Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. (FHTX) Business
This page reproduces the company's own Item 1 Business text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
Foghorn is a clinical stage, precision therapeutics biotechnology company pioneering a new class of medicines that treat serious diseases by correcting abnormal gene expression through selectively targeting the chromatin regulatory system, an untapped opportunity for therapeutic intervention in oncology and with potential in a wide spectrum of other diseases, including immunology and inflammation.
The chromatin regulatory system orchestrates gene expression—the turning on and off of genes—which is fundamental to how all our cells function. The chromatin regulatory system is implicated in approximately 50 percent of all cancers, and understanding how this system works could lead to an entirely new class of precision medicines. To our knowledge, we are the only company with the ability to study and target the chromatin regulatory system at scale, in context, and in an integrated way.
Our proprietary Gene Traffic Control® platform provides an integrated and mechanistic understanding of how the various components of the chromatin regulatory system interact, allowing us to identify, validate and potentially drug targets within this system. We have developed unique capabilities that have yielded new insights and scalability in drugging this new, previously untapped and promising area.
At present, we are working on more than seven programs with one clinical-stage drug candidate currently in Phase 1 development. We have discovered highly selective chemical matter for some of the most challenging targets in oncology including SMARCA2 (BRM), CBP, EP300 and ARID1B, as well as other undisclosed targets. We believe our current pipeline has the potential to help more than 500,000 cancer patients. We take a small molecule modality agnostic approach to drugging targets which includes protein degraders, allosteric enzymatic inhibitors, and transcription factor disruptors. We are a biology first company, which means we focus first on the underlying genetics and biology of a disease relevant target and then leverage the most appropriate drugging approach to impact the disease biology.
As part of our collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company (“Lilly”), Lilly has initiated a Phase 1 dose escalation trial with FHD-909 (LY4050784), a selective ATPase inhibitor of SMARCA2, with first patient dosed in October 2024.
We believe Foghorn has the potential to be a major biopharmaceutical company with our current pipeline addressing more than 20 tumor types impacting more than 500,000 patients annually. We believe that we have the potential to file four Investigational New Drug Applications (“INDs”) over the next two years.
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Our current pipeline of product candidates and discovery programs are shown below:
In December 2021, we entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with Lilly (the “Lilly Collaboration Agreement”). Under the terms of the Lilly Collaboration Agreement, we are leveraging our platform technology to discover and develop therapeutic molecules directed to the SMARCA2 target and an additional undisclosed oncology target, and up to three additional discovery programs. FHD-909 is a first-in-class oral SMARCA2 selective inhibitor that has demonstrated in preclinical studies to have high selectivity over its closely related paralog SMARCA4 (BRG1), two proteins that are the catalytic engines across all forms of the BAF complex. Selectively blocking SMARCA2 activity is a promising synthetic lethal strategy intended to induce tumor death while sparing healthy cells. SMARCA4 is mutated in up to 10 percent of non-small cell lung cancer (“NSCLC”) and implicated in a significant number of solid tumors. In October 2024, we announced that the first patient had been dosed in the Phase 1 trial for FHD-909 in SMARCA4 mutated cancers, with NSCLC as the primary patient population.
We believe this strategic collaboration confirms the rigor of our science, highlights the importance of the targets we are tackling and underscores the relevance of the biology on which we are focused.
How the Chromatin Regulatory System Orchestrates Gene Expression
The major components of the chromatin regulatory system are chromatin remodeling complexes, transcription factors, helicases and other chromatin related factors which work in concert to orchestrate gene expression. One important role for this system is to control the accessibility of chromatin which in turn determines if other factors necessary for gene expression can access the genetic material. In addition, the system controls the structure, modification, and repair of chromatin which are all necessary for the proper control of gene expression. Because of the central role this system plays in orchestrating normal gene expression, aberrations in the system may result in disease. We believe our platform is uniquely suited to address these aberrations and treat these diseases.
Our Gene Traffic Control Platform
Our proprietary Gene Traffic Control platform gives us an integrated and mechanistic understanding of how the various components of the chromatin regulatory system interact, allowing us to identify, validate and drug targets within the system. In cancer, the mutations that are in or impinge on the chromatin regulatory system create genetically determined dependencies, on which the cancer cells rely for survival. These genetic dependencies result in diseased cell vulnerabilities, creating potential opportunities to selectively drug and kill diseased cells while minimizing impact to healthy cells. Our platform enables us to produce components of the chromatin regulatory system at scale, thereby allowing us to identify these genetic dependencies, understand their mechanism and target their vulnerabilities. We combine our genomic and epigenomic tools, our proprietary high throughput screening technology and our expertise in medicinal chemistry to develop enzymatic inhibitors, protein
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degraders and transcription factor disruptors that target the chromatin regulatory system. While initially focused in oncology, we believe our platform is broadly applicable across other disease areas.
Our Gene Traffic Control platform encompasses the following:
•Target Identification and Validation—We use genomic screens, and a suite of epigenome sequencing and computational tools, including aspects of artificial intelligence and machine learning, to characterize, identify, and validate targets within the chromatin regulatory system. Our epigenome sequencing tools allow us to understand the mechanisms of how our drugs are modifying the chromatin structure. Our platform allows for the identification of genetically determined dependencies associated with the chromatin regulatory system.
•Production of Chromatin Regulatory System Components at Scale and Proprietary Assays—We have built unique capabilities to purify and synthesize chromatin remodeling complexes, transcription factors, helicases, and other chromatin related factors. These capabilities allow us to study the chromatin regulatory system at scale and in a context that, to our knowledge, is unavailable to others, and yields unique insights that are critical to systematically drugging this system.
•Discovery and Optimization of Chemical Matter—We perform proprietary high throughput screens that leverage our ability to produce the chromatin regulatory system components at scale. For example, we are able to screen for inhibitors of chromatin regulatory system component activity, for binders that we can turn into protein degraders, and for disruptors of transcription factor-chromatin remodeling complex interactions. Once we identify hits from our screens, we use our unique suite of assays involving the relevant component of the chromatin regulatory system to characterize, validate, and optimize our chemical matter.
•Targeted Protein Degradation—We have built extensive targeted protein degrader capabilities encompassing proprietary chemistry, high-throughput cellular screening capabilities, mechanistic assays to triage and rank compounds against multiple parameters including kinetics of degradation, and ternary complex formation understanding through both biophysical structural determination and computational modeling. We develop both heterobifunctional degraders and molecular glues that serve to bridge an interaction between an E3 ligase and target protein of interest. This induced proximity results in driving the target protein of interest for degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. A demonstrated strength of our platform is leveraging degradation to enable selectivity, which we have done for several programs including SMARCA2, CBP, EP300 and ARID1B. We have developed capabilities with long-acting formulation of our protein degraders, which we believe have the potential to enable enhanced convenience and route of administration.
•Translation to Clinic and Identification of Biomarkers—Early in the drug discovery process, we use various genome and epigenome analyses to understand the mechanism of the genetic dependency of the disease on the chromatin regulatory system. Our understanding of the mechanism of the dependency enables us to identify biomarkers for patient identification and treatment. We seek to enrich our clinical studies with the genetically relevant patient populations that are most likely to benefit from treatment.
Our Leadership
We have assembled a team with deep scientific, clinical, manufacturing, business, and leadership expertise in biotechnology, platform research, drug discovery, and development. Our management team has extensive experience discovering, developing, and commercializing drugs to treat patients with serious diseases. Adrian Gottschalk, our President and Chief Executive Officer, has more than 20 years of experience as a biopharmaceutical executive. Prior to joining Foghorn, Mr. Gottschalk served in various roles at Biogen, Inc., where he was most recently Senior Vice President and Neurodegeneration Therapeutic Area Head. In this role, he was responsible for late-stage development and commercialization of drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Our Chief Medical Officer, Alfonso Quintas-Cardama, M.D., previously served as Chief Medical Officer at TCR2 and led the development of their cell therapy platform. Our Chief Scientific Officer, Steven Bellon, PhD., has more than 25 years of drug discovery experience from multiple drug classes with prior roles at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, and Constellation Therapeutics. We have assembled an exceptional team of 106 employees as of December 31, 2025.
Our Strategy
Our mission is to leverage our unique insights into the chromatin regulatory system to pioneer the discovery, development and commercialization of a new class of therapies that transform the lives of patients suffering from a wide spectrum of diseases with high unmet need.
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Our approach is to identify and drug genetically determined dependencies within the chromatin regulatory system. Our initial focus is in cancer with a precision oncology approach. Every program we have pursued to date is based on a genetic dependency on the chromatin regulatory system.
To achieve our mission, we are executing a strategy with the following key elements:
•Advance our lead precision oncology product candidate, FHD-909, through clinical development in patients with NSCLC and with select solid tumors with partner Lilly. FHD-909 is a first-in-class oral SMARCA2 selective inhibitor that has demonstrated in preclinical studies to have high selectivity over its closely related paralog SMARCA4, two proteins that are the catalytic engines across all forms of the BAF complex. Selectively blocking SMARCA2 activity is a promising synthetic lethal strategy intended to induce tumor death while sparing healthy cells. SMARCA4 is mutated in up to 10 percent of NSCLC and implicated in a significant number of solid tumors.
•Expand our precision oncology pipeline by developing proprietary enzymatic inhibitors, degraders and disruptors that target genetically defined dependencies. Based on our unique insights and understanding of the chromatin regulatory system, we continue to develop proprietary selective inhibitors, protein degraders and disruptors that modulate various components of the chromatin regulatory system. For example, using our proprietary platform, we have disclosed four distinct targets: SMARCA2, CBP, EP300 and ARID1B , that have genetically determined dependencies within the chromatin regulatory system. We intend to use our platform to develop novel product candidates to further deepen our precision therapeutics approach in oncology and beyond and believe we have the potential to file four INDs over the next two years.
•Harness our platform to develop novel product candidates to address therapeutic areas beyond oncology. As the orchestrator of gene expression, the chromatin regulatory system has implications in a large array of diseases. Based on academic literature and our research efforts, we believe our platform has significant potential across multiple therapeutic areas. We are committed to applying our Gene Traffic Control platform to additional therapeutic areas over time. We believe our platform will allow us to continue to build a long-term pipeline of novel product candidates to address areas of high unmet medical need in oncology and other therapeutic areas.
•Continue to enhance our platform to extend our leading position in developing novel therapeutics targeting the chromatin regulatory system. Our platform and unique understanding of the chromatin regulatory system is built upon the groundbreaking work of our academic co-founders and has been further developed by our experienced team. We are committed to continuously integrating new insights, tools, technologies and capabilities to enhance our platform.
•Selectively enter into additional strategic partnerships to maximize the potential of our pipeline and our platform. Given the breadth of opportunities that are implicated by the chromatin regulatory system and the versatility of our platform, we may opportunistically enter into strategic collaborations intended to advance and accelerate our development programs, expand into new therapeutic areas and enhance the capabilities of our platform. In December 2021, we entered into a strategic collaboration with Lilly to create novel oncology medicines. The Lilly collaboration includes a U.S. co-development and co-commercialization agreement for the selective SMARCA2 oncology program and an additional undisclosed oncology target. In addition, the collaboration includes three additional discovery programs using Foghorn’s proprietary Gene Traffic Control platform.
Chromatin Regulatory System: An Untapped Opportunity for Therapeutic Intervention
The major components of the chromatin regulatory system are chromatin remodeling complexes, transcription factors, helicases and other chromatin related factors which work in concert to orchestrate gene expression. One important role for this system is to control the accessibility of chromatin which in turn determines if other factors necessary for gene expression can access the genetic material. In addition, the system controls the structure, modification, and repair of chromatin which are all necessary for proper control of gene expression. Because of the central role this system plays in orchestrating normal gene expression, aberrations in the system may result in disease. Our platform is uniquely suited to correct these aberrations and treat these diseases.
While chromatin remodeling complexes have been known in the scientific community for decades, disease relevance was not initially recognized, and consequently chromatin remodeling complexes were underappreciated as a set of relevant drug targets. Transcription factors, helicases and other chromatin related factors, on the other hand, while linked decades ago to cancer and understood as relevant targets, have led to few approved oncology drugs, as companies seeking to drug these targets have historically lacked a systematic approach to doing so. Broad cancer sequencing initiatives have shown that mutations in the chromatin regulatory system are found in over 50 percent of all cancers, potentially impacting over 2.5 million cancer patients across the United States, Europe and Japan. Further work in the field has highlighted the association of this system in other
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therapeutic areas, including virology, autoimmune disease and neurology, implying even greater potential for therapeutic intervention.
Vulnerabilities in Cancer Created by Genetic Dependencies on the Chromatin Regulatory System
Cancer cells often contain many different mutations that lead to their abnormal growth and proliferation. Within cancer cells, these mutations give rise to genetically determined dependencies, upon which the cancer cells rely for their survival. The creation of these dependencies can be directly related to the mutation or to other cellular biology, thereby creating vulnerabilities for cancer cells and the opportunity for therapeutic intervention. In contrast, healthy cells, which lack these mutations and therefore these dependencies, are less susceptible to a therapeutic that targets these genetically determined dependencies.
Genetically determined dependencies may arise from mutations in various components of the chromatin regulatory system (e.g., chromatin remodeling complexes, helicases, transcription factors, chromatin related factors) or through mutations elsewhere in the cell that create dependencies on the system.
Our platform enables us to identify these genetic dependencies and thereby discover the cancer cells’ vulnerability within the chromatin regulatory system. We believe these vulnerabilities create opportunities to selectively drug and kill cancer cells while minimizing impact to healthy cells. These genetically determined dependencies enable us to select specific patient populations and enrich our clinical trials using a precision approach. Every program we have pursued to date is based on a genetically determined dependency on the chromatin regulatory system.
Our Approach to Drugging the Chromatin Regulatory System
We are focused on developing small molecule product candidates that target the chromatin regulatory system through the use of enzyme inhibitors and protein degraders .
•Enzyme inhibitors. These candidates have the potential to act on targets such as the ATPase SMARCA2 of the BAF complex. Our screening capabilities enable us to find allosteric inhibitors which afford additional selectivity over orthosteric, or direct, inhibitors.
•Protein degraders. These candidates are either heterobifunctional or molecular glue degraders which serve to specifically recruit a target to an E3 ligase component, resulting in the removal of the target protein by the cell’s native protein degradation system.
We leverage the appropriate mechanism based on the target in the chromatin regulatory system. In some cases, we may take multiple approaches and remain modality agnostic in order to ensure we achieve the best approach and most appropriate molecule.
For components of the chromatin regulatory system that have an enzymatic function (e.g., chromatin remodeling complexes and helicases), we may leverage enzymatic inhibitors. For components of the system that are not amenable to enzymatic inhibition or where selectivity through inhibition may not be possible, we may leverage targeted protein degradation.
Our Gene Traffic Control Platform
The chromatin regulatory system has remained an untapped opportunity for therapeutic intervention due to the inability to systematically characterize and study its various components. Building upon the groundbreaking discoveries of our academic co-founders, we have developed our proprietary Gene Traffic Control platform which allows us to identify and validate targets within the chromatin regulatory system. We have unique capabilities to isolate, synthesize, characterize, and interrogate components of the system at a level of scale, precision, and efficiency, that to our knowledge, no others have achieved.
Our capabilities and insights have enabled the development of a suite of unique biochemical, biophysical, structural, and functional assays. We use these assays to discover and optimize novel small molecule chemical matter which include enzymatic inhibitors, protein degraders, and transcription factor disruptors to various targets within the chromatin regulatory system. To our knowledge, we are the only company that has the ability to study the chromatin regulatory system at scale, in context, and in an integrated way.
Our Gene Traffic Control platform encompasses the following:
•Target Identification and Validation
•Production of Chromatin Regulatory System Components at Scale and Proprietary Assays
•Discovery and Optimization of Chemical Matter
•Development of Targeted Protein Degraders
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•Translation to Clinic and Identification of Biomarkers
The key features and capabilities of our platform are described below:
Target Identification and Validation
We use genomic screens and a suite of epigenome sequencing and computational tools to characterize, identify and validate targets within the chromatin regulatory system. Our epigenome sequencing tools allow us to understand the mechanisms of how our drugs are modifying the chromatin structure. Our platform allows for the identification of genetically determined dependencies associated with the chromatin regulatory system. Specifically, we:
•Conduct and leverage genomic screens to identify dependencies and relationships. We utilize both broad and specific genomic screens to identify dependencies and relationships associated with the chromatin regulatory system. We use a mix of internal and external data sets to understand relationships and synthetic lethality across and within a range of cancer cell lines.
•Perform broad epigenome sequencing to validate dependencies in vitro. We apply cutting edge epigenome sequencing tools in combination with proprietary tool compounds to further validate targets and enhance our understanding of the impact of drugging the chromatin regulatory system. These tools allow us to rapidly understand the gene expression profiles of specific cancer cell lines, the open / closed state of chromatin, and give us mechanistic understanding of how components of the system work together.
•Apply machine learning and artificial intelligence (“AI”) to enhance discovery efforts. We use AI systems, such as AlphaFold and ColabFold, to predict protein structures where experimentally solved crystal structures are not available in the Protein Data Bank. These predicted models inform the design of protein constructs for discovery targets and serve as references for our internal crystal structures. Additionally, we use AI systems to predict patient tumor burden when direct measurements are not available and predict potential patient response to treatment using novel biomarkers. Additionally, we use large-language models to summarize collections of related biological pathways and processes and to enable non-computational scientists to aid our discovery efforts.
•Validate dependencies in vivo. Where possible, we endeavor to validate targets in various animal models with implanted cancer cells relevant to the disease we are aiming to treat. Specifically, we use mouse xenograft models with inducible CRISPR / shRNA (short hairpin RNA) to validate that knockdown of our target of interest results in tumor growth inhibition. We also apply epigenome sequencing tools in the animal model setting to identify potential biomarkers.
Production of Chromatin Regulatory System Components at Scale and Proprietary Assays
We have built unique capabilities to purify and synthesize components of the chromatin regulatory system (chromatin remodeling complexes, transcription factors helicases, chromatin related factors). These capabilities allow us to study the chromatin regulatory system at scale and in context that, to our knowledge, is unavailable to others, and yields insights that are critical to systematically drugging this system. Specifically, we:
•Purify and synthesize chromatin remodeling complexes and transcription factors at scale. Our platform has the unique ability to purify and synthesize chromatin remodeling complexes such as the BAF complex, as well as mutant forms of these complexes. We also produce and screen full length versions of transcription factors and other chromatin regulatory system components.
•Structural Biology. We believe that the three-dimensional structure of chromatin regulatory system components provides a mechanistic understanding of the targets and thus enables drug discovery. We have repeatably been able to determine three dimensional structures for various chromatin regulatory system targets, including x-ray structures of the enzymes targets, ternary structures of protein degrader targets, and mass spectrometry mapping of transcription factor - chromatin remodeling complex interactions.
Discovery and Optimization of Chemical Matter
We perform proprietary high throughput screens that leverage our ability to produce chromatin regulatory system components at scale. An example screen is the use of the fully assembled BAF complex which is specific to its mutated or disease relevant form (e.g., screening the SMARCA2 form of BAF which corresponds to SMARCA4 mutated cancer). We utilize both proprietary and publicly available chemical libraries in our screens.
Once we find hits from our screens, we use our unique suite of biophysical assays involving the relevant component of the chromatin regulatory system to characterize, validate, and optimize our chemical matter. These assays provide us with biologically relevant insights that guide our medicinal chemistry efforts.
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Development of Targeted Protein Degraders
For targets in the portfolio whose biology demonstrates that degradation could offer a therapeutic advantage, we develop small molecule heterobifunctional or molecular glue degraders. Many of our targets play important scaffolding roles in chromatin remodeling complexes and/or are not enzymes. Therefore, inhibition would not be effective or possible. Protein degraders recruit target proteins to specific E3 ligase complexes and by doing so, promote the removal of the target protein by harnessing the cell’s native ubiquitin and proteasome-based degradation system. This approach results in rapid loss and clearance from the cell of disease driving proteins and is a powerful complement to our inhibitor capabilities.
We have a broad and highly efficient degradation development, screening, and triaging platform. This know-how and capabilities include:
•Proprietary library of linkers and E3 ligase binders for heterobifunctional degrader development;
•Proprietary screening strategy for novel molecular glue discovery;
•Biochemical, biophysical, and cellular assays that characterize protein degrader mechanism of action and guide optimization, including degradation kinetics, ubiquitination, and permeability;
•Biochemical and cellular ternary complex assays, ternary complex structural determination;
•Molecular and protein:protein interaction interface prediction modeling and compound docking programs;
•Global proteomics and mass spectrometry to measure selectivity in an unbiased fashion;
•Induced proximity and proximity labeling capabilities for exploration of novel approaches;
•Oral and long-acting formulation of protein degraders which enhances route of administration and/or decrease frequency of delivery;
•Degraders compatible with antibody conjugation and delivery as degrader antibody conjugates; and
•Development of a new ligases and effector proteins, which have potential to degrade transcription factors and other important factors.
Translation to Clinic and Identification of Biomarkers
We seek to enrich our clinical studies with the genetically relevant patient populations that are most likely to benefit from treatment. Early in the drug discovery process, we use various genome and epigenome analyses to understand the genetic dependency of the cancer on the chromatin regulatory system. Our intent is to have clear genetic markers for patients whom we seek to potentially treat.
As we progress a drug candidate, we analyze tumor models and where available direct patient samples to understand biomarkers of response (e.g., change in expression level of a particular gene or set of genes, change in protein level of a component of the chromatin regulatory system). We intend to use these biomarkers in our clinical studies to understand tumor response to our drug candidates. Additionally, we will retrospectively analyze our clinical studies for any other biomarkers that will further enhance patient stratification and response.
Our Product Candidates
We are developing a pipeline of product candidates that target genetically determined dependencies within the chromatin regulatory system. Our programs consist of enzyme inhibitors, protein degraders and transcription factor disruptors. Our most advanced product candidate is FHD-909. In February 2024, Lilly selected FHD-909 for clinical development pursuant to the Lilly Collaboration Agreement, and in May 2024, the IND was cleared. The first patient was dosed in the Phase 1 dose escalation trial for FHD-909 in October 2024, with NSCLC as the primary patient population.
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Figure 1. The enzymatic activity of the BAF complex is provided by the SMARCA2 or SMARCA4 subunits.
Selective SMARCA2 Inhibitor and Degrader
Overview
Broad cancer sequencing initiatives have shown that SMARCA4 is one of the most highly mutated subunits of the BAF complex. SMARCA4 was found to be mutated in approximately five percent of tumors sequenced as part of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center MSK-IMPACT study, and in up to 10 percent of NSCLC tumors. Beyond NSCLC, the MSK-IMPACT study highlighted SMARCA4 mutations in over 30 different types of tumors. In many cases, these mutations lead to a loss of enzymatic activity in the SMARCA4 subunit, creating a genetically determined dependency on SMARCA2. This loss of SMARCA4 and subsequent dependency on SMARCA2 leads to a drugging opportunity. We are currently developing selective modulators of SMARCA2 to target this genetic dependency in SMARCA4 mutated cancers. In December 2021, we entered into a strategic collaboration with Lilly to create novel oncology medicines. The Lilly collaboration includes a U.S. co-development and co-commercialization agreement for the selective SMARCA2 oncology program. In February 2024, Lilly declared FHD-909, a first-in-class SMARCA2 inhibitor, a development candidate pursuant to the Lilly Collaboration Agreement and in May 2024, the IND was cleared. The first patient was dosed in the Phase 1 dose escalation trial for FHD-909 in October 2024 with NSCLC as the primary patient population.
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12 Tumor Types with Highest Prevalence of SMARCA4 Mutations
Figure 2. The above chart highlights the cancers with the highest prevalence of SMARCA4 mutations from the MSK-IMPACT study.
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Overview
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death globally, accounting for approximately 1.8 million deaths per year. According to data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (“SEER”), in the United States, cancer of the lung and bronchus is the third leading cancer by estimated cases and deaths annually, with an estimated 227,000 new cases diagnosed and 125,000 deaths in the United States each year. NSCLC accounts for 80 to 85 percent of lung cancer cases. Genetic profiling of tumors has identified a number of genes that are altered in NSCLC. Targeted therapies developed for the proteins encoded by some of these genes such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (“EGFR”) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene (“ALK”) are standard of care for patients with NSCLC harboring such actionable mutations. However, less than 30 percent of NSCLC patients have alterations in these two genes. Up to two thirds of NSCLC patients who are ineligible for or resistant to treatment with targeted therapies such as EGFR or ALK have tumors that express PD-L1 and are candidates for immunotherapies with or without conventional chemotherapy. Despite the availability of both targeted and immunotherapies, the prognosis in NSCLC remains poor, with an overall relative five-year survival for all patients diagnosed with lung cancer of 28.1 percent, according to SEER.
An analysis of genomic data in NSCLC cancer patients, collected as part of MSK-IMPACT, revealed that gene alterations in SMARCA4 were found in 10 percent of NSCLC samples. In a retrospective analysis conducted by MSKCC it was observed that among patients with SMARCA4-deficient NSCLC who received first-line platinum doublet chemotherapy or chemotherapy plus immunotherapy, median progression-free survival was 38 days and 35 days, respectively. Prognosis is poor in patients with SMARCA4-deficient NSCLC, highlighting the importance of developing novel therapeutics that address this unmet need.
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MSK-IMPACT: SMARCA4 Mutated in 10% of NSCLC
Figure 3. SMARCA4 gene alterations are found in 10 percent of NSCLC tumors and have minimal overlap with other actionable mutations present in NSCLC, such as EGFR and ALK.
Genomic screening of over 400 cancer cell lines that remove SMARCA2 via CRISPR revealed a genetic dependency of certain SMARCA4-mutated cancers on SMARCA2. This finding suggests that selective inhibition or selective degradation of SMARCA2 has the potential to be therapeutically meaningful in certain cancers with SMARCA4 mutations.
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Figure 4. In a screen of over 400 cancer cell lines, inactivation of the SMARCA2 gene resulted in selective inhibition of cell lines containing mutations in SMARCA4.
Our Solution: Selective SMARCA2 Inhibitor, FHD-909, and Selective SMARCA2 Degrader
With our collaboration partner, Lilly, we are advancing two classes of molecules, an enzymatic inhibitor, FHD-909, and a protein degrader, as selective modulators of SMARCA2.
FHD-909 is a first-in-class oral selective SMARCA2 inhibitor that has demonstrated in preclinical studies to have high selectivity over its paralog SMARCA4, two proteins that are the catalytic engines across all forms of the BAF complex. FHD-909 is currently being studied in a Phase 1 open label multi-center clinical trial.
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Figure 5. FHD-909 Monotherapy Demonstrated Strong In Vivo Preclinical Activity Across SMARCA4 Mutant NSCLC Models at Tolerated Doses.
Figure 6. A First-in-Human Phase 1 Trial of FHD-909 in Advanced Solid Tumor Patients with SMARCA4 Mutations
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Figure 7. FHD-909 in Combination with Pembrolizumab Shows Significantly Enhanced Anti-Tumor Activity in A549 CD34 + HSC Humanized Xenograft NSCLC Model
Selective SMARCA2 Degrader
Our other approach to selective SMARCA2 modulation consists of protein degrader molecules that activate the cell’s ubiquitin proteasome degradation system to selectively destroy SMARCA2. One domain of the SMARCA2 degrader molecule is a potent and selective binder of SMARCA2. This is chemically linked to a domain that binds to a receptor on the E3 ligase complex. In cells, these protein degrader molecules bring their target into proximity of the E3 ligase which marks these target proteins for destruction by the cell’s ubiquitin proteasome degradation system. We have shown that it is possible to identify protein degraders that lead to the destruction of SMARCA2 while leaving SMARCA4 virtually untouched.
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Selective Degradation of SMARCA2
Figure 8. Selective SMARCA2 degrading molecules led to the degradation of over 75 percent of SMARCA2 while leaving the levels of SMARCA4 virtually unchanged.
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Selective CBP Degrader for EP300 Mutated and CBP Dependent Cancers
CREB binding protein (CBP) serves as a critical co-activator for transcription factors involved in signaling pathways in a subset of cancers including bladder, endometrial, colorectal, breast, gastric and lung.
Figure 9. In a screen of over 1,000 cancer cell lines, CRISPR knockout of the CBP gene resulted in selective growth inhibition of cell lines containing mutations in EP300, establishing the dependency on CBP in these cell lines.
CBP and E1A-binding protein (EP300) are paralog chromatin regulators and histone acetyltransferases with highly homologous domain structure and architecture. Functional genomics screens have shown that CBP and EP300 share a bi-directional synthetic lethal relationship. As a result, loss of function of one of these proteins leads to dependency on the other. Selectively targeting CBP has applications in tumors with EP300 mutations and in CBP-dependent cancers including but not limited to endometrial, cervical, ovarian, bladder, colorectal and ER+ breast cancer. According to Clarivate, the annual U.S. incidence of these cancers exceeds 500,000.
We are developing a selective CBP degrader and plan to exploit the bi-directional synthetic lethal relationship it shares with its paralog acetyltransferase, EP300, to identify and treat those patients with EP300 mutated cancers. We believe selectively targeting and degrading CBP will potentially offer increased anti-tumor activity resulting from the tolerability advantage compared with non-selectively degrading both targets.
With more advanced degraders of CBP, we have generated data in several cell derived xenograft (“CDX”) mouse models which include gastric, colorectal, and bladder models. As seen in Figure 10 below, the degrader denoted as FHT-CBPd-9 appears well-tolerated based on the limited mouse body weight percentage changes and achieves tumor growth inhibition in the bladder model and tumor regression in the gastric model.
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Figure 10. Selective CBP Degradation Results in Significant Anti-Tumor Activity in EP300mut Solid Tumor Models.
Historically, targeting CBP and EP300 has been attempted with dual inhibitors – therapeutics that simultaneously inhibit both the function of CBP and EP300. It has been reported in the literature that these compounds in both pre-clinical as well as the clinical setting can cause thrombocytopenia, low counts of platelet cells that are important in the clotting of blood. We have demonstrated that selective degradation of either CBP alone or EP300 alone in animal models does not cause thrombocytopenia as shown in Figure 11 below. In the figure, we show that a dual bromodomain inhibitor which inhibits both CBP and EP300 causes a meaningful drop in platelets. In contrast, our selective degraders of EP300 and CBP, FHT-EP300d and FHT-CBPd respectively, do not cause a drop in platelets at doses that are relevant and achieve efficacy in the animal models shown in Figure 10 (FHT-CBPd) and Figure 12 (FHT-EP300d).
Figure 11. Selective degraders of CBP and EP300 demonstrate that they do not reduce platelet counts as compared to a dual inhibitor of both CBP and EP300.
Selective EP300 Degrader for EP300 Dependent Cancers and CBP Mutated Cancers
We are developing a selective EP300 degrader targeting EP300 dependent cancers and CBP mutant cancers, including multiple myeloma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (“DLBCL”), acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. According to
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Clarivate, the annual U.S. incidence of multiple myeloma, DLBCL, acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome in the U.S. exceeds 100,000.
Figure 12. EP300 Degradation Results in Significant Tumor Growth Inhibition in Multiple Myeloma, DLBCL and Prostate Models.
As seen in Figure 12, the degrader denoted as FHT-EP300d-32 appears well-tolerated based on the limited mouse body weight percentage changes and achieves tumor growth inhibition in the multiple myeloma, DLBCL, and AR+ prostate models. In the AR+ prostate model, FHD-EP300d achieves better tumor growth inhibition than enzalutamide, an androgen receptor inhibitor that is presently used to treat patients with prostate cancer.
Selective ARID1B Degrader for ARID1A Mutated Cancers
The ARID1A subunit is the most mutated subunit within the BAF complex. Mutations in ARID1A confer a dependency on the ARID1B subunit of the BAF complex. ARID1A mutations are implicated in endometrial, gastric, gastroesophageal junction, bladder and NSCLC. According to Clarivate the annual U.S. incidence of endometrial, gastric, gastroesophageal junction, bladder and non small cell lung cancer exceeds 300,000.
Figure 13. In a screen of over 1,000 cancer cell lines, CRISPR knockout of the ARID1B gene resulted in selective growth inhibition of cell lines containing mutations in ARID1A, establishing the dependency on ARID1B in these cell lines.
Since ARID1B is a scaffolding protein with no known enzymatic domains or function, our strategy is to utilize protein degradation to selectively target and remove ARID1B from BAF complexes. Our platform allows us to generate full BAF
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complexes containing only ARID1A or ARID1B. Using our platform, we have conducted high throughput screens and have identified and validated selective small molecule binders to the ARID1B protein and use these binders as starting points for generating heterobifunctional protein degraders. We have used a structure-based hypothesis to drive optimization of multiple ARID1B binders toward nM affinity with selectivity over ARID1A.
Figure 14. Structure-based optimization improves ARID1B binding affinity of ligands from 100uM to less than 200nM
The identified ARID1B binders have been successfully incorporated into bifunctional molecules to achieve selective degradation of ARID1B. The degradation was validated to operate through the ubiquitin-proteasome system via experiments with both ligase-inactive versions of the degrader as well as co-treatment with proteasome and neddylation inhibitors.
Figure 15. ARID1B degradation is on-mechanism via ubiquitin-proteasome system
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A high level of selectivity is achieved with the ARD1B degrader as evidenced by both discrete HiBiT assay readouts against key off-targets (ARID1A, SMARCA2, SMARCA4) as well as global proteomics.
Figure 16. ARID1B degrader exhibits selective degradation as evidenced by global proteomics
Induced Proximity Platform: Extension of Protein Degrader Platform
We are expanding our platform beyond heterobifunctional degraders into induced proximity. Heterobifunctional degraders involve recruiting a ubiquitin ligase to a protein target where it can conjugate ubiquitin proteins onto the target thereby targeting it for degradation. This process can be thought of as a specific example of a more general concept of induced proximity which represents the recruitment of a biological activity to a specific target site. We are exploring different possibilities for implementing this approach including: recruiting a de-ubiquitinase to a target in order to stabilize that target, and recruiting an activator such as BAF to a site on chromatin in order to activate a repressed gene and thereby ‘turn on that gene’.
We believe that our platform is well suited to expand into induced proximity because of several factors, including:
•our extensive knowledge of chromatin biology;
•our existing chemical library specifically designed to link two binders and create heterobifuctional molecules;
•our suite of assays designed to characterize ternary complexes; and
•our collection of binders to BAF and other chromatin factors.
Currently we are evaluating the best opportunity for proof of concept in induced proximity.
Competition
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are characterized by the rapid evolution of technologies and understanding of disease etiology, intense competition and a strong emphasis on intellectual property. We believe that our approach, strategy, scientific capabilities, know-how and experience provide us with competitive advantages, including, to our knowledge, our being the only company with the ability to study the chromatin regulatory system at scale, in context, and in an integrated way. However, we expect substantial competition from multiple sources, including major pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical, and existing or emerging biotechnology companies, academic research institutions and governmental agencies and public and private research institutions worldwide. Many of our competitors, either alone or through collaborations, have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we do. Smaller or early-stage companies may also
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prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These companies may be or may become interested in the chromatin regulatory system and rapidly develop programs that may compete with ours by studying the chromatin regulatory system at scale, in context and in an integrated way. Even if they do not advance programs with the same mechanism of action as ours, these companies could develop products or product candidates that are competitive with ours or that have a superior product profile and may do so at a rapid pace. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical trial sites and patient enrollment in clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. As a result, our competitors may discover, develop, license or commercialize products before or more successfully than we do.
We face competition from segments of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other related markets that pursue the development of therapies that target broad genetic expression mechanisms, including the chromatin regulatory system. In addition, we may face competition from companies developing product candidates that utilize protein degradation approaches, including Arvinas, Inc., C4 Therapeutics, Inc., Kymera Therapeutics, Inc., and Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. Further, several large pharmaceutical companies have disclosed preclinical investments in this field. Our competitors will also include companies that are or will be developing other targeted therapies, including small molecule, antibody, or protein degraders for the same indications that we are targeting including Amphista, CellCentric Limited, IDEAYA Biosciences Inc., Novartis AG, Plexium, Inc., Opna Bio, Relay Therapeutics, Inc, SK Bio, and Tolremo Therapeutics AG. In addition to these competitors, recent news and publications suggest multiple assets in earlier stages of development from Chinese companies.
We could see a reduction or elimination in our commercial opportunity if our competitors develop and commercialize drugs that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient to administer, are less expensive or with more favorable labeling than our product candidates, regardless of whether they target the chromatin regulatory system as a mechanism of action. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their drugs 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. The key competitive factors affecting the success of all of our product candidates, if approved, are likely to be their efficacy, safety, convenience, price, the level of generic competition and the availability of reimbursement from government and other third-party payors.
Intellectual Property
We seek to protect the intellectual property and proprietary technology that we consider important to our business, including by pursuing patent applications that cover our product candidates and methods of using the same, as well as other relevant inventions and improvements that we believe to be commercially important to the development of our business. We also rely on trade secrets, know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain our proprietary and intellectual property position. Our commercial success depends, in part, on our ability to obtain, maintain, enforce and protect our intellectual property and other proprietary rights for the technology, inventions and improvements we consider important to our business, and to defend any patents we may own or in-license in the future, prevent others from infringing any patents we may own or in-license in the future, preserve the confidentiality of our trade secrets, and operate without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the valid and enforceable patents and proprietary rights of third parties.
As with other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, our ability to maintain and solidify our proprietary and intellectual property position for our product candidates and technologies will depend on our success in obtaining effective patent claims and enforcing those claims if granted. However, our pending provisional and Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT”) patent applications, and any patent applications that we may in the future file or license from third parties, may not result in the issuance of patents and any issued patents we may obtain do not guarantee us the right to practice our technology or commercialize our product candidates. We also cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in any patents we may own or in-license in the future. Any issued patents that we may own or in-license in the future may be challenged, invalidated, circumvented or have the scope of their claims narrowed. In addition, because of the extensive time required for clinical development and regulatory review of a product candidate we may develop, it is possible that, before any of our product candidates can be commercialized, any related patent may expire or remain in force for only a short period following commercialization, thereby limiting the protection such patent would afford the respective product and any competitive advantage such patent may provide.
The term of individual patents depends upon the date of filing of the patent application, the date of patent issuance and the legal term of patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries, including the United States, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest filing date of a non-provisional patent application. In the United States, a patent’s term may be lengthened by patent term adjustment, which compensates a patentee for administrative delays by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”), in examining and granting a patent, or may be shortened if a patent is terminally disclaimed over an earlier filed patent. The term of a patent claiming a new drug product may also be eligible for a limited patent term extension when FDA approval is granted, provided statutory and regulatory requirements are met. The restoration period
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granted on a patent covering a product is typically one-half the time between the effective date of a clinical investigation involving human beings is begun and the submission date of an application, plus the time between the submission date of an application and the ultimate approval date. The restoration period cannot be longer than five years and the total patent term, including the restoration period, must not exceed 14 years following FDA approval. Only one patent applicable to an approved product is eligible for the extension, and only those claims covering the approved product, a method for using it, or a method for manufacturing it may be extended. Additionally, the application for the extension must be submitted prior to the expiration of the patent in question. A patent that covers multiple products for which approval is sought can only be extended in connection with one of the approvals. The USPTO reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration in consultation with the FDA. In the future, if our product candidates receive approval by the FDA, we expect to apply for patent term extensions on any issued patents covering those products, depending upon the length of the clinical studies for each product and other factors. There can be no assurance that patents will issue from our current or future pending patent applications, or that we will benefit from any patent term extension or favorable adjustments to the terms of any patents we may own or in-license in the future. In addition, the actual protection afforded by a patent varies on a product-by-product basis, from country-to-country, and depends upon many factors, including the type of patent, the scope of its coverage, the availability of regulatory-related extensions, the availability of legal remedies in a particular country and the validity and enforceability of the patent. Patent term may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our products for an adequate amount of time.
As of March 1, 2026, we owned more than 25 pending U.S. non-provisional patent applications and more than 100 pending ex-U.S. patent applications and granted patents. We currently do not in-license any issued patents with respect to any of our product candidates or our platform technology.
FHD-909
As of March 1, 2026, we owned one U.S. patent and more than 50 pending U.S. and ex-U.S. non-provisional patent applications that relate to FHD-909, including its composition and various methods of use. Any U.S. or ex-U.S. patent that may issue from these patent applications would be scheduled to expire between 2041-2043, excluding any additional term for patent term adjustment or patent term extension, if applicable.
In addition to patent applications, we rely on unpatented trade secrets, know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain our competitive position. However, trade secrets and confidential know-how are difficult to protect. In particular, we consider various aspects of our Gene Traffic Control platform to constitute our trade secrets and know-how. We seek to protect our proprietary information, in part, by executing confidentiality agreements with our collaborators and scientific advisors and non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. We cannot guarantee that we will have executed such agreements with all applicable employees and contractors, or that these agreements will afford us adequate protection of our intellectual property and proprietary information rights. In addition, our trade secrets and/or confidential know-how may become known or be independently developed by a third party or misused by any person to whom we disclose such information. These agreements may also be breached, and we may not have an adequate remedy for any such breach. Despite any measures taken to protect our intellectual property, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our products or to obtain or use information that we regard as proprietary. Although we take steps to protect our proprietary information, third parties may independently develop the same or similar proprietary information or may otherwise gain access to our proprietary information. As a result, we may be unable to meaningfully protect our trade secrets and proprietary information. For more information regarding the risks related to our intellectual property, please see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Intellectual Property.”
Strategic Collaboration with Lilly
On December 10, 2021, we entered into a strategic collaboration with Lilly. Under the terms of the Lilly Collaboration Agreement, the parties will seek to leverage our platform technology to research, discover and develop therapeutic molecules directed to the SMARCA2 target and an additional undisclosed oncology target, and to three additional discovery programs. Lilly will pursue the clinical development, manufacture and commercialization of products derived from or containing certain compounds developed and Foghorn will have the right to participate in the development and commercialization of these products for the U.S. market.
Under the Lilly Collaboration Agreement, Lilly made an upfront payment of $300.0 million, and a concurrent $80.0 million equity investment in Foghorn. We are eligible to receive a share of U.S. profits for co-commercialized products. Lilly and Foghorn will share 50/50 in the U.S. economics for products directed to the SMARCA2-selective program and one other undisclosed target. For the three Discovery Programs, Foghorn will have an option to participate in a percentage of the U.S. economics following the successful completion of dose-finding toxicity studies. For these programs, Foghorn is eligible to receive development and commercialization milestones of up to an aggregate of approximately $1.3 billion if Foghorn does not exercise its option to participate in the U.S. economics for any discovery program. In addition, Lilly will pay the Company
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tiered royalties on product sales on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis (1) at royalty rates ranging from low-double digits to the twenties on ex-U.S. sales for products directed to the SMARCA2-selective program and one other undisclosed target and (2) at royalty rates ranging from mid-single digits to low-double digits on sales outside the U.S. for products directed to the Discovery Programs, during the applicable royalty term and subject to certain royalty step-down provisions.
Manufacturing
We do not have any manufacturing facilities or personnel. We currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates undergoing preclinical testing, as well as for clinical testing and commercial manufacture if our product candidates receive marketing approval.
All of our drug candidates are small molecules and are manufactured in synthetic processes from available starting materials. The chemistry appears amenable to scale up and does not currently require unusual equipment in the manufacturing process. We expect to continue to develop product candidates that can be produced cost-effectively at contract manufacturing facilities.
We generally expect to rely on third parties for the manufacture of companion diagnostics for our products, which are assays or tests to identify an appropriate patient population. Depending on the technology solutions we choose, we may rely on multiple third parties to manufacture and sell a single test.
Commercialization
Subject to receiving marketing approvals, we expect to commence commercialization activities by building a focused sales and marketing organization in the United States to sell our products. We believe that such an organization will be able to address the community of oncologists who are the key specialists in treating the patient populations for which our product candidates are being developed. Outside the United States, we expect to enter into distribution and other marketing arrangements with third parties for any of our product candidates that obtain marketing approval.
We also plan to build a marketing and sales management organization to create and implement marketing strategies for any products that we market through our own sales organization and to oversee and support our sales force. The responsibilities of the marketing organization would include developing educational initiatives with respect to approved products and establishing relationships with researchers and practitioners in relevant fields of medicine.
Government Regulation
The FDA and other regulatory authorities at federal, state and local levels, as well as in ex-United States countries, extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, import, export, safety, effectiveness, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, recordkeeping, approval, advertising, promotion, marketing, post-approval monitoring and post-approval reporting of drugs. We, along with our vendors, contract research organizations and contract manufacturers, will be required to navigate the various preclinical, clinical, manufacturing and commercial approval requirements of the governing regulatory agencies of the countries in which we wish to conduct studies or seek approval of our product candidates. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals of drugs and ensuring subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and ex-United States statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources.
In the United States, where we are initially focusing our drug development, the FDA regulates drug products under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FD&C Act”) as amended, its implementing regulations and other laws. If we fail to comply with applicable FDA or other requirements at any time with respect to product development, clinical testing, approval or any other legal requirements relating to product manufacture, processing, handling, storage, quality control, safety, marketing, advertising, promotion, packaging, labeling, export, import, distribution, or sale, we may become subject to administrative or judicial sanctions or other legal consequences. These sanctions or consequences could include, among other things, the FDA’s refusal to approve pending applications, issuance of clinical holds for ongoing studies, suspension or revocation of approved applications, warning or untitled letters, product withdrawals or recalls, product seizures, relabeling or repackaging, total or partial suspensions of manufacturing or distribution, injunctions, fines, civil penalties or criminal prosecution.
The process required by the FDA before our product candidates are approved as drugs for therapeutic indications and may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:
•completion of extensive preclinical studies in accordance with applicable regulations, including studies conducted in accordance with good laboratory practice (“GLP”) requirements;
•completion of the manufacture, under cGMP conditions, of the drug substance and drug product that the sponsor intends to use in human clinical trials along with required analytical and stability testing;
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•submission to the FDA of an IND, which must become effective before clinical trials may begin;
•approval by an institutional review board (“IRB”) or independent ethics committee at each clinical trial site before each trial may be initiated;
•performance of adequate and well-controlled clinical trials in accordance with applicable IND regulations, good clinical practice (“GCP”) requirements and other clinical trial-related regulations to establish the safety and efficacy of the investigational product for each proposed indication;
•submission to the FDA of a New Drug Application (“NDA”);
•a determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of an NDA, to accept the filing for review;
•satisfactory completion of one or more FDA pre-approval inspections of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the drug will be produced to assess compliance with cGMP requirements to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the drug’s identity, strength, quality and purity;
•potentially, satisfactory completion of FDA audit of the clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the NDA;
•payment of user fees for FDA review of the NDA; and
•FDA review and approval of the NDA, including consideration of the views of any FDA advisory committee, prior to any commercial marketing or sale of the drug in the United States.
Preclinical Studies and Clinical Trials for Drugs
Before testing any drug in humans, the product candidate must undergo rigorous preclinical testing. Preclinical studies include laboratory evaluations of drug chemistry, formulation and stability, as well as in vitro and animal studies to assess safety and in some cases to establish the rationale for therapeutic use. The conduct of preclinical studies is subject to United States federal and state regulation, including GLP requirements for safety/toxicology studies. The results of the preclinical studies, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, must be submitted to the FDA as part of an IND. An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational product to humans and must become effective before clinical trials may begin. Some long-term preclinical testing may continue after the IND is submitted. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30-day time period, raises concerns or questions about the conduct of the clinical trial, including concerns that human research subjects will be exposed to unreasonable health risks, and imposes a full or partial clinical hold. FDA must notify the sponsor of the grounds for the hold and any identified deficiencies must be resolved before the clinical trial can begin. Submission of an IND may result in the FDA not allowing clinical trials to commence or not allowing clinical trials to commence on the terms originally specified in the IND. A clinical hold can also be imposed once a trial has already begun, thereby halting the trial until the deficiencies articulated by FDA are corrected.
The clinical stage of development involves the administration of the product candidate to healthy volunteers or patients under the supervision of qualified investigators, who generally are physicians not employed by or under the trial sponsor’s control, in accordance with GCP requirements, which include the requirements that all research subjects provide their informed consent for their participation in any clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria and the parameters and criteria to be used in monitoring safety and evaluating effectiveness. Each protocol, and any subsequent amendments to the protocol, must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Furthermore, each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an IRB for each institution at which the clinical trial will be conducted to ensure that the risks to individuals participating in the clinical trials are minimized and are reasonable compared to the anticipated benefits. The IRB also approves the informed consent form that must be provided to each clinical trial subject or his or her legal representative and must monitor the clinical trial until completed. Regulatory authorities, the IRB 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 studies also include oversight by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical study sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board, which provides authorization for whether or not a study may move forward at designated check points based on access to certain data from the study and may halt the clinical trial if it determines that there is an unacceptable safety risk for subject or other grounds, such as a lack of observed efficacy. There also are requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and completed clinical trials to public registries. Information about clinical trials, including results for clinical trials other than Phase 1 investigations, must be submitted within specific timeframes for publication on www.ClinicalTrials.gov, a clinical trials database maintained by the National Institutes of Health.
A sponsor who wishes to conduct a clinical trial outside of the United States may, but need not, obtain FDA authorization to conduct the clinical trial under an IND. If a foreign clinical trial is not conducted under an IND, FDA will nevertheless accept
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the results of the study in support of an NDA if the study was conducted in accordance with GCP requirements, and the FDA is able to validate the data through an onsite inspection if deemed necessary.
Clinical trials to evaluate therapeutic indications to support NDAs for marketing approval are typically conducted in three sequential phases, which may overlap.
•Phase 1—Phase 1 clinical trials involve initial introduction of the investigational product into healthy human volunteers or patients with the target disease or condition. These studies are typically designed to test the safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism and distribution of the investigational product in humans, excretion the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence of effectiveness.
•Phase 2—Phase 2 clinical trials typically involve administration of the investigational product to a limited patient population with a specified disease or condition to evaluate the drug’s potential efficacy, to determine the optimal dosages and dosing schedule and to identify possible adverse side effects and safety risks.
•Phase 3—Phase 3 clinical trials typically involve administration of the investigational product 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 and physician labeling.
Post-approval trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials or post-marketing studies, may be conducted after initial marketing approval. These trials are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication and are commonly intended to generate additional safety data regarding use of the product in a clinical setting. In certain instances, the FDA may mandate the performance of Phase 4 clinical trials as a condition of NDA approval.
Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials, among other information, must be submitted at least annually to the FDA. Written IND safety reports must be submitted to the FDA and the investigators fifteen days after the trial sponsor determines the information qualifies for reporting for serious and unexpected suspected adverse events, findings from other studies or animal or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk for human volunteers and any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigator brochure. The sponsor must also notify the FDA of any unexpected fatal or life-threatening suspected adverse reaction as soon as possible but in no case later than seven calendar days after the sponsor’s initial receipt of the information.
With the passage of the Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act of 2022 (“FDORA”) signed by President Biden on December 29, 2022 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R. 2617), Congress added a requirement for sponsors to develop and submit a diversity action plan for each Phase 3 clinical trial or any other “pivotal study” of a new drug or biological product. Action plans must include the sponsor’s goals for enrollment, the underlying rationale for those goals, and an explanation of how the sponsor intends to meet them. This requirement will apply with respect to clinical investigations for which enrollment commences 180 days after the publication of a final guidance by the FDA on diversity action plans. The statute directs FDA to issue new or revised draft guidance on diversity action plans by the end of 2023, and final guidance within 9 months of closing the comment period on such draft guidance. FDA has not yet published new or revised draft guidance.
During the development of a new drug, sponsors are given opportunities to meet with the FDA at certain points. These points may be prior to submission of an IND, at the end of Phase 2, and before an NDA is submitted. Meetings at other times may be requested. These meetings can provide an opportunity for the sponsor to share information about the data gathered to date, for the FDA to provide advice, and for the sponsor and the FDA to reach agreement on the next phase of development.
Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional animal studies and must also develop additional information about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the product candidate and finalize a process for manufacturing the drug 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 manufacturers must develop, among other things, methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final drug product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
U.S. Marketing Approval for Drugs
Assuming successful completion of the required clinical testing, the results of the preclinical studies and clinical trials, together with detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacture, controls and proposed labeling, among other things, are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA package requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. An NDA is a request for approval to market a new drug for one or more specified indications and must contain proof of the drug’s safety and efficacy for the requested indications. The marketing application is required to include both negative and ambiguous
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results of preclinical studies and clinical trials, as well as positive findings. Data may come from company-sponsored clinical trials intended to test the safety and efficacy of a product’s use or from a number of alternative sources, including studies initiated by investigators. To support marketing approval, the data submitted must be sufficient in quality and quantity to establish the safety and efficacy of the investigational product to the satisfaction of the FDA. FDA must approve an NDA before a drug may be marketed in the United States.
The FDA reviews all submitted NDAs before it accepts them for filing and may request additional information rather than accepting the NDA for filing. The FDA must make a decision on accepting an NDA for filing within 60 days of receipt, and such decision could include a refusal to file by the FDA. Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review of the NDA. The FDA reviews an NDA to determine, among other things, whether the drug is safe and effective for the indications sought and whether the facility in which it is manufactured, processed, packaged or held meets standards designed to assure the product’s continued safety, quality and purity. Under the goals and polices agreed to by the FDA under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (“PDUFA”) the FDA targets ten months, from the filing date, in which to complete its initial review of a new molecular entity NDA and respond to the applicant, and six months from the filing date of a new molecular entity NDA for priority review. The FDA does not always meet its PDUFA goal dates for standard or priority NDAs, and the review process is often extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification.
Further, under PDUFA, as amended, each NDA must be accompanied by a substantial user fee. The FDA adjusts the PDUFA user fees on an annual basis. Fee waivers or reductions are available in certain circumstances, including a waiver of the application fee for the first application filed by a small business. Additionally, no user fees are assessed on NDAs for products designated as orphan drugs, unless the product also includes a non-orphan indication.
The FDA also may require submission of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (“REMS”) if it believes that a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy is necessary to ensure that the benefits of the drug outweigh its risks. A REMS can include use of risk evaluation and mitigation strategies like medication guides, physician communication plans, assessment plans, and/or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries, or other risk-minimization tools.
The FDA may refer an application for a novel drug to an advisory committee. An advisory committee is a panel of independent experts, including clinicians and other scientific experts, which reviews, evaluates and provides a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions.
Before approving an NDA, the FDA typically will inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and are adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, before approving an NDA, the FDA may inspect one or more clinical trial sites to assure compliance with GCP and other requirements and the integrity of the clinical data submitted to the FDA.
After evaluating the NDA and all related information, including the advisory committee recommendation, if any, and inspection reports regarding the manufacturing facilities and clinical trial sites, the FDA may issue an approval letter, or, in some cases, a complete response letter. A complete response letter generally contains a statement of specific conditions that must be met in order to secure final approval of the NDA and may require additional clinical or preclinical testing in order for the FDA to reconsider the application. Even with submission of this additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval. If and when those conditions have been met to the FDA’s satisfaction, the FDA will typically issue an approval letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the drug with specific prescribing information for specific indications.
Even if the FDA approves a product, depending on the specific risk(s) to be addressed it may limit the approved indications for use of the product, require that contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling, require that post-approval studies, including Phase 4 clinical trials, be conducted to further assess a drug’s safety after approval, require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the product after commercialization, or impose other conditions, including distribution and use restrictions or other risk management mechanisms under a REMS, which can materially affect the potential market and profitability of the product. The FDA may prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of post-marketing studies or surveillance programs. After approval, some types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, manufacturing changes, and additional labeling claims, are subject to further testing requirements and FDA review and approval.
Orphan Drug Designation and Exclusivity
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan designation to a drug 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 that affects more than 200,000 individuals in the United States where there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making the
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product available in the United States for the disease or condition will be recovered from sales of the product. Orphan designation must be requested before submitting an NDA. Orphan designation does not convey any advantage in or shorten the duration of the regulatory review and approval process, though companies developing orphan products are eligible for certain incentives, including tax credits for qualified clinical testing and waiver of application fees.
If a product that has orphan designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease or condition for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to a seven-year period of marketing exclusivity during which the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same therapeutic agent for the same indication, except in limited circumstances, such as a subsequent product’s showing of clinical superiority over the product with orphan drug exclusivity or where the original applicant cannot produce sufficient quantities of product. Competitors, however, may receive approval of different therapeutic agents for the indication for which the orphan product has exclusivity or obtain approval for the same therapeutic agent for a different indication than that for which the orphan product has exclusivity. Orphan drug exclusivity could block the approval of one of our products for seven years if a competitor obtains approval for the same therapeutic agent for the same indication before we do, unless we are able to demonstrate that our product is clinically superior. If an orphan designated product receives marketing approval for an indication broader than what is designated, it may not be entitled to orphan drug exclusivity. Further, orphan drug exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or the manufacturer of the approved product is unable to assure sufficient quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.
Expedited Development and Review Programs for Drugs
The FDA maintains several programs intended to facilitate and expedite development and review of new drugs to address unmet medical needs in the treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions. These programs include Fast Track designation, Breakthrough Therapy designation, Priority Review and Accelerated Approval, and the purpose of these programs is to either expedite the development or review of important new drugs to get them to patients more quickly than standard FDA review timelines typically permit.
A new drug is eligible for Fast Track designation if it is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for such disease or condition. Fast Track designation provides increased opportunities for sponsor interactions with the FDA during preclinical and clinical development, in addition to the potential for rolling review once a marketing application is filed. Rolling review means that the agency may review portions of the marketing application before the sponsor submits the complete application. In addition, a new drug may be eligible for Breakthrough Therapy designation if it is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. Breakthrough Therapy designation provides all the features of Fast Track designation in addition to intensive guidance on an efficient drug development program beginning as early as Phase 1, and FDA organizational commitment to expedited development, including involvement of senior managers and experienced review staff in a cross-disciplinary review, where appropriate.
Any product submitted to the FDA for approval, including a product with Fast Track or Breakthrough Therapy designation, may also be eligible for additional FDA programs intended to expedite the review and approval process, including Priority Review designation and Accelerated Approval. A product is eligible for Priority Review, once an NDA or BLA is submitted, if the drug that is the subject of the marketing application has the potential to provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of a serious disease or condition. Under priority review, the FDA’s goal date to take action on the marketing application is six months compared to ten months for a standard review. Products are eligible for Accelerated Approval if they can be shown to have an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or an effect on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality, which 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.
Accelerated Approval is usually contingent on a sponsor’s agreement to conduct additional post-approval studies to verify and describe the product’s clinical benefit. The FDA may withdraw approval of a drug or an indication approved under Accelerated Approval if, for example, the confirmatory trial fails to verify the predicted clinical benefit of the product. In addition, the FDA generally requires, as a condition for Accelerated Approval, that all advertising and promotional materials intended for dissemination or publication within 120 days of marketing approval be submitted to the agency for review during the pre-approval review period. After the 120-day period has passed, all advertising and promotional materials must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the intended time of initial dissemination or publication. FDORA signed by President Biden on December 29, 2022 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R. 2617) includes numerous reforms to the Accelerated Approval process for drugs and biologics and enables the FDA to require, as appropriate, that a post-approval study be underway prior to granting accelerated approval. FDORA also expands the expedited withdrawal procedures already available to the FDA to allow the agency to use expedited procedures if a sponsor fails to conduct any required post-approval study of the
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product with due diligence including with respect to “conditions specified by the Secretary [of HHS].” FDORA also adds the failure of a sponsor of a product approved under Accelerated Approval to conduct with due diligence any required post-approval study with respect to such product or to submit timely reports with respect to such product to the list of prohibited acts in the FD&C Act.
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 the time period for FDA review or approval may not be shortened. Furthermore, Fast Track designation, Breakthrough Therapy designation, Priority Review and Accelerated Approval do not change the scientific or medical standards for approval or the quality of evidence necessary to support approval, though they may expedite the development or review process.
Pediatric Information and Pediatric Exclusivity
The Pediatric Research Equity Act (“PREA”) requires a sponsor to conduct pediatric clinical trials for most drugs, for a new active ingredient, new indication, new dosage form, new dosing regimen or new route of administration. Under PREA, as amended, certain NDAs and NDA supplements must contain data that can be used to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The FDA may grant deferrals for submission of pediatric data or full or partial waivers. The FD&C Act requires that a sponsor who is planning to submit a marketing application for a drug that includes a new active ingredient, new indication, new dosage form, new dosing regimen or new route of administration submit an initial Pediatric Study Plan (“PSP”) within 60 days of an end-of-Phase 2 meeting or, if there is no such meeting, as early as practicable before the initiation of the Phase 3 or Phase 2/3 study. The initial PSP must include an outline of the pediatric study or studies that the sponsor plans to conduct, including study objectives and design, age groups, relevant endpoints and statistical approach, or a justification for not including such detailed information, and any request for a deferral of pediatric assessments or a full or partial waiver of the requirement to provide data from pediatric studies along with supporting information. The FDA and the sponsor must reach an agreement on the PSP. A sponsor can submit amendments to an agreed-upon initial PSP at any time if changes to the pediatric plan need to be considered based on data collected from preclinical studies, early phase clinical trials and/or other clinical development programs.
A drug 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 study in accordance with an FDA-issued “Written Request” for such a study.
U.S. Post-Approval Requirements for Drugs
Drugs manufactured or distributed pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, requirements relating to recordkeeping, periodic reporting, product sampling and distribution, reporting of adverse experiences with the product, complying with promotion and advertising requirements, which include restrictions on promoting products for unapproved uses or patient populations (known as “off-label use”) and limitations on industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities. Although physicians may prescribe legally available products for off-label uses, manufacturers may not market or promote such uses. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability, including investigation by federal and state authorities. Prescription drug promotional materials must be submitted to the FDA in conjunction with their first use or first publication. Further, if there are any modifications to the drug, including changes in indications, labeling or manufacturing processes or facilities, the applicant may be required to submit and obtain FDA approval of a new NDA or NDA supplement, which may require the generation of additional data or the conduct of additional preclinical studies and clinical trials.
The FDA may impose a number of post-approval requirements as a condition of approval of an NDA. For example, the FDA may require post-market testing, including Phase 4 clinical trials, and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product’s safety and effectiveness after commercialization. In addition, drug manufacturers and their subcontractors involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved drugs 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 ongoing regulatory requirements, including cGMPs, which impose certain procedural and documentation requirements. Failure to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements may subject a manufacturer to legal or regulatory action, such as warning letters, suspension of manufacturing, product seizures, injunctions, civil penalties or criminal prosecution. There is also a continuing, annual prescription drug product program user fee.
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, requirements for post-market studies or clinical trials to assess new safety
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risks, or imposition of distribution or other restrictions under a REMS. Other potential consequences include, among other things:
•restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product, complete withdrawal of the product from the market or product recalls;
•the issuance of safety alerts, Dear Healthcare Provider letters, press releases or other communications containing warnings or other safety information about the product;
•fines, warning letters or holds on post-approval clinical trials;
•refusal of the FDA to approve applications or supplements to approved applications, or suspension or revocation of product approvals;
•product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of products;
•injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties; and
•consent decrees, corporate integrity agreements, debarment or exclusion from federal healthcare programs; or mandated modification of promotional materials and labeling and issuance of corrective information.
Companion diagnostics are designed to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from a particular therapeutic product; identify patients likely to be at increased risk for serious side effects as a result of treatment with a particular therapeutic product; or monitor response to treatment with a particular therapeutic product for the purpose of adjusting treatment to achieve improved safety or effectiveness. Companion diagnostics are regulated as medical devices by the FDA. In the United States, the FD&C Act, and its implementing regulations, and other federal and state statutes and regulations govern, among other things, medical device design and development, preclinical and clinical testing, premarket clearance or approval, registration and listing, manufacturing, labeling, storage, advertising and promotion, sales and distribution, export and import, and post-market surveillance. Unless an exemption or FDA exercise of enforcement discretion applies, diagnostic tests generally require marketing clearance or approval from the FDA prior to commercialization. The two primary types of FDA marketing authorization applicable to a medical device are clearance of a premarket notification, or 510(k), and approval of a premarket approval application (“PMA”).
To obtain 510(k) clearance for a medical device, or for certain modifications to devices that have received 510(k) clearance, a manufacturer must submit a premarket notification demonstrating that the proposed device is substantially equivalent to a previously cleared 510(k) device or to a pre-amendment device that was in commercial distribution before May 28, 1976, or a predicate device, for which the FDA has not yet called for the submission of a PMA. In making a determination that the device is substantially equivalent to a predicate device, the FDA compares the proposed device to the predicate device and assesses whether the subject device is comparable to the predicate device with respect to intended use, technology, design and other features which could affect safety and effectiveness. If the FDA determines that the subject device is substantially equivalent to the predicate device, the subject device may be cleared for marketing. The 510(k) premarket notification pathway generally takes from three to twelve months from the date the application is completed, but can take significantly longer.
A PMA must be supported by valid scientific evidence, which typically requires extensive data, including technical, preclinical, clinical and manufacturing data, to demonstrate to the FDA’s satisfaction the safety and effectiveness of the device. The process for developing a PMA, including the gathering of clinical and preclinical data and submission to FDA can take several years or longer. For diagnostic tests, a PMA typically includes data regarding analytical and clinical validation studies. As part of its review of the PMA, the FDA will conduct a pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities to ensure compliance with the quality management system regulation, or QMSR, which requires manufacturers to follow design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures. The FDA’s review of an initial PMA is required by statute to take between six to ten months, although the process typically takes longer, and may require several years to complete, and PMA approval is not guaranteed. If the FDA evaluations of both the PMA and the manufacturing facilities are favorable, the FDA will either issue an approval letter or an approvable letter, which usually contains a number of conditions that must be met in order to secure the final approval of the PMA. If the FDA’s evaluation of the PMA or manufacturing facilities is not favorable, the FDA will deny the approval of the PMA or issue a not approvable letter. A not approvable letter will outline the deficiencies in the application and, where practical, will identify what is necessary to make the PMA approvable. Once granted, PMA approval may be withdrawn by the FDA if compliance with post-approval requirements, conditions of approval or other regulatory standards is not maintained or problems are identified following initial marketing.
On July 31, 2014, the FDA issued a final guidance document addressing the development and approval process for “In Vitro Companion Diagnostic Devices.” According to the guidance document, for novel therapeutic products that depend on the use of a diagnostic test and where the diagnostic device could be essential for the safe and effective use of the corresponding therapeutic product, the companion diagnostic device should be developed and approved or cleared contemporaneously with the therapeutic, although the FDA recognizes that there may be cases when contemporaneous development may not be possible.
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However, in cases where a drug cannot be used safely or effectively without the companion diagnostic, the FDA’s guidance indicates it will generally not approve the drug without the approval or clearance of the diagnostic device. The FDA also issued a draft guidance in July 2016 setting forth the principles for co-development of an in vitro companion diagnostic device with a therapeutic product. The draft guidance describes principles to guide the development and contemporaneous marketing authorization for the therapeutic product and its corresponding in vitro companion diagnostic.
Once cleared or approved, the companion diagnostic device must adhere to post-marketing requirements including the requirements of the FDA’s QMSR, which cover the methods and documentation of the design, testing, production, processes, controls, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, and shipping of all medical devices, as well as adverse event reporting, recalls and corrections along with product marketing requirements and limitations. Medical devices, including companion diagnostics, may be marketed only for the uses and indications for which they are cleared or approved. Device manufacturers must also establish registration and device listings with the FDA. Like drug makers, companion diagnostic makers are subject to unannounced FDA inspections at any time during which the FDA will conduct an audit of the product(s) and the company’s facilities, facility records, and manufacturing processes for compliance with its authorities.
Marketing Exclusivity
Market exclusivity provisions authorized under the FD&C Act can delay the submission or the approval of certain marketing applications. The FD&C Act provides a five-year period of non-patent marketing exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to obtain approval of an NDA for a new chemical entity. A drug is a new chemical entity if the FDA has not previously approved any other new drug containing the same active moiety, which is the molecule or ion responsible for the action of the drug substance. During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not approve or even accept for review an abbreviated new drug application (“ANDA”) or an NDA submitted under Section 505(b)(2), or 505(b)(2) NDA, submitted by another company for another drug based on the same active moiety, regardless of whether the drug is intended for the same indication as the original innovative drug or for another indication, where the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference to all the data required for approval. However, an application may be submitted after four years if it contains a certification of patent invalidity or non-infringement to one of the patents listed with the FDA by the innovator NDA holder.
The FD&C Act alternatively provides three years of marketing exclusivity for an NDA, or supplement to an existing NDA if new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability studies, that were conducted or sponsored by the applicant are deemed by the FDA to be essential to the approval of the application, for example new indications, dosages or strengths of an existing drug. This three-year exclusivity covers only the modification for which the drug received approval on the basis of the new clinical investigations and does not prohibit the FDA from approving ANDAs or 505(b)(2) NDAs for drugs containing the active agent for the original indication or condition of use. Five-year and three-year exclusivity will not delay the submission or approval of a full NDA. However, an applicant submitting a full NDA would be required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to any preclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.
Pediatric exclusivity is another type of marketing exclusivity available in the United States. Pediatric exclusivity provides for an additional six months of marketing exclusivity attached to another period of exclusivity if a sponsor conducts clinical trials in children in response to a written request from the FDA. The issuance of a written request does not require the sponsor to undertake the described clinical trials. In addition, orphan drug exclusivity, as described above, may offer a seven-year period of marketing exclusivity, except in certain circumstances.
Other Regulatory Matters
Manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities of product candidates following product approval, where applicable, or commercialization are also subject to regulation by numerous regulatory authorities in the United States in addition to the FDA, which may include the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) other divisions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and state and local governments and governmental agencies.
Other Healthcare Laws
Healthcare providers, physicians, and third-party payors will play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any products for which we obtain marketing approval. Our business operations and any current or future arrangements with third-party payors, healthcare providers and physicians may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we develop, market, sell and distribute any drugs for which we obtain marketing approval. In the United States, these laws include, without limitation, federal and state fraud and abuse laws, transparency laws, and patient data privacy and security laws, including but not limited to those described below, some of which will not apply to us unless or until we have a marketed product.
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•The federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons from offering, soliciting, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase or ordering of, a good or service for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid;
•Federal false claims, false statement and civil monetary penalties laws prohibiting, among other things, any person from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payments of government funds or knowingly making, or causing to be made, a false statement material to a false claim;
•The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”),which, in addition to privacy protections applicable to healthcare providers and other entities, prohibits executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program and making false statements relating to healthcare matters;
•So-called federal “sunshine” law, or Open Payments, which requires pharmaceutical and medical device companies to report information related to certain payments and transfers of value provided to certain healthcare providers to CMS, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members;
•Federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm consumers.
•The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which among other things, strictly regulates drug product and medical device marketing, prohibits manufacturers from marketing such products prior to approval or for unapproved indications and regulates the distribution of samples;
•Federal laws, including the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, that require pharmaceutical manufacturers to calculate, certify and report certain complex calculated product prices to the government or provide certain discounts or rebates to government authorities or private entities, often as a condition of reimbursement under government healthcare programs; and
•Analogous state and foreign laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback, anti-bribery and false claims laws, which may apply to healthcare items or services that are reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers, as well as other state laws that require companies to comply with specific compliance standards, restrict financial interactions between companies and healthcare providers, require companies to report information related to payments to healthcare providers, marketing expenditures or pricing, require the licensing or registration of sales representatives or regulate the manufacture and distribution of drugs and biological products, imposing extensive record-keeping, licensing, storage and security requirements.
Given the breadth of the laws and regulations, narrowness of exceptions, limited guidance for certain laws and regulations, and evolving government interpretations of the laws and regulations, ensuring compliance is challenging. Federal and state enforcement agencies scrutinize interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other related governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, disgorgement, exclusion from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, reputational harm, additional oversight and reporting obligations if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar settlement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. Ensuring business arrangements comply with applicable healthcare laws, as well as responding to possible investigations by government authorities, can be time- and resource-consuming and can divert a company’s attention from its business.
Coverage and Reimbursement by Third-Party Payors
In the United States and markets in other countries, patients who are prescribed treatments for their conditions and providers performing the prescribed services generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the associated healthcare costs. Sales of an approved drug product will depend, in part, on the extent to which third-party payors, including government health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and private health insurance such as managed care plans, provide coverage, and establish adequate reimbursement levels for the product. No uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for drug products exists among third-party payors. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for drug products can differ significantly from payor to payor. The process for determining whether a third-party payor will provide coverage for a product may be separate from the process for setting the price or reimbursement rate that the payor will pay for the product once coverage is approved. A third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for a product therefore does not imply that an adequate
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reimbursement rate will be approved. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the prices charged, examining the medical necessity, reviewing the cost-effectiveness of medical products and services and imposing controls to manage costs. Third-party payors may seek to control costs and manage utilization by, for example, excluding products from lists of approved covered products (known as “formularies”), imposing step edits that require patients to try alternative treatments before authorizing payment for products, limiting the types of diagnoses for which coverage will be provided, requiring pre-approval (known as “prior authorization”) for coverage of a prescription for each patient (to allow the payor to assess medical necessity) or imposing a moratorium on coverage for products while the payor makes a coverage decision.
In order to secure coverage and reimbursement for any product that might be approved for sale, a company may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of the product, which will require additional expenditure above and beyond the costs required to obtain FDA or other comparable regulatory approvals. Nonetheless, product candidates may not be considered medically necessary or cost effective. Additionally, companies may also need to provide discounts to purchasers, private health plans or government healthcare programs. A decision by a third-party payor not to cover a product could reduce utilization once the product is approved and have a material adverse effect on sales, our operations and financial condition.
The containment of healthcare costs has become a priority of federal, state and foreign governments, and the prices of products have been a focus in this effort. Governments have shown significant interest in implementing cost-containment programs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products. Adoption of price controls and cost-containment measures, and adoption of more restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could further limit a company’s revenue generated from the sale of any approved products. Coverage policies and third-party payor reimbursement rates may change at any time. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for one or more products for which a company or its collaborators receive regulatory approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.
Current and Future Healthcare Reform Legislation
In the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been, and likely will continue to be, a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system directed at broadening the availability of healthcare, improving the quality of healthcare, and containing or lowering the cost of healthcare. For example, in March 2010, the United States Congress enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (the “Affordable Care Act”), which, among other things, expanded health care coverage through Medicaid expansion and the implementation of the individual mandate for health insurance coverage and which included a number of changes to the coverage and reimbursement of drug products under government healthcare programs.
Beyond the Affordable Care Act, there have been ongoing healthcare reform efforts, including efforts focused on drug pricing and payment. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) of 2022 includes a number of changes intended to address rising prescription drug prices in Medicare Parts B and D. These changes include caps on Medicare Part D out-of-pocket costs, Medicare Part B and Part D drug price inflation rebates, a new Medicare Part D manufacturer discount drug program (replacing the ACA Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program) and a drug price negotiation program for certain high spend Medicare Part B and D drugs (with negotiated prices for the first set of drugs taking effect in 2026). The IRA has had and will likely continue to have a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, changes to Medicaid effective in 2024 eliminated the Medicaid rebate cap. And changes to certain Medicare price reporting requirements for drugs beginning in 2026 will likely increase the administrative and compliance burden for manufacturers.
Recently, drug pricing and payment has been subject to a number of reform initiatives. For example, President Trump issued an Executive Order in April 2025 with multiple directives aimed at lowering drug prices, including refining the Medicare drug price negotiation program established by the IRA; accelerating competition for high-cost prescription drugs by accelerating approval of generics and biosimilars and facilitating the process for re-classifying prescription drugs as over-the-counter drugs; and increasing drug importation. In May 2025, President Trump issued another Executive Order that directed government agencies and officials to identify most-favored nation pricing targets for prescription drugs (and looked to pharmaceutical manufacturers to make significant progress towards delivering target prices to patients); prevent foreign countries from disproportionately shifting the cost of global pharmaceutical research and development to the United States; and facilitate direct-to-consumer purchasing programs for pharmaceutical manufacturers to sell their products to patients at the most-favored-nation price. In the wake of the Executive Orders and related executive initiatives, a number of pharmaceutical manufacturers have announced direct-to-consumer offerings with discounted prices and/or reached agreement with the federal government regarding pricing for drugs, including prices for Medicaid drugs and newly launched products. A website sponsored by the federal government that is anticipated to offer pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer channels in the future has also been launched. Federal agencies are developing new drug pricing pilot programs, such as a voluntary Medicaid initiative which would authorize the federal government to negotiate Medicaid supplemental rebates with participating manufacturers on behalf of state Medicaid programs, in exchange for standardized coverage criteria for participating manufacturer drugs, and proposed
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Medicare Part B and Part D pilot models that, if finalized as proposed, would replace existing inflation-based Medicare rebates with rebates determined on the basis of international prices, for drugs and patients subject to the model. Many of these reform initiatives would require additional legal and/or administrative action to implement and may be subject to legal challenge.
Other federal healthcare reform efforts or actions may affect access to healthcare coverage or the funding of health care benefits, although the full impact of such efforts or actions cannot be predicted. For example, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that Medicaid provisions in the 2025 budget reconciliation legislation, including restrictions in eligibility and funding for Medicaid, as well as changes to the healthcare marketplace such as the elimination of certain subsidies, will increase the number of uninsured.Individual states in the United States have also increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical 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.
Healthcare reform efforts have been and may continue to be subject to scrutiny, legal challenge and subsequent amendment, creating further uncertainty. Other recent government actions may also affect prices or payments for prescription drugs. For example, the Trump Administration’s recently announced tariff on branded or patented drugs may increase the cost of drug products that are imported from abroad or manufactured using products or materials imported from abroad. The timeline for implementation of this tariff has not yet been finalized. As another example, the Budget Control Act, as amended, resulted in the imposition of reductions in Medicare (but not Medicaid) payments to providers in 2013 and will remain in effect through 2032 unless additional Congressional action is taken. Any significant spending reductions affecting Medicare, Medicaid or other publicly funded or subsidized health programs that may be implemented and/or any significant taxes or fees that may be imposed on us could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.
Healthcare reform initiatives at the federal or state level could affect demand for, or pricing of, our current or future products if approved for sale. We cannot, however, predict the ultimate content, timing or effect of any federal and state reform efforts. There is no assurance that federal or state health care reform will not adversely affect our future business and financial results.
Outside the United States, ensuring coverage and adequate payment for a product also involves challenges. Pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to government control in many countries. Pricing negotiations with government authorities can extend well beyond the receipt of regulatory approval for a product and may require a clinical trial that compares the cost-effectiveness of a product to other available therapies. The conduct of such a clinical trial could be expensive and result in delays in commercialization. There can be no assurance that any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for pharmaceutical products will allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements for any products, if approved in those countries.
Other U.S. Environmental, Health and Safety Laws and Regulations
We may be subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. From time to time and in the future, our operations may involve the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals and biological materials, and may also produce hazardous waste products. Even if we contract with third parties for the disposal of these materials and waste products, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of contamination or injury resulting from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from the use or disposal of our hazardous materials, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties for failure to comply with such laws and regulations.
We maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees, but this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. However, we do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us.
In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Current or future environmental laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. In addition, failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.
Government Regulation of Drugs Outside of the United States
To market any product outside of the United States, we would need to comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries and jurisdictions regarding quality, safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials, marketing authorization, commercial sales and distribution of drug products. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we would need to obtain the necessary approvals by the comparable foreign regulatory authorities before we can commence clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries or jurisdictions. The approval process ultimately varies between countries and jurisdictions and can involve additional product testing and additional administrative review periods. The time required to obtain approval in other countries and jurisdictions might differ from and be longer than
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that required to obtain FDA approval. Regulatory approval in one country or jurisdiction does not ensure regulatory approval in another, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country or jurisdiction may negatively impact the regulatory process in others. As in the United States, post-approval regulatory requirements, such as those regarding product manufacture, marketing, or distribution would apply to any product that is approved outside the United States.
Data Privacy Regulations
The conduct of our clinical trials may be subject to privacy restrictions based on U.S. and non-U.S. regulations. For example, the collection, use, storage, disclosure, transfer, or other processing of personal data regarding individuals in the EU and the UK, including personal health data, is subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) including as it forms part of the law of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland by virtue of section 3 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and as amended by the Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/419), known as UK GDPR. Compliance with the GDPR and the UK GDPR will be a rigorous and time-intensive process that may increase our cost of doing business or require us to change our business practices, and despite those efforts, there is a risk that we may be subject to fines and penalties, litigation, and reputational harm in connection with our European activities. The UK’s data protection authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office, has indicated that following Brexit it will continue to enforce the UK GDPR in line with the enforcement of the GDPR in the EU. However, the UK government recently announced its intention to adopt a more flexible approach to the regulation of data, and as a result, there remains a risk of future divergence between the EU and UK data protection regimes. In addition, we may be subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and other U.S. privacy laws. Although the CCPA does not apply directly to our clinical trials, it does impact our collection of information regarding investigators, business contacts, website users and other data subjects. As currently written, the CCPA may impact our business activities and exemplifies the vulnerability of our business to the evolving regulatory environment related to personal data and protected health information.
Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2025, we had 106 full-time employees. We consider our employees to be our greatest asset and have assembled a team with deep scientific, clinical, manufacturing, business, and leadership expertise in biotechnology, platform research, drug discovery, and development. 55 of our employees have M.D. or Ph.D. degrees. Within our workforce, 78 employees are engaged in research and development and 28 are engaged in business development, finance, legal, and general management and administration. None of our employees are represented by labor unions or covered by collective bargaining agreements. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.
Our Corporate Information
We were formed as a Delaware corporation in October 2015 under the name Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. Our principal executive office is located at 99 Coolidge Avenue, Suite 500, Watertown, Massachusetts, 02472, and our phone number is 617-586-3100. Our website address is https://foghorntx.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and are not considered part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies until the fiscal year following the determination that our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is more than $250 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenues are more than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is more than $700 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.
Available Information
Our Internet address is https://foghorntx.com. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, including exhibits, proxy and information statements and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available through the “Investors” portion of our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Information on our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any of our other securities filings unless specifically incorporated herein by reference. In addition, our filings with the SEC may be accessed through the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system at http://www.sec.gov. All statements made in any of our securities filings, including all forward-looking statements or information, are made as of the date of the document in which the statement is included, and we do not assume or undertake any obligation to update any of those statements or documents unless we are required to do so by law.
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We have adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A current copy of the code is posted to the “Investors” portion of our website. In addition, we intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or listing rules concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the code.