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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) October 26, 2010
GTx, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
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000-50549
(Commission
File Number)
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62-1715807
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.) |
175 Toyota Plaza
7th Floor
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
(901) 523-9700
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of registrants principal executive offices)
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy
the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General
Instruction A.2. below):
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Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
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Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ITEM 2.02. |
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION. |
On October 26, 2010, GTx, Inc. (us, we, our, GTx or the Company) filed a preliminary
prospectus supplement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Preliminary Prospectus)
with respect to a proposed underwritten public offering of its common stock as described under Item
8.01 under the heading Proposed Public Offering. In the Preliminary Prospectus, the Company
disclosed the following information with respect to the Companys financial results for the three
and nine months ended September 30, 2010:
While the Company has not finalized its full financial results for the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2010, the Company expects to report that it had $19.7 million of cash, cash
equivalents and short-term investments as of September 30, 2010, which does not include the final
$5.0 million research and development expense reimbursement payment from Merck & Co., Inc. that the
Company will receive later this year, and the Company also expects to report that its total costs
and expenses were $9.9 million and $36.1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30,
2010, respectively.
Proposed Public Offering
October 26, 2010, GTx announced that it is offering to sell, subject to market conditions, shares
of its common stock in an underwritten public offering. A copy of the press release is filed
herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Updated Company Disclosure
The Company is filing information for the purpose of supplementing and updating its description of
certain risks and uncertainties that may have a material adverse effect on its business, financial
condition or results of operations from the description included under the heading, Item 1A. Risk
Factors in the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010, filed
with the SEC on August 9, 2010. The Company is also updating the description of its business from
that described under the heading, Item 1. BusinessOverview in the Companys Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, filed with the SEC on March 15, 2010. The updated
descriptions are filed herewith as Exhibit 99.2 and are incorporated herein by reference.
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ITEM 9.01. |
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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS. |
(d) Exhibits.
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Exhibit No. |
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Description |
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99.1 |
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Press Release, dated October 26, 2010 |
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99.2 |
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Updated Company Disclosure |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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GTx, Inc.
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Dated: October 26, 2010 |
By: |
/s/ Henry P. Doggrell
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Henry P. Doggrell |
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Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit No. |
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Description |
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99.1 |
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Press Release, dated October 26, 2010 |
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99.2 |
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Updated Company Disclosure |
exv99w1
Exhibit 99.1
GTx Announces Proposed Public Offering of Common Stock
MEMPHIS, TENN. October 26, 2010 GTx, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTXI) today announced that it is
offering to sell shares of its common stock in an underwritten public offering. GTx also expects to
grant the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15% of the shares of common
stock offered in the public offering to cover over-allotments, if any. All of the shares in the
offering are to be sold by GTx. Lazard Capital Markets LLC is acting as sole book-running manager
in the offering. The offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to
whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.
A shelf registration statement on Form S-3 relating to the public offering of the shares of common
stock described above was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is effective. A
preliminary prospectus supplement relating to and describing the terms of the offering will be
filed with the SEC and will be available on the SECs web site at http://www.sec.gov. When
available, copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement relating to these securities may also be
obtained from the offices of Lazard Capital Markets LLC at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 60th Floor, New
York, NY, 10020 or via telephone at (800) 542-0970. This press release does not constitute an offer
to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, these securities, nor will there be any sale of
these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is
not permitted.
About GTx
GTx, Inc., headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the
discovery, development and commercialization of small molecules that selectively target hormone
pathways for the treatment and prevention of cancer, the treatment of side effects of anticancer
therapy, cancer supportive care, and other serious medical conditions.
Forward-Looking Information is Subject to Risk and Uncertainty
This press release contains forward-looking statements based upon GTxs current expectations.
Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to GTxs
expectations regarding the completion, timing and size of the proposed public offering.
Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. GTxs actual results and the timing of
events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a
result of these risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties
related to market conditions and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions related to the
proposed public offering. There can be no assurance that GTx will be able to complete the proposed
public offering at the anticipated size or on the anticipated terms, or at all. GTx will continue
to need significant additional capital to fund its operations and may be unable to raise capital
when needed, which would force GTx to delay, reduce or eliminate its product candidate development
programs or commercialization efforts. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which apply only as of the date of this press release.
Additional risks and uncertainties relating to the proposed offering, GTx and its business can be
found under the heading Risk Factors in GTxs quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on
August 9, 2010, and in the preliminary prospectus supplement related to the proposed offering to be
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 26, 2010. GTx expressly disclaims any
obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking
statements contained herein to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any
change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.
SOURCE: GTx, Inc.
GTx, Inc.
McDavid Stilwell, 901-523-9700
Director of Corporate Communications
exv99w2
EXHIBIT 99.2
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K contain forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which we refer to as the
Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer
to as the Exchange Act. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial
performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may
cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future
results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. All
statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements for purposes
of these provisions, including without limitation any statements relating to:
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the anticipated progress of our research, development and clinical programs, including
whether any future clinical trials we conduct will achieve similar results to clinical
trials that we have successfully concluded; |
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the timing, scope and anticipated initiation and completion of any future clinical
trials that we may conduct; |
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the timing of regulatory submissions and the timing, scope and anticipated outcome of
related regulatory actions; |
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potential future licensing fees, milestone payments and royalty payments, including any
milestone payments or royalty payments that we may receive under our collaborative
arrangement with Ipsen Biopharm Limited, or Ipsen; |
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our ability to maintain our collaborative arrangement with Ipsen and to establish and
maintain potential new collaborative arrangements for the development and commercialization
of our product candidates; |
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our and our current and potential future collaborators ability to obtain and maintain
regulatory approvals of our product candidates and any related restrictions, limitations,
and/or warnings in the label of an approved product candidate; |
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our and our current and potential future collaborators ability to market, commercialize
and achieve market acceptance for our product candidates or products that we may develop; |
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our ability to generate additional product candidates for clinical testing; |
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our ability to protect our intellectual property and operate our business without
infringing upon the intellectual property rights of others; and |
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our estimates regarding the sufficiency of our cash resources. |
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as anticipates,
believes, could, estimates, expects, intends, may, plans, potential, predicts,
projects, should, will, would and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events,
are based on assumptions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other important factors. We
discuss many of these risks, uncertainties and other important factors in greater detail under the
heading Risk Factors in this Current Report on Form 8-K. Given these risks, uncertainties and
other important factors, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
Also, these forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date
such forward-looking statements are made. You should read this Current Report on Form 8-K with the
understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We
hereby qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements
publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in
any forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
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RISK FACTORS
We have identified the following additional risks and uncertainties that may have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Investors should
carefully consider the risks described below before making an investment decision. Our business
faces significant risks, and the risks described below may not be the only risks we face.
Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also
significantly impair our business operations. If any of these risks occur, our business, results of
operations or financial condition could suffer, the market price of our common stock could decline
and you could lose all or part of your investment in our common stock.
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Need for Additional Financing
We have incurred losses since inception, and we anticipate that we will incur continued losses
for the foreseeable future.
We have a limited operating history. As of June 30, 2010, we had an accumulated deficit of
$336.8 million. We have incurred losses in each year since our inception in 1997, including net
losses of $46.3 million and $51.8 million in 2009 and 2008, respectively. Due to the termination
of our collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc., or Merck, and the associated recognition in the first
quarter of 2010 of $49.9 million in deferred revenue and the final payment to be received from
Merck later in 2010 of $5.0 million of cost reimbursement for research and development activities,
we expect to report net income for the year ending December 31, 2010. However, while recognition of
this revenue is expected to result in net income for 2010, we expect to incur significant operating
losses in 2011 and for the foreseeable future. These losses have had and will continue to have an
adverse effect on our stockholders equity and working capital.
In October 2009, we received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, or FDA, regarding our New Drug Application, or NDA, for toremifene 80 mg to reduce
fractures in men with prostate cancer on ADT notifying us that the FDA would not approve our NDA in
its present form as a result of certain clinical deficiencies identified in the Complete Response
Letter. As a result, FDA approval of toremifene 80 mg, if it occurs, will be substantially delayed.
In addition, significant additional clinical development will be required in order to potentially
obtain FDA approval of toremifene 80 mg, including a second pivotal Phase III clinical trial of
toremifene 80 mg. We recently expanded our collaboration with Ipsen Biopharm Limited, or Ipsen,
pursuant to which Ipsen committed, subject to certain conditions, up to 42.0 million to fund a
second pivotal Phase III clinical trial of toremifene 80 mg. However, our amended agreement with
Ipsen provides that if the projected third-party costs of such second pivotal Phase III clinical
trial of toremifene 80 mg exceed 42.0 million by a certain amount, then we and Ipsen agreed to
discuss whether to initiate such trial or to renegotiate the terms of the collaboration. We believe
that we have finalized the protocol for a second pivotal Phase III clinical trial evaluating
toremifene 80 mg to reduce fractures in men with prostate cancer on ADT to address in a single
clinical trial the deficiencies identified by the FDA in the Complete Response Letter, which we
refer to as the planned TREAT 2 trial. The projected third-party costs of the planned TREAT 2 trial
exceed the threshold in excess of 42.0 million established under our agreement with Ipsen, and
Ipsen has not agreed to the initiation and funding of the planned TREAT 2 trial.
We and Ipsen are in discussions with respect to whether to commence the planned TREAT 2 trial and,
if so, the renegotiation of the terms of our collaboration, including in particular each partys
respective funding commitments related to the planned TREAT 2 trial. Although we continue to be
engaged in discussions intended to resolve the matter, we cannot predict the outcome, including
whether we will be able to initiate the planned TREAT 2 trial or, if it is initiated, what our
respective funding commitments for the planned TREAT 2 trial would be. If we and Ipsen determine
to initiate the planned TREAT 2 trial as proposed, the portion of the costs of such trial that we
would be required to fund could be substantial.
Each of our other product candidates are in earlier-stage clinical development, and
significant additional clinical development and financial resources will be required to obtain
necessary regulatory approvals for our other product candidates, including ostarine and GTx-758,
and to develop them into commercially viable products. Accordingly, we do not expect to obtain FDA
or any other regulatory approvals to market any of our product candidates in the near future, if at
all.
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Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with developing and commercializing
small molecule drugs, we are unable to predict the extent of any future losses or when we will
become profitable, if at all. We have financed our operations and internal growth primarily
through public offerings and private placement of our common stock, as well as payments from our
current and former collaborators, including Merck and Ipsen. In March 2010, we and Merck agreed to
terminate our collaboration and, as a result, we will not receive any milestone payments or
royalties for the development or sale of selective androgen receptor modulators, or SARMs, from
Merck, although Merck remains obligated to make a final payment to us this year of $5.0 million
for the reimbursement of SARM research and development costs. FARESTON® is currently our only
commercial product and, until such time that we receive regulatory approval to market any of our
product candidates, if ever, we expect that FARESTON® will account for all of our product revenue.
For the six months ended June 30, 2010, we recognized $1.4 million in net revenues from the sale of
FARESTON®. If we, Ipsen, and/or any potential future collaborators are unable to develop and
commercialize any of our product candidates, if development is further delayed or eliminated, or if
sales revenue from any product candidate that receives marketing approval is insufficient, we may
never become profitable and we will not be successful.
We will need to raise substantial additional funding and may be unable to raise capital when
needed, which would force us to further delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs
or commercialization efforts.
We will need to raise substantial additional capital to:
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fund our operations and conduct clinical trials; |
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continue our research and development; and |
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commercialize our product candidates, if any such product candidates receive regulatory
approval for commercial sale. |
We estimate that our current cash and cash equivalent balances, short-term investments,
interest income, product revenue from the sale of FARESTON®, and the final payment from Merck of
$5.0 million of cost reimbursement, together with the anticipated net proceeds from
our proposed public offering of common stock announced on October 26,
2010,
will be sufficient to meet our projected operating requirements through the first quarter of 2012.
We have based this estimate on our current business plan and assumptions that may prove to be
wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. In
addition, we will need to raise substantial additional capital prior to that time to fully finance
our currently-planned clinical trials that we anticipate will be ongoing at that time. Our future
funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:
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matters related to our collaborative arrangement with Ipsen, including a determination
as to whether we and Ipsen determine to conduct the planned TREAT 2 trial and, if so, the
costs that we will be required to bear with respect to the trial and any other continued
development, which costs are expected to be substantial; |
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the scope, rate of progress and cost of our, Ipsens and/or any potential future
collaborators clinical trials and other research and development activities; |
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future clinical trial results; |
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the terms and timing of any potential future collaborative, licensing and other
arrangements that we may establish; |
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the cost and timing of regulatory filings and/or approvals to commercialize our product
candidates and any related restrictions, limitations, and/or warnings in the label of an
approved product candidate; |
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potential future licensing fees, milestone payments and royalty payments, including the
amount and timing of any milestone payments that we may receive under our collaborative
arrangement with Ipsen, particularly with respect to any development milestone payments
for our planned TREAT 2 trial, if the trial is initiated; |
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the cost and timing of establishing medical education, sales, marketing and
distribution capabilities; |
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the cost of establishing clinical and commercial supplies of our product candidates and
any products that we, Ipsen, and/or any potential future collaborators may develop; |
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the effect of competing technological and market developments; |
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the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other
intellectual property rights, and the cost of defending any other litigation claims; and |
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the extent to which we acquire or invest in businesses, products and technologies,
although we currently have no commitments or agreements relating to any of these types of
transactions. |
Until we can generate a sufficient amount of product revenue, which we may never do, we expect
to finance future cash needs through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or
collaboration and licensing arrangements, or a combination of the above, as well as through
interest income earned on the investment of our cash balances and short-term investments, and
revenues from the sale of FARESTON®. With the exception of payments that we may receive under our
collaboration with Ipsen, we do not currently have any commitments for future external funding. In
December 2009, we announced a reduction of approximately 26% of our workforce in order to reduce
our operating expenses in connection with the receipt of the Complete Response Letter regarding our
NDA for toremifene 80 mg and the associated delay in the potential regulatory approval of
toremifene 80 mg. If we are unable to raise additional funds when we need them, we may need to
further reduce our expenditures, perhaps significantly, to preserve our cash. The cost-cutting
measures that we may take in the future may not be sufficient to enable us to meet our cash
requirements, and they may negatively affect our business and growth prospects.
To the extent we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may
experience dilution, and debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants. Any debt
financing or additional equity that we raise may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our
stockholders. To the extent we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing
arrangements, such as our arrangement with Ipsen, it may be necessary to relinquish rights to some
of our technologies or product candidates, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us.
Our ability to raise additional funds and the terms upon which we are able to raise such funds may
be adversely impacted by the uncertainty regarding our ability to gain FDA approval of toremifene
80 mg, the uncertainty regarding our ability to fully finance our currently-planned clinical
trials, and/or current economic conditions, including the effects of the disruptions to and
continuing volatility in the credit and financial markets in the United States and worldwide. As a
result of these and other factors, we cannot be certain that additional funding will be available
on acceptable terms, or at all. If adequate funds are not available when we need them, we may be
required to further delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our research or
development programs, including our SARM and toremifene programs, conduct additional workforce or
other expense reductions, or obtain funds through collaborations with others that are on
unfavorable terms or that require us to relinquish rights to some of our technologies or product
candidates that we would otherwise seek to develop on our own.
Risks Related to Development of Product Candidates
We will not be able to commercialize our product candidates if our preclinical studies do not
produce successful results or if our or our collaborators clinical trials do not demonstrate
safety and efficacy in humans.
Preclinical and clinical testing is expensive, can take many years and has an uncertain
outcome. Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later
clinical trials will be successful, and interim results of a clinical trial do not necessarily
predict final results. Typically, the failure rate for development candidates is high.
Significant delays in clinical testing could materially impact our product development costs. We do
not know whether planned clinical trials will begin on time, will need to be restructured or will
be completed on schedule, if at all.
In clinical studies, the efficacy and/or safety results from the trial may be insufficient to
support the submission or approval of a NDA with the FDA. For example, we received a Complete
Response Letter in October 2009 from the FDA regarding our NDA for toremifene 80 mg to reduce
fractures in men with prostate cancer on ADT, notifying us that the FDA would not approve our NDA
in its present form as a result of certain clinical deficiencies identified in the Complete
Response Letter, which deficiencies may only be addressed by conducting an additional pivotal Phase
III clinical trial of toremifene 80 mg. In addition, in May 2010, we announced that toremifene 20
mg
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failed to meet its primary efficacy endpoint in our Phase III clinical trial of toremifene 20
mg for the prevention of prostate cancer in high risk men with high grade prostatic intraepithelial
neoplasia, or high grade PIN. As a result, we do not currently expect to conduct any additional
clinical development of toremifene 20 mg for the high grade PIN indication or to submit a NDA to
the FDA for this indication.
We, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators may experience numerous unforeseen events
during, or as a result of, preclinical testing and the clinical trial process that could delay or
prevent our or our collaborators ability to commercialize our product candidates, including:
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regulators or institutional review boards may not authorize us, Ipsen, or any potential
future collaborators to commence a clinical trial or conduct a clinical trial at a
prospective trial site; |
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preclinical or clinical trials may produce negative or inconclusive results, which may
require us, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators to conduct additional preclinical
or clinical testing or to abandon projects that we expect to be promising; |
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registration or enrollment in clinical trials may be slower than we currently
anticipate, resulting in significant delays; |
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we, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators may suspend or terminate clinical
trials if the participating patients are being exposed to unacceptable health risks; |
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regulators or institutional review boards may suspend or terminate clinical research
for various reasons, including noncompliance with regulatory requirements; and |
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our product candidates may not have the desired effects or may include undesirable side
effects. |
If any of these events were to occur and, as a result, we, Ipsen, or any potential future
collaborators have significant delays in or termination of clinical trials, our costs could
increase and our ability to generate revenue could be impaired, which would adversely impact our
financial results.
If we, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators observe serious or other adverse events
during the time our product candidates are in development or after our products are approved and on
the market, we, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators may be required to perform lengthy
additional clinical trials, may be denied regulatory approval of such products, may be forced to
change the labeling of such products or may be required to withdraw any such products from the
market, any of which would hinder or preclude our ability to generate revenues.
Although the results from our completed Phase III clinical trial for toremifene 80 mg to
reduce fractures and treat other estrogen deficiency side effects of ADT in men with prostate
cancer showed that the drug was well tolerated and had a generally favorable safety profile, more
subjects experienced a venous thromboembolic event, or VTE, such as a deep vein thrombosis,
pulmonary embolism or heart attack, in the toremifene 80 mg treatment group, 17 (2.6%) compared to
7 (1.1%) in the placebo group. Even though the majority of VTEs recorded in the clinical trial
occurred in men who were at high risk for a VTE (including: age greater than 80 years, history of
VTEs, recent surgical procedure or immobilization) and data from the clinical trial showed that the
number of men without any of these independent risk factors for VTEs in whom a VTE occurred during
the clinical trial was 5 in the toremifene 80 mg treatment group versus 3 in the placebo group, the
FDA will consider the overall safety profile from our clinical trials when making its determination
whether to grant marketing approval and to require potential warnings in the label, if approval is
granted.
We have conducted a number of studies of toremifene in addition to our clinical trials,
including a Thorough QT study (toremifene 80 mg and toremifene 20 mg), a bioequivalence study
(toremifene 80 mg), a series of drug-drug interaction studies (toremifene 80 mg and toremifene 20
mg), and a semen quality study (toremifene 20 mg) to assess the effect of toremifene. The results
of the Thorough QT study of 250 healthy male volunteers, with 5 parallel cohorts receiving 20 mg,
80 mg or 300 mg doses of toremifene, moxifloxacin, or placebo, showed that toremifene prolonged the
QT interval in a dose dependent manner. The mean change in QTcB (a measurement of QT interval
corrected by Bazetts formula) from baseline relative to placebo for toremifene 20 mg was 5.79
milliseconds, for toremifene 80 mg, it was 22.43 milliseconds, and for moxifloxacin, it was 8.83
milliseconds. Since we market
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FARESTON® in the United States under a license agreement with Orion Corporation, or Orion, we
notified the FDA of the Thorough QT study results and have proposed modifications to the FARESTON®
label in the United States. FDA action on the proposed label changes is pending. Separately, Orion
recommended label changes to the European Medicines Agency, or EMEA. In January 2009, the EMEA
recommended that the FARESTON® label within the European Union reflect that toremifene should not
be given to patients at risk of prolonged QT intervals or other certain heart problems. The
results of these completed studies were included as a part of the NDA submission to the FDA for our
toremifene 80 mg product candidate to reduce fractures in men with prostate cancer on ADT and will
be included as part of any future NDA submission for our toremifene 80 mg product candidate we make
to the FDA if we and Ipsen determine to conduct the planned TREAT 2 trial and the results of such
trial are positive. In addition, the results of these completed studies will be used to update the
label for FARESTON®. The study results could lead to the inclusion of restrictions, limitations
and/or warnings in the label of FARESTON® or an approved toremifene 80 mg product candidate, which
may adversely affect the marketability of the product or limit the patients to whom the product is
prescribed.
In addition, in our Phase II clinical trial for ostarine for the treatment of cancer cachexia
(cancer induced muscle loss), we observed mild elevations of hepatic enzymes in a few patients, and
in our preclinical studies for ostarine, only at the highest doses, we observed expected selective
effects on the reproductive and other target organs in the male population consistent with the
stimulating and inhibiting effects on the androgen receptor which is located in these organs.
If the incidence of the events described above increases in number or severity, if a
regulatory authority believes that these or other events constitute an adverse effect caused by the
drug, or if other effects are identified during clinical trials that we, Ipsen, or any potential
future collaborators may conduct in the future or after any of our product candidates are approved
and marketed:
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we, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators may be required to conduct additional
preclinical or clinical trials, make changes in labeling of any such approved products,
reformulate any such products, or implement changes to or obtain new approvals of our
contractors manufacturing facilities; |
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regulatory authorities may be unwilling to approve our product candidates or may
withdraw approval of our products; |
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we may experience a significant drop in the sales of the affected products; |
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our reputation in the marketplace may suffer; and |
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we may become the target of lawsuits, including class action suits. |
Any of these events could prevent approval or harm sales of the affected product candidates or
products, or could substantially increase the costs and expenses of commercializing and marketing
any such products.
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
We are dependent upon our collaborative arrangement with Ipsen to further develop and
commercialize toremifene in Ipsens licensed territories. We may also be dependent upon additional
collaborative arrangements to complete the development and commercialization of some of our other
product candidates. These collaborative arrangements may place the development and
commercialization of our product candidates outside our control, may require us to relinquish
important rights or may otherwise be on terms unfavorable to us.
In September 2006, we entered into a collaboration agreement with Ipsen for the development
and commercialization of toremifene, which collaboration was amended in March 2010 to, among other
things, expand Ipsens licensed territory for the development and commercializing of toremifene
product candidates. Pursuant to the collaboration agreement, as recently amended, Ipsen committed
up to 42.0 million to fund a second pivotal Phase III clinical trial of toremifene 80 mg in
exchange for certain additional rights we granted to Ipsen, including an expansion of its licensed
territory, as well as a reduction in or, in some cases, an elimination of Ipsens potential future
milestone and royalty obligations to us under our original agreement with Ipsen. However, our
amended agreement with Ipsen provides that if the projected third-party costs of such second
pivotal Phase III clinical trial of
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toremifene 80 mg (our planned TREAT 2 trial) exceed 42.0 million by a certain amount, then we
and Ipsen agreed to discuss whether to initiate such trial or to renegotiate the terms of the
collaboration. If we do not to initiate the trial, Ipsen would not be obligated to provide any
additional funding for the development of toremifene 80 mg. The projected third-party costs of the
planned TREAT 2 trial exceed the threshold in excess of 42.0 million established under our
agreement with Ipsen, and Ipsen has not agreed to the initiation and funding of the planned TREAT 2
trial. We and Ipsen are in discussions with respect to whether to commence the planned TREAT 2
trial and, if so, the renegotiation of the terms of our collaboration, including in particular each
partys respective funding commitments related to the planned TREAT 2 trial.
Although we continue to be engaged in discussions intended to resolve the matter, we cannot predict
the outcome, including whether we will be able to initiate the planned TREAT 2 trial or, if it is
initiated, what our respective funding commitments for the planned TREAT 2 trial would be.
In the event we are unable to satisfactorily renegotiate the terms
of our agreement with Ipsen, we or Ipsen may determine not to initiate the planned TREAT 2 trial,
and Ipsen could elect to terminate our collaboration. The loss of Ipsen as a collaborator in the
development or commercialization of toremifene, any disputes over the terms of our collaboration
with Ipsen, or any other adverse developments in our relationship with Ipsen, including our
inability to satisfactorily renegotiate the terms of our collaboration, could materially harm our
business and would substantially increase our need for additional capital. For example, if we were
to lose Ipsen as a collaborator, we may not be able to obtain sufficient additional funding to
complete the development of toremifene 80 mg. In addition, Ipsen is obligated to initiate and
conduct appropriate clinical studies as required by the appropriate regulatory authorities in order
to obtain marketing approvals of toremifene in its licensed territory. Any failure on the part of
Ipsen to initiate these studies could delay the commercialization of toremifene in its licensed
territory. In addition, the receipt of the Complete Response Letter from the FDA in October 2009
has delayed Ipsens plans to seek marketing approval of toremifene 80 mg in its licensed territory.
Moreover, if we and Ipsen (or either of us individually) determines that clinical development of
toremifene 80 mg should be further delayed or discontinued, our potential future milestone payments
and potential future revenues from the commercialization of toremifene 80 mg would be reduced or
eliminated. In addition, we do not currently expect to conduct additional clinical development of
toremifene 20 mg for the high grade PIN indication, and we therefore do not currently expect to
receive any milestone payments or royalty payments from Ipsen associated with our toremifene 20 mg
product candidate.
We may not be successful in entering into additional collaborative arrangements with other
third parties, including as a result of any collaboration discussions we chose to pursue for
ostarine and GTx-758, and even if we do enter into collaborative arrangements with other parties,
such arrangements may not be successful. If we fail to enter into additional collaborative
arrangements on favorable terms, it could delay or impair our ability to develop and commercialize
our other product candidates and could increase our costs of development and commercialization.
Dependence on collaborative arrangements, including our collaborative arrangement with Ipsen
for the development and commercialization of toremifene subjects us to a number of risks,
including:
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we are not able to control either the amount and timing of resources that Ipsen devotes
to toremifene; |
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we may not be able to control the amount and timing of resources that our potential
future collaborators may devote to our other product candidates; |
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Ipsen or any potential future collaborations may experience financial difficulties or
changes in business focus; |
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we may be required to relinquish important rights such as marketing and distribution
rights; |
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under certain circumstances, Ipsen may not be required to commercialize toremifene in
its licensed territory if Ipsen determines that it is not commercially reasonable for it
to do so; |
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pricing reimbursement constraints in Europe, which is part of Ipsens licensed
territory, may diminish the prospects of our receiving royalty payments from Ipsen on
aggregate net sales of toremifene if approved for commercial sale in some or all of the
countries in Europe; |
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should a collaborator fail to develop or commercialize one of our compounds or product
candidates, we may not receive any future milestone payments and will not receive any
royalties for the compound or product candidate; |
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business combinations or significant changes in a collaborators business strategy may
also adversely affect a collaborators willingness or ability to complete its obligations
under any arrangement; |
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under certain circumstances, a collaborator could move forward with a competing product
candidate developed either independently or in collaboration with others, including our
competitors; and |
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collaborative arrangements are often terminated or allowed to expire, such as our former
collaboration with Merck, which would delay the development and may increase the cost of
developing our product candidates. |
We may not realize the anticipated benefits from our collaborative arrangement with Ipsen,
and may not receive the anticipated benefits from any future collaboration arrangements that we
might establish.
We may never receive any of the clinical development milestone payments for our planned TREAT
2 trial provided for under our collaboration agreement with Ipsen if our negotiations with Ipsen
are not successful and we determine not to initiate the planned TREAT 2 trial or Ipsen otherwise
determines to terminate our collaboration. In addition, we do not currently expect to conduct
additional clinical development of toremifene 20 mg for the high grade PIN indication, and we
therefore do not currently expect to receive any milestone payments or royalty payments from Ipsen
associated with our toremifene 20 mg product candidate. Even if required regulatory approvals to
market toremifene are obtained, it is possible that Ipsen will not successfully market and sell any
toremifene products in which case we would not receive royalties to the extent that we currently
anticipate. Furthermore, our royalty rates under our collaboration and license agreement with
Ipsen are subject to a possible reduction if a generic version of toremifene achieves specified
sales levels in a major country within its licensed territory. Ipsen also may be entitled to
offset a portion of any royalties due to us if Ipsen licenses patent rights from a third party that
would otherwise be infringed by Ipsens use, manufacture, sale or import of toremifene compounds.
Moreover, we have agreed to grant Ipsen co-promotion rights in the United States with respect to
toremifene 80 mg for the ADT indication, which may, if toremifene 80 mg receives regulatory
approval and is commercialized, reduce the amount of product revenue that we would have otherwise
received had we commercialized toremifene 80 mg in the United States solely ourselves.
Under our agreement with Ipsen, we and Ipsen have agreed that neither party will seek to
commercialize, promote, market or sell certain products within its licensed territory for an
agreed period of time subsequent to the time of the first commercial launch of toremifene within
its licensed territory. We and Ipsen have also agreed to grant to the other a right of first
negotiation with respect to the development, marketing, sale and distribution of any new
SERM-based products for the field of the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer or related
side effects, or any other indication the parties agree on. We have also agreed to grant to Ipsen
a right of first negotiation, subject to certain conditions, with respect to the development,
marketing, sale and distribution of GTx-758 in Ipsens licensed territory. However, there can be
no assurance that we will be able to reach an agreement with Ipsen on reasonable terms, or at all,
for any new SERM-based products or GTx-758, as applicable.
Ipsen may terminate our collaboration agreement for our uncured breach, upon our bankruptcy,
with 12 months prior written notice for any reason and with 30 days prior written notice as a
result of legitimate and documented safety concerns, or in the event that either the UTRF license
for chemoprevention of prostate cancer or our license and supply agreement with Orion terminates
early. If our agreement with Ipsen is terminated, the anticipated future benefits to us from this
agreement would be eliminated and the development and commercialization of toremifene, including in
Ipsens licensed territory, would be delayed and could be abandoned. In any such or similar
events, we may not realize the anticipated benefits from our collaborative arrangement with Ipsen.
Besides Ipsen, we have in the past established and intend to continue to establish
collaborations with third parties to develop and commercialize some of our current and future
product candidates, and these collaborations may not be successful or we may otherwise not realize
the anticipated benefits from these collaborations. For example, in March 2010, following Mercks
determination to discontinue internal development of ostarine, we and Merck mutually agreed to
terminate our collaboration and, as a result, we will not receive any milestone
8
payments or royalties for the development or sale of SARMs from Merck. In the future, we may
not be able to locate third-party collaborators to develop and market our product candidates, and
we may lack the capital and resources necessary to develop our product candidates alone.
If third parties do not manufacture our product candidates in sufficient quantities, in the
required timeframe, and at an acceptable cost, clinical development and commercialization of our
product candidates would be delayed.
We do not currently own or operate manufacturing facilities, and we rely, and expect to
continue to rely, on third parties for the production of clinical and commercial quantities of our
product candidates. Our current and anticipated future dependence upon others for the manufacture
of our product candidates may adversely affect our future profit margins, if any, and our ability
to develop product candidates and commercialize any product candidates on a timely and competitive
basis.
We have agreed to purchase from Orion our worldwide requirements of toremifene in a finished
tablet form at specified prices under a license and supply agreement. Similarly, Ipsen has agreed
to purchase from Orion toremifene tablets for clinical testing and commercial sale in its licensed
territory under an amended supply agreement with Orion. As such, both we and Ipsen rely on Orion
as the single source supplier of toremifene.
Orion may terminate its supply obligations at its election at any time as a result of our
failure to obtain regulatory approval of one of our toremifene product candidates in the United
States prior to December 31, 2009, although we have received no indication from Orion to date that
it intends to do so. If Orion elects to terminate its obligation to manufacture and supply us and
Ipsen with toremifene, any arrangements we make for an alternative supply would have to be made
with a qualified alternative supplier with appropriate FDA approval in order for us to obtain our
supply requirements for toremifene. In addition, although Orions composition of matter patents
have expired, and as such, neither we nor Ipsen would be prevented from manufacturing toremifene
within the United States or European Territory, there is no obligation on the part of Orion to
transfer its manufacturing technology to us or Ipsen or to assist us or Ipsen in developing
manufacturing capabilities to meet our respective supply needs. We and Ipsen have mutually agreed
to cooperate in the manufacture of toremifene in the event that Orion elects to terminate its
obligation to manufacture and supply us and Ipsen with toremifene. Although we and Ipsen have
agreed to cooperate with each other in the event either of our supply rights are terminated by
Orion for any reason, a disruption in the supply of toremifene could delay the development of and
impair our and Ipsens ability to commercialize toremifene. In addition, in the event of such a
termination by Orion, Ipsen could elect to exercise its right to terminate our collaboration
agreement on limited notice to us.
We also rely on Orion to cooperate with us in the filing and maintenance of regulatory filings
with respect to the manufacture of toremifene, and Orion may terminate its obligation to assist us
in obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of toremifene at its election at any time. If
Orion terminates its obligation to cooperate in these activities, or does not cooperate with us or
otherwise does not successfully file or maintain these regulatory filings, we would be required to
make arrangements with a qualified alternative supplier, which could further delay or prevent
regulatory approval of toremifene.
Historically, we have relied on third party vendors for the manufacture of ostarine drug
substance. However, Merck assumed primary manufacturing responsibilities for ostarine under our
exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Merck, which agreement was terminated in March
2010. In connection with the termination of the agreement with Merck, Merck agreed to return to us
all remaining inventory of ostarine drug substance. If this supply of ostarine becomes unusable
or if the contract manufacturers that we are currently utilizing to meet our supply needs for
ostarine or our other SARM product candidates prove incapable or unwilling to continue to meet our
supply needs, we could experience a further delay in conducting any additional clinical trials of
ostarine or other SARM product candidates. In addition, we rely on third party contractors for
the manufacture of GTx-758 drug substance. We may not be able to maintain or renew our existing or
any other third-party manufacturing arrangements on acceptable terms, if at all. If we are unable
to continue our relationship with Orion for toremifene, or to do so at an acceptable cost, or other
suppliers fail to meet our requirements for GTx-758, or ostarine or our other SARM product
candidates for any reason, we would be required to obtain alternate suppliers. Any inability to
obtain alternate suppliers, including an inability to obtain approval from the FDA of an alternate
supplier, would delay or prevent the clinical development and commercialization of these product
candidates.
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Use of third-party manufacturers may increase the risk that we will not have adequate supplies
of our product candidates.
Reliance on third-party manufacturers entails risks, to which we would not be subject if we
manufactured product candidates or products ourselves, including:
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reliance on the third party for regulatory compliance and quality assurance; |
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the possible breach of the manufacturing agreement by the third party because of
factors beyond our control; |
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the possible termination or non-renewal of the agreement by the third party, based on
its own business priorities, at a time that is costly or inconvenient for us; |
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drug product supplies not meeting the requisite requirements for clinical trial use;
and |
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the possible exercise by Orion of its right to terminate its obligation to supply us
with toremifene, which it may do at its election at any time. |
If we are not able to obtain adequate supplies of our product candidates, it will be more
difficult for us to develop our product candidates and compete effectively. Our product candidates
and any products that we, Ipsen and/or our potential future collaborators may develop may compete
with other product candidates and products for access to manufacturing facilities. For example,
the active pharmaceutical ingredient in our toremifene 80 mg product candidate is also the active
pharmaceutical ingredient in FARESTON®. Further, Orion has agreed to supply toremifene tablets to
Ipsen for clinical trials and commercial supply in its licensed territory. Orion also manufactures
toremifene for third parties for sale outside the United States for the treatment of metastatic
breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
Our present or future manufacturing partners may not be able to comply with FDA-mandated
current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations, other FDA regulatory requirements or similar
regulatory requirements outside the United States. Failure of our third-party manufacturers or us
to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including
fines, injunctions, civil penalties, failure of regulatory authorities to grant marketing approval
of our product candidates, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation,
seizures or recalls of product candidates or products, operating restrictions and criminal
prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect supplies of our product
candidates.
If third parties on whom we rely do not perform as contractually required or expected, we may
not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize our product candidates.
We do not have the ability to independently conduct clinical trials for our product
candidates, and we must rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, medical
institutions, clinical investigators and contract laboratories to conduct our clinical trials. In
addition, we rely on third parties to assist with our preclinical development of product
candidates. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or
regulatory obligations or meet expected deadlines, if the third parties need to be replaced, or if
the quality or accuracy of the data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our
clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our preclinical development
activities or clinical trials may be extended, delayed, suspended or terminated, and we may not be
able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize our product candidates.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we lose our licenses from the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, or UTRF, we may
be unable to continue a substantial part of our business.
We have licensed intellectual property rights and technology from UTRF used in a substantial
part of our business. These license agreements may be terminated by UTRF if we are in breach of
our obligations under, or fail to perform any terms of, the agreement and fail to cure that breach.
If any of these agreements were terminated,
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then we may lose our rights to utilize the technology and intellectual property covered by
that agreement to market, distribute and sell our licensed products, which may prevent us from
continuing a substantial part of our business and may result in a serious adverse effect on our
financial condition, results of operations and any prospects for growth. Additionally, the
termination of our UTRF license for chemoprevention of prostate cancer could lead to a termination
of our license and collaboration agreement with Ipsen, which would result in a loss of any
potential milestone or royalty payments from Ipsen.
If some or all of our, or our licensors, patents expire or are invalidated or are found to be
unenforceable, or if some or all of our patent applications do not result in issued patents or
result in patents with narrow or unenforceable claims, or if we are prevented from asserting that
the claims of an issued patent cover a product of a third party, we may be subject to competition
from third parties with products in the same class of products as our product
candidates or products with the same active pharmaceutical ingredients as our product
candidates.
Our commercial success will depend in part on obtaining and maintaining patent and trade
secret protection for our product candidates, as well as the methods for treating patients in the
product indications using these product candidates. We will be able to protect our product
candidates and the methods for treating patients in the product indications using these product
candidates from unauthorized use by third parties only to the extent that we or our exclusive
licensors own or control such valid and enforceable patents or trade secrets. Additionally,
Ipsens ability to successfully market toremifene within a substantial portion of its licensed
territory may depend on having marketing and data exclusivity from the appropriate regulatory
authorities.
Our rights to certain patents and patent applications relating to SARM compounds that we have
licensed from UTRF are subject to the terms of UTRFs inter-institutional agreements with The Ohio
State University, or OSU, and our rights to future related improvements in some instances are
subject to UTRFs exercise of exclusive options under its agreements with OSU for such
improvements.
Even if our product candidates and the methods for treating patients for prescribed
indications using these product candidates are covered by valid and enforceable patents and have
claims with sufficient scope, disclosure and support in the specification, the patents will provide
protection only for a limited amount of time. For example, the patent that we have licensed from
Orion covering the composition of matter of toremifene has expired in the United States and abroad.
As a result, we will need to rely primarily on the protection afforded by method of use patents
relating to the use of toremifene for the relevant prescribed indications that have been issued or
may be issued from our owned or licensed patent applications. Also, within its licensed
territories, Ipsen may need to rely primarily on the protection afforded by marketing and data
exclusivity for the toremifene products that may be sold within the respective territory. To date,
many of our applications for method of use patents filed for toremifene outside of the United
States are still pending and have not yielded issued patents. Loss of marketing and data
exclusivity for any toremifene products that may be commercialized within the territories licensed
to Ipsen could adversely affect Ipsens ability to successfully commercialize these products.
Our and our licensors ability to obtain patents can be highly uncertain and involve complex
and in some cases unsettled legal issues and factual questions. Furthermore, different countries
have different procedures for obtaining patents, and patents issued in different countries provide
different degrees of protection against the use of a patented invention by others. Therefore, if
the issuance to us or our licensors, in a given country, of a patent covering an invention is not
followed by the issuance, in other countries, of patents covering the same invention, or if any
judicial interpretation of the validity, enforceability, or scope of the claims in, or the written
description or enablement in, a patent issued in one country is not similar to the interpretation
given to the corresponding patent issued in another country, our ability to protect our
intellectual property in those countries may be limited. Changes in either patent laws or in
interpretations of patent laws in the United States and other countries may materially diminish the
value of our intellectual property or narrow the scope of our patent protection.
Even if patents are issued to us or our licensors regarding our product candidates or methods
of using them, those patents can be challenged by our competitors who can argue such patents are
invalid or unenforceable, lack sufficient written description or enablement, or that the claims of
the issued patents should be limited or narrowly construed. Patents also will not protect our
product candidates if competitors devise ways of making or using these product candidates without
legally infringing our patents. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and FDA regulations and
policies create a regulatory environment that encourages companies to challenge branded drug
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patents or to create non-infringing versions of a patented product in order to facilitate the
approval of abbreviated new drug applications for generic substitutes. These same types of
incentives encourage competitors to submit new drug applications that rely on literature and
clinical data not prepared for or by the drug sponsor, providing another less burdensome pathway to
approval.
We also rely on trade secrets to protect our technology, especially where we do not believe
that patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to
protect. Our employees, consultants, contractors, outside scientific collaborators and other
advisors may unintentionally or willfully disclose our confidential information to competitors, and
confidentiality agreements may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized
disclosure of confidential information. Enforcing a claim that a third party illegally obtained
and is using our trade secrets is expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable.
Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how.
Failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive
business position.
Off-label sale or use of third-party toremifene products could decrease sales of any
toremifene product candidates that we continue to develop and that are approved for commercial
sale, and could lead to pricing pressure if such products become available at competitive prices
and in dosages that are appropriate for the indications for which we and Ipsen may continue to
develop toremifene.
In all countries in which we hold or have licensed rights to patents or patent applications
related to toremifene, the composition of matter patents we license from Orion have expired. As a
result, we will need to rely primarily on the protection afforded by method of use patents. Our
method of use patents may not protect toremifene from the risk of off-label sale or use of other
toremifene products in place of any toremifene product candidates that we continue to develop and
that are approved for commercial sale. Physicians are permitted to prescribe legally available
drugs for uses that are not described in the drugs labeling and that differ from those uses tested
and approved by the FDA or its equivalent. Such off-label uses are common across medical
specialties and are particularly prevalent for cancer treatments. Any off-label sales of other
toremifene products may adversely affect our or Ipsens ability to generate revenue from the sale
of any toremifene product candidates that we continue to develop and that are approved for
commercial sale.
Even in the event that patents are issued from our pending method of use patent applications,
competitors could market and sell toremifene products for uses for which FARESTON® has already been
approved. Thus, physicians in such countries would be permitted to prescribe these other
toremifene products for indications that are protected by our method of use patents or method of
use patents issuing from pending patent applications, even though these other toremifene products
would not have been approved for those uses, and in most cases, the physician would not be liable
for contributing to the infringement of our patents or potential patents. Moreover, because Orion
has licensed and could further license other parties to market, sell and distribute toremifene for
breast cancer outside the United States, physicians in such countries could prescribe these
products sold pursuant to another Orion license off-label. This further increases the risk of
off-label competition developing for toremifene for the indications for which we and Ipsen may
continue to develop this product candidate. In addition, if no patents are issued with respect to
our pending method of use patent applications related to the use of toremifene in the countries
outside of the United States where these applications are currently pending, we would not have as
extensive patent coverage to prevent competitors from marketing and selling generic versions of
toremifene at doses and in formulations equivalent to our toremifene product candidates for the
indications covered by our pending method of use patent applications. Also, regulatory authorities
may not recognize marketing and data exclusivity for toremifene in the territory we licensed to
Ipsen under our collaboration for the treatment of prostate cancer and estrogen deficiency side
effects resulting from ADT. If generic versions of toremifene are able to be sold in countries
within the territory we licensed to Ipsen for the indications for which Ipsen could potentially
market toremifene, the royalties to be paid to us by Ipsen will be reduced if the total generic
sales exceed a certain threshold for a certain period of time.
Our license agreement with Orion excludes the use of toremifene in humans to treat breast
cancer outside the United States and may limit our ability to market toremifene for human uses
outside the United States.
Our exclusive license and supply agreement from Orion excludes the use of toremifene for the
treatment of metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women outside the United States. Orion has
licensed to other parties the right to market, sell and distribute toremifene for the treatment of
advanced breast cancer outside the United States
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and could license additional parties to market, sell and distribute toremifene for this
indication outside the United States.
Under the terms of our license agreement with Orion, Orion may require us and Ipsen to modify
our final toremifene development plans for specified major markets outside the United States if
those development plans could adversely affect Orions or Orions other licensees activities
related to FARESTON® for breast cancer outside the United States or toremifene-based animal health
products. Although we do not believe that our or Ipsens development plans adversely affect these
activities, any future modifications to our or Ipsens plans imposed by Orion may limit our and
Ipsens ability to maximize the commercial potential of toremifene.
If we infringe intellectual property rights of third parties, it may increase our costs or
prevent us from being able to commercialize our product candidates.
There is a risk that we are infringing the proprietary rights of third parties because
numerous United States and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications, which are owned
by third parties, exist in the fields that are the focus of our drug discovery, development, and
manufacture and process synthesis efforts. Others might have been the first to make the inventions
covered by each of our or our licensors pending patent applications and issued patents and might
have been the first to file patent applications for these inventions. In addition, because patent
applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending applications, unknown to
us or our licensors, which may later result in issued patents that cover the production,
manufacture, synthesis, commercialization, formulation or use of our product candidates. In
addition, the production, manufacture, synthesis, commercialization, formulation or use of our
product candidates may infringe existing patents of which we are not aware. Defending ourselves
against third-party claims, including litigation in particular, would be costly and time consuming
and would divert managements attention from our business, which could lead to delays in our
development or commercialization efforts. If third parties are successful in their claims, we
might have to pay substantial damages or take other actions that are adverse to our business.
As a result of intellectual property infringement claims, or to avoid potential claims, we
might:
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be prohibited from selling or licensing any product that we, Ipsen and/or any potential
future collaborators may develop unless the patent holder licenses the patent to us, which
the patent holder is not required to do; |
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be required to pay substantial royalties or other amounts, or grant a cross license to
our patents to another patent holder; or |
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be required to redesign the formulation of a product candidate so that it does not
infringe, which may not be possible or could require substantial funds and time. |
In addition, under our collaboration and license agreement with Ipsen, Ipsen may be entitled
to offset a portion of any royalties due to us in any calendar year on account of product sales to
pay for costs incurred by Ipsen to obtain a license to any dominant intellectual property rights
that are infringed by the products at issue.
Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of Our Product Candidates
If we, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators are not able to obtain required regulatory
approvals, we or such collaborators will not be able to commercialize our product candidates, and
our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired.
Our product candidates and the activities associated with their development and
commercialization are subject to comprehensive regulation by the FDA, other regulatory agencies in
the United States and by comparable authorities in other countries. Failure to obtain regulatory
approval for a product candidate will prevent us or any collaborator from commercializing the
product candidate. We have not received regulatory approval to market any of our product
candidates in any jurisdiction, and we do not expect to obtain FDA or any other regulatory
approvals to market any of our product candidates in the near future, if at all. In addition, we
will not receive any clinical development milestone or royalty payments associated with our
toremifene 80 mg product candidate if we and/or Ipsen determine to discontinue the development of
toremifene 80 mg or, if such development continues, if Ipsen is
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unable to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals to commercialize toremifene 80 mg within
its licensed territory. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals is expensive, often takes
many years, if approval is obtained at all, and can vary substantially based upon the type,
complexity and novelty of the product candidates involved.
Changes in the regulatory approval policy during the development period, changes in or the
enactment of additional regulations or statutes, or changes in regulatory review for each submitted
product application, may cause delays in the approval or rejection of an application. For example,
the FDA announced in 2008 that, due to staffing and resource limitations, it has given its managers
discretion to miss certain timing goals for completing reviews of NDAs set forth under the
Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA. Although the FDA has since publicly expressed a
recommitment to meeting PDUFA deadlines, it remains unclear whether and to what extent the FDA will
adhere to PDUFA deadlines in the future. If the FDA were to miss a PDUFA timing goal for one of
our product candidates, the development and commercialization of the product candidate could be
delayed. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007, or the FDA
Amendments Act, which was enacted in September 2007, expands the FDAs authority to regulate drugs
throughout the product life cycle, including enhanced authority to require post-approval studies
and clinical trials. Other proposals have been made to impose additional requirements on drug
approvals, further expand post-approval requirements and restrict sales and promotional activities.
This new legislation, and the additional proposals if enacted, may make it more difficult or
burdensome for us or our potential future collaborators to obtain approval of our product
candidates. Even if the FDA approves a product candidate, the approval may impose significant
restrictions on the indicated uses, conditions for use, labeling, advertising, promotion, marketing
and/or production of such product, and may impose ongoing requirements for post-approval studies,
including additional research and development and clinical trials. The approval may also impose
risk evaluation mitigation strategies, or REMS, on a product if the FDA believes there is a reason
to monitor the safety of the drug in the market place. REMS may include requirements for
additional training for health care professionals, safety communication efforts and limits on
channels of distribution, among other things. The sponsor would be required to evaluate and
monitor the various REMS activities and adjust them if need be. The FDA also may impose various
civil or criminal sanctions for failure to comply with regulatory requirements, including
withdrawal of product approval.
Furthermore, the approval procedure and the time required to obtain approval varies among
countries and can involve additional testing beyond that required by the FDA. Approval by one
regulatory authority does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions.
The FDA has substantial discretion in the approval process and may refuse to accept any
application or may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional
preclinical, clinical or other studies. For example, in October 2009, we received a Complete
Response Letter from the FDA regarding our NDA for toremifene 80 mg to reduce fractures in men with
prostate cancer on ADT notifying us that the FDA would not approve our NDA in its present form as a
result of certain clinical deficiencies identified in the Complete Response Letter. As a result,
FDA approval of toremifene 80 mg, if it occurs, will be substantially delayed Additionally, if our
planned TREAT 2 trial of toremifene 80 mg to reduce fractures and treat other estrogen deficiency
side effects of ADT in men with prostate cancer is conducted, it could result in varying
interpretations of the data obtained from the clinical trial which could delay, limit or prevent
regulatory approval of the product candidate. Furthermore, even if we submit an application to the
FDA for marketing approval of a product candidate, it may not result in marketing approval from the
FDA.
We do not expect to receive regulatory approval for the commercial sale of any of our product
candidates that are in development, including toremifene 80 mg, in the near future, if at all.
Furthermore, it is not anticipated that Ipsen will receive the appropriate regulatory approvals to
market toremifene within its licensed territory any sooner than we will achieve regulatory approval
in the United States, and it likely will be thereafter. The inability to obtain FDA approval or
approval from comparable authorities in other countries for our product candidates would prevent
us, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators from commercializing these product candidates in
the United States or other countries. See the section entitled Business Government Regulation
of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 15, 2010, for additional information
regarding risks associated with marketing approval, as well as risks related to post-approval
requirements.
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Risks Related to Commercialization
The commercial success of any products that we, Ipsen, and/or any potential future
collaborators may develop, including any toremifene products, will depend upon the market and the
degree of market acceptance among physicians, patients, healthcare payors and the medical
community.
Any products that we, Ipsen, and/or any potential future collaborators may develop may not
gain market acceptance among physicians, patients, health care payors and the medical community.
If these products do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate material
product revenues or receive royalties to the extent we currently anticipate, 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:
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efficacy and safety results in clinical trials; |
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the prevalence and severity of any side effects; |
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potential advantages over alternative treatments; |
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whether the products we commercialize remain a preferred course of treatment; |
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the ability to offer our product candidates for sale at competitive prices; |
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relative convenience and ease of administration; |
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the strength of marketing and distribution support; and |
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sufficient third-party coverage or reimbursement. |
We have conducted a number of studies of toremifene in addition to our clinical trials,
including a Thorough QT study (toremifene 80 mg and toremifene 20 mg), a bioequivalence study
(toremifene 80 mg), a series of drug-drug interaction studies (toremifene 80 mg and toremifene 20
mg), and a semen quality study (toremifene 20 mg) to assess the effect of toremifene. The results
of the Thorough QT study of 250 healthy male volunteers, with 5 parallel cohorts receiving 20 mg,
80 mg or 300 mg doses of toremifene, moxifloxacin, or placebo, showed that toremifene prolonged the
QT interval in a dose dependent manner. The mean change in QTcB (a measurement of QT interval
corrected by Bazetts formula) from baseline relative to placebo for toremifene 20 mg was 5.79
milliseconds, for toremifene 80 mg, it was 22.43 milliseconds, and for moxifloxacin, it was 8.83
milliseconds. Since we market FARESTON® in the United States under a license agreement with Orion,
we notified the FDA of the Thorough QT study results and have proposed modifications to the
FARESTON® label in the United States. FDA action on the proposed label changes is pending.
Separately, Orion recommended label changes to the EMEA. In January 2009, the EMEA recommended
that the FARESTON® label within the European Union reflect that toremifene should not be given to
patients at risk of prolonged QT intervals or other certain heart problems. The results of these
completed studies were included as a part of the NDA submission to the FDA for our toremifene 80 mg
product candidate to reduce fractures in men with prostate cancer on ADT and will be included as
part of any future NDA submission we make to the FDA for toremifene 80 mg if we and Ipsen determine
to conduct the planned TREAT 2 trial and the results of such trial are positive. In addition, the
results of these completed studies will be used to update the label for FARESTON®. The study
results could lead to the inclusion of restrictions, limitations and/or warnings in the label of
FARESTON® or an approved toremifene 80 mg product candidate, which may adversely affect the
marketability of the product or limit the patients to whom the product is prescribed.
Our only marketed product generating revenue is FARESTON®, which is subject to a number of
risks. These risks may cause sales of FARESTON® to continue to decline.
FARESTON® is currently our only marketed product. FARESTON® is indicated for the treatment of
metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women. FARESTON® competes against tamoxifen,
fulvestrant, and several aromatase inhibitors, including anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane,
for hormonal treatment of breast cancer. Sales of pharmaceuticals for breast cancer in the SERM
class have declined in recent years as aromatase inhibitors have gained market share and we believe
this trend will continue. Further, the branded competitors have greater resources and generic
competitors are preferred by insurers. Continued sales of FARESTON® also could be impacted by many
other factors. The occurrence of one or more of the following risks may cause sales of FARESTON®
to decline more than we currently anticipate:
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the loss of the availability of Orions website to market FARESTON®, which is an
important source of advertising; |
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the loss of one or more of our three largest wholesale drug distributors, which
together accounted for approximately 96% of our product sales of FARESTON® for the six
months ended June 30, 2010; |
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any restrictions, limitations, and/or warnings added to the FARESTON® label as a result
of our studies of toremifene, including a Thorough QT study and drug interaction studies,
or otherwise; |
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the continued success of competing products, including aromatase inhibitors; |
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the loss of coverage or reimbursement for FARESTON® from Medicare and Medicaid, private
health insurers or other third-party payors; |
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exposure to product liability claims related to the commercial sale of FARESTON®, which
may exceed our product liability insurance; |
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the failure of Orion to maintain regulatory filings or comply with applicable FDA
requirements with respect to FARESTON®; |
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the introduction of generic toremifene products that compete with FARESTON® for the
treatment of breast cancer; and |
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the loss of Orion, upon which we rely as a single source, as our supplier of FARESTON®. |
If we are unable to expand our sales and marketing capabilities or establish and maintain
agreements with third parties to market and sell our product candidates, we may be unable to
generate product revenue from such candidates.
We have limited experience as a company in the sales, marketing and distribution of
pharmaceutical products, and in any event have only limited company personnel to undertake such
activities, and we therefore need to expand our sales and marketing capabilities or establish and
maintain agreements with third parties to market and sell our product candidates. We may be
unable to build our own sales and marketing capabilities and there are risks involved with entering
into arrangements with third parties to perform these services, which could delay the
commercialization of any of our product candidates if approved for commercial sale. For example,
we would be relying on Ipsen to market and distribute our toremifene product candidates if their
development continues and they are approved for commercial sale through Ipsens established sales
and marketing network within its licensed territory. If our collaboration and license agreement
with Ipsen is terminated for any reason, our ability to sell any of our toremifene product
candidates that may be approved for commercial sale in Ipsens licensed territory would be
adversely affected, and we may be unable to develop or engage an effective sales force to
successfully market and sell such toremifene product candidates in Ipsens licensed territory.
Currently, we do not have a partner outside of Ipsens licensed territory for our toremifene
product candidates, and our success in regions other than Ipsens licensed territory may be
dependent on our ability to find suitable partners in other regions of the world. In addition, to
the extent that we enter into arrangements with third parties to perform sales, marketing and
distribution services, our product revenues are likely to be lower than if we market and sell any
products that we develop ourselves.
If we, Ipsen, and/or any potential future collaborators are unable to obtain reimbursement or
experience a reduction in reimbursement from third-party payors for products we sell, our revenues
and prospects for profitability will suffer.
Sales of products developed by us, Ipsen, and/or any potential future collaborators are
dependent on the availability and extent of reimbursement from third-party payors. Changes in the
reimbursement policies of these third-party payors that reduce reimbursements for FARESTON® and any
other products that we, Ipsen and/or any potential future collaborators may develop and sell could
negatively impact our future operating and financial results.
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 established
comprehensive Medicare coverage and reimbursement of prescription drugs under Medicare Part D. The
prescription drug program
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established by this legislation may have the effect of reducing the prices that we, Ipsen, or
any potential future collaborators are able to charge for products we, Ipsen, and/or any potential
future collaborators develop and sell through the program. This legislation may also cause
third-party payors other than the federal government, including the states under the Medicaid
program, to discontinue coverage for products that we, Ipsen, and/or any potential future
collaborators may develop or to lower the amount that they pay. State Medicaid programs are
increasingly requesting manufacturers to pay supplemental rebates and requiring prior authorization
for use of drugs where supplemental rebates are not provided.
In March 2010, the United States Congress enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. This health care reform legislation will
increase the number of individuals who receive health insurance coverage and will close a gap in
drug coverage under Medicare Part D as established in 2003. However, the newly-enacted legislation
also implements cost containment measures that could adversely affect our revenues. These measures
include increased drug rebates under Medicaid starting in 2010 for brand name prescription drugs,
such as FARESTON®, and extension of these rebates to Medicaid managed care, which would reduce the
amount of net reimbursement received for FARESTON® or any other products that we, Ipsen, and/or any
potential future collaborators may develop and sell. Also effective for 2010, the legislation
extends 340B discounted pricing on outpatient drugs to childrens hospitals, critical access
hospitals, and rural health centers, which extension reduces the amount of reimbursement received
for drugs purchased by these new 340B-covered entities.
Additional provisions of the health care reform legislation, which become effective in 2011,
may negatively affect our revenues and prospects for profitability in the future. Along with other
pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers of brand name prescription drugs, we will be assessed a
fee based on our proportionate share of sales of brand name prescription drugs to certain
government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. As part of the health care reform
legislations provisions closing a funding gap that currently exists in the Medicare Part D
prescription drug program (commonly known as the donut hole), we will also be required to provide
a 50% discount on brand name prescription drugs, including FARESTON®, sold to beneficiaries who
fall within the donut hole.
In the aftermath of the 2010 health care reform legislation, private health insurers and
managed care plans are likely to continue challenging the prices charged for medical products and
services, and many of these third-party payors may limit reimbursement for newly-approved health
care products. In particular, third-party payors may limit the indications for which they will
reimburse patients who use any products that we, Ipsen, and/or any potential future collaborators
may develop or sell. These cost-control initiatives could decrease the price we might establish
for products that we, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators may develop or sell, which would
result in lower product revenues or royalties payable to us.
Similar cost containment initiatives exist in countries outside of the United States,
particularly in the countries of the European Union, where the pricing of prescription
pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with
governmental authorities can take six to twelve months or longer after the receipt of regulatory
marketing approval for a product. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries,
we, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators may be required to conduct a clinical trial that
compares the cost effectiveness of our product candidates or products to other available therapies.
The conduct of such a clinical trial could be expensive and result in delays in our, Ipsens or a
potential future collaborators commercialization efforts. Third-party payors are challenging the
prices charged for medical products and services, and many third-party payors limit reimbursement
for newly-approved health care products. In particular, third-party payors may limit the
indications for which they will reimburse patients who use any products that we, Ipsen, and/or any
potential future collaborators may develop or sell. Cost-control initiatives could decrease the
price we might establish for products that we, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators may
develop or sell, which would result in lower product revenues or royalties payable to us.
Another development that could affect the pricing of drugs would be proposed congressional
action regarding drug reimportation into the United States. The Medicare Prescription Drug,
Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 gives discretion to the Secretary of Health and Human
Services to allow drug reimportation into the United States under some circumstances from foreign
countries, including from countries where the drugs are sold at a lower price than in the United
States. Provisions allowing for the direct reimportation of drugs under certain
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circumstances were not included in the 2010 health care reform legislation, but could be
revisited in the future. If legislation or regulations were passed allowing the reimportation of
drugs, they could decrease the price we, Ipsen, or any potential future collaborators receive for
any products that we, Ipsen, and/or any potential future collaborators may develop, negatively
affecting our revenues and prospects for profitability.
Health care reform measures could hinder or prevent our product candidates commercial
success.
Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant
interest in promoting health care reform, as evidenced by the recent enactment in the United States
of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation
Act. It is likely that federal and state legislatures within the United States and foreign
governments will continue to consider changes to existing health care legislation. These changes
adopted by governments may adversely impact our business by lowering the price of health care
products in the United States and elsewhere.
We operate in a highly regulated industry and new laws, regulations or judicial decisions, or
new interpretations or existing laws, regulations or decisions, related to health care
availability, method of delivery or payment for health care products and services, or sales,
marketing and pricing practices could negatively impact our business, operations and financial
condition.
If product liability lawsuits are brought against us, we may incur substantial liabilities and
may be required to limit commercialization of any products that we may develop.
We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to our commercial sale of
FARESTON® and the testing of our product candidates in human clinical trials and will face an even
greater risk if we commercially sell any product that we may develop. If we cannot successfully
defend ourselves against claims that our product candidates or products caused injuries, we will
incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may
result in:
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decreased demand for any product candidates or products; |
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injury to our reputation; |
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withdrawal of clinical trial participants; |
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costs to defend the related litigation; |
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substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients; |
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loss of revenue; and |
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the inability to commercialize any products for which we obtain or hold marketing
approvals. |
We have product liability insurance that covers our clinical trials and commercial products
up to a $25 million annual aggregate limit. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may
not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost and we may not be able to obtain
insurance coverage that will be adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.
If our competitors are better able to develop and market products than any products that we,
Ipsen, and/or any potential future collaborators may develop, our commercial opportunity will be
reduced or eliminated.
We face competition from commercial pharmaceutical and biotechnology enterprises, as well as
from academic institutions, government agencies and private and public research institutions. Our
commercial opportunities will be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize
products that are safer, more effective, have fewer side effects or are less expensive than any
products that we, Ipsen, and/or any potential future collaborators may develop. Competition could
result in reduced sales and pricing pressure on our product candidates, if approved, which in turn
would reduce our ability to generate meaningful revenue and have a negative impact on our results
of operations. In addition, significant delays in the development of our product candidates could
allow our competitors to bring products to market before us and impair any ability to commercialize
our product candidates.
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Various products are currently marketed or used off-label for some of the diseases and
conditions that we are targeting in our pipeline, and a number of companies are or may be
developing new treatments. These product uses, as well as promotional efforts by competitors and/or
clinical trial results of competitive products, could significantly diminish any ability to market
and sell any products that we, Ipsen, and/or any potential future collaborators may develop.
We are developing GTx-758 for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Currently, there are
several products approved to reduce testosterone levels in men with advanced prostate cancer that
may compete with GTx-758 if approved for commercial sale, including those marketed by Abbott
Laboratories (Lupron®), Sanofi-Aventis (Eligard ®), AstraZeneca (Zoladex®), Ferring Pharmaceuticals
(Firmagon®), Endo Pharmaceuticals (Vantas®) and Watson Pharmaceuticals (Trelstar®).
With respect to our SARM program, there are other SARM product candidates in development that
may compete with our SARM product candidates if approved. Pfizer Inc., Eli Lilly & Co., and Amgen
have myostatin inhibitors in development that may compete with ostarine if approved for commercial
sale. In addition, Cytokinetics, Inc. is developing a troponin activator with a muscle specific
mechanism in a Phase I study. Moreover, there are other categories of drugs in development,
including ghrelin receptor agonists and growth hormone secretagogues that may have some muscle
activity. Other appetite stimulants such as megestrol acetate and dronabinol are also used
off-label for cancer cachexia.
We are also developing toremifene 80 mg for the reduction of fractures and treatment of other
estrogen deficiency side effects of ADT. Although there are no products that have been approved by
the FDA to reduce fractures or treat estrogen deficiency related side effects of ADT, we are aware
of a number of drugs, including drugs marketed by Eli Lilly & Co. (Evista®), Merck (Fosamax®),
Sanofi-Aventis and Warner Chilcott (Actonel®), Pfizer Inc. (Effexor®), Boehringer Ingelheim
(Catapres®), Novartis (Zometa®) and generic megestrol acetate, that are prescribed to treat single
side effects of ADT; that external beam radiation and tamoxifen are used to treat breast pain and
enlargement, or gynecomastia. ProliaTM (denosumab), a monoclonal antibody developed by Amgen, is
approved in the United States, Europe and Australia for the treatment of osteoporosis in
postmenopausal women and additionally in Europe for the treatment of bone loss associated with
hormone ablation in men with prostate cancer at increased risk of fractures, and is under
regulatory review for cancer specific indications including prostate cancer.
Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in
research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining
regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we do. Smaller or early-stage companies
may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with
large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining
qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient
registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies and technology licenses
complementary to our programs or advantageous to our business.
Risks Related to Employees and Growth
If we fail to attract and keep senior management and key scientific personnel, we may be
unable to successfully develop or commercialize our product candidates.
Our success depends on our continued ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified
management, clinical and scientific personnel and on our ability to develop and maintain important
relationships with leading academic institutions, clinicians and scientists. If we are not able to
attract and keep senior management and key scientific personnel, particularly Dr. Mitchell S.
Steiner, we may not be able to successfully develop or commercialize our product candidates. All
of our employees are at-will employees and can terminate their employment at any time. We do not
carry key person insurance covering members of senior management, other than $25 million of
insurance covering Dr. Steiner.
In December 2009, we announced a reduction of approximately 26% of our workforce in order to
reduce our operating expenses in connection with the receipt of the Complete Response Letter
regarding our NDA for
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toremifene 80 mg and the associated delay in the potential regulatory approval of toremifene
80 mg. This and any future workforce reductions may negatively affect our ability to retain or
attract talented employees.
We will need to hire additional employees in order to commercialize our product candidates in
the future. Any inability to manage future growth could harm our ability to commercialize our
product candidates, increase our costs and adversely impact our ability to compete effectively.
In order to commercialize our product candidates in the future, we will need to expand the
number of our managerial, operational, financial and other employees and the competition for
qualified personnel in the biotechnology field is intense.
Future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on members of management,
including the need to identify, recruit, maintain and integrate additional employees. Our future
financial performance and our ability to commercialize our product candidates and to compete
effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to manage any future growth effectively.
Risks Related to our Common Stock
Market volatility may cause our stock price and the value of your investment to decline.
The market prices for securities of biotechnology companies in general have been highly
volatile and may continue to be so in the future. The following factors, in addition to other risk
factors described in this section, may have a significant impact on the market price of our common
stock:
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developments with respect to our collaboration with Ipsen, including the results of our
negotiations with Ipsen with respect to the planned TREAT 2 trial, any changes to the terms
of our collaboration, and any determination by Ipsen to terminate the collaboration; |
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adverse results or delays in our clinical trials; |
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our ability to enter into additional collaborative arrangements with respect to our
product candidates; |
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the timing of achievement of, or failure to achieve, our, Ipsens and any potential
future collaborators clinical, regulatory and other milestones, such as the commencement
of clinical development, the completion of a clinical trial or the receipt of regulatory
approval; |
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announcement of FDA approval or non-approval of our product candidates or delays in the
FDA review process; |
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actions taken by regulatory agencies with respect to our product candidates or products,
our clinical trials or our sales and marketing activities, including regulatory actions
requiring or leading to restrictions, limitations and/or warnings in the label of FARESTON®
or an approved toremifene product candidate; |
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the commercial success of any product approved by the FDA or its foreign counterparts; |
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introductions or announcements of technological innovations or new products by us,
Ipsen, potential future collaborators, or our competitors, and the timing of these
introductions or announcements; |
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market conditions for equity investments in general, or the biotechnology or
pharmaceutical industries in particular; |
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the terms and timing of any future collaborative, licensing or other arrangements that
we may establish; |
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regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; |
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changes in the structure or reimbursement policies of health care payment systems; |
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any intellectual property infringement lawsuit involving us; |
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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our results of operations; |
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changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts; |
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sales of large blocks of our common stock; |
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sales of our common stock by our executive officers, directors and significant
stockholders; |
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changes in accounting principles; and |
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the loss of any of our key scientific or management personnel. |
The stock markets in general, and the markets for biotechnology stocks in particular, have
experienced significant volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of
particular companies. Recently, the financial markets have faced almost unprecedented turmoil,
resulting in a decline in investor confidence and concerns about the proper functioning of the
securities markets, which decline in general investor confidence has resulted in depressed stock
prices for many companies notwithstanding the lack of a fundamental change in their underlying
business models or prospects. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading
price of our common stock.
In the past, class action litigation has often been instituted against companies whose
securities have experienced periods of volatility in market price. Any such litigation brought
against us could result in substantial costs, which would hurt our financial condition and results
of operations and divert managements attention and resources, which could result in delays of our
clinical trials or commercialization efforts.
Our executive officers, directors and largest stockholders have the ability to control all
matters submitted to stockholders for approval.
As of June 30, 2010, our executive officers, directors and holders of 5% or more of our
outstanding common stock beneficially owned approximately 66.0% of our outstanding common stock,
and our executive officers and directors alone beneficially owned approximately 48.9% of our
outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders, acting together, may or will have the
ability to control all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of
directors and the approval of mergers or other business combination transactions. The interests of
this group of stockholders may not always coincide with our interests or the interests of other
stockholders.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an
acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent
attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws may delay or prevent an
acquisition of us or a change in our management. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or
prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it
more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our Board of Directors. Because our Board of
Directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could
in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team.
These provisions include:
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a classified Board of Directors; |
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a prohibition on actions by our stockholders by written consent; |
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the ability of our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder
approval, which could be used to institute a poison pill that would work to dilute the
stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, effectively preventing acquisitions that
have not been approved by our Board of Directors; and |
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limitations on the removal of directors. |
Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of
Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a person who owns in excess
of 15% 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.
Finally, these provisions establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to
our Board of Directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon at stockholder meetings.
These provisions would apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders.
If there are substantial sales of our common stock, the market price of our common stock could
drop substantially, even if our business is doing well.
For the 12-month period ended June 30, 2010, the average daily trading volume of our common
stock on the NASDAQ Global Market was 406,412 shares. As a result, future sales of a substantial
number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may
occur, could adversely affect the then-prevailing market price of our common stock. As of June 30,
2010, we had 36,420,901 shares of common stock outstanding.
Moreover, J.R. Hyde, III, and Oracle Investment Management, Inc., two of our largest
stockholders, and their affiliates, have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to file
registration statements covering the approximately 10.8 million shares of common stock they hold in
the aggregate which are subject to registration rights or to include these shares in registration
statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. If any of these large
stockholders were to sell large blocks of shares in a short period of time, the market price of our
common stock could drop substantially.
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BUSINESS OVERVIEW
We are a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and
commercialization of small molecules that selectively target hormone pathways for the treatment and
prevention of cancer, the treatment of side effects of anticancer therapy, cancer supportive care,
and other serious medical conditions.
We are developing GTx-758, a selective estrogen receptor, or ER, alpha agonist for the
treatment of advanced prostate cancer. As a selective ER alpha agonist, GTx-758 has the potential
to achieve medical castration by feedback inhibition of the hypothalamic- pituitary-gonadal axis.
Because of the mechanism of action of GTx-758, castration is expected
to be achieved without concomitant bone loss
or the development of hot flashes. In 2009, we evaluated GTx-758 in healthy male volunteers in two
Phase I clinical trials. In a single ascending dose study in 96 subjects, GTx-758 was well
tolerated and demonstrated a pharmacokinetic profile compatible with daily oral dosing. In a 14 day
multiple ascending dose study in 50 subjects, GTx-758 was well tolerated and demonstrated the
ability to reduce testosterone and to increase sex hormone binding globulin, or SHBG. In September
2010, we announced that in a Phase II, open label, pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic clinical trial
in healthy male volunteers, GTx-758 suppressed serum total testosterone to castrate levels,
increased serum SHBG, and markedly reduced serum free testosterone, the form of testosterone which
is available to prostate cancer cells for growth. Medical castration (levels of serum total
testosterone <50 ng/dL) was achieved in subjects receiving both the 1000 mg and 1500 mg
treatment. The percentage of treatment compliant subjects receiving 1500 mg of GTx-758 who achieved
medical castration was comparable to rates of castration observed with luteinizing hormone
releasing hormone treatment, which, along with surgical bilateral orchiectomy, is current standard
of care. GTx-758 was well tolerated and no serious adverse events were reported in the study. In
2011, we are planning to initiate an additional clinical trial evaluating GTx-758 for first line
treatment in men with advanced prostate cancer.
Additionally, we are developing selective androgen receptor modulators, or SARMs, a new class
of drugs with the potential to treat cancer cachexia (cancer induced muscle loss), chronic
sarcopenia, which is the loss of skeletal muscle mass resulting in reduced physical strength and
ability to perform activities of daily living, and other musculoskeletal wasting or muscle loss
conditions. In March 2010, we reacquired full rights to our SARM program, including ostarine, our
lead SARM, following the termination by us and Merck & Co., Inc., or Merck, of our exclusive
license and collaboration agreement for SARM compounds and related
SARM products.
We are currently preparing for an End of Phase II meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, or FDA, that we anticipate will occur later this
year, to gain concurrence from the FDA
on the proposed late stage clinical development of ostarine for the treatment of cancer cachexia
in non-small cell lung cancer patients. Following the FDAs input, we plan to continue our pursuit
of a partnership or collaboration for the development and commercialization of SARMs, which
includes ostarine for the treatment of cancer cachexia, and/or to initiate a pivotal clinical
trial in 2011.
We are also developing toremifene 80 mg, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, or SERM, for
the reduction of fractures and treatment of other estrogen deficiency side effects of androgen
deprivation therapy, or ADT, in men with prostate cancer. In September 2006, we licensed to Ipsen
Biopharm Limited, or Ipsen, exclusive rights in the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland,
Lichtenstein and the Commonwealth of Independent States, which we collectively refer to as the
European Territory, to develop and commercialize toremifene in all indications that we have
licensed from Orion Corporation, or Orion, which include all indications in humans except the
treatment and prevention of breast cancer outside of the United States. In December 2008, we
submitted a New Drug
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Application, or NDA, for toremifene 80 mg to reduce fractures in men with prostate cancer on
ADT to the FDA. In October 2009, we received a Complete Response Letter from the FDA regarding our
NDA for toremifene 80 mg notifying us that the FDA would not approve our NDA in its present form as
a result of certain clinical deficiencies identified in the Complete Response Letter.
In March 2010, we amended our collaboration and license agreement with Ipsen primarily to
expand our collaboration for the development and commercialization of toremifene 80 mg to reduce
fractures in men with prostate cancer and to potentially fund a second pivotal Phase III clinical
trial of toremifene 80 mg. In exchange for Ipsens commitment, subject to specified conditions, to
fund a second Phase III clinical trial of toremifene 80 mg, we granted Ipsen certain additional
rights, including an expansion of the territory in which Ipsen has the right to develop and
commercialize toremifene beyond the European Territory to include Australia and certain countries
in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia (excluding Japan), which we collectively refer to as the
Ipsen Territory. In addition, Ipsen received the right to co-promote our toremifene 80 mg product
candidate for the ADT indication in the United States or, at Ipsens election in lieu of
co-promotion, the right to receive a double digit royalty on net sales of our toremifene 80 mg
product candidate for the ADT indication in the United States, which declines as net sales increase
beyond an established base. Additionally, Ipsen was released of the obligation to pay certain
potential milestone payments totaling 18.0 million related to the European approval of
toremifene 80 mg and pricing approvals and received a reduction in the royalty payable to us on
aggregate net sales of our toremifene 80 mg product candidate for the ADT indication. Ipsen also
received the right of first negotiation, subject to certain conditions, with respect to
development, marketing, sale and distribution in the Ipsen Territory of GTx-758.
In April 2010, we submitted a proposed protocol to the FDA for a second pivotal Phase III
clinical trial evaluating toremifene 80 mg to reduce fractures in men with prostate cancer on ADT
to address in a single clinical trial the deficiencies identified by the FDA in the Complete
Response Letter, which we refer to as the planned TREAT 2 trial. Based on our discussions with the
FDA to date, we believe that we have finalized the protocol for the planned TREAT 2 trial. Under
our amended agreement with Ipsen, Ipsen agreed to pay us up to 42.0 million in clinical
development milestones related to a second pivotal Phase III clinical trial evaluating toremifene
80 mg to reduce fractures in men with prostate cancer on ADT. However, our amended agreement with
Ipsen provides that if the projected third-party costs of such second pivotal Phase III clinical
trial of toremifene 80 mg (our planned TREAT 2 trial) exceed 42.0 million by a certain amount,
then we and Ipsen agreed to discuss whether to initiate such trial or to renegotiate the terms of
the collaboration. The projected third-party costs of the planned TREAT 2 trial exceed the
threshold in excess of 42.0 million established under our amended agreement with Ipsen, and
Ipsen has not agreed to the initiation and funding of the planned TREAT 2 trial. We and Ipsen are
in discussions with respect to whether to commence the planned TREAT 2 trial and, if so, the
renegotiation of the terms of our collaboration, including in particular each partys respective
funding commitments related to the planned TREAT 2 trial.
Although we continue to be engaged in discussions intended to resolve the matter, we cannot predict
the outcome, including whether we will be able to initiate the planned TREAT 2 trial or, if it is
initiated, what our respective funding commitments for the planned TREAT 2 trial would be. If we
and Ipsen are able to renegotiate the terms of our collaboration and we and Ipsen agree to initiate
the planned TREAT 2 trial as proposed, we expect to initiate the planned TREAT 2 trial in the first
quarter of 2011.
In May 2010, we announced that toremifene 20 mg failed to meet the primary efficacy endpoint
in a completed Phase III clinical trial evaluating toremifene 20 mg for the prevention of prostate
cancer in high risk men with high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, or high grade PIN. We
are reviewing all of the data from the Phase III clinical trial to better understand the trial
results and the ability of toremifene 20 mg to reduce cancer among high risk men, but we do not
currently expect to conduct additional clinical trials evaluating toremifene 20 mg for the
prevention of prostate cancer in high risk men with high grade PIN or to submit a NDA to the FDA
for this indication.
We market FARESTON® (toremifene citrate) 60 mg tablets,
approved for the treatment of advanced
metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women in the United States. The active pharmaceutical
ingredient in FARESTON® is the same as in our toremifene 80 mg product candidate. In January 2005,
we acquired from Orion the right to market FARESTON® tablets in the United
States for the metastatic breast cancer indication. We also acquired from Orion a license to
toremifene for all indications in humans worldwide, except breast cancer outside of the United
States.
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