UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO |
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Common Stock, $0.0001 par value |
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the Registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of June 30, 2020 was approximately $
The number of shares of Registrant’s Common Stock outstanding as of February 22, 2021 was
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the definitive proxy statement, or the Proxy Statement, for the Registrant’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the Registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.
Table of Contents
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3 |
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Item 1. |
3 |
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Item 1A. |
72 |
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Item 1B. |
107 |
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Item 2. |
107 |
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Item 3. |
107 |
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Item 4. |
107 |
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108 |
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Item 5. |
108 |
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Item 6. |
109 |
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Item 7. |
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
111 |
Item 7A. |
124 |
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Item 8. |
125 |
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Item 9. |
Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure |
170 |
Item 9A. |
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Item 9B. |
171 |
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Item 10. |
172 |
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Item 11. |
172 |
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Item 12. |
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters |
172 |
Item 13. |
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence |
172 |
Item 14. |
172 |
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Item 15. |
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Item 16 |
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements about us and our industry that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements regarding our strategy, future financial condition, future operations, research and development, planned clinical trials and preclinical studies, technology platforms, the timing and likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals for our product candidates, our ability to commercialize our product candidates, the potential benefits of collaborations, projected costs, prospects, plans, objectives of management and expected market growth, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “design,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and other similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology.
We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions described in the sections titled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this report. Other sections of this report may include additional factors that could harm our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in, or implied by, any forward- looking statements.
In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this report, we cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur at all. You should refer to the section titled “Risk Factors” for a discussion of important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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RISK FACTOR SUMMARY
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Below is a summary of material factors that make an investment in our securities speculative or risky. Importantly, this summary does not address all of the risks that we face. Additional discussion of the risks summarized in this risk factor summary, as well as other risks that we face, can be found under the heading “Risk Factors” in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our business is subject to a number of risks of which you should be aware before making a decision to invest in our common stock. These risks include, among others, the following:
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We have incurred significant net losses since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur substantial net losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability. |
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Our limited operating history may make it difficult for you to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability. |
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We will require substantial additional funding to finance our operations. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we could be forced to delay, reduce or terminate certain of our development programs or other operations. |
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Our pursuit of a potential therapy for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, is at an early stage, and we are committing substantial financial resources and personnel and making substantial capital commitments with third parties in furtherance thereof. |
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Our future success is substantially dependent on the successful clinical development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our product candidates in a timely manner. If we are not able to obtain required regulatory approvals, we will not be able to commercialize our product candidates and our ability to generate product revenue will be adversely affected. |
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We are a party to strategic collaboration and license agreements pursuant to which we are obligated to make substantial payments upon achievement of milestone events and, in certain cases, have relinquished important rights over the development and commercialization of certain current and future product candidates. We also intend to explore additional strategic collaborations, which may never materialize or may require that we relinquish rights to and control over the development and commercialization of our product candidates. |
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Success in preclinical studies or earlier clinical trials may not be indicative of results in future clinical trials and we cannot assure you that any ongoing, planned or future clinical trials will lead to results sufficient for the necessary regulatory approvals. |
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Clinical product development involves a lengthy and expensive process. We may incur additional costs and encounter substantial delays or difficulties in our clinical trials. |
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Our business could be materially adversely affected by the effects of health pandemics or epidemics, including the current COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks of the disease. |
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The market price of our common stock has been, and in the future, may be, volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our common stock. |
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We intend to rely on third parties to produce clinical and commercial supplies of our product candidates. |
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If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our product candidates and technology, or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is not sufficiently broad or robust, our competitors could develop and commercialize products and technology similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates and technology may be adversely affected. |
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We are highly dependent on our key personnel, and if we are not able to retain these members of our management team or recruit and retain additional management, clinical and scientific personnel, our business will be harmed. |
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PART I
Item 1. Business.
Overview
Our mission is to create a world without infectious disease.
We are a clinical-stage immunology company focused on combining immunologic insights with cutting-edge technologies to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. Infectious diseases are one of the leading causes of death worldwide and can cause trillions of dollars of direct and indirect economic burden each year – as evidenced by the current coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that now is the time to apply the recent and remarkable advances in immunology to combat current and prepare for potential future infectious diseases. Our approach begins with identifying the limitations of the immune system in combating a particular pathogen, the vulnerabilities of that pathogen, and the reasons why previous approaches have failed. We then bring to bear powerful technologies that we believe, individually or in combination, will lead to effective therapies.
Our current development pipeline consists of product candidates targeting COVID-19, hepatitis B virus, or HBV, influenza A virus, and human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. We have assembled four technology platforms, focused on antibodies, T cells, innate immunity, and small interfering ribonucleic acid, or siRNA, through internal development, collaborations, and acquisitions. We have built an industry-leading team that has deep experience in immunology, infectious diseases and product development. Given the global impact of infectious diseases, we are committed to developing cost-effective treatments that can be delivered at scale.
Our Development Pipeline
Our current product candidates are summarized in the chart below:
*VIR-7831 IV formulation currently in Phase 3 COMET-ICE trial; IM formulation currently in Phase 2 COMET-PEAK trial, and pending in Phase 3 COMET-TAIL and COMET-STAR trials.
**Vaccine designed to establish proof of concept in Phase (Ph) 1 clinical trial to determine whether unique immune response observed in non-human primates can be replicated in humans; ultimately, any candidates we advance as a potential HIV vaccine will require modifications to VIR-1111 before further clinical development.
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COVID-19: As of February 24, 2021, there were over 112.0 million recorded infections and almost 2.5 million recorded deaths worldwide from COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has granted Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, to two vaccines for prophylaxis of COVID-19, to three monoclonal antibody, or mAb, regimens for treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and for convalescent plasma, and has approved remdesivir for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Corticosteroids and other drugs are also being used to treat hospitalized patients. The ongoing safety and efficacy of these medicines, however, particularly as the virus mutates while it infects more people and comes under increased immune pressure, is uncertain.
We have moved rapidly to address this global health challenge, together with our collaboration partner GlaxoSmithKline plc. Our focus is on treating and preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), as well as potential future coronavirus outbreaks. To do so, we are developing differentiated mAbs (VIR-7831 and VIR-7832), small molecules, and vaccines. We anticipate that the initial registration populations for our mAb product candidates will include those in need of treatment for COVID-19, and potentially those who would benefit from prophylaxis of COVID-19.
VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 are SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing mAbs. Both VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 are based on a parent antibody, S309, which was derived from samples previously gathered for research on pan-coronavirus-neutralizing mAbs. Preclinical data suggest that VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 have the potential for ‘dual-action’, or the ability to block viral entry into healthy cells and an enhanced ability to clear infected cells. Both mAbs also bind to an epitope on SARS-CoV-2 that is shared with SARS-CoV-1 (the virus that causes SARS), indicating that the epitope is highly conserved, which may make it more difficult for viral resistance to develop. Both mAbs have also been designed to achieve high concentration in the lungs for optimal penetration into airway tissues affected by SARS-CoV-2 and to have an extended half-life. In addition, VIR-7832 has been designed to potentially enhance virus-specific T cell function, which could also help treat and/or prevent COVID-19 infection.
Our clinical program for VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 is comprised of the following trials:
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In August 2020, we initiated the lead-in phase of our Phase 2/3 VIR-7831 trial named COVID-19 Monoclonal antibody Efficacy Trial - Intent to Care Early, or COMET-ICE, for the treatment of adults at high risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19. In October 2020, the trial continued into Phase 3 based on a positive evaluation of the safety and tolerability data from the Phase 2 lead-in. Results for the primary endpoint of COMET-ICE are expected in the first quarter of 2021, and if positive, will be used to seek EUA from the FDA and ultimately approval through the submission of a biologics license application, or BLA. In December 2020, we initiated a Phase 3 trial named Therapeutics for Inpatients with COVID-19, or TICO, of VIR-7831 for the treatment of hospitalized adults with COVID-19 as part of a new sub-trial of the National Institutes of Health’s, or NIH’s, Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines, or ACTIV, Program, specifically ACTIV-3. An evaluation of the benefit/risk profile of VIR-7831 is expected in the first quarter of 2021 and will determine if VIR-7831 continues in the next part of the ACTIV-3 trial. In January 2021, we initiated a Phase 2 combination trial of VIR-7831 and Eli Lilly and Company’s bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in low-risk adults as part of Eli Lilly and Company’s BLAZE-4 trial. This trial will evaluate the impact of VIR-7831 plus bamlanivimab on viral clearance and clinical outcomes in participants with mild to moderate COVID-19. Initial results for this arm of the BLAZE-4 trial are expected in the first half of 2021. In February 2021, we initiated COMET-Patient SafEty, TolerAbility, PharmacoKinetics, or COMET-PEAK , a Phase 2 trial evaluating an intramuscular, or IM, formulation of VIR-7831 in low-risk adults with mild to moderate COVID-19. In the second quarter of 2021, we also plan to initiate two additional IM trials of VIR-7831: COMET-Treatment of Acute COVID-19 with Intramuscular monocLonal antibody, or COMET-TAIL, a Phase 3 trial in adults at high risk of hospitalization or death, and COMET-Stop Transmission of Acute SARS-CoV-2, or COMET-STAR, for prophylaxis or prevention of symptomatic infection of COVID-19.
In addition, in the first quarter of 2021, we anticipate initiating a Phase 1b/2a trial of VIR-7832 for the treatment of adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 at high risk of hospitalization as part of the U.K.-based and National Health Service, or NHS, supported AGILE initiative. The dose-escalation Phase 1b part of the trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of single ascending doses of VIR-7832 for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19. The Phase 2a portion will evaluate the safety and virologic activity of VIR-7832, as well as T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 of VIR-7832 and VIR-7831.
In connection with the advancement of our COVID-19 mAbs, we and our collaboration partner, Glaxo Wellcome UK Limited and Beecham S.A. (individually and collectively referred to as GSK), have established a strategic manufacturing network, which will enable the manufacture of approximately two million doses to patients the first year following potential EUA, and several fold that in the second year, depending on titer and yield. See the section titled “Manufacturing” for a summary of our manufacturing activities and a description of the agreements with WuXi Biologics (Hong Kong) Limited, or WuXi Biologics, Biogen Inc., or Biogen, and Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd., or Samsung. In addition, we are collaborating on potential commercialization with WuXi Biologics, for greater China and with GSK, for all other countries.
HBV: Approximately 290 million people globally are chronically infected with HBV and approximately 900,000 of them die from HBV-associated complications each year. There is a significant unmet medical need for more effective therapies that lead to life-long control of the virus after a finite duration of therapy, which is the definition of a functional cure. For a registrational trial to demonstrate a functional cure, the formal endpoint accepted by the FDA is undetectable hepatitis B virus surface antigen, or HBsAg, defined as less than 0.05 international units per milliliter, or IU/ml, as well as HBV DNA less than the lower limit of quantification, in the blood six months after the end of therapy. Currently, a year-long course of pegylated interferon-alpha, or PEG-IFN-α, is the best available curative therapy. It has a low functional cure rate of approximately three to seven percent. Alternatively, suppressive therapy with nucleotide/nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or NRTIs, is commonly used, but patients often require a lifetime of therapy.
We are developing VIR-2218 and VIR-3434 for the functional cure of HBV. Each of these product candidates has the potential to stimulate an effective immune response and also has direct antiviral activity against HBV. We believe that a functional cure for HBV will require an effective immune response in addition to antiviral activity based on the observation that severe immunosuppression can reactivate HBV disease. While monotherapy with VIR-2218 and VIR-3434 may provide a functional cure in some patients, we believe combination therapy will be necessary for a functional cure in many patients.
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We plan to initiate a Phase 2 trial in the second half of 2021 that combines VIR-2218 and VIR-3434, which we believe have the potential to act in concert by inhibiting virion production, removing potentially tolerogenic HBV proteins, and stimulating new HBV specific T cells. Additionally, in July 2020, we initiated a Phase 2 combination clinical trial of VIR-2218 with PEG-IFN-α, an approved immune modulatory agent, and anticipate initial clinical data in the second quarter of 2021. In January 2021, we announced a clinical trial collaboration with Gilead Sciences, Inc., or Gilead, to initiate a Phase 2 trial of VIR-2218 in combination with GS-9688 (selgantolimod), a TLR-8 agonist, and nivolumab, an approved PD-1 inhibitor, in 2021 in both treatment-experienced and treatment-naïve patients with HBV. We also anticipate that Brii Biosciences Offshore Limited, or Brii Bio, will start a Phase 2 trial of VIR-2218 in combination with BRII-179, an investigational T cell vaccine, in the first half of 2021. We anticipate that the initial registration population for these product candidates will be patients chronically infected with HBV.
VIR-2218 is a subcutaneously administered HBV-targeting siRNA that is currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial. By targeting a conserved region of the HBV genome, it is designed to inhibit the production of all HBV proteins: X, polymerase, S, and core. Suppression of HBV proteins, particularly HBsAg, is hypothesized to remove the inhibition of T cell and B cell activity directed against HBV, allowing VIR-2218 to potentially result in a functional cure. VIR-2218 was the first siRNA in the clinic to include Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s, or Alnylam’s, Enhanced Stabilization Chemistry Plus, or ESC+, technology, which has the potential to enhance the therapeutic index. In total, 37 healthy volunteers and 24 patients with chronic HBV on NRTIs have received VIR-2218. The data suggest that VIR-2218 is generally well-tolerated in healthy volunteers given as a single dose up to 900 mg and in patients given as two doses of 20 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg or 200 mg each dose. The data also demonstrate substantial, dose dependent reductions in HBsAg in patients at doses ranging from 20 mg to 200 mg, which are durable at the higher doses for at least nine months. In July 2020, we initiated a Phase 2 combination clinical trial of VIR-2218 with PEG-IFN-α and anticipate initial clinical data in the second quarter of 2021.
VIR-3434 is a subcutaneously administered HBV-neutralizing mAb currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial. By targeting a conserved region of HBsAg, it is designed to block entry of all 10 genotypes of HBV into liver cells called hepatocytes and reduce the level of virions and subviral particles in the blood. We have also engineered VIR-3434 to have an extended half-life and to potentially function as a therapeutic T cell vaccine for chronic HBV infection. These modifications are intended to enhance its potential to result in an HBV functional cure. In January 2021, we announced initial data from the first blinded cohort of eight patients with chronic HBV on NRTIs, two of whom received placebo, and six of whom received a single dose of 6mg VIR-3434. Six of the eight patients responded and achieved a mean reduction of 1.3 log10 IU/mL in serum HBsAg by day eight, the day when nadir was achieved in most patients. We anticipate additional clinical data from our Phase 1 trial in the second quarter of 2021. We also expect to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial of VIR-3434 in combination with VIR-2218 in the second half of 2021.
Influenza: On average, each year the influenza virus infects 5% to 10% of the world’s population and results in an estimated 500,000 deaths. In the 2018-2019 flu season, it is estimated that 34,000 people died from influenza in the United States alone. Influenza vaccines have historically had limited success, with an average efficacy of 40%. This limited efficacy results from incomplete coverage against seasonal strains and the lack of an effective immune response in many individuals after receiving the vaccine.
We are developing VIR-2482 as a universal prophylactic for influenza A and have designed it to overcome both limitations of flu vaccines, which we believe will lead to meaningfully higher levels of protection against seasonal and pandemic strains of influenza A. We anticipate that the initial registration population for VIR-2482 will include individuals at high risk of influenza A complications, such as the elderly with chronic lung disease or congestive heart failure. In February 2021, we entered into a binding preliminary collaboration agreement with GSK, or the 2021 Preliminary Agreement, which included a program to research, develop and commercialize mAbs for the prevention, treatment or prophylaxis of the influenza virus. In addition, after we complete and report Phase 2 trial outcomes for VIR-2482, GSK will have the exclusive option to obtain exclusive rights to co-develop and commercialize VIR-2482. See the section titled “Our Collaboration, License and Grant Agreements—Collaboration Agreement with GSK” for a description of the 2021 Preliminary Agreement.
VIR-2482 is an intramuscularly administered influenza A-neutralizing mAb currently in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. In vitro, VIR-2482 has been shown to cover all major strains of influenza A that have arisen since the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. We believe that VIR-2482 has the potential to provide superior protection to flu vaccines and be able to be used year after year because it has broad strain coverage as opposed to the limited strain coverage generated by vaccines. We also believe that it provides passive immunity rather than relying on a person to generate active immunity via a functional immune response, an ability that is known to decline with age. VIR-2482 has been engineered to increase lung tissue bioavailability and to extend its half-life so that a single intramuscular dose has the potential to last the entire flu season, which is typically five to six months long. VIR-2482 is estimated to have a half-life of 58 days based on preliminary data. VIR-2482 has been generally well-tolerated in the approximately 100 healthy volunteers dosed in the Phase 1 portion of the clinical trial. Initiation of the Phase 2 trial for VIR-2482, which was delayed due to the impact of COVID-19, is now planned for the fourth quarter of 2021 with proof-of-concept results anticipated in the first half of 2022.
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HIV: Each year there are approximately 1.7 million new cases of HIV and approximately 700,000 HIV-related deaths globally. Current prevention approaches such as behavioral modification and pharmacological intervention have had only a modest effect on HIV transmission globally, leaving a high unmet medical need for a safe and effective vaccine for the billions of individuals who are or may become sexually active.
We are developing VIR-1111 as a proof of concept HIV vaccine designed to elicit a type of immune response that is different from other vaccines. In December 2020, we initiated a Phase 1 trial for VIR-1111. We anticipate the initial registration population for our eventual HIV vaccine will be individuals at high risk of contracting HIV.
VIR-1111 is a subcutaneously administered HIV T cell vaccine based on human cytomegalovirus, or HCMV, currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial. VIR-1111 has been designed to elicit T cells that recognize HIV epitopes that are different from those recognized by prior HIV vaccines and to stimulate a different and specific type of T cell immune response to HIV, known as an HLA-E restricted immune response. An HLA-E restricted immune response has been shown to be associated with protection of non-human primates, or NHPs, from simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, the NHP equivalent of HIV. VIR-1111 is a vaccine designed solely to establish proof of concept in a Phase 1 clinical trial to determine whether the unique immune response observed in NHPs can be replicated in humans. We anticipate initial clinical data for VIR-1111 in the second half of 2021.
Our Technology Platforms
Our four current technology platforms are designed to stimulate and enhance the immune system by exploiting critical observations of natural immune processes. We are using our platforms to advance our current product candidates and generate additional product candidates for multiple indications.
Antibody Platform: We have established a robust method for capitalizing on unusually successful immune responses naturally occurring in people who are protected from, or have recovered from, infectious diseases. We identify rare antibodies from survivors that have the potential to treat and prevent rapidly evolving and/or previously untreatable pathogens via direct pathogen neutralization and immune system stimulation. The fully-human antibodies that we discover may also be modified to enhance their therapeutic potential. We have applied these methods to identify mAbs for a range of pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, HBV, influenza A and influenza B virus, Ebola, respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and malaria, and bacterial pathogens, including clostridium difficile, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter spp. An example of the power of this platform is the anti-Ebola virus mAb Ebanga (ansuvimab-zykl, formerly known as mAb114), which was approved by the FDA on December 21, 2020 and marketed by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP.
T Cell Platform: We are exploiting the unique immunology of HCMV, a commonly occurring virus in humans, as a vaccine vector to potentially treat and prevent infection by pathogens refractory to current vaccine technologies. This approach is based on fundamental observations made in NHPs, with rhesus cytomegalovirus, or RhCMV. HCMV is the most potent known inducer of T cell responses of any human virus and may induce potent and long-lasting T cell responses to a broader range of epitopes than observed for other viral vaccines. In addition, we can make proprietary modifications in the HCMV genome that we expect will elicit different types of pathogen-appropriate T cell responses. We term this approach “immune programming.” We believe that this platform may also have applicability beyond infectious diseases, to areas such as cancer.
Innate Immunity Platform: Moving beyond more traditional approaches that are used to evoke adaptive immunity or that directly target pathogens, where the development of resistance can occur, we plan to target host proteins as a means of creating host-directed therapies with high barriers to resistance. We believe that by leveraging the power of innate immunity, we can create medicines that break the “one-drug-for-one-bug” paradigm by producing “one-drug-for-multiple-bugs.” For example, we believe this platform can create a single product for respiratory viruses, such as RSV and influenza. This is enabled using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR, -based genomics, computational biology and machine learning to identify key host factors necessary for each pathogen’s survival and the protective effects of the innate immune system. We then identify product candidates that may be able to safely target host proteins to block pathogen replication or induce innate immunity to control infection. We believe that this platform may also have applicability beyond infectious diseases.
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siRNA Platform: We are harnessing the power of siRNA to inhibit pathogen replication, eliminate key host factors necessary for pathogen survival and remove microbial immune countermeasures. Our collaboration with Alnylam includes VIR-2218 for HBV and up to four additional programs for infectious diseases. This platform can leverage Alnylam’s proprietary N-acetylgalactosamine, or GalNAc, delivery technology, for product candidates targeting the liver, allowing for subcutaneous administration and extended tissue half-life, as well as ESC+ technology to enhance stability and minimize off-target activity, which potentially can result in an increased therapeutic index.
Our Team
We have an industry-leading management team and board of directors with significant experience in immunology and infectious diseases and progressing product candidates from early stage research to clinical trials, regulatory approval and ultimately commercialization.
Our Chief Executive Officer, George Scangos, Ph.D., has spent over 30 years developing treatments in infectious disease, neuroscience and oncology, among other fields, and was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Biogen Inc., or Biogen, the Chief Executive Officer of Exelixis, Inc. and the President of Bayer Biotechnology. Our Chief Scientific Officer, Herbert (Skip) Virgin, M.D., Ph.D., is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, and was previously Chair of the Department of Pathology and Immunology at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. Our Senior Vice President and Senior Research Fellow, Antonio Lanzavecchia, M.D., is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, was a co-founder of Humabs Biomed SA, or Humabs, which we acquired in 2017, and was the Director of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona, Switzerland. Our Chief Medical Officer, Phil Pang, M.D., Ph.D., was previously Chief Medical Officer of Riboscience LLC, and before that was the Harvoni® project lead at Gilead, where he led the team responsible for worldwide regulatory approval. Our Chief Technology Officer, Michael Kamarck, Ph.D., was previously Senior Vice President of Global Vaccines and Biologics Manufacturing at Merck & Co., Inc., President of Merck BioVentures and President of Technical Operations and Product Supply across all of the businesses of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Our Chief Business Officer and a co-founder, Jay Parrish, Ph.D., previously led infectious disease business development and was a medicinal chemist at Gilead. Our Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Program Leadership & Management, Lynne Krummen, Ph.D., previously served in many roles at Genentech, Inc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG including, Head of U.S. Technical Development, Global Head of Technical Regulatory for Biologics, Head of Process Development and Clinical Development Project Team Lead for Avastin®. Our Chief Financial Officer, Howard Horn, was previously Vice President, Business Planning at Biogen, and before that was a senior consultant at McKinsey & Company and an equity analyst at UBS Group AG.
Our board of directors is composed of a leader from academia, Nobel laureate Phillip Sharp, Ph.D.; from the biopharmaceutical industry, Jeffrey Hatfield, Robert Perez, Saira Ramasastry, Elliott Sigal, M.D., Ph.D., and our Chairman Vicki Sato, Ph.D.; from the life science investment community, Robert More, Robert Nelsen (a co-founder) and Dipchand (Deep) Nishar; and from government, Janet Napolitano.
Our Strategy
We are a clinical-stage immunology company focused on combining immunologic insights with cutting-edge technologies to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. The core elements of our business strategy include:
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Rapidly advancing our pipeline. Currently underway are two Phase 3 clinical trials, four Phase 2 clinical trials, and three Phase 1 clinical trials across four distinct therapeutic areas. We anticipate moving additional preclinical candidates into the clinic and initiating additional later-stage combination trials where applicable in the next 12-18 months. |
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Expanding our pipeline using our current technology platforms. We are leveraging our four current technology platforms to discover and develop novel product candidates for COVID-19, HBV, influenza A virus, HIV and TB, as well as additional viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections, and potentially cancers. |
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Acquiring or accessing new technology platforms and assets. We continually evaluate external technology platforms and assets that may help us develop therapies to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. |
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Scaling our capabilities. We are investing in our people, processes and systems across all functions of our company to ensure that we are able to take full advantage of our multiple product candidates and multiple technology platforms. |
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Enabling global access to our future medicines. We have established relationships with organizations seeking to make a global impact like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the NIH, and the NHS to further enable and facilitate access to our future medicines and to support our clinical development efforts. We will continue to pursue additional relationships like these moving forward. |
Development Programs
Our current development pipeline consists of product candidates that address unmet needs caused by COVID-19, HBV, influenza A virus, and HIV.
*VIR-7831 IV formulation currently in Phase 3 COMET-ICE trial; IM formulation currently in Phase 2 COMET-PEAK trial, and pending in Phase 3 COMET-TAIL and COMET-STAR trials.
**Vaccine designed to establish proof of concept in Phase (Ph) 1 clinical trial to determine whether unique immune response observed in non-human primates can be replicated in humans; ultimately, any candidates we advance as a potential HIV vaccine will require modifications to VIR-1111 before further clinical development.
Treatment and Prophylaxis for COVID-19
Summary
We are developing VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 treatment and prophylaxis of COVID-19. Both VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 are based on a parent antibody, S309, which was derived from samples previously gathered for research on pan-coronavirus-neutralizing mAbs. Preclinical data suggest that VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 have the potential for ‘dual-action’, or the ability to block viral entry into healthy cells and an enhanced ability to clear infected cells. Both mAbs also bind to an epitope on SARS-CoV-2 that is shared with SARS-CoV-1 (the virus that causes SARS), indicating that the epitope is highly conserved, which may make it more difficult for resistance to develop. Both mAbs have also been designed to achieve high concentration in the lungs to ensure optimal penetration into airway tissues affected by SARS-CoV-2 and to have an extended half-life. In addition, VIR-7832 has been designed to potentially enhance virus-specific T cell function, which could help treat and/or prevent COVID-19 infection.
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VIR-7831 is currently in a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of ambulatory patients at high risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19. Results for the primary endpoint of the trial are expected in the first quarter of 2021, and if positive, will be used to seek EUA from the FDA and ultimately approval through the submission of a BLA. VIR-7831 is also currently in a Phase 3 trial for the treatment of hospitalized adults with mild to moderate COVID-19, a Phase 2 combination trial of VIR-7831 and bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19, and in the second quarter of 2021, we plan to initiate a Phase 3 trial of VIR-7831 trial for prophylaxis or prevention of symptomatic infection of COVID-19. In the first quarter of 2021, we anticipate initiating a Phase 1b/2a trial of VIR-7832 for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19.
Disease Overview and Limitations of Current Standard of Care
As of February 24, 2021, there were over 112.0 million recorded infections and almost 2.5 million recorded deaths worldwide from COVID-19. The FDA has granted EUA to two vaccines for prophylaxis of COVID-19, to three mAb regimens for treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19, and for convalescent plasma, and has approved remdesivir for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Corticosteroids and other drugs are also being used the treat hospitalized patients. Although it is anticipated that additional vaccines and potentially other medicines in development may become available during 2021, initial supplies will likely be limited and it will take time for widespread distribution programs to be rolled out globally to mitigate the pandemic. Despite the high efficacy of the initial vaccine candidates, there are still populations in whom vaccine immunogenicity may potentially be suboptimal, such as the elderly with comorbidities, immunocompromised persons, or those who may not be able to tolerate vaccines. Importantly, the durability of current vaccines and other medicines in the setting of the continued emergence of SARS-CoV-2 mutations is uncertain. A highly effective SARS-CoV-2 mAb with the ability to block viral entry into healthy cells and clear infected cells, with lung bioavailability, with long half-life, and a high barrier to resistance that can be used to treat and/or prevent COVID-19, could have an impact on reducing disease-associated morbidity and mortality in ambulatory and hospitalized settings, as well as reducing virus transmission and decreasing the infection burden globally. An increased distribution to mucosal tissue is expected to result in higher and more sustained levels of VIR-7831 in the respiratory mucosa, which is a potential advantage for treatment and prophylaxis. Furthermore, mAbs are expected to confer rapid clinical benefit and protection following dosing as opposed to a vaccine which may require longer duration to attain a complete immunogenic response.
Our clinical program for VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 is comprised of the following trials:
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VIR-7831 for COVID-19
Molecular Characteristics. VIR-7831 is an investigational fully human IgG1 neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody that has Fc modifications that are designed to improve bioavailability in the respiratory mucosa and increase half-life, and incorporates Xencor’s XtendTM technology. VIR-7831 binds with high affinity to the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. It is designed to have dual-actions of neutralizing the virus by blocking viral entry into healthy cells, while also enhancing the ability to clear infected cells. VIR-7831 potently neutralizes live SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, reduces viral replication and symptoms in the hamster model in vivo, and binds to a highly conserved epitope that is shared with SARS-CoV-1, thus potentially leading to a wide breadth of sarbecovirus coverage and a higher barrier to resistance. Vir and GSK are collaborating on the development of VIR-7831 for the treatment and prophylaxis of COVID 19.
Phase 2/3 Trials of VIR-7831.
COMET-ICE: VIR-7831 is currently being assessed as a treatment in adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of hospitalization or death. This trial is a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, multi-center, placebo-controlled trial of VIR-7831 with planned interim analyses to allow early stopping for futility, efficacy, or safety. The trial includes a lead-in phase to evaluate the safety and tolerability of VIR-7831, followed by an expansion phase with 1:1 randomization of VIR-7831 and placebo in approximately 1,340 participants. Results for the primary clinical endpoint of reduction of hospitalization and/or death are expected in the first quarter of 2021.
ACTIV-3/TICO: VIR-7831 is also being assessed in an ongoing trial to decrease time to sustained recovery in hospitalized adults with COVID-19. This is a Phase 3, multicenter, adaptive, randomized, blinded controlled platform trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of therapeutics for hospitalized patients with COVID-19. An evaluation of the safety and efficacy using pulmonary and extrapulmonary ordinal outcomes comparing VIR-7831 against control (i.e. placebo plus standard of care) in Part 1 (150 patients on VIR-7831) is expected in the first quarter of 2021 and will determine if VIR-7831 continues into Part 2 of the trial (350 patients on VIR-7831). In Part 1, five days after dosing, participants’ clinical status is assessed, based on the need for supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or other supportive care. If the VIR-7831 treatment arm appears to have a positive benefit-risk profile, the trial will move into Part 2 and enroll additional participants, including those who are more severely ill (i.e., adults with organ failure requiring mechanical support, or COVID-19-associated dysfunction of organs other than the lungs). These patients will be followed for 90 days to analyze their response to treatment. The primary efficacy endpoint is the sustained recovery for 14 days after release from the hospital and/or reduction in death. This trial is part of a sub-trial of the NIH ACTIV-3 platform.
BLAZE-4: VIR-7831 is also being assessed in Eli Lilly and Company’s ongoing BLAZE-4 trial, which is a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of mono and combination therapy with mAbs in low-risk adults with mild to moderate COVID-19. An arm of this trial will evaluate the impact of the combination of VIR-7831 plus Eli Lilly and Company’s bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) on viral clearance and clinical outcomes in participants with mild and moderate COVID-19. Initial results for this arm of the BLAZE-4 trial are expected in the first half of 2021.
COMET-PEAK: VIR-7831 is also currently being evaluated in a Phase 2, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, two-part, parallel group trial designed to compare 1) the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of second-generation VIR-7831 manufactured material to first-generation VIR-7831 manufactured material intravenously, and 2) the viral kinetics and safety of intravenous, or IV, administration compared to IM administration of VIR-7831 in low-risk adults with mild to moderate COVID-19. The low, 500 mg dose of VIR-7831 lends itself to an IM administration, which could facilitate broader access to monoclonal antibody therapy in settings where IV administration is not feasible.
COMET-TAIL: This is a planned Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating an IM route of administration of VIR-7831 in adults at high risk of hospitalization or death. The primary clinical endpoint is the reduction of hospitalization and/or death, and the trial is expected to start in the second quarter of 2021.
COMET-STAR: This is a planned Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of VIR-7831 as prophylaxis for COVID-19. Adult participants at risk of becoming infected by COVID-19 will receive one dose of VIR-7831 by IM administration. The primary clinical endpoint of this trial is the prevention of symptomatic infection. This trial is expected to start in the second quarter of 2021.
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VIR-7832 for COVID-19
Molecular Characteristics. VIR-7832 is identical to VIR-7831, except that VIR-7832 contains additional modifications in the Fc domain that is designed to further enhance its effector function, such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis, abrogate C1q binding, as well as elicit enhanced T cell and antibody responses. VIR-7832 incorporates Xencor’s XtendTM and other Fc technologies. These additional modifications may increase potency and induce a “vaccinal” effect (the induction of antigen-specific T cell responses) in patients with COVID-19.
Phase 1b/2a Trial of VIR-7832. The Phase 1b portion of this trial is a double-blinded, randomized, first-in-human dose-escalation trial for VIR-7832 in which adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection will be randomized to VIR-7832 or placebo in a 3:1 ratio. The primary objective of Phase 1b is to determine the safety and tolerability of single ascending doses of VIR-7832 for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19. Once a suitable dose is identified, VIR-7832 will progress to Phase 2a in which VIR-7832, VIR-7831 and placebo will be randomized in a 2:2:1 ratio in participants with mild to moderate COVID-19. The primary objective of the double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized Phase 2a will be to investigate the safety and virologic activity of VIR-7832 in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection. Immunologic parameters, such as T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2, will also be examined. The trial is a collaboration between Vir and GSK and is being conducted as part of the U.K.-based NHS supported AGILE initiative.
Functional Cure for HBV
Summary
We are developing VIR-2218 and VIR-3434 for the functional cure of HBV. Each of these product candidates has the potential to stimulate an effective immune response and also has direct antiviral activity against HBV. We believe that a functional cure for HBV will require an effective immune response, in addition to antiviral activity, based on the observation that severe immunosuppression can reactivate HBV disease. While monotherapy with VIR-2218 and VIR-3434 may provide a functional cure in some patients, we believe combination therapy will be necessary for a functional cure in many patients.
We plan to initiate a Phase 2 trial in the second half of 2021 that combines VIR-2218 and VIR-3434. We believe that this combination has the potential to inhibit virion production, removing potentially tolerogenic HBV proteins, and stimulating new HBV specific T cells. Additionally, in July 2020, we initiated a Phase 2 combination clinical trial of VIR-2218 with PEG-IFN-α, an approved immune modulatory agent, and anticipate initial clinical data in the second quarter of 2021. In January 2021, we announced a clinical trial collaboration with Gilead to initiate a Phase 2 trial of VIR-2218 in combination with GS-9688 (selgantolimod), a TLR-8 agonist, and nivolumab, an approved PD-1 inhibitor in 2021 in both treatment-experienced and treatment-naïve patients with HBV. We also anticipate that Brii Bio will start a Phase 2 trial of VIR-2218 in combination with BRII-179, an investigational T cell vaccine, in the first half of 2021.
VIR-2218, an HBV-targeting siRNA, is currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial. In Parts A to C of the trial, 37 healthy volunteers and 24 patients with chronic HBV on NRTIs received VIR-2218. The data suggest that VIR-2218 is generally well-tolerated in healthy volunteers given as a single dose up to 900 mg and in patients given as two doses of 20 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg or 200 mg each dose. The data also demonstrate substantial, dose dependent reductions in HBsAg in patients at doses ranging from 20 mg to 200 mg, which are durable at the higher doses for at least nine months. Parts D-F are evaluating additional doses of VIR-2218, with and without PEG-IFN-α.
VIR-3434, an HBV-neutralizing mAb, is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial. In January 2021, we announced initial data from the first blinded cohort of eight patients with chronic HBV infection on NRTIs, two of whom received placebo, and six of whom received a single dose of 6mg VIR-3434, which showed six of eight patients responded and achieved a mean reduction of 1.3 log10 IU/mL in serum HBsAg by day eight, the day when nadir was achieved in most patients. We anticipate additional clinical data from our Phase 1 trial in the second quarter of 2021.
Disease Overview and Limitations of Current Standard of Care
Approximately 290 million people globally are chronically infected with HBV. In the United States, up to two million people are chronically infected with HBV. Chronic HBV can lead to many serious complications, including liver scarring, liver failure and liver cancer. Globally, approximately 900,000 people die each year from HBV-associated complications.
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The most commonly used therapy for chronic HBV is life-long suppressive therapy with NRTIs, like tenofovir or entecavir. Of the hundreds of millions of people with chronic HBV worldwide, only an estimated two percent of patients are currently taking this suppressive therapy. NRTIs prevent HBV RNA from being transcribed into HBV deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, which is a process known as reverse transcription. NRTIs therefore have little to no direct impact on covalently closed circular DNA, or cccDNA, the reservoir for HBV. It has been reported that after a year of therapy with NRTIs, zero to three percent of patients experience a functional cure. Additionally, NRTIs reduce, but do not eliminate, the risk of HBV associated liver failure and liver cancer. Despite its low utilization rate, suppressive therapy with NRTIs for HBV represented a multi-billion dollar market in 2017.
An alternative treatment option for chronic HBV is a year-long course of PEG-IFN-α therapy, which results in a functional cure approximately three to seven percent of the time. The mechanisms by which PEG-IFN-α, an immune cytokine, achieves a functional cure are not known, but there is additional evidence supporting the need for immune stimulation to achieve a functional cure.
HBV Life Cycle and Undetectable HBsAg as a Clinical Endpoint
The viral life cycle of HBV is shown in the figure below. After infecting a cell, the virus forms cccDNA. This form of HBV DNA is located in the nucleus of hepatocytes and acts like a mini-chromosome. HBV DNA can also integrate into the patient’s DNA. This form of HBV DNA is known as integrated DNA, or intDNA.
HBV lifecycle with inhibition of processes by currently available therapies. Arrows indicate viral life cycle process. Perpendicularly-ended lines indicate inhibition of viral process.
HBV releases infectious virions and subviral particles, or SVPs, from infected cells. Both virions and SVPs include forms of an HBV protein called HBsAg, a blood biomarker that indicates that the HBV cccDNA and/or intDNA in that patient’s hepatocytes are actively making HBV RNA and HBV proteins. For a registrational trial to demonstrate a functional cure, the formal endpoint accepted by the FDA, is undetectable HBsAg, defined as less than 0.05 international units per milliliter, or IU/ml, as well as HBV DNA less than the lower limit of quantification, in the blood six months after the end of therapy. Achievement of this endpoint has been shown to predict improved clinical outcomes and the lack of need for further therapy.
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VIR-2218 for HBV
Molecular Characteristics. VIR-2218 is an investigational, single siRNA targeting a conserved sequence of HBV that allows for predicted activity against 99.7% of the strains of HBV, including all 10 HBV genotypes. Because this conserved sequence falls within a specific region of the X gene of HBV that exists within all four HBV RNA transcripts, VIR-2218 is able to degrade each transcript, and consequently decrease the expression of all proteins produced by the virus: X, polymerase, S, and core. VIR-2218 is thus potentially a broad-spectrum, potent antiviral.
HBV DNA can become integrated into human DNA as intDNA. Because VIR-2218 targets a region of HBV that is conserved in the large majority of HBV intDNA, this single siRNA is predicted to be able to prevent the production of HBV proteins derived from intDNA, as well as the production of all other HBV proteins from cccDNA.
We believe that the large amount of HBV protein that is transcribed in liver cells can suppress the immune system. There are at least two potential mechanisms by which suppression occurs. The first mechanism is T cell tolerance and exhaustion by the presentation of intracellular HBV antigens on hepatocytes. The second is the large quantities of HBV proteins that are released into the blood, especially HBsAg, which may also be immunosuppressive. By directly reducing the amount of HBV proteins made, VIR-2218 has the potential to decrease the ability of HBV to suppress the immune system—in effect removing a brake on the immune system. In mice models, siRNAs that are able to reduce HBsAg expression can transform an otherwise ineffective therapeutic HBV vaccine into one that can functionally cure such mice of HBV, suggesting that HBsAg suppression has the ability to enhance the immune response against HBV.
We believe that VIR-2218 is the only HBV-targeting siRNA currently in development that includes ESC+ technology. We believe this technology may be able to enhance the potential safety of VIR-2218.
Phase 1/2 Trial of VIR-2218. VIR-2218-1001 is an adaptive clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and antiviral activity of VIR-2218. The current trial design of VIR-2218-1001 is shown below. We initiated dosing of the Part A portion of the trial for VIR-2218 in November 2018.
Status of VIR-2218-1001 trial in healthy volunteers and patients with chronic HBV infection. Arrows indicate trial progression. HBeAg- = hepatitis B virus e-antigen negative; HBeAg+ = hepatitis B virus e-antigen positive; MAD = multiple ascending dose; SAD = single ascending dose; SC = subcutaneous.
This trial currently has completed enrollment of 81 subjects across all three parts. Part A is a single ascending dose design in healthy volunteers. Parts B and C are multiple ascending dose designs in patients with chronic HBV on NRTIs. Patients in Part B are hepatitis B early antigen negative, or HBeAg negative, and patients in Part C are hepatitis B early antigen positive, or HBeAg positive. Patients in Parts B and C receive two doses of VIR-2218, four weeks apart.
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HBeAg positive patients are generally younger, and thought to have more preserved immune function, as compared to HBeAg negative patients who are generally older and have experienced greater immune exhaustion. HBeAg negative patients are also thought to have larger amounts of intDNA compared to HBeAg positive patients.
The primary endpoints across Parts A-C of the trial are safety and tolerability. Key secondary endpoints in Parts B and C include the maximum reduction of serum HBsAg from baseline until Week 16 and the number of patients with HBsAg loss or anti-hepatitis B surface antibody seroconversion. Patients with chronic HBV who experience a greater than 10% decline from baseline at Week 16 in HBsAg will be followed for up to 32 additional weeks.
Clinical Trial Status. VIR-2218-1001 is an ongoing clinical trial. 49 healthy volunteers enrolled in Part A of the trial. Each Part A completed cohort includes six subjects receiving VIR-2218 and two subjects receiving placebo. All cohorts have completed dosing and follow-up. In the 400 mg cohort, a replacement subject was enrolled due to a subject who voluntarily withdrew from the trial. The 900 mg cohort was designed to assess the maximum tolerated dose of VIR-2218.
In Part B of the trial, 24 patients with chronic HBV who are HBeAg negative have been enrolled. Each Part B completed cohort includes three patients receiving VIR-2218 and one patient receiving placebo. All cohorts have completed dosing and have completed follow-up.
In Part C of the trial, eight patients with chronic HBV who are HBeAg positive have been enrolled. Each completed cohort includes three patients receiving VIR-2218 and one patient receiving placebo. All cohorts have completed dosing and have completed follow-up.
Clinical Data. Across healthy volunteers and chronic HBV patients, VIR-2218 has been generally well-tolerated. No clinically significant alanine transaminase or ALT abnormalities, which are a marker of liver inflammation, have been observed. In the Part A 900 mg cohort, asymptomatic Grade 1 ALT elevations with no associated changes in bilirubin, or other markers of liver function, have been observed. Three serious adverse events, or SAEs, have been reported, all in Part B. The first, a Grade 2 headache, resolved with intravenous fluids and non-opioid pain medications. This patient had additional symptoms of fever, nausea, vomiting and dehydration, assessed by us as consistent with a viral syndrome. The second SAE, a Grade 4 depression, occurred over 50 days after the last drug dose was administered, and was assessed by us as not related to VIR-2218. The third SAE, a patient suicide, occurred 241 days after the last dose of study drug and was assessed by us as not related to VIR-2218. Three Grade 3 adverse events of upper-respiratory tract infection, chest pain and low phosphate levels in the blood have also been reported. We did not consider any of these Grade 3 events as related to VIR-2218.
The biologic activity of VIR-2218 was assessed by declines in HBsAg. The activity of VIR-2218 through Week 36 for each dose level is shown in the graph below. For Parts B and C, the average baseline HBsAg levels were 3.3 log10IU/mL and 3.9 log10IU/mL, respectively. The average decline in HBsAg across HBeAg negative and HBeAg positive subjects at Week 16 was 1.5 log10, or an approximately 32-fold reduction. The declines observed in HBsAg at Week 16 ranged from 0.97 log10 to 2.2 log10, or an approximately nine to 160-fold reduction, after two 200 mg doses of VIR-2218 given four weeks apart. The average HBsAg level at Week 16 was 314 IU/mL, with half of the patients achieving HBsAg values < 100 IU/mL and 5/6 achieving HBsAg values < 1000 IU/mL. At Week 36, the average reduction in patients receiving 200 mg dose level was 1 log, demonstrating a durable HBsAg response.
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The ability of VIR-2218 to result in substantial and durable declines in HBsAg after only two doses suggests that VIR-2218 has the potential to play an important role in the functional cure of chronic HBV. We have initiated and plan to initiate additional clinical trials evaluating VIR-2218 in combination with other immunomodulatory agents.
Change from Baseline in HBsAg following administration of VIR-2218. Each line represents the average decline from baseline in HBsAg for VIR-2218 for each dosing level or pooled placebo in Parts B and C.
VIR-3434 for HBV
Molecular Characteristics and Preclinical Data. VIR-3434 is an investigational mAb targeting a conserved region on HBsAg that allows it to neutralize strains from all 10 HBV genotypes. VIR-3434 specifically targets the antigenic loop, or AGL, on HBsAg. The AGL helps the virus bind to hepatocytes and subsequently infect these liver cells. By binding to the AGL, VIR-3434 prevents viral entry, which prevents the spread of HBV to uninfected hepatocytes. VIR-3434, through a process called opsonization, also helps remove HBV virions and SVPs from the blood. Hepatitis B immunoglobulin, or HBIG, an approved therapy for preventing reinfection after transplantation and which consists of polyclonal antibodies against HBV, acts by similar mechanisms. In vitro, VIR-3434 demonstrates approximately 5000-fold greater potency than HBIG in neutralization assays. As shown in the figure below, VIR-3434 is better able to prevent the spread of HBV to uninfected cells in vivo compared to HBIG.
Progression of infection in primary human hepatocytes with hepatitis B immune globulin or VIR-3434 in vivo. PHH = primary human hepatocytes.
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VIR-3434 also has the potential to activate the immune system, via three different processes. First, due to specialized mutations in the Fc domain of VIR-3434, it has the potential to act as a T cell vaccine. VIR-3434, which incorporates Xencor’s XtendTM and other Fc technologies, has been engineered with mutations that enhance binding to the FcR IIa activating receptor and diminish binding to the FcR IIb inhibitory receptor. As such, VIR-3434 is designed to capture virions and SVPs, deliver such virions and SVPs to DCs, and instruct these DCs to mature and stimulate T cells that can eliminate HBV infected hepatocytes. Second, VIR-3434 has the potential to act via ADCC. In this process, by binding to HBsAg at the cell surface, VIR-3434 recruits natural killer cells to eliminate infected hepatocytes. The Fc domain of VIR-3434 has been engineered to promote ADCC. Third, by reducing the amount of HBsAg in the blood, VIR-3434 has the potential to remove a brake on the immune system by decreasing the ability of HBV to suppress it.
We have also evaluated the antiviral activity of the combination of VIR-2218 and VIR-3434 in an adeno-associated virus-HBV mouse model. As shown in the figure below, VIR-2218 and VIR-3434 work together to reduce the level of HBsAg.
VIR-2218 and VIR-3434, which was modified to have a mouse mAb backbone for this experiment, administered alone or together result in reduced HBsAg in a mouse model.
Phase 1 Trial of VIR-3434. VIR-3434-1002 is an adaptive clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and antiviral activity of VIR-3434. The current trial design of VIR-3434-1002 is shown below. We initiated dosing of the Phase 1 trial in May 2020.
The Phase 1 clinical trial has three parts. Part A is a single ascending dose design in healthy volunteers. Parts B and C are single ascending dose designs in patients with chronic HBV on NRTIs. Patients in Part B will have HBsAg levels less than 1,000 IU/ml for the 6 mg cohort, or less than 3,000 IU/mL for the other cohorts. It is possible that patients with lower HBsAg levels will have a more profound response to VIR-3434 than patients with higher HBsAg levels. Patients with HBsAg levels greater than or equal to 3,000 IU/ml may be evaluated in an optional Part C.
VIR-3434-1002 is an adaptive clinical trial design in healthy volunteers and patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Arrows indicate trial progression. SC = subcutaneous. Optional Part C not shown. *Part B 6 mg cohort conducted in patients with HBsAg levels less than 1,000 IU/ml.
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The primary endpoints across all parts of the trial are safety and tolerability. The key secondary endpoint in Parts B and C is the maximum reduction of serum HBsAg from baseline.
Clinical Data. To date, all Part A cohorts have completed dosing up to 3000 mg administered intravenously. The trial’s Safety Review Committee, or SRC, has reviewed blinded safety data for at least two weeks post dose from all Part A cohorts. Based on this data, VIR-3434 was generally well tolerated in healthy volunteers with no clinical safety concerns. The majority of AEs were Grade 1, and no Grade ≥ 3 AEs or SAEs were reported. No clinically significant effects on laboratory or electrocardiogram parameters were observed. All dose levels were associated with an acceptable safety and tolerability profile, as determined through a blinded review of data by the SRC.
In January 2021, we announced initial data from Part B in patients with chronic HBV on NRTIs receiving 6mg VIR-3434 or placebo. Data from the first blinded cohort of eight patients, two of whom received placebo and six of whom received a single dose of 6 mg of VIR-3434, showed that six of eight patients responded and in those who responded, a mean reduction of 1.3 log10 IU/mL in serum HBsAg by day eight was achieved, the day when nadir was achieved in most patients. The ability of a single dose of 6mg of VIR-3434 to markedly lower HBsAg demonstrate VIR-3434 has the potential to play an important role in the functional cure of HBV. We anticipate additional clinical data from our Phase 1 trial in the second quarter of 2021.
Other HBV Combinations and New Product Candidates
Phase 2 Trial of VIR-2218 in combination with PEG-IFN-α. VIR-2218-1001 Parts D to F is a clinical trial evaluating the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and antiviral activity of VIR-2218 alone and in combination with PEG-IFN-α in patients with chronic HBV infection on NRTIs. We initiated the dosing of the trial in July 2020.
VIR-2218-1001 Parts D to F will evaluate multiple doses of VIR-2218, either 50mg or 200mg, alone or in combination with PEG-IFN-α starting on Day 1 or at Week 12. The trial cohorts are shown below. We anticipate initial clinical data in the second quarter of 2021.
VIR-2218-1001 Parts D to F are evaluating multiple doses of VIR-2218 alone or in combination with PEG-IFN-α in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
We plan to initiate a Phase 2 trial in the second half of 2021 that combines VIR-2218 and VIR-3434, which we believe have the potential to act in concert by inhibiting virion production, removing potentially tolerogenic HBV proteins, and stimulating new HBV specific T cells.
Additionally, In January 2021, we announced a clinical trial collaboration with Gilead to initiate a Phase 2 trial of VIR-2218 in combination with GS-9688 (selgantolimod), a TLR-8 agonist, and nivolumab, an approved PD-1 inhibitor in 2021 in both treatment-experienced and treatment-naïve patients with HBV. The primary outcome of the trial will be the proportion of patients achieving a functional cure, defined as an off-therapy loss of HBsAg and HBV DNA from the serum. Trial costs will be shared equally by the parties, and we will supply VIR-2218 and Gilead will supply selgantolimod. We and Gilead will retain full rights to our respective product candidates and will discuss the potential path forward for any future combination trials based on the outcome of the Phase 2 trial.
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We also anticipate that Brii Bio will start a Phase 2 trial of VIR-2218 in combination with BRII-179, an investigational a T cell vaccine, in the first half of 2021.
Furthermore, in parallel with the above development programs, research efforts are underway to use our innate immunity platform to identify and disrupt the host proteins necessary for HBV cccDNA formation and stability, which we believe could result in a complete cure. We also have an HBV therapeutic vaccine that leverages our T cell platform in preclinical development. This exemplifies the potential value of combining outputs from our four technology platforms to complex infectious diseases.
Universal Prophylaxis for Influenza A
Summary
We are developing VIR-2482 as universal prophylaxis for influenza A. VIR-2482 is a mAb that targets a conserved region of the influenza A hemagglutinin protein and consequently has the potential to prevent illness from any strain of influenza A, including seasonal and pandemic strains. In vitro, VIR-2482 has been shown to cover all major strains of influenza A that have arisen since the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Since flu vaccines have incomplete strain coverage and limited efficacy, the broad coverage of VIR-2482 may allow it to achieve higher protection levels and for it to be used year after year. In addition, because VIR-2482 is an antibody that can directly confer protection, it does not rely on a person to create his or her own antibodies. Thus, we believe VIR-2482 has the potential to be effective even in a person with a compromised immune system. VIR-2482 has been half-life engineered so that a single dose has the potential to last the entire flu season, which is typically five to six months long. VIR-2482 is currently in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Initiation of Phase 2 clinical trial for VIR-2482, which was delayed due to the impact of COVID-19, is now expected in the fourth quarter of 2021 with proof-of-concept results anticipated in the first half of 2022.
In February 2021, we entered into the 2021 Preliminary Agreement with GSK, which included a program to research, develop and commercialize mAbs for the prevention, treatment or prophylaxis of the influenza virus. In addition, after we complete and report Phase 2 trial outcomes for VIR-2482, GSK will have the exclusive option to obtain exclusive rights to co-develop and commercialize VIR-2482. See the section titled “Our Collaboration, License and Grant Agreements—Collaboration Agreement with GSK” for a description of the 2021 Preliminary Agreement.
Disease Overview and Limitations of Current Standard of Care
On average, each year the influenza virus infects 5% to 10% of the world’s population and results in an estimated 500,000 deaths. The efficacy of the seasonal flu vaccine has ranged from 10% to 60% over the past 15 years, with an average of 40%, overall, across all populations. seasonal flu vaccine efficacy in the elderly, defined as those 65 and older, has been found to be notably lower, in some flu seasons. In the 2018-2019 flu season, despite the availability of the flu vaccine, approximately 36 million people were diagnosed with influenza, 500,000 people were hospitalized, and 34,000 people died from influenza in the United States alone. Thus, more Americans died of influenza in the 2018-2019 flu season than from prostate cancer in all of 2019. The large majority of these influenza-related deaths occurred in the elderly and/or those who had either pre-existing lung and/or heart disease. These patients comprise a population with a high unmet economic and medical need for better preventive measures. For example, there are 16 million Americans with a known diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the care of whom is estimated to directly cost up to $49 billion annually. Approximately 8% of acute chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations are thought to be attributable to influenza. Overall, it is estimated that the annual influenza-related economic burden is approximately $87 billion.
There are two major types of influenza virus, type A and type B. Influenza A has been estimated in the United States to cause over 85% of influenza hospitalizations from 2005 to 2013 and has been the source of all known influenza pandemics. During the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, up to 3% of the world’s population is estimated to have died.
While vaccines to prevent illness from seasonal influenza exist, their efficacy is limited. In the United States, over the last 15 years, on average only approximately 40% of those who received the influenza vaccine were protected. In some seasons, such as the 2004-2005 flu season, the vaccine’s efficacy was as low as 10%. The limited success rate of influenza vaccines has been attributed to two primary factors. First, flu vaccines have incomplete strain coverage and therefore often do not provide protection against all strains of influenza that circulate in a given season, despite being updated every year. Second, flu vaccines are active immunizations that rely on a person’s own immune system to create protective influenza virus antibodies, and many individuals do not generate an effective immune response. Clinical and technological advances in flu vaccines, such as cell-based manufacturing and higher dose administration, do not address these two fundamental limitations.
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VIR-2482 for Influenza A
Molecular Characteristics and Preclinical Data. VIR-2482 is an investigational mAb targeting a functionally conserved epitope on the influenza A hemagglutinin protein located within the stem region. We believe that all strains of influenza, past and future, have and likely will contain this conserved epitope within the stem region. In preclinical studies, we have demonstrated that, in vitro, VIR-2482 covers all the major strains of influenza A that have arisen since 1918. Thus, unlike flu vaccines, whose incomplete strain coverage results in limited efficacy despite being updated every year, the broad coverage of VIR-2482 may allow it to achieve higher protection levels and to be used year after year. In addition, because VIR-2482 is an antibody that can directly confer protection, it does not rely on a person to create his or her own antibodies. Thus, we believe VIR-2482 has the potential to be effective irrespective of the status of a person’s immune system.
Notably, in a 2019 clinical epidemiology study, it was observed that the presence of rare, stem-binding influenza antibodies correlated with protection from influenza infection.
VIR-2482 targets a highly conserved region of the influenza virus and exhibits potency against the last century of influenza viruses. Following vaccination, most anti-influenza antibodies target the variable head region. VIR-2482 binds to the stem region which is highly conserved over time. HA = hemagglutinin.
While other stem-binding influenza A antibodies have been identified, we have demonstrated that VIR-2482 has the broadest coverage when compared to a large representative panel of stem-binding mAbs. In prophylactic lethal challenge studies of influenza A in mice, VIR-2482 was able to protect mice from death at VIR-2482 exposures we believe to be clinically relevant. We have also demonstrated that the parent form of VIR-2482, an antibody that has the same antibody binding domain (Fab) as VIR-2482, has, in general, greater potency, when compared to three other stem-binding mAbs, as shown in the figure below.
Neutralization potency of four stem-binding antibodies. VIR-2482, and three other third-party antibodies, CR9114, 39.29, and FI6v3, were tested for their neutralization potency against 24 representative strains. These strains were selected to cover the antigenic variation of the seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 strains back to 1938 and 1968, respectively, and strains from other subtypes that infected humans in past pandemics or that caused sporadic animal-derived outbreaks.
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We engineered the parent form of VIR-2482 to extend its half-life to create VIR-2482, which incorporates Xencor’s XtendTM technology. This half-life extension potentially allows for a single injection of VIR-2482 given at the start of the influenza season to maintain a protective concentration in the respiratory tract for the duration of the influenza season.
Phase 1/2 Trial of VIR-2482. VIR-2482-3001 is a clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of VIR-2482. The current trial design of VIR-2482-3001 is shown below. We initiated dosing of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial for VIR-2482 in August 2019. This trial is designed to include up to 2,860 healthy volunteers across the Phase 1 and Phase 2 portions. Initiation of Phase 2 clinical trial for VIR-2482, which was delayed due to the impact of COVID-19, is now planned for the fourth quarter of 2021 with proof-of-concept results anticipated in the first half of 2022.
VIR-2482-3001 clinical trial design in healthy adult volunteers.
The Phase 1 portion of this trial, a single ascending dose trial in healthy adult volunteers, has completed enrollment of all four dose cohorts (60mg, 300 mg, 1200 mg, and 1800 mg) and the subjects remain in follow-up. The Phase 2 portion of this trial will be a dose-ranging, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in healthy adult volunteers. Healthy volunteers in the Phase 1 portion may receive a second dose, one year later, to evaluate for the possibility of anti-drug antibodies.
The primary endpoint of the Phase 1 portion is evaluation of safety and tolerability. The primary efficacy endpoint of the Phase 2 portion is laboratory-confirmed influenza A illness with key secondary endpoints of severity and duration of illness due to influenza A, as well as quantification of influenza A viral load at the time of presentation with influenza illness.
Vaccine for HIV Prophylaxis
Summary
We are developing a vaccine to prevent HIV. We have designed VIR-1111 to elicit T cells that recognize HIV epitopes that are different from those recognized by prior HIV vaccines and to stimulate a different and specific type of T cell immune response to HIV, known as an HLA-E restricted immune response. An HLA-E restricted immune response has been shown to be associated with protection of NHPs from SIV. In December 2020, we initiated a Phase 1 trial for VIR-1111. VIR-1111 is a proof of concept vaccine, because, at minimum, changes to the vaccine antigen from HIV will be required before starting subsequent phases of clinical development. The need to alter the antigen within VIR-1111 or other aspects of the vaccine design to allow for further clinical development will require additional Phase 1 work with the altered product candidate. That Phase 1 clinical trial is currently estimated to begin two years after the commencement of the VIR-1111 Phase 1 clinical trial, adding approximately two years to any potential regulatory approval timeline for an HIV vaccine product candidate.
Disease Overview and Limitations of the Current Standard of Care
Each year there are approximately 1.7 million new cases of HIV and approximately 700,000 HIV-related deaths globally. Unless treated, infection with HIV results in an almost universally fatal disease, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. According to the World Health Organization, almost 33 million people have died from HIV-related illnesses globally.
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Highly effective HIV treatments are now available, but these medicines only suppress HIV and are not curative. They require life-long administration and carry the risk for viral breakthrough and resistance. Furthermore, while HIV prevention programs based on behavioral modification, pharmacological intervention, use of barrier devices and other methods continue to be developed, such approaches have had at most a modest effect on HIV transmission globally in high-risk populations. Therefore, we believe the most effective means of curbing the worldwide HIV epidemic would be a safe and effective vaccine for individuals who are or may become sexually active. We believe that the target population for an HIV vaccine is comprised of billions of individuals and is potentially larger than the target population for Gardasil®, a vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus and the cancers human papillomavirus causes, due to the higher lethality associated with HIV. In 2019, Gardasil® revenue approached $4.0 billion. Despite nearly 30 years of intensive efforts, no vaccine for HIV has been successfully developed.
VIR-1111 for HIV
Molecular Characteristics and Preclinical Data. VIR-1111 is a proof of concept T cell vaccine based on HCMV that is designed to elicit T cells that recognize parts of HIV epitopes that are different from those recognized by prior HIV vaccines, and to stimulate a different and specific type of T cell immune response to HIV, known as an HLA-E restricted immune response. In NHP models, T cell vaccines based on an RhCMV elicited T cells that recognized 3-4 times the number of epitopes compared to other vaccine platforms; the specific epitopes recognized were also different, as shown in the figure below. SIV is the NHP equivalent of HIV.
Number of epitopes recognized by T cells using RhCMV compared to other vaccine vector technologies or NHPs naturally achieving SIV control. Each line represents a different NHP. Each box denotes the relative location of the epitope within the antigen that is recognized by the T cells elicited by that vaccine vector or SIV. The total number of epitopes recognized is shown on the right. RM = rhesus macaque; SIVmac239-controller = infected with a virulent strain of SIV; EP DNA/gag = electroporation of DNA expressing the SIV gag protein; Ad5/gag = Adenovirus type 5 expressing the SIV gag protein; MVA/gag = Modified vaccinia virus Ankara expressing the SIV gag protein.
Further, in such NHP models, introducing different mutations to RhCMV allows the vector to be programmed to elicit an HLA-E restricted immune response. An HLA-E restricted immune response has been shown to be associated with protection of NHPs from SIV. In these series of experiments, large groups of NHPs were given an RhCMV-based vaccine, which protected more than 50% of the NHPs from repeated exposure to SIV.
Preliminary data suggest the ability to predict which NHPs will be protected from SIV after administration of the RhCMV-based vaccine. This is made possible using transcriptomic signatures, a blood test that evaluates how cells in the body respond to the vaccine. Transcriptomic signatures will be analyzed in human clinical trials. If protection effectiveness is found to be less than 100%, such data may allow us to predict who will be protected as well as to generate next-generation vaccines.
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Phase 1 Trial of VIR-1111. VIR-1111-2001 is a multiple ascending dose clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of VIR-1111 in CMV-positive healthy adult volunteers. The immunogenicity evaluation includes an assessment of the breadth and nature of the T cell response to the vaccine. The current trial design of VIR-1111-2001 is shown below. We initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial for VIR-1111 in December 2020. The manufacture and early clinical development of VIR-1111 is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Modifications to VIR-1111 will be required before subsequent phases of clinical development, as VIR-1111 is a proof of concept vaccine and will not in its current format result in a commercial product.
VIR-1111-2001 is a multiple ascending dose escalation trial in CMV seropositive, HIV uninfected healthy adult volunteers. Arrows indicate trial progression. CMV = cytomegalovirus, HIV = human immunodeficiency virus, SC = subcutaneous, ffu = focus forming units
Technology Platforms
Platforms for the Creation of Transformative Medicines for Infectious Diseases
We have purposefully assembled a portfolio of technology platforms that we believe will, individually or in combination, allow us to stimulate and enhance the immune system in innovative ways and to exploit the vulnerabilities of pathogens. Our current platforms are focused on antibodies, T cells, the innate immune response and siRNAs. We have assembled these platforms through internal development, collaborations and acquisitions. We are using our platforms, and continue to evaluate others, to advance our current product candidates and generate additional product candidates for multiple indications.
We follow the science to select the modality, or combination of modalities, that gives us the highest chance of success for a specific infection in a given patient population. The diversity of our different platforms allows us to select the best modality or modalities for a given clinical need.
Antibody Platform
Overview
We are using specialized mAbs to treat or prevent rapidly evolving and/or previously untreatable pathogens. These mAbs act in a variety of ways, including direct pathogen neutralization and immune system stimulation. We combine high-throughput, rapid isolation of rare, highly potent, broad-spectrum and fully human antibodies with targeted engineering to enhance their therapeutic potential. We expect that these specialized mAbs can be administered to transfer protective immunity to all at-risk individuals.
We expect the following benefits from our antibody platform:
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Effective regardless of an individual’s ability to generate his or her own immune response |
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Diminished likelihood of self-reactivity because they are selected in humans |
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Broad coverage of most or all strains of a pathogen, or even multiple pathogens |
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High affinity binding to conserved pathogen antigens, resulting in a high barrier to resistance |
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Longer half-life than naturally occurring antibodies |
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Potential to induce a vaccinal effect, i.e., to elicit continued protection even after the mAb is no longer present |
Four of our product candidates, VIR-7831, VIR-7832, VIR-3434 and VIR-2482 were generated using our antibody platform.
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Our Approach
We use a proprietary antibody screening technology that allows us to characterize the antibodies produced from hundreds of millions of B cells derived from survivors of an infection to identify those rare antibodies that have the characteristics needed to create an effective medicine. Rare characteristics include, for example, the ability to bind to a highly conserved antigen within a pathogen and the ability to neutralize multiple different pathogens. We refer to this technology as High Throughput Isolation since we are able to screen hundreds of millions of B cells to find rare antibodies in just weeks.
Following isolation, we clone the antibody genes and express the resulting fully human antibody for further trials, engineering and development. We have applied these methods to identify mAbs for a range of pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, HBV, influenza A and influenza B virus, Ebola, RSV, malaria and a range of bacterial pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter spp. An example of the power of this platform is the anti-Ebola virus mAb Ebanga (ansuvimab-zykl, formerly known as mAb114), which was approved by the FDA on December 21, 2020. This mAb was identified by our scientists using the technologies described above in collaboration with the NIH and others and is being marketed by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP.
Precision Antibody Engineering to Create the Best Medicines
Our strategy is to optimize both the Fab and Fc domains of a mAb to generate the best medicine to treat or prevent infection. Having isolated a rare, fully human antibody via High Throughput Isolation, we then engineer as desired both parts of the mAb, the Fab and Fc domains, to enhance efficacy, potency and manufacturability. The Fab portion binds to the protective antigen on the pathogen. The Fc portion binds to effector proteins and cells in the body to engage the immune system in killing and clearing the infection.
Fab engineering is performed to further increase mAb potency and breadth of coverage. mAb potency and breadth are based on the epitope bound, affinity of binding and valency. In some cases, it may be valuable to create mAbs that bind to more than one epitope, so-called “multi-specific” mAbs, by engineering the Fab region. There are many approaches to creating multi-specific antibodies, and we are exploring a number of them, including some that naturally occur in people. We believe that naturally occurring multi-specific antibodies can be leveraged to create new and potent therapeutics and to enhance antibody prophylaxis of disease, and have the potential for higher manufacturing yields and better pharmacokinetics in patients, as compared to artificial multi-specific formats currently being developed.
Fc engineering selects and optimizes the specific ways in which mAbs engage Fc receptors, or FcRs, which in turn govern “effector functions” such as the half-life of the antibody and the way that the immune system is recruited by the mAb to fight infection. Effector functions can be enhanced or reduced via Fc mutations that alter the binding affinity of the Fc domain of a mAb to the various FcRs, based on a detailed understanding of the role of individual FcRs in half-life and immunity. Examples of immunity that can be altered in this way include the recruitment of serum proteins to infected areas, phagocytosis and destruction of viruses and viral particles, the killing of virus-infected cells through a process known as antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity, or ADCC, and the presentation of antigens to elicit B and T cell immunity.
Antibodies as T Cell Vaccines
We are using Fc engineering to create antibodies that are designed to not only directly treat or prevent infection but also to immunize an infected individual against future infections. We refer to this property as a vaccinal effect, i.e., eliciting continued protection even after the mAb is no longer present. This technology benefits from the fact that FcRs on specialized antigen-presenting cells, which are called dendritic cells, or DCs, internalize complexes of antibody and antigen. Our strategy
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leverages the observation that different FcRs on antigen presenting cells can bind different parts of the Fc portion of the mAb. By engineering the Fc region, we can select which FcRs interact with the antibody-antigen complex to generate activated DCs that we believe can effectively induce T cell immunity.
Design and mechanism of vaccinal antibodies intended to induce enhanced immunity through induction of T cells. The Fc portion of mAbs interacts with FcRs on DCs to trigger uptake of antigen and induction of T cells. Engineering of the Fc portion of the mAb is predicted to increase the induction of T cells by these DCs.
Specific vaccinal mutations in the Fc domain can enhance immune responses to a pathogen in two ways. First, the mAb can deliver increased amounts of antigen to DCs. Second, FcRs deliver signals that activate DCs. In turn, activated DCs can stimulate T cells specific to the delivered antigen, resulting in T cell immunity. In this way, an antibody with vaccinal mutations can potentially actively immunize infected patients. The in vivo data supporting enhancement of the vaccinal effect through Fc mutants has been demonstrated by others in a CD20 positive tumor model, using mice with humanized Fc receptors. In this experiment, anti-CD20 mAbs and CD20 tumor cells were administered to mice months before being later rechallenged with a lethal dose of CD20 tumor cells. 80% of the mice who received a mAb with Fc mutants that enhanced binding to activating FcRs IIa and IIIa survived. Conversely, 70% or more mice who received a mAb without the enhancing Fc mutations died. This durable protection is believed to be the result of the induction of a T-cell response. We are testing this technology in chronic HBV infection with VIR-3434 and in COVID-19 infection with VIR-7832, and if it performs as expected, we believe it may have applicability to multiple other infections.
T Cell Platform
Overview
T cells can prevent or control infection and cancer. T cells are diverse in how they sense pathogens and cancer cells, the tissues that they protect and the effector functions that they use to control infection or cancer. Our approach is to use HCMV as a vaccine vector to potentially treat and prevent infection by pathogens refractory to current vaccine technologies because HCMV may induce potent and long-lasting T cell responses to a broader range of epitopes than observed for other viral vaccines. In addition, we can make proprietary modifications in the HCMV genome that we expect will elicit different types of pathogen-appropriate T cell responses. Experiments in NHPs demonstrate the ability of vaccine vectors based on the closely related RhCMV to protect against SIV, a close relative of HIV, and TB, two of the most challenging infections for which to create effective vaccines.
HCMV infects a large proportion of the human population and causes a life-long asymptomatic infection that typically causes no harm. This is due to millions of years of co-evolution between the virus and host in which the virus evades sterilizing immunity using specialized viral genes, while at the same time allowing the generation of certain T cell responses that prevent HCMV infection from becoming lethal.
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We expect the following benefits from our T cell platform:
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Highly potent and long-lived T cell responses throughout the body |
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Induction of high numbers of specialized T cells, known as effector memory cells, that allow control of disease in the first few days after infection |
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Immune responses to three- to four-fold more antigenic epitopes in a target protein than other viral vectors |
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Programmable T cell responses allowing selection of the type of T cells elicited |
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Generation of universal T cells that may be active in most or all people despite high genetic variability between people in immune response genes |
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Opportunity for repeated vaccination using the same backbone HCMV vector against different infections |
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Opportunity to use the same vaccine to protect against multiple pathogens |
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Potential to induce responses even to proteins that the host is tolerant of, such as self-proteins expressed in a tumor |
VIR-1111 was generated using our T cell platform.
Our Approach
We believe that the type of T cell response elicited by an HCMV-based vaccine vector can be selected by mutating certain genes in HCMV. We term this approach “immune programming.” We believe that immune programming is critical to combatting infections such as HIV and TB that have proven intractable, to date, for other vaccine technologies.
Immune programming is best understood in the context of the normal processes that elicit T cell immunity. T cells that fight infection and cancer are elicited by DCs, as well as other types of cells. The elicited T cells detect small peptide fragments from antigens on the surface of DCs and other antigen presenting cells, which have been captured in grooves found within specialized proteins encoded by major histocompatibility complex, or MHC, genes.
The unique immunology of HCMV depends on the virus’s ability to regulate the normal immune processes of antigen presentation by MHC genes. HCMV contains multiple genes that regulate many of the steps in antigen presenting cells that elicit T cell immunity by altering antigen presenting cell biology, the types of antigen presenting cells infected by the viral vaccine and the mechanisms responsible for the ability of a T cell to recognize antigens together with MHC molecules. Through manipulation of the HCMV genome, we believe we can program different types of pathogen-appropriate T cell responses.
MHC-E as a Near-Universal Target for Medicines that Leverage T Cell Receptors
T cells need to be able to recognize a highly diverse set of pathogen proteins to be effective. This diversity comes from the use of multiple different host immune response MHC genes to present foreign antigens to T cells. Some immune response MHC genes are highly variable between individuals, while others are less variable between individuals as illustrated below. The immune response MHC genes that are highly variable between individuals are responsible for most T cell responses. These MHC molecules enable T cells to recognize foreign proteins through the use of a highly specialized T cell receptor, or TCR, on the T cell surface.
An important consequence of the inter-individual variation in some immune response MHC genes is that a TCR that recognizes an antigenic peptide associated with one person’s MHC molecules could attack even normal tissues of a person with different MHC genes. As a result, identifying universal TCRs and universal T cell antigens that work in all people has been very challenging.
Our T cell platform may enable us to create vaccines or other types of medicines that are near universal in their effects on human immunity. The programmed T cell responses elicited by engineered HCMV vectors are predicted to use immune response MHC genes that vary minimally between people, instead of the highly variable immune response MHC genes targeted by other types of vaccines. As demonstrated by the graphic below, TCRs recognizing antigenic peptides together with MHC-E may be functional in all individuals, potentially allowing for the generation of universal TCR-based medicines,
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such as off-the-shelf cancer cell therapy. The peptides presented by MHC-E may be immunogenic in all individuals, potentially allowing for the generation of universal infectious disease and cancer vaccines.
Comparison of standard T cell responses to MHC-E responses. Peptides that are bound to MHC-I, -II or -E proteins are expressed on cell surfaces where they are recognized by T cell receptors on T cells (TCRs). This interaction results in the expansion of T cells that can recognize diverse antigen peptides (top row) and that carry out functions that protect the host. Since MHC-I and MHC-II molecules are highly variable between people, peptide presentation to TCRs has a high degree of individual specificity, as illustrated by the different colors of each peptide in the top row. In contrast to MHC-I and MHC-II, MHC-E proteins (bottom row) are conserved in the human population.
Specifically programmed RhCMV vectors can elicit strong T cell responses that target MHC molecules which vary minimally between NHPs. One such protein is MHC-E. The fundamental discovery, by some of our founders, that enables this part of our T cell platform is that RhCMV responses can be programmed to generate abundant MHC-E-restricted T cells.
We believe that using our T cell programming approach will allow us to select vaccine antigens and to identify TCRs that work across the human population. An example of a use of such a TCR would be creating a biological product that specifically recognizes infected cells in all individuals.
Programming T Cell Responses to Create HIV and TB Vaccines
Two of the most challenging infections for vaccine development are HIV and TB. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that programmed RhCMV vectors can be used to vaccinate against either SIV or TB in NHPs. For example, as shown in the figure below, in an NHP study, an MHC-E programmed RhCMV vaccine effectively protected more than half of NHPs from infection when challenged with a highly virulent form of SIV, under conditions in which all animals in the control group became infected. SIV vaccines programmed in other ways were not protective, demonstrating the potential value of having a programmable T cell vaccine platform.
Primary data for the protective effects of RhCMV-derived T cell vaccines on SIV infection. Rhesus monkeys were vaccinated with an RhCMV vaccine that elicits CD8 T cells recognizing SIV peptides presented by MHC-E and MHC-II or a control before challenge with SIV by rectal or vaginal routes. SIV genome copies were measured in peripheral blood (vertical axis) at intervals after challenge (horizontal axis). SIV infection was cleared in approximately 51% of intrarectal challenged animals and approximately 60% of intravaginal challenged animals while the infection was progressive in all unvaccinated controls.
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Protection has also been observed against TB in preclinical studies of NHPs after immunization with either of two different RhCMV vaccines. One of the protective vaccines was programmed to elicit MHC-II and MHC-E responses, while the other was programmed to elicit a response depending on MHC-I genes. This shows the potential significance of being able to specifically program a T cell vaccine to target a given infection, as the programming of a vaccine to protect against SIV can be different from the programming of a vaccine to protect against TB. These preclinical data support our plans to use our T cell platform to vaccinate against HIV and TB.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is providing funds for the manufacturing and early clinical development of our HIV and TB vaccine programs. If proof of concept for the potential efficacy of our T cell vaccine platform is obtained in currently planned clinical trials, we plan to apply this T cell platform for treating additional types of infections, as well as potentially even cancers.
Innate Immunity Platform
Overview
Innate immunity protects us during the early stages of infection until antibodies and T cells can be generated by the immune system. Importantly, innate immunity is not pathogen-specific. We believe that we can target innate immunity to create medicines that break the “one-drug-for-one-bug” paradigm by producing “one-drug-for-multiple-bugs.” We term this concept “host-directed therapy” because the medicine would target a host protein instead of pathogen proteins, which are the target of standard antibiotics and antivirals. We can also identify proteins that are critical for a high priority infection, such as HBV, for which host-directed therapy might be part of a functional cure or complete cure. This platform may also identify targets relevant to diseases outside of infection.
Our scientists have developed and applied cutting-edge CRISPR-based genetic technologies to identify host genes that regulate innate immunity and/or pathogen replication. We have built internal capacity to systematically extend such trials to multiple pathogens and multiple aspects of innate immunity. We have joined the Broad Institute’s Functional Genomics Consortium, which provides us access to cutting-edge CRISPR reagents and computational services for whole-genome and custom-designed genetic screens.
Design of steps in our innate immunity platform. We are systematically mapping the genes that regulate pathogen control across a diverse set of pathogens. To accomplish this, advanced gene editing technology (CRISPR) is used to create cell libraries in which individual genes are either knocked out or activated. By exposing these cell libraries to pathogens of interest, under different screening conditions, we can systematically create genomic maps that identify genes that could lead to pathogen control. By computationally comparing these genomic maps, genes or pathways that are common to multiple pathogens can be identified and could lead to the development of products that could treat more than a single pathogen. Human rhinovirus = HRV.
We expect the following benefits from our innate immunity platform:
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Enhancement of the potency of innate immunity, allowing for control of multiple unrelated pathogens |
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High barrier to resistance since the targeted host protein is not likely to mutate |
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Identification of key host targets in areas outside of infectious disease |
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Our Approach
Our innate immunity platform envisions three steps leading to new medicines, as illustrated in the figure above.
Step 1: CRISPR Screens to Map the Genomic Landscape of Infection and Innate Immunity
Multiple types of proteins participate in innate immunity and infection, as they may be required for entry, replication, gene expression, pathogenicity and/or innate immune control of an infectious agent.
To identify such proteins, we screen CRISPR-derived cell libraries after infection, treatment with cytokines that trigger innate immunity, or both, and then select cells with desired properties. Using next-generation sequencing, we identify genes responsible for the desired property. By combining these data across screens and across pathogens, our team has created, and is continuously expanding, a proprietary database of the genomic landscape of infection and innate immunity.
CRISPR screen for genes involved in RSV replication. A CRISPR cell library was prepared in cells in which RSV can replicate. After a period of infection with an RSV strain expressing a fluorescent protein which serves as a surrogate for viral replication, cells were separated using flow cytometry into populations in which RSV replication was decreased or increased. Deep sequencing of the population exhibiting decreased replication compared to control revealed candidate genes required for efficient replication. Computational analysis represented on the right panel revealed that some of these genes fall into nodes that function in specific cellular processes. These nodes are represented as dots interconnected with a dense network of lines.
As an example, to identify genes required for RSV growth, we performed a screen in which a CRISPR-generated cell library was infected with RSV, as shown in the figure above. We then purified and sequenced populations exhibiting low or high RSV growth. Sequencing of the RSV low population revealed genes potentially required for RSV infection. When analyzed computationally, these genes fell into sets involved in specific cellular processes. These genes are potential targets for product candidates. We performed a similar screen with the influenza A virus and HRV and found that certain genes are shared between RSV, influenza A virus and HRV. Targeting such proteins might result in a pan-respiratory virus product candidate capable of treating RSV, influenza A virus and HRV.
The result from this step of the innate immune platform is a continuously updated database of the genomic landscape of pathogen replication and innate immunity. We have already performed multiple screens, and additional screens and target validation trials are in progress.
Step 2: Computational Analysis for Identification of Product Targets
Results from CRISPR screens provide the critical data that helps identify host targets necessary for a given pathogen. When creating a single drug for multiple pathogens, host targets in common among multiple pathogens are identified. After having identified the critical set of host targets necessary for a pathogen or pathogens, the specific target for a new medicine is selected by computationally integrating diverse data sets that account for tissue gene expression, human genetic variation, redundancies in cellular pathways and protein-protein interaction networks, among other factors.
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Step 3: Product Discovery
Once a specific target has been chosen, the modality used to disrupt the function of the target is then selected. Potential modalities may include small molecules, antibodies or siRNAs. Standard drug discovery efforts are then applied to identify a lead product candidate. Alternatively, machine learning and database mining can be used to identify pre-existing chemical matter that is already known to inhibit an identified host target. This chemical matter can then be verified as having anti-pathogen activity, and serve as a lead compound. There are two potential outcomes from Step 3: one-drug-for-one-bug and one-drug-for-multiple-bugs.
siRNA Platform
Overview
Gene expression can be altered by two main types of synthetic oligonucleotides: (i) antisense oligonucleotides; and (ii) siRNAs. We believe that our current approach leveraging siRNAs may have safety and potency advantages over antisense oligonucleotides. The first FDA-approved siRNA in the United States was ONPATTRO (patisiran), which was developed by our collaborator, Alnylam.
Mechanism of siRNA action to regulate gene expression. Intracellular double stranded RNA, or dsRNA, is processed by the “dicer” complex to produce siRNAs that become integrated into a multi-subunit protein complex, the RNA-induced silencing complex, or RISC, which guides the siRNAs to the target messenger RNA, or mRNA, sequence. The siRNA duplex unwinds, and the antisense strand remains bound to RISC and directs site-specific cleavage of the target complementary mRNA sequence, resulting in mRNA degradation and reduced expression of the target protein. (A)n = polyadenylation.
siRNAs act via an RNA interference, or RNAi, mechanism involving sequence-specific knockdown of target RNAs. Our bodies create their own so-called endogenous siRNAs, which act via the RNAi mechanism. This RNAi mechanism can be exploited by chemically synthesizing synthetic siRNAs that are introduced as medicines to knock down target RNAs that express pathogen or host proteins of interest. Pursuant to our collaboration and license agreement with Alnylam, we have an option to license Alnylam’s siRNA technology for use in up to four other infectious disease targets in addition to VIR-2218 for HBV. See the section titled “Our Collaboration, License and Grant Agreements” for a description of the collaboration and license agreement.
We expect the following benefits from our siRNA platform and siRNAs generally:
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Cutting-edge siRNA design, through collaboration with Alnylam |
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Direct anti-pathogen activity and potential for immunomodulation |
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Diminished off-target siRNA effects via use of next generation ESC+ technology as a differentiator compared to other siRNA approaches, which has the potential to increase the therapeutic index |
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Efficient targeting of siRNAs to the liver using GalNAc technology |
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Extended effects of siRNA may last for weeks to months in humans |
VIR-2218 was generated using our siRNA platform.
Our Approach
We have elected to develop modified siRNAs initially for infectious diseases of the liver because these product candidates can be administered subcutaneously, are highly stable in the blood stream and are efficiently delivered into hepatocytes via GalNAc sugar modification. Once in a liver cell, the siRNA can act to reduce pathogen or host gene expression. Such siRNAs can be further modified to reduce off-target activity, and potentially increase the therapeutic index. Since October 2017, we have collaborated with Alnylam to leverage this validated technology, with the goal of eliminating key host factors necessary for pathogen survival and removing microbial immune countermeasures.
We believe that HBV persists in part due to the expression of viral proteins such as HBsAg, which potentially inhibit antibody, T cell, and innate immune responses. This prevents the immune response from clearing HBV. By inhibiting the expression of these viral proteins, we envision enhancing immune function in persistently infected individuals. Furthermore, we believe that combining siRNA therapy with products derived from our other platforms, including antibodies, T cells and innate immune modulators, may allow us to rapidly advance a functional cure for HBV.
siRNA Delivery Mechanism
Since unmodified synthetic siRNAs can be unstable in the blood stream, methods to stabilize synthetic siRNAs have been pioneered by Alnylam including using their ESC technology.
An approach that has been used successfully to deliver siRNA to liver cells is to conjugate siRNAs to a specific sugar known as a GalNAc, whose receptor is exclusively expressed at high levels on hepatocytes, allowing for uptake of large quantities of siRNA into hepatocytes. Importantly, a GalNAc-conjugated siRNA can be delivered to the liver by subcutaneous injection, making administration relatively simple.
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Potentially Enhancing the Therapeutic Index by Diminishing Off-Target Activity of siRNAs
A distinguishing characteristic of VIR-2218 siRNA, and of future siRNAs that we may develop with Alnylam, is the application of a new approach to diminish off-target effects of RNAi. siRNAs may cause unwanted alterations to non-target host RNAs, a process known as off-target activity, which can result in short- or long-term toxicity. To reduce off-target activity, which is thought to be due in part to microRNA, or miRNA, activity, it is necessary to preserve the RNAi activity of an siRNA while simultaneously decreasing its miRNA activity, as shown in the figure below. Alnylam scientists have pioneered placement of a modified nucleotide called a glycol nucleic acid, or GNA, into the part of the siRNA that generates miRNA-like activity. GNA modification has been shown to reduce miRNA activity, while preserving the RNAi activity of siRNA. The combination of GNA modification and other chemical modifications that enhance siRNA stability is called ESC+ technology. In animal models, reducing off-target miRNA activity can result in an increased therapeutic index of approximately five-fold. A higher therapeutic index has the potential to allow for higher siRNA doses and/or a longer duration of therapy, while maintaining a favorable safety profile. VIR-2218 was the first siRNA to enter the clinic with ESC+ technology.
On-Target and Off-Target Activity of siRNA. siRNAs can have off-target activity when siRNA binds to mRNA with a partial sequence match, leading to translation repression or mRNA destabilization of unrelated messages (right side). This contrasts with the intended on-target activity of an siRNA, which binds to an mRNA through a match to the entire sequence, leading to mRNA cleavage (left side). mRNA = messenger ribonucleic acid; RISC = ribonucleic acid-induced silencing complex.
Our Collaboration, License and Grant Agreements
Collaboration Agreements with GSK
2020 GSK Collaboration
In June 2020, we entered into a definitive collaboration agreement with GSK, or the 2020 GSK Collaboration, pursuant to which we agreed to collaborate to research, develop and commercialize products for the prevention, treatment and prophylaxis of diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 and potentially other coronaviruses. The 2020 GSK Collaborationis focused on the development and commercialization of three types of collaboration products under three programs: (1) antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2, and potentially other coronaviruses, or the Antibody Program; (2) vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2, and potentially other coronaviruses, or the Vaccine Program, and (3) products based on genome- wide CRISPR screening of host targets expressed in connection with exposure to SARS-CoV-2, or the Functional Genomics Program. The initial antibodies under the Antibody Program are VIR-7831 and VIR-7832, which have demonstrated high affinity for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and are highly potent in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 in live-virus cellular assays.
For a period of four years beginning April 2020, the parties agreed to conduct certain research and development activities under mutually agreed development plans and associated budgets for each of the three programs, and under the oversight of a joint steering committee. During such period, generally, subject to certain rights granted to WuXi Biologics under existing agreements between us and WuXi Biologics, the parties will have an exclusive research collaboration with respect to antibody products directed to SARS-CoV-2 or to any other coronavirus, and in connection with functional genomics CRISPR screens for drug discovery and development in connection with SARS-CoV-2 or other coronaviruses. We
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are primarily responsible for the development and clinical manufacturing activities for the Antibody Program, and for conducting the initial development activities directed to a vaccine in the Vaccine Program. GSK will be primarily responsible for the commercialization activities for the Antibody Program (except in connection with sales of antibody products licensed to WuXi Biologics in greater China), the later-stage development, manufacturing and commercialization activities for the Vaccine Program and the development, manufacturing and commercialization activities for the Functional Genomics Program. We and GSK are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to conduct the activities assigned to each party under each development plan and to seek and obtain regulatory approval for collaboration products that arise from such activities in the United States and specified major markets. Subject to an opt-out mechanism, we and GSK will share all development costs, manufacturing costs and costs and expenses for the commercialization of the collaboration products, with us bearing 72.5% of such costs for the antibody products, 27.5% of such costs for the vaccine products, and we and GSK sharing equally all such costs for the functional genomics products, and all profits will be shared in the same ratios. If we and GSK elect to conduct a technology transfer of manufacturing technology under our agreements with WuXi Biologics (as further described below) and Biogen, we will bear 72.5% of the costs related to such manufacturing technology transfer and for commercial manufacturing of the antibody products under such agreements with WuXi Biologics and Biogen, and GSK will bear 27.5% of such costs. The parties will also share the committed costs for the reservation of manufacturing capacity for the drug substance for antibody products in the foregoing ratio under our agreement with Samsung as well as such costs relating to committed manufacturing capacity for antibody products as are approved by the joint steering committee from time to time.
On a collaboration product-by-collaboration product basis, either party will have the right, at specified points in development, to opt out of its co-funding obligations, and the other party may, at its election, either pursue such program unilaterally, or also cease the conduct and funding of such collaboration product. Unless a party has opted out prior to such time, the parties would share all profits and losses arising from any collaboration product in the same ratios in which the parties bore development costs for such collaboration program. For each collaboration product as to which a party exercises its opt-out right, the commercializing party will pay to the opt-out party royalties on net sales of the applicable collaboration product at rates based on factors such as the stage of development of such collaboration product at the time the opt-out party exercises such right, and whether the opt-out party is the lead party, or a portion of the sublicense revenue if the commercializing party chooses to sublicense or otherwise divest rights to such collaboration product. On an antibody product-by-antibody product basis, we have a co-promotion right with respect to such antibody product in the United States, pursuant to which we will have the right to perform up to 20% of details in connection with such antibody product. GSK will lead commercialization and book all sales and is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to commercialize each collaboration product following regulatory approval in the United States and specified major markets. This definitive agreement superseded and replaced the April 2020 preliminary agreement with GSK. In connection with the 2020 GSK Collaboration, we also entered into a stock purchase agreement in April 2020, pursuant to which we issued 6,626,027 shares of our common stock to an affiliate of GSK at a price per share of $37.73, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $250.0 million.
2021 Expanded GSK Collaboration
On February 14, 2021, we entered into the 2021 Preliminary Agreement with GSK, pursuant to which the parties agreed to expand the 2020 GSK Collaboration, to include collaboration on three separate programs: (1) a program to research, develop and commercialize mAbs for the prevention, treatment or prophylaxis of the influenza virus, or the Influenza Program; (2) an expansion of the Functional Genomics Program to focus on functional genomics screens directed to targets associated with respiratory viruses, or the Expanded Functional Genomics Program; and (3) additional programs to develop neutralizing mAbs directed to up to three non-influenza target pathogens selected by GSK, or the Selected Pathogens, and such programs, the Additional Programs. Under the Influenza Program, we will collaborate to research, develop and commercialize our next generation mAbs for the prevention, treatment or prophylaxis of influenza. In addition, after we complete and report the Phase 2 clinical trial outcomes for VIR-2482 GSK will have the exclusive option to obtain exclusive rights to co-develop and commercialize VIR-2482, or the Option.
For a period of three years following the effective date of the 2021 Preliminary Agreement, or the Research Term, the parties will conduct certain research and development activities under mutually agreed development plans and associated budgets for the programs within the expanded collaboration. Subject to certain exceptions, we will exclusively collaborate with respect to (a) all of our mAbs that the parties agree to develop for the prevention, treatment or prophylaxis of the influenza virus, until such time there are none of our mAbs being developed under the expanded collaboration, (b) functional genomic screens for targets associated with respiratory viruses during the Research Term, and compounds or products developed through the Expanded Functional Genomics Program directed to a collaboration target for five years following the target selection (unless either party elects to opt out earlier), and (c) products directed to Selected Pathogens during the Research Term. We will be responsible for continuing the development and clinical manufacturing activities for VIR-2482
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unless and until GSK exercises the Option. If GSK does not exercise the Option for VIR-2482, then in general, we have the right to continue the development and/or commercialization of VIR-2482 by itself or with a third party. GSK will be the lead party for development, clinical and commercial manufacturing and commercialization activities for products under the Influenza Program (other than VIR-2482 unless and until GSK exercises the Option, if applicable). We will mutually agree upon the allocation of responsibility for development and early-stage manufacturing of products under the Expanded Functional Genomics Program and the Additional Programs (subject to GSK’s final decision making authority if the parties cannot agree), and GSK will be primarily responsible for commercial manufacturing and commercialization activities for products under the Functional Genomics Program and Additional Programs.
In general, we will share 50% of all development costs in accordance with the budget for each of the collaboration programs (other than for VIR-2482 unless GSK exercises the Option), with each party having the right (on a target-by-target, or collaboration product-by-collaboration product basis, as applicable) to opt-out of its co-funding obligations at specified points in development. In such case, the party continuing with the program will pay to the opt-out party a royalty on net sales of products arising from such program at commercially reasonable rates to be agreed in the definitive collaboration agreement, determined by the stage of development at which the opt-out is exercised. Following the exercise of an opt-out right by a party the other party may, at its election, either pursue such program unilaterally, or also cease the conduct and funding of such collaboration product. In the absence of any opt-out, the parties will also share 50% of all profits and losses arising from any collaboration product. Each party is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to conduct the activities assigned to it under each development plan and, where applicable, to seek and obtain regulatory approval for collaboration products that arise from such activities in the United States and specified major markets. GSK will lead commercialization and book all sales, and is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to commercialize each collaboration product following regulatory approval in the United States and specified major markets.
The parties will continue to negotiate a more detailed collaboration agreement, or the Expanded Definitive Collaboration Agreement, including more detailed financial terms, as well as operational provisions and consequences of any ongoing collaboration program as a result of a change of control. If we cannot reach agreement and enter into the Expanded Definitive Collaboration Agreement within 90 days following the effective date of the 2021 Preliminary Agreement, the terms of the Expanded Definitive Collaboration Agreement will be determined through mediation and binding arbitration. The 2021 Preliminary Agreement may be terminated by either party if the conditions for the effectiveness of the preliminary collaboration agreement (customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the HSR Act, as defined below) are not met by June 30, 2021. The 2021 Preliminary Agreement will terminate upon the execution of the Expanded Definitive Collaboration Agreement, which will supersede the 2021 Preliminary Agreement. The Expanded Definitive Collaboration Agreement will remain in effect, on a collaboration program-by-collaboration program basis, until there is no product being developed or commercialized under such collaboration program, unless earlier terminated by either party. Either party has the right to terminate the 2021 Preliminary Agreement or the Expanded Definitive Collaboration Agreement in the case of the insolvency of the other party, an uncured material breach of the other party, or such other events that both parties agree to be included in the Expanded Definitive Collaboration Agreement.
GSK will make an upfront payment to us of $225 million, 50% of which will become payable at the effective date of the 2021 Preliminary Agreement and 50% of which will become payable at the effective date of the Expanded Definitive Collaboration Agreement. If GSK exercises the Option, GSK will pay us an Option exercise fee of $300 million unless certain agreed product criteria for VIR-2482 are not met, in which case the parties will negotiate an alternative Option exercise fee. If we are unable to agree on an alternative Option exercise fee, then subject to certain rights of GSK, we will have the right to continue the development and commercialization of VIR-2482 by itself or with a third party. Upon achievement of a pre-defined regulatory milestone for the first product arising from the Influenza Program, GSK will make a milestone payment to us of up to $200 million.
In connection with the 2021 Preliminary Agreement, we entered into a stock purchase agreement, or the Stock Purchase Agreement, with Glaxo Group Limited, or GGL, an affiliate of GSK, pursuant to which GGL will purchase shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $120.0 million. The price per share will be equal to the average of (a) the volume weighted average price of a share of our common stock for a seven trading day period, starting with the opening of trading on the seventh trading day prior to the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement and ending with the close of trading on the trading day prior to the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement and (b) the volume weighted average price of a share of our common stock for a seven trading day period, starting with the opening of trading on the seventh trading day prior to the Data End Date and ending with the close of trading on the trading day prior the Data End Date, subject to certain price collar adjustments. The “Data End Date” means the tenth trading day immediately following the date that we make a public announcement regarding initial Phase 3 results for the COMET-ICE trial for VIR-7831.
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Pursuant to the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement, GGL has agreed not to, without our prior written consent and subject to certain conditions and exceptions, among other things, directly or indirectly acquire additional shares of our outstanding common stock, seek or propose a tender or exchange offer, merger or other business combination involving us, solicit proxies or consents with respect to any matter, or undertake other specified actions related to the potential acquisition of additional equity interests in us, collectively, the Standstill Restrictions. The Standstill Restrictions will expire on the one-year anniversary of the Equity Closing Date (as defined below).
The Stock Purchase Agreement also provides that until the first anniversary of the Equity Closing Date, GGL will hold and not sell any of its shares, subject to certain exceptions. We have agreed to register the shares for resale following expiration of the one-year lock-up period if Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, is not available for such resale without any volume or manner of sale restrictions.
The consummation of the transactions under each of the 2021 Preliminary Agreement and the Stock Purchase Agreement are subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, or the HSR Act; provided, however, that in no event will the closing of the transactions under the Stock Purchase Agreement occur prior to the Data End Date, or such closing, the Equity Closing Date.
Collaboration and License Agreement with Alnylam
In October 2017, we entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Alnylam, or the Alnylam Agreement, for the development of siRNA products for the treatment of HBV and following the exercise of certain program options, the development and commercialization of siRNA products directed to up to four other infectious disease targets selected by us. The technology licensed under the Alnylam Agreement forms the basis of our siRNA technology platform.
Pursuant to the Alnylam Agreement, we obtained a worldwide, exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize the HBV siRNA product candidates, including VIR-2218, for all uses and purposes other than agricultural, horticultural, forestry, aquaculture and other residential applications, such excluded fields, the Excluded Fields. In addition, Alnylam granted us an exclusive option, for each of the infectious disease siRNA programs directed to our selected targets, to obtain a worldwide, exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize siRNA products directed to the target of each such program for all uses and purposes other than the Excluded Fields. Our options are each exercisable during a specified period following selection of candidates for each program, or two years following the initiation of certain activities under an agreed upon development plan, if earlier. On a product-by-product basis for each product arising from the HBV and, following our option exercise, the infectious disease programs, Alnylam has an exclusive option, exercisable during a specified period prior to the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial for each such product, to negotiate and enter into a profit-sharing agreement for such product.
We and Alnylam are jointly responsible for funding the initial research and development activities for VIR-2218 through completion of proof of concept trials. Prior to the exercise of our option for each siRNA program directed to one of our selected infectious disease targets, Alnylam is responsible for conducting all development activities, at our expense, in accordance with an agreed upon development plan. Following our exercise of an option for a program and payment of the program option exercise fee and any outstanding program costs due to Alnylam, we are solely responsible, at our expense, for conducting all development, manufacture and commercialization activities for products arising from each such program unless Alnylam exercises its profit-sharing option. We are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize one siRNA product directed to HBV and one siRNA product directed to the target of each other infectious disease program for which we exercise our option, in each of the major markets. If Alnylam exercises a profit-sharing option for a product, we will negotiate the terms of such profit-sharing agreement, which will include sharing equally with Alnylam all subsequent costs associated with the development of such product, as well as the profits and losses in connection with such product, subject to reimbursement by Alnylam of a portion of specified development costs in certain circumstances.
We retain final decision-making authority with respect to which infectious disease product candidates we advance and the development programs for the HBV and infectious disease product candidates, subject to certain limitations. During the term of the Alnylam Agreement, neither we nor Alnylam may develop or commercialize any gene-silencing, oligonucleotide-based product directed to the same target as any product candidate under the Alnylam Agreement, other than pursuant to the Alnylam Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.
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Pursuant to the Alnylam Agreement, we paid Alnylam an upfront fee of $10.0 million and issued to Alnylam 1,111,111 shares of our common stock. Upon the achievement of a certain development milestone, as further discussed below, we were obligated to issue shares of our common stock equal to the lesser of (i) 1,111,111 shares or (ii) a certain number of shares based on our stock price at the time such milestone was achieved. We will be required to pay Alnylam up to $190.0 million in the aggregate for the achievement of specified development and regulatory milestones by the first siRNA product directed to HBV, and up to $115.0 million for the achievement of specified development and regulatory milestones for the first product directed to the target of each infectious disease siRNA program for which we exercised our option. Following commercialization, we will be required to pay to Alnylam up to $250.0 million in the aggregate for the achievement of specified levels of net sales by siRNA products directed to HBV and up to $100.0 million for the achievement of specified levels of net sales by products directed to the target of each infectious disease siRNA program for which we exercised our option. We will also be required to pay Alnylam tiered royalties at percentages ranging from the low double-digits to mid-teens on annual net sales of HBV products, and tiered royalties at percentages ranging from the high single-digits to the sub-teen double-digits on annual net sales of licensed infectious disease products, in each case subject to specified reductions and offsets. The royalties are payable on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis until the later of the expiration of all valid claims of specified patents covering such product in such country and 10 years after the first commercial sale of such product in such country. Alnylam is also entitled to receive a portion of any consideration we receive as a result of granting a sublicense under the licenses granted to us by Alnylam under the Alnylam Agreement or an option to acquire such a sublicense, determined based on the timing of the grant of such sublicense. In November 2018, in connection with the inclusion of the HBV siRNA program as the subject of a potential grant of a sublicense to Brii Bio under the Brii Agreement, as defined under the section titled “—Collaboration, Option and License Agreement with Brii Bio,” which triggered certain payment obligations under the Alnylam Agreement, we entered into a letter agreement with Alnylam, or the Alnylam Letter, making certain modifications to the payments due to Alnylam as a result of the grant of the option and potential payments that would result from Brii Bio’s exercise of rights under such sublicense. As a result of the rights granted under the Brii Agreement and pursuant to the Alnylam Letter, in February 2020 we transferred to Alnylam a specified percentage of the equity consideration allocable to the HBV siRNA program that we received from Brii Bio and its affiliated companies in connection with the entry into the Brii Agreement.
The term of the Alnylam Agreement will continue, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, until expiration of all royalty payment obligations under the Alnylam Agreement. If we do not exercise our option for an infectious disease program directed to one of our selected targets, the Alnylam Agreement will expire upon the expiration of the applicable option period with respect to such program. However, if Alnylam exercises its profit-sharing option for any product, the term of the Alnylam Agreement will continue until the expiration of the profit-sharing arrangement for such product. We may terminate the Alnylam Agreement on a program-by-program basis or in its entirety for any reason on 90 days’ written notice. Either party may terminate the agreement for cause for the other party’s uncured material breach on 60 days’ written notice (or 30 days’ notice for payment breach), or if the other party challenges the validity or enforceability of any patent licensed to it under the Alnylam Agreement on 30 days’ notice.
In March 2020, we achieved one of the specified development milestones relating to VIR-2218 pursuant to the Alnylam Agreement, as amended. As such, we paid Alnylam $15.0 million in April 2020, and issued Alnylam 1,111,111 shares of our common stock in May 2020.
In March and April 2020, we entered into two further amendments to the Alnylam Agreement to expand our existing collaboration of five infectious disease targets to nine, to include the development and commercialization of siRNA products targeting SARS-CoV-2 and potentially other coronaviruses, and up to three targeting human host factors for SARS-CoV-2 (collectively, the COVID Collaboration Targets).
Pursuant to both amendments, we and Alnylam agreed to each be responsible for the pre-clinical development costs incurred by each party in performing our allocated responsibilities under an agreed-upon initial pre-clinical development plan for each of the four new targets. Following the completion of initial pre-clinical development activities, we had a pre-agreed program option to progress one or more candidates arising from the coronavirus program into further development, subject to Alnylam’s right to opt-in, during a specified period, to share equally with us the profits and losses in connection with development and commercialization of a coronavirus product.
In December 2020, we entered into a letter amendment with Alnylam amending the Alnylam Agreement, as amended, to modify certain funding and governance provisions in connection with the siRNA products directed to the COVID Collaboration Targets, including VIR-2703, or the COV Target, and to modify certain rights of each party with respect to products arising from such programs.
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Pursuant to the letter amendment, Alnylam will be responsible for conducting pre-clinical research activities set forth in the existing workplan for the COV Target, or the COV Workplan, at its discretion and sole expense, and we will no longer have the obligation to reimburse Alnylam for any share of costs incurred by Alnylam in conducting activities under the COV Workplan after July 1, 2020.
In connection with the letter amendment, we will no longer have a pre-agreed program option, but, if Alnylam selects a development candidate arising from the COV Workplan, we and Alnylam have agreed to negotiate in good faith an agreement with respect to the COV Target and siRNA products directed thereto. If Alnylam terminates the COV Workplan, does not select a development candidate, or we are unable to agree upon the terms of a definitive agreement, then the COV Target and related siRNA program will no longer be included within the Alnylam Agreement, as amended and all rights to the siRNA program directed to VIR-2703 will revert to Alnylam.
License Agreements with MedImmune
2012 Sub-License and Collaboration Agreement with MedImmune
In March 2012, our subsidiary Humabs entered into a sub-license and collaboration agreement with MedImmune, LLC, or MedImmune, as amended, or the 2012 MedImmune Agreement, pursuant to which Humabs conducted certain activities under a mutually agreed research plan for the development of therapeutic antibodies directed to influenza viruses (including influenza A and influenza B) and to Klebsiella bacteria. The 2012 MedImmune Agreement was amended in April 2013, April 2015, December 2015, August 2016, July 2017, and September 2018, to designate Klebsiella as an extra target, to extend the term of the research program and provide for related payments, and to incorporate certain research activities funded by MedImmune under a specified government grant. Under the 2012 MedImmune Agreement, as amended, MedImmune obtained a worldwide exclusive license from Humabs to develop and commercialize products directed to such targets for all uses in humans and animals except for active vaccination. MedImmune is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop at least one product directed to influenza viruses.
In consideration for the grant of the license, MedImmune made certain upfront payments to Humabs. MedImmune is obligated to pay Humabs development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments of up to $96.5 million in the aggregate for the first product directed to influenza viruses to achieve the applicable milestones, and up to $12.0 million for the first product directed to Klebsiella to achieve the applicable milestones. MedImmune will also be obligated to pay royalties based on net sales of products directed to influenza viruses or Klebsiella at certain fixed percentages in the low to mid-single-digits, with the rate determined based on the specific target to which the product is directed, in each case subject to specified reductions and a royalty floor. The royalties are payable, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, until the later of the last to expire valid claim that would, but for the licenses granted under the 2012 MedImmune Agreement, be infringed by the sale of such product in such country, and 10 years from the first commercial sale of the first product in such country. MedImmune also made certain payments to Humabs in consideration for Humabs’ conduct of the research program. We will be obligated to pass through the milestone payments and royalty payments that we receive under the 2012 MedImmune Agreement, following deduction of certain expenses incurred by us or Humabs thereunder, to Humabs’ securities holders pursuant to the Humabs SPA, as defined under the section titled “—Securities Purchase Agreement with Humabs.”
The 2012 MedImmune Agreement will remain in force until MedImmune has fulfilled all of its obligations to make milestone and royalty payments. MedImmune may terminate the 2012 MedImmune Agreement in its entirety, or on a product-by-product, license-by-license or country-by-country basis, for convenience, upon 90 days’ notice. Either MedImmune or Humabs may terminate the 2012 MedImmune Agreement for the other party’s uncured material breach or in the event of bankruptcy of the other party.
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2018 License Agreement with MedImmune
In September 2018, we entered into a license agreement with MedImmune, or the 2018 MedImmune Agreement, pursuant to which we obtained a worldwide, exclusive license to develop and commercialize half-life extended versions of two specified antibodies under development by MedImmune that target influenza A and influenza B, respectively, for all uses in humans and animals. The license from MedImmune includes the grant of a sublicense under MedImmune’s license to certain intellectual property controlled by Humabs that was granted to MedImmune pursuant to the 2012 MedImmune Agreement. Under certain circumstances and during certain periods of time we have the right to nominate up to two variants of each of these antibodies for inclusion under the license. MedImmune retained the rights to continue to develop and to commercialize the two specified antibodies that target influenza A and influenza B, in each case that are not the half-life extended versions that are licensed to us. Additionally, we obtained a worldwide, exclusive license under MedImmune’s antibody half-life extension technology to develop and commercialize half-life extended antibodies directed to up to two additional targets selected by us for all uses in humans or animals for the prevention, treatment or diagnosis of infectious diseases. We have the right to nominate such additional targets during a specified period following the effective date of the 2018 MedImmune Agreement. In September 2020, the 2018 MedImmune Agreement was amended to adjust the period of time we have the right to nominate up to two antibodies for inclusion under the MedImmune’s antibody half-life extension technology license. MedImmune may only refuse our nomination if such targets are already the subject of internal development by MedImmune, are subject to third party rights at the time of our selection, or are the subject of good faith discussions between MedImmune and a third party for a license for products directed to such targets. We are solely responsible, at our sole cost, for the development of products containing half-life extended versions of antibodies directed to the influenza targets and any additional selected targets, and are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and obtain regulatory approval for at least one product containing half-life extended versions of antibodies directed to each of influenza A, influenza B and any additional targets, if applicable, in the United States and specified markets in Europe and Asia. We are also obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to commercialize products containing half-life extended versions of antibodies directed to such targets in such markets. We are developing VIR-2482 using technology licensed under the 2018 MedImmune Agreement.
In consideration for the grant of the licenses under the 2018 MedImmune Agreement, we made an upfront payment to MedImmune of $10.0 million. We will be obligated to make development and regulatory milestone payments to MedImmune of up to $92.0 million, of which $5.0 million was paid in the third quarter of 2019, in the aggregate for products containing half-life extended versions of antibodies directed to influenza A that we licensed, up to an additional $39.2 million in the aggregate for such products directed to influenza B that we licensed, and up to $250,000 in the aggregate for certain specified products directed to the additional selected targets, if applicable. We will also be required to make sales related milestone payments to MedImmune following commercialization up to an aggregate of $200.0 million for the achievement of specified levels of aggregate annual net sales of products containing half-life extended versions of antibodies directed to influenza A and/or influenza B. MedImmune will also be entitled to receive tiered royalties based on net sales of products containing half-life extended versions of antibodies directed to influenza A and/or influenza B at percentages ranging from the mid-single-digits to sub-teen double-digits and a royalty based on net sales of products containing half-life extended versions of antibodies directed to any additional selected targets, if applicable, at a percentage in the low single-digits, in each case subject to specified reductions. These royalties are payable, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, until the latest to occur of expiration of the last to expire valid claim covering such product in such country, expiration of regulatory exclusivity for such product in such country, and 12 years after the first commercial sale of such product in such country. Additionally, we are responsible for paying any royalties due under the 2012 MedImmune Agreement as a result of our commercialization of products under the 2018 MedImmune Agreement.
The 2018 MedImmune Agreement will remain in force until the expiration on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis of all of our obligations to pay royalties to MedImmune. We may terminate the 2018 MedImmune Agreement in its entirety or on a product-by-product basis, for convenience, upon 120 days’ notice. Either party may terminate the 2018 MedImmune Agreement for cause for the other party’s uncured material breach on 60 days’ notice or immediately in the event of bankruptcy of the other party. Additionally, MedImmune may terminate the 2018 MedImmune Agreement for cause on 30 days’ written notice if we challenge the validity or enforceability of the patents to which we have obtained a license under the 2018 MedImmune Agreement.
Master Exclusive License Agreement with OHSU
In June 2012, our subsidiary TomegaVax, Inc., or TomegaVax, entered into a master exclusive license agreement, or the OHSU Agreement, with Oregon Health & Science University, or OHSU. The OHSU Agreement was revised and restated in August 2014 and again in August 2019, at which time we assumed TomegaVax’s rights and obligations as licensee under the OHSU Agreement. Under the OHSU Agreement, we obtained a worldwide exclusive license under certain patent rights
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and a non-exclusive license under certain know-how to make, have made, use, offer to sell, sell, have sold, export and import certain products relating to CMV vectors in all fields of use. The OHSU Agreement provides for us to include within the license grant additional patent or know-how rights covering certain inventions arising at OHSU and relating to the use of CMV vaccine vectors through the execution of technology addenda, each such addendum, a Technology Addendum. Each Technology Addendum relates to a single invention disclosure and family of patent or know-how rights. During the term of the OHSU Agreement to date, we have entered into 15 such Technology Addenda. We must use reasonably diligent efforts to develop and commercialize the CMV vector products consistent with its reasonable business practices and judgment, including by achieving certain specified development and regulatory milestones within certain periods. We use technology licensed under the OHSU Agreement in our T cell platform and in our product candidate VIR-1111.
Pursuant to the initial entry into the OHSU Agreement and certain of the Technology Addenda, TomegaVax issued a specified percentage of its then outstanding common stock to OHSU, which was subsequently exchanged for shares of our common stock as a result of our acquisition of TomegaVax in September 2016. In connection with the second revision and restatement of the OHSU Agreement in August 2019, we issued an additional specified number of shares of our common stock to OHSU. We are obligated to pay OHSU up to $1.3 million upon the achievement of certain development and regulatory milestones for each CMV vector product, and up to $2.0 million upon the achievement of certain aggregate annual net sales milestones for all CMV vector products. We will also be required to pay OHSU a royalty in the low single-digits on net sales of licensed products on a product-by-product basis, subject to specified reductions and offsets, and specified minimum annual royalty payments. The royalties are payable, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, until the later of (a) the expiration of all valid claims in the licensed patents covering such product in the country of sale or country of manufacture, as applicable, and (b) 10 years after the first commercial sale of such product in the country of sale. OHSU is also entitled to receive a specified percentage of any consideration received by us as a result of the grant of a sublicense under the rights granted under the OHSU Agreement, with the applicable percentage based on the development stage of the applicable program at the time of the grant of the sublicense.
The OHSU Agreement will remain in force until the expiration of all licensed patent rights or 10 years after the effective date of the last Technology Addendum, whichever is the later. Each individual Technology Addendum remains in force until the expiration of the patent rights to which it applies, or 10 years after the effective date of such Technology Addendum, whichever is later. Either party may terminate the OHSU Agreement, or any individual Technology Addendum, for the other party’s uncured material breach on 60 days’ written notice, which may be extended by an additional 120 days under certain conditions. The OHSU Agreement and each Technology Addendum also terminate in the event of bankruptcy of either party. We may also terminate the OHSU Agreement in its entirety, or any Technology Addendum individually, upon 60 days’ notice. OHSU may immediately terminate the OHSU Agreement if we or our sublicensees bring any action or proceeding against OHSU, subject to certain exceptions.
Exclusive License Agreement with the Institute for Research in Biomedicine
In December 2011, Humabs Holdings GmbH, or Humabs Holdings, the parent company of our subsidiary Humabs, entered into an exclusive license agreement, or the IRB Agreement, with the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, or IRB. The IRB Agreement amended and restated an original 2004 exclusive license agreement between the parties in connection with IRB’s proprietary technologies relating to human monoclonal antibodies and the discovery of unique epitopes recognized by such antibodies. In May 2008, Humabs entered into an exclusive license agreement with IRB, or the Humabs IRB Agreement, and together with the IRB Agreement, the Current IRB License Agreements. Pursuant to the Humabs IRB Agreement, IRB granted to Humabs an exclusive license under certain intellectual property rights for the development of certain monoclonal antibodies. Following the entry into the Humabs IRB Agreement, in February 2012, Humabs and IRB entered into a research agreement, or the IRB Research Agreement, concurrently with the termination of an original research agreement dated July 2004 between Humabs Holdings and IRB, to provide for a continuing research collaboration between Humabs and IRB, and to coordinate the exploitation of intellectual property rights arising from the IRB Research Agreement with the rights granted under the Current IRB License Agreements. Under the terms of the IRB Research Agreement, IRB performs certain research activities for Humabs, and all intellectual property rights arising under the IRB Research Agreement are either owned by Humabs, or included in and licensed to Humabs pursuant to the terms of the Current IRB License Agreements. In August 2017, we acquired all of the share capital of Humabs as described further below. Prior to the closing of such acquisition, Humabs Holdings was consolidated into Humabs, such that Humabs Holdings ceased to exist as a separate legal entity, and Humabs became the successor-in-interest to Humabs Holdings’ rights under the IRB Agreement. As a result, Humabs is the licensee under each of the Current IRB License Agreements.
We use technology licensed under the Current IRB License Agreements in our antibody platform and in our product candidates VIR-2482 and VIR-3434.
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Pursuant to the Current IRB License Agreements, IRB granted to Humabs an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under patent and know-how rights covering or associated with IRB’s proprietary technology platform relating to antibody discovery, as well as rights in certain antibodies, including as a result of activities under the IRB Research Agreement, in each case for all purposes, including to practice the licensed technology platform, and to develop, manufacture and commercialize any drug, vaccine or diagnostic product containing such licensed antibodies. Humabs is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize licensed products, and must maintain an active program to commercialize licensed products. Humabs is required to pay to IRB a flat royalty on net sales of licensed products approved for non-diagnostic use in the low single-digits, and a flat royalty on licensed products for diagnostic use at 50% of the non-diagnostic product rate, in each case subject to standard reductions and offsets. A single royalty stream is payable on products that include the licensed antibodies (including antibodies that are owned by Humabs, but developed using the licensed technology), irrespective of whether a given product is covered by patents under both of the Current IRB License Agreements. Humabs’ obligation to pay royalties to IRB, on a country-by-country basis, is reduced upon the expiration of the relevant patents in such country, and expires 10 years after the date of first commercialization of a licensed product in such country. Humabs is also required to pay to IRB a specified percentage in the sub-teen double-digits of consideration received in connection with the grant of a sublicense to a non-affiliate third party, subject to a specified maximum dollar amount for the first up front or milestone payment received under such sublicense for each licensed product, and a lower specified maximum dollar amount for subsequent up front or milestone payments for such licensed product.
Each of the Current IRB License Agreements remains in force until the expiration of all valid claims of the licensed patent rights and trade secrets included in the licensed IRB know-how. Humabs may terminate the IRB Agreement at will on 90 days’ written notice to IRB, and either party may terminate either of the Current IRB License Agreements on 60 days’ written notice for the uncured material breach of the other party.
Exclusive License Agreement with The Rockefeller University
In July 2018, we entered into an exclusive license agreement with The Rockefeller University, or Rockefeller, and such agreement, as amended in May 2019 and in September 2020, the Rockefeller Agreement. Pursuant to the Rockefeller Agreement, Rockefeller granted us a worldwide exclusive license under certain patent rights, and a worldwide non-exclusive license under certain materials and know-how covering certain antibody variants relating to a specified mutation leading to enhanced antibody function and utility, to develop, manufacture and commercialize infectious disease products covered by the licensed patents, or that involve the use or incorporation of the licensed materials and know-how, in each case for all uses and purposes for infectious diseases. The licenses granted to us are freely sublicensable to third parties. Rockefeller retains the right to use the licensed patents outside the field of use, and within the field of use solely in connection with educational, research and non-commercial purposes, as well as for certain research being conducted in collaboration with us. We are obligated to grant sublicenses to third parties with respect to products that are not being pursued and are not of interest to us following a specified anniversary of the May 2019 amendment date. Pursuant to the Rockefeller Agreement, we are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize infectious disease products as soon as reasonably practicable, including by achieving certain specified development milestone events within specified time periods for products arising from our HBV and influenza programs.
We use technology licensed under the Rockefeller Agreement in our antibody platform and in our product candidates VIR-3434 and VIR-7832.
We paid Rockefeller an upfront fee of $0.3 million for entry into the Rockefeller Agreement, and are required to pay annual license maintenance fees of $1.0 million, which will be creditable against royalties following commercialization. In addition, for achievement of specified development and regulatory milestone events, we will be required to pay up to $8.5 million with respect to the first infectious disease product for the HIV indication, up to $7.0 million with respect to each of the first four other infectious disease products with specified projected peak worldwide annual net sales, and up to $3.6 million with respect to any other infectious disease product. Following regulatory approval, we will be required to pay commercial success milestones of up to $40.0 million in the aggregate for the achievement of specified aggregate worldwide annual net sales of the first infectious disease product for the HIV indication and the first four infectious disease products with specified projected peak worldwide annual net sales. We will also be required to pay to Rockefeller a tiered royalty at a low single-digit percentage rate on net sales of licensed products, subject to certain adjustments. Our obligation to pay royalties to Rockefeller will terminate, on a product-by-product and jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis, upon the latest of the expiration of the last valid claim of a licensed patent in such jurisdiction, the expiration of all regulatory exclusivity in such jurisdiction or 12 years following the first commercial sale of the applicable licensed product in such jurisdiction. If we grant a sublicense to a non-affiliate third party under the Rockefeller technology, we will be required to pay to Rockefeller a specified percentage of consideration received from such sublicensee for the grant of the sublicense, depending on the date of receipt of the applicable sublicense income from such sublicensee.
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The Rockefeller Agreement will remain in force, absent earlier termination, until the expiration of all of our obligations to pay royalties to Rockefeller in all jurisdictions. We have the right to terminate the Rockefeller Agreement in its entirety, or in part, for any reason on 60 days’ written notice to Rockefeller. Rockefeller may terminate the Rockefeller Agreement on 90 days’ written notice for our uncured material breach, or if we challenge the validity or enforceability of any of the licensed patents, or immediately in the event of our insolvency. Rockefeller may also terminate the Rockefeller Agreement if we cease to carry on business with respect to the rights granted to us under the agreement.
Collaboration, Option and License Agreement with Brii Bio
In May 2018, we entered into a collaboration, option and license agreement with Brii Biosciences Limited (previously named BiiG Therapeutics Limited), or Brii Bio Parent, and Brii Bio, and such agreement, the Brii Agreement, pursuant to which we granted to Brii Bio, with respect to up to four of our programs (excluding mAbs in Vir’s active research and development program against coronaviruses), an exclusive option to obtain exclusive rights to develop and commercialize compounds and products arising from such programs in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, or collectively the China Territory, for the treatment, palliation, diagnosis, prevention or cure of acute and chronic diseases of infectious pathogen origin or hosted by pathogen infection, or the Field of Use. Our HBV siRNA program being developed under the Alnylam Agreement (described above) is included within the Brii Agreement as a program for which Brii Bio may exercise one of its options. Brii Bio may exercise each of its options following the achievement by us of proof of concept for the first product in such program. In partial consideration for the options granted by us to Brii Bio, Brii Bio Parent and Brii Bio granted us, with respect to up to four of Brii Bio Parent’s or Brii Bio’s programs, an exclusive option to be granted exclusive rights to develop and commercialize compounds and products arising from such Brii Bio programs in the United States for the Field of Use. The number of options that we may exercise for a Brii Bio program is limited to the corresponding number of options that Brii Bio exercises for a Vir program. All options granted to Brii Bio under the Brii Agreement that are not exercised will expire no later than seven years following the effective date, or two years earlier than such date if Brii Bio has not undergone an initial public offering within such shorter period. All options granted to us under the Brii Agreement that are not exercised will expire no later than two years following the expiration of all options granted to Brii Bio.
We are responsible, at our expense and discretion, for the conduct of all development activities under our programs prior to the exercise of Brii Bio’s options, and Brii Bio is responsible, at its expense and discretion, for all activities under its programs prior to the exercise of our options. Following exercise of an option for a specified program by either us or Brii Bio, the exercising party is granted an exclusive, royalty-bearing license to develop, manufacture and commercialize products arising from the applicable program in the United States (where we are exercising the option) or the China Territory (where Brii Bio is exercising the option), and such party is thereafter responsible for all development and commercialization activities, at its expense, in the optioned territory. If Brii Bio exercises its option with respect to our development program being conducted under the Alnylam Agreement, Brii Bio’s rights will be subject to the terms of the Alnylam Agreement, as amended.
Under the terms of the Brii Agreement, following our option exercise, we are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop at least one licensed product arising from each optioned Brii Bio program, and to commercialize each such product in the United States following regulatory approval, and following Brii Bio’s option exercise, Brii Bio is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop at least one licensed product arising from each optioned Vir program and to commercialize each such product in the China Territory following regulatory approval.
With respect to programs for which Brii Bio exercises its options, Brii Bio will be required to pay us an option exercise fee for each such Vir program ranging from the mid-single-digit millions up to $20.0 million, determined based on the commercial potential of the licensed program. Brii Bio will also be required to pay regulatory milestone payments on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis ranging from the mid-single-digit millions up to $30.0 million, also determined based on the commercial potential of such program. Following commercialization, Brii Bio will be required to make sales milestone payments based on certain specified levels of aggregate annual net sales of products arising from each licensed program in the China Territory, up to an aggregate of $175.0 million per licensed program. Brii Bio also will pay us royalties that range from the mid-teens to the high-twenties, as described below. On June 12, 2020, Brii Bio notified us of the exercise of its option to obtain exclusive rights to develop and commercialize compounds and products arising from VIR-2218 in the China Territory. Brii Bio paid us a $20.0 million option exercise fee in connection with the option exercise. We separately paid $10.0 million, half of the option proceeds, to Alnylam in connection with the Alnylam Agreement, as amended.
As partial consideration for our entry into the Brii Agreement, upon closing of Brii Bio Parent’s Series A preferred stock financing, we received ordinary shares equal to 9.9% of the outstanding shares in Brii Bio Parent. As a result of Brii Bio’s right to exercise one of its options for our HBV siRNA program, under the terms of the Alnylam Agreement, as amended, in February 2020 we transferred to Alnylam a specified percentage of such equity consideration allocable to such
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program. Upon exercise of each option for a Brii Bio program, we will be required to pay to Brii Bio an option exercise fee ranging from the low tens of millions to up to $50.0 million, determined based on the commercial potential of the licensed program. We will be required to make regulatory milestone payments to Brii Bio on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis ranging from the low tens of millions up to $100.0 million, also determined based on the commercial potential of such program. We will also be required to make sales milestone payments based on certain specified levels of aggregate annual net sales of products in the United States arising from each licensed program, up to an aggregate of $175.0 million per licensed program.
In addition, we are obligated under the Brii Agreement to pay Brii Bio tiered royalties based on net sales of products arising from the licensed programs in the United States, and Brii Bio is obligated to pay us tiered royalties based on net sales of products arising from the licensed programs in the China Territory. The rates of royalties payable by us to Brii Bio, and by Brii Bio to us on net sales range from mid-teens to high-twenties. Each party’s obligations to pay royalties expires, on a product-by-product and territory-by-territory basis, on the latest of 10 years after the first commercial sale of such licensed product in the United States or China Territory, as applicable; the expiration or abandonment of licensed patent rights that cover such product in the United States or China Territory, as applicable; and the expiration of regulatory exclusivity in the United States or the China Territory, as applicable. Royalty rates are subject to specified reductions and offsets.
The Brii Agreement will remain in force until expiration of all options or, if any option is exercised, expiration of all royalty payment obligations for all licensed products within such licensed program, unless terminated in its entirety or on a program-by-program basis by either party. Each party may terminate for convenience all rights and obligations with respect to any program for which it has an option, with 30 days’ written notice (if the terminating party has not exercised an option for such program) or 180 days’ notice (following the exercise of an option for such program). The Brii Agreement may also be terminated by either party for insolvency of the other party, and either party may terminate the Brii Agreement in its entirety or on a program-by-program basis for the other party’s uncured material breach on 60 days’ written notice (or 30 days’ notice following failure to make payment).
Patent License Agreements with Xencor
In August 2019, we entered into a patent license agreement, or the 2019 Xencor Agreement, with Xencor, Inc., or Xencor, pursuant to which we obtained a non-exclusive, sublicensable (only to our affiliates and subcontractors) license to incorporate Xencor’s half-life extension Fc region-related technologies into, and to evaluate, antibodies that target influenza A and HBV, and a worldwide, non-exclusive, sublicensable license to develop and commercialize products containing such antibodies incorporating such technologies for all uses, including the treatment, palliation, diagnosis and prevention of human or animal diseases, disorders or conditions. We are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize an antibody product that incorporates Xencor’s half-life extension Fc-related technologies, for each of the influenza A and HBV research programs. These technologies are used in our VIR-2482 and VIR-3434 product candidates.
In consideration for the grant of the license, we paid Xencor an upfront fee. For each of the influenza A and HBV research programs, we will be required to pay Xencor development and regulatory milestone payments of up to $17.8 million in the aggregate, and commercial sales milestone payments of up to $60 million in the aggregate, for a total of up to $77.8 million in aggregate milestones for each program and $155.5 million in aggregate milestones for both programs. On a product-by-product basis, we will also be obligated to pay tiered royalties based on net sales of licensed products in the low single-digits. The royalties are payable, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, until the expiration of the last to expire valid claim in the licensed patents covering such product in such country.
In March 2020, we entered into a patent license agreement, or the 2020 Xencor Agreement, with Xencor pursuant to which we obtained a non-exclusive license to Xencor’s Fc-region related technologies to extend the half-life of novel antibodies that we are investigating as potential treatments for patients with COVID-19. Under the terms of the agreement, we will be solely responsible for the activities and costs related to research, development, regulatory and commercial activities. These technologies are used in our VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 product candidates.
The 2019 Xencor Agreement and 2020 Xencor Agreement will remain in force, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, until the expiration of all royalty payment obligations under each of the respective agreements. We may terminate each agreement in its entirety, or on a target-by-target basis, for convenience upon 60 days’ written notice. Either party may terminate each agreement for the other party’s uncured material breach upon 60 days’ written notice (or 30 days in the case of non-payment) or in the event of bankruptcy of the other party immediately upon written notice. Xencor may terminate each agreement immediately upon written notice if we challenge, or upon 30 days’ written notice if any of our sublicensees challenge, the validity or enforceability of any patent licensed to us under each respective agreement.
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In February 2021, we and Xencor executed amendments to the 2019 Xencor Agreement and the 2020 Xencor Agreement primarily to expand the scope of the licensed technology under each agreement, which may increase our royalty payment obligations in certain circumstances. Under the amended agreements, we will be obligated to pay Xencor tiered royalties on net sales ranging from low- to mid-single-digits under the amended 2019 Xencor Agreement and at the mid-single-digits under the amended 2020 Xencor Agreement.
Letter Agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
In December 2016, we entered into a letter agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, or the Gates Agreement, in connection with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s investment in us through the purchase of $10.0 million of shares of our Series A-1 convertible preferred stock in December 2016 and $10.0 million of shares of our Series B convertible preferred stock in January 2019. We are obligated to use the proceeds of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s investment in furtherance of its charitable purposes to (i) conduct our programs to develop products to treat or prevent infectious disease caused by HIV and TB, respectively, with at least 50% of the funds to be used for such programs, and (ii) develop our HCMV-based vaccine technology platform in a manner reasonably expected to result in the generation of products for the treatment or prevention of other specified infectious diseases, in each case for use in specified developing countries. We agreed to use reasonable efforts to achieve specified research and development milestones with respect to our HIV program and TB program and, if requested by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on an additional mutually agreeable infectious disease program. Additionally, we are bound by specified global access commitments including a commitment to provide any products developed using the proceeds of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s investment at an affordable price to the people most in need within the specified developing countries, not to exceed a specified percentage over our fully burdened manufacturing and sales costs.
If we fail to comply with (i) our obligations to use the proceeds of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s investment for the purposes described in the paragraph above and to not use such proceeds for specified prohibited uses, (ii) specified reporting requirements or (iii) specified applicable laws, or if we materially breach our specified global access commitments (any such failure or material breach, a Specified Default), we will be obligated to redeem or arrange for a third party to purchase all of our stock purchased by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation under the Gates Agreement, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s request, at a price equal to the greater of (a) the original purchase price plus 5% compounding interest or (b) the fair market value as determined by an independent third-party, such redemption or sale, a Gates Foundation Redemption. Following a Gates Foundation Redemption, if either (i) a sale of the company or all of our material assets relating to the Gates Agreement, or (ii) a firmly underwritten public offering of our common stock at a per share valuation in excess of 200% of the valuation used for the Gates Foundation Redemption occurs, in each case closing prior to the first anniversary of the Gates Foundation Redemption, then solely if a preliminary prospectus for such offering, or a binding agreement with respect to any such sale transaction, was filed or signed, as applicable, prior to the six month anniversary of the first redemption or sale of any stock in such Gates Foundation Redemption, then the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will receive compensation equal to the excess of what it would have received in such transaction if it still held the stock redeemed or sold at the time of such public offering or sale transaction over what it actually received in the Gates Foundation Redemption. Additionally, if a Specified Default occurs, if we are unable or unwilling to continue the HIV program, TB program or, if applicable, the mutually agreed additional program (except for scientific or technical reasons), or if we institute bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, then the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will have the right to exercise a non-exclusive, fully-paid license (with the right to sublicense) under our intellectual property to the extent necessary to use, make and sell products arising from such programs, in each case solely to the extent necessary to benefit people in the developing countries in furtherance of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s charitable purpose.
In the event that we sell, exclusively license or transfer to a third party all or substantially all of our assets, the technology platform, or products arising from programs that are funded using the proceeds of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s investment, such third party is required to assume our specified global access commitments on terms that are reasonably acceptable to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Additionally, we will not grant to any third party any rights or enter into any agreement with any third party that would restrict the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s rights with respect to our specified global access commitments unless such third party expressly assumes such commitments to the reasonable satisfaction of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Consistent with the foregoing restriction, we also specifically will not enter into any such agreement negotiated in connection with a decision by us not to pursue the technology platform controlled by us as a result of our acquisition of TomegaVax. The global access commitments will continue for as long as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation continues to be a charitable entity.
Separately, in January 2018 and March 2018, we entered into two grant agreements with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, pursuant to which the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation agreed to grant additional funding to us for our HIV and TB programs, respectively, through the award of two research grants totaling in the aggregate up to $12.2 million with
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respect to the HIV program, and up to $14.9 million with respect to the TB program if we achieve all the specified research and development milestones or reporting deliverables under the grants. In February 2020, we amended the HIV grant agreement pursuant to which we were awarded with a supplemental grant of $8.6 million. In addition, the term of the HIV grant agreement was extended through December 31, 2021. The TB grant agreement will remain in effect until February 28, 2021. As of December 31, 2020, we had received $16.4 million with respect to the HIV program and $12.2 million with respect to the TB program. The grant agreements may be terminated early by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for our breach, failure to progress the applicable funded projects, in the event of our change of control, change in our tax status, or significant changes in our leadership that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation reasonably believes may threaten the success of the applicable project.
Our Acquisition Agreements
Agreement and Plan of Merger with TomegaVax
In September 2016, we entered into an agreement and plan of merger with TomegaVax, or the TomegaVax Merger Agreement, pursuant to which we purchased all equity interests of TomegaVax, a preclinical private biotechnology company. The primary asset purchased in the acquisition was a CMV vector-based vaccine platform for the development of products directed to HBV, HIV and TB.
In connection with the entry into the TomegaVax Merger Agreement, we also entered into a letter agreement with TomegaVax, or the TomegaVax Letter Agreement, which provides for certain payments to TomegaVax’s former stockholders prior to September 2024, in each case so long as we are continuing to pursue the development of the TomegaVax technology. Under the terms of the TomegaVax Letter Agreement, we will be required to pay to the former stockholders of TomegaVax milestone payments of up to an aggregate of $30.0 million if the per share price of our publicly traded common stock, or implied price per share of our Series A-1 convertible preferred stock (or common stock upon conversion) upon a certain asset sale, merger or stock sale, is at least $45 (as adjusted in the case of any stock dividend, stock split or other similar recapitalization), with the amount of such payments determined by the share price and the stage of our clinical development at the time of the relevant event triggering the payment. The share price of our publicly traded common stock will be determined using the average of the daily volume-weighted average trading price of our common stock for each trading day during a consecutive 90-day period. The foregoing payments are payable (i) during any date after the completion of an initial public offering by the company or any successor or affiliate controlling the TomegaVax technology, provided that no payment will be due before the first anniversary of the initial public offering, (ii) upon the sale of all assets related to the TomegaVax technology or (iii) upon a merger or stock sale of the company or any successor or affiliate controlling the TomegaVax technology, in each case subject to certain conditions with respect to the timing of the payments. The payments under the TomegaVax Letter Agreement can be made in cash or shares of our common stock, at the discretion of our board of directors.
Securities Purchase Agreement with Humabs
In August 2017, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with Humabs and its securities holders, or the Humabs SPA, pursuant to which we purchased all equity interests of Humabs. Pursuant to the Humabs SPA, we are required to pay up to $135.0 million upon the first achievement of certain clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones for an HBV product, or the HBV Milestones, and up to $105.0 million upon the first achievement of certain clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones for another product. Pursuant to the Humabs SPA, we are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to achieve such milestones during a specified period following the closing of the Humabs acquisition. In addition, Humabs’ securities holders are also entitled to receive certain pass-through payments that Humabs receives under certain license agreements, including the 2012 MedImmune Agreement, following deduction of certain expenses incurred by us or Humabs thereunder.
Agreement and Plan of Merger with Agenovir
In January 2018, we entered into an agreement and plan of merger, or the Agenovir Merger Agreement, with Agenovir Corporation, or Agenovir, pursuant to which we purchased all equity interests of Agenovir. The primary assets purchased in the acquisition were in-process research and development programs in human papillomavirus, or HPV, and hepatitis B virus, or HBV, generally intended to utilize CRISPR/Cas9.
Pursuant to the Agenovir Merger Agreement, we are required to use commercially reasonable efforts following the closing date to develop and seek regulatory approval in the United States for at least one product arising from the HBV program acquired under the Agenovir Merger Agreement. With respect to the HPV program, other than an obligation of
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Agenovir during a specified period (which has now expired) to use reasonable efforts to divest or grant a license to a third party, we do not have any ongoing diligence obligations to progress activities under the HPV program. During a specified period following the closing of the Agenovir acquisition, we will be required to pay Agenovir’s former stockholders up to $45.0 million in the aggregate for the achievement of specified development and regulatory milestones for the first HBV product, and if we elect to progress the HPV program, we will owe up to $45.0 million in the aggregate for the achievement of development and regulatory milestones for the first HPV product. In addition, during a specified period following the closing of the Agenovir acquisition, if we successfully commercialize one or more products arising from the HBV program or the HPV program, we will owe milestone payments for the achievement of specified levels of worldwide annual net sales of up to $90.0 million for products arising from each program, or up to $180.0 million in the aggregate, if we were to commercialize products from both the HBV program and the HPV program. In February 2020, we terminated the HPV program and we have no further obligations related to this program under the Agenovir Merger Agreement.
Sales and Marketing
Given our stage of development, we have not yet established a commercial organization or distribution capabilities. We intend to build a commercial infrastructure to support sales of our product candidates. We expect to manage sales, marketing and distribution through internal resources and third-party relationships. While we may commit significant financial and management resources to commercial activities, we will also consider collaborating with one or more pharmaceutical companies to enhance our commercial capabilities.
Manufacturing
We are currently manufacturing product candidates from three of our platforms: antibodies, T cells and siRNAs. We have established our own internal chemistry, manufacturing and control, or CMC, capabilities and are working with contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs, to supply our early stage product candidates in the near-term. We have completed our internal capacity build in process development, analytical development, quality, manufacturing, and supply chain. Specifically, our San Francisco, California and Portland, Oregon facilities include laboratories that support process development, production of HCMV research viral seed stock and selected quality control testing for our products.
We have established relationships with multiple CDMOs and have produced material to support preclinical studies and Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. Material for any Phase 3 clinical trials and commercial supply will generally require large-volume, low-cost-of-goods production. For example, for our COVID-19 program, we and our partner GSK have executed manufacturing agreements with large-scale CDMOs to support future scale-up and capacity, particularly for potential commercialization.
Production Modalities
Antibody Platform
The technology and industrial processes for producing mAbs are well-established across the biopharmaceutical industry. Over the last 20 years, process optimization and standardization has enabled process portability and facilitated manufacturing with high success rates at most biologic CDMOs, as well as the partnered use of excess capacity with other biopharmaceutical companies. We rely on the mAb process platforms and manufacturing facilities of our CDMOs and collaboration partners for all of our pipeline clinical supplies. For our COVID-19 program, we and our partner GSK have executed manufacturing agreements with large-scale CDMOs to support future scale-up and capacity, particularly for potential commercialization.
T Cell Platform
Our T cell platform is based on genetically engineered HCMV. We have attenuated the HCMV for the purpose of patient safety, but this attenuation also reduces its yield in production. To improve manufacturing efficiency and scale-up, we have made significant internal investments in process development, largely funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We have established a reproducible current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, manufacturing process in support of Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials that has been successfully transferred and executed at two CDMOs specializing in live virus manufacturing.
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siRNA Platform
Alnylam is currently supplying clinical material from their CDMO sites for the current VIR-2218 clinical trials. We plan to conduct a technology transfer and assume responsibility for Phase 3 clinical and subsequently commercial manufacturing in advance of any Phase 3 clinical trial. In addition to the current CDMOs supplying our clinical trials, other CDMOs as well as Alnylam are capable of producing kilogram-scale batches of siRNA and we may contract for Phase 3 manufacturing at one of these qualified facilities.
Manufacturing Agreements
In connection with the global spread of the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have entered into the following agreements to date in support of our COVID-19 program:
Letter Agreement, Assignment and Master Services Agreement with Samsung
In April 2020, we entered into a binding letter agreement with Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd., or Samsung, pursuant to which Samsung will perform development and manufacturing services for our SARS-CoV-2 mAbs. Under the terms of the letter agreement, we had committed to purchase a firm and binding capacity reservation for a specified number of drug substance manufacturing slots in 2021 and 2022. Samsung will reserve such manufacturing slots on a non-cancellable, non-adjustable basis and will not offer such manufacturing slots under our capacity reservation to third parties. We were obligated to pay a total of approximately $362.0 million for such capacity reservation on a take-or-pay basis regardless of whether such manufacturing slots are utilized by us, subject to annual adjustment based on the Korean Consumer Price Index. The amounts were to be payable during 2021 and 2022 and invoiced on a per-batch basis, with shortfalls invoiced at the end of the year in which such shortfall occurs.
In August 2020, we entered into an Assignment and Novation Agreement with GlaxoSmithKline Trading Services Limited, or GSKTSL, and Samsung effective as of July 31, 2020 pursuant to which we assigned and transferred to GSKTSL all of our right, title, and interest in, to and under the letter agreement, and GSKTSL became our successor in interest in and to all of our rights, duties, and obligations in, to and under the letter agreement. On August 4, 2020, GSKTSL entered into a Master Services Agreement with Samsung effective as of July 31, 2020, or the Samsung MSA, thereby superseding the letter agreement, and pursuant to which, among other things, Samsung will perform development and manufacturing services for clinical and commercial supply of antibody products under our SARS-CoV-2 antibody program.
Development and Manufacturing Collaboration Agreement with WuXi Biologics
In February 2020, we entered into a development and manufacturing collaboration agreement with WuXi Biologics for the clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization of our proprietary antibodies developed for SARS-CoV-2. Under the agreement, WuXi Biologics will conduct cell-line development, process and formulation development, and initial manufacturing for clinical development. WuXi Biologics will have the right to commercialize products incorporating such antibodies in greater China pursuant to an exclusive license granted for the selected antibodies that have been developed. We will have the right to commercialize such products in all other markets worldwide.
WuXi Biologics will perform mutually agreed development and manufacturing activities, under individual statements of work. In addition, the parties agreed that WuXi Biologics will pay us tiered royalties at percentages ranging from the high single-digits to mid-teens on annual net sales of all products sold by WuXi Biologics in greater China.
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Letter Agreement, Assignment and Master Services Agreement with WuXi Biologics
In June 2020, we entered into a binding letter of intent with WuXi Biologics pursuant to which WuXi Biologics will perform certain development and manufacturing services for our SARS-CoV-2 antibody program. Under the terms of the letter of intent, we had committed to purchase a firm and binding capacity reservation for the manufacture of a specified number of batches of drug substance of our SARS-CoV-2 antibody in 2020 and 2021. In addition, we had the right to order an additional specified number of batches of drug substance, provided we make such election by a specified date in the fourth calendar quarter in 2020. WuXi Biologics is obligated to reserve such manufacturing slots on a non-cancellable basis, and will manufacture the agreed number of batches of drug substance in accordance with an agreed manufacturing schedule. We were obligated to pay a total of approximately $130.0 million for such capacity reservation, if all batches are manufactured, inclusive of estimated raw material costs, with between 70% and 80% of the batch production fees owed to WuXi Biologics on a take-or-pay basis regardless of whether we utilize such manufacturing slots. The amounts were to be payable during 2020 and 2021 and invoiced on a per-batch basis. The SARS-CoV-2 antibody drug substance contemplated to be manufactured in accordance with the terms of the letter of intent will be utilized in connection with progressing the development and commercialization of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody product under our collaboration with GSK.
In August 2020, we entered into an Assignment and Novation Agreement with GSKTSL and WuXi Biologics effective as of July 29, 2020 pursuant to which we assigned and transferred to GSKTSL all of our right, title, and interest in, to and under the letter of intent, and GSKTSL became our successor in interest in and to all of our rights, duties, and obligations in, to and under the letter of intent. On August 4, 2020, GSKTSL entered into a non-exclusive Master Services Agreement for Commercial Manufacture of Drug Substance with WuXi Biologics effective as of July 29, 2020, or the WuXi Biologics MSA, thereby superseding the letter of intent, and pursuant to which, among other things, WuXi Biologics will perform development and manufacturing services for clinical and commercial supply of antibody products under our SARS-CoV-2 antibody program.
GSKTSL entered into the WuXi Biologics MSA and Samsung MSA in connection with the performance of GSK and our obligations pursuant to the collaboration agreement with GSK. In accordance with the terms of the collaboration agreement, we will continue to be responsible for 72.5% of the costs under each of the WuXi Biologics MSA and Samsung MSA, and GSK will bear 27.5% of such costs under each of the Samsung MSA and the WuXi Biologics MSA, subject to certain conditions and exceptions.
Clinical Development and Manufacturing Agreement with Biogen
In May 2020, we entered into a clinical development and manufacturing agreement with Biogen pursuant to which Biogen will perform process development activities and specified manufacturing services under agreed statements of work for certain pre-commercial and clinical supply of our SARS-CoV-2 mAbs. We also agreed to collaborate with Biogen to develop highly productive clonal cell lines and clinical and commercial manufacturing processes for our SARS-CoV-2 mAbs. These processes are designed to be transferrable to global biomanufacturing facilities designed for advanced biologics production. Under the agreement, Biogen will conduct cGMP clinical manufacturing in the United States and provide technical support to facilitate process transfer to Samsung, and potentially other large-scale biomanufacturing facilities in the United States and other regions of the world to enable us to obtain reliable supply of a potential commercial product.
Under the terms of the Biogen agreement, we have agreed to pay fees for Biogen’s performance of services as provided in each applicable statement of work, including costs to third parties on a pass-through basis. We entered into three statements of work with Biogen for the process development and certain clinical manufacturing services simultaneously with the execution of the agreement, with the cost of activities under such agreed statements of work totaling approximately $13.8 million.
The Biogen agreement provides us the right to request a technology transfer of all manufacturing technology and processes developed under the agreement to us or any third party designated by us to conduct manufacturing of a SARS-CoV-2 antibody using such technology, including applicable licenses to us under Biogen’s relevant intellectual property rights. In connection with any such technology transfer, we have also agreed to pay an “access fee” to Biogen for each successful batch of SARS-CoV-2 antibody drug substance manufactured using certain improvements relating to increases in batch yield developed under the agreement, whether such manufacturing is performed by us, our affiliates, or third parties. If we successfully manufacture all batches of SARS-CoV-2 antibody drug substance for which we are currently committed under the Samsung letter agreement, based on our current working assumptions of manufacturing yield per batch, the access fee payable to Biogen in connection with the Samsung manufacturing will total approximately $100.0 million.
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We will bear 72.5% of the costs under the Biogen agreement and GSK will bear 27.5% of such costs pursuant to our collaboration agreement with GSK, subject to certain conditions and exceptions.
Competition
The pharmaceutical industry is characterized by rapidly advancing technologies, intense competition and a strong emphasis on proprietary products. While we believe that our technology, the expertise of our executive and scientific team, research, clinical capabilities, development experience and scientific knowledge provide us with competitive advantages, we face increasing competition from many different sources, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions, governmental agencies and public and private research institutions. Product candidates that we successfully develop and commercialize may compete with existing therapies and new therapies that may become available in the future.
Many of our competitors, either alone or with their collaborators, have significantly greater financial resources, established presence in the market, expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical and clinical testing, obtaining regulatory approvals and reimbursement and marketing approved products than we do. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific, sales, marketing and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. Additional mergers and acquisitions may result in even more resources being concentrated in our competitors.
Our commercial potential could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than products that we may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market or make our development more complicated. The key competitive factors affecting the success of all of our programs are likely to be efficacy, safety and convenience.
COVID-19
There are limited FDA-approved treatments for COVID-19 and several treatments and prophylactic vaccines are available under EUA. An intravenously administered antiviral, remdesivir, marketed by Gilead, is FDA-approved for treatment in the hospitalized setting. Three intravenously administered antibody regimens are available under EUA, bamlanivimab alone and bamlanivimab plus etesevimab by Eli Lilly and Company, and casirivimab and imdevimab by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Regeneron, in the mild-to-moderate setting. Convalescent plasma is also available under EUA. Additionally, limited quantities of COVID-19 vaccines are available under EUA from Moderna, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. (in partnership with BioNTech SE). Numerous large and small pharmaceutical companies are developing programs with various mechanisms of actions, including prophylactic vaccines, antivirals, immunomodulators, and antibodies. Companies with antibodies in clinical development include AbbVie, Inc., Adagio Therapeutics, AstraZeneca plc, Brii Bio, Celltrion Healthcare Co.,Ltd., Eli Lilly and Company and Regeneron. Companies with oral antivirals in clinical development include Merck & Co. and Roche Holding AG, or Roche. Companies with prophylactic vaccines in clinical development include AstraZeneca plc, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, Inc. and Sanofi S.A.
HBV
Current FDA-approved treatments for chronic HBV infection include PEG-IFN-α, marketed by Roche, and oral antiviral agents such as NRTIs, marketed by Gilead, and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. These treatments do not lead to either a functional or a complete cure in the vast majority of patients, and in the case of NRTIs, require life-long therapy. Several large and small pharmaceutical companies are developing programs with various mechanisms of action, to be used alone or in combination, with the goal of achieving an HBV functional or complete cure. Companies with RNAi agents in clinical development include Arbutus Biopharma Corporation, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Janssen (part of Johnson & Johnson, in partnership with Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), and Roche (in partnership with Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) In addition, GC Pharma is developing an antibody against surface antigen. Several companies, including Altimmune, Inc., GSK, Janssen and Transgene SA, have therapeutic vaccines in late-preclinical or early-clinical development.
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Influenza
There are numerous approved seasonal flu vaccines, including trivalent, quadrivalent, high-dose, and adjuvanted products, marketed by GSK, Sanofi Pasteur, and Seqirus (owned by CSL Limited). In addition, there are approved antiviral agents to treat influenza, such as Xofluza and Tamiflu, marketed by Roche, as well as other neuraminidase inhibitors.
While several companies, including AstraZeneca plc, Janssen, Roche, have conducted clinical trials of antibodies for the treatment of influenza, to our knowledge, there are currently no other prophylactic antibodies in development. Several vaccines are in clinical development from large and small pharmaceutical companies including GSK (in partnership with CureVac N.V.), Moderna, Inc., Novavax, Inc., Pfizer Inc. (in partnership with BioNTech SE) and Sanofi S.A. (in partnership with Translate Bio). Some intend to improve efficacy or convenience over existing seasonal vaccines, and others are pursuing a universal flu vaccine approach with broad strain coverage and at least one year of protection.
HIV
No FDA-approved vaccine is currently available for the prevention of HIV. Several large and small pharmaceutical companies, including GSK, GeoVax Labs, Inc., Janssen, Profectus Biosciences, Inc. and Sanofi S.A. are actively engaged in vaccine research and development in this area. These and other companies are developing vaccines using viral vectors, nanoparticles, DNA, or formulations, with the goal of stimulating T cell-mediated and/or neutralizing antibody responses against HIV. To our knowledge, none are using a CMV-based vector. Numerous clinical trials of these vaccines are ongoing with support from the National Institutes of Health Vaccine Research Center, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. military, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, the European Vaccine Initiative, the South African AIDS Initiative, and their academic and industry partners. In addition, many of these institutions are also studying the passive transfer of broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV for prophylactic and therapeutic applications.
We may also compete with oral or long-acting antiretroviral therapies for pre-exposure prophylaxis of HIV. Truvada, marketed by Gilead, is a once-daily therapy approved for this indication. Gilead, Janssen and Merck & Co., Inc. and Viiv Healthcare Limited have long-acting formulations in development.
Intellectual Property
Our intellectual property is critical to our business and we strive to protect it, including by obtaining and maintaining patent protection in the United States and internationally for our product candidates, new therapeutic approaches and potential indications, and other inventions that are important to our business. Our policy is to seek to protect our proprietary and intellectual property position by, among other methods, filing U.S. and foreign patent applications related to our proprietary technology, inventions and improvements that are important for the development and implementation of our business. We also rely on the skills, knowledge and experience of our scientific and technical personnel, as well as that of our advisors, consultants and other contractors. To help protect our proprietary know-how that is not patentable, we rely on confidentiality agreements to protect our interests. We require our employees, consultants and advisors to enter into confidentiality agreements prohibiting the disclosure of confidential information and requiring disclosure and assignment to us of the ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions important to our business.
Our patent portfolio includes patents and patent applications that are licensed from a number of collaborators and other third parties, including Alnylam, OHSU, MedImmune, IRB, Rockefeller and Xencor, and patents and patent applications that are owned by us. Our patent portfolio includes patents and patent applications that cover our product candidates VIR-7831, VIR-7832, VIR-2218, VIR-3434, VIR-2482 and VIR-1111, and the use of these candidates for therapeutic purposes. Our proprietary technology has been developed primarily through acquisitions, relationships with academic research centers and contract research organizations.
For our product candidates, we will, in general, initially pursue patent protection covering compositions of matter and methods of use. Throughout the development of our product candidates, we seek to identify additional means of obtaining patent protection that would potentially enhance commercial success, including through additional methods of use, process of making, formulation and dosing regimen-related claims.
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In total, our patent portfolio, including patents licensed from our collaborators and other third parties, comprises over 100 different patent families as of December 31, 2020, filed in various jurisdictions worldwide. Our patent portfolio includes issued patents and patent applications in the United States and in many international countries. Our patent portfolio for our product candidates and technology platforms is outlined below:
Patent Portfolio by Product Candidate
VIR-7831
Our VIR-7831 intellectual property portfolio includes multiple United States provisional patent applications. These applications include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, and method of treatment claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from these provisional patent applications is presently estimated to expire in 2041, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Licensed Patents
Our VIR-7831 intellectual property portfolio also includes patents and patent applications that we have non- exclusively licensed from Xencor. As of December 31, 2020, these patents and applications include seven issued patents in the United States directed to composition of matter claims, methods of extending antibody serum half-life claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2025, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions. Additionally, as of December 31, 2020, these patents and applications include 91 issued patents in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
The patents and applications we have non-exclusively licensed from Xencor also include, as of December 31, 2020, four patent applications pending in Brazil, Canada, China and Europe directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, composition for use in treatment claims, and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from these patent applications is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
VIR-7832
Our VIR-7832 intellectual property portfolio includes multiple United States provisional patent applications. These applications include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, and method of treatment claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from these provisional patent applications is presently estimated to expire in 2041, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Licensed Patents
Our VIR-7832 intellectual property portfolio includes a patent family that we have exclusively licensed from Rockefeller, which includes, as of December 31, 2020, one pending patent application in the United States and 33 pending patent applications in the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization, or ARIPO (Africa), Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eurasia, Europe, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, or OAPI (Africa), Panama, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, the Ukraine and Vietnam. The applications in this family include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from the application in this family is presently estimated to expire in 2038, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Our VIR-7832 intellectual property portfolio also includes patents and patent applications that we have non- exclusively licensed from Xencor. As of December 31, 2020, these patents and applications include seven issued patents in the United States directed to composition of matter claims, methods of extending antibody serum half-life claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is
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presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2025, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions. Additionally, as of December 31, 2020, these patents and applications include 91 issued patents in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
The patents and applications we have non-exclusively licensed from Xencor also include, as of December 31, 2020, four patent applications pending in Brazil, Canada, China and Europe directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, composition for use in treatment claims, and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from these patent applications is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
VIR-2218
Licensed Patents
Our VIR-2218 intellectual property portfolio includes three different patent families that we have exclusively licensed from Alnylam.
One of these families includes, as of December 31, 2020, one issued patent in the United States directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and method of treatment claims. This family also includes 41 issued patents in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, North Macedonia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims and composition for use in treatment claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire in 2035, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Another of these families includes, as of December 31, 2020, one issued patent in Nigeria directed to composition for use in treatment claims. The 20-year term of this patent is presently estimated to expire in 2038, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
The three licensed families also collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, two patent applications in the United States, one pending international Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT, applications and 56 patent applications in the ARIPO (Africa), Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Eurasia, Europe, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, OAPI (Africa), Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine Venezuela and Vietnam directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims and composition for use in treatment claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from pending patent applications in these families is presently estimated to expire between 2035 and 2039, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Patents Owned by Us
In addition, we own three different patent families that are directed to VIR-2218 in combination with one or more other therapeutics. These families collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, four patent applications in the United States, two pending PCT patent applications and two patent applications in Taiwan. The applications in these families include method of treatment claims and composition for use in treatment claims for VIR-2218 in combination as a second therapeutic. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from pending patent applications in these families is presently estimated to expire between 2039 and 2041, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
VIR-3434
Licensed Patents
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Our VIR-3434 intellectual property portfolio includes a patent family that we have exclusively licensed from Rockefeller, which includes, as of December 31, 2020, one pending patent application in the United States and 33 pending patent applications in ARIPO (Africa), Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eurasia, Europe, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, OAPI (Africa), Panama, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, the Ukraine and Vietnam. The applications in this family include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from the application in this family is presently estimated to expire in 2038, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Our VIR-3434 intellectual property portfolio also includes patents and patent applications that we have non- exclusively licensed from Xencor. As of December 31, 2020, these patents and applications include seven issued patents in the United States directed to composition of matter claims, methods of extending antibody serum half-life claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2025, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions. Additionally, as of December 31, 2020, these patents and applications include 91 issued patents in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
The patents and applications we have non-exclusively licensed from Xencor also include, as of December 31, 2020, four patent applications pending in Brazil, Canada, China and Europe directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, composition for use in treatment claims, and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from these patent applications is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Patents Owned by Us
We also own one patent family that includes, as of December 31, 2020, one pending PCT patent application. The application includes composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and method of treatment claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from patent applications in this family is presently estimated to expire in 2040, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
In addition, through our subsidiary Humabs, we own two different patent families that include, as of December 31, 2020, one issued patent in the United States directed to composition of matter claims and pharmaceutical composition claims. These families also collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, 36 issued patents in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungry, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom that include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and composition for use in treatment claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire in 2036, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
These two families owned by Humabs also collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, one pending patent application in the United States, one pending PCT application and 25 pending patent applications in ARIPO (Africa), Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Eurasia, Europe, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, New Zealand, OAPI (Africa), the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The applications in these families include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from patent applications in these families is presently estimated to expire between 2036 and 2039, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
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VIR-2482
Licensed Patents
Our VIR-2482 intellectual property patent portfolio includes two different patent families that we have exclusively licensed from MedImmune, which collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, one issued patent in the United States directed to composition of matter claims and pharmaceutical composition claims. These families also collectively include 42 issued patents in Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungry, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Kingdom that include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire in 2034, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
The two families licensed from MedImmune also collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, two patent applications in the United States and 24 patent applications in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. The applications in these families include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from patent applications in these families is presently estimated to expire between 2034 and 2037, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Our VIR-2482 intellectual property portfolio also includes patents and patent applications that we have non- exclusively licensed from Xencor. As of December 31, 2020, these patents and applications include seven issued patents in the United States directed to composition of matter claims, methods of extending antibody serum half-life claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2025, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions. Additionally, as of December 31, 2020, these patents and applications include 91 issued patents in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
The patents and applications we have non-exclusively licensed from Xencor also include, as of December 31, 2020, four patent applications pending in Brazil, Canada, China and Europe directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, composition for use in treatment claims, and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from these patent applications is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Patents Owned by Us
We also own one patent family that includes, as of December 31, 2020, two pending patent applications in the United States and one pending PCT application. These applications include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and method of treatment claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from patent applications in this family is presently estimated to expire in 2040, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Through our subsidiary Humabs, we co-own a patent family (with MedImmune) that includes, as of December 31, 2020, one issued patent in the United States directed to composition of matter claims and pharmaceutical composition claims. This family also includes 42 issued patents in Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungry, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Kingdom that include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire in 2034, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
This co-owned family also includes, as of December 31, 2020, one patent application in the United States and 14 patent applications in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Singapore and
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Taiwan. The applications in this family include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from patent applications in this family is presently estimated to expire in 2034, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
In addition, through our subsidiary Humabs, we own a patent family that includes, as of December 31, 2020, two pending PCT patent applications and one pending application in Taiwan. The application in this family includes composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims and composition for use in treatment claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from the patent application in this family is presently estimated to expire in 2040, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
VIR-1111
Licensed Patents
Our VIR-1111 intellectual property patent portfolio includes seven different patent families that we have exclusively licensed from OHSU.
Four of these families collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, six issued patents in the United States directed to composition of matter claims, method of treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2031 and 2037, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions. Additionally, five of the seven patent families collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, 206 issued patents in Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, North Macedonia, Malta, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2025 and 2037, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
The seven licensed families also collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, nine patent applications in the United States and 99 patent applications in Algeria, ARIPO (Africa), Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eurasia, Europe, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, OAPI (Africa), Panama, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand and the Ukraine directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from patent applications in these families is presently estimated to expire between 2025 and 2037, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Patents Owned by Us
We co-own a patent family that includes, as of December 31, 2020, three patent applications in the United States and 22 patent applications in ARIPO (Africa), Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Eurasia, Europe, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand and the Ukraine directed to composition of matter claims, method of treatment claims and composition for use in treatment claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from patent applications in this family is presently estimated to expire in 2035, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Patent Portfolio by Technology Platform
siRNA Platform
Licensed Patents
Our siRNA intellectual property portfolio includes three additional different patent families that we have exclusively licensed from Alnylam.
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Two of the three families collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, nine issued patents in the United States directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and method of treatment claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2024 and 2031, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions. Additionally, the three patent families collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, 60 issued patents in Albania, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Monaco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims and composition for use in treatment claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2024 and 2031, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
The three licensed families also collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, two patent applications in the United States and 16 patent applications in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and Thailand directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims and composition for use in treatment claims. The 20-year term of the issued patent and any patents issuing from pending patent applications in these families is presently estimated to expire between 2024 and 2031, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
We have also exclusively licensed from Alnylam, as of December 31, 2020, three issued patents in the United States directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and method of treatment claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2022 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
We also have an exclusive license to additional Alnylam platform technology for HBV licensed products.
Antibody Platform
Licensed Patents
We have exclusively licensed from Rockefeller a patent family that includes, as of December 31, 2020, one pending patent application in the United States and 33 pending patent applications in ARIPO (Africa), Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eurasia, Europe, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, OAPI (Africa), Panama, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, the Ukraine and Vietnam. The applications in this family include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from the application in this family is presently estimated to expire in 2038, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
We have exclusively licensed from IRB two patent families that relate to our antibody platform technology. One of these families includes, as of December 31, 2020, two issued patents in the United States directed to process (methods of producing) claims, and 23 issued patents in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom directed to process (methods of producing) claims. The two families also collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, two pending patent applications in the United States directed to process (methods of producing) claims, as well as one patent application in the United States and 19 patent applications in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Eurasia, Europe, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand and Ukraine directed to composition of matter claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of the issued patents and any patent issuing from the pending patent applications in these families is presently estimated to expire between 2024 and 2038, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
In addition, we have non-exclusively licensed a group of patents and applications from Xencor. As of December 31, 2020, these patents and applications include seven issued patents in the United States directed to composition of matter claims, methods of extending antibody serum half-life claims, pharmaceutical composition claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2025, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions. Additionally, as of December 31, 2020, these patents and applications include 91 issued patents in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical
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composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of these patents is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
The patents and applications we have non-exclusively licensed from Xencor also include, as of December 31, 2020, four patent applications pending in Brazil, Canada, China and Europe directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, composition for use in treatment claims, and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from these patent applications is presently estimated to expire between 2021 and 2028, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
T Cell Platform
Licensed Patents
We have exclusively licensed from OHSU 10 different patent families related to our T cell portfolio.
Seven of the 10 families collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, 11 issued patents in the United States, directed to composition of matter claims, method of treatment claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of the issued patents in these families is presently estimated to expire between 2031 and 2037, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions. In addition, seven of the 10 families collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, 239 issued patents in Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treating claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of the issued patents in these families is presently estimated to expire between 2025 and 2037, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
The 10 patent families also collectively include, as of December 31, 2020, eight patent applications in the United States, a pending PCT application and 90 patent applications in Algeria, ARIPO (Africa), Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eurasia, Europe, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, OAPI (Africa), Panama, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand and the Ukraine directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treating claims and process (methods of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patents issuing from pending patent applications in these families is presently estimated to expire between 2025 and 2040, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Patents Owned by Us
In addition, we own two patent families that include, as of December 31, 2020, two patent applications in the United States directed to composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, method of treatment claims, composition for use in treating claims and process (method of producing) claims. The 20-year term of any patent issuing in these families is presently estimated to expire in 2041, absent any available patent term adjustments or extensions.
Innate Immunity Platform
We have know-how relating to our innate immunity platform and are continually developing our intellectual property in this area, as well as evaluating external technologies and assets that may also help grow this platform.
We do not currently license or own any patents related to our innate immunity platform.
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Patent Term and Term Extensions
Individual patents have terms for varying periods depending on the date of filing of the patent application or the date of patent issuance and the legal term of patents in the countries in which they are obtained. Generally, utility patents issued for applications filed in the United States are granted a term of 20 years from the earliest effective filing date of a non-provisional patent application. In addition, in certain instances, the term of a U.S. patent can be extended to recapture a portion of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO, delay in issuing the patent as well as a portion of the term effectively lost as a result of the FDA regulatory review period. However, as to the FDA component, the restoration period cannot be longer than five years and the restoration period cannot extend the patent term beyond 14 years from FDA approval. In addition, only one patent applicable to an approved drug is eligible for the extension, and only those claims covering the approved drug, a method for using it, or a method of manufacturing may be extended. The duration of foreign patents varies in accordance with provisions of applicable local law, but typically is also 20 years from the earliest effective filing date. All taxes, annuities or maintenance fees for a patent, as required by the USPTO and various foreign jurisdictions, must be timely paid in order for the patent to remain in force during this period of time.
The actual protection afforded by a patent may vary on a product by product basis, from country to country, and can depend upon many factors, including the type of patent, the scope of its coverage, the availability of regulatory-related extensions and the availability of legal remedies in a particular country and the validity and enforceability of the patent.
Our patents and patent applications may be subject to procedural or legal challenges by others. We may be unable to obtain, maintain and protect the intellectual property rights necessary to conduct our business, and we may be subject to claims that we infringe or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of others, which could materially harm our business. For more information, see the section titled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property.”
Trademarks and Know-How
In connection with the ongoing development and advancement of our products and services in the United States and various international jurisdictions, we seek to create protection for our marks and enhance their value by pursuing trademarks and service marks where available and when appropriate. In addition to patent and trademark protection, we rely upon know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect our proprietary information, in part, by using confidentiality agreements with our commercial partners, collaborators, employees and consultants, and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. These agreements are designed to protect our proprietary information and, in the case of the invention assignment agreements, to grant us ownership of technologies that are developed by our employees and through relationships with third parties. These agreements may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. To the extent that our contractors, commercial partners, collaborators, employees, and consultants use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions. For more information, see the section titled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property.”
Government Regulation and Product Approval
The FDA and other regulatory authorities at federal, state and local levels, as well as in foreign countries, extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, import, export, safety, effectiveness, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, record keeping, approval, advertising, promotion, marketing, post-approval monitoring and post-approval reporting of drugs and biologics such as those we are developing.
Small molecule drugs are subject to regulation under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and biological products are additionally subject to regulation under the Public Health Service Act, or PHSA, and both are subject to additional federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations. We, along with third-party contractors, will be required to navigate the various preclinical, clinical and commercial approval requirements of the governing regulatory agencies of the countries in which we wish to conduct studies or trials or seek approval or licensure of our product candidates.
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U.S. Biopharmaceuticals Regulation
The process required by the FDA before drug and biologic product candidates may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:
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completion of extensive preclinical laboratory tests and animal trials performed in accordance with applicable regulations, including the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice, or GLP, regulations; |
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submission to the FDA of an investigational new drug application, or IND, which must become effective before clinical trials may begin; |
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approval by an independent institutional review board or ethics committee at each clinical site before the trial is commenced; |
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performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials in accordance with FDA’s Good Clinical Practice, or GCP, regulations to establish the safety and efficacy of a drug candidate and safety, purity and potency of a proposed biologic product candidate for its intended purpose; |
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preparation of and submission to the FDA of a new drug application, or NDA, or BLA, as applicable, after completion of all pivotal clinical trials; |
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satisfactory completion of an FDA Advisory Committee review, if applicable; |
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a determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of an NDA or BLA to file the application for review; |
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satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the proposed product is produced to assess compliance with cGMPs and of selected clinical investigation sites to assess compliance with GCPs; and |
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FDA review and approval of an NDA, or licensure of a BLA, to permit commercial marketing of the product for particular indications for use in the United States. |
Preclinical and Clinical Development
Prior to beginning the first clinical trial with a product candidate, we must submit an IND to the FDA. An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational new drug product to humans. The central focus of an IND submission is on the general investigational plan and the protocol or protocols for preclinical studies and clinical trials. The IND also includes results of animal and in vitro studies assessing the toxicology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and pharmacodynamic characteristics of the product, chemistry, manufacturing and controls information, and any available human data or literature to support the use of the investigational product. An IND must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30-day period, raises safety concerns or questions about the proposed clinical trial. In such a case, the IND may be placed on clinical hold and the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns or questions before the clinical trial can begin. Submission of an IND therefore may or may not result in FDA authorization to begin a clinical trial.
Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational product to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators in accordance with GCPs, which include the requirement that all research subjects provide their informed consent for their participation in any clinical study. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the study, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. A separate submission to the existing IND must be made for each successive clinical trial conducted during product development and for any subsequent protocol amendments. Furthermore, an independent institutional review board for each site proposing to conduct the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial and its informed consent form before the clinical trial begins at that site, and must monitor the trial until completed. Regulatory authorities, the institutional review board or the sponsor may suspend a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk or that the trial is unlikely to meet its stated objectives. Some trials also include oversight by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board, which provides authorization for whether or not a trial may move forward at designated check points based on access to certain data from the trial and may halt the clinical trial if it determines that there is an unacceptable safety risk for subjects or other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy.
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For purposes of biopharmaceutical development, human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
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Phase 1. The investigational product is initially introduced into patients with the target disease or condition. These trials are designed to test the safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism and distribution of the investigational product in humans, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness. |
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Phase 2. The investigational product is administered to a limited patient population to evaluate the preliminary efficacy, optimal dosages and dosing schedule and to identify possible adverse side effects and safety risks. |
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Phase 3. The investigational product is administered to an expanded patient population to further evaluate dosage, to provide statistically significant evidence of clinical efficacy and to further test for safety, generally at multiple geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk/benefit ratio of the investigational product and to provide an adequate basis for product approval. |
In some cases, the FDA may require, or companies may voluntarily pursue, additional clinical trials after a product is approved to gain more information about the product. These so-called Phase 4 trials may be made a condition to approval of the application. Concurrent with clinical trials, companies may complete additional animal trials and develop additional information about the characteristics of the product candidate, and must finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other things, must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final product, or for biologics, the safety, purity and potency. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and stability trials must be conducted to demonstrate that the product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
During all phases of clinical development, regulatory agencies require extensive monitoring and auditing of all clinical activities, clinical data, and clinical trial investigators. The FDA or the sponsor or its data safety monitoring board may suspend a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research patients or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an institutional review board can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the institutional review board’s requirements or if the biological product candidate has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients. There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and completed clinical trial results to public registries. Sponsors of clinical trials of FDA-regulated products are required to register and disclose certain clinical trial information, which is publicly available at www.clinicaltrials.gov.
NDA/BLA Submission and Review
Assuming successful completion of all required testing in accordance with all applicable regulatory requirements, the results of product development, nonclinical trials and clinical trials are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA or BLA, as applicable, requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. The application must include all relevant data available from pertinent preclinical studies and clinical trials, including negative or ambiguous results as well as positive findings, together with detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacturing, controls, and proposed labeling, among other things. The submission of an application requires payment of a substantial application user fee to the FDA, unless a waiver or exemption applies. The FDA has sixty days from the applicant’s submission to either issue a refusal to file letter or accept the application for filing, indicating that it is sufficiently complete to permit substantive review.
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Once an NDA or BLA has been accepted for filing, the FDA’s goal is to review standard applications within 10 months after it accepts the application for filing, or, if the application qualifies for priority review, six months after the FDA accepts the application for filing. In both standard and priority reviews, the review process is often significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification. The FDA reviews an NDA to determine whether a drug is safe and effective for its intended use and a BLA to determine whether a biologic is safe, pure and potent. FDA also reviews whether the facility in which the product is manufactured, processed, packed or held meets standards designed to assure and preserve the product’s identity, safety, strength, quality, potency and purity. The FDA may convene an advisory committee to provide clinical insight on application review questions. Before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA will typically inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, before approving an application, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical sites to assure compliance with GCPs. If the FDA determines that the application, manufacturing process or manufacturing facilities are not acceptable, it will outline the deficiencies in the submission and often will request additional testing or information. Notwithstanding the submission of any requested additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval.
After the FDA evaluates an application and conducts inspections of manufacturing facilities where the investigational product and/or its drug substance will be manufactured, the FDA may issue an approval letter or a Complete Response letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A Complete Response letter will describe all of the deficiencies that the FDA has identified in the application, except that where the FDA determines that the data supporting the application are inadequate to support approval, the FDA may issue the Complete Response letter without first conducting required inspections, testing submitted product lots and/or reviewing proposed labeling. In issuing the Complete Response letter, the FDA may recommend actions that the applicant might take to place the application in condition for approval, including requests for additional information or clarification, which may include the potential requirement for additional clinical trials. The FDA may delay or refuse approval of an application if applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied, require additional testing or information and/or require post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor safety or efficacy of a product.
If regulatory approval of a product is granted, such approval will be granted for particular indications and may entail limitations on the indicated uses for which such product may be marketed. For example, the FDA may approve the application with a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS, to ensure the benefits of the product outweigh its risks. A REMS is a safety strategy to manage a known or potential serious risk associated with a product and to enable patients to have continued access to such medicines by managing their safe use, and could include medication guides, physician communication plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. The FDA also may condition approval on, among other things, changes to proposed labeling or the development of adequate controls and specifications. Once approved, the FDA may withdraw the product approval if compliance with pre- and post-marketing requirements is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the marketplace. The FDA may require one or more Phase 4 post-market trials and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product’s safety and effectiveness after commercialization, and may limit further marketing of the product based on the results of these post-marketing trials.
Expedited Development and Review Programs
The FDA offers a number of expedited development and review programs for qualifying product candidates. The fast track program is intended to expedite or facilitate the process for reviewing new products that meet certain criteria. Specifically, new products are eligible for fast track designation if they are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the disease or condition. Fast track designation applies to the combination of the product and the specific indication for which it is being studied. The sponsor of a fast track product has opportunities for frequent interactions with the review team during product development and, once an NDA or BLA is submitted, the product may be eligible for priority review. A fast track product may also be eligible for rolling review, where the FDA may consider for review sections of the NDA or BLA on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted, if the sponsor provides a schedule for the submission of the sections of the application, the FDA agrees to accept sections of the application and determines that the schedule is acceptable, and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the application.
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A product intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition may also be eligible for breakthrough therapy designation to expedite its development and review. A product can receive breakthrough therapy designation if preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the product, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs or biologics, may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The designation includes all of the fast track program features, as well as more intensive FDA interaction and guidance beginning as early as Phase 1 and an organizational commitment to expedite the development and review of the product, including involvement of senior managers.
Any marketing application for a drug or biologic submitted to the FDA for approval, including a product with a fast track designation and/or breakthrough therapy designation, may be eligible for other types of FDA programs intended to expedite the FDA review and approval process, such as priority review and accelerated approval. A product is eligible for priority review if it has the potential to provide a significant improvement in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of a serious disease or condition. Priority review designation means the FDA’s goal is to take action on the marketing application within six months of the 60-day filing date.
Additionally, products studied for their safety and effectiveness in treating serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions may receive accelerated approval upon a determination that the product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. As a condition of accelerated approval, the FDA will generally require the sponsor to perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical trials to verify and describe the anticipated effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit. In addition, the FDA currently requires as a condition for accelerated approval pre-approval of promotional materials, which could adversely impact the timing of the commercial launch of the product.
Fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation and priority review do not change the standards for approval but may expedite the development or approval process. Even if a product qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the product no longer meets the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened.
Emergency Use Authorization
In emergency situations, such as a pandemic, the FDA has the authority to allow unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of cleared or approved medical products to be used to diagnose, treat or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions caused by chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear warfare threat agents when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.
Under this authority, the FDA may issue an EUA if the following four statutory criteria have been met: (1) a serious or life-threatening condition exists; (2) evidence of effectiveness exists; (3) a risk-benefit analysis shows that the benefits of the product outweigh the risks; and (4) no other alternatives exist for diagnosing, preventing or treating the disease or condition. The “may be effective” standard for EUAs requires a lower level of evidence than the “effectiveness” standard that FDA uses for product clearances or approvals in non-emergency situations. The FDA assesses the potential effectiveness of a possible EUA product on a case-by-case basis using a risk-benefit analysis. In determining whether the known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the known and potential risks, the FDA examines the totality of the scientific evidence to make an overall risk-benefit determination. Such evidence, which could arise from a variety of sources, may include (but is not limited to) results of domestic and foreign clinical trials, in vivo efficacy data from animal models, in vitro data, as well as the quality and quantity of the available evidence.
Once granted, an EUA will remain in effect and generally terminate on the earlier of (1) the determination by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, that the public health emergency has ceased or (2) a change in the approval status of the product such that the authorized use(s) of the product are no longer unapproved. After the EUA is no longer valid, the product is no longer considered to be legally marketed and one of the FDA’s non-emergency premarket pathways would be necessary to resume or continue distribution of the subject product.
The FDA also may revise or revoke an EUA if the circumstances justifying its issuance no longer exist, the criteria for its issuance are no longer met, or other circumstances make a revision or revocation appropriate to protect the public health or safety.
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Orphan Drug Designation
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan designation to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or more than 200,000 individuals in the United States for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the United States a drug or biologic for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the United States for that drug or biologic. Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting an NDA or BLA. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the generic identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. The orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review or approval process.
If a product that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusive approval (or exclusivity), which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications, including a full NDA or BLA, to market the same drug or biologic for the same indication for seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity or if the FDA finds that the holder of the orphan drug exclusivity has not shown that it can assure the availability of sufficient quantities of the orphan drug to meet the needs of patients with the disease or condition for which the drug was designated. Orphan drug exclusivity does not prevent the FDA from approving a different drug or biologic for the same disease or condition, or the same drug or biologic for a different disease or condition. Among the other benefits of orphan drug designation are tax credits for certain research and a waiver of the NDA or BLA application fee.
A designated orphan drug may not receive orphan drug exclusivity if it is approved for a use that is broader than the indication for which it received orphan designation. In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective.
Post-Approval Requirements
Any products manufactured or distributed by us pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, requirements relating to record-keeping, reporting of adverse experiences, periodic reporting, product sampling and distribution, and advertising and promotion of the product. After approval, most changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications or other labeling claims, are subject to prior FDA review and approval. There also are continuing user fee requirements, under which the FDA assesses an annual program fee for each product identified in an approved NDA or BLA. Biopharmaceutical manufacturers and their subcontractors are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMPs, which impose certain procedural and documentation requirements upon us and our third-party manufacturers. Changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated, and, depending on the significance of the change, may require prior FDA approval before being implemented. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMPs and impose reporting requirements upon us and any third-party manufacturers that we may decide to use. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain compliance with cGMPs and other aspects of regulatory compliance.
The FDA may withdraw approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-market trials or clinical trials to assess new safety risks; or imposition of distribution restrictions or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:
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restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of a product, complete withdrawal of the product from the market or product recalls; |
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fines, warning or untitled letters or holds on post-approval clinical trials; |
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refusal of the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications, or suspension or revocation of existing product approvals; |
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product seizure or detention, or refusal of the FDA to permit the import or export of products; |
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consent decrees, corporate integrity agreements, debarment or exclusion from federal healthcare programs; |
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mandated modification of promotional materials and labeling and the issuance of corrective information; |
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the issuance of safety alerts, Dear Healthcare Provider letters, press releases and other communications containing warnings or other safety information about the product; or |
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injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties. |
The FDA closely regulates the marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of biopharmaceutical products. A company can make only those claims relating to safety and efficacy, purity and potency that are approved by the FDA and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. However, companies may share truthful and not misleading information that is otherwise consistent with a product’s FDA approved labeling. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in, among other things, adverse publicity, warning letters, corrective advertising and potential civil and criminal penalties. Physicians may prescribe legally available products for uses that are not described in the product’s labeling and that differ from those tested by us and approved by the FDA. Such off-label uses are common across medical specialties. Physicians may believe that such off-label uses are the best treatment for many patients in varied circumstances. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments. The FDA does, however, restrict manufacturer’s communications on the subject of off-label use of their products.
Biosimilars and Exclusivity
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or collectively the ACA, signed into law in 2010, includes a subtitle called the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, which created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA-licensed reference biological product.
Biosimilarity, which requires that there be no clinically meaningful differences between the biological product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity and potency, can be shown through analytical trials, animal trials and a clinical trial or trials. Interchangeability requires that a product is biosimilar to the reference product and the product must demonstrate that it can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product in any given patient and, for products that are administered multiple times to an individual, the biologic and the reference biologic may be alternated or switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic. However, complexities associated with the larger, and often more complex, structures of biological products, as well as the processes by which such products are manufactured, pose significant hurdles to implementation of the abbreviated approval pathway that are still being worked out by the FDA.
Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date that the reference product was first licensed by the FDA. In addition, the approval of a biosimilar product may not be made effective by the FDA until 12 years from the date on which the reference product was first licensed. During this 12-year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full BLA for the competing product containing that applicant’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of its product. The BPCIA also created certain exclusivity periods for biosimilars approved as interchangeable products. At this juncture, it is unclear whether products deemed “interchangeable” by the FDA will, in fact, be readily substituted by pharmacies, which are governed by state pharmacy law.
The BPCIA is complex and continues to be interpreted and implemented by the FDA. In addition, recent government proposals have sought to reduce the 12-year reference product exclusivity period. Other aspects of the BPCIA, some of which may impact the BPCIA exclusivity provisions, have also been the subject of recent litigation. As a result, the ultimate impact, implementation, and impact of the BPCIA is subject to significant uncertainty.
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Hatch-Waxman Amendments and Exclusivity
Section 505 of the FDCA describes three types of marketing applications that may be submitted to the FDA to request marketing authorization for a new drug. A Section 505(b)(1) NDA is an application that contains full reports of investigations of safety and efficacy. A 505(b)(2) NDA is an application that contains full reports of investigations of safety and efficacy but where at least some of the information required for approval comes from investigations that were not conducted by or for the applicant and for which the applicant has not obtained a right of reference or use from the person by or for whom the investigations were conducted. This regulatory pathway enables the applicant to rely, in part, on the FDA’s prior findings of safety and efficacy for an existing product, or published literature, in support of its application. Section 505(j) establishes an abbreviated approval process for a generic version of approved drug products through the submission of an Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA. An ANDA provides for marketing of a generic drug product that has the same active ingredients, dosage form, strength, route of administration, labeling, performance characteristics and intended use, among other things, to a previously approved product. ANDAs are termed “abbreviated” because they are generally not required to include preclinical (animal) and clinical (human) data to establish safety and efficacy. Instead, generic applicants must scientifically demonstrate that their product is bioequivalent to, or performs in the same manner as, the innovator drug through in vitro, in vivo or other testing. The generic version must deliver the same amount of active ingredient(s) in the same amount of time as the innovator drug and can often be substituted by pharmacists under prescriptions written for the reference listed drug. In seeking approval for a drug through an NDA, applicants are required to list with the FDA each patent with claims that cover the applicant’s drug or a method of using the drug. Upon approval of a drug, each of the patents listed in the application for the drug is then published in the FDA’s Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, commonly known as the Orange Book. Drugs listed in the Orange Book can, in turn, be cited by potential competitors in support of approval of an ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA.
Upon submission of an ANDA or a 505(b)(2) NDA, an applicant must certify to the FDA that (1) no patent information on the drug product that is the subject of the application has been submitted to the FDA; (2) such patent has expired; (3) the date on which such patent expires; or (4) such patent is invalid or will not be infringed upon by the manufacture, use or sale of the drug product for which the application is submitted. Generally, the ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA cannot be approved until all listed patents have expired, except where the ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA applicant challenges a listed patent through the last type of certification, also known as a paragraph IV certification. If the applicant does not challenge the listed patents, or indicates that it is not seeking approval of a patented method of use, the ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA application will not be approved until all of the listed patents claiming the referenced product have expired.
The FDA also cannot approve an ANDA or 505(b)(2) application until all applicable non-patent exclusivities listed in the Orange Book for the branded reference drug have expired. For example, a pharmaceutical manufacturer may obtain five years of non-patent exclusivity upon NDA approval of a new chemical entity, or NCE, which is a drug containing an active moiety that has not been approved by FDA in any other NDA. An “active moiety” is defined as the molecule responsible for the drug substance’s physiological or pharmacologic action. During that five-year exclusivity period, the FDA cannot accept for filing (and therefore cannot approve) any ANDA seeking approval of a generic version of that drug or any 505(b)(2) NDA that relies on the FDA’s approval of the drug, provided that that the FDA may accept an ANDA four years into the NCE exclusivity period if the ANDA applicant also files a paragraph IV certification.
Drugs and biologics can also obtain pediatric market exclusivity in the United States. Pediatric exclusivity, if granted, adds six months to existing exclusivity periods and patent terms. This six-month exclusivity, which runs from the end of other exclusivity protection or patent term, may be granted based on the voluntary completion of a pediatric trial in accordance with an FDA-issued “Written Request” for such a trial.
Federal and State Fraud and Abuse, and Transparency Laws and Regulations
In addition to strict FDA regulation of marketing of biopharmaceutical products, federal and state healthcare laws strictly regulate business practices in the biopharmaceutical industry. These laws may impact, among other things, our current and future business operations, including our clinical research activities, and proposed sales, marketing and education programs and constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships with healthcare providers and other parties through which we market, sell and distribute our products for which we obtain marketing approval. These laws include anti-kickback and false claims laws and regulations, and transparency laws and regulations, including, without limitation, those laws described below.
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The U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits any person or entity from, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for or recommending the purchase, lease or order of any item or service reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs. The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value. The U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute has been interpreted to apply to, among others, arrangements between biopharmaceutical manufacturers on the one hand and prescribers, purchasers and formulary managers on the other. Although there are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common arrangements and other activities from prosecution, the exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly. Practices that involve remuneration that may be alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchases or recommendations may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exception or safe harbor. Courts have interpreted the statute’s intent requirement to mean that if any one purpose of an arrangement involving remuneration is to induce referrals of federal healthcare covered business, the statute has been violated.
A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal civil False Claims Act or the civil monetary penalties laws.
Federal civil and criminal false claims laws, including the federal civil False Claims Act, which can be enforced by individuals through civil whistleblower and qui tam actions, and civil monetary penalties laws, prohibit any person or entity from, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment to the federal government or knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. A claim includes “any request or demand” for money or property presented to the U.S. government. A number of biopharmaceutical and other healthcare companies have been prosecuted under these laws for allegedly providing payments or other items of value to customers with the expectation that the customers would bill federal programs for their products or services. Other companies have been prosecuted for causing false claims to be submitted because of the companies’ marketing of products for unapproved, and thus non-reimbursable, uses.
The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, created additional federal criminal statutes that prohibit, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Also, many states have similar fraud and abuse statutes or regulations that apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs, or, in several states, apply regardless of the payor.
The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to report annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, information related to payments or other transfers of value made to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors) and teaching hospitals, and applicable manufacturers and applicable group purchasing organizations to report annually to CMS ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Beginning in 2022, applicable manufacturers also will be required to report such information regarding its payments and other transfers of value to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, anesthesiologist assistants, certified registered nurse anesthetists and certified nurse midwives during the previous year.
We may also be subject to state laws that require biopharmaceutical companies to comply with the biopharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government, state laws that require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers, marketing expenditures or drug pricing, and state and local laws that require the registration of biopharmaceutical sales representatives.
Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of available statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the federal and state laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to significant criminal, civil and administrative penalties including damages, fines, imprisonment, disgorgement, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business
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and our results of operations. To the extent that any of our products are sold in a foreign country, we may be subject to similar foreign laws and regulations, which may include, for instance, applicable post-marketing requirements, including safety surveillance, anti-fraud and abuse laws, implementation of corporate compliance programs, and reporting of payments or transfers of value to healthcare professionals.
Coverage and Reimbursement
The future commercial success of our product candidates, if approved, will depend in part on the extent to which third-party payors, such as governmental payor programs at the federal and state levels, including Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurers and other third-party payors, provide coverage of and establish adequate reimbursement levels for our product candidates. Third-party payors generally decide which products they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels for those products. In particular, in the United States, no uniform policy for coverage and reimbursement exists. Private health insurers and other third-party payors often provide coverage and reimbursement for products based on the level at which the government, through the Medicare program, provides coverage and reimbursement for such products, but also on their own methods and approval process apart from Medicare determinations. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement can differ significantly from payor to payor.
In the United States, the European Union, or EU, and other potentially significant markets for our product candidates, government authorities and third-party payors are increasingly attempting to limit or regulate the price of products, particularly for new and innovative products, which often has resulted in average selling prices lower than they would otherwise be. Further, the increased emphasis on managed healthcare in the United States and on country and regional pricing and reimbursement controls in the EU will put additional pressure on product pricing, reimbursement and usage. These pressures can arise from rules and practices of managed care groups, judicial decisions and laws and regulations related to Medicare, Medicaid and healthcare reform, biopharmaceutical coverage and reimbursement policies and pricing in general.
Third-party payors are increasingly imposing additional requirements and restrictions on coverage and limiting reimbursement levels for products. For example, federal and state governments reimburse products at varying rates generally below average wholesale price. These restrictions and limitations influence the purchase of products. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific products on an approved list, or formulary, which might not include all of the FDA-approved products for a particular indication. Similarly, because certain of our product candidates are physician-administered, separate reimbursement for the product itself may or may not be available. Instead, the administering physician may only be reimbursed for providing the treatment or procedure in which our product is used. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of products, in addition to their safety and efficacy. We may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic trials in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of our product candidates, in addition to the costs required to obtain the FDA approvals. Our product candidates may not be considered medically necessary or cost-effective. A payor’s decision to provide coverage for a product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Adequate third-party payor reimbursement may not be available to enable us to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development. Legislative proposals to reform healthcare or reduce costs under government insurance programs may result in lower reimbursement for our product candidates, if approved, or exclusion of our product candidates from coverage and reimbursement. The cost containment measures that third-party payors and providers are instituting and any healthcare reform could significantly reduce our revenue from the sale of any approved product candidates.
Healthcare Reform
The United States and some foreign jurisdictions are considering enacting or have enacted a number of additional legislative and regulatory proposals to change the healthcare system in ways that could affect our ability to sell our product candidates profitably, if approved. Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and expanding access. In the United States, the biopharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts, which include major legislative initiatives to reduce the cost of care through changes in the healthcare system, including limits on the pricing, coverage, and reimbursement of biopharmaceutical products, especially under government-funded healthcare programs, and increased governmental control of drug pricing.
There have been several U.S. government initiatives over the past few years to fund and incentivize certain comparative effectiveness research, including creation of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute under the ACA. It is also possible that comparative effectiveness research demonstrating benefits in a competitor’s product could adversely affect the sales of our product candidates.
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The ACA became law in March 2010 and substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by third-party payors, and significantly impacts the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry. Among other measures that may have an impact on our business, the ACA established an annual, nondeductible fee on any entity that manufactures or imports specified branded prescription drugs and biologic agents; a new Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program; and a new formula that increased the rebates a manufacturer must pay under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. Additionally, the ACA extended manufacturers’ Medicaid rebate liability, expands eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs, and expanded entities eligible for discounts under the Public Health Service Act. At this time, we are unsure of the full impact that the ACA will have on our business.
Since its enactment, there have been and remain judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA, as well as efforts by the Trump administration to repeal or replace certain aspects of the ACA, and we expect such challenges and amendments to continue. Since January 2017, President Trump signed several Executive Orders and other directives designed to delay the implementation of certain ACA provisions or otherwise circumvent requirements for health insurance mandated by the ACA. Concurrently, Congress considered legislation that would repeal or repeal and replace all or part of the ACA. While Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal legislation, several bills affecting the implementation of certain taxes under the ACA have been signed into law. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or Tax Act, includes a provision that repealed, effective January 1, 2019, the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the ACA on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year that is commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” In addition, the 2020 federal spending package permanently eliminated, effective January 1, 2020, the Affordable Care Act’s mandated medical device tax and “Cadillac” tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage and, effective January 1, 2021, also eliminated the health insurer tax. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, or the BBA, among other things, amended the ACA, effective January 1, 2019, to increase from 50% to 70% the point-of-sale discount that is owed by biopharmaceutical manufacturers who participate in Medicare Part D and to close the coverage gap in most Medicare drug plans, commonly referred to as the “donut hole.” In December 2018, a U.S. District Court Judge in the Northern District of Texas, or Texas District Court Judge, ruled that the individual mandate is a critical and inseverable feature of the ACA, and therefore, because it was repealed as part of the Tax Act, the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. Additionally, on December 18, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld the District Court ruling that the individual mandate was unconstitutional and remanded the case back to the District Court to determine whether the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. The United States Supreme Court is currently reviewing this case, but it is unknown when a decision will be reached. Although the United States Supreme Court has yet ruled on the constitutionality of the ACA, on January 28, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order to initiate a special enrollment period from February 15, 2021 through May 15, 2021 for purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through the ACA marketplace. The executive order also instructs certain governmental agencies to review and reconsider their existing policies and rules that limit access to healthcare, including among others, reexamining Medicaid demonstration projects and waiver programs that include work requirements, and policies that create unnecessary barriers to obtaining access to health insurance coverage through Medicaid or the ACA. It is unclear how the Supreme Court ruling, other such litigation, and the healthcare reform measures of the Biden administration will impact the ACA.
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In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the ACA was enacted. In August 2011, the President signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011, as amended, which, among other things, included aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year, which began in 2013 and, following passage of subsequent legislation, including the BBA, will continue through 2030 unless additional Congressional action is taken. However, COVID-19 relief support legislation suspended the 2% Medicare sequester from May 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021. In January 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was enacted which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several types of providers and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.
Further, there has been increasing legislative and enforcement interest in the United States with respect to drug pricing practices. Specifically, there have been several recent U.S. Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs. At the federal level, the Trump administration used several means to propose or implement drug pricing reform, including through federal budget proposals, executive orders and policy initiatives. For example, on July 24, 2020 and September 13, 2020, the Trump administration announced several executive orders related to prescription drug pricing that attempt to implement several of the administration’s proposals. The FDA also released a final rule, effective November 30, 2020, implementing a portion of the importation executive order providing guidance for states to build and submit importation plans for drugs from Canada. Further, on November 20, 2020, HHS finalized a regulation removing safe harbor protection for price reductions from biopharmaceutical manufacturers to plan sponsors under Part D, either directly or through pharmacy benefit managers, unless the price reduction is required by law. The implementation of the rule has been delayed by the Biden administration from January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023 in response to ongoing litigation. The rule also creates a new safe harbor for price reductions reflected at the point-of-sale, as well as a new safe harbor for certain fixed fee arrangements between pharmacy benefit managers and manufacturers, the implementation of which have also been delayed pending review by the Biden administration until March 22, 2021. On November 20, 2020, CMS issued an interim final rule implementing President Trump’s Most Favored Nation executive order, which would tie Medicare Part B payments for certain physician-administered drugs to the lowest price paid in other economically advanced countries, effective January 1, 2021. On December 28, 2020, the United States District Court in Northern California issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against implementation of the interim final rule. However, it is unclear whether the Biden administration will work to reverse these measures or pursue similar policy initiatives.
At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control biopharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine which drugs and suppliers will be included in their healthcare programs. Furthermore, there has been increased interest by third party payors and governmental authorities in reference pricing systems and publication of discounts and list prices. These measures could reduce future demand for our products or put pressure on our pricing.
Foreign Regulation
In order to market any product outside of the United States, we would need to comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries regarding safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials, marketing authorization, commercial sales and distribution of our product candidates. For example, in the EU, we must obtain authorization of a clinical trial application, or CTA, in each member state in which we intend to conduct a clinical trial. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a drug, we would need to obtain the necessary approvals by the comparable regulatory authorities of foreign countries before we can commence clinical trials or marketing of the drug in those countries. The approval process varies from country to country and can involve additional product testing and additional administrative review periods. The time required to obtain approval in other countries might differ from and be longer than that required to obtain FDA approval. Regulatory approval in one country does not ensure regulatory approval in another, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may negatively impact the regulatory process in others.
Further, some countries outside of the United States, including the EU member states, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, have also adopted data protection laws and regulations, which impose significant compliance obligations. In the EU, the collection and use of personal health data is governed by the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. The GDPR, together with the national legislation of the EU member states governing the processing of personal data, impose strict obligations and restrictions on the ability to process personal data, including health data from clinical trials and adverse event reporting. For additional information regarding the GDPR, see the section titled “Business—Government Regulation and Product Approval—Privacy Laws.”
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Privacy Laws
We, and our service providers, receive, process, store and use personal information and other data about our clinical trial participants, employees, partners and others. We are subject to numerous domestic and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy and data security, the scope of which is changing, subject to differing applications and interpretations, and may be inconsistent among countries, or conflict with other rules.
At the federal level, HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and their respective implementing regulations, impose specific requirements on certain types of individuals and entities relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information. HITECH, among other things, also increased the civil and criminal penalties that may be imposed for non-compliance with the law, and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce HIPAA and seek attorney’s fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions. Penalties for failure to comply with a requirement of HIPAA and HITECH vary significantly, and include significant civil monetary penalties and, in certain circumstances, criminal penalties and/or imprisonment.
Various states, such as California and Massachusetts, have implemented privacy laws and regulations similar to HIPAA, such as the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, that impose restrictive requirements regulating the use and disclosure of health information. These laws and regulations are not necessarily preempted by HIPAA, particularly if a state affords greater protection to individuals than HIPAA. Where state laws are more protective, we have to comply with the stricter provisions. In addition to fines and penalties imposed upon violators, some of these state laws also afford private rights of action to individuals who believe their personal information has been misused. California’s patient privacy laws, for example, provide for penalties of up to $250,000 and permit injured parties to sue for damages.
Additionally, the California Consumer Privacy Act, the CCPA, which took effect on January 1, 2020, gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing, and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches, which is expected to increase data breach litigation. The CCPA may increase our compliance costs and potential liability. It is anticipated that the CCPA will be expanded on January 1, 2023, when the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, the CPRA, becomes operative. The CPRA will, among other things, give California residents the ability to limit use of certain sensitive personal information, further restrict the use of cross-contextual advertising, establish restrictions on the retention of personal information, expand the types of data breaches subject to the CCPA’s private right of action, provide for increased penalties for CPRA violations concerning California residents under the age of 16, and establish a new California Privacy Protection Agency to implement and enforce the new law. Some observers have noted that the CCPA and CPRA could mark the beginning of a trend toward more stringent state privacy, data protection and data security legislation in the U.S., which could increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business. Furthermore, the interplay of federal laws—such as HIPAA—and state laws may be subject to varying interpretations by courts and government agencies, creating complex compliance issues for us and data we receive, use and share, potentially exposing us to additional expense, adverse publicity and liability.
Regulation of privacy, data protection and data security has also become more stringent in foreign jurisdictions. For example, the EU adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, or the GDPR, which imposes onerous and comprehensive privacy, data protection, and data security obligations onto data controllers and processors, including, as applicable, contractual privacy, data protection, and data security commitments, expanded disclosures to data subjects about how their personal information is used, honoring individuals’ data protection rights, limitations on retention of personal information, additional requirements pertaining to sensitive information (such as health data) and pseudonymized (i.e., key-coded) data, data breach notification requirements, and higher standards for obtaining consent from data subjects. Penalties for non-compliance with the GDPR can be significant and include fines in the amount of the greater of €20 million or 4% of global turnover and restrictions or prohibitions on data processing, which could hinder our ability to do business in the EU, reduce demand for our services and adversely impact our business and results of operations. The GDPR also provides that EU member states may implement further laws and regulations limiting the processing of genetic, biometric, or health data, which could limit our ability to collect, use and share European data, or could cause our compliance costs to increase, require us to change our practices, adversely impact our business, and harm our financial condition. Assisting parties with whom we exchange personal data in complying with the GDPR, or complying with the GDPR ourselves, may cause us to incur substantial operational costs or require us to change our business practices.
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Furthermore, European privacy, data protection, and data security laws, including the GDPR, generally restrict the transfer of personal information from the UK, EEA and Switzerland to the United States and most other countries unless the parties to the transfer have implemented specific safeguards to protect the transferred personal information. There is uncertainty as to how to implement such safeguards and how to conduct such transfers in compliance with the GDPR, and certain safeguards may not be available or applicable with respect to some or all of the personal information processing activities necessary to research, develop and market our products and services. One of the primary safeguards allowing U.S. companies to import personal information from Europe has been certification to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield frameworks. However, the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework was invalidated in July 2020 in a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework was declared as inadequate by the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner. The decision by the Court of Justice and the announcement by the Swiss Commissioner both raised questions about whether one of the primary alternatives to the Privacy Shield frameworks, the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, can lawfully be used for personal information transfers from Europe to the United States or most other countries. Authorities in the U.K. may similarly invalidate use of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and raise questions on the viability of the Standard Contractual Clauses. In November 2020, EU regulators proposed a new set of Standard Contractual Clauses, which impose additional obligations and requirements with respect to the transfer of EU personal data to other jurisdictions, which may increase the legal risks and liabilities under the GDPR and local EU laws associated with cross-border data transfers, and result in material increased compliance and operational costs. If we are unable to implement a valid mechanism for personal information transfers to the United States and other countries, we may face increased exposure to regulatory actions, substantial fines, and injunctions against processing or transferring personal information from Europe, and we may be required to increase our data processing capabilities in Europe at significant expense. Inability to import personal information from Europe to the United States or other countries may limit our ability to conduct clinical trials in Europe and collaborate with other entities subject to European data protection laws. At present, there are few, if any, viable alternatives to the Privacy Shield and the Standard Contractual Clauses. Other countries outside of Europe have enacted or are considering enacting similar cross-border data transfer restrictions and laws requiring local data residency, which could increase the cost and complexity of delivering our services and operating our business.
In addition, it is unclear whether the transfer of personal information from the EU to the U.K. will continue to remain lawful under the GDPR in light of Brexit. Pursuant to a post-Brexit trade deal between the U.K. and the EU, transfers of personal information from the EEA to the U.K. are not considered restricted transfers under the GDPR for a period of up to four months from January 1, 2021 with a potential two-month extension. However, unless the EU Commission makes an adequacy finding with respect to the U.K. before the end of that period, the U.K. will be considered a “third country” under the GDPR and transfers of European personal information to the U.K. will require an adequacy mechanism to render such transfers lawful under the GDPR. Additionally, although U.K. privacy, data protection and data security laws are designed to be consistent with the GDPR, uncertainty remains regarding how data transfers to and from the U.K. will be regulated notwithstanding Brexit.
Compliance with U.S. and foreign privacy, data protection, and data security laws and regulations could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices and compliance procedures in a manner adverse to our business. Moreover, complying with these various laws could require us to take on more onerous obligations in our contracts, restrict our ability to collect, use and disclose data, or in some cases, impact our ability to operate in certain jurisdictions. We may rely on others, such as health care providers, to obtain valid and appropriate consents from data subjects whose data we process. The failure of third parties to obtain consents that are valid under applicable law could result in our own non-compliance with privacy laws. Such failure to comply with U.S. and foreign privacy, data protection, and data security laws and regulations could result in government enforcement actions (which could include civil or criminal penalties), private litigation and/or adverse publicity and could negatively affect our operating results and business. Claims that we have violated individuals’ privacy rights, failed to comply with privacy, data protection, and data security laws, or breached our contractual obligations, even if we are not found liable, could be expensive and time consuming to defend, could result in adverse publicity and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings or be subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings. Regardless of outcome, such proceedings or claims can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of resources and other factors, and there can be no assurances that favorable outcomes will be obtained.
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Human Capital Management
Employees
As of December 31, 2020, we had 327 full-time employees, 237 of whom were primarily engaged in research and development activities. Substantially all of our employees are located in San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; and Bellinzona, Switzerland. None of our employees are represented by a labor union and we consider our employee relations to be good.
As the clinical development of our product candidates progresses, we also expect to experience significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations, particularly in the areas of research, development, regulatory affairs and, if any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, sales, marketing and distribution. In addition, we also expect to hire additional personnel in order to sustain operations as a public company.
Our human capital resources objectives include, as applicable, identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and additional employees. The principal purpose of our equity incentive plan is to attract, retain, and motivate our employees, non-employee directors, and consultants through the granting of stock-based compensation and performance cash awards.
Response to COVID-19
With the global spread of the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have implemented a number of plans and policies designed to address and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our employees and our business. We continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation and will evolve our plans and policies as needed going forward. As a result of these developments, in March 2020, we implemented work-from-home policies for most of our employees. We have also implemented plans to reopen our offices to allow employees to return when appropriate. Although these plans are based on a phased approach consistent with local government requirements, and focused on employee safety, and contemplate returning to remote work should new restrictions be implemented, there is uncertainty regarding recent phased reopening, which may be rolled back, and restrictions re-implemented. We are also working to provide our employees with the support they need to ensure continuity of business operations.
Our Corporate Information
We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on April 7, 2016. Our principal executive offices are located at 499 Illinois Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, California 94158, and our telephone number is (415) 906-4324. Our corporate website address is www.vir.bio. Information contained on, or accessible through, our website shall not be deemed incorporated into and is not a part of this report, and the inclusion of our website address in this report is an inactive textual reference only. We may use our website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation Fair Disclosure promulgated by the SEC. These disclosures will be included on our website under the “Investors” section.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors.
An investment in shares of our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, as well as the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” before deciding whether to invest in our common stock. The occurrence of any of the events or developments described below could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or prospects or cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements we have made in this report and those we may make from time to time. In such an event, the market price of our common stock could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment. You should consider all of the risk factors described when evaluating our business.
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Capital Needs
We have incurred significant net losses since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur substantial net losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.
Since inception in April 2016, we have incurred significant net losses and have never generated any revenue from product sales. Our net loss was $298.7 million, $174.7 million and $115.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $667.2 million.
We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing net losses for the foreseeable future. Since inception, we have devoted substantially all of our efforts to identifying, researching and conducting preclinical and clinical activities of our product candidates, acquiring and developing our technology platforms and product candidates, organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital and establishing our intellectual property portfolio. To date, we have never obtained regulatory approval for, or commercialized, any products. It could be several years, if ever, before we have a commercialized product. The net losses we incur may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. To become and remain profitable, we must succeed in developing and eventually commercializing products that generate significant revenue. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities, including completing preclinical studies and clinical trials of our current and future product candidates, obtaining regulatory approval, procuring commercial-scale manufacturing, marketing and selling any products for which we obtain regulatory approval (including through third parties), as well as discovering or acquiring and developing additional product candidates. We are only in the preliminary stages of most of these activities. We may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, may never generate revenue that is sufficient to offset our expenses and achieve profitability.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with biopharmaceutical product development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. If we are required by regulatory authorities to perform studies and trials in addition to those currently expected, or if there are any delays in the initiation and completion of our clinical trials or the development of any of our product candidates, our expenses could increase.
Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease the value of our company and could impair our ability to raise capital, maintain our research and development efforts, expand our business or continue our operations.
Our limited operating history may make it difficult for you to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.
We are a clinical-stage company founded in April 2016 and our operations to date have been largely focused on identifying, researching and conducting preclinical and clinical activities of our product candidates, acquiring and developing our technology platforms and product candidates, organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital and establishing our intellectual property portfolio. As an organization, we have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully complete clinical development, obtain regulatory approvals, manufacture a commercial-scale product or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful commercialization or arrange for a third party to conduct these activities on our behalf. Consequently, any predictions about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history.
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We currently have four technology platforms and eight product candidates in our development pipeline. We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known or unknown factors in achieving our business objectives, including with respect to our technology platforms and product candidates. We will need to transition at some point from a company with a research and development focus to a company capable of supporting commercial activities. We may not be successful in such a transition.
We will require substantial additional funding to finance our operations. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we could be forced to delay, reduce or terminate certain of our development programs or other operations.
As of December 31, 2020, excluding restricted cash, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $736.9 million. Based upon our current operating plan, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of December 31, 2020 will fund our current operating plans through at least the next 12 months from the issuance date of our consolidated financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2020. However, our operating plan may change as a result of many factors currently unknown to us, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned. Moreover, it is particularly difficult to estimate with certainty our future expenses given the dynamic and rapidly evolving nature of our business and the COVID-19 pandemic environment generally. We will also need to raise additional capital to complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates and fund certain of our existing manufacturing and other commitments. We expect to finance our cash needs through public or private equity or debt financings, third-party (including government) funding and marketing and distribution arrangements, as well as other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements, or any combination of these approaches. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
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the timing, progress and results of our ongoing preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates; |
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the scope, progress, results and costs of preclinical development, laboratory testing and clinical trials of other product candidates that we may pursue; |
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our ability to establish and maintain collaboration, license, grant and other similar arrangements, and the financial terms of any such arrangements, including timing and amount of any future milestones, royalty or other payments due thereunder; |
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the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates; |
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the costs and timing of future commercialization activities, including product manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution, for any of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval; |
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the revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval; |
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the costs and timing of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending any intellectual property-related claims; |
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any expenses needed to attract, hire and retain skilled personnel; |
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the costs of operating as a public company; and |
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the extent to which we acquire or in-license other companies’ product candidates and technologies. |
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rapidly evolve and has already resulted in a significant disruption of global financial markets. If the disruption persists and deepens, we could experience an inability to access additional capital, which could in the future negatively affect our capacity for certain corporate development transactions or our ability to make other important, opportunistic investments. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we could be forced to delay, reduce or altogether terminate our research and development programs or future commercialization efforts, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans.
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Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our product candidates.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs through public or private equity or debt financings, third-party (including government) funding and collaborations and strategic alliances, or any combination of these approaches. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest in our company may be diluted and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a stockholder. Debt and equity financings, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as redeeming our shares, making investments, incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures, declaring dividends or placing limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights.
If we raise additional capital through future collaborations or strategic alliances, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our intellectual property, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional capital when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise develop and market ourselves.
Our pursuit of a potential therapy for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, is at an early stage, and we are committing substantial financial resources and personnel and making substantial capital commitments with third parties in furtherance thereof and we may be unable to secure sufficient capital or manufacturing capacity to develop and commercialize a therapy that successfully treats the virus in a timely manner, if at all.
In response to the recent outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, we are pursuing various potential therapies to address the disease, including through mAbs using our antibody platform (in collaboration with several partners), such as VIR-7831 and VIR-7832. Our testing and development of these potential therapies is in early stages, and we may be unable to produce a therapy that successfully treats the virus in a timely manner, if at all. For example, we initiated a Phase 3 clinical trial in October 2020 for VIR-7831, for which we anticipate results for the primary endpoint in the first quarter of 2021.
We are also committing substantial financial resources, both internally and externally, and personnel to the development of a potential therapy for COVID-19, which may cause delays in or otherwise negatively impact our other development programs, despite uncertainties surrounding the longevity and extent of COVID-19 as a global health concern. In particular, our ability to develop an effective therapy will depend on the success of our manufacturing capabilities, for which we are dependent on third-party manufacturing organizations and which will require significant additional funding. Our current estimated aggregate commitments to GSK under the Samsung MSA and WuXi Biologics MSA for drug substance, drug product and raw material were approximately $370.0 million as of December 31, 2020, excluding the approximate “access fee” payable to Biogen. For additional information regarding our obligations under these agreements, see the section titled “Business—Our Collaboration, License and Grant Agreements” and “Business—Manufacturing—Manufacturing Agreements.”
While we believe securing such manufacturing capacity and technological expertise is crucial to the potential success of our SARS-CoV-2 antibody development programs, such capital commitments plus any future commitments, in the aggregate, may, in the future, exceed our available cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. We may also need to enter into additional manufacturing arrangements in the future in order to create an effective supply chain for our COVID-19 product candidates that will adequately support demand. We will need to raise substantial additional capital to fund the development of our product candidates and meet our capital commitments to our manufacturing partners in connection therewith. There can be no assurance that sufficient funds will be available to us on attractive terms or at all. If we are unable to obtain additional funding from these or other sources, it may be necessary to significantly reduce our rate of spending through reductions in staff and delaying, scaling back, or stopping certain research and development programs. Insufficient liquidity may also require us to relinquish rights to product candidates at an earlier stage of development or on less favorable terms than we would otherwise choose. Our business could be negatively impacted by our allocation of significant resources to a global health threat that is unpredictable and could rapidly dissipate or against which our potential therapies, if developed, may not be partially or fully effective, and may ultimately prove unsuccessful or unprofitable. Furthermore, there are no assurances that our therapy will be approved for inclusion in government stockpile programs, which may be material to the commercial success of the approved product candidate, either in the United States or abroad.
In addition, another party may be successful in producing a more efficacious therapy for SARS-CoV-2 or in producing a therapy in a more timely manner, which may also lead to the diversion of funding away from us and toward other
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companies or lead to decreased demand for our potential therapies. There are efforts by several public and private entities to develop a therapy for COVID-19, some of which are further along in the clinical development process than we are. For example, in December 2020, Pfizer Inc. and Moderna, Inc. received Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, for their COVID-19 vaccines which have been proven to be 95% and 94% effective, respectively, in clinical trials. These other entities may be more successful at developing, manufacturing or commercializing a therapy for COVID-19. Several of these other organizations are much larger than we are and have access to larger pools of capital, including U.S. government funding, and broader manufacturing infrastructure. There are no assurances that we will secure U.S. government funding or a broad enough manufacturing infrastructure, which may adversely impact our ability to commercialize a therapy for COVID-19. In addition, several organizations have already secured significant commitments from governments to purchase COVID-19 vaccines. The success or failure of other entities, or perceived success or failure, may adversely impact our ability to obtain any future funding for our development and manufacturing efforts or to ultimately commercialize a therapy for COVID-19, if approved.
Risks Related to the Development and Commercialization of Our Product Candidates
Our future success is substantially dependent on the successful clinical development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our product candidates in a timely manner. If we are not able to obtain required regulatory approvals, we will not be able to commercialize our product candidates and our ability to generate product revenue will be adversely affected.
We have invested a significant portion of our time and financial resources in the development of our product candidates. Our business is dependent on our ability to successfully complete development of, obtain regulatory approval for, and, if approved, successfully commercialize our product candidates in a timely manner. We may face unforeseen challenges in our product development strategy, and we can provide no assurances that our product candidates will be successful in clinical trials or will ultimately receive regulatory approval.
We have only recently initiated clinical trials for four product candidates and have not obtained regulatory approval for any product candidate to date. We operate in a highly regulated field and it is possible that any product candidate we may seek to develop in the future will not obtain regulatory approval.
Prior to obtaining approval to commercialize any product candidate in the United States or abroad, we must demonstrate with substantial evidence from well-controlled clinical trials, and to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, that such product candidate is safe and effective for its intended uses. Results from preclinical studies and clinical trials can be interpreted in different ways. Even if we believe that the preclinical or clinical data for our product candidates are promising, such data may not be sufficient to support approval by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. The FDA may also require us to conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials for our product candidates either prior to or post-approval, or it may object to elements of our clinical development program, requiring their alteration.
Even if we eventually complete clinical testing and receive approval of a new drug application, or NDA, biologics license application, or BLA, or foreign marketing application for our product candidates, the FDA or the comparable foreign regulatory authorities may grant approval or other marketing authorization contingent on the performance of costly additional clinical trials, including post-market clinical trials. The FDA or the comparable foreign regulatory authorities also may approve or authorize for marketing a product candidate for a more limited indication or patient population than we originally request, and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may not approve or authorize the labeling that we believe is necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of a product candidate. Any delay in obtaining, or inability to obtain, applicable regulatory approval or other marketing authorization would delay or prevent commercialization of that product candidate and would adversely impact our business and prospects.
In addition, the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may change their policies, adopt additional regulations or revise existing regulations or take other actions, which may prevent or delay approval of our future product candidates under development on a timely basis. Such policy or regulatory changes could impose additional requirements upon us that could delay our ability to obtain approvals, increase the costs of compliance or restrict our ability to maintain any marketing authorizations we may have obtained.
Furthermore, even if we obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, we may still need to develop a commercial organization, establish a commercially viable pricing structure and obtain approval for coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party and government payors, including government health administration authorities. If we are
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unable to successfully commercialize our product candidates, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to continue our business.
The development of additional product candidates is risky and uncertain, and we can provide no assurances that we will be able to replicate our approach for other diseases.
A core element of our business strategy is to expand our product candidate pipeline. Efforts to identify, acquire or in-license, and then develop product candidates require substantial technical, financial and human resources, whether or not any product candidates are ultimately identified. Our efforts may initially show promise in identifying potential product candidates, yet fail to yield product candidates for clinical development, approved products or commercial revenue for many reasons.
We have limited financial and management resources and, as a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that later prove to have greater market potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in circumstances under which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such product candidate. In addition, we may not be successful in replicating our approach to development for other disease indications. If we are unsuccessful in identifying and developing additional product candidates or are unable to do so, our business may be harmed.
We are developing, and in the future may develop, other product candidates in combination with other therapies, which exposes us to additional risks.
We are developing VIR-2218 and VIR-3434 for the functional cure of hepatitis B virus, or HBV. Each of these product candidates has the potential to stimulate an effective immune response and also has direct antiviral activity against HBV. We believe that a functional cure for HBV will require an effective immune response, in addition to antiviral activity, based on the observation that severe immunosuppression can reactivate HBV disease. Monotherapy with each of these agents may provide a functional cure in some patients, while combination therapy may be necessary for others. We initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial to combine VIR-2218 with pegylated interferon-alpha and we are planning trials that combine VIR-2218 with VIR-3434. We are also evaluating additional combinations with other immunotherapy agents and direct acting antiviral agents. Even if any product candidate we develop were to receive marketing approval or be commercialized for use in combination with other existing therapies, we would continue to be subject to the risks that the FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside of the United States could revoke approval of the therapy used in combination with our product candidate. There is also a risk that safety, efficacy, manufacturing or supply issues could arise with these other existing therapies. This could result in our own products being removed from the market or being less successful commercially.
We may also evaluate our future product candidates in combination with one or more other therapies that have not yet been approved for marketing by the FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside of the United States. We will not be able to market any product candidate we develop in combination with any such unapproved therapies that do not ultimately obtain marketing approval.
If the FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside of the United States do not approve these other drugs or revoke their approval of, or if safety, efficacy, manufacturing or supply issues arise with, the drugs we choose to evaluate in combination with any product candidate we develop, we may be unable to obtain approval.
Success in preclinical studies or earlier clinical trials may not be indicative of results in future clinical trials and we cannot assure you that any ongoing, planned or future clinical trials will lead to results sufficient for the necessary regulatory approvals.
Success in preclinical testing and earlier clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will generate the same results or otherwise provide adequate data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a product candidate. Success in preclinical studies and earlier clinical trials does not ensure that later efficacy trials will be successful, nor does it predict final results. Our product candidates may fail to show the desired characteristics in clinical development sufficient to obtain regulatory approval, despite positive results in preclinical studies or having successfully advanced through earlier clinical trials.
A trial design that is considered appropriate for regulatory approval includes a sufficiently large sample size with appropriate statistical power, as well as proper control of bias, to allow a meaningful interpretation of the results. If we do not
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conduct clinical trials with a large enough patient sample size, we may not achieve statistically significant results or the same level of statistical significance, if any, that would have been possible to achieve in a larger trial.
As an organization, we have limited experience designing clinical trials and may be unable to design and execute a clinical trial to support regulatory approval which could mean we will suffer setbacks. Any such setbacks could negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Interim, “top-line” and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.
From time to time, we may publish interim, “top-line” or preliminary data from our clinical trials. Interim data from clinical trials that we may complete are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues and more patient data become available. Preliminary or “top-line” data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the preliminary data we previously published. As a result, interim and preliminary data should be viewed with caution until the final data is available. Differences between preliminary or interim data and final data could significantly harm our business prospects and may cause the trading price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly.
Clinical product development involves a lengthy and expensive process. We may incur additional costs and encounter substantial delays or difficulties in our clinical trials.
We may not commercialize, market, promote or sell any product candidate without obtaining marketing approval from the FDA or other comparable regulatory authority, and we may never receive such approvals. It is impossible to predict when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans and will receive regulatory approval. Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of our product candidates, we must complete preclinical development and then conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates in humans. Clinical testing is expensive, is difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is uncertain as to outcome. We cannot guarantee that any clinical trials will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval of their products. We may experience numerous unforeseen events prior to, during, or as a result of, clinical trials that could delay or prevent our ability to receive marketing approval or commercialize our product candidates.
Any inability to successfully complete preclinical and clinical development could result in additional costs to us or impair our ability to generate revenue from future product sales or other sources. In addition, if we make manufacturing or formulation changes to our product candidates, we may need to conduct additional testing to bridge our modified product candidate to earlier versions. Clinical trial delays could also shorten any periods during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our product candidates, if approved, or allow our competitors to bring competing products to market before we do, which could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Additionally, if the results of our clinical trials are inconclusive or if there are safety concerns or serious adverse events associated with our product candidates, we may:
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be delayed in obtaining marketing approval, or not obtain marketing approval at all; |
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obtain approval for indications or patient populations that are not as broad as intended or desired; |
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obtain approval with labeling that includes significant use or distribution restrictions or safety warnings; |
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be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements; |
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be required to perform additional clinical trials to support approval or be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements; |
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have regulatory authorities withdraw, or suspend, their approval of the product or impose restrictions on its distribution in the form of a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS; |
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be subject to the addition of labeling statements, such as warnings or contraindications; |
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be sued; or |
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experience damage to our reputation. |
Our product development costs will also increase if we experience delays in testing or obtaining marketing approvals.. We do not know whether any of our preclinical studies or clinical trials will begin as planned, need to be restructured or be completed on schedule, if at all.
Furthermore, our product candidates are based on certain innovative technology platforms, which makes it even more difficult to predict the time and cost of product candidate development and obtaining regulatory approval, particularly for our small interfering ribonucleic acid, or siRNA, and cytomegalovirus, or CMV, vector technologies. Relatively few siRNA product candidates have ever been tested in humans and to date very few have received regulatory approval. In addition, the compounds we are developing may not demonstrate in patients the chemical and pharmacological properties ascribed to them in preclinical studies, and they may interact with human biological systems in unforeseen, ineffective or harmful ways.
As part of our T cell platform, our approach is to use human cytomegalovirus, or HCMV, as a vaccine vector to potentially treat and prevent pathogens refractory to current vaccine technologies because HCMV may induce potent and long-lasting T cell responses to a broader range of epitopes than observed for other viral vaccines. Safety and toxicity trials for this technology have so far only been conducted in animal species, in which HCMV has limited ability to replicate. If our first clinical trial for VIR-1111 causes unexpected side effects that are not tolerable in the treatment of the relevant patient group, the further development of the product candidates and any other potential products based on HCMV-vector technology may be significantly limited or become impossible. Also, because our HCMV-vector technology is novel, regulatory agencies may lack experience with product candidates such as VIR-1111, which may lengthen the regulatory review process, increase our development costs and delay or prevent commercialization of our product candidates. In addition, our HCMV-vector technology utilizes live-attenuated, genetically-modified organisms for which the FDA, the European Medicines Agency, or the EMA, and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities and other public health authorities, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and hospitals involved in clinical trials, have established additional safety and contagion rules and procedures, which could establish additional hurdles for the development, manufacture or use of our vectors. These hurdles may lead to delays in the conduct of clinical trials or in obtaining regulatory approvals for further development, manufacturing or commercialization of our product candidates.
Further, we, the FDA, a foreign regulatory authority or an institutional review board may suspend our clinical trials at any time if it appears that we or our collaborators are failing to conduct a trial in accordance with regulatory requirements, including the FDA’s current Good Clinical Practice, or GCP, regulations, that we are exposing participants to unacceptable health risks, or if the FDA or foreign regulatory authority finds deficiencies in our INDs, or clinical trial applications, or CTAs, respectively, or the conduct of these trials. Moreover, we may not be able to file INDs to commence additional clinical trials on the timelines we expect because our filing schedule is dependent on further preclinical and manufacturing progress. Therefore, we cannot predict with any certainty the schedule for commencement and completion of future clinical trials. If we experience delays in the commencement or completion of our clinical trials, or if we terminate a clinical trial prior to completion, the commercial prospects of our product candidates could be negatively impacted, and our ability to generate revenue from our product candidates may be delayed.
Enrollment and retention of patients in clinical trials is an expensive and time-consuming process and could be delayed, made more difficult or rendered impossible by multiple factors outside our control.
Identifying and qualifying patients to participate in our clinical trials is critical to our success. We are developing VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 for the treatment of COVID-19, VIR-2218 and VIR-3434 for the treatment of HBV, VIR-2482 for the prevention of influenza A, and VIR-1111 for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. In particular, clinical trials for prophylaxes tend to require enrollment of a larger number of subjects than clinical trials for treatments. We may encounter difficulties in enrolling patients in our clinical trials, thereby delaying or preventing development and approval of our product candidates. Even once enrolled, we may be unable to retain a sufficient number of patients to complete any of our trials. Patient enrollment and retention in clinical trials depends on many factors, including the size of the patient population, the nature of the trial protocol, the existing body of safety and efficacy data, the number and nature of competing treatments and ongoing clinical trials of competing therapies for the same indication, the proximity of patients to clinical sites and the eligibility criteria for the trial. In addition, enrollment and retention of patients in clinical trials could be disrupted by man-made or natural disasters, or public health pandemics or epidemics or other business interruptions, including, the current COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks of the disease.
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Our efforts to build relationships with patient communities may not succeed, which could result in delays in patient enrollment in our clinical trials. Any negative results we may report in clinical trials of our product candidates may make it difficult or impossible to recruit and retain patients in other clinical trials of that same product candidate. Delays or failures in planned patient enrollment or retention may result in increased costs, program delays or both, which could have a harmful effect on our ability to develop our product candidates or could render further development impossible. In addition, we may rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure proper and timely conduct of our future clinical trials and, while we intend to enter into agreements governing their services, we will be limited in our ability to ensure their actual performance.
Our product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences following any potential marketing approval.
During the conduct of clinical trials, patients report changes in their health, including illnesses, injuries and discomforts, to their doctor. Often, it is not possible to determine whether or not the product candidate being studied caused these conditions. Regulatory authorities may draw different conclusions and may require us to pause our clinical trials or require additional testing to confirm these determinations, if they occur.
In addition, it is possible that as we test our product candidates in larger, longer and more extensive clinical trials, or as use of these product candidates becomes more widespread if they receive regulatory approval, illnesses, injuries, discomforts and other adverse events that were not observed in earlier trials, as well as conditions that did not occur or went undetected in previous trials, will be reported by subjects or patients. Many times, side effects are only detectable after investigational products are tested in large-scale pivotal trials or, in some cases, after they are made available to patients on a commercial scale after approval. If additional clinical experience indicates that any of our product candidates have side effects or cause serious or life-threatening side effects, the development of the product candidate may fail or be delayed, or, if the product candidate has received regulatory approval, such approval may be revoked, which would harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We are a party to strategic collaboration and license agreements pursuant to which we are obligated to make substantial payments upon achievement of milestone events and, in certain cases, have relinquished important rights over the development and commercialization of certain current and future product candidates. We also intend to explore additional strategic collaborations, which may never materialize or may require that we relinquish rights to and control over the development and commercialization of our product candidates.
We are a party to various strategic collaboration and license agreements that are important to our business and to our current and future product candidates pursuant to which we license a number of technologies to form our technology platforms. These agreements contain obligations that require us to make substantial payments in the event certain milestone events are achieved.
We may in the future be required to make these payments, which could adversely affect our financial condition. In addition, we cannot be certain that we will achieve the results or benefits that justifies entering into these agreements. For additional information regarding these and other collaboration, license and grant agreements, see the section titled “Business—Our Collaboration, License and Grant Agreements.”
A core element of our business strategy also includes continuing to acquire or in-license additional technologies or product candidates for the treatment and prevention of serious infectious diseases. As a result, we intend to periodically explore a variety of possible strategic collaborations or licenses in an effort to gain access to additional product candidates, technologies or resources.
At this time, we cannot predict what form such strategic collaborations or licenses might take in the future. We are likely to face significant competition in seeking appropriate strategic collaborators, and strategic collaborations and licenses can be complicated and time-consuming to negotiate and document. We may not be able to negotiate strategic collaborations on acceptable terms, or at all. We are unable to predict when, if ever, we will enter into any additional strategic collaborations or licenses because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with establishing them. Any delays in entering into new strategic collaborations or licenses related to our product candidates could delay the development and commercialization of our product candidates in certain geographies for certain indications, which would harm our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our current and future collaborations and licenses could subject us to a number of risks, including the following:
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we may be required to undertake the expenditure of substantial operational, financial and management resources; |
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we may be required to assume substantial actual or contingent liabilities; |
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we may not be able to control the amount and timing of resources that our strategic collaborators devote to the development or commercialization of our product candidates; |
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strategic collaborators may select indications or design clinical trials in a way that may be less successful than if we were doing so; |
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strategic collaborators may delay clinical trials, provide insufficient funding, terminate a clinical trial or abandon a product candidate, repeat or conduct new clinical trials or require a new version of a product candidate for clinical testing; |
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strategic collaborators may not pursue further development and commercialization of products resulting from the strategic collaboration arrangement or may elect to discontinue research and development programs; |
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disputes may arise between us and our strategic collaborators that result in costly litigation or arbitration that diverts management’s attention and consumes resources; |
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strategic collaborators may experience financial difficulties; |
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strategic collaborators may not properly maintain, enforce or defend our intellectual property rights or may use our proprietary information in a manner that could jeopardize or invalidate our proprietary information or expose us to potential litigation; and |
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strategic collaborators could terminate the arrangement or allow it to expire, which would delay the development and may increase the cost of developing our pro |