Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (XENE) FY 2021 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis together with our consolidated financial statements and notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under the caption Part I, Item 1A — “Risk Factors.” Throughout this discussion, unless the context specifies or implies otherwise, the terms “Xenon,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its subsidiary.
Overview
We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with neurological disorders. We are advancing a novel product pipeline of neurology-focused therapies to address areas of high unmet medical need, with a focus on epilepsy.
Proprietary Programs
XEN1101
XEN1101 is a differentiated Kv7 potassium channel opener being developed for the treatment of epilepsy and major depressive disorder, or MDD. In October 2021, we announced positive results from our Phase 2b X-TOLE clinical trial, which evaluated the clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of XEN1101 administered as an adjunctive treatment for adult patients with focal epilepsy. The topline data showed all primary and secondary seizure reduction endpoints were statistically significant across all dose groups, including the primary endpoint of median reduction from baseline in monthly seizure frequency and in the key secondary endpoint of patients with at least a 50% reduction in monthly focal seizure frequency from baseline, with p-values of 0.001 for both the 20 mg and 25 mg dose groups.
We anticipate participating in an “end-of-Phase 2” meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, in the second quarter of this year to support the initiation of our Phase 3 XEN1101 clinical program in adult patients with focal epilepsy, estimated in the second half of the year. The X-TOLE open-label extension, which has been extended to three years, is expected to continue to generate important long-term data for XEN1101. We are also evaluating other potential epilepsy indications for the future development of XEN1101.
In addition, we are collaborating with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to conduct an investigator-sponsored Phase 2 proof-of-concept, multi-site, randomized, parallel-arm, placebo-controlled clinical trial of XEN1101 for the treatment of MDD, with patient enrollment underway. In addition, an investigational new drug, or IND, application has been submitted to the FDA to support our plans for a larger company-sponsored clinical study in MDD with XEN1101, which is expected to be initiated in the first half of 2022, pending acceptance of our regulatory filings.
XEN496
XEN496, a Kv7 potassium channel opener, is a proprietary pediatric formulation of the active ingredient ezogabine being developed for the treatment of KCNQ2 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, or KCNQ2-DEE. A Phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, multicenter clinical trial, called the “EPIK” study, is underway to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of XEN496 administered as adjunctive treatment in approximately 40 pediatric patients aged one month to less than six years with KCNQ2-DEE. We anticipate that the EPIK study will be completed in the first half of 2023.
Partnered Programs
NBI-921352
We have an ongoing collaboration with Neurocrine Biosciences to develop treatments for epilepsy. Neurocrine Biosciences has an exclusive license to XEN901, now known as NBI-921352, a selective Nav1.6 sodium channel inhibitor. Neurocrine Biosciences is conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating NBI-921352 in adult patients with focal onset seizures, with data expected in 2023. In addition, a Phase 2 clinical trial is underway evaluating NBI-921352 in patients aged between 2 and 21 years with SCN8A developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, or SCN8A-DEE. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, we have the potential to receive certain clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, as well as future sales royalties.
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PCRX301 (formerly FX301)
In November 2021, Pacira BioSciences, Inc. completed its acquisition of Flexion Therapeutics, Inc., or Flexion, which included Flexion’s global rights to develop and commercialize XEN402, a Nav1.7 inhibitor also known as funapide. XEN402 has been formulated for extended release from a thermosensitive hydrogel and is now known as PCRX301 (previously FX301). A Phase 1b proof-of-concept trial is underway evaluating the safety and tolerability of PCRX301 administered as a single-dose, popliteal fossa block in patients undergoing bunionectomy, with data now anticipated in the second quarter of this year. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, we have the potential to receive certain clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, as well as future sales royalties.
We have funded our operations primarily through the sale of equity securities, funding received from our licensees and collaborators, and debt financing. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we recognized revenue of $18.4 million compared to $32.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, in connection with our agreements with Neurocrine Biosciences and Pacira BioSciences. We had a net loss of $78.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and an accumulated deficit of $357.4 million as of December 31, 2021, from expenses incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations.
We do not generate any royalty revenue from product sales, and do not otherwise anticipate generating revenue from product sales for the foreseeable future, if ever. We expect that our revenue in the near term will be substantially dependent on our collaboration agreements. Given the uncertain nature of clinical development of our current and future product candidates and the commercialization of current and future products, we cannot predict when or whether we will receive further milestone payments under our current or future collaboration agreements or whether we will be able to report either revenue or net income in future years.
We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for at least the next 12 to 24 months. We anticipate that our expenses will increase as we:
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| • | continue our research and pre-clinical and clinical development of our product candidates either from our internal research efforts or through acquiring or in-licensing other product candidates or technologies; |
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| • | seek regulatory and marketing approvals for any of our product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials; |
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| • | make milestone and other payments under our in-license or other agreements; |
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| • | maintain, protect and expand our intellectual property portfolio; |
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| • | attract, hire and retain skilled personnel; and |
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| • | create additional infrastructure to support our operations. |
Recent Developments
Subsequent to year-end, in January 2022, we announced that our collaboration to develop treatments for epilepsy with Neurocrine Biosciences achieved a regulatory milestone. The FDA accepted Neurocrine’s protocol amendment that expands the study population to include subjects aged between 2 and 11 years in the ongoing Phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of NBI-921352 in pediatric patients with SCN8A-DEE. Pursuant to the collaboration agreement, we received an aggregate of $15.0 million from Neurocrine Biosciences in the form of a $6.75 million payment in cash and a $8.25 million equity investment at a per share price of $31.855, calculated as a 15% premium to our 30-day trailing volume weighted average price. For additional information, please see the section of this report titled “Business — Collaborations, Commercial and License Agreements — License and Collaboration Agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.”
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Financial Operations Overview
Revenue
To date, our revenue has been primarily derived from collaboration and licensing agreements. We do not generate any royalty revenue from product sales, and do not otherwise anticipate generating revenue from product sales for the foreseeable future, if ever. Over our history, we have entered into several collaboration agreements and our current collaboration and licensing agreements are described in “Business — Collaborations, Commercial and License Agreements” and “Note 12” of the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The following table is a summary of revenue recognized from our current collaboration and licensing agreements for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
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| 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| Neurocrine Biosciences: | |||||
| Recognition of the transaction price | $ | 3,715 | $ | 26,810 | |
| Research and development services | 6,452 | 5,356 | |||
| Milestone payments | 5,270 | — | |||
| Pacira BioSciences: | |||||
| Milestone payments | 3,000 | — | |||
| Total collaboration revenue | $ | 18,437 | $ | 32,166 |
Pursuant to the terms of our license and collaboration agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences, we received an upfront cash payment of $30.0 million and a $20.0 million equity investment in our common shares at the inception of the agreement in December 2019. The equity investment was measured at fair value on the date of issuance and the resulting premium, together with the upfront cash payment and variable consideration which is probable that a significant reversal of the cumulative revenue recognized will not occur, is the transaction price of the arrangement at the inception of the agreement for allocation to the performance obligations. The allocation was based on the relative estimated standalone selling prices of each obligation under the agreement including: (i) an exclusive license to NBI-921352 with associated technology and know-how transfer, (ii) an exclusive license to pre-clinical compounds for development, XEN393, XPC’535 and XPC’391, collectively referred to as the development track candidates, or the DTCs, with associated know-how transfer, and (iii) development services under the initial development program for the DTCs. In September 2021, based on the regulatory approval of a clinical trial application in Europe for NBI-921352 for focal-onset seizures in adults, we received an aggregate milestone payment of $10.0 million in the form of $4.5 million cash and a $5.5 million equity investment in our common shares. The equity investment was measured at fair value of $4.7 million on the date of issuance and the resulting premium of $0.8 million, with the cash payment of $4.5 million, was recognized as revenue in the period. In the year ended December 31, 2021, we also recognized $3.7 million of the transaction price allocated to performance obligations (i), (ii) and (iii), compared to $26.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Performance obligations (i) and (ii) were completed as of December 31, 2020. Performance obligation (iii) is expected to be completed by Q1 2022. Research and development services are recognized into revenue at fair market value as the services are rendered.
In the year ended December 31 2021, we recognized revenue of $3.0 million in connection with our agreement with Pacira BioSciences for the global rights to develop and commercialize PCRX301 which included a $1.0 million milestone for the clearance of an investigational new drug application by the FDA and a $2.0 million milestone for the initiation of a Phase 1b clinical trial. No revenue was recognized for the year ended December 31, 2020 in connection with our agreement with Pacira BioSciences.
As our other internal and partnered products are in various stages of clinical and pre-clinical development, we do not expect to generate any revenue from product sales for at least the next several years. We expect that any revenue for the next several years will be derived from milestone payments and research and development funding under our current collaboration agreements and any additional collaboration agreements that we may enter into in the future. We cannot provide any assurance as to the extent or timing of future milestone payments or royalty payments or that we will receive any future payments at all.
We expect that any revenue we generate will fluctuate quarter to quarter as a function of the timing and amount of milestones and other payments from our existing collaborations and any future collaborations.
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Operating Expenses
The following table summarizes our operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
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| 2021 | 2020 | ||||||
| Research and development | $ | 75,463 | $ | 50,523 | |||
| General and administrative | 21,967 | 12,944 | |||||
| Total operating expenses | $ | 97,430 | $ | 63,467 |
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses represent costs incurred to conduct research and development of our proprietary product candidates, including any acquired or in-licensed product candidates or technology, and costs to support our partnered product candidates.
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred in performing research and development activities, including salary, related benefits and stock-based compensation for employees engaged in scientific research and development, third-party contract costs relating to research, formulation, process development and manufacturing, pre-clinical studies and clinical trial activities, third-party acquisition, license and collaboration fees, laboratory consumables and allocated facility-related and information technology costs.
Project-specific expenses reflect costs directly attributable to our clinical development candidates for which we have incurred significant expenses. All remaining research and development expenses are reflected in pre-clinical, discovery and other internal program expenses. At any given time, we have several active early-stage research and drug discovery programs. Our personnel and infrastructure are typically deployed over multiple projects and are not directly linked to any individual internal early-stage research or drug discovery program. Therefore, we do not maintain financial information for our internal early-stage research and internal drug discovery programs on a project-specific basis.
We expense all research and development costs as incurred. We expect that our research and development expenses will increase in the future as we advance our proprietary product candidates through clinical development, advance our internal drug discovery programs into pre-clinical development and continue our early-stage research. The increase in expense will likely include added personnel and third-party contracts related to research, formulation, process development and manufacturing, pre-clinical studies and clinical trial activities as well as third-party acquisition, license and collaboration fees and laboratory consumables.
Clinical development timelines, likelihood of regulatory approval, and commercialization and associated costs are uncertain, difficult to estimate, and can vary significantly. We anticipate determining which research and development projects to pursue as well as the level of funding available for each project based on the scientific research and pre-clinical and clinical results of each product candidate and related regulatory action. We expect our research and development expenses to continue to represent our largest category of operating expenses for at least the next 12 to 24 months.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salary, related benefits and stock-based compensation of our executive, finance, legal, business development, commercial and administrative functions, travel expenses, allocated facility-related and information technology costs not otherwise included in research and development expenses, director compensation, director’s and officer’s insurance premiums, investor relations costs, recruitment costs and professional fees for auditing, tax and legal services, including legal expenses for intellectual property protection.
We expect that general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we expand our operating activities to support increased research and development activities and the potential commercialization of our product candidates.
Other Income (Expense)
Interest Income. Interest income consists of income earned on our cash and investment balances. We anticipate that our interest income will continue to fluctuate depending on our cash and investment balances and interest rates.
Unrealized fair value gain (loss) on marketable securities. Marketable securities are recorded at quoted prices in active markets, which approximate the fair value. Unrealized fair value gain (loss) on marketable securities is related to changes in market pricing on the investments during the period. We anticipate that unrealized fair value gain (loss) on marketable securities will continue to fluctuate depending on our investment balance and interest rates.
Interest Expense. Interest expense consists of accrual of the final payment fee, amortization of debt discounts, and interest charged on our borrowings with Silicon Valley Bank. In May 2020, we repaid the total outstanding term loan balance ahead of the maturity date.
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Foreign Exchange Gain (Loss). Net foreign exchange gains and losses consisted of gains and losses from the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations on our monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar (principally the Canadian dollar). We will continue to incur substantial expenses in Canadian dollars and will remain subject to risks associated with foreign currency fluctuations.
Loss on repayment of term loan. In May 2020, we repaid the total outstanding balance of our term loan with Silicon Valley Bank ahead of the maturity date. We recorded a one-time loss of $1.0 million on the repayment of the term loan, inclusive of repayment fees.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S., or U.S. GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the revenue and expenses incurred during the reported periods. We base estimates on our historical experience, known trends and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
The significant accounting policies that we believe to be most critical in fully understanding and evaluating our financial results are revenue recognition, research and development costs and stock-based compensation. For additional information, see “Note 3” of the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Revenue recognition:
Revenue recognition is a critical accounting estimate due to the magnitude and nature of the revenues we receive.
Our primary sources of revenue are derived from non-refundable upfront payments, funding for research and development services, milestone payments, and royalties under various collaboration agreements.
In contracts where we have more than one performance obligation to provide our customer with goods or services, each performance obligation is evaluated to determine whether it is distinct. The consideration under the contract is then allocated between the distinct performance obligations based on their respective relative standalone selling prices. The estimated standalone selling price of each deliverable reflects our best estimate of what the selling price would be if the deliverable was regularly sold on a standalone basis and is determined by reference to market rates for the good or service when sold to others or by using an adjusted market assessment approach if selling price on a standalone basis is not available. We generally recognize revenue from non-refundable upfront payments over the estimated term of the performance obligation or period in which the underlying benefit is transferred to the customer. We evaluate the measure of progress each reporting period and, if necessary, adjust the measure of performance and related revenue recognition.
The consideration allocated to each distinct performance obligation is recognized as revenue when control is transferred to our customer for the related goods or services. Consideration in exchange for research and development services performed by us on behalf of the licensee is recognized upon performance of such activities at rates consistent with prevailing market rates. Consideration associated with at-risk substantive performance milestones, including sales-based milestones, is recognized as revenue when we determine it is probable that a significant reversal of the cumulative revenue recognized will not occur. At the end of each subsequent reporting period, we re-evaluate the probability of achievement of such milestones, and if necessary, adjust our estimate of the overall transaction price. Sales-based royalties received in connection with licenses of intellectual property are subject to a specific exception in the revenue standards, whereby the consideration is not included in the transaction price and recognized in revenue until the customer’s subsequent sales or usages occur.
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Research and development costs:
Research and development costs is a critical accounting policy due to the magnitude of the costs and the requirement to determine the proportionate performance of vendors to calculate third-party accrued and prepaid research and development expenses.
We incur development activity costs, such as pre-clinical costs, manufacturing costs and clinical trial costs paid to contract research organizations, contract development and manufacturing organizations, investigators and other vendors who conduct certain product development activities on our behalf. The amount of expenses recognized in a period related to service agreements is based on the work performed using the accrual basis of accounting. Clinical trial expenses represent a significant component of research and development expenses and we outsource a significant portion of these activities to third party contract research organizations. Third-party clinical trial expenses include investigator fees, site costs, clinical research organization costs and other trial-related vendor costs. Vendors, including contract research organizations, generally provide estimates of proportionate performance to allow us to determine an appropriate accrual. Payments made to third parties under these arrangements in advance of the receipt of the related services are recorded as prepaid expenses until the services are rendered.
Stock-based compensation:
Stock-based compensation is a critical accounting estimate due to the magnitude of and the many assumptions that are required to calculate stock-based compensation expense.
We grant stock options to employees, consultants, directors and officers pursuant to our stock option plans. Compensation expense is recorded using the fair value method. We calculate the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model which requires that certain assumptions, including the expected life of the option and expected volatility of the stock, be estimated at the time that the options are granted. The expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of our common shares calculated based on a period of time commensurate with the expected term assumption. The expected term of our stock options has been determined utilizing our available historical data and we recognize forfeitures as they occur. We amortize the fair value of stock options using the straight-line method over the vesting period of the options.
Results of Operations
Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
The following table summarizes the results of our operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 together with changes in those items (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | Change 2021 vs. 2020 | |||||||||||
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| 2021 | 2020 | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 18,437 | $ | 32,166 | $ | (13,729 | ) | |||||
| Research and development expenses | 75,463 | 50,523 | 24,940 | |||||||||
| General and administrative expenses | 21,967 | 12,944 | 9,023 | |||||||||
| Other: | ||||||||||||
| Interest income | 466 | 2,279 | (1,813 | ) | ||||||||
| Unrealized fair value gain (loss) on marketable securities | (719 | ) | 4 | (723 | ) | |||||||
| Interest expense | — | (484 | ) | 484 | ||||||||
| Foreign exchange gain | 358 | 1,396 | (1,038 | ) | ||||||||
| Loss on repayment of term loan | — | (988 | ) | 988 | ||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | $ | (78,888 | ) | $ | (29,094 | ) | $ | (49,794 | ) |
Revenue
Revenue decreased by $13.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 related to recognition of $5.3 million of milestone revenue, $3.7 million of deferred revenue as well as $6.5 million for research and development services under our license and collaboration agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences, as compared to recognition of $26.8 million of deferred revenue and $5.4 million for research and development services under this agreement for the year ended December 31, 2020. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 also included $3.0 million in milestone revenue recognized in connection with our agreement with Pacira BioSciences, whereas no revenue was recognized in connection with this agreement for the year ended December 31, 2020.
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Research and Development Expenses
The following table summarizes research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 together with changes in those items (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | Change 2021 vs. 2020 | |||||||||||
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| 2021 | 2020 | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||
| XEN1101 | $ | 30,769 | $ | 23,669 | $ | 7,100 | ||||||
| XEN496 | 19,365 | 12,345 | 7,020 | |||||||||
| NBI-921352 | 1,202 | 1,585 | (383 | ) | ||||||||
| Pre-clinical, discovery and other programs | 24,127 | 12,924 | 11,203 | |||||||||
| Total research and development expenses | $ | 75,463 | $ | 50,523 | $ | 24,940 |
Research and development expenses increased by $24.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increases were primarily attributable to increased spending on our clinical development product candidates XEN1101 and XEN496 as well as increased spending on our pre-clinical, discovery and other internal programs.
General and Administrative Expenses
The following table summarizes general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 together with changes in those items (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | Change 2021 vs. 2020 | ||||||||||
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| 2021 | 2020 | Increase/(Decrease) | |||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 21,967 | $ | 12,944 | $ | 9,023 |
General and administrative expenses increased by $9.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily attributable to higher salaries and benefits due to increased headcount to support our expanding research and development activities, increased stock-based compensation expense due to an increase in the number of options granted at a higher fair value, increased market research costs and increased legal fees for intellectual property protection.
Other Income
The following table summarizes our other income (expense) for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 together with changes in those items (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | Change 2021 vs. 2020 | |||||||||||
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| 2021 | 2020 | Increase/(Decrease) | ||||||||||
| Other income | $ | 105 | $ | 2,207 | $ | (2,102 | ) |
Other income decreased by $2.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease was primarily driven by a decrease in interest income due to a decline in realized market yields on investments and an unrealized loss on the fair value of marketable securities of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 due to changes in market yields on investments. The decrease in other income was also attributable to a decrease in the foreign exchange gain for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, largely due to a 0.7% increase as compared to a 2% increase in the value of the Canadian dollar, respectively. These were partially offset by a decrease in interest expense and a one-time loss of $1.0 million due to the repayment of our term loan in May 2020.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources of Liquidity
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through funding received from collaboration and license agreements, private placements of our common and preferred shares, public offerings of our common shares and pre-funded warrants, and debt financing. As of December 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $551.8 million.
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Except for any obligations of our collaborators to make milestone payments and research and development funding under our agreements with them, we do not have any committed external sources of capital. Until such time as we can generate substantial product revenue, if ever, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of collaboration agreements and equity or debt financings. For example, we have previously entered into an “at-the-market” equity offering sales agreement in August 2020, amended as of March 2022, with Jefferies LLC, or Jefferies, and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, or Stifel, pursuant to which we may sell our common shares from time to time. As of December 31, 2021, we had sold an aggregate of 733,000 common shares for proceeds of $10.7 million, net of commissions paid and transaction expenses, pursuant to the sales agreement. In January 2022, pursuant to the terms of our license and collaboration agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences, we received a cash payment of $6.75 million and we issued 258,986 common shares to Neurocrine Biosciences for an aggregate purchase price of $8.25 million. In addition, in October 2021, we completed an underwritten public offering of 10,000,000 common shares, including 1,525,423 common shares sold upon the full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, at a public offering price of $29.50 per common share, and pre-funded warrants to purchase 1,694,915 common shares at $29.4999 per pre-funded warrant, with each pre-funded warrant having an exercise price of $0.0001. The public offering was completed on October 8, 2021, and we received proceeds of $323.9 million, net of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. In September 2021, pursuant to the terms of our license and collaboration agreement with Neurocrine Biosciences, we received a cash payment of $4.5 million and we issued 275,337 common shares to Neurocrine Biosciences for an aggregate purchase price of $5.5 million. In March 2021, we entered into an underwriting agreement with Jefferies and Stifel relating to an underwritten public offering of 5,135,135 common shares, including 810,810 shares sold upon the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, and pre-funded warrants to purchase 1,081,081 common shares. The common shares were offered at a public offering price of $18.50 per common share and the pre-funded warrants were offered at a price of $18.4999 per pre-funded warrant, for proceeds of $107.9 million, net of underwriting discounts, commissions and offering expenses.
Funding Requirements
We have incurred significant operating losses since inception. We had a $78.9 million net loss for the year ended December 31, 2021 and an accumulated deficit of $357.4 million from inception through December 31, 2021. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses in excess of our revenue and expect to incur operating losses over the next several years. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We expect to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future as we continue our research and pre-clinical and clinical development of our product candidates; expand the scope of our studies for our current and prospective product candidates; initiate additional pre-clinical, clinical or other studies for our product candidates; change or add additional manufacturers or suppliers and manufacture drug supply and drug product for clinical trials and commercialization; seek regulatory and marketing approvals for any of our product candidates that successfully complete clinical studies; seek to identify, and validate additional product candidates; acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies; make milestone or other payments under our in-license or other agreements, including, without limitation, payments to 1st Order Pharmaceuticals, Inc and other third parties; maintain, protect and expand our intellectual property portfolio; establish a sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any products for which we may obtain marketing approval, create additional infrastructure and incur additional costs to support our operations and our product development and planned future commercialization efforts; and experience any delays or encounter issues with any of the above.
Our future capital requirements are difficult to forecast and will depend on many factors, including:
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| • | the number and characteristics of the future product candidates we pursue either from our internal research efforts or through acquiring or in-licensing other product candidates or technologies; |
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| • | the scope, progress, results and costs of independently researching and developing any of our future product candidates, including conducting pre-clinical research and clinical trials; |
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| • | whether our existing collaborations continue to generate substantial milestone payments and, ultimately, royalties on future approved products for us; |
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| • | the timing of, and the costs involved in, obtaining regulatory approvals for any future product candidates we develop independently; |
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| • | the timing and magnitude of potential milestone payments and royalties under our product acquisition and in-license agreements; |
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| • | the cost of pre-commercial activities in advance of product commercialization as well as commercializing any future products we develop independently that are approved for sale; |
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| • | the cost of manufacturing our future product candidates and products, if any; |
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| • | our ability to maintain existing collaborations and to establish new collaborations, licensing or other arrangements and the financial terms of such agreements; |
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| • | the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending and enforcing patents, including litigation costs and the outcome of such litigation; and |
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| • | the timing, receipt and amount of sales of, or royalties on our future products, if any. |
Based on our research and development plans and our timing expectations related to the progress of our programs, we expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities as of the date of this report will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our capital resources sooner than we expect. Additionally, the process of testing drug candidates in clinical trials is costly, and the timing of progress in these trials remains uncertain. Further, inflation may affect our use of capital resources by increasing our cost of labor and clinical trial expenses. Our long-term funding requirements will consist of operational, capital, and manufacturing expenditures, including those contractual commitments described below. Because of the inherent risks and uncertainties associated with the development and commercialization of our product candidates, we are unable to estimate the amounts of capital outflows and operating expenditures associated with our long-term anticipated preclinical studies and clinical trials.
Contractual Commitments
In August 2015, we entered into a priority access agreement with Medpace Inc., or Medpace, for the provision of certain clinical development services, under which we committed to using Medpace non-exclusively for clinical development services over the five year term of the agreement which ended in August 2020. We committed to $7.0 million of services over the term of the agreement of which $3.8 million of services have been received and $3.2 million remains committed as of December 31, 2021. As we did not meet the commitment to retain Medpace for $7.0 million of services prior to August 2020, we are required to provide Medpace the exclusive right to perform all subsequent outsourced clinical development work until such $7.0 million commitment has been satisfied, subject to the availability of appropriate Medpace resources and reasonable service rates. If we decide not to retain Medpace for the provision of clinical development services, we may satisfy our obligations under the priority access agreement by paying Medpace an amount equal to half of the unsatisfied portion. We intend to continue to utilize Medpace for clinical development work where appropriate in order to fulfill the remaining commitment; therefore, no liability has been recognized as of December 31, 2021 with respect to the unsatisfied portion under the priority access agreement.
In April 2017, we acquired XEN1101 (previously known as 1OP2198) from 1st Order Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or 1st Order, pursuant to an asset purchase agreement. In August 2020, we and 1st Order amended the asset purchase agreement to amend certain definitions in the agreement and to modify the payment schedule for certain milestones. Future potential payments to 1st Order include up to $0.9 million in clinical development milestones, up to $6.0 million in regulatory milestones, and $0.5 million in other milestones. To date, we have paid $0.6 million based on progress against these milestones. There are no royalty obligations to 1st Order.
We have one operating lease for research laboratories and office space in Burnaby, British Columbia. The term of the lease expires in June 2032. Amounts related to future lease payments for operating lease obligations as of December 31, 2021 totaled $11.7 million, with $0.9 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months.
Cash Flows
The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (69,502 | ) | $ | (48,124 | ) | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (246,770 | ) | (16,824 | ) | ||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 447,543 | 85,795 |
77
Operating Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash used in operating activities totaled $69.5 million, compared to $48.1 million in 2020. The increase in cash used in operating activities was primarily related to higher expenditures for the clinical development of our proprietary product candidates and pre-clinical, discovery and other internal programs, higher general and administrative expenses and lower interest income for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020, partially offset by $8.3 million in milestone revenue recognized in connection with our agreements with Neurocrine Biosciences and Pacira BioSciences in the year ended December 31, 2021.
Investing Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash used in investing activities totaled $246.8 million, compared to $16.8 million in 2020. The change in cash used in investing activities was driven primarily by an increase in purchases of marketable securities, net of redemptions.
Financing Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash provided by financing activities totaled $447.5 million, compared to $85.8 million in 2020. The increase in cash provided by financing activities was primarily related to net proceeds of $447.3 million from the issuance of common shares and pre-funded warrants during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to $102.5 million from the issuance of common shares, partially offset by repayment of our term loan, for the same period in 2020.
Related Party Transactions
For a description of our related party transactions, see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.”
Outstanding Share Data
As of February 25, 2022, we had 51,921,446 common shares issued and outstanding, outstanding pre-funded warrants to purchase an additional 2,775,996 common shares, outstanding stock options to purchase an additional 5,666,091 common shares and an outstanding warrant to purchase an additional 40,000 common shares. In addition, as of February 25, 2022, we had 1,016,000 Series 1 Preferred Shares issued and outstanding. The Series 1 Preferred Shares are convertible into common shares on a one-for-one basis subject to the holder, together with its affiliates, beneficially owning no more than 9.99% of the total number of common shares issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion, or the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. The holder may reset the Beneficial Ownership Limitation to a higher or lower number, not to exceed 19.99% of the total number of common shares issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion, upon providing written notice to us which will be effective 61 days after delivery of such notice. The holders of the Series 1 Preferred Shares are entitled to vote together with the common shares on an as-converted basis and as a single class, subject in the case of each holder of the Series 1 Preferred Shares to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. The Series 1 Preferred Shares may be “restricted securities” as such term is defined under applicable Canadian securities laws, as any Series 1 Preferred Shares that are ineligible to be converted into common shares due to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, measured as of a given record date that applies for a shareholder meeting or ability to act by written consent, shall be deemed to be non-voting securities. For additional information regarding our Series 1 Preferred Shares, see “Note 10d” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.