UNITED STATESSECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549
|X| QUARTERLY REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THESECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
OR
|_| TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 0R 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Commission File Number 000-23186
BIOCRYST PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
2190 Parkway Lake Drive; Birmingham, Alabama 35244 (Address and zip code of principal executive offices)
(205) 444-4600 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
NONE (Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days: Yes |X| No |_|
Indicate by a check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). Yes |_| No |X|.
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: 17,733,583 shares of the Company’s Common Stock, $.01 par value, were outstanding as of October 31, 2003.
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See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
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Note 1. Basis of Preparation
The condensed balance sheet as of September 30, 2003 and the condensed statements of operations and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 have been prepared by the Company in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and have not been audited. Such financial statements reflect all adjustments that are, in management’s opinion, necessary to present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position at September 30, 2003 and the results of operations and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002. Preparing financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Examples include accrued clinical and preclinical expenses. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
These condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2002 and the notes thereto included in the Company’s 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Interim operating results are not necessarily indicative of operating results for the full year. The condensed balance sheet as of December 31, 2002 has been prepared from the audited financial statements included in the previously mentioned Annual Report.
Note 2. Net Loss Per Share
The Company computes net loss per share in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 128, Earnings per Share. Net loss per share is based upon the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted loss per share includes common equivalent shares from unexercised stock options and common shares expected to be issued under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan. For all periods presented, diluted loss per share does not include the impact of potential common shares outstanding, as the impact of those shares is anti-dilutive.
Note 3. Stock-Based Compensation
The Company accounts for stock-based compensation under Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees (“APB No. 25”). Under APB No. 25, the Company’s stock option and employee stock purchase plans qualify as noncompensatory plans. Under Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation 44,Accounting for Certain Transactions involving Stock Compensation, an Interpretation of APB No. 25, outside directors are considered employees for purposes of applying APB No. 25, if they are elected by the shareholders. Consequently, no compensation expense for employees and directors is recognized. Stock issued to non-employees is compensatory and compensation expense is recognized under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation (“Statement No. 123”) as amended by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 148 Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation-Transition and Disclosure (“Statement No. 148”).
The following table illustrates the pro forma effect on net loss and net loss per share had the Company applied the fair value recognition provisions of Statement No. 123 for the three month and nine month periods ended September 30, 2003 and 2002.
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Note 4. Impairment of long-lived assets
The Company periodically reviews its patents and licenses for impairment in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets (“Statement No. 144”) to determine any impairment that needs to be recognized. During the quarter ended June 30, 2002, the Company abandoned the development of peramivir, its influenza neuraminidase inhibitor. As a result, the Company recognized an expense of $374,000 during the quarter ended June 30, 2002 related to the patents for our neuraminidase inhibitors, as they no longer had any readily determinable value to the Company.
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains certain statements of a forward-looking nature relating to future events or the future financial performance of the Company. Such statements are only predictions and the actual events or results may differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include those discussed below as well as those discussed in other filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Since our inception in 1986, we have been engaged in research and development activities and organizational efforts, including:
Our revenues have generally been limited to license fees, milestone payments, interest income, and collaboration research and development fees. The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 101, Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements (“SAB 101”). Research and development revenue on cost-reimbursement agreements is recognized as expenses are incurred, up to contractual limits. Research and development fees, license fees and milestone payments are recognized as revenue when the earnings process is complete, the Company has no further continuing performance obligations and has completed its performance under the terms of the agreement, in accordance with SAB 101. License fees and milestone payments received under licensing agreements that are related to future performance are deferred and taken into income as earned over the estimated drug development period. The Company has not received any revenues or royalties from the sale of licensed pharmaceutical products. It could be several years, if ever, before we will recognize significant revenue from royalties received pursuant to our license agreements or revenue directly from product sales. Future revenues, if any, are likely to fluctuate substantially from quarter to quarter.
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We have incurred operating losses since our inception. Our accumulated deficit at September 30, 2003 was $101.4 million. We will require substantial expenditures relating to the development of our current and future drug candidates. During the three years ended December 31, 2002, we spent 32.3% of our research and development expenses on contract research and development, including:
The above expenditures for contract research and development for our current and future drug candidates will vary from quarter to quarter depending on the status of our research and development projects. For example, on June 25, 2002, we announced preliminary Phase III clinical trial data for peramivir, our investigational oral influenza neuraminidase inhibitor. The trial indicated no statistically significant difference in the primary efficacy endpoint between groups treated with peramivir and groups treated with placebo. Based on these data, we discontinued the development of peramivir. During the first nine months of 2002, our cash expenses related to this trial were approximately $4 million. After terminating the development of peramivir, the Company streamlined its operations, reducing its workforce from 75 employees to 45 employees in order to conserve its resources and provide a longer timeframe in which to advance its other programs.
Changes in our existing and future research and development and collaborative relationships will also impact the status of our research and development projects. Although we may, in some cases, be able to control the timing of development expenses, in part by accelerating or decelerating certain of these costs, many of these costs will be incurred irrespective of whether we are able to discover drug candidates or obtain collaborative partners for commercialization. As a result, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our financial results are not necessarily meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. If we fail to meet the research, clinical and financial expectations of securities analysts and investors, it could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock.
Results of Operations (three months ended September 30, 2003 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2002)
Interest and other income decreased 46.1% to $222,000 in the third quarter of 2003 compared to $412,000 in the third quarter of 2002. This decrease was due to a reduction in cash and a lower interest rate environment in 2003.
Research and development expenses decreased 2.1% to $3,105,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2003 from $3,172,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2002. The decrease is primarily attributed to lower personnel costs due to a smaller staff in 2003, which was partially offset by an increase in the clinical development costs associated with our lead drug candidate, BCX-1777.
General and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2003 decreased 19.7% to $526,000 as compared to $655,000 for the same period in 2002. This decrease is primarily related to our reduced staff in 2003.
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Results of Operations (nine months ended September 30, 2003 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2002)
Revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 were $796,000, compared to $1,412,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. The net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 was $9,450,000, or $0.53 per share, compared to a net loss of $14,193,000 or $0.80 per share, for the same period last year. The decrease in revenues in the first nine months of 2003 was due to lower interest income as a result of the reduction in cash and a lower interest rate environment in 2003.
Research and development expenses decreased 33.8% to $8,559,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2003 from $12,935,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2002. The decrease is primarily attributable to reduced clinical trial expenses in 2003 due to the discontinuation in June 2002 of the Phase III development of peramivir. In addition, personnel and other operating costs were lower due to a smaller staff in 2003.
General and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 decreased 26.5% to $1,687,000 as compared to $2,296,000 for the same period in 2002. This decrease is also primarily related to our reduced staff in 2003 and lower professional fees as compared to 2002 when we implemented a stockholder rights plan. The lower expenses for 2003 also reflect the fact that we had no impairment charges, compared to an impairment of patents charge of $374,000 in the second quarter 2002 that was related to the termination of the peramivir program.
Cash expenditures have exceeded revenues since the Company’s inception. Our operations have principally been funded through various sources, including the following:
In addition, we have attempted to contain costs and reduce cash flow requirements by renting scientific equipment and facilities, contracting with other parties to conduct certain research and development and using consultants. We expect to incur additional expenses, potentially resulting in significant losses, as we continue to pursue our research and development activities and undertake additional preclinical studies and clinical trials of compounds which have been or may be discovered. We also expect to incur substantial expenses related to the filing, prosecution, maintenance, defense and enforcement of patent and other intellectual property claims.
On June 25, 2002, we announced we were discontinuing the development of peramivir, our investigational oral influenza neuraminidase inhibitor designed to treat and prevent influenza. After terminating the development of peramivir, the Company streamlined its operations in order to conserve its resources and provide a longer timeframe in which to advance its other programs.
On August 5, 2002, at the request of Dr. Charles E. Bugg, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Dr. J. Claude Bennett, our President, Chief Operating Officer and Medical Director, our Compensation Committee and board of directors approved a 25% reduction in their salaries, effective August 1, 2002. In the event of any change of control of the Company, any cumulative salary reductions up to the date of the change of control would become due and payable to them. The aggregate monthly amount of the reduction was $14,677.
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On October 24, 2003, our compensation committee voted to pay Dr. Charles E. Bugg, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, $484,500 as consideration for the cancellation of options held by Dr. Bugg to purchase 170,000 shares of our common stock. The expiration date of the options was November 18, 2003, and the exercise price of the options was $6.00 per share.
The Company invests its excess cash principally in U.S. marketable securities from a diversified portfolio of institutions with strong credit ratings and in U.S. government and agency bills and notes, and by policy, limits the amount of credit exposure at any one institution. These investments are generally not collateralized and mature within three years. The Company has not realized any losses from such investments. In addition, at September 30, 2003, approximately $5.4 million was invested in the Merrill Lynch Premier Institutional Fund, which invests primarily in commercial paper, U.S. government and agency bills and notes, corporate notes, certificates of deposit and time deposits. The Merrill Lynch Premier Institutional Fund is not insured. At September 30, 2003, our cash, cash equivalents and securities held-to-maturity were $27.6 million, a decrease of $8.5 million from December 31, 2002, principally due to the funding of current operations.
We have financed some of our equipment purchases with lease lines of credit. We currently have a $500,000 general line of credit with our bank, secured by a pledge of $600,000 in marketable securities. There was nothing drawn against this line as of September 30, 2003. In July 2000, we renegotiated our lease for our current facilities, which will expire on June 30, 2010. We have an option to renew the lease for an additional five years at the current market rate in effect on June 30, 2010 and a one-time option to terminate the lease on June 30, 2008 for a termination fee of approximately $124,000. The lease, as amended effective July 1, 2001 for an additional 7,200 square feet, requires us to pay monthly rent starting at $33,145 per month in July 2001 and escalating annually to a minimum of $47,437 per month in the final year, plus our pro rata share of operating expenses and real estate taxes in excess of base year amounts. As part of the lease, we have deposited a U.S. Treasury security in escrow for the payment of rent and performance of other obligations specified in the lease. This pledged amount is currently $390,000, which will be decreased by $65,000 annually throughout the term of the lease.
In February 2002, we completed a renovation for approximately $2.6 million to add two chemistry laboratories and purchase additional equipment. Currently, there are no plans for additional renovations.
As a result of the reduction in our staff during July 2002, we have approximately 14,000 square feet of excess space, which is currently being subleased.
At December 31, 2002, we had long-term operating lease obligations, which provide for aggregate minimum payments of $580,803 in 2003, $594,897 in 2004 and $605,139 in 2005. These obligations include the future rental of our operating facility.
We plan to finance our needs principally from the following:
We believe that our available funds will be sufficient to fund our operations at least through 2004. However, this is a forward-looking statement, and there may be changes that would consume available resources significantly before such time. Our long-term capital requirements and the adequacy of our available funds will depend upon many factors, including:
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Additional funding, whether through additional sales of securities or collaborative or other arrangements with corporate partners or from other sources, may not be available when needed or on terms acceptable to us. The issuance of preferred or common stock or convertible securities, with terms and prices significantly more favorable than those of the currently outstanding common stock, could have the effect of diluting or adversely affecting the holdings or rights of our existing stockholders. In addition, collaborative arrangements may require us to transfer certain material rights to such corporate partners. Insufficient funds may require us to delay, scale-back or eliminate certain of our research and development programs.
We have established various accounting policies that govern the application of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, which were utilized in the preparation of our financial statements. Certain accounting policies involve significant judgments and assumptions by management that have a material impact on the carrying value of certain assets and liabilities; management considers such accounting policies to be critical accounting policies. The judgments and assumptions used by management are based on historical experience and other factors, which are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Because of the nature of the judgments and assumptions made by management, actual results could differ from these judgments and estimates, which could have a material impact on the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the results of operations.
We believe the following critical accounting policies affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements.
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 101,Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements (“SAB 101”). Research and development revenue on cost-reimbursement agreements is recognized as expenses are incurred, up to contractual limits. Research and development fees, license fees and milestone payments are recognized as revenue when the earnings process is complete, the Company has no further continuing performance obligations and has completed its performance under the terms of the agreement, in accordance with SAB 101. License fees and milestone payments received under licensing agreements that are related to future performance are deferred and taken into income as earned over the estimated drug development period. Recognized revenues and profit are subject to revisions as these contracts or agreements progress to completion. Revisions to revenue or profit estimates are charged to income in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known.
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Valuation of Financial Instruments
We carry our held-to-maturity securities at amortized cost, as adjusted for other-than-temporary declines in market value. In determining if and when a decline in market value below amortized cost is other-than-temporary, we evaluate the market conditions and other key measures for our held-to-maturity investments. Future adverse changes in market conditions could result in losses or an inability to recover the carrying value of the held-to-maturity investments that may not be reflected in an investment’s current carrying value, thereby possibly requiring an impairment charge in the future.
Deferred Taxes
We have not had taxable income since incorporation and, therefore, we have not paid any income tax. We have deferred tax assets related to net operating loss carryforwards and research and development carryforwards, and have recorded a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. While we have considered future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the need for the valuation allowance, in the event we were to determine that we would be able to realize the deferred tax assets in the future in excess of the net recorded amount, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset would increase income in the period such determination was made. Likewise, should we determine that we would not be able to realize all or part of the net deferred tax asset in the future, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset would be charged to income in the period such determination was made.
Patents and Licenses
Patents and licenses are recorded at cost and amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives or 20 years, whichever is lesser. These costs are reviewed periodically in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144,Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets (“Statement No. 144”) to determine any impairment that needs to be recognized.
Since our inception in 1986, we have not been profitable. We expect to incur additional losses for the foreseeable future, and our losses could increase as our research and development efforts progress. As of September 30, 2003, our accumulated deficit was approximately $101.4 million. To become profitable, we must successfully develop drug candidates, enter into profitable agreements with other parties and our drug candidates must receive regulatory approval. We or these other parties must then successfully manufacture and market our drug candidates. It could be several years, if ever, before we receive royalties from any future license agreements or revenues directly from product sales. If we do not generate revenue, or if our drug development expenses increase, we may need to raise additional funds through new or existing collaborations or through private or public equity or debt financing. If financing is not available on acceptable terms or not available at all, we may not have enough capital to continue our current business strategy.
Our revenue from collaborative agreements is dependent upon the status of our preclinical and clinical programs. If we fail to advance these programs to the point of being able to enter into successful collaborations, we will not receive any future milestone or other collaborative payments. Any future revenue directly from product sales would depend on our ability to successfully complete clinical studies and establish a market for our products.
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We rely heavily upon other parties for many important stages of our drug development programs, including:
Our failure to engage in successful collaborations at any one of these stages would greatly impact our business. If we do not license enzyme targets from academic institutions or from other biotechnology companies on acceptable terms, our product development efforts would suffer. Similarly, if the contract research organizations that conduct our initial or late-stage clinical trials or manage our regulatory function breached their obligations to us, this would delay or prevent the development of our drug candidates.
Even more critical to our success is our ability to enter into successful collaborations for the late-stage clinical development, regulatory approval, manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of our drug candidates. Our general strategy is to rely upon other parties for all of these steps so that we can focus exclusively on the key areas of our expertise. For some smaller niche markets, we may perform these steps ourselves and outsource those functions where we do not have the internal expertise. This heavy reliance upon third parties for these critical functions presents several risks, including:
Any problems encountered with our current or future partners could delay or prevent the development of our compounds, which would severely affect our business, because if our compounds do not reach the market in a timely manner, or at all, we may never receive any milestone, product or royalty payments.
To receive the regulatory approvals necessary for the sale of our drug candidates, we or our licensees must demonstrate through preclinical studies and clinical trials that each drug candidate is safe and effective. If we or our licensees are unable to demonstrate that our drug candidates are safe and effective, our drug candidates will not receive regulatory approval and will not be marketed, which would result in a complete absence of product related revenue. The clinical trial process is complex and uncertain. Because of the cost and duration of clinical trials, we may decide to discontinue development of product candidates that are either unlikely to show good results in the trials or unlikely to help advance a product to the point of a meaningful collaboration. Positive results from preclinical studies and early clinical trials do not ensure positive results in clinical trials designed to permit application for regulatory approval, called pivotal clinical trials. We may suffer significant setbacks in pivotal clinical trials, even after earlier clinical trials show promising results. Any of our drug candidates may produce undesirable side effects in humans. These side effects could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials of a drug candidate. These side effects could also result in the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities refusing to approve the drug candidate for any targeted indications. We, our licensees, the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may suspend or terminate clinical trials at any time if we or they believe the trial participants face unacceptable health risks. Clinical trials may fail to demonstrate that our drug candidates are safe or effective.
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Clinical trials are lengthy and expensive. We or our licensees incur substantial expense for, and devote significant time to, preclinical testing and clinical trials, yet cannot be certain that the tests and trials will ever result in the commercial sale of a product. For example, clinical trials require adequate supplies of drug and sufficient patient enrollment. Delays in patient enrollment can result in increased costs and longer development times. Even if we or our licensees successfully complete clinical trials for our product candidates, we or our licensees might not file the required regulatory submissions in a timely manner and may not receive regulatory approval for the drug candidate.
We or our licensees must obtain regulatory approval before marketing or selling our future drug products. If we or our licensees are unable to receive regulatory approval and do not market or sell our future drug products, we will never receive any revenue from such product sales. In the United States, we or our partners must obtain FDA approval for each drug that we intend to commercialize. The FDA approval process is typically lengthy and expensive, and approval is never certain. Products distributed abroad are also subject to foreign government regulation. The FDA or foreign regulatory agencies have not approved any of our drug candidates. If we or our licensees fail to obtain regulatory approval we will be unable to market and sell our future drug products. We have several drug products in various stages of preclinical and clinical development; however, we are unable to determine when, if ever, any of these products will be commercially available. Because of the risks and uncertainties in biopharmaceutical development, our drug candidates could take a significantly longer time to gain regulatory approval than we expect or may never gain approval. If the FDA delays regulatory approval of our drug candidates, our management’s credibility, our company’s value and our operating results may suffer. Even if the FDA or foreign regulatory agencies approve a drug candidate, the approval may limit the indicated uses for a drug candidate and/or may require post-marketing studies.
The FDA regulates, among other things, the record keeping and storage of data pertaining to potential pharmaceutical products. We currently store most of our preclinical research data at our facility. While we do store duplicate copies of most of our clinical data offsite, we could lose important preclinical data if our facility incurs damage. If we get approval to market our potential products, whether in the United States or internationally, we will continue to be subject to extensive regulatory requirements. These requirements are wide ranging and govern, among other things:
Our failure to comply with existing or future regulatory requirements, or our loss of, or changes to, previously obtained approvals, could have a material adverse effect on our business because we will not receive product or royalty revenues if we or our licensees do not receive approval of our products for marketing.
In June 1995, we notified the FDA that we submitted incorrect data for our Phase II studies of BCX-34 applied to the skin for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and psoriasis. The FDA inspected us in November 1995 and issued us a List of Inspectional Observations, Form FDA 483, which cited our failure to follow good clinical practices. The FDA also inspected us in June 1996. The focus was on the two 1995 Phase II dose-ranging studies of topical BCX-34 for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and psoriasis. As a result of the investigation, the FDA issued us a Form FDA 483, which cited our failure to follow good clinical practices. BioCryst is no longer developing BCX-34; however, as a consequence of these two investigations, our ongoing and future clinical studies may receive increased scrutiny, which may delay the regulatory review process.
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We may be unable to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities necessary to successfully commercialize our products.
We currently have only limited marketing capabilities and no direct or third-party sales or distribution capabilities. We may decide to develop and commercialize BCX-1777 ourselves rather than relying on collaborations with third parties. If so, we may be unable to establish marketing, sales and distribution capabilities necessary to commercialize and gain market acceptance for BCX-1777 or any of our potential products.
Our drug candidates may not gain the market acceptance required for us to be profitable even if they successfully complete initial and final clinical trials and receive approval for sale by the FDA or foreign regulatory agencies. The degree of market acceptance of any drug candidates that we or our partners develop will depend on a number of factors, including:
Physicians, patients, payers or the medical community in general may not accept or use our drug candidates even after the FDA or foreign regulatory agencies approve the drug candidates. If our drug candidates do not achieve significant market acceptance, we will not have enough revenues to become profitable.
We face competition in our industry, and many of our competitors have substantially greater experience and resources than we have.
Even if our drug candidates receive regulatory approval and are commercialized, we might not be able to remain competitive because of the rapid pace of technological development in the biotechnology field. Some of our competitors have greater financial and other resources, larger research and development staffs and more experienced capabilities in researching, developing and testing products than we do. Many of these companies also have more experience in conducting clinical trials, obtaining FDA and other regulatory approvals and in manufacturing, marketing and distributing therapeutic products. Smaller companies may successfully compete with us by establishing collaborative relationships with larger pharmaceutical companies or academic institutions. Our competitors may succeed in developing, obtaining patent protection for or commercializing their products more rapidly than us. A competing company developing, or acquiring rights to, a more effective therapeutic product for the same diseases targeted by us, or one that offers significantly lower costs of treatment, could render our products noncompetitive or obsolete.
Our success will depend in part on our ability and the abilities of our licensors to obtain patent protection for our products, methods, processes and other technologies to preserve our trade secrets, and to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties. If we or our partners are unable to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights for our products, methods, processes and other technologies, the value of the drug candidates that we license to derive revenue would diminish. Additionally, if our products, methods, processes and other technologies infringe the proprietary rights of other parties, we could incur substantial costs. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued to us a number of U.S. patents for our various inventions and we have in-licensed several patents from various institutions. We have filed additional patent applications and provisional patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. We have filed a number of corresponding foreign patent applications and intend to file additional foreign and U.S. patent applications, as appropriate. We cannot assure you as to:
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If the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office upholds patents issued to others or if the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office grants patent applications filed by others, we may have to:
We may initiate, or others may bring against us, litigation or administrative proceedings related to intellectual property rights, including proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Any judgment adverse to us in any litigation or other proceeding arising in connection with a patent or patent application could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the costs of any such proceeding may be substantial whether or not we are successful.
Our success is also dependent upon the skills, knowledge and experience, none of which is patentable, of our scientific and technical personnel. To help protect our rights, we require all employees, consultants, advisors and collaborators to enter into confidentiality agreements that prohibit the disclosure of confidential information to anyone outside of our company and require disclosure and assignment to us of their ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions. These agreements may not provide adequate protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use or disclosure or the lawful development by others of such information, and if any of our proprietary information is disclosed, our business will suffer because our revenues depend upon our ability to license our technology and any such events would significantly impair the value of such a license.
We are highly dependent upon our senior management and scientific team, the loss of whose services might impede the achievement of our development and commercial objectives. Competition for key personnel with the experience that we require is intense and is expected to continue to increase. Our inability to attract and retain the required number of skilled and experienced management, operational and scientific personnel, will harm our business because we rely upon these personnel for many critical functions of our business. In addition, we rely on members of our scientific advisory board and consultants to assist us in formulating our research and development strategy. All of the members of the scientific advisory board and all of our consultants are otherwise employed and each such member or consultant may have commitments to other entities that may limit their availability to us.
The lack of reimbursement for the use of our product candidates by hospitals, clinics, patients or doctors will harm our business. Medicare, Medicaid, health maintenance organizations and other third-party payers may not authorize or otherwise budget for the reimbursement of our products. Governmental and third-party payers are increasingly challenging the prices charged for medical products and services. We cannot be sure that third-party payers would view our product candidates as cost-effective, that reimbursement will be available to consumers or that reimbursement will be sufficient to allow our product candidates to be marketed on a competitive basis. Changes in reimbursement policies, or attempts to contain costs in the health care industry, limit or restrict reimbursement for our product candidates, would materially and adversely affect our business, because future product sales would decline and we would receive less royalty revenue.
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We face an inherent business risk of liability claims in the event that the use or misuse of our compounds results in personal injury or death. We have not experienced any clinical trial liability claims to date, but we may experience these claims in the future. After commercial introduction of our products we may experience losses due to product liability claims. We currently maintain clinical trial liability insurance coverage in the amount of $5.0 million per occurrence and $5.0 million in the aggregate, with an additional $2.0 million potentially available under our umbrella policy. The insurance policy may not be sufficient to cover claims that may be made against us. Clinical trial liability insurance may not be available in the future on acceptable terms, if at all. Any claims against us, regardless of their merit, could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, because litigation related to these claims would strain our financial resources in addition to consuming the time and attention of our management.
Our drug development activities depend on the security, integrity and performance of the computer systems supporting them, and the failure of our computer systems could delay our drug development efforts. We currently store most of our preclinical and clinical data at our facility. Duplicate copies of all critical data are stored off-site in a bank vault. Any significant degradation or failure of our computer systems could cause us to inaccurately calculate or lose our data. Loss of data could result in significant delays in our drug development process and any system failure could harm our business and operations.
Our research and development involves the controlled use of hazardous materials, chemicals and various radioactive compounds. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, storage, handling and disposal of these materials and some waste products. Accidental contamination or injury from these materials could occur. In the event of an accident, we could be liable for any damages that result and any liabilities could exceed our resources. Compliance with environmental laws and regulations could require us to incur substantial unexpected costs, which would materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
As of September 30, 2003, our directors, executive officers and some principal stockholders and their affiliates, including Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, beneficially owned approximately 45.7% (directors and officers own 29.2%) of our outstanding common stock and common stock equivalents. As a result, these holders, if acting together, are able to significantly influence matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors. This concentration of ownership may delay, defer or prevent a change in our control.
Our board of directors has the authority to issue up to 3,178,500 shares of undesignated preferred stock and to determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of those shares without further vote or action by our stockholders. The rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued in the future may adversely affect the rights of the holders of common stock. The issuance of preferred stock could make it more difficult for third parties to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting stock.
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In addition, our certificate of incorporation provides for staggered terms for the members of the board of directors and supermajority approval of the removal of any member of the board of directors and prevents our stockholders from acting by written consent. Our certificate also requires supermajority approval of any amendment of these provisions. These provisions and other provisions of our by-laws and of Delaware law applicable to us could delay or make more difficult a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving us.
In June 2002, our board of directors adopted a stockholder rights plan and, pursuant thereto, issued preferred stock purchase rights (“Rights”) to the holders of our common stock. The Rights have certain anti-takeover effects. If triggered, the Rights would cause substantial dilution to a person or group of persons who acquires more than 15% (19.9% for William W. Featheringill, a Director who already owns more than 15%) of our common stock on terms not approved by the board of directors.
The market prices for securities of biotechnology companies in general have been highly volatile and may continue to be highly volatile in the future. Moreover, our stock price has fluctuated frequently, and these fluctuations are often not related to our financial results. For the twelve months ended September 30, 2003, the 52-week range of the market price of our stock has been from $0.82 to $7.37 per share. The following factors, in addition to other risk factors described in this section, may have a significant impact on the market price of our common stock:
The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve principal while maximizing the income we receive from our investments without significantly increasing our risk. We invest excess cash principally in U.S. marketable securities from a diversified portfolio of institutions with strong credit ratings and in U.S. government and agency bills and notes, and by policy, limit the amount of credit exposure at any one institution. Some of the securities we invest in may have market risk. This means that a change in prevailing interest rates may cause the principal amount of the investment to fluctuate. To minimize this risk, we schedule our investments to have maturities that coincide with our cash flow needs, thus avoiding the need to redeem an investment prior to its maturity date. Accordingly, we believe we have no material exposure to interest rate risk arising from our investments. Therefore, no quantitative tabular disclosure is provided.
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We maintain a set of disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information relating to BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. required to be disclosed in our periodic filings under the Securities Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported in a timely manner under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of September 30, 2003. There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended September 30, 2003 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, BioCryst’s internal control over financial reporting.
None
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
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