstrate through extensive preclinical studies and clinical trials that our product candidates are safe and effective in humans for use in each target indication. Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and the outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process.

In addition, the results of preclinical studies and earlier clinical trials may not be predictive of the results of later-stage preclinical studies or clinical trials. The results generated to date in preclinical studies or clinical trials for our product candidates do not ensure that later preclinical studies or clinical trials will demonstrate similar results. We have limited clinical data for each of our product candidates. Product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy traits despite having progressed through preclinical and earlier stage clinical trials. For example, the favorable results of our ongoing trial of magrolimab in tumor targeting antibody combinations with rituximab may not be predictive of similar results in subsequent trials. In later-stage clinical trials, we will likely be subject to more rigorous statistical analyses than in completed earlier stage clinical trials. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in later-stage clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials, and we cannot be certain that we will not face similar setbacks. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval of their products.

In some instances, there can be significant variability in safety or efficacy results between different clinical trials of the same product candidate due to numerous factors, including changes in clinical trial procedures set forth in protocols, differences in the size and type of the patient populations, adherence to the dosing regimen and other clinical trial protocols, and the rate of dropout among clinical trial participants. If we fail to produce positive results in our planned preclinical studies or clinical trials of any of our product candidates, the development timeline and regulatory approval and commercialization prospects for our product candidates, and, correspondingly, our business and financial prospects, would be materially and adversely affected.

We may encounter substantial delays in our clinical trials or we may fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory authorities.

Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of our product candidates, we must conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the product candidate for its intended indications. Clinical trials are expensive, time-consuming and uncertain as to outcome. We cannot guarantee that any clinical trials will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. Events that may prevent successful or timely completion of clinical development include:

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Any inability to successfully complete preclinical and clinical development could result in additional costs to us or impair our ability to generate revenue from future drug sales and regulatory and commercialization milestones. In addition, if we make manufacturing or formulation changes to our product candidates, we may need to conduct additional testing to bridge our modified product candidate to earlier versions. Clinical trial delays could also shorten any periods during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our product candidates, if approved, or allow our competitors to bring comparable drugs to market before we do, which could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Additionally, if the results of our clinical trials are inconclusive or if there are safety concerns or serious adverse events associated with our product candidates, we may:

Our drug development costs will also increase if we experience delays in testing or obtaining marketing approvals. We do not know whether any of our preclinical studies or clinical trials will begin as planned, need to be restructured or be completed on schedule, if at all.

Further, we, the FDA or an institutional review board may suspend our clinical trials at any time if it appears that we or our collaborators are failing to conduct a trial in accordance with regulatory requirements, including the FDA’s current Good Clinical Practice, or GCP, regulations, that we are exposing participants to unacceptable health risks, or if the FDA finds deficiencies in our investigational new drug applications or the conduct of these trials. Therefore, we cannot predict with any certainty the schedule for commencement and completion of future clinical trials. If we experience delays in the commencement or completion of our clinical trials, or if we terminate a clinical trial prior to completion, the commercial prospects of our product candidates could be negatively impacted, and our ability to generate revenues from our product candidates may be delayed or eliminated entirely.

We may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.

Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we focus on research programs that we identify for specific indications. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that later prove to have greater commercial potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial therapies or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs and product candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable products. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such product candidate.

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If any of our product candidates receives marketing approval and we, or others, later discover that the drug is less effective than previously believed or causes undesirable side effects that were not previously identified, our ability to market the drug could be compromised.

Clinical trials of our product candidates are conducted in carefully defined subsets of patients who have agreed to enter into clinical trials. Consequently, it is possible that our clinical trials may indicate an apparent positive effect of a product candidate that is greater than the actual positive effect, if any, or alternatively fail to identify undesirable side effects. Other products focused on CD47 have had problems with toxicity. If one or more of our product candidates receives regulatory approval, and we, or others, later discover that they are less effective than previously believed, or cause undesirable side effects, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:

Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular product candidate, if approved, and could significantly harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we encounter difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials, our clinical development activities could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected.

We may experience difficulties in patient enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons. The timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with their protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in the study until its conclusion. We may experience difficulties in patient enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons. The enrollment of patients depends on many factors, including:

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In addition, our clinical trials will compete with other clinical trials for product candidates that are in the same therapeutic areas as our product candidates, and this competition will reduce the number and types of patients available to us, because some patients who might have opted to enroll in our trials may instead opt to enroll in a trial being conducted by one of our competitors. Since the number of qualified clinical investigators is limited, we expect to conduct some of our clinical trials at the same clinical trial sites that some of our competitors use, which will reduce the number of patients who are available for our clinical trials at such clinical trial site. Moreover, because our product candidates represent a departure from more commonly used methods for cancer treatment, potential patients and their doctors may be inclined to use conventional therapies rather than enroll patients in any future clinical trial.

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 product candidates.

We have received Fast Track designations for magrolimab for the treatment of relapsed and/or refractory DLBCL, relapsed and/or refractory FL, and myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia, but such designations may not actually lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process.

In April 2018, the FDA granted Fast Track designations to magrolimab for the treatment of relapsed and/or refractory DLBCL and relapsed and/or refractory FL. In September 2019, the FDA granted Fast Track designations to magrolimab for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia. If a drug is intended for the treatment of a serious condition and nonclinical or clinical data demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical need for such condition, a drug sponsor may apply for FDA Fast Track designation. Even though we received Fast Track designations for magrolimab, such Fast Track designations do not ensure that we will receive marketing approval or that approval will be granted within any particular timeframe for any of these fast track-designated indications. We may not experience a faster development or regulatory review or approval process with Fast Track designation compared to conventional FDA procedures. In addition, the FDA may withdraw Fast Track designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program. Fast Track designation alone does not guarantee qualification for the FDA’s priority review procedures.

We may become exposed to costly and damaging liability claims, either when testing our product candidates in the clinic or at the commercial stage, and our product liability insurance may not cover all damages from such claims.

We are exposed to potential product liability and professional indemnity risks that are inherent in the research, development, manufacturing, marketing and use of pharmaceutical products. We currently have no products that have been approved for commercial sale. However, the current and future use of product candidates by us in clinical trials, and the sale of any approved products in the future, may expose us to liability claims. These claims might be made by patients that use the product, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies or others selling such products. In addition, we have agreed to indemnify the licensors of the intellectual property related to our product candidates against certain intellectual property infringement claims. Any claims against us, or with respect to which we are obligated to provide indemnification, regardless of their merit, could be difficult and costly to defend or settle, and could compromise the market acceptance of our product candidates or any prospects for commercialization of our product candidates, if approved.

Although the clinical trial process is designed to identify and assess potential side effects, it is always possible that a drug, even after regulatory approval, may exhibit unforeseen side effects. If any of our product candidates were to cause adverse side effects during clinical trials or after approval of the product candidate, we may be exposed to substantial liabilities. Physicians and patients may not comply with any warnings that identify known potential adverse effects and patients who should not use our product candidates.

Although we maintain product liability insurance coverage, such insurance may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. We may need to increase our insurance coverage each time we commence a clinical trial and if we successfully commercialize any product candidate. As the expense of insurance coverage is increasing, we may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise. If a successful product liability claim or series of claims is brought against us for uninsured liabilities or in excess of insured liabilities, our assets may not be sufficient to cover such claims and our business operations could be impaired.

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Risks Related to Commercialization of Our Product Candidates

We have never commercialized a product candidate and we may lack the necessary expertise, personnel and resources to successfully commercialize any of our products that receive regulatory approval on our own or together with collaborators.

We have never commercialized a product candidate. Our operations to date have been limited to organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital, acquiring the rights to our product candidates and undertaking preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates. We currently have no sales force, marketing or distribution capabilities. To achieve commercial success of our product candidates, if any are approved, we will have to develop our own sales, marketing and supply capabilities or outsource these activities to a third party.

Factors that may affect our ability to commercialize our product candidates on our own include recruiting and retaining adequate numbers of effective sales and marketing personnel, obtaining access to or persuading adequate numbers of physicians to prescribe our product candidates and other unforeseen costs associated with creating an independent sales and marketing organization. Developing a sales and marketing organization requires significant investment, is time-consuming and could delay the launch of our product candidates. We may not be able to build an effective sales and marketing organization in the United States, the European Union or other key global markets. If we are unable to build our own distribution and marketing capabilities or to find suitable partners for the commercialization of our product candidates, we may have difficulties generating revenue from them.

We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products before or more successfully than we do.

The development and commercialization of new drug products is highly competitive. We face competition with respect to our current product candidates, and will face competition with respect to any product candidates that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future, from major pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies among others. We compete in the segments of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other related markets that develop immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. There are other companies working to develop immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer including divisions of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies of various sizes. Some of these competitive products 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. Potential competitors also 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.

We are developing our initial product candidates for the treatment of cancer and currently none of these therapies are approved. There are already a variety of available drug therapies marketed for cancer and some of the currently approved drug therapies are branded and subject to patent protection, and others are available on a generic basis. Many of these approved drugs are well established therapies and are widely accepted by physicians, patients and third-party payors. Insurers and other third-party payors may also encourage the use of generic products. We expect that if our product candidates are approved, they will be priced at a significant premium over competitive generic products. This may make it difficult for us to achieve our business strategy of using our product candidates in combination with existing therapies or replacing existing therapies with our product candidates.

Competition may further increase as a result of advances in the commercial applicability of technologies and greater availability of capital for investment in these industries. We are aware that Celgene Corporation, Trillium Therapeutics Inc., ALX Oncology Ltd, Arch Therapeutics, Inc., Surface Oncology, Inc., Novimmune SA, OSE Immunotherapeutics SA, Aurigene Discovery Technologies Ltd and Innovent and others are developing drugs targeting the CD47 pathway that may have utility for the treatment of indications that we are targeting. Our competitors may succeed in developing, acquiring or licensing, on an exclusive basis, products that are more effective or less costly than any product candidate that we may develop.

Established pharmaceutical companies may invest heavily to accelerate discovery and development of novel compounds or to in-license novel compounds that could make our product candidates less competitive. In addition, any new product that competes with an approved product must demonstrate compelling advantages in efficacy, convenience, tolerability and safety in order to overcome price competition and to be commercially successful. Accordingly, our competitors may succeed in obtaining patent protection, discovering, developing, receiving FDA approval for or commercializing drugs before we do, which would have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

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The availability of our competitors’ products could limit the demand and the price we are able to charge for any product candidate we commercialize, if any. The inability to compete with existing or subsequently introduced drugs would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Even if any of our product candidates receive marketing approval, they 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.

If magrolimab, FSI-189 and FSI-174 and any other future product candidates receive marketing approval, whether as a single agent or in combination with other therapies, they may nonetheless fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. For example, current approved immunotherapies, and other cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, are well established in the medical community, and doctors may continue to rely on these therapies. If any of our product candidates do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant product revenues and we may not become profitable. The degree of market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:

The successful commercialization of certain of our product candidates will depend in part on the extent to which governmental authorities and health insurers establish adequate coverage, reimbursement levels and pricing policies. Failure to obtain or maintain adequate coverage and reimbursement for our product candidates, if approved, could limit our ability to market those products and decrease our ability to generate revenue.

The availability and adequacy of coverage and reimbursement by governmental healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurers and other third-party payors are essential for most patients to be able to afford products such as our product candidates, if approved. Our ability to achieve acceptable levels of coverage and reimbursement for products by governmental authorities, private health insurers and other organizations will have an effect on our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates and attract additional collaboration partners to invest in the development of our product candidates. Coverage under certain government programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE, may not be available for certain of our product candidates. Assuming we obtain coverage for a given product by a third-party payor, the resulting reimbursement payment rates may not be adequate or may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement in the United States, the European Union or elsewhere will be available for any product that we may develop, and any reimbursement that may become available may be decreased or eliminated in the future.

Third-party payors increasingly are challenging prices charged for pharmaceutical products and services, and many third-party payors may refuse to provide coverage and reimbursement for particular drugs when an equivalent generic drug, biosimilar or a less expensive therapy is available. It is possible that a third-party payor may consider our product candidates and other therapies as substitutable and only offer to reimburse patients for the less expensive product. Even if we show improved efficacy or improved convenience of administration with our product candidates, pricing of existing drugs may limit the amount we will be able to charge for our product candidates. These payors may deny or revoke the reimbursement status of a given product or establish prices for new or existing marketed products at levels that are too low to enable us to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development. If reimbursement is not available or is available only at limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our product candidates, and may not be able to obtain a satisfactory financial return on products that we may develop.

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There is significant uncertainty related to the insurance coverage and reimbursement of newly approved products. In the United States, third-party payors, including private and governmental payors, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs, play an important role in determining the extent to which new drugs and biologics will be covered. The Medicare and Medicaid programs increasingly are used as models for how private payors and other governmental payors develop their coverage and reimbursement policies for drugs and biologics. Some third-party payors may require pre-approval of coverage for new or innovative devices or drug therapies before they will reimburse health care providers who use such therapies. It is difficult to predict at this time what third-party payors will decide with respect to the coverage and reimbursement for our product candidates.

Obtaining and maintaining reimbursement status is time-consuming and costly. No uniform policy for coverage and reimbursement for products exists among third-party payors in the United States. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for products can differ significantly from payor to payor. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance. Furthermore, rules and regulations regarding reimbursement change frequently, in some cases at short notice, and we believe that changes in these rules and regulations are likely.

Moreover, increasing efforts by governmental and third-party payors in the United States and abroad to cap or reduce healthcare costs may cause such organizations to limit both coverage and the level of reimbursement for newly approved products and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for our product candidates. We expect to experience pricing pressures in connection with the sale of any of our product candidates due to the trend toward managed healthcare, the increasing influence of health maintenance organizations, and additional legislative changes. The downward pressure on healthcare costs in general, particularly prescription drugs, has become very intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of health care services to contain or reduce costs of health care may adversely affect:

Even if we receive marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we may not achieve market acceptance, which would limit the revenue that we can generate from sales of any of our approved product candidates.

Even if the FDA approves the marketing of any product candidates that we develop, physicians, patients, third-party payors or the medical community may not accept or use them. Efforts to educate the medical community and third-party payors on the benefits of our product candidates may require significant resources and may not be successful. Market acceptance of magrolimab, FSI-189, FSI-174 and our other product candidates, if any are approved, will depend on a number of factors, including, among others:

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The market acceptance of our product candidates also will depend in part on the market acceptance of other immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. While a number of other cancer immunotherapies have received regulatory approval and are being commercialized, our approach to targeting the CD47 pathway is novel. Adverse events in clinical trials for our product candidates or in clinical trials of others developing similar products and the resulting publicity, as well as any other adverse events in the field of immuno-oncology that may occur in the future, could result in a decrease in demand for magrolimab or any other product candidate that we may develop. If public perception is influenced by claims that the use of cancer immunotherapies is unsafe, whether related to our therapies or those of our competitors, our products may not be accepted by the general public or the medical community. Future adverse events in immuno-oncology or the biopharmaceutical industry generally could also result in greater governmental regulation and stricter labeling requirements.

If any of our product candidates is approved but does not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by patients, physicians and third-party payors, we may not generate sufficient revenue to become or remain profitable and our business may be harmed.

Even if we obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, they will remain subject to ongoing regulatory oversight.

Even if we obtain regulatory approval for any of our product candidates, they will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements for manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, sampling and record-keeping. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with current good manufacturing practices, or cGMP, regulations and GCPs, for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval, all of which may result in significant expense and limit our ability to commercialize such products. In addition, any regulatory approvals that we receive for our product candidates may also be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing, including Phase 4 clinical trials, and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product candidate. The FDA may also require a REMS as a condition of approval of our product candidates, which could include requirements for a medication guide, physician communication plans or additional elements to ensure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools.

The FDA’s and other regulatory authorities’ policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability. Moreover, if there are changes in the application of legislation or regulatory policies, or if problems are discovered with a product or our manufacture of a product, or if we or one of our distributors, licensees or co-marketers fails to comply with regulatory requirements, the regulators could take various actions. These include:

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If any of these events occurs, our ability to sell such product may be impaired, and we may incur substantial additional expense to comply with regulatory requirements, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If any of our product candidates are approved for marketing and commercialization and we are unable to establish sales and marketing capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to sell and market our product candidates, we will be unable to successfully commercialize our product candidates if and when they are approved.

We have no sales, marketing or distribution capabilities or experience. To achieve commercial success for any approved product for which we retain sales and marketing responsibilities, we must either develop a sales and marketing organization, which would be expensive and time consuming, or outsource these functions to other third parties. In the future, we may choose to build a focused sales and marketing infrastructure to sell, or participate in sales activities with our collaborators for, some of our product candidates if and when they are approved.

There are risks involved with both establishing our own sales and marketing capabilities and entering into arrangements with third parties to perform these services. For example, recruiting and training a sales force is expensive and time consuming and could delay any product launch. If the commercial launch of a product candidate for which we recruit a sales force and establish marketing capabilities is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses. This may be costly, and our investment would be lost if we cannot retain or reposition our sales and marketing personnel.

Factors that may inhibit our efforts to commercialize our product candidates on our own include:

If we enter into arrangements with third parties to perform sales, marketing and distribution services, our product revenues or the profitability of these product revenues to us are likely to be lower than if we were to market and sell any products that we develop ourselves. In addition, we may not be successful in entering into arrangements with third parties to sell and market our product candidates or may be unable to do so on terms that are favorable to us. In entering into third-party marketing or distribution arrangements, any revenue we receive will depend upon the efforts of the third parties and we cannot assure you that such third parties will establish adequate sales and distribution capabilities or devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our product candidates effectively. If we do not establish sales and marketing capabilities successfully, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we will not be successful in commercializing our product candidates.

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Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties

We do not have our own manufacturing capabilities and will rely on third parties to produce clinical and commercial supplies of magrolimab and any future product candidate.

We have limited experience in drug formulation and manufacturing and do not own or operate, and we do not expect to own or operate, facilities for drug manufacturing, storage, distribution, or testing. We have entered into a development and manufacturing agreement with Lonza, pursuant to which we agreed to purchase magrolimab. Lonza is currently our sole supplier of magrolimab. We have also entered into an agreement with BTPH as our sole supplier for our cKIT antibodies. If Lonza and BTPH are unable to supply us with sufficient clinical and commercial grade quantities of drug substances, whether due to production shortages or other supply interruptions resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, and we are unable to timely establish an alternate supply from one or more third-party contract manufacturers, we could experience delays in our development efforts as we locate and qualify new manufacturers. Under such circumstances, we may be required to receive drug substance for use on a purchase order basis, and as such, there can be no assurance that we actually receive sufficient quantities. See also the risk factor titled “—Our business could be adversely affected by the effects of health epidemics, including the recent COVID‑19 pandemic, in regions where we or third parties on which we rely have significant manufacturing facilities, concentrations of clinical trial sites or other business operations. The COVID-19 pandemic could materially affect our operations, including at our headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is currently subject to a state executive order and a shelter-in-place order, and at our clinical trial sites, as well as the business or operations of our manufacturers, CROs or other third parties with whom we conduct business.”

Further, our reliance on third-party manufacturers exposes us to risks beyond our control, including the risk of:

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Some of these events could be the basis for FDA action, including injunction, recall, seizure, or total or partial suspension of production. In addition, our third-party manufacturers and suppliers are subject to FDA inspection from time to time. Failure by our third-party manufacturers and suppliers to pass such inspections and otherwise satisfactorily complete the FDA approval regimen with respect to our product candidate may result in regulatory actions such as the issuance of FDA Form 483 notices of observations, warning letters or injunctions or the loss of operating licenses. In addition, our third-party manufacturers and suppliers are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of waste products, and failure to comply with such laws and regulations could result in significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties for such third parties. Based on the severity of the regulatory action, our clinical or commercial supply of drug and packaging and other services could be interrupted or limited, which could harm our business.

In addition, our contract manufacturers are or may be engaged with other companies to supply and manufacture materials or products for such companies, which also exposes our suppliers and manufacturers to regulatory risks for the production of such materials and products. As a result, failure to meet the regulatory requirements for the production of those materials and products may also affect the regulatory clearance of a contract supplier’s or manufacturer’s facility. If the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory agency does not approve these facilities for the supply or manufacture of our product candidates, or if it withdraws its approval in the future, we may need to find alternative supply or manufacturing facilities, which would negatively impact our ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval of or market our product candidates, if approved.

As we prepare for later-stage clinical trials and potential commercialization, we will need to take steps to increase the scale of production of our product candidates, which may include transferring production to new third-party suppliers or manufacturers. In order to conduct larger or late-stage scale clinical trials for our product candidates and supply sufficient commercial quantities of the resulting drug product and its components, if that product candidate is approved for sale, our contract manufacturers and suppliers will need to produce our product candidates in larger quantities, more cost effectively and, in certain cases, at higher yields than they currently achieve. These third-party contractors may not be able to successfully increase the manufacturing capacity for any such product candidates in a timely or cost-effective manner or at all. Significant scale up of manufacturing may require additional processes, technologies and validation studies, which are costly, may not be successful and which the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities must review and approve. In addition, quality issues may arise during those scale-up activities because of the inherent properties of a product candidate itself or of a product candidate in combination with other components added during the manufacturing and packaging process, or during shipping and storage of the active pharmaceutical ingredients or the finished product. If our third-party contractors are unable to successfully scale up the manufacture of any of our product candidates in sufficient quality and quantity and at commercially reasonable prices, and we are unable to find one or more replacement suppliers or manufacturers capable of production at a substantially equivalent cost in substantially equivalent volumes and quality, and we are unable to successfully transfer the processes on a timely basis, the development of that product candidate and regulatory approval or commercial launch for any resulting products may be delayed, or there may be a shortage in supply, either of which could significantly harm our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects.

Any of these events could lead to clinical trial delays, failure to obtain regulatory approval or impact our ability to successfully commercialize any potential future product candidates.

We rely on third parties to conduct our preclinical studies and clinical trials and if these third parties perform in an unsatisfactory manner, our business could be substantially harmed.

We intend to conduct our future clinical trials using our own clinical resources while also leveraging expertise and assistance from CROs as appropriate. We do not currently have the ability to independently conduct large-scale clinical trials, such as a Phase 3 clinical trial, without outside assistance.

We have relied upon and plan to continue to rely upon medical institutions, clinical investigators, contract laboratories and other third parties, such as CROs, to conduct or assist us in conducting GCP-compliant clinical trials on our product candidates properly and on time, and may not currently have all of the necessary contractual relationships in place to do so. Once we have established contractual relationships with such third-party CROs, we will have only limited control over their actual performance of these activities.

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We and our CROs and other vendors are required to comply with cGMP, GCP and good laboratory practices, or GLP, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA, the Competent Authorities of the Member States of the European Union and any comparable foreign regulatory authorities for all of our product candidates in preclinical and clinical development. Regulatory authorities enforce these regulations through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators, clinical trial sites and other contractors. Although we rely on CROs to conduct any current or planned GLP-compliant preclinical studies and GCP-compliant clinical trials and have limited influence over their actual performance, we remain responsible for ensuring that each of our preclinical studies and clinical trials is conducted in accordance with its investigational plan and protocol and applicable laws and regulations, and our reliance on the CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. If we or any of our CROs or vendors fail to comply with applicable regulations, the data generated in our preclinical studies and clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA, EMA, MHRA or any comparable foreign regulatory agency may require us to perform additional preclinical studies and clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. We cannot assure you that upon inspection by a given regulatory agency, such regulatory agency will determine that all of our clinical trials comply with GCP regulations. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with products produced under cGMP requirements. Our failure to comply with these requirements may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.

While we will have agreements governing their activities, our CROs will not be our employees, and we will not be able to control whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our future preclinical and clinical programs. These CROs may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, for whom they may also be conducting clinical trials, or other drug development activities which could harm our business. We face the risk of potential unauthorized disclosure or misappropriation of our intellectual property by CROs, which may reduce our trade secret protection and allow our potential competitors to access and exploit our proprietary technology. CROs also may use our proprietary information and intellectual property in such a way as to invite litigation or other intellectual property-related proceedings that could jeopardize or invalidate our proprietary information and intellectual property. If our CROs do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations, fail to meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for any other reason, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize any product candidate that we develop. As a result, our financial results and the commercial prospects for any product candidate that we develop would be harmed, our costs could increase, and our ability to generate revenue could be delayed.

If our relationships with these CROs terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative CROs or do so on commercially reasonable terms. Switching or adding additional CROs involves substantial cost and requires management time and focus, and could delay development and commercialization of our product candidates. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new CRO commences work. As a result, delays occur, which can negatively impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. Though we intend to carefully manage our relationships with our CROs, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a negative impact on our business and financial condition.

If we are not able to maintain our current collaborations and establish further collaborations, we may have to alter some of our future development and commercialization plans.

Our product development programs and the potential commercialization of our product candidates will require substantial additional capital to fund expenses. We have entered into collaboration agreements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for certain combination therapies with magrolimab and may decide to collaborate for the future development and potential commercialization of other product candidates. For example, we have an ongoing combination clinical trial in ovarian cancer with Merck and combination clinical trials planned in AML and bladder cancer with Genentech. In addition, in July 2019, we entered into an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Ono. We may find that our programs require the use of proprietary rights held by third parties, and the growth of our business may depend in part on our ability to acquire, in-license or use these proprietary rights. We will likely have limited control over the amount and timing of resources that our collaborators dedicate to the development or commercialization of any product candidates we may seek to develop with them. We cannot predict the success of any collaboration that we have entered into or will enter into.

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We face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators, and a number of more established companies may also be pursuing strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, financial resources and greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities. In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. Whether we reach a definitive agreement for a collaboration will depend, among other things, upon our assessment of the collaborator’s resources and expertise, the terms and conditions of the proposed collaboration and the proposed collaborator’s evaluation of a number of factors. Those factors may include the design or results of clinical trials, the likelihood of approval by the FDA, EMA, MHRA or similar foreign regulatory authorities, the potential market for the subject product candidate, the costs and complexities of manufacturing and delivering such product candidate to patients, competing products, the existence of uncertainty with respect to our ownership of technology, which can exist if there is a challenge to such ownership without regard to the merits of the challenge, and industry and market conditions generally. The collaborator may also consider alternative product candidates or technologies for similar indications that may be available to collaborate on and whether such a collaboration could be more attractive than the one with us for our product candidate. We may also be restricted under existing license agreements from entering into agreements on certain terms with potential collaborators. Collaborations are complex and time-consuming to negotiate and document. In addition, there have been a significant number of recent business combinations among large pharmaceutical companies that have resulted in a reduced number of potential future collaborators.

We may not be able to negotiate further collaborations on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we are able to obtain a license to intellectual property of interest, we may not be able to secure exclusive rights, in which case others could use the same rights and compete with us. Our existing collaboration partners may not prioritize our product candidates or otherwise not effectively pursue the development of our product candidates which may delay, reduce or terminate the development of such product candidate, reduce or delay its development program or delay its potential commercialization. Further if we are unable to successfully obtain rights to required third-party intellectual property rights or maintain the existing intellectual property rights we have, we may have to delay, reduce or terminate the development of such product 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. Doing so will likely harm our ability to execute our business plans. If we elect to increase our expenditures to fund development or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we do not have sufficient funds, we may not be able to further develop our product candidates or bring them to market and generate product revenue.

Our reliance on third parties requires us to share our trade secrets, which increases the possibility that a competitor will discover them or that our trade secrets will be misappropriated or disclosed.

Because we rely on third parties to develop and manufacture our product candidates, we must, at times, share trade secrets with them. We seek to protect our proprietary technology in part by entering into confidentiality agreements and, if applicable, material transfer agreements, collaborative research agreements, consulting agreements or other similar agreements with our collaborators, advisors, employees and consultants prior to beginning research or disclosing proprietary information. These agreements typically limit the rights of the third parties to use or disclose our confidential information, such as trade secrets. Despite these contractual agreements with third parties, sharing trade secrets and other confidential information increases the risk that such trade secrets become known by our competitors, are inadvertently incorporated into the technology of others, or are disclosed or used in violation of these agreements. Given that our proprietary position is based, in part, on our know-how and trade secrets, a competitor’s discovery of our trade secrets or other unauthorized use or disclosure would impair our competitive position and may harm our business.

In addition, these agreements typically restrict the ability of our advisors, employees, third-party contractors and consultants to publish data potentially relating to our trade secrets, although our agreements may contain certain limited publication rights. Despite our efforts to protect our trade secrets, our competitors may discover our trade secrets, either through breach of our agreements with third parties, independent development or publication of information by any of our third-party collaborators. A competitor’s discovery of our trade secrets would impair our competitive position and have an adverse impact on our business.

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Risks Related to Regulatory Compliance

Enacted and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us to obtain marketing approval of and commercialize our product candidates and affect the prices we may charge for such product candidates.

The United States and many foreign jurisdictions have enacted or proposed legislative and regulatory changes affecting the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to profitably sell any product for which we obtain marketing approval.

In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or collectively, the Affordable Care Act, was enacted, which includes measures that have significantly changed the way health care is financed by both governmental and private insurers. Some of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act have yet to be implemented, and there have been judicial and congressional challenges to certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act. Since January 2017, President Trump has signed two Executive Orders and other directives designed to delay the implementation of certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act or otherwise circumvent some of the requirements for health insurance mandated by the Affordable Care Act. In addition, while Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal legislation, it has enacted laws that modify certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act such as removing penalties, starting January 1, 2019, for not complying with the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate to carry health insurance. Additionally, the 2020 federal spending package permanently eliminated, effective January 1, 2020, the Affordable Care Act-mandated “Cadillac” tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage and medical device tax and, effective January 1, 2021, also eliminates the health insurer tax. On December 14, 2018, a Texas U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Additionally, on December 18, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld the District Court ruling that the individual mandate was unconstitutional and remanded the case back to the District Court to determine whether the remaining provisions of the Affordable Care Act are invalid as well. It is unclear how this decision, future decisions, subsequent appeals, and other efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act will impact the Affordable Care Act and our business. We continue to evaluate the effect that the Affordable Care Act and its possible repeal and replacement has on our business.

In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the Affordable Care Act was enacted. For example, in August 2011, then-President Obama signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011, which, among other things, created the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to recommend to Congress proposals in spending reductions. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction did not achieve a targeted deficit reduction, which triggered the legislation’s automatic reduction to several government programs. This includes aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of, on average, 2% per fiscal year through 2029 unless Congress takes additional action. Recently, there has been increasing legislative and enforcement interest in the United States with respect to specialty drug pricing practices. Specifically, there have been several recent U.S. congressional inquiries and legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, reduce the cost of prescription drugs under Medicare, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs. Further, the Trump administration released a “Blueprint” to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs of drugs that contains additional proposals to increase drug manufacturer competition, increase the negotiating power of certain federal healthcare programs, incentivize manufacturers to lower the list price of their products, and reduce the out of pocket costs of drug products paid by consumers. The Department of Health and Human Services has solicited feedback on some of these measures and has implemented others under its existing authority. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control costs pharmaceutical and biological products.

We expect that the healthcare reform measures that have been adopted and may be adopted in the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for any approved product and could seriously harm our future revenues. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability or commercialize our products.

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Our business operations and current and future relationships with investigators, health care professionals, consultants, third-party payors and customers will be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, health information privacy and security laws, and other healthcare laws and regulations. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.

Although we do not currently have any products on the market, our operations may be directly, or indirectly through our prescribers, customers and third-party payors, subject to various U.S. federal and state healthcare laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the U.S. federal civil and criminal false claims laws and the Physician Payments Sunshine Act and regulations. Healthcare providers, physicians and others play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any products for which we obtain marketing approval. These laws may impact, among other things, our current business operations, including our clinical research activities, and proposed sales, marketing and education programs and constrain the business of financial arrangements and relationships with healthcare providers, physicians and other parties through which we market, sell and distribute our products for which we obtain marketing approval. In addition, we may be subject to patient data privacy and security regulation by both the U.S. federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. Finally, we may be subject to additional healthcare, statutory and regulatory requirements and enforcement by foreign regulatory authorities in jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include:

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Ensuring that our internal operations and future business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations, agency guidance or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental laws and regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant penalties, including civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, exclusion from U.S. government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, or similar programs in other countries or jurisdictions, disgorgement, imprisonment, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws and the delay, reduction, termination or restructuring of our operations. Further, defending against any such actions can be costly and time-consuming, and may require significant financial and personnel resources. Therefore, even if we are successful in defending against any such actions that may be brought against us, our business may be impaired. If any of the physicians or other providers or entities with whom we expect to do business is found to not be in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs and imprisonment. If any of the above occur, it could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.

We may not be able to obtain or maintain orphan drug designation or exclusivity for our product candidates.

We have obtained orphan drug designation in the United States and Europe for use of magrolimab in treating AML. We may seek orphan drug designation for other product candidates in the future. Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States and the European Union, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an orphan drug if it is a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States.

Our orphan drug exclusivity for the use of magrolimab in treating AML is contingent upon a showing that magrolimab is clinically superior to existing treatments of AML. Clinical superiority may be demonstrated by showing that a drug has greater effectiveness than the approved drug, greater safety in a substantial portion of the target population, or otherwise makes a major contribution to patient care. If we are unable to demonstrate that the use of magrolimab in treating AML is clinically superior to existing treatments, we will not be entitled to the benefits of orphan drug exclusivity, which could adversely affect our business and our ability to market and sell magrolimab if it is approved for sale.

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Generally, if a product with an orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to a period of marketing exclusivity, which precludes the FDA or the EMA from approving another marketing application for the same drug for the same indication during that time period. The applicable period is seven years in the United States and ten years in the European Union. The European exclusivity period can be reduced to multiple years if a drug no longer meets the criteria for orphan drug designation or if the drug is sufficiently profitable so that market exclusivity is no longer justified. Orphan drug exclusivity may be lost if the FDA or the EMA determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the drug to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.

We cannot assure you that any future application for orphan drug designation with respect to any other product candidate will be granted. If we are unable to obtain orphan drug designation with respect to other product candidates in the United States, we will not be eligible to obtain the period of market exclusivity that could result from orphan drug designation or be afforded the financial incentives associated with orphan drug designation. Even when we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different drugs can be approved for the same condition. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA can subsequently approve a later drug for the same condition if the FDA concludes that the later drug is clinically superior in that it is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If we are unable to obtain and maintain sufficient patent and other intellectual property protection for our product candidates and technology, we may not be able to compete effectively in our market.

Our success depends in significant part on our ability and the ability of our licensors and collaborators to obtain, maintain, enforce and defend patents and other intellectual property rights with respect to our product candidates and technology and to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating, or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of others. We have licensed a patent estate from The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, or Stanford. In addition, we have filed our own patent applications and acquired patent applications from BliNK Biomedical SAS. As of December 31, 2019, the only patent applications solely owned by us are provisional patent applications, U.S. and foreign patent applications, and PCT applications.We do not own any issued patents. Provisional patent applications are not eligible to become issued patents until, among other things, we file a non-provisional patent application within 12 months of filing of one or more of our related provisional patent applications. With regard to our provisional applications, if we do not timely file any non-provisional patent applications, we may lose our priority date with respect to our provisional patent applications and any patent protection on the inventions disclosed in our provisional patent applications. While we intend to timely file non-provisional patent applications relating to our provisional patent applications, we cannot predict whether any such patent applications will result in the issuance of patents that provide us with any competitive advantage.

We have also licensed patent and other intellectual property rights to and from our partners. Some of these licenses give us the right to prepare, file and prosecute patent applications and maintain and enforce patents we have licensed, whereas other licenses may not give us such rights. In some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications or to maintain the patents covering technology that we license to or from our partners, and we may have to rely on our partners to fulfill these responsibilities. Consequently, these patents and applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. If our current or future licensors, licensees or collaborators fail to establish, maintain or protect such patents and other intellectual property rights, such rights may be reduced or eliminated. If our licensors, licensees or collaborators are not fully cooperative or disagree with us as to the prosecution, maintenance or enforcement of any patent rights, such patent rights could be compromised.

The patent prosecution process is expensive and time-consuming. We and our current or future licensors, licensees or collaborators may not be able to prepare, file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we or our licensors will fail to file patent applications covering inventions made in the course of development and commercialization activities before a competitor or another third party files a patent application covering, or publishes information disclosing, a similar, independently-developed invention. Such competitor’s patent application may pose obstacles to our ability to obtain or limit the scope of patent protection we may obtain. Although we enter into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to confidential or patentable aspects of our research and development

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output, such as our employees, collaborators, CROs, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose such output before a patent application is filed, thereby jeopardizing our ability to seek patent protection. In addition, 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 or our licensors were the first to make the inventions claimed in our owned or licensed patents or pending patent applications, or were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions.

The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and is the subject of much litigation. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our and our current or future licensors’ patent rights are uncertain. Our and our licensors’ pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued that protect our technology or products, in whole or in part, or which effectively exclude others from commercializing competitive technologies and products. The patent examination process may require us or our licensors to narrow the scope of the claims of our pending and future patent applications, and therefore, even if such patent applications issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors or other third parties from competing with us, or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Our and our licensors’ patent applications cannot be enforced against third parties practicing the technology claimed in such applications unless and until a patent issues from such applications, and then only to the extent the issued claims cover such technology. Any of the foregoing could harm our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

The patent protection we obtain for our product candidates and technology may be challenged or not sufficient enough to provide us with any competitive advantage.

Even if our owned or licensed patent applications issue as patents, the issuance of any such patents is not conclusive as to their inventorship, scope, validity, or enforceability, and such patents may be challenged, invalidated or held to be unenforceable, including in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad, or circumvented. We may be subject to a third party preissuance submission of prior art to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, or equivalent foreign bodies, or become involved in opposition, derivation, revocation, re-examination, post-grant and inter partes review, or interference proceedings challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding or litigation could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products without infringing third-party patent rights. Moreover, we, or one of our licensors, may have to participate in interference proceedings declared by the USPTO to determine priority of invention or in post-grant challenge proceedings, such as oppositions in a foreign patent office, that challenge priority of invention or other features of patentability. For example, we are aware of an opposition proceeding filed in the European Patent Office, or the EPO, by different third parties against a European patent that we exclusively in-license from Stanford that relates to the treatment of cancer with certain anti-CD47 antibodies or anti-SIRPa antibodies. We are also aware of an opposition proceeding filed in the EPO by a third party against a different European patent that we exclusively in-license from Stanford that relates to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with anti-CKIT antibodies. One or more of the third parties that have filed oppositions against these patents or other third parties may file future oppositions or other challenges, in Europe or other jurisdictions, against other patents that we in-license or own. Such proceedings and any other patent challenges may result in loss of patent rights, loss of exclusivity, loss of priority, or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated, or held unenforceable, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and products, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and product candidates. Such proceedings also may result in substantial cost and require significant time from our scientists and management, even if the eventual outcome is favorable to us. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Furthermore, given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolios may not provide us with adequate protection against third parties seeking to commercialize products similar or identical to ours. We expect to request extensions of patent terms to the extent available in countries where we obtain issued patents. In the United States, the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 permits a patent term extension of up to five years beyond the expiration of the patent. However, there are no assurances that the FDA or any comparable foreign

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regulatory authority or national patent office will grant such extensions, in whole or in part. In such case, our competitors may launch their products earlier than might otherwise be anticipated. Moreover, some of our owned or in-licensed patents and patent applications are, and may in the future be, co-owned with third parties. If we are unable to obtain an exclusive license to any such co-owners’ interest in such patents or patent applications, such co-owners may be able to license their rights to other third parties, including our competitors, and our competitors could market competing products and technology. In addition, we may need the cooperation of any such co-owners in order to enforce such patents against third parties, and such cooperation may not be provided to us.

In addition, our owned and in-licensed patents may be subject to a reservation of rights by one or more third parties. For example, our license to certain intellectual property owned by Stanford is subject to certain rights Stanford granted to third parties prior to our license agreement. In addition, the research resulting in certain of our owned and in-licensed patent rights and technology was funded in part by the U.S. federal or state governments, including our grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM. As a result, the government may have certain rights, including march-in rights, to such patent rights and technology. When new technologies are developed with government funding, the government generally obtains certain rights in any resulting patents, including a non-exclusive license authorizing the government to use the invention for noncommercial purposes. These rights may permit the government to disclose our confidential information to third parties or allow third parties to use our licensed technology. The government can also exercise its march-in rights if it determines that action is necessary because we fail to achieve practical application of the government-funded technology, because action is necessary to alleviate health or safety needs, to meet requirements of federal regulations, or to give preference to U.S. industry. In addition, our rights in such inventions may be subject to certain requirements to manufacture products embodying such inventions in the United States. Any of the foregoing could harm our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We are heavily dependent on licensed intellectual property. If we were to lose our rights to licensed intellectual property, we may not be able to continue developing or commercializing our product candidates, if approved. If we breach any of the agreements under which we license the use, development and commercialization rights to our product candidates or technology from third parties or, in certain cases, we fail to meet certain development deadlines, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.

We are heavily reliant upon licenses to certain patent rights and other intellectual property from third parties that are important or necessary to the development of our product candidates, including magrolimab. For example, in November 2015 we entered into a license agreement with Stanford under which we are granted rights to intellectual property that are necessary to the development and commercialization of magrolimab and are otherwise important to our business. We may also need to obtain additional licenses to advance the development and commercialization of other product candidates we may develop. Our existing license agreement with Stanford imposes, and we expect that future license agreements will impose, upon us various development, regulatory and/or commercial diligence obligations, payment of milestones and/or royalties and other obligations. If we fail to comply with our obligations under these agreements, or we are subject to a bankruptcy-related event, the licensor may have the right to terminate the license, in which event we would not be able to develop, market or otherwise commercialize products covered by the license, including magrolimab if any of the foregoing were to occur with respect to our license with Stanford. Our business could suffer, for example, if any current or future licenses terminate, if the licensors fail to abide by the terms of the license, if the licensed patents or other rights are found to be invalid or unenforceable, or if we are unable to enter into necessary licenses on acceptable terms.

Licensing of intellectual property is of critical importance to our business and involves complex legal, business and scientific issues and certain provisions in intellectual property license agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. Disputes may arise between us and our licensors regarding intellectual property subject to a license agreement, including:

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The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could narrow what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology, or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement, either of which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Moreover, if disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize the affected product candidates.

For example, in December 2016 and April 2017, we filed third party observations in an opposition proceeding in the European Patent Office, or EPO, with respect to European Patent No. EP 2 282 772 and in January 2018, petitioned for inter partes review of U.S. Patent No. 9,352,037 in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, each of which is related to the treatment of cancer with an anti-CD47 antibody or an anti-SIRPα antibody in combination with certain other antibodies. The opposition proceeding was rejected by the EPO and the original opponent appealed the decision. On June 4, 2018, we acquired the opposition against this European patent from the original opponent. Subsequently, pursuant to a settlement and license agreement with Synthon Biopharmaceuticals B.V., or Synthon, the licensee of these patents, the inter partes review in the USPTO against U.S. Patent No. 9,352,037 was terminated, and the appeal in the opposition proceedings against European patent No. EP 2 282 772 was withdrawn, thereby terminating the opposition.  The settlement agreement with Synthon is described briefly below.

In July 2018, we entered into a settlement and license agreement with Synthon. Under the agreement, we agreed to discontinue our ongoing oppositions and challenges at the EPO, and the USPTO, directed towards certain patents licensed by Synthon from Stichting Sanquin Bloedvoorziening, or SSB, including U.S. Patent No. 9,352,037 and European patent No. EP 2 282 772, that relate to the use of anti-CD47 products in combination with other antibodies to treat cancer. Pursuant to this agreement, we withdrew our challenges to these patents in the USPTO and EPO. In return Synthon granted us a non-exclusive, worldwide sublicense to certain patents they have licensed from SSB, including the SSB patents we are opposing at the USPTO and EPO to commercialize a single anti-CD47 product (such as magrolimab or an alternate anti-CD47 product) to treat cancer in combination with other antibodies. Pursuant to the agreement, we and Synthon, have each released the other party (and we have released SSB) from all claims and liabilities relating to the USPTO and EPO proceedings.

We may need to obtain additional licenses to use our anti-SIRPα antibodies for the treatment of cancer or risk litigation in connection with our commercialization of anti-SIRPα antibodies to treat cancer. Such licenses may not be available at all or may not be available on commercially reasonable terms such that we may be required to pay significant fees and royalties to secure licenses to the applicable patents. Moreover, such licenses, like our sublicense from Synthon, may only be non-exclusive, in which case our ability to stop others from using or commercializing technology and products similar or identical to ours may be limited. If we are unable to obtain and maintain such licenses, we may need to cease the commercialization of magrolimab and other anti-CD47 antibodies or anti-SIRPα antibodies in combination with other antibodies, to treat cancer. The existing and any potential future legal proceedings relating to these patents could cause us to incur significant expenses, and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. If we are unsuccessful in our challenges to these patents and become subject to litigation or are unable to obtain a license on commercially reasonable terms with respect to these patents, it could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may enter into additional licenses to third-party intellectual property that are necessary or useful to our business. Our current licenses and any future licenses that we may enter into impose various royalty payment, milestone and other obligations on us. Under some license agreements, we may not control prosecution of the licensed intellectual property, or may not have the first right to enforce the intellectual property. In those cases, we may not be able to adequately influence patent prosecution or enforcement, or prevent inadvertent lapses of coverage due to failure to pay maintenance fees. If we fail to comply with any of our obligations under a current or future license agreement, the licensor may allege that we have breached our license agreement, and may accordingly seek to terminate our license. Termination of any of our current or future licenses could result in our loss of the right to use the licensed intellectual property, which could materially adversely affect our ability to develop and

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commercialize a product candidate or product, if approved, as well as harm our competitive business position and our business prospects. Under some license agreements, termination may also result in the transfer or granting of rights under certain of our intellectual property and information related to the product candidate being developed under the license, such as regulatory information.

In addition, if our licensors fail to abide by the terms of the license, if the licensors fail to prevent infringement by third parties, if the licensed patents or other rights are found to be invalid or unenforceable, or if we are unable to enter into necessary licenses on acceptable terms, our business, competitive position, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially harmed.

We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or other intellectual property, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful, and issued patents covering our technology and product candidates could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged.

Competitors and other third parties may infringe or otherwise violate our issued patents or other intellectual property or the patents or other intellectual property of our licensors. In addition, our patents or the patents of our licensors may become involved in inventorship or priority disputes. Our pending patent applications cannot be enforced against third parties practicing the technology claimed in such applications unless and until a patent issues from such applications. To counter infringement or other unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time-consuming. Any claims we assert against perceived infringers could provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their patents or that our patents are invalid or unenforceable. In a patent infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent of ours is invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, construe the patent’s claims narrowly or refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology. An adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put one or more of our owned or licensed patents at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable or interpreted narrowly. We may find it impractical or undesirable to enforce our intellectual property against some third parties.

If we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent directed to our product candidates, or one of our future product candidates, the defendant could counterclaim that our patent is invalid or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness, non-enablement or insufficient written description. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the USPTO or made a misleading statement during prosecution. Third parties may also raise similar claims before the USPTO or an equivalent foreign body, even outside the context of litigation. Potential proceedings include re-examination, post-grant review, inter partes review, interference proceedings, derivation proceedings and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions (e.g., opposition proceedings). Such proceedings could result in the revocation of, cancellation of, or amendment to our patents in such a way that they no longer cover our technology or any product candidates that we may develop. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on the applicable product candidates or technology covered by the patent rendered invalid or unenforceable. Such a loss of patent protection would materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Interference proceedings provoked by third parties or brought by us or declared by the USPTO may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions with respect to our patents or patent applications. An unfavorable outcome could require us to cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights to it from the prevailing party. Our business could be materially harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms.

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.

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Most of our competitors are larger than we are and have substantially greater resources. They are, therefore, likely to be able to sustain the costs of complex patent litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources and more mature and developed intellectual property portfolios. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon, misappropriating or otherwise violating our intellectual property. Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims could result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources, which could harm our business. In addition, the uncertainties associated with litigation could compromise our ability to raise the funds necessary to continue our clinical trials, continue our internal research programs, or in-license needed technology or other product candidates. There could also be public announcements of the results of the hearing, motions, or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive those results to be negative, it could cause the price of shares of our common stock to decline. Any of the foregoing events could harm our business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

Filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending and enforcing patents on our product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the United States, or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own drugs and may export otherwise infringing drugs to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement rights are not as strong as those in the United States. These drugs may compete with our product candidates and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of some countries do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful.

Many countries, including European Union countries, India, Japan and China, have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled under specified circumstances to grant licenses to third parties. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In those countries, we may have limited remedies if patents are infringed or if we are compelled to grant a license to a third party, which could materially diminish the value of those patents. This could limit our potential revenue opportunities. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may not identify relevant third-party patents or may incorrectly interpret the relevance, scope or expiration of a third-party patent which might adversely affect our ability to develop and market our product candidates.

We cannot guarantee that any of our or our licensors’ patent searches or analyses, including the identification of relevant patents, the scope of patent claims or the expiration of relevant patents, are complete or thorough, nor can we be certain that we have identified each and every third-party patent and pending patent application in the United States and abroad that is relevant to or necessary for the commercialization of our product candidates in any jurisdiction. For example, U.S. patent applications filed before November 29, 2000 and certain U.S. patent applications filed after that date that will not be filed outside the United States remain confidential until patents issue. Patent applications in the United States and elsewhere are published approximately 18 months after the earliest filing for which priority is claimed, with such earliest filing date being commonly referred to as the priority date. Therefore, patent applications covering our product candidates could have been filed by third parties without our knowledge. Additionally, pending patent applications that have been published can, subject to certain

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limitations, be later amended in a manner that could cover our product candidates or the use of our product candidates. The scope of a patent claim is determined by an interpretation of the law, the written disclosure in a patent and the patent’s prosecution history. Our interpretation of the relevance or the scope of a patent or a pending application may be incorrect, which may negatively impact our ability to market our product candidates. We may incorrectly determine that our product candidates are not covered by a third-party patent or may incorrectly predict whether a third party’s pending application will issue with claims of relevant scope. Our determination of the expiration date of any patent in the United States or abroad that we consider relevant may be incorrect, which may negatively impact our ability to develop and market our product candidates. Our failure to identify and correctly interpret relevant patents may negatively impact our ability to develop and market our product candidates.

If we fail to identify and correctly interpret relevant patents, we may be subject to infringement claims. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully settle or otherwise resolve such infringement claims. If we fail in any such dispute, in addition to being forced to pay damages, which may be significant, we may be temporarily or permanently prohibited from commercializing any of our product candidates that are held to be infringing. We might, if possible, also be forced to redesign product candidates so that we no longer infringe the third-party intellectual property rights. Any of these events, even if we were ultimately to prevail, could require us to divert substantial financial and management resources that we would otherwise be able to devote to our business and could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

If we are unable to obtain licenses from third parties on commercially reasonable terms or fail to comply with our obligations under such agreements, our business could be harmed.

It may be necessary for us to use the patented or proprietary technology of third parties to commercialize our products, in which case we would be required to obtain a license from these third parties. If we are unable to license such technology, or if we are forced to license such technology, on unfavorable terms, our business could be materially harmed. If we are unable to obtain a necessary license, we may be unable to develop or commercialize the affected product candidates, which could materially harm our business, and the third parties owning such intellectual property rights could seek either an injunction prohibiting our sales, or, with respect to our sales, an obligation on our part to pay royalties and/or other forms of compensation. Even if we are able to obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us.

If we fail to comply with our obligations under our license agreements, our counterparties may have the right to terminate these agreements, in which event we might not be able to develop, manufacture or market, or may be forced to cease developing, manufacturing or marketing, any product that is covered by these agreements or may face other penalties under such agreements. Such an occurrence could materially adversely affect the value of the product candidate being developed under any such agreement. Termination of these agreements or reduction or elimination of our rights under these agreements may result in our having to negotiate new or reinstated agreements with less favorable terms, cause us to lose our rights under these agreements, including our rights to important intellectual property or technology, or impede, delay or prohibit the further development or commercialization of one or more product candidates that rely on such agreements.

Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our product candidates for an adequate amount of time.

Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date. Various extensions may be available, but the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our product candidates are obtained, once the patent life has expired for a product candidate, we may be open to competition from competitive medications, including generic medications. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such product candidates might expire before or shortly after such product candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing product candidates similar or identical to ours.

Depending upon the timing, duration and conditions of any FDA marketing approval of our product candidates, one or more of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, referred to as the Hatch-Waxman Amendments, and similar legislation in the European Union. The Hatch-Waxman Amendments permit a patent term extension of up to five

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years for a patent covering an approved product as compensation for effective patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review process. However, we may not receive an extension if we fail to exercise due diligence during the testing phase or regulatory review process, fail to apply within applicable deadlines, fail to apply prior to expiration of relevant patents or otherwise fail to satisfy applicable requirements. Moreover, the length of the extension could be less than we request. Only one patent per approved product can be extended, the extension cannot extend the total patent term beyond 14 years from approval and only those claims covering the approved drug, a method for using it or a method for manufacturing it may be extended. If we are unable to obtain patent term extension or the term of any such extension is less than we request, the period during which we can enforce our patent rights for the applicable product candidate will be shortened and our competitors may obtain approval to market competing products sooner. As a result, our revenue from applicable products could be reduced. Further, if this occurs, our competitors may take advantage of our investment in development and trials by referencing our clinical and preclinical data and launch their product earlier than might otherwise be the case, and our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially harmed.

Changes in patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product candidates.

Obtaining and enforcing patents in the pharmaceutical industry is inherently uncertain, due in part to ongoing changes in the patent laws. Depending on decisions by Congress, the federal courts, and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents, and interpretation thereof, could change in unpredictable ways that could weaken our and our licensors’ or collaborators’ ability to obtain new patents or to enforce existing or future patents. For example, the Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years, either narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in certain situations. Therefore, there is increased uncertainty with regard to our and our licensors’ or collaborators’ ability to obtain patents in the future, as well as uncertainty with respect to the value of patents once obtained.

Recent patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our and our licensors’ or collaborators’ patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our or our licensors’ or collaborators’ issued patents. Assuming that other requirements for patentability are met, prior to March 2013, in the United States, the first to invent the claimed invention was entitled to the patent, while outside the United States, the first to file a patent application was entitled to the patent. After March 2013, under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the Leahy-Smith Act, enacted in September 2011, the United States transitioned to a first inventor to file system in which, assuming that other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application will be entitled to the patent on an invention regardless of whether a third party was the first to invent the claimed invention. The Leahy-Smith Act also includes a number of significant changes that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted and may also affect patent litigation. These include allowing third party submission of prior art to the USPTO during patent prosecution and additional procedures to attack the validity of a patent by USPTO-administered post-grant proceedings, including post-grant review, inter partes review and derivation proceedings. The USPTO recently developed new regulations and procedures to govern administration of the Leahy-Smith Act, and many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the Leahy-Smith Act, particularly the first inventor-to-file provisions. Accordingly, it is not clear what, if any, impact the Leahy-Smith Act will have on the operation of our business. However, the Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our or our licensors’ patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our or our licensors’ issued patents, all of which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

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 if we fail to comply with these requirements.

Periodic maintenance and annuity fees on any issued patent are required to be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of a patent. In certain circumstances, we rely on our licensors to pay these fees. The USPTO and various foreign patent agencies also require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar requirements during the patent application and prosecution process. Noncompliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include failure to respond to official communications within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. While an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment

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of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which non-compliance can result in irrevocable abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. If we or our licensors or collaborators fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our product candidates, our competitors might be able to enter the market with similar or identical products or technology, which would harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Third parties may initiate legal proceedings alleging that we are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating their intellectual property rights, the outcome of which would be uncertain and could negatively impact the success of our business.

Our commercial success depends upon our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell our product candidates and use our proprietary technologies without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property and other proprietary rights of third parties. There is considerable intellectual property litigation in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. We may become party to, or threatened with, future adversarial proceedings or litigation regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our drugs and technology, including re-examination, interference, post-grant review, inter partes review or derivation proceedings before the USPTO or an equivalent foreign body. Numerous U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications owned by third parties exist in the fields in which we are developing our product candidates. Third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on existing patents or patents that may be granted in the future, regardless of their merit.

Even if we believe third-party intellectual property claims are without merit, there is no assurance that a court would find in our favor on questions of infringement, validity, enforceability or priority. A court of competent jurisdiction could hold that third-party patents asserted against us are valid, enforceable and infringed, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to commercialize any product candidates we may develop and any other product candidates or technologies covered by the asserted third-party patents. In order to successfully challenge the validity of any such U.S. patent in federal court, we would need to overcome a presumption of validity. As this burden is a high one requiring us to present clear and convincing evidence as to the invalidity of any such U.S. patent claim, there is no assurance that a court of competent jurisdiction would invalidate the claims of any such U.S. patent. If we are found to infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate a third party’s intellectual property rights, and we are unsuccessful in demonstrating that such rights are invalid or unenforceable, we could be required to obtain a license from such a third party in order to continue developing and marketing our products and technology. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. We could be forced, including by court order, to cease commercializing the infringing technology or product. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our product candidates or force us to cease some of our business operations. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, pay royalties and other fees, redesign our infringing drug or obtain one or more licenses from third parties, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative impact on our business. Any of the foregoing events would harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may be subject to claims by third parties asserting that we or our employees have infringed upon, misappropriated or otherwise violated their intellectual property rights, or claiming ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.

Many of our employees were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies. Although we try to ensure that our employees, consultants and advisors do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these individuals have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such individual’s former employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims.

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In addition, 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. While it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be involved in the development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. Our and their assignment agreements may not be self-executing or may be breached, and we may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend claims they may bring against us, to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property.

If we fail in prosecuting or defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in prosecuting or defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs, delay development of our product candidates and be a distraction to management. Any of the foregoing events would harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Intellectual property litigation could cause us to spend substantial resources and distract our personnel from their normal responsibilities.

Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us to incur significant expenses, and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our common stock. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing or distribution activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to conduct such litigation or proceedings adequately. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could compromise our ability to compete in the marketplace, including compromising our ability to raise the funds necessary to continue our clinical trials, continue our research programs, license necessary technology from third parties, or enter into development collaborations that would help us commercialize our product candidates, if approved. Any of the foregoing events would harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.

We rely on trade secrets and confidentiality agreements to protect our unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information and to maintain our competitive position. Trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect these trade secrets and other proprietary technology, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as our employees, collaborators, CROs, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. We cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party that may have or has had access to our trade secrets or proprietary technology and processes. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, we would have no right to prevent them from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, our competitive position would be materially and adversely harmed.

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Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats.

The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations and may not adequately protect our business or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage. For example:

Should any of these events occur, they could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Risks Related to Our Business Operations, Employee Matters and Managing Growth

Our future success depends on our ability to retain key employees, consultants and advisors and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.

We are highly dependent on the management, research and development, clinical, financial and business development expertise of our executive officers, as well as the other members of our scientific and clinical teams. Although we have employment offer letters with each of our executive officers, each of them may terminate their employment with us at any time. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any of our executives or employees.

Recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and clinical personnel and, if we are successful in obtaining marketing approval for our product candidates, sales and marketing personnel, is critical to our success. The loss of the services of our executive officers or other key employees could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives and seriously harm our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. Furthermore, replacing executive officers and key employees may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to successfully develop, gain regulatory approval for and commercialize our product candidates. Competition to hire qualified personnel in our industry is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these key personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for similar personnel. Furthermore, to the extent we hire personnel from competitors, we may be subject to allegations that they have been improperly solicited or that they have divulged proprietary or other

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confidential information, or that their former employers own their research output. We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions. In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by employers other than us and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, our ability to pursue our growth strategy will be limited, and could harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

We expect to expand our development and regulatory capabilities and potentially implement sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, and as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.

As of December 31, 2019, we had 68 employees. As our clinical development progresses, we expect to experience growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations, particularly in the areas of clinical operations, regulatory affairs and, if any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, sales, marketing and distribution. To manage our anticipated future growth, we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial resources and the limited experience of our management team in managing a company with such anticipated growth, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. The expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.

Our employees, independent contractors, consultants, commercial collaborators, principal investigators, CROs and vendors may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements.

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, consultants, commercial collaborators, principal investigators, CROs and vendors may engage in fraudulent conduct or other illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless or negligent conduct or unauthorized activities that violates (1) the laws and regulations of the FDA, the EMA, the MHRA and other similar regulatory authorities, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to such authorities, (2) manufacturing standards, (3) federal and state data privacy, security, fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations in the United States and abroad and (4) laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Misconduct by these parties could also involve the improper use of individually identifiable information, including information obtained in the course of clinical trials, creating fraudulent data in our preclinical studies or clinical trials or illegal misappropriation of product candidates, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation.

We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics, but it is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. Additionally, we are subject to the risk that a person or government could allege such fraud or other misconduct, even if none occurred. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, including damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, contractual damages, reputational harm and the delay, reduction, termination or restructuring of our operations.

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Our international operations may expose us to business, regulatory, political, operational, financial, pricing and reimbursement risks associated with doing business outside of the United States.

Our business is subject to risks associated with conducting business internationally. Some of our suppliers, industry partners and clinical study centers are located outside of the United States. Furthermore, our business strategy incorporates potential international expansion as we seek to obtain regulatory approval for, and commercialize, our product candidates in patient populations outside the United States. If approved, we may hire sales representatives and conduct physician and patient association outreach activities outside of the United States. Doing business internationally involves a number of risks, including but not limited to:

Any of these factors could harm our future international expansion and operations and, consequently, our results of operations.

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Our internal computer systems, or those used by our CROs or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches.

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems, and those of our CROs and other third parties on which we rely, are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses and unauthorized access, malware, natural disasters, fire, terrorism, war and telecommunication, electrical failures, cyber-attacks or cyber-intrusions over the Internet, attachments to emails, persons inside our organization, or persons with access to systems inside our organization. The risk of a security breach or disruption, particularly through cyber-attacks or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers, foreign governments, and cyber terrorists, has generally increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. While we have not experienced any such material system failure or security breach to our knowledge to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our development programs and our business operations. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed, ongoing or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. Likewise, we rely on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates and to conduct clinical trials, and similar events relating to their computer systems could also have a material adverse effect on our business. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development and commercialization of our future product candidates could be delayed.

 

Our business could be adversely affected by the effects of health epidemics, including the recent COVID‑19 pandemic, in regions where we or third parties on which we rely have significant manufacturing facilities, concentrations of clinical trial sites or other business operations. The COVID-19 pandemic could materially affect our operations, including at our headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is currently subject to a state executive order and a shelter-in-place order, and at our clinical trial sites, as well as the business or operations of our manufacturers, CROs or other third parties with whom we conduct business.

Our business could be adversely affected by health epidemics in regions where we have concentrations of clinical trial sites or other business operations, and could cause significant disruption in the operations of third party manufacturers and CROs upon whom we rely. For example, in December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, referred to as the COVID-19 virus, was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, COVID-19 has spread to multiple countries, including the United States and several European countries. Our headquarters is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, and our contract manufacturers, Lonza and BTPH, are located in Switzerland and Lithuania, respectively. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, and the U.S. government imposed travel restrictions on travel between the United States, Europe and certain other countries. Further, the President of the United States declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, invoking powers under the Stafford Act, the legislation that directs federal emergency disaster response. Similarly, the State of California declared a state of emergency related to the spread of COVID‑19, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health announced aggressive recommendations to reduce the spread of the disease. In March 2020, the health officers of six San Francisco Bay Area counties, including San Mateo County where our headquarters are located, issued shelter-in-place orders, which (i) direct all individuals living in those counties to shelter at their places of residence (subject to limited exceptions), (ii) direct all businesses and governmental agencies to cease non-essential operations at physical locations in those counties, (iii) prohibit all non-essential gatherings of any number of individuals, and (iv) order cessation of all non-essential travel. The shelter-in-place orders took effect on March 17, 2020 and will continue until April 7, 2020, unless further extended. In addition, on March 19, 2020, the Governor of California and the State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health ordered all individuals living in the State of California to stay at their place of residence for an indefinite period of time (subject to certain exceptions to facilitate authorized necessary activities) to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The executive order exempts certain individuals needed to maintain continuity of operations of critical infrastructure sectors as determined by the federal government.

In response to these public health directives and orders, we have implemented work-from-home policies for certain employees. The effects of the executive order, the shelter-in-place order and our work-from-home policies may negatively impact productivity, disrupt our business and delay our clinical programs and timelines (for example, our timeline for FSI-174), the magnitude of which will depend, in part, on the length and severity of the restrictions and other limitations on our ability to conduct our business in the ordinary course. These and similar, and perhaps

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more severe, disruptions in our operations could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition.

Quarantines, shelter-in-place and similar government orders, or the perception that such orders, shutdowns or other restrictions on the conduct of business operations could occur, related to COVID-19 or other infectious diseases could impact personnel at third-party manufacturing facilities in the United States and other countries, or the availability or cost of materials, which would disrupt our supply chain. In particular, some of our suppliers of certain materials used in the production of our drug products are located in Europe. For example, any manufacturing supply interruption of magrolimab, which is currently manufactured by Lonza at facilities in Switzerland, or cKIT antibodies for FSI-174, which is currently supplied by BTPH at facilities in Lithuania, could adversely affect our ability to conduct ongoing and future clinical trials of magrolimab and FSI-174.

In addition, our clinical trials may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical site initiation and patient enrollment may be delayed due to prioritization of hospital resources toward the COVID-19 pandemic. Some patients may not be able to comply with clinical trial protocols if quarantines impede patient movement or interrupt healthcare services. Similarly, our ability to recruit and retain patients and principal investigators and site staff who, as healthcare providers, may have heightened exposure to COVID-19 and adversely impact our clinical trial operations.

The spread of COVID-19, which has caused a broad impact globally, may materially affect us economically. While the potential economic impact brought by and the duration of COVID-19 may be difficult to assess or predict, a widespread pandemic could result in significant disruption of global financial markets, reducing our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity. In addition, a recession or market correction resulting from the spread of COVID-19 could materially affect our business and the value of our common stock.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 continues to rapidly evolve. The ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or a similar health epidemic is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the full extent of potential delays or impacts on our business, our clinical trials, healthcare systems or the global economy as a whole. However, these effects could have a material impact on our operations, and we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis could be impaired.

If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis could be impaired.

We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations of The Nasdaq Global Select Market. Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we report on the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures in our quarterly and annual reports and, beginning with our annual report for the year ending 2019, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our Form 10-K filing for that year. We will incur substantial additional professional fees and internal costs to expand our accounting and finance functions and that we expend significant management efforts.

As a public company, we will be required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in those internal controls. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, and are continuing to implement, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to identify or prevent future material weaknesses. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud will be detected.

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If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner, or if we are unable to maintain proper and effective internal controls, we may not be able to produce timely and accurate financial statements. If that were to happen, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by The Nasdaq Global Select Market, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. In addition, our common stock may not be able to remain listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market or any other securities exchange.

The trading price of the shares of our common stock may be volatile, and purchasers of our common stock could incur substantial losses.

Our stock price may be volatile. The stock market in general and the market for pharmaceutical companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their common stock at or above the price paid for the shares. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:

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In addition, in the past, stockholders have initiated class action lawsuits against pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies following periods of volatility in the market prices of these companies’ stock. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could cause us to incur substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales might occur, could cause the price of our common stock to decline significantly.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time, subject to the restrictions and limitations described below. If our stockholders sell, or the market perceives that our stockholders intend to sell, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly. All of our outstanding shares are eligible for sale in the public market, other than shares held by our directors and executive officers and our other affiliates which are subject to volume limitations under Rule 144 of the Securities Act. Additionally, certain holders of our common stock, or their transferees, have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to file one or more registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. If we were to register the resale of these shares, they could be freely sold in the public market without limitation. If these additional shares are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline.

Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law may prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to change our management and hinder efforts to acquire a controlling interest in us, and the market price of our common stock may be lower as a result.

There are provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws that may make it difficult for a third-party to acquire, or attempt to acquire, control of our company, even if a change in control was considered favorable by our stockholders.

Our charter documents also contain other provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect, such as:

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Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibit a person who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner. Any provision in our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.

Concentration of ownership of our common stock among our existing executive officers, directors and principal stockholders may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions.

Based upon our common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2019, our executive officers, directors and current beneficial owners of 5% or more of our common stock, in the aggregate, beneficially own a significant amount of our outstanding common stock. These stockholders, acting together, are able to significantly influence all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors and any merger or other significant corporate transactions. The interests of this group of stockholders may not coincide with the interests of other stockholders.

We will incur costs and demands upon our management as a result of complying with the laws and regulations affecting public companies in the United States, which may harm our business.

As a public company listed in the United States, we incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses. In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including regulations implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and The Nasdaq Global Select Market may increase legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from regular business activities to compliance activities. If, notwithstanding our efforts, we fail to comply with new laws, regulations and standards, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and our business may be harmed.

Failure to comply with these rules might also make it more difficult for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we might be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. The impact of these events could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, on committees of our board of directors or as members of senior management.

We are an “emerging growth company,” and as a result of the reduced reporting requirements applicable to “emerging growth companies” our common stock may be less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an “emerging growth company,” we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As an “emerging growth company,” we are required to report only two years of financial results and selected financial data compared to three and five years, respectively, for comparable data reported by other public companies. We may take advantage of these exemptions until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” We could be an “emerging growth company” for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the aggregate market value of our common stock

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held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any September 30 (the end of our third quarter) before that time, in which case we would no longer be an “emerging growth company” as of the following December 31 (our year-end). We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and the price of our common stock may be more volatile.

Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gains and you may never receive a return on your investment.

We have not declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock to date. We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. In addition, the terms of any existing or future debt agreements may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be the sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of a fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws; or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation further provides that the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. These choice of forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees. As a result, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving disputes that would otherwise be restricted by that provision in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business.

None.

Our headquarters are located at 1490 O’Brien Drive, Suite A, Menlo Park, California 94025 where we occupy approximately 31,000 square feet of office, research and development and laboratory space under a lease that expires in August 2021. We believe that our existing facilities are adequate for our current needs but expect to need additional space to accommodate our anticipated growth. We believe that suitable additional or alternative space would be available as required in the future on commercially reasonable terms.

We filed a Schedule 14D-9 (Schedule 14D-9) with the SEC on March 10, 2020, relating to the Merger Agreement. On March 16 and 17, 2020, complaints were filed by purported stockholders of our company regarding the Merger. The first complaint, filed on an individual basis by the plaintiff, is captioned Stephen Bushanksy v. Forty Seven, Inc. et al., Case No. 3:20-cv-01853 (N.D. Cal. filed Mar. 16, 2020). The second complaint, filed as a putative class action, is captioned Joseph Post v. Forty Seven, Inc., et al., No. 1:20-cv-00377 (D. Del. filed Mar. 17, 2020) (collectively, the Complaints). The Complaints name as defendants our company and each member of our board of directors. The Post complaint additionally names as defendants Parent and Purchaser. The Complaints allege violations of Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act against all defendants, and assert violations of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act against the individual defendants. The Post complaint additionally alleges a violation of Section 14(d) of the Exchange Act against all defendants and a violation of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act against Parent and Purchaser. The plaintiffs contend that our Schedule 14D-9 omitted or misrepresented material information regarding the Merger. The Complaints seek (i) injunctive relief preventing the consummation of the

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Proposed Transaction; (ii) rescissory damages or rescission in the event the Proposed Transaction is consummated; and (iii) an award of plaintiff’s expenses and attorneys’ fees. The Post complaint additionally seeks dissemination of a recommendation statement that discloses certain information requested by that plaintiff. We believe the claims asserted in the Complaints are without merit.

Not applicable.

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PART II

Market Information

Our common stock commenced trading on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “FTSV” on June 28, 2018.

Holders of Record

As of March 16, 2020, there were approximately 47 holders of record of our common stock. Because many of our shares of common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of stockholders, we are unable to estimate the total number of beneficial owners of our common stock represented by these record holders.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings, if any, to fund the development and expansion of our business and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Additionally, the Merger Agreement generally restricts, subject to certain limited exceptions, including, without limitation, Parent’s prior written consent, our ability to pay any dividend on our common stock during the interim period between the execution of the Merger Agreement and the effective time of the Merger (or the date on which the Merger Agreement is earlier terminated). We do not intend to declare or pay cash dividends on common stock in the foreseeable future.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

None.

Not required.

 

 

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You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as “believe,” “will,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “expect,” “predict,” “could,” “potentially” or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. You should read these statements carefully because they discuss future expectations, contain projections of future results of operations or financial condition, or state other “forward-looking” information. These statements relate to our future plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and financial performance and the assumptions that underlie these statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this report in Part I, Item 1A — “Risk Factors,” and elsewhere in this report. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. These statements, like all statements in this report, speak only as of their date, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise these statements in light of future developments. We caution investors that our business and financial performance are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties.

 

Overview

 

We are a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on developing novel therapies to activate macrophages in the fight against cancer. We founded Forty Seven based on the insight that blocking CD47, a key signaling molecule that is overexpressed on cancer cells, renders tumors susceptible to macrophages. By harnessing macrophages, we believe that our lead product candidate, magrolimab (formerly known as 5F9), can transform the treatment of cancer. Magrolimab has demonstrated promising activity in multiple Phase 1b/2 clinical trials in which we have treated over 400 cancer patients with solid or hematologic tumors. In March 2020, Forty Seven entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Gilead Sciences, Inc., which is expected to close during the second quarter of 2020.

 

We are also preparing to advance two additional investigational compounds into clinical testing. FSI-174, an anti-cKIT antibody, is being developed alone or in combination with magrolimab as a novel, all-antibody conditioning regimen to address the limitations of current stem cell transplantation conditioning regimens. FSI-189, an anti-SIRPα antibody, is being developed for the treatment of cancer, as well as certain non-oncology conditions, including transplantation conditioning.

 

We focus our efforts on targeting the CD47 pathway as a way to engage macrophages in fighting tumors. Macrophages function as first responders, swallowing foreign and abnormal cells, including cancer cells, and mobilizing other components of the immune system including T cells and antibodies. Cancer cells use CD47, a “don’t eat me” signal, in order to evade detection by the immune system and subsequent destruction by macrophages. Overexpression of CD47 is common to nearly all types of tumors including myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or NHL, colorectal cancer, or CRC, gastric cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer with overexpression correlating with poor prognosis in many of these cancers. Despite the central role of macrophages as cell-eating scavengers and first responders, the pharmaceutical industry is only beginning to bring this key group of cells into the fight against cancer.

 

Our company was founded in 2014 by leading scientists at Stanford University who uncovered the fundamental role of CD47 in cancer evasion. Preclinical work performed in the laboratory of our co-founder, Irving L. Weissman, at Stanford University and at Forty Seven demonstrated that:

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Our lead product candidate, magrolimab, is a humanized IgG4 subclass monoclonal antibody against CD47 that is designed to interfere with recognition of CD47 by the SIRPα receptor on macrophages, thus blocking the “don’t eat me” signal. The design of magrolimab, combined with our proprietary dosing regimen, overcomes the toxicity limitations of previously tested anti-CD47 therapies developed by others. Across all study populations, magrolimab has been well tolerated with no maximum tolerated dose, or MTD, observed in any study despite dosing up to 45 mg/kg. The most common treatment-associated effects observed to date were the expected CD47-mechanism-based effects on red blood cells, which led to a temporary and reversible anemia. Other reported treatment-related adverse events include infusion reactions, headache, fatigue, chills, fever and nausea. The majority of these adverse events were mild to moderate in severity and were generally easily managed. To date, there are no approved therapies that target the CD47 checkpoint of the innate immune system.

 

The targeting of CD47 to make cancer cells susceptible to macrophages, a component of the innate immune system, is analogous to the approach that has been applied with checkpoint inhibitors and T cells, a component of the adaptive immune system. Since their introduction in 2011, T cell checkpoint inhibitors have become frontline therapies for certain cancers and we estimate that they generated over $22 billion in sales in 2019. Despite the success of T cell checkpoint inhibitors, these therapies have been shown to be effective only in a subset of tumors, highlighting the need for additional therapies. Similar to the way cancer cells overexpress programmed death-ligand 1, or PD-L1, to avoid attack by T cells, cancer cells overexpress CD47 as a way to avoid destruction by macrophages. We believe targeting CD47 represents a compelling and analogous approach.

 

Since our inception in 2014, we have devoted most of our resources to identifying and developing magrolimab, advancing our preclinical programs, conducting clinical trials and providing general and administrative support for these operations. To date, we have not generated any revenue from product sales. In July 2019, we recognized $15.7 million of license revenue under a license and collaboration arrangement. We have funded our operations to date primarily from the issuance and sales of our capital stock and the receipt of government and private grants and licensing revenue. We are eligible to receive up to $22.4 million in grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, or LLS, of which $17.0 million has been received through December 31, 2019.

 

We have incurred net losses in each year since inception. Our net losses were $87.6 and $70.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, we had an accumulated deficit of $227.4 million. 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 expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses over at least the next several years. We expect our expenses will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, as we:

 

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Merger Agreement

 

On March 1, 2020, we entered into the Merger Agreement with Gilead, pursuant to which we agreed to be acquired by Gilead in an all-cash transaction for an approximate value of $4.9 billion. On March 10, 2020, in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement, Purchaser commenced a tender offer, to acquire all of our outstanding shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, at a price of $95.50 per share, to be paid net to the seller in cash, without interest and subject to any required withholding of taxes, upon the terms and conditions described in the Offer. The consummation of Purchaser’s pending Offer is subject to certain conditions, including the tender of shares representing at least one more than 50% of the total number of our shares of common stock outstanding at the time of the expiration of the Offer, the expiration or termination of the waiting period (or any extension thereof) applicable to the Offer under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and other customary conditions. The Merger Agreement provides, among other things, that following the consummation of the Offer and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the DGCL and other applicable law, Purchaser will merge with and into the Company, the separate existence of Purchaser will cease and the Company will continue as the surviving corporation and as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. We expect the Merger to close during the second quarter of 2020, subject to the regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions described above and in the Merger Agreement.

Additional information about the Proposed Transaction is set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC.

Components of Results of Operations

License Revenue

 

To date, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and do not expect to generate any revenue from product sales for the foreseeable future. Under the exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., or the Ono Agreement, we have recognized as revenue the upfront nonrefundable payment related to a license grant. Under the Ono Agreement, we are eligible to receive milestone payments.  These milestone payments are fully constrained, and not recognized currently in revenue, due to the uncertainty in achieving the milestones.  We are also eligible to receive royalty payments related to the Ono Agreement which would be recognized as the underlying product sales occur.

Research and Development Expenses

 

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for the development of our lead product candidate, magrolimab, and other product candidates, which include:

 

 

We expense all research and development costs in the periods in which they are incurred. Costs for certain development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information and data provided to us by our vendors, collaborators and third-party service providers. The costs of intangible assets that are purchased from others for a particular research and development project and that have no alternative future uses are considered research and development costs and are expensed when incurred. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in future periods for use in research and development activities are deferred and capitalized. The capitalized amounts are then expensed as the related goods are delivered and as services are performed.

 

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The largest component of our operating expenses has historically been our investment in research and development activities related to the clinical development of our lead product candidate, magrolimab, as well as other product candidates in preclinical development including FSI-189, an anti-SIRPα antibody, and FSI-174, an anti-cKIT antibody. We recognize the funds from research and development grants as a reduction of research and development expense when the related eligible research costs are incurred. Research and development grants received during 2019 and 2018 totaled $3.5 million and $7.6 million, respectively. In January 2018, we entered into a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Ares Trading S.A, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA or Merck. Reimbursement under this collaboration agreement is recorded as a reduction to research and development expense. For the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we recognized $1.7 million and $1.2 million, respectively, as a reduction to research and development expenses under this collaboration agreement. We entered into the Ono Agreement in July 2019 and a research collaboration agreement with bluebird bio, Inc., or bluebird in September 2019. Reimbursement under both collaboration agreements is recorded as a reduction to research and development expense. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized $0.9 million and $1.2 million as a reduction to research and development expenses under the Ono Agreement and the bluebird agreement, respectively.

 

We expect our research and development expenses to increase substantially for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in research and development activities related to developing our product candidates, as our product candidates advance into later stages of development, and as we begin to conduct larger clinical trials. The process of conducting the necessary clinical research to obtain regulatory approval is costly and time-consuming, and the successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain. As a result, we are unable to determine the duration and completion costs of our research and development projects or when and to what extent we will generate revenue from the commercialization and sale of any of our product candidates.

General and Administrative Expenses

 

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs, facilities costs, depreciation and amortization expenses and professional services expenses, including legal, human resources, audit and accounting services. Personnel-related costs consist of salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation. Facilities costs consist of rent and maintenance of facilities. We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase for the foreseeable future due to anticipated increases in headcount to advance our product candidates and as a result of operating as a public company, including expenses related to compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, additional insurance expenses, investor relations activities and other administrative and professional services.

Remeasurement Loss on Contingent Repayment Obligation

 

Under the LLS agreement, as amended, we are required to make contingent milestone payments dependent upon the outcome of our research and development activities. The contingent repayment obligation represents the probability-adjusted and discounted future contingent milestone payments and is subject to remeasurement on a recurring basis at each reporting period. Remeasurement gains or losses arise from the revaluation of our contingent repayment obligation.

Interest and Other Income, Net

 

Interest and other income, net consists of interest earned on our cash equivalents and short-term investments and foreign currency transaction gains and losses incurred during the period.

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Results of Operations

Years Ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

 

 

License Revenue

 

License revenue increased $15.7 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase in license revenue was due to the license granted under the Ono Agreement.

Research and Development Expenses

The following tables summarize the period-over-period changes in research and development expenses for the periods indicated:

 

 

Research and development expenses increased by $27.1 million, or 48%, to $83.8 million in 2019 from $56.7 million in 2018. The increase was primarily due to a $17.2 million increase in third party costs related to advancing our current clinical programs focused on our lead product candidate, magrolimab, and associated contract manufacturing costs, a $11.1 million increase in our other preclinical and discovery programs costs as we expanded our immuno-oncology efforts, a $4.8 million increase in personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation, and a $2.3 million increase in expenses related to a decrease in grant funding reimbursement due to decreased funding recognized under the CIRM and LLS grants partially offset by increased cost share reimbursement under the Merck, bluebird and Ono collaboration agreements. These increases were partially offset by a $8.2 million decrease in our license fees primarily due to the upfront license fees related to the BliNK asset purchase and Synthon license agreements recognized in 2018.

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General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by $5.0 million, or 32%, to $20.4 million in 2019 from $15.4 million in 2018. The increase was primarily due to a $3.0 million increase in personnel-related costs driven by an increase in headcount, a $1.0 million increase in accounting and consulting expenses incurred in connection with operating as a public company and a $0.9 million increase in directors and officer’s insurance expense.

Remeasurement Loss on Contingent Repayment Obligation

Remeasurement loss on the contingent repayment obligation increased by $2.2 million to $2.5 million in 2019 from $0.3 million in 2018, primarily driven by a higher estimated probability of success related to our clinical programs in MDS, DLBCL, AML and other pipeline programs, such as FSI-174.

Interest and Other Income, Net

Interest and other income, net increased by $1.4 million to $3.4 million in 2019 from $2.0 million in 2018. The increase was due to a $1.0 million increase in interest income from the investment of the net proceeds from our public offerings, and a $0.4 million increase in foreign currency gains primarily related to gains arising from the Ono Agreement.

Liquidity, Capital Resources and Plan of Operations

To date, we have incurred significant net losses and negative cash flows from operations. As of December 31, 2019, we had $329.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments.

In connection with our initial public offering, which closed on July 2, 2018, we issued and sold an aggregate of 8,090,250 shares of common stock (inclusive of 1,055,250 shares of common stock from the exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the underwriters) at a price of $16.00 per share. We received proceeds from the offering of $116.3 million, net of underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering costs.

In July 2019, we completed an underwritten public offering of 10,781,250 shares of our common stock, including 1,406,250 shares sold pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise of their option to purchase additional shares, at a public offering price of $8.00 per share. We received proceeds from the offering of $80.5 million, net of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering costs.

In July 2019, we entered into the Ono Agreement. Under the Ono Agreement, we received a one-time upfront nonrefundable payment from Ono of 1.7 billion Japanese Yen.

In December 2019, we completed an additional underwritten public offering of 5,589,000 shares of our common stock, including 729,000 shares sold pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise of their option to purchase additional shares, at a public offering price of $35.00 per share.  We received proceeds from the offering of $183.6 million, net of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering costs.

Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, which consist primarily of research and development expenditures related to our lead product candidate, magrolimab, other product candidates, preclinical and discovery programs, and to a lesser extent, general and administrative expenditures. Cash used to fund operating expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable and accrued expenses.

Based upon our current operating plan and assumptions, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, including the proceeds from our recently completed public offerings and upfront payment from Ono, will enable us to meet our financial needs into the first quarter of 2022. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. We will continue to require additional financing to advance our current product candidates through clinical development, to develop, acquire or in-license other potential product candidates and to fund operations for the foreseeable future. We will continue to seek funds through equity or debt financings, collaborative or other arrangements with corporate sources, or through other sources of financing. Adequate additional funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Any failure to raise capital as and when needed could have a negative impact on our financial condition and on our ability to pursue our business plans and strategies.

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Further, our operating plans may change, and we may need additional funds to meet operational needs and capital requirements for clinical trials and other research and development activities. We currently have no credit facility or committed sources of capital. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development and commercialization of our product candidates, we are unable to estimate the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenditures associated with our current and anticipated product development programs.

If we need to raise additional capital to fund our operations, funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing when needed, we may have to delay, reduce the scope of or suspend one or more of our clinical trials, research and development programs or commercialization efforts. We may seek to raise any necessary additional capital through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings and collaborations or licensing arrangements. If we do raise additional capital through public or private equity offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we are unable to raise capital, we will need to delay, reduce or terminate planned activities to reduce costs. Doing so will likely harm our ability to execute our business plans.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated:

 

 

Operating Activities

In 2019, cash used in operating activities of $78.1 million was attributable to a net loss of $87.6 million, partially offset by $8.0 million in non-cash charges and a net change of $1.5 million in net operating assets and liabilities. The non-cash charges consisted primarily of stock-based compensation of $5.0 million, change in fair value of the LLS contingent repayment obligation of $2.6 million, amortization of right-of-use assets of $1.1 million and depreciation and amortization of $0.5 million, partially offset by $1.0 million related to the accretion of discounts on marketable securities. The change in operating assets and liabilities was due to a $3.9 million increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities resulting from the timing of payments and a $1.0 million increase in deferred grant funding due to receipt of the research grant funding payments. These changes were partially offset by a $1.6 million increase in prepaid expense and other current assets driven by additional prepayments made for research and development activities and other receivables, a $1.2 million decrease in lease related liabilities due to lease payments and a $0.6 million increase in other noncurrent assets driven by timing of the research and development prepayments.

In 2018, cash used in operating activities of $66.0 million was attributable to a net loss of $70.4 million, partially offset by a net change of $1.0 million in net operating assets and liabilities, and a net change of $3.4 million in non-cash charges. The non-cash charges consisted primarily of stock-based compensation of $3.4 million, depreciation and amortization of $0.4 million, a change in fair value of the contingent repayment obligation of $0.3 million, offset by the net accretion of discount on marketable securities of $0.7 million. The change in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a $5.1 million increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities resulting from increases in our research and development activities and accrued compensation. This was partially offset by a $2.4 million increase in prepaid expense and other current assets and a $0.7 million increase in other assets, driven by the timing of prepayments made for research and development activities, and a $1.0 million decrease in deferred grant funding due to research grant awards being recognized as eligible research costs were incurred.

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Investing Activities

In 2019, net cash provided by investing activities was $13.8 million related to the proceeds from maturities of investments of $176.2 million and the proceeds from the sale of investments of $4.0 million, partially offset by purchases of investments of $166.0 million and purchases of property and equipment of $0.4 million.

In 2018, cash used in investing activities was $64.2 million related to purchases of short-term investments of $142.0 million and purchases of property and equipment of $0.4 million, partially offset by the maturity of investments of $78.2 million.

Financing Activities

In 2019, cash provided by financing activities was $267.3 million, and was primarily related to the net proceeds from public offerings of our common stock of $264.3 million, the proceeds received from the exercise of stock options of $2.1 million and the proceeds received from the issuance of common stock upon ESPP purchase of $0.9 million.

In 2018, cash provided by financing activities was $116.6 million related to the net proceeds of $116.3 million received from the initial public offering and $0.3 million from the issuance of common stock in connection with stock option exercises.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

The following table summarizes our commitments to settle contractual obligations as of December 31, 2019: