Immunome Inc. (IMNM) 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.
Informational only - not investment advice. See Disclaimer.
Item 1. Business
Overview
We are a biotechnology company committed to the development of first-in-class and best-in-class targeted oncology therapies. Our goal is to establish a broad portfolio of differentiated clinical assets to improve the lives of cancer patients. Key to that strategy is our deep expertise in the discovery, design, development, manufacturing, and ultimately commercialization of antibody-drug conjugates and other oncology therapeutics.
We are advancing a pipeline that includes three clinical assets and three preclinical assets. Varegacestat, formerly AL102, is an investigational, oral, once-daily gamma secretase inhibitor, or GSI. In December 2025, we announced positive topline results from the global pivotal Phase 3 RINGSIDE trial of varegacestat in patients with progressing desmoid tumors. We anticipate submitting a new drug application, or NDA, in the second quarter of 2026. IM-1021, a receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1, or ROR1, antibody-drug conjugate, is currently under evaluation in a Phase 1 trial. In November 2025, we reported observed objective responses at multiple dose levels in B-cell lymphoma patients treated with IM-1021, and we plan to share initial data in 2026. IM-3050, a fibroblast activation protein, or FAP, targeted radioligand therapy, or RLT, received IND clearance in April 2025, and we plan to initiate a Phase 1 trial in early 2026 after delivery of third-party diagnostic radiotracer supply. Our preclinical assets include three solid tumor ADCs with anticipated 2026 IND submissions: IM-1617, IM-1340, and IM-1335.
Our pipeline also includes numerous early-stage ADCs produced by our internal discovery efforts, providing opportunities for additional IND submissions in 2027 and beyond. Our approach to discovery centers on designing ADCs against novel or underexplored targets. We believe that pursuing differentiated targets provides a path to significant clinical benefit and meaningful market opportunities. HC74, our differentiated, novel topoisomerase 1, or TOP1, inhibitor payload, supports this strategy. We have efforts underway to develop additional linkers and payloads and believe that a broad toolbox of linkers and payloads supports our mission to design and develop a diverse pipeline of ADCs with differentiated safety, efficacy, and tolerability profiles that address unmet medical need.
To expand and advance our innovative portfolio of therapeutics, we draw on leadership that previously played key roles in the design, development, and commercialization of cutting-edge targeted cancer therapies, including the first ADCs commercialized for Hodgkin and T-cell lymphoma, urothelial cancer and cervical cancer.
Our Strategy
Our mission is to build an oncology company committed to developing first-in-class and best-in-class targeted therapies designed to improve outcomes for cancer patients. Key elements of our business strategy are to:
•
Advance varegacestat and prepare for potential commercialization. We are prioritizing regulatory, clinical, and operational activities to support a potential commercial launch of varegacestat for the treatment of desmoid tumors, subject to regulatory approval. Our launch readiness approach includes a staged build-out of commercial capabilities and our commercial organization; patient identification and market education efforts focused on the treating community; early market access planning intended to support appropriate patient access; and a build-out of patient support capabilities aligned with the chronic nature of treatment in this population. We are also making investments intended to support commercial supply readiness for varegacestat.
•
Leverage our ADC capabilities to progress additional pipeline assets. Key to our strategy is our expertise in the discovery, design, development, manufacturing, and ultimately commercialization of ADCs. We intend to apply these capabilities across our portfolio to efficiently advance additional clinical and preclinical programs, prioritizing programs based on biological rationale, development feasibility, competitive landscape, and potential to address meaningful unmet medical need.
•
Pursue selective business development opportunities while retaining flexibility. We may pursue strategic collaborations, alliances, or other transactions where we believe they can enhance our capabilities, accelerate development timelines, expand our pipeline, support clinical regimens with our pipeline or improve our financial flexibility. We may also, from time to time, evaluate in-licensing, acquisitions, or investments in complementary businesses, technologies, products, or assets.
6
Table of Contents
Immunome Pipeline
Varegacestat (formerly AL102)
Varegacestat is an investigational, oral, once-daily GSI therapy under evaluation for the treatment of desmoid tumors. In December 2025, we reported positive Phase 3 RINGSIDE (Part B) topline results showing that the study met all primary and key secondary endpoints. Varegacestat achieved the primary endpoint of progression free survival, delivering an 84% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death versus placebo (HR=0.16, p0.0001). The confirmed objective response rate (ORR) based on RECIST v1.1 was 56% with varegacestat vs. 9% with placebo (p0.0001), as assessed by blinded independent central review. In an exploratory analysis, varegacestat demonstrated a median best change in tumor volume of -83% vs. +11% with placebo, as assessed by blinded independent central review. In addition, the trial met all key secondary endpoints, with varegacestat achieving statistically significant improvements vs. placebo in landmark tumor volume reduction and worst pain intensity. The Phase 3 RINGSIDE topline and Phase 2 RINGSIDE (Part A) data also show that varegacestat has a safety profile consistent with other GSI therapies. We acquired varegacestat from Ayala Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Ayala, in March 2024.
Disease background
Desmoid tumors, also known as aggressive fibromatosis or desmoid-type fibromatosis, are rare, non-metastatic, locally aggressive sarcomas of fibroblastic origin. They often strike in young adulthood, with 1,000-1,650 patients diagnosed each year in the United States. Desmoid tumors can lead to debilitating pain, deformity, and life-threatening organ damage depending on location. Quality of life is a major challenge for people living with desmoid tumors, and a majority of patients experience chronic pain that can significantly limit physical functioning. Up to ~60-80% of patients experience recurrence, which can be exacerbated by surgery. Following progression during initial active surveillance, systemic therapy is recommended for ~75% of tumors based on location.
Desmoid tumors arise in connective tissue and can occur anywhere in the body where connective tissue is found. These tumors are locally aggressive, which means that while they do not metastasize to other parts of the body, they can grow into the surrounding or adjacent tissue. While some people with desmoid tumors do not experience symptoms, others may experience pain, swelling, difficulty sleeping and reduced mobility. Symptoms largely depend on the location of the tumor and the extent of invasion or compression of surrounding tissue. The pain and physical limitations associated with desmoid tumors can lead to high clinical burdens and reduced quality of life. Additionally, a study conducted in Denmark found that patients with desmoid tumors have substantially higher healthcare resource utilization compared with matched patients at one and three years post-diagnosis, including increases in both in-patient and out-patient visits as well as days of hospitalization.
The vast majority (85-90%) of desmoid tumors are sporadic and of these, 85% result from somatic mutations in the CTNNB1 gene, which encodes β-catenin protein. Desmoid tumors may also result from germline mutation of the APC gene, which is also associated with familial adenomatous polyposis, that leads to accumulation of β-catenin in the nucleus and drives overexpression of its target genes. Risk factors for developing desmoid tumors in patients with these mutations include trauma (especially abdominal surgery), estrogen, and pregnancy.
7
Table of Contents
Desmoid tumors exhibit a variable clinical course, but evidence suggests that the initial period of tumor growth is followed by a long period during which the tumor is stable or may even regress. The recurrence rate of desmoid tumors is associated with tumor location and underlying genetic mutation. For example, tumors on the extremities have recurrence rates of up to 77% and intra-abdominal tumors recur much more frequently than extra-abdominal tumors in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. Risk factors for the initial development of desmoid tumors can also increase the risk of recurrence.
Prior to the November 2023 FDA approval of the GSI OGSIVEO® (nirogacestat) for the treatment of adult patients with progressing desmoid tumors who require systemic treatment, the treatment landscape for desmoid tumors included active surveillance, surgery, radiation therapy, low-dose or conventional chemotherapy, or tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Treatment considerations include tumor progression, symptoms, risk of morbidity, surgical risk, and the need for a fast response. The uptake of OGSIVEO® in the United States in the treatment of desmoid tumors demonstrates the potential for GSIs to address unmet need, and we believe that GSIs may ultimately capture much of the market for desmoid tumor therapy.
Proposed mechanism of action
Varegacestat is an investigational, oral, once-daily GSI. GSIs alter signaling through the Notch pathway, which is involved in embryonic development and the renewal and maintenance of adult tissues. Notch plays a critical role in the proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells, which contribute to the development and progression of cancer. Notch also contributes to resistance to cancer therapeutics. Gamma secretase-mediated cleavage of Notch releases the Notch intracellular domain which travels to the nucleus and activates the genes that mediate oncologic behavior. Inhibition of gamma secretase by varegacestat may block this cleavage and inhibits Notch pathway activation.
Clinical development
Prior to the initiation of the Phase 3 RINGSIDE clinical trial of varegacestat in desmoid tumors, varegacestat clinical activity was observed in two clinical trials that enrolled adult participants with desmoid tumors. A Phase 1 dose-escalation clinical trial was conducted by Bristol-Myers Squibb, or BMS, in patients with solid tumors. In this trial, one patient with desmoid fibromatosis was enrolled. This patient demonstrated tumor shrinkage of 16.5% while on study. Based on these data and responses demonstrated with other GSIs, Ayala designed a seamless Phase 2/3 study called RINGSIDE to specifically evaluate the activity of varegacestat in participants with progressing desmoid tumors who required therapy. The Phase 2 portion of RINGSIDE enrolled 42 participants at three different dosing regimens of varegacestat: 2 mg once a day for two days every week, 4 mg once a day for two days every week and 1.2 mg once a day daily. Overall, the ORR in evaluable participants as measured by RECIST v1.1 by an independent radiologist was 64% for all doses tested. The 1.2 mg daily dosing cohort had an ORR of 75% in the evaluable population. Among participants in the intention-to-treat population, the overall response rate was 55% across all doses tested and the response rate was 64% for participants in the 1.2 mg daily dosing cohort. In this study, more rapid and deeper responses were achieved with 1.2 mg once-daily dosing compared with the other dosing schedules, as evaluated based on RECIST by blinded independent central review, or BICR, tumor volume, and T2W signal intensity. These data were reported in a poster presentation at ESMO in 2024.
Phase 3 RINGSIDE trial in desmoid tumors
The Phase 3 portion of RINGSIDE is a registrational, global, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, conducted at clinical sites in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. It is designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of varegacestat compared to placebo in participants with progressing desmoid tumors. One hundred fifty-six participants with histologically confirmed desmoid tumors with progressive disease (defined as tumor growth of at least 20% within the past 12 months as measured by RECIST v1.1) were enrolled. Enrollment was completed in February 2024.
Enrolled participants were either treatment-naïve with desmoid tumors not amenable to surgery or had refractory or recurrent disease after at least one line of therapy. Participants in the study were randomized 1:1 and received either 1.2 mg varegacestat or placebo given once daily. Tumor progression was evaluated by RECIST v1.1 determined blinded independent central review (BICR). Participants who progress while on study are eligible to enter an open-label extension whereby they may receive varegacestat at a dose of 1.2 mg once daily until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint of Phase 3 RINGSIDE is progression-free survival with secondary endpoints of ORR, duration of response and specific patient-reported outcomes.
8
Table of Contents
In December 2025, we reported positive Phase 3 RINGSIDE topline results showing that the study met all primary and key secondary endpoints. Varegacestat achieved the primary endpoint of the Phase 3 RINGSIDE trial, delivering an 84% reduction in the risk of disease progression compared with placebo (HR=0.16, p0.0001). To our knowledge, this is the lowest hazard ratio reported for a pivotal study in this population. Kaplan-Meier analysis of PFS demonstrated marked separation of the two arms as soon as the first tumor assessment at 12 weeks, and the separation between the curves continued throughout the course of treatment.
The study met the key secondary endpoint, showing a highly significant ORR benefit (p0.0001) with varegacestat (56%) compared with placebo (9%). The waterfall plot shows that none of the study subjects in the varegacestat arm had progressive disease, and tumor shrinkage was observed in the vast majority of participants.
9
Table of Contents
The exploratory endpoint of median best tumor volume also was achieved, with a mediation reduction of 83% in the varegacestat arm compared with an 11% increase in tumor volume in the placebo arm.
Safety results from Phase 3 portion of RINGSIDE show that varegacestat was generally well-tolerated, with a manageable safety profile consistent with the GSI class of medicines. The most common adverse events for participants in the treatment arm were diarrhea (82%), fatigue (44%), rash (43%), nausea (35%), and cough (34%), and most events were grade 1 or 2. Ovarian toxicity was reported in 55.6% of premenopausal women. There were no deaths on study.
We are completing the manufacturing, toxicology and pharmacology work required to support an NDA submission, and expect to submit an NDA to the FDA for varegacestat for the treatment of desmoid tumors in the second quarter of 2026. We also anticipate presenting the complete Phase 3 RINGSIDE data set at an upcoming medical conference.
IM-1021 (Solid Tumor and B-Cell Lymphoma ADC)
IM-1021 is a ROR1 ADC that incorporates HC74, our proprietary TOP1i payload. ROR1 is expressed in both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors with limited normal tissue expression. Previous ADCs targeting ROR1 have demonstrated clinical activity.
We believe that IM-1021 may provide improved therapeutic index as compared to other ROR1-targeted ADCs in development. The Phase 1 clinical trial is ongoing, with objective responses observed in patients with B-cell lymphomas at multiple dose levels.
ROR1 is a clinically validated target in B-cell lymphoma
High or moderate expression of ROR1 has been demonstrated in a variety of hematopoietic malignancies, particularly in B-cell lymphomas, and clinical results have validated it as a target in these tumors. Preliminary Phase 1 data from zilovertamab vedotin (also known as MK-2140 or VLS-101), a ROR1-targeted ADC with a vedotin payload, in heavily pre-treated patients (median prior lines of therapy = 4, range 1-9), showed objective tumor responses in patients with mantle cell lymphoma, or MCL, and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, or DLBCL. Subsequent evaluation in a Phase 2 study by Merck in DLBCL showed that of 103 participants treated at 2.5 mg/kg, 15 participants had complete responses, or CRs, 14 had partial responses, or PRs, and 17 had stable disease, or SDs. Of 37 participants treated at 2.25 mg/kg, there were 7 CRs, 2 PRs, and 7 SDs. Both of these dose levels were associated with a high degree of toxicity. In February 2025, Merck announced the initiation of waveLINE-010 (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06717347), a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating zilovertamab vedotin in combination with
10
Table of Contents
rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisone, or R-CHP, compared to rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone, or R-CHOP, alone, for the treatment of patients with previously untreated DLBCL. In addition, CStone Pharmaceuticals has shared Phase 1 data demonstrating activity in both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma for CS5001, their ROR1-targeted ADC.
ROR1 is an attractive target for select solid tumors
While ROR1 expression is more variable in solid tumors than in B-cell lymphomas, it is known to be expressed in a variety of malignancies including NSCLC, TNBC, ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, liposarcoma and pancreatic cancer, and responses have been observed in NSCLC and pancreatic cancer with CS5001. We believe that developing a successful ADC for ROR1 in solid tumors requires overcoming challenges like moderate-to-low expression and slow internalization. IM-1021 embodies our approach to overcoming these challenges: it incorporates a ROR1 antibody that is designed to promote internalization; it utilizes a cleavable, undisclosed linker to conjugate the payload to the ROR1 antibody via cysteine conjugation; and it includes a proprietary camptothecin derivative, HC74, a TOP1 inhibitor, that is designed to maximize the potential bystander effect and that supports a drug-antibody ratio, or DAR, of 8. We believe that this combination of attributes could provide IM-1021 with an improved therapeutic index compared with other ROR1-targeted ADCs in development.
In October 2024, we presented preclinical data demonstrating robust anti-tumor activity for IM-1021 at the 36th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. IM-1021 showed superior activity compared to zilovertamab vedotin1 at both dose levels in the Jeko-1 mantle cell lymphoma, or MCL, model. In a patient-derived NSCLC xenograft model, eight out of eight animals achieved complete responses after three 2.5 mg/kg doses IM-1021.
1The head-to-head data is based on our synthesized version of MK-2140, which we believe is structurally equivalent to MK-2140.
11
Table of Contents
We received IND clearance for IM-1021 in December 2024 and began dosing participants in our Phase 1 clinical trial in February 2025 with a starting dose of 2 mg/kg of adjusted ideal body weight. Our clinical strategy is designed to efficiently evaluate dose escalation in participants with solid tumors and lymphoma, followed by potential expansion into specific indications. Dose escalation is primarily focused on B-cell lymphomas, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and small lymphocytic lymphomas. We are developing an in vitro diagnostic that could help identify solid tumor participants most likely to respond to IM-1021 in indications like non-small cell lung cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer, liposarcoma, mesothelioma, and pancreatic cancer. Expansion cohorts may include any of the above-mentioned tumor types. Our strategy is to pursue pivotal clinical studies in indications that have shown compelling clinical outcomes in early-stage trials, present significant commercial opportunities, and offer a potential accelerated path to approval.
The Phase 1 clinical trial is ongoing, with objective responses observed in participants with B-cell lymphomas at multiple dose levels. We expect to present initial data for IM-1021 in 2026.
IM-3050 (FAP Radioligand Therapy)
IM-3050 is a FAP-targeted lutetium-177, Lu-177 or 177Lu, RLT product candidate for the treatment of solid tumors. FAP, or fibroblast activation protein, is a cell surface protease that serves as a tumor-specific marker due to its broad expression on cancer associated fibroblasts, the most common tumor stromal cell. FAP is expressed in 75% of solid tumors. IM-3050 is designed to deliver radioactive 177Lu directly to FAP- expressing cells, where the “bystander” effect of the radiation may damage or kill nearby tumor cells. We believe this RLT approach could overcome the limitations, such as poor internalization and low expression on tumor cells, that make FAP an unsuitable target for ADCs. In vivo data show single dose antitumor activity and tolerability.
FAP is expressed in a wide variety of solid tumors
Tumors contain a large number of non-cancerous cells, generally referred to as the tumor stroma, that interact closely with tumor cells and contribute to tumorigenesis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts, or CAFs, and extracellular fibrosis can contribute up to 90% of the gross tumor mass, leaving original tumor cells in the minority. Many CAFs differ from normal fibroblasts by their expression of FAP.
FAP is a membrane-bound serine protease that promotes tumor development and metastasis by influencing extracellular matrix remodeling, intracellular signaling, angiogenesis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and immunosuppression. The broad distribution of FAP across tumor types and the specificity of its expression in tumors make it an attractive target for the development of therapeutics and diagnostics.
A retrospective analysis of images obtained from PET/CT imaging using 68Ga-FAPI, a FAP-targeted radiodiagnostic, found tumor-specific uptake across fifteen types of solid tumors.
FAP-specific inhibitors, such as talabostat, also known as BXCL701, have been investigated in clinical trials since at least 2005; however, none have been approved by the FDA to treat cancer. Other product candidates that have been investigated in the clinic have used FAP to target PET tracers for tumor imaging and cytotoxic molecules and radionuclides as antitumor agents.
Emerging field of targeted radiotherapies
Two targeted radiotherapies have been approved by the FDA in the past few years: Lutathera® for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, or GEP-NETs, that express the somatostatin receptor; and Pluvicto® for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, or mCRPC that expresses PSMA. There has also been strong interest from pharmaceutical companies in acquiring radiotherapies, exemplified by the $4.1 billion dollar acquisition of RayzeBio, Inc. by BMS in 2024; the $2.1 billion acquisition of Endocyte, Inc. by Novartis AG in 2018; the $1.4 billion dollar acquisition of Point Biopharma Global, Inc. by Eli Lilly and Company; and license by BMS in 2025 from Philochem for a early clinical stage radioligand therapy for $350 million upfront, approximately $1.1 billion in potential development, regulatory and commercial milestones and royalties on product sales.
12
Table of Contents
Published clinical results from FAP-targeted RLT product candidates have demonstrated both the potential therapeutic benefits of this class of therapeutics and the limitations of current candidates. In the early Phase I LuMIERE trial among eleven participants with advanced or metastatic solid tumors treated with 177Lu-FAP-2286, one patient achieved a PR after six treatments, and that patient’s disease did not progress for more than 12 months after their first dose. However, most participants did not achieve a response, highlighting the need for FAP-targeted therapies with improved activity. Additional early stage clinical results are expected for FAP targeted radiotherapeuties in development with varied radio isotopes such as lead‑212 (212Pb), actinium‑225 (Ac‑225) and lutetium-177, Lu-177 are expected between 2026 to 2028.
IM-3050 is a FAP-targeted RLT with best-in-class potential
IM-3050, our lead FAP-targeted RLT is an optimized molecule with best-in-class potential. It has four functional domains: a small molecule FAP-specific ligand, a linker tuned to drive tumor-specific uptake, an albumin-binding domain to improve tumor retention, and a chelator to deliver the radionuclide. We have evaluated over 80 FAP-targeted RLTs that use different combinations of ligands, linkers, and albumin binders while still maintaining the four-domain structure.
An example of the impact that a change in a single domain can impart on the therapeutic potential of a product candidate is the effect of specific albumin-binding domains. The inclusion of albumin-binding domains has previously been used to improve the pharmacokinetics of biologics and small molecules that bind to albumin and have been shown to extend their half-life in circulation. We have conducted preclinical studies demonstrating that incorporating albumin binders into RLTs improved biodistribution and in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles. Strong albumin binding led to greater than five-fold increased tumor absorbed dose in an in vivo 4T1 tumor model without significantly increasing exposure in healthy organs including the liver and kidneys. Increased albumin binding affinity also led to increased circulating half-life of potential FAP RLT product candidates in serum when administered intravenously. The increase in circulating half-life is correlated with an increase in tumor-specific uptake and retention.
We selected IM-3050 as a lead candidate following an evaluation of factors like binding affinity, specificity for FAP, radiostability, in vivo tumor retention, preclinical activity, biodistribution and preclinical tolerability. Use of 177Lu-IM-3050 in a mouse model of glioblastoma demonstrated substantial tumor regression with no meaningful weight loss observed.
We received IND clearance for this program in April 2025 and plan to initiate a Phase 1 trial in early 2026 after delivery of third-party diagnostic radiotracer supply.
13
Table of Contents
ADC Strategy
We believe that our team’s ADC expertise positions us to develop the next generation of transformative ADCs. This expertise comprises executive leadership with a proven record of success, an ADC-focused discovery team with deep experience in ADC design, and a seasoned development team whose members spearheaded the development of multiple FDA-approved ADCs. We pair our portfolio of antibodies to potential first-in-class ADC targets with rigorous target selection based on a deep understanding of target biology. That target-driven approach is complemented by HC74, our differentiated, proprietary TOP1 inhibitor payload and our optimized, proprietary linkers.
A key challenge to realizing the full potential of ADCs in the treatment of cancer is the disproportionate focus on a small number of targets, with 10 targets accounting for 50% of active clinical ADC programs.
We believe there are several downsides to pursuing these targets. One downside is the potential difficulty in overcoming limitations of existing ADCs against these targets due to considerations like the heterogeneity of target expression on tumor cells and the likelihood that changes in payload or linker technology will yield only incremental gains in efficacy. Another is their challenging development and commercialization pathways. With multiple therapies in development against them, these highly prevalent targets provide reduced opportunity to address unmet need — which is an essential component of our mission. Instead, we are focusing on targets with no approved therapeutics.
A critical challenge in the pursuit of novel or underexplored targets is optimizing the design of the molecule to match target biology. HC74, our proprietary camptothecin-derived TOP1 inhibitor payload, is designed to address this challenge by supporting development of ADCs for novel targets. TOP1 inhibitors are DNA-damaging agents and are validated ADC payloads. ADCs with these payloads generally show greater tolerability and achieve higher doses than earlier ADCs. For example, a third-party randomized controlled clinical trial found that a HER2-targeted ADC with a TOP1 inhibitor payload, Enhertu®, showed a significant progression-free survival benefit compared with a HER2-targeted ADC with emtansine, a microtubule inhibtor payload.
14
Table of Contents
Additionally, ADCs containing TOP1 inhibitors have achieved higher DARs and have the ability to achieve higher clinical doses compared to ADCs with microtubule inhibitor payloads, allowing for potential increased payload delivery.
These attributes may allow for a higher clinical dose of TOP1 inhibitor-containing ADCs, enabling an increased therapeutic index.
15
Table of Contents
Our proprietary HC74 TOP1 inhibitor payload is designed with best-in-class attributes
Existing TOP1 inhibitors, such as deruxtecan (DXd), have several limitations, including high efflux potential, which leads to primary and acquired payload resistance when cancer cells “pump” the payload out of the cell before it can trigger cell death, and low permeability, which leads to poor bystander activity by preventing uptake of cytotoxic payloads by nearby target-negative cells.
Efflux transporters, such as P-glycoprotein, or P-gp, and multidrug resistance associated protein 1, or MRP1, actively remove ADC payloads from cells.
HC74 was designed to overcome these limitations and to incorporate the attributes of a potential best-in-class ADC payload. These attributes include:
•
Overcoming payload resistance: HC74 is designed to have a lower efflux potential, which is intended to overcome payload resistance mediated by transporters such P-gp and MRP1).
•
Increased bystander activity: HC74 is designed to have higher permeability, which increases killing of nearby tumor cells that do not express the target of the ADC via bystander activity.
•
Superior cytotoxicity: HC74 has demonstrated superior cytotoxic activity across 89 tumor cell lines compared with DXd.
16
Table of Contents
With this combination of attributes, we believe HC74 ADCs have the potential for greater frequency and duration of benefit compared with DXd and other TOP1 inhibitor payloads. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that our HC74 TOP inhibitor payload and HC74 ADCs showed superior properties when compared with DXd and DXd ADCs. The lower efflux potential of HC74 resulted in increased payload cytotoxicity in cells that overexpress efflux transporters, compared with DXd. HC74 also showed increased permeability compared with DXd, resulting in significantly greater cytotoxicity. We believe these results support the potential for superior bystander activity with HC74 compared with DXd.
We believe the reduced efflux ratio observed with HC74 in preclinical studies has the potential to provide clinical benefit because sensitivity to efflux meaningfully limits the clinical efficacy of existing TOP1 inhibitor ADCs. High P-gp expression has been shown to correlate with significantly lower ORR and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with HER2-positive colorectal cancer treated with T-DXd.
Preclinical data presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics 2025 also support the potential for HC74 ADCs to provide clinical benefit in the treatment of tumors with primary or acquired resistance to other TOP1 inhibitor therapies. In these studies, a tumor model using a colorectal cancer cell line that expresses high levels of P-gp (HCT-15) was refractory to T-DXd or irinotecan but sensitive to HC74 ADCs.
17
Table of Contents
We believe the superior bystander activity observed with HC74 ADCs compared with DXd ADCs supports the potential for greater HC74 activity in tumors with target heterogeneity. Within a tumor, the target of the ADC may not be expressed on all cancer cells. Cells lacking the target will not be killed directly by the ADC but may be killed through bystander activity that occurs when target-expressing cells killed by the ADC release payload that enters and kills neighboring target-negative cells. Such effects cannot be discerned in tumor models that use cell lines in which every cell expresses the ADC target. The NCI-H292 bystander mode comprises cells that are positive for TROP2 (a validated ADC target) as well as cells that lack TROP2 expression. In this model, a TROP2-HC74 ADC significantly reduced tumor volume compared with a TROP2-DXd ADC.
Our unique combination of ADC expertise, novel targets, proprietary payload, and novel linkers enables us to pursue a differentiated ADC development strategy, which is focused on targets that have no approved ADCs and on indications with substantial unmet need. We perform extensive expression analyses to understand where and at what levels these targets are expressed and optimize our antibodies for enhanced internalization and tumor localization. We also prioritize definitive preclinical experiments that enable rapid and financially efficient development. Executing on this strategy, we have screened more than 1,000 targets, and this effort has to-date yielded more than 40 targets evaluated in vitro and more than 15 targets evaluated in vivo. This has yielded three novel solid tumor ADCs for which IND-enabling studies are ongoing and multiple additional ADCs currently undergoing lead optimization. Continued execution of this ADC development strategy is anticipated to yield multiple new and highly differentiated ADC candidates each year.
18
Table of Contents
IM-1617 (Solid Tumor ADCs)
IM-1617 is a potential first-in-class ADC that targets an undisclosed receptor that is preferentially expressed in a broad array of solid tumors, including colorectal cancer, or CRC, non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, and breast and ovarian cancers. The target is a receptor tyrosine kinase that promotes tumor cell survival and mediates immune cell exclusion, providing potential for a secondary mechanism of action.
IM-1617 incorporates a proprietary antibody that was selected for attributes that may drive tumor binding while minimizing normal tissue binding; a cleavable, undisclosed linker; and HC74. An initial study in non-human primates, or NHPs, found a highest non-severely toxic dose of 40 mg/kg, indicating a potentially robust therapeutic window. Preclinical in vivo efficacy studies have shown tumor regression after a single, clinically relevant dose of IM-1617 in tumor models derived from melanoma, esophageal cancer, CRC, NSCLC, and other carcinomas.
IND-enabling work for IM-1617 is ongoing and we expect to submit an IND for this program to the FDA in early 2026.
19
Table of Contents
IM-1340 (Solid Tumor ADCs)
IM-1340 is a potential first-in-class ADC for the treatment of multiple solid tumors. The target of IM-1340 is underexplored and non-obvious in cancer and, to our knowledge, there are no ADCs or other therapeutic modalities in development against it. It has a unique expression profile that spans neuroendocrine tumors, or NETs, and other carcinomas, including lung and prostate tumors, with limited expression in normal tissue.
This target is known to promote tumor growth by accelerating proliferation, cell cycle progression, and migration of cancer cells. Additionally, it is a transport receptor for an endolysomal protease, leading to potential favorable ADC internalization dynamics.
20
Table of Contents
IM-1340 incorporates a proprietary antibody selected for attributes that drive tumor binding while minimizing normal tissue binding; a cleavable, undisclosed linker; and HC74. IM-1340 has shown robust preclinical activity, with evidence of regressions following a single 1 mg/kg dose in in vivo tumor models representing NETs and carcinomas including NSCLC, SCLC, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer. An initial study in NHPs found a highest non-severely toxic dose of 40 mg/kg, indicating potential for a robust therapeutic window.
IND-enabling work for IM-1340 is ongoing and we expect to submit an IND for this program to the FDA in mid-2026.
21
Table of Contents
IM-1335 (Solid Tumor ADCs)
IM-1335 is being developed for the treatment of solid tumor indications. It shares a target with a competitor’s now-discontinued investigational ADC that showed clinical activity prior to discontinuation. Our goal in designing IM-1335 was to optimize the safety and efficacy through a deep understanding of target biology and ADC optimization. We identified limitations that we expect contributed to the failure of the prior ADC against this target, and we believe that IM-1335 overcomes these limitations. Toward this end, the antibody portion of IM-1335 has been designed for improved pharmacokinetic and tumor biodistribution profiles. IM-1335 also incorporates a linker designed to enhance stability for on-target activity as well as our proprietary HC74 to match drug sensitivity in top indications.
As shown below, IM-1335 shows in vivo preclinical efficacy in a solid tumor indication.
IND-enabling work for IM-1335 is ongoing and we expect to submit an IND for this program to the FDA in late 2026.
Management Team
To expand and advance our innovative portfolio of therapeutics, we draw on leadership that previously played key roles in the design, development, and commercialization of cutting-edge targeted cancer therapies, including the first ADCs commercialized for Hodgkin and T-cell lymphoma, urothelial cancer and cervical cancer. We believe that our team’s expertise positions us to develop the next generation of transformative targeted therapies including ADCs. This expertise comprises executive leadership with a proven record of success, an ADC-focused discovery team with deep experience in ADC design, and a seasoned development team whose members spearheaded the development of multiple FDA-approved therapies.
Strategic Transactions
Acquisition of Assets from Ayala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
In March 2024, we completed an asset purchase, or the Ayala Closing, pursuant to an asset purchase agreement, or the Ayala Purchase Agreement, initially entered into with Ayala in February 2024, pursuant to which we acquired Ayala’s AL101 and varegacestat programs and assumed certain liabilities associated with the acquired assets. Under the Ayala Purchase Agreement, we paid Ayala approximately $20.0 million in cash and issued 2,175,489 shares of our common stock with an aggregate fair value of $50.6 million on the date of issuance. In December 2025, the Company achieved a $10.0 million development milestone pursuant to the Ayala Purchase Agreement associated with reporting positive topline results for the Phase 3 RINGSIDE trial of varegacestat. We are also obligated to pay Ayala up to an additional $27.5 million in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain future regulatory and commercial milestones.
22
Table of Contents
Acquisition of Assets from Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
In January 2024, we entered into a license agreement with Zentalis, or the Zentalis License Agreement, pursuant to which we received an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain intellectual property relating to Zentalis’ proprietary ADC platform technology, ROR1 antibodies and ADCs targeting ROR1 to exploit products covered by or incorporating the licensed intellectual property rights, or, collectively, the Zentalis Licensed Assets. Under the Zentalis License Agreement, we paid Zentalis $15.0 million in cash and issued Zentalis 2,298,586 shares of our common stock with an aggregate fair value of $23.4 million on the date of issuance.
In October 2024, we completed an asset purchase agreement with Zentalis, or the Zentalis Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which we purchased the Zentalis Licensed Assets and the Zentalis License Agreement was terminated. Under the Zentalis Purchase Agreement, we issued Zentalis 1,805,502 shares of our common stock with an aggregate fair value of $21.0 million on the date of issuance. We are also obligated to pay Zentalis a one-time payment of $5.0 million in cash upon the achievement of a developmental milestone that was previously a milestone under the Zentalis License Agreement. The $5.0 million developmental milestone was achieved in the fourth quarter of 2024 and paid in the first quarter of 2025.
Strategic Collaborations, License Agreements and Other Material Agreements
BMS License Agreement
In connection with the Ayala Closing, we assumed the License Agreement dated as of November 29, 2017, with BMS, as amended by that certain First Amendment to License Agreement dated as of May 4, 2020, or the BMS License. Following the closing of the Ayala Purchase Agreement on August 7, 2024, we entered into Amendment No. 2 to the BMS License Agreement, or the BMS License Agreement Amendment. As consideration to BMS for entering into the BMS License Agreement Amendment, we issued BMS 230,415 unregistered shares of our common stock at an aggregate fair value of $2.7 million on the date of issuance.
Under the BMS License, BMS granted us a worldwide, non-transferable, exclusive, sublicensable license under certain patent rights and know-how controlled by BMS to research, discover, develop, make, have made, use, sell, offer to sell, export, import and commercialize AL101 and varegacestat, or the BMS Licensed Compounds, and products containing AL101 or varegacestat, or the BMS Licensed Products, for all uses including the prevention, treatment or control of any human or animal disease, disorder or condition.
Under the BMS License, we are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop at least one BMS Licensed Product. We have sole responsibility for, and bear the cost of, conducting research and development and preparing all regulatory filings and related submissions with respect to the BMS Licensed Compounds and/or BMS Licensed Products. Ayala has assigned and transferred to us all INDs for the BMS Licensed Compounds originally assigned by BMS to Ayala. We are also required to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain regulatory approvals in certain major market countries for at least one BMS Licensed Product, as well as to affect the first commercial sale of and commercialize each BMS Licensed Product after obtaining such regulatory approval. Immunome has sole responsibility for, and bears the cost of, commercializing BMS Licensed Products. For a limited period of time, we may not engage directly or indirectly in the clinical development or commercialization of a Notch inhibitor molecule that is not a BMS Licensed Compound.
We are obligated to pay BMS up to approximately $142 million in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain clinical development and regulatory milestones by products containing the BMS Compounds. Furthermore, we are obligated to pay up to $50 million per BMS Licensed Product containing a BMS Compound upon the achievement of certain commercial milestones for that product. In addition, we are obligated to pay BMS tiered royalties ranging from a high single-digit to a low teen percentage on worldwide net sales of all BMS Licensed Products.
BMS has the right to terminate the BMS License in its entirety upon written notice to us (a) for insolvency-related events involving us, (b) for our material breach of the BMS License if such breach remains uncured for a defined period of time, (c) for our failure to fulfil our obligations to develop or commercialize the BMS Licensed Compounds and/or BMS Licensed Products not remedied within a defined period of time following written notice by BMS, or (d) if we or our affiliates commence any action challenging the validity, scope, enforceability or patentability of any of the licensed patent rights. We have the right to terminate the BMS License (a) for convenience upon prior written notice to BMS, the length of notice dependent on whether a BMS Licensed Product has received regulatory approval, (b) upon immediate written notice to BMS for insolvency-related
23
Table of Contents
events involving BMS, (c) for BMS’s material breach of the BMS License if such breach remains uncured for a defined period of time, or (d) on a BMS Licensed Compound-by-BMS Licensed Compound and/or BMS Licensed Product-by-BMS Licensed Product basis upon immediate written notice to BMS if we reasonably determine that there are unexpected safety and public health issues relating to the applicable BMS Licensed Compounds and/or BMS Licensed Products. Upon termination of the BMS License in its entirety by us for convenience or by BMS, we grant an exclusive, non-transferable, sublicensable, worldwide license to BMS under certain of our patent rights that are necessary to develop, manufacture or commercialize BMS Licensed Compounds or BMS Licensed Products. In exchange for such license, BMS must pay us a low single-digit percentage royalty on net sales of the BMS Licensed Compounds and/or BMS Licensed Products by it or its affiliates, licensees or sublicensees, provided that the termination occurred after a specified developmental milestone for such BMS Licensed Compounds and/or BMS Licensed Products.
License Agreement with Purdue Research Foundation
In January 2022, Morphimmune entered into a Master License Agreement, or the Purdue License Agreement, with Purdue Research Foundation, or PRF. Under the Purdue License Agreement, PRF granted Morphimmune a royalty-bearing, transferable, worldwide, exclusive license, sublicensable through multiple tiers, under certain patents and technology owned by PRF relating to, among other subject matter, drugs to target FAP, to research, develop, manufacture, and commercialize products covered by the licensed patents in all fields of use with limited exceptions. The license is subject to certain rights of the U.S. government and rights retained by PRF (i) to practice and to license any government agencies, universities or other educational institutions to practice, make, and use the intellectual property licensed to Morphimmune on a royalty-free basis for non-commercial uses, (ii) to conduct activities required under sponsored research agreements with Morphimmune and (iii) to disseminate and publish materials and scientific findings from PRF’s research related to the intellectual property licensed to Morphimmune. Morphimmune is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize the licensed products in accordance with a development and commercialization plan and to achieve agreed development milestones according to a specified timeline. PRF is obligated to prosecute and maintain the licensed patents at Morphimmune’s cost and expense.
Under the Purdue License Agreement, Morphimmune paid PRF a one-time upfront payment of $200,000 upon execution and $100,000 on each of the first and second anniversary of the effective date of the Purdue License Agreement. During the period commencing on the date of first commercial sale of a licensed product and ending upon the date of expiration of the last valid claim of the licensed patents covering such licensed product in a country, referred to as the royalty term, we will pay PRF an earned unit royalty of a low single-digit percentage on gross receipts from sale of the licensed product, and beginning with the first sale of a licensed product, a tiered minimum annual royalty from the low to mid six-digit figure range less the unit royalties due for the annual period. Upon the achievement of specified development and commercialization milestones, we will pay PRF the milestone payments as specified in the Purdue License Agreement, which may be up to $3.75 million in the aggregate. We are also required to pay PRF an annual maintenance fee ranging from a low five-digit figure to a low six-digit figure prior to first sale of a licensed product and a low double-digit percentage of sublicense income received for sublicenses of licensed intellectual property, with such percentage depending upon the timing of execution of the sublicense.
The Purdue License Agreement expires on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis, upon expiration of the royalty term for such licensed product for the applicable country. We may terminate the Purdue License Agreement upon at least one month’s prior written notice to PRF. PRF may terminate the Purdue License Agreement and the licenses granted thereunder if we fail to cure a payment default or other material breach of the Purdue License Agreement after written notice from PRF, or if we become insolvent.
24
Table of Contents
Manufacturing
For certain early research and development activities, we may produce materials at the laboratory scale necessary to support those activities. For other early-stage activities and for all later stage work, such as IND-enabling studies and safety assessment and clinical assessment, we use third-party manufacturers to produce antibodies, linkers, payloads, ADCs, small molecules, and, in the case of radioligand therapies, cold and chelated forms of the compound. We use third-party manufacturers to produce all materials (including intermediates or reagents) necessary to advance our six named programs. We do not have facilities or capabilities to conduct these manufacturing activities ourselves. We intend to continue to utilize third-party manufacturers to produce, package, label, test and release product for clinical and non-clinical testing and for future commercial use, as needed. We expect to continue to rely on such third parties to manufacture our products for the foreseeable future. We expect our future contractual manufacturing organizations to have successful track records of producing products for other companies under applicable compliance regulations, such as cGMP compliance in the case of the FDA.
Commercialization
In preparation for the potential regulatory approval of varegacestat for the treatment of desmoid tumors, we are in the process of establishing a commercial organization, which is led by a leadership team with experience in the successful launch of pharmaceutical products for oncology and rare disease indications. The objectives of our commercial organization include developing and executing market development and commercialization strategies for any products that receive regulatory approval. In furtherance of these objectives, we are continuing to build our commercial capabilities and infrastructure.
We currently hold global commercial rights for varegacestat, our product candidate for the treatment of desmoid tumors. Subject to obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals, we plan to lead the global commercial strategy and commercialization efforts for this product. In the United States, we expect to commercialize the product through a focused internal commercial organization, which would include capabilities in marketing, analytics, market access, and a targeted sales force designed to reach specialized treatment centers.
Outside of the United States, we anticipate pursuing a flexible commercialization strategy. In certain key markets, including Europe, we may retain commercial rights and build a focused internal commercial team to support commercialization activities, subject to obtaining marketing approvals. Alternatively, we may seek to commercialize the product through strategic collaborations, distribution arrangements, or other marketing partnerships with third parties.
Competition
The development and commercialization of new product candidates is highly competitive. We compete in the segments of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other related markets that develop therapies for the treatment of cancer, which is highly competitive with rapidly changing standards of care. As such, our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient, or are less expensive than any products that we may develop or that would render any products that we may develop obsolete or non-competitive. Our competitors also may obtain marketing approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market.
We expect to compete with oncology companies advancing small molecules, ADCs, targeted radiotherapies, antibodies, and other therapeutic modalities. This may include large, multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Immunogen (acquired by AbbVie Inc.), AstraZeneca; Amgen; Bayer AG, BMS; Eli Lilly and Company; Genentech, Inc. (a member of Roche group); Merck & Co. Inc.; Novartis; Seagen (acquired by Pfizer) and Johnson & Johnson. If any of our current or future product candidates are eventually approved for sale, they will likely compete with a range of treatments that are either in development or currently marketed for use in those same disease indications.
With respect to varegacestat, we expect to compete with companies advancing treatments for desmoid tumors, including, but not limited to, SpringWorks Therapeutics, Inc. (acquired by Merck KGaA in July 2025). In November 2023, Springworks received FDA approval for its oral gamma secretase inhibitor, OGSIVEO® (nirogacestat), for the treatment of adult patients with progressing desmoid tumors who require systemic treatment. Desmoid tumors treatments also include surgery, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy and chemotherapy.
25
Table of Contents
IM-1021 is a ROR1 ADC program with the potential to address hematologic and solid tumor indications. We are aware of several other companies developing therapeutics, including ADCs, targeting ROR1, and they may represent direct competition to our ROR1 ADC program. For example, Merck has a ROR1 ADC program (Zilovertamab vedotin) in a Phase 3 clinical trial for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and CStone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has disclosed a ROR1 ADC program in clinical development.
Regarding IM-3050, we are aware of several other companies developing FAP-targeted radioligand therapies, which may represent direct competition to that program. For instance, Novartis, Ratio Therapeutics, Perspective Therapeutics and Sinotau Pharmaceutical Group have disclosed FAP-targeted radioligand therapies in clinical development. Additionally, our IM-3050 program faces competition from competitors who may have superior access to a consistent supply of radioactive isotopes.
Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical studies, conducting clinical studies, integrating assets into their portfolio, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we have. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical study sites and patient registration for clinical studies, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. In addition, these larger companies may be able to use their greater market power to obtain more favorable supply, manufacturing, distribution and sales-related agreements with third parties, which could give them a competitive advantage over us.
Further, as more product candidates within a particular class of drugs proceed through clinical development to regulatory review and approval, the amount and type of clinical data that may be required by regulatory authorities may increase or change. Consequently, the results of our clinical trials for product candidates in that class will likely need to show a risk benefit profile that is competitive with or more favorable than those products and product candidates in order to obtain marketing approval or, if approved, a product label that is favorable for commercialization. If the risk-benefit profile is not competitive with those products or product candidates, or if the approval of other agents for an indication or patient population significantly alters the standard of care with which we tested our product candidates, we may have developed a product that is not commercially viable, that we are not able to sell profitably or that is unable to achieve favorable pricing or reimbursement. In such circumstances, our future product revenue and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.
Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller and other early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical study sites and subject enrollment for clinical studies, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our current or future products or programs.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual property is of vital importance in our field and in biotechnology generally. We seek to protect and enhance proprietary technology, inventions, and improvements that are important to the advancement of our pipeline and growth of our business by seeking, maintaining, and defending patent rights, whether developed internally, or acquired or licensed from third parties. We will also seek to rely on regulatory protection afforded through orphan drug designations, inclusion in expedited development and review, data exclusivity, market exclusivity and patent term extensions where available.
We utilize various types of intellectual property assets to provide multiple layers of protection. For example, we seek a variety of patents to protect our inventions including coverage areas such as compositions of matter and uses in treatment and diagnostic and methods for novel antibodies, including methods of treatment for diseases expressing novel targets. We believe our current layered patent estate, together with our efforts to develop and patent next generation technologies, provides us with substantial intellectual property protection.
26
Table of Contents
As of December 31, 2025, we own or exclusively in-license 170 issued or granted patents and 155 pending applications on a world-wide basis (including major commercial and manufacturing jurisdictions of the United States, Europe, Japan and China) covering our varegacestat, IM-1021, IM-3050, IM-1617, IM-1340 and IM-1335 product candidates and other technologies. The US composition of matter patent covering varegacestat will expire in 2038, which includes 5 years of expected patent term extension. Patent applications covering varegacestat and various derivatives, if issued, are expected to expire between 2033-2045, absent any patent term extensions or adjustments and without accounting for terminal disclaimers. Patent or Patent applications covering IM-1021, if issued, are expected to expire in 2045, absent any patent term extensions or adjustments and without accounting for terminal disclaimers. Patent applications covering IM-3050, if issued, are expected to expire in 2045, absent any patent term extensions or adjustments and without accounting for terminal disclaimers. Patent applications covering IM-1617, IM-1340 and IM-1335 will expire in 2045 absent any patent term extensions or adjustments and without accounting for terminal disclaimers.
We recognize that the area of patent and other intellectual property rights in biotechnology is an evolving one with many risks and uncertainties, which may affect the validity, enforceability and expiration of the aforementioned patents and patent applications.
Our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection and/or trade secret protection for our targeted therapeutics and the methods used to develop and manufacture them, as well as successfully defending these patents against third-party challenges and operating without infringing on the proprietary rights of others. Our ability to stop third parties from making, using, selling, offering to sell or importing our products depends on the extent to which we have rights under valid and enforceable patents or trade secrets that cover these activities. We cannot be sure that patents will be granted with respect to the subject matter of our pending patent applications or with respect to any patent applications filed by us in the future, nor can we be sure that any of our existing patents, or any patents granted to us in the future, will be commercially useful in protecting our targeted therapeutics, current programs and processes.
The term of individual patents depends upon the legal term of the patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we file, including the United States, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest date of filing a non-provisional patent application. In the United States, a patent’s term may potentially be lengthened by patent term adjustment, or PTA, which compensates a patentee for administrative delays by the USPTO in examining and granting a patent. In the United States, the patent term of a patent that covers an FDA-approved drug may also be eligible for patent term extension, or PTE, which permits patent term restoration as compensation for the patent term lost during the FDA regulatory review process. The Hatch-Waxman Act permits PTE of up to five years beyond the expiration of the patent. The length of the PTE accorded a patent is related to the length of time the drug is under regulatory review by the FDA. PTE cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval. Further, only one patent applicable to an approved drug may be extended, and only those claims covering the approved drug, a method for using it, or a method for manufacturing it may be extended. Similar provisions for extending the term of a patent that covers an approved drug are available in multiple European countries and other foreign jurisdictions. In the future, if and when our products receive FDA approval, we expect to apply for patent term extensions on patents covering those products. We expect to seek patent term extensions to all of our issued patents in any jurisdiction where these are available; however, there is no guarantee that the applicable authorities, including the FDA in the United States, will agree with our assessment of whether such extensions should be granted, and if granted, the length of such extensions. Patent term in the U.S. may be shortened if a patent is terminally disclaimed over an earlier-filed patent.
In some instances, we file provisional patent applications directly in the USPTO. Provisional patent applications are designed to provide a lower-cost first patent filing in the United States. Corresponding non-provisional patent applications must be filed not later than 12 months after the provisional application filing date. The corresponding non-provisional application benefits in that the priority date(s) of the non-provisional patent application is/are the earlier provisional application filing date(s), and the patent term of the finally issued patent is calculated from the earliest non-provisional application filing date. This system allows us to obtain an early priority date, obtain a later start to the patent term and to delay prosecution costs, which may be useful in the event that we decide not to pursue examination in a subsequent non-provisional application. While we intend, as appropriate, to timely file non-provisional patent applications relating to our provisional patent applications, we cannot predict whether any such non-provisional patent applications will result in the issuance of patents that provide us with any competitive advantage.
27
Table of Contents
We intend to file U.S. non-provisional applications and/or international Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT, applications that claim the benefit of the priority date of earlier filed provisional or non-provisional applications, when applicable. The PCT system allows for a single PCT application to be filed within 12 months of the priority filing date of a corresponding priority patent application, such as a U.S. provisional or non-provisional application, and to designate all of the 157 PCT contracting states in which national phase patent applications can later be pursued based on the PCT application. The PCT International Searching Authority performs a patentability search and issues a non-binding patentability opinion which can be used to evaluate the chances of success for the national applications in foreign countries prior to having to incur the filing fees. Although a PCT application does not issue as a patent, it allows the applicant to establish a patent application filing date in any of the member states and then seek patents through later-filed national-phase applications. No later than either 30 or 31 months from the earliest priority date of the PCT application, separate national phase patent applications can be pursued in any of the PCT member states, depending on the deadline set by individual contracting states. National phase entry can generally be accomplished through direct national filing or, in some cases, through a regional patent organization, such as the European Patent Organization. The PCT system delays application filing expenses, allows a limited evaluation of the chances of success for national/regional patent applications and allows for substantial savings in comparison to having filed individual countries rather than a PCT application in the event that no national phase applications are filed.
For all patent applications, we determine claiming strategy on a case-by-case basis. Advice of counsel and our business model and needs are always considered. We file patent applications containing claims for protection of all commercially relevant uses of our proprietary technologies and any products, as well as all new applications and/or uses we discover for existing technologies and products, assuming these are strategically valuable. We may periodically reassess the number and type of patent applications, as well as the pending and issued patent claims to ensure that coverage and value are obtained for our processes, and compositions, given existing patent law and court decisions. Further, claims may be modified during patent prosecution to meet our intellectual property and business needs.
We recognize that the ability to obtain patent protection and the degree of such protection depends on a number of factors, including the extent of the prior art, the novelty and non-obviousness of the invention, and the ability to satisfy subject matter, written description, and enablement requirements of the various patent jurisdictions. In addition, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued, and its scope can be reinterpreted or further altered even after patent issuance. Consequently, we may not obtain or maintain adequate patent protection for any of our targeted therapeutics. We cannot predict whether the patent applications we are currently pursuing will be issued as patents in any particular jurisdiction or whether the claims of any issued patents will provide sufficient proprietary protection from competitors. Any patents that we hold may be challenged, circumvented or invalidated by third parties. When available to expand market exclusivity, we may also obtain, or license additional patented intellectual property related to current or future technology and/or programs.
In addition to patent protection, we also rely on trademark registration, trade secrets, know-how, other proprietary information and/or continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary information to protect aspects of our business that are not amenable to, or that we do not consider appropriate for, patent protection. Although we take steps to protect our proprietary information and trade secrets, including through contractual means with our employees and consultants, third parties may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or disclose our technology. Thus, we may not be able to meaningfully protect our trade secrets. It is our policy to require our employees, consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements provide that all confidential information concerning our business or financial affairs developed or made known to the individual during the course of the individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. Our agreements with employees also provide that all inventions conceived by the employee in the course of employment with us or from the employee’s use of our confidential information are our exclusive property. However, such confidentiality agreements and invention assignment agreements can be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. To the extent that our consultants, contractors or collaborators use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting trade secrets, know-how and inventions.
28
Table of Contents
The patent positions of biotechnology companies like ours are generally uncertain and involve complex legal, scientific and factual questions. Our commercial success will also depend in part on not infringing upon the proprietary rights of third parties. It is uncertain whether the issuance of any third-party patent would require us to alter our development or commercial strategies, or our products or processes, obtain licenses or cease certain activities. Our breach of any license agreements or our failure to obtain a license to proprietary rights required to develop or commercialize our future products may have a material adverse impact on us. If third parties prepare and file patent applications in the United States that also claim technology to which we have rights, we may have to participate in interference or derivation proceedings in the USPTO to determine priority of invention.
Government Regulation
The FDA and other regulatory authorities at federal, state, and local levels, as well as in foreign countries, extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, import, export, safety, effectiveness, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, record keeping, approval, advertising, promotion, marketing, post-approval monitoring, and post-approval reporting of drugs and biologics. We, along with our third-party contractors, will be required to navigate the various preclinical, clinical and commercial approval requirements of the governing regulatory agencies of the countries in which we wish to conduct studies or seek approval or licensure of our programs and product candidates.
U.S. Government Regulation of Biological Products
In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and its implementing regulations and biologics under the FDCA, the Public Health Service Act, or PHSA, and their implementing regulations. Both drugs and biologics also are subject to other federal, state and local statutes and regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state and local statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions, such as FDA refusal to approve pending NDAs or BLAs, or the agency's issuance of warning letters, or the imposition of fines, civil penalties, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions and/or criminal prosecution brought by the FDA and the U.S. Department of Justice or other governmental entities.
Nonclinical and Clinical Development
Nonclinical studies include laboratory evaluation of product chemistry and formulation and may involve in vitro testing or in vivo animal studies to assess the potential for toxicity, adverse events, and other safety characteristics of the program or product candidate, and in some cases to establish a rationale for therapeutic use. The conduct of nonclinical studies is subject to federal regulations and requirements, including good laboratory practice regulations for safety/toxicology studies.
The sponsor must submit the results of the nonclinical studies, together with manufacturing information, analytical data, any available clinical data or literature and a proposed clinical protocol, as well as other information, to the FDA as part of the IND application. Some long-term nonclinical testing as well as manufacturing process development and product quality evaluation, continues after the IND is submitted.
Human clinical trials in support of an NDA or BLA
Prior to beginning the first clinical trial with a product candidate, the sponsor must submit an IND to the FDA. An IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30-day time period, raises concerns or questions related to the proposed clinical trial and places the IND on a clinical hold. In such a case, the IND sponsor must resolve all outstanding concerns or questions posed by the FDA before the clinical trial can begin.
29
Table of Contents
Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational product to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators in accordance with Good Clinical Practices, or GCPs, which include the requirement that all research subjects provide their informed consent for their participation in any clinical study. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the study, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. A separate submission to the existing IND must be made for each successive clinical trial conducted during product development and for any subsequent protocol amendments. Furthermore, an independent institutional review board, or IRB, for each site proposing to conduct the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial and its informed consent form before the clinical trial begins at that site and must monitor the study 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 trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board, or DSMB, which provides authorization for whether a study may move forward at designated check points based on review of certain data from the study, to which only the DSMB has access, and may recommend halting the clinical trial if it determines that there is an unacceptable safety risk for subjects or other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy. Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials, among other information, must be submitted at least annually to the FDA, and written IND safety reports must be submitted to the FDA and the investigators for serious and unexpected suspected adverse reactions, findings from other studies suggesting a significant risk to humans exposed to the investigational product, findings from animal or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk for human subjects, and any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigator brochure.
Sponsors of clinical trials of certain FDA-regulated products must register and disclose certain clinical trial information to a public registry maintained by the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. Failure to timely register an applicable clinical trial or to submit study results as provided for in the law can give rise to civil monetary penalties and also prevent the non-compliant party from receiving future grant funds from the federal government as well as prevent publication of the results in a scholarly journal.
For purposes of NDA or BLA approval, human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap.
•
Phase 1 — The investigational product is initially introduced into healthy human subjects or directly into patients with the target disease or condition for certain therapies targeting severe or life-threatening diseases where the investigational product may be too inherently toxic to administer ethically to healthy volunteers. In either case, these studies are designed to test safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution and excretion of the investigational product in humans, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness.
•
Phase 2 — The investigational product is administered to a limited patient population with a specified disease or condition to evaluate the preliminary efficacy, optimal dosages and dosing schedule and to assess adverse events and potential side effects. Multiple Phase 2 clinical trials may be conducted to obtain information prior to beginning larger and more expensive Phase 3 clinical trials.
•
Phase 3 — The investigational product is administered to an expanded patient population to further evaluate dosage, to provide statistically significant evidence of clinical efficacy and to further test for safety, generally at multiple geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk/benefit ratio of the investigational product and, if appropriate, to provide an adequate basis for product approval. These trials may include comparisons with placebo and/or other comparator treatments. The duration of treatment is often extended to mimic the actual use of a product during marketing.
30
Table of Contents
In some cases, the FDA may require, or companies may voluntarily pursue, additional clinical trials after a product is approved to gain more information about the product. These so-called Phase 4 studies may be made a condition to approval of the NDA or BLA; failure to exhibit due diligence with regard to conducting these Phase 4 clinical trials could result in withdrawal of approval for products. Concurrent with clinical trials, companies may complete additional nonclinical studies and develop additional information about the characteristics of the investigational product and must finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the candidate and, among other things, must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final product, or for biologics, the safety, purity and potency. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
BLA and NDA Submission and Review
Assuming successful completion of all required testing in accordance with all applicable regulatory requirements, the results of product development, nonclinical studies and clinical trials, along with information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacturing, and controls and proposed labeling, are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA or BLA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. To support marketing approval, the data submitted must be sufficient in quality and quantity to establish the safety and efficacy of the investigational drug (or safety, purity and potency of the investigational product) to the satisfaction of the FDA.
Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, as amended, or PDUFA, each NDA or BLA must be accompanied by a significant user fee, and the sponsor of an approved application is also subject to an annual program 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 for products designated as orphan drugs, unless the product also includes a non-orphan indication.
Within 60 days following submission of the application, the FDA reviews it to determine if it is substantially complete before the agency accepts it for filing. The FDA may refuse to file any application that it deems incomplete or not properly reviewable at the time of submission and may request additional information. In this event, the application must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application also is subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing.
Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review. Before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA will typically inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities comply with cGMP requirements and are adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical trial sites to assure that the clinical trials were conducted in compliance with good clinical practices, or GCP. To assure cGMP and cGCP compliance, an applicant must incur significant expenditure of time, money and effort in the areas of training, record keeping, production, and quality control.
The FDA may refer applications for novel products or products that present difficult questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee, typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts, for review, evaluation and 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 final decisions on approval.
31
Table of Contents
After the FDA evaluates an NDA or BLA and conducts inspections of manufacturing facilities where the investigational product and/or its drug substance will be produced and/or clinical trial sites where appropriate, the FDA may issue an approval letter or a Complete Response Letter, or CRL. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A CRL indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete, and the application will not be approved in its present form. A CRL generally outlines the deficiencies that the FDA identified in the application, except that where the FDA determines that the data supporting the application are inadequate to support approval, the FDA may issue the CRL without first conducting required inspections, testing submitted product lots, and/or reviewing proposed labeling. In issuing the CRL, the FDA may recommend actions that the applicant might take to place the application in condition for approval, including requests for additional clinical or other data, additional clinical trial(s) and/or other significant and time-consuming requirements related to clinical trials, preclinical studies or manufacturing. If a CRL is issued, the applicant may choose to either resubmit the NDA or BLA addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter or withdraw the application. If and when those deficiencies have been addressed to the FDA’s satisfaction in a resubmission of the NDA or BLA, the FDA will issue an approval letter. The FDA has committed to reviewing such resubmissions in response to an issued CRL in either two or six months depending on the type of information included. Even with the submission of this additional information, however, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval.
If the FDA grants regulatory approval of a product, such approval is limited to the conditions of use (e.g., patient population, indication) described in the application and may entail limitations on the indicated uses for which such product may be marketed. For example, the FDA may approve the product with a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS, to ensure the benefits of the product outweigh its risks and to assure the safe use of the drug or biological product. The FDA also may condition approval on, among other things, changes to proposed labeling (e.g., the addition of specific contraindications, warnings or precautions) or the development of adequate controls and specifications. Once approved, the FDA may withdraw the product approval if compliance with pre- and post-marketing requirements is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the marketplace. The FDA may require one or more Phase 4 post-market trials and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product’s safety and effectiveness after commercialization and may limit further marketing of the product based on the results of these post-marketing studies. 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.
Fast Track, Breakthrough Therapy and Priority Review Designations
To be eligible for a fast track designation, the FDA must determine, based on the request of a sponsor, that a product is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrates the potential to address an unmet medical need for such disease or condition. Fast track designation provides opportunities for more frequent interactions with the FDA review team to expedite development and review of the product. The FDA may also review sections of the NDA or BLA for a fast track product on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted, if the sponsor and the FDA agree on a schedule for the submission of the application sections and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the application. In addition, fast track designation may be withdrawn by the sponsor or rescinded by the FDA if the product no longer meets the qualifying criteria of fast track designation.
32
Table of Contents
In addition, the FDA may designate a drug or biologic as a “breakthrough therapy” upon a request made by the IND sponsor. A breakthrough therapy is a drug or biologic that is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs or biologics, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug or biologic may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The FDA must take certain actions with respect to breakthrough therapies, such as holding timely meetings with and providing advice to the product sponsor, which are intended to expedite the development and review of an application for approval of a breakthrough therapy.
Finally, the FDA may designate an application for priority review if it is for a drug or biologic that treats a serious condition and, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness over existing therapy. The FDA determines at the time that the marketing application is submitted, on a case- by-case basis, whether the proposed drug represents a significant improvement in treatment, prevention or diagnosis of disease when compared with other available therapies. Significant improvement may be illustrated by evidence of increased effectiveness in the treatment of a condition, elimination or substantial reduction of a treatment-limiting drug reaction, documented enhancement of patient compliance that may lead to improvement in serious outcomes, or evidence of safety and effectiveness in a new subpopulation. A priority review designation is intended to direct overall attention and resources to the evaluation of such applications, and to shorten the FDA’s goal for taking action on an original marketing application from ten months to six months from the date of filing.
Even if a product qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the product no longer meets the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened. Furthermore, fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation and priority review do not change the standards for approval and may not ultimately expedite the development or approval process.
Accelerated Approval Pathway
In addition, products studied for their safety and effectiveness in treating serious or life-threatening illnesses and that provide meaningful therapeutic benefit over existing treatments may receive accelerated approval from the FDA and may be approved on the basis of adequate and well-controlled clinical trials establishing that the drug product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. The FDA may also grant accelerated approval for such a drug or biologic when the product has an effect on an intermediate clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality, or IMM, and that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on IMM or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. As a condition of approval, the FDA will require that a sponsor of a drug receiving accelerated approval perform post-marketing clinical trial(s) to verify and describe the predicted effect on IMM or other clinical endpoint, and the product may be subject to expedited withdrawal procedures. Drugs and biologics granted accelerated approval must meet the same statutory standards for safety and effectiveness as those granted traditional approval.
For the purposes of accelerated approval, a surrogate endpoint is a marker, such as a laboratory measurement, radiographic image, physical sign, or other measure that is thought to predict clinical benefit but is not itself a measure of clinical benefit. Surrogate endpoints can often be measured more easily or more rapidly than clinical endpoints. An intermediate clinical endpoint is a measurement of a therapeutic effect that is considered reasonably likely to predict the clinical benefit of a drug or biologic, such as an effect on IMM.
The accelerated approval pathway is usually contingent on a sponsor’s agreement to conduct, in a diligent manner, additional post-approval confirmatory studies to verify and describe the drug’s clinical benefit. As a result, a program or product candidate approved on this basis is typically subject to rigorous post-marketing compliance requirements, including the completion of Phase 4 or post-approval clinical trials to establish the effect on the clinical endpoint. Failure to conduct required post-approval studies, or to confirm the predicted clinical benefit of the product during post-marketing studies, may allow the FDA to withdraw approval of the drug. The FDA may require the sponsor of a product granted accelerated approval to have a confirmatory trial underway and substantially completed prior to approval. The sponsor must also submit progress reports on a confirmatory trial every six months until the trial is complete, and such reports are published on FDA’s website.
All promotional materials for products approved under the accelerated approval program are subject to prior review by the FDA.
33
Table of Contents
Pediatric Trials
Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act, or PREA, certain NDAs or BLAs or supplements thereto must contain data to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug candidate (or safety, purity and potency of the biologic candidate) in 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 such data or full or partial waivers.
Orphan Drug Designation and Exclusivity
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan drug designation to a drug or biologic product intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or more than 200,000 individuals in the United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the United States a drug or biologic for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the United States for that drug or biologic. Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting an NDA or BLA. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential orphan use will be disclosed publicly by the FDA; the posting will also indicate whether the drug or biologic is no longer designated as an orphan drug. More than one program or product candidate may receive an orphan drug designation for the same indication. Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in or shorten the duration of the regulatory review and approval process.
If a product that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to seven years of orphan product exclusivity. During the seven-year exclusivity period, the FDA may not approve any other applications to market a product containing the same active moiety for the same disease, except in very limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity. A product is clinically superior if it is safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care. Thus, orphan drug exclusivity could block the approval of one of our potential products for seven years if a competitor obtains approval of the same product as defined by the FDA and we are not able to show the clinical superiority of our program or product candidate or if our program or product candidate’s indication is determined to be contained within the competitor’s product orphan indication. In addition, the FDA will not recognize orphan drug exclusivity if a sponsor fails to demonstrate upon approval that the product is clinically superior to a previously approved product containing the same active moiety for the same orphan condition, regardless of whether or not the previously approved product was designated an orphan drug or had orphan drug exclusivity. A product that has received orphan drug designation may not receive orphan exclusivity if it is approved for a use that is broader than the indication for which it received the designation. Orphan exclusivity does not prevent the FDA from approving a different drug or biological product for the same disease or condition, or the same product for a different disease or condition. A comparable program of orphan drug designation and exclusivity is offered in the European Union, Japan and other jurisdictions.
Post-Approval Requirements
Any products that we may manufacture or distribute pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation, including, among other things, monitoring and record-keeping requirements, reporting of adverse experiences with the product, periodic reporting requirements, providing updated safety and efficacy information, product sampling and distribution requirements, as well as advertising and promotion requirements, which include, among others, standards for direct-to-consumer advertising, restrictions on promoting products for uses or in patient populations that are not described in the product’s approved uses (known as off-label use), limitations on industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities, and requirements for promotional activities involving the Internet. After approval, most changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications or other labeling claims, are subject to prior FDA review and approval of a new application or supplement, which may require the applicant to develop additional data or conduct additional pre-clinical studies and clinical trials. The FDA may also place other conditions on approvals, including the requirement for a REMS, to assure the safe use of the product. A REMS could include medication guides, physician communication plans or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. Any of these limitations on approval or marketing could restrict the commercial promotion, distribution, prescription or dispensing of products.
34
Table of Contents
In addition, quality control and manufacturing procedures must continue to conform to applicable manufacturing requirements after approval to ensure the quality and long-term stability of the product. The cGMP regulations include requirements relating to organization of personnel, buildings and facilities, equipment, control of components and drug product containers and closures, production and process controls, packaging and labeling controls, holding and distribution, laboratory controls, records and reports and returned or salvaged products. The manufacturing facilities for our programs and product candidates must meet cGMP requirements and satisfy the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities before any product is approved and our commercial products can be manufactured. Third-party manufacturers must comply with cGMP regulations that require, among other things, quality control and quality assurance, the maintenance of records and documentation and the obligation to investigate and correct any deviations from cGMP. Manufacturers, including third-party manufacturers, and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved products 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 cGMP and other laws. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money, and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance. Future inspections by the FDA and other regulatory agencies may identify compliance issues at the facilities of our contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs, that may disrupt production or distribution or require substantial resources to correct. In addition, the discovery of conditions that violate these rules, including failure to conform to cGMP regulations, could result in enforcement actions, and the discovery of problems with a product after approval may result in restrictions on a product, manufacturer, or sponsor of an approved NDA or BLA, including, among other things, voluntary recall and regulatory sanctions as described below.
The FDA may withdraw approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, could result in adverse consequences to the Company. Examples of these consequences include, without limitation, the following: revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-market studies or clinical studies to assess new safety risks; imposition of distribution restrictions or other restrictions under a REMS program; complete withdrawal of the product from the market or other limits on marketing or manufacture of the product; imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
The FDA closely regulates the marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of biopharmaceutical products. A company can make only those claims relating to safety and efficacy, purity and potency that are approved by the FDA and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off label uses. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in, among other things, adverse publicity, warning letters, corrective advertising and potential civil and criminal penalties. Physicians may prescribe legally available products for uses that are not described in the product’s labeling and that differ from those tested by us and approved by the FDA. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments. The FDA does, however, restrict manufacturer’s communications on the subject of off-label use of their products.
Biosimilars and Reference Product Exclusivity
The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA-licensed reference biological product. Biosimilarity, which requires that there be no clinically meaningful differences between the biological product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity, and potency, can be shown through analytical studies, animal studies, and a clinical study or studies. Interchangeability requires that a product is biosimilar to the reference product and the product must demonstrate that it can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product in any given patient and, for products that are administered multiple times to an individual, the biologic and the reference biologic may be alternated or switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic without such alteration or switch. Upon licensure by the FDA, an interchangeable biosimilar may be substituted for the reference product without the intervention of the health care provider who prescribed the reference product.
35
Table of Contents
The biosimilar applicant must demonstrate that the product is biosimilar based on data from (1) analytical studies showing that the biosimilar product is highly similar to the reference product; (2) animal studies (including toxicity); and (3) one or more clinical studies to demonstrate safety, purity and potency in one or more appropriate conditions of use for which the reference product is approved. In addition, the applicant must show that the biosimilar and reference products have the same mechanism of action for the conditions of use on the label, route of administration, dosage and strength, and the production facility must meet standards designed to assure product safety, purity and potency.
A reference biological product is granted 12 years of data exclusivity from the time of first licensure of the product, and the first approved interchangeable biologic product will be granted an exclusivity period of up to one year after it is first commercially marketed. In addition, the FDA will not accept an application for a biosimilar or interchangeable product based on the reference biological product until four years after the date of first licensure of the reference product.
Hatch-Waxman Exclusivity
Market exclusivity provisions under the FDCA can delay the submission or the approval of certain marketing applications. The FDCA provides a five-year period of non-patent data 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 accept for review an abbreviated new drug application, or ANDA, or an NDA submitted under Section 505(b)(2) (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 FDCA alternatively provides three years of non-patent 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, all of the preclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.
FDA Regulation of Companion Diagnostics
We believe that certain of our product candidates may require an in vitro diagnostic to identify appropriate patient populations for investigation and/or use of our product candidates. These diagnostics, often referred to as companion diagnostics, are regulated as medical devices. In the United States, the FDCA 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 applies, diagnostic tests require marketing clearance or approval from the FDA prior to commercial distribution. The two primary types of FDA marketing authorization applicable to a medical device are premarket notification, also called 510(k) clearance, and premarket approval, or PMA. Most companion diagnostics for oncology product candidates utilize the PMA pathway.
Other U.S. Health Care Laws and Compliance Requirements
Although we currently do not have any products on the market, our business operations and current and future arrangements with investigators, health care professionals, consultants, third-party payors and customers may be subject to regulation and enforcement by various federal, state and local authorities. For example, sales, marketing and scientific/educational grant programs may have to comply with the anti-fraud and abuse provisions of the Social Security Act, the false claims laws, the privacy and security provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, and similar state laws, each as amended, as applicable.
36
Table of Contents
The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, any person or entity, from knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving any remuneration, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for the purchase, lease or order of any item or service reimbursable, in whole or in part, under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal health care programs. The term remuneration has been interpreted broadly to include anything of value. Further, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation.
The federal false claims and civil monetary penalty laws, including the False Claims Act, or FCA, which can be enforced by private citizens through civil qui tam actions, prohibit any person or entity from, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment to, or approval by, the federal health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, or knowingly making, using, or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. A violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute makes any claim submitted as a result of the violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute a false claim under the FCA. Other companies have been prosecuted for causing false claims to be submitted because of the companies’ marketing of the product for unapproved, off-label, and thus generally non-reimbursable, uses.
HIPAA created additional federal criminal statutes that prohibit, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud or to obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises, any money or property owned by, or under the control or custody of, any health care benefit program, including private third-party payors, willfully obstructing a criminal investigation of a health care offense, and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up by trick, scheme or device, a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for health care benefits, items or services. Like the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, under HIPAA, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation.
Also, many states have similar, and typically more prohibitive, fraud and abuse statutes or regulations that apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs, or, in several states, apply regardless of the payor. Additionally, to the extent that our products are approved by and sold in a foreign country, we may be subject to similar foreign laws.
We may be subject to data privacy and security regulations by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and their implementing regulations, impose requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information on certain health care providers, health care clearinghouses, and health plans, known as covered entities, as well as independent contractors, or agents of covered entities that create, receive or obtain individually identifiable health information in connection with providing a service on behalf of a covered entity, known as a business associates. Among other things, the passage of HITECH made HIPAA’s privacy and security standards directly applicable to business associates and their covered subcontractors.
Additionally, the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, or the Sunshine Act, within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA, and its implementing regulations, require that certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biological and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) report annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, information related to certain payments or other transfers of value made or distributed to physicians, as broadly defined by such law, certain advanced non-physician health care practitioners, and teaching hospitals, or to entities or individuals at the request of, or designated on behalf of, such individuals or entities, and to report annually certain ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members.
37
Table of Contents
In order to distribute products commercially, we must comply with state laws that require the registration of manufacturers and wholesale distributors of drug and biological products in a state, including, in certain states, manufacturers and distributors who ship products into the state even if such manufacturers or distributors have no place of business within the state. Some states also require pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to: establish the pedigree of product in the chain of distribution, including new technology capable of tracking and tracing product; establish marketing compliance programs; file periodic reports with the state, make periodic public disclosures on sales, marketing, pricing, clinical trials and other activities; and/or register their sales representatives, Further, certain states prohibit certain pharmacies and other health care entities from sharing certain physician prescribing data for use in sales and marketing, and other sales and marketing practices by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. All of our activities are potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition laws.
Ensuring business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable health care laws and regulations is a costly endeavor. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the federal and state health care laws described above or any other current or future governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including without limitation, significant civil, criminal and/or administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, injunctions, private “qui tam” actions brought by individual whistleblowers in the name of the government, or refusal to allow us to enter into government contracts, contractual damages, reputational harm, administrative burdens, diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting obligations and integrity oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. The complex compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with multiple jurisdictions with different compliance or reporting requirements increases the possibility that a health care company may run afoul of one or more of the requirements.
Coverage, Pricing and Reimbursement
Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any programs or product candidates for which we may obtain regulatory approval. In the United States and in foreign markets, sales of any products for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale will depend, in part, on the extent to which third-party payors provide coverage and establish adequate reimbursement levels for such products. In the United States, third-party payors include federal and state health care programs, private managed care providers, health insurers and other organizations. Coverage and adequate reimbursement from governmental health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid in the United States, and commercial payors are critical to new product acceptance.
Third-party payors decide which therapeutics they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. In the United States, the principal decisions about reimbursement for new medicines are typically made by CMS. CMS decides whether and to what extent our products will be covered and reimbursed under Medicare and private payors tend to follow CMS to a substantial degree. Coverage and reimbursement by a third-party payor may depend upon a number of factors, including the third-party payor’s determination that use of a therapeutic is a covered benefit under its health plan, safe, effective and medically necessary, appropriate for the specific patient, cost-effective and neither experimental nor investigational.
We cannot be sure that reimbursement will be available for any product that we commercialize and, if coverage and reimbursement are available, we cannot be sure that the level of reimbursement will be adequate. Coverage may also be more limited than the purposes for which the product is approved by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Limited coverage and less than adequate reimbursement may reduce the demand for, or the price of, any product for which we obtain regulatory approval.
Moreover, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products.
38
Table of Contents
For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, has been empowered to (1) negotiate drug prices annually for a select number of single source Part D drugs and biologics that have been on the market for at least seven (7) years for drugs and eleven (11) years for biologics without generic or biosimilar competition, and (2) impose rebates under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation. Each year up to twenty (20) products will be selected by HHS for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. Products subject to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program are expected to experience a significant reduction in reimbursement from the Medicare program on a per unit basis.
Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price, examining the medical necessity, and reviewing the cost-effectiveness of medical products, therapies, and services, in addition to questioning their safety and efficacy. Obtaining reimbursement for our products may be particularly difficult because of the higher prices often associated with branded drugs and biologics, as well as drugs and biologics administered under the supervision of a physician. We may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of our products, in addition to the costs required to obtain FDA approvals. A third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for a product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Additionally, in the United States there is no uniform policy among third-party payors for coverage or reimbursement. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own coverage and reimbursement policies, but also have their own methods and approval processes. Therefore, one third-party payor’s determination to provide coverage for a product does not ensure that other payors will also provide coverage for the product. Adequate third-party payor reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development. If reimbursement is not available or is available only at limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any program or product candidate that we successfully develop.
Different pricing and reimbursement schemes exist in other countries. In the European Union, governments influence the price of pharmaceutical products through their pricing and reimbursement rules and control of national health care systems that fund a large part of the cost of those products to consumers. Some jurisdictions operate positive and negative list systems under which products may only be marketed once a reimbursement price has been agreed. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval, some of these countries may require the completion of clinical trials that compare the cost effectiveness of a particular program or product candidate to currently available therapies. Other member states allow companies to fix their own prices for medicines but monitor and control company profits. The downward pressure on health care costs has become intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. In addition, in some countries, cross-border imports from low-priced markets exert a commercial pressure on pricing within a country.
The marketability of any programs or product candidates for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale may suffer if the government and third-party payors fail to provide coverage and adequate reimbursement. In addition, emphasis on managed care, the increasing influence of health maintenance organizations, and additional legislative changes in the United States has increased, and we expect will continue to increase, the pressure on health care pricing. The downward pressure on the rise in health care costs has become very intense. Coverage policies and third-party reimbursement rates may change at any time. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for one or more products for which we receive regulatory approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.
Health Care Reform
In the United States and some jurisdictions outside the United States, there have been, and continue to be, proposed legislative and regulatory changes to the current health care systems that could prevent or delay marketing approval of programs and product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities, and affect the ability to profitably sell programs and product candidates for which marketing approval is obtained.
For example, the ACA was enacted in March 2010 and has had a significant impact on the health care industry in the United States.
39
Table of Contents
There have been judicial and Congressional challenges and amendments to certain aspects of the ACA. For example, narrowed access to ACA marketplace exchange enrollment and declined to extend the ACA enhanced advanced premium tax credits that expired at the end of 2025, which, among other provisions in the law, are anticipated to reduce the number of Americans with health insurance. The OBBBA also is expected to reduce Medicaid spending and enrollment by implementing work requirements for some beneficiaries, capping state-directed payments, reducing federal funding, and limiting provider taxes used to fund the program. Congress is considering proposed legislation intended to further reduce healthcare costs with alternatives to replace the expired ACA subsidies. Further legislative and regulatory changes under the ACA remain possible, but it is unknown what form any such changes or any law would take, and how or whether it may affect the biopharmaceutical industry as a whole or our business in the future. We expect that changes or additions to the ACA, the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and changes stemming from other health care reform measures, especially with regard to health care access, financing or other legislation in individual states, could have a material adverse effect on the health care industry in the United States.
In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted in the United States since the ACA that affect health care expenditures. These changes include aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers pursuant to the Budget Control Act of 2011, which began in 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments, will remain in effect through 2032, unless additional Congressional action is taken.
The current Trump administration is pursuing policies to reduce regulations and expenditures across government including at HHS, the FDA, CMS and related agencies. These actions presently directed by executive orders or memoranda from the Office of Management and Budget, may propose policy changes that create additional uncertainty for our business. For example, the current Trump administration has announced agreements with pharmaceutical companies that require the drug manufacturers to offer, through a direct-to-consumer platform, U.S. patients and Medicaid programs prescription drug Most-Favored Nation pricing equal to or lower than those paid in other developed nations, with additional mandates for direct-to-patient discounts and repatriation of foreign revenues. Other recent actions, for example, include (1) directives to reduce agency workforce and cut programs; (2) directing HHS and other agencies to lower prescription drug costs through a variety of initiatives, including by improving upon the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program and establishing Most-Favored-Nation pricing for pharmaceutical products; (3) imposing tariffs on imported pharmaceutical products; and (4) as part of the Make America Healthy Again Commission’s recent Strategy Report, working across government agencies to increase enforcement on direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. Additionally, the current administration recently called on Congress to enact "The Great Healthcare Plan," to codify and expand Most-Favored Nation pricing, lower government subsidies to private insurance companies, increase healthcare price transparency, expand pharmaceutical drugs available for over-the-counter purchase, and enact restrictions on pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM, payment methodologies, among other things. These actions and policies may significantly reduce U.S. drug prices, potentially impacting manufacturers’ global pricing strategies and profitability, while increasing their operational costs and compliance risks. Additionally, in its June 2024 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision greatly reduced judicial deference to regulatory agencies, which could increase successful legal challenges to federal regulations affecting our operations. Congress may introduce and ultimately pass health care related legislation that could impact the drug approval process and make changes to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program.
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.
We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative or executive action, either in the United States or abroad. We expect that additional state and federal health care reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for health care products and services, including any future drug products for which we secure marketing approval.
40
Table of Contents
Additional Regulation
In addition to the foregoing, state and federal laws regarding environmental protection and hazardous substances, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Resource Conservancy and Recovery Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act, affect our business. These and other laws govern our use, handling and disposal of various biological, chemical and radioactive substances used in, and wastes generated by, our operations. If our operations result in contamination of the environment or expose individuals to hazardous substances, we could be liable for damages and governmental fines. We believe that we are in material compliance with applicable environmental laws and that continued compliance therewith will not have a material adverse effect on our business. We cannot predict, however, how changes in these laws may affect our future operations.
We are also subject to numerous federal, state and local laws relating to such matters as safe working conditions, manufacturing practices, environmental protection, fire hazard control, and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances. We may incur significant costs to comply with such laws and regulations now or in the future.
Additionally, we are, or may in the future become, subject to numerous data privacy and security obligations, including federal, state, local, and foreign laws, regulations, guidance, and industry standards related to data privacy, security, and protection. Such obligations may include, without limitation, the Federal Trade Commission Act, state consumer health data laws, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, the United Kingdom’s General Data Protection Regulation, Australia’s Privacy Act 1988, and Israel’s Protection of Privacy Law. These and other such laws that have been enacted or proposed impose numerous compliance requirements and potential penalties on covered businesses, and as a result increase compliance costs and complexity for companies such as ours.
Employees and Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2025, we had 177 full-time employees, 133 of whom were engaged in research and development activities. 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 human capital resources objectives include, as applicable, identifying, recruiting, and retaining a diverse pool of qualified talent as well as training, incentivizing, and integrating our new and existing employees, advisors, and consultants. We offer a competitive total rewards package, updated regularly based on market research. We incentivize high performers through an annual bonus program based on our company and individual performance for which all employees are eligible. We also offer equity incentives, the purpose of which are to attract, retain and reward employees through the granting of share-based compensation awards, with the intention of increasing stockholder value and the success of our company by motivating team members.
Corporate and Other Information
We were incorporated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 2, 2006, and converted to a Delaware corporation on December 2, 2015. Our principal executive offices are located at 18702 North Creek Parkway, Suite 100, Bothell, Washington 98011, and our telephone number is (425) 939 7410. Our corporate website is www.immunome.com and we regularly post copies of our press releases as well as additional information about us on our website. We intend to announce material information to the public through filings with the SEC, the investor relations page on our website, press releases, public conference calls and public webcasts. Information contained on, or accessible through, our website shall not be deemed incorporated into, and is not a part of, this Annual Report. We have included a reference to our website in this Annual Report solely as an inactive textual reference.
All brand names or trademarks appearing in this Annual Report are the property of their respective holders. Use or display by us of other parties’ trademarks, trade dress, or products in this Annual Report is not intended to, and does not, imply a relationship with, or endorsements or sponsorship of, us by the trademark or trade dress owners.