| REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS INC Item 1A Risk Factors We operate in an environment that involves a number of significant risks and uncertainties |
| We caution you to read the following risk factors, which have affected, and/or in the future could affect, our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows |
| The risks described below include forward-looking statements, and actual events and our actual results may differ substantially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements |
| Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations |
| Furthermore, additional risks and uncertainties are described under other captions in this report and should be considered by our investors |
| Risks Related to Our Financial Results and Need for Additional Financing We have had a history of operating losses and we may never achieve profitability |
| If we continue to incur operating losses, we may be unable to continue our operations |
| From inception on January 8, 1988 through December 31, 2005, we had a cumulative loss of dlra585dtta3 million |
| If we continue to incur operating losses and fail to become a profitable company, we may be unable to continue our operations |
| We have no products that are available for sale and do not know when we will have products available for sale, if ever |
| In the absence of revenue from the sale of products or other sources, the amount, timing, nature or source of which cannot be predicted, our losses will continue as we conduct our research and development activities |
| We currently receive contract manufacturing revenue from our agreement with Merck and, until June 30, 2005, we received contract research and development revenue from our agreement with The Procter & Gamble Company |
| Our agreement with Procter & Gamble expired in June 2005 and our agreement with Merck will expire before the end of 2006 |
| The expiration of these agreements results in a significant loss of revenue to the Company |
| We will need additional funding in the future, which may not be available to us, and which may force us to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs or commercialization efforts |
| We will need to expend substantial resources for research and development, including costs associated with clinical testing of our product candidates |
| We believe our existing capital resources will enable us to meet operating needs through at least mid-2008; however, our projected revenue may decrease or our expenses may increase and that would lead to our capital being consumed significantly before such time |
| We will likely require additional financing in the future and we may not be able to raise such additional funds |
| If we are able to obtain additional financing through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, such sales may be dilutive to our shareholders |
| Debt financing arrangements may require us to pledge certain assets or enter into covenants that would restrict our business activities or our ability to incur further indebtedness and may contain other terms that are not favorable to our shareholders |
| If we are unable to raise sufficient funds to complete the development of our product candidates, we may face delay, reduction or elimination of our research and development programs or preclinical or clinical trials, in which case our business, financial condition or results of operations may be materially harmed |
| 10 _________________________________________________________________ [44]Table of Contents We have a significant amount of debt and may have insufficient cash to satisfy our debt service and repayment obligations |
| In addition, the amount of our debt could impede our operations and flexibility |
| We have a significant amount of convertible debt and semi-annual interest payment obligations |
| This debt, unless converted to shares of our common stock, will mature in October 2008 |
| We may be unable to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds necessary to make required payments on our debt |
| Even if we are able to meet our debt service obligations, the amount of debt we already have could hurt our ability to obtain any necessary financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements or other purposes |
| In addition, our debt obligations could require us to use a substantial portion of cash to pay principal and interest on our debt, instead of applying those funds to other purposes, such as research and development, working capital, and capital expenditures |
| We have adopted, effective January 1, 2005, the fair market value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation |
| This will materially increase operating expenses in our Statement of Operations, primarily due to non-cash compensation costs related to stock options |
| We have adopted, effective January 1, 2005, the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation under the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Nodtta (SFAS) 123, Accounting for Stock Based Compensation, using the modified prospective method as described in SFAS 148, Accounting for Stock Based Compensation — Transition and Disclosure |
| As a result, effective January 1, 2005, we have been recognizing expense in an amount equal to the fair value of share-based payments (including stock option awards) on their date of grant over the vesting period of the awards |
| In 2005, non-cash stock-based employee compensation expense of dlra19dtta9 million related to stock options awards was recognized in operating expenses in our Statement of Operations, which increased our basic and diluted net loss per share |
| In addition, in December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued SFAS 123R, Share-Based Payment, which is a revision of SFAS 123 and supersedes Accounting Principles Board Nodtta 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees |
| SFAS 123R requires the recognition of compensation expense in an amount equal to the fair value of share-based payments (including stock options) issued to employees |
| We are required to adopt SFAS 123R effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2006 |
| The impact of adopting SFAS 123R has not yet been quantified |
| The negative impact on our income (loss) as a result of adopting SFAS 123 as of January 1, 2005, and subsequently adopting SFAS 123R commencing January 1, 2006, may negatively affect our stock price |
| Risks Related to Development of Our Product Candidates Successful development of any of our product candidates is highly uncertain |
| Only a small minority of all research and development programs ultimately result in commercially successful drugs |
| We have never developed a drug that has been approved for marketing and sale, and we may never succeed in developing an approved drug |
| Even if clinical trials demonstrate safety and effectiveness of any of our product candidates for a specific disease and the necessary regulatory approvals are obtained, the commercial success of any of our product candidates will depend upon their acceptance by patients, the medical community, and third-party payers and on our partners’ ability to successfully manufacture and commercialize our product candidates |
| Our product candidates are delivered either by intravenous infusion or by intravitreal or subcutaneous injections, which are generally less well received by patients than tablet or capsule delivery |
| If our products are not successfully commercialized, we will not be able to recover the significant investment we have made in developing such products and our business would be severely harmed |
| We intend to study our lead product candidates, the VEGF Trap, VEGF Trap-Eye, and IL-1 Trap, in a wide variety of indications |
| We intend to study the VEGF Trap in a variety of cancer settings, the VEGF Trap-Eye in different eye diseases and ophthalmologic indications, and the IL-1 Trap in a variety of systemic inflammatory 11 _________________________________________________________________ [45]Table of Contents disorders |
| Most of these current trials are exploratory studies designed to identify what diseases and uses, if any, are best suited for our product candidates |
| It is likely that our product candidates will not demonstrate the requisite efficacy and/or safety profile to support continued development for most of the indications that are to be studied |
| In fact, our product candidates may not demonstrate the requisite efficacy and safety profile to support the continued development for any of the indications or uses |
| Clinical trials required for our product candidates are expensive and time-consuming, and their outcome is highly uncertain |
| If any of our drug trials are delayed or achieve unfavorable results, we will have to delay or may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates |
| We must conduct extensive testing of our product candidates before we can obtain regulatory approval to market and sell them |
| We need to conduct both preclinical animal testing and human clinical trials |
| Conducting these trials is a lengthy, time-consuming, and expensive process |
| These tests and trials may not achieve favorable results for many reasons, including, among others, failure of the product candidate to demonstrate safety or efficacy, the development of serious or life-threatening adverse events (or side effects) caused by or connected with exposure to the product candidate, difficulty in enrolling and maintaining subjects in the clinical trial, lack of sufficient supplies of the product candidate, and the failure of clinical investigators, trial monitors and other consultants, or trial subjects to comply with the trial plan or protocol |
| A clinical trial may fail because it did not include a sufficient number of patients to detect the endpoint being measured or reach statistical significance |
| A clinical trial may also fail because the dose(s) of the investigational drug included in the trial were either too low or too high to determine the optimal effect of the investigational drug in the disease setting |
| For example, we are studying higher doses of the IL-1 Trap in different diseases after a phase 2 trial using lower doses of the IL-1 Trap in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis failed to achieve its primary endpoint |
| We will need to reevaluate any drug candidate that does not test favorably and either conduct new trials, which are expensive and time consuming, or abandon the drug development program |
| Even if we obtain positive results from preclinical or clinical trials, we may not achieve the same success in future trials |
| Many companies in the biopharmaceutical industry, including us, have suffered significant setbacks in clinical trials, even after promising results have been obtained in earlier trials |
| The failure of clinical trials to demonstrate safety and effectiveness for the desired indication(s) could harm the development of the product candidate(s), and our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially harmed |
| The development of serious or life-threatening side effects with any of our product candidates would lead to delay or discontinuation of development, which could severely harm our business |
| During the conduct of clinical trials, patients report changes in their health, including illnesses, injuries, and discomforts, to their study doctor |
| Often, it is not possible to determine whether or not the drug candidate being studied caused these conditions |
| Various illnesses, injuries, and discomforts have been reported from time-to-time during clinical trials of our product candidates |
| Although our current drug candidates appeared to be generally well tolerated in clinical trials conducted to date, it is possible as we test any of them in larger, longer, and more extensive clinical programs, illnesses, injuries, and discomforts that were observed in earlier trials, as well as conditions that did not occur or went undetected in smaller previous trials, will be reported by patients |
| Many times, side effects are only detectable after investigational drugs are tested in large scale, phase 3 clinical trials or, in some cases, after they are made available to patients after approval |
| If additional clinical experience indicates that any of our product candidates has many side effects or causes serious or life-threatening side effects, the development of the product candidate may fail or be delayed, which would severely harm our business |
| Our VEGF Trap is being studied for the potential treatment of certain types of cancer and our VEGF Trap-Eye candidate is being studied in diseases of the eye |
| There are many potential safety concerns associated with significant blockade of vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF These risks, based on the clinical and preclinical experience of systemically delivered VEGF inhibitors, including the systemic delivery of the VEGF Trap, include bleeding, hypertension, and proteinuria |
| These serious side effects and other serious side effects have been reported in our systemic VEGF Trap studies in cancer and diseases of the eye |
| In addition, patients given infusions of any protein, including the VEGF Trap delivered through intravenous administration, may develop severe hypersensitivity reactions, referred to as infusion reactions |
| These and other complications or side effects 12 _________________________________________________________________ [46]Table of Contents could harm the development of the VEGF Trap for the treatment of cancer or the VEGF Trap-Eye for the treatment of diseases of the eye |
| Although the IL-1 Trap was generally well tolerated and was not associated with any drug-related serious adverse events in the phase 2 rheumatoid arthritis study completed in 2003, safety or tolerability concerns may arise as we test higher doses of the IL-1 Trap in patients with other inflammatory diseases and disorders |
| Like TNF-antagonists such as Enbrel^®(Amgen) and Remicade^® (Centocor), the IL-1 Trap affects the immune defense system of the body by blocking some of its functions |
| Therefore, there may be an increased risk for infections to develop in patients treated with the IL-1 Trap |
| In addition, patients given infusions of the IL-1 Trap have developed hypersensitivity reactions, referred to as infusion reactions |
| These and other complications or side effects could harm the development of the IL-1 Trap |
| Our product candidates in development are recombinant proteins that could cause an immune response, resulting in the creation of harmful or neutralizing antibodies against the therapeutic protein |
| In addition to the safety, efficacy, manufacturing, and regulatory hurdles faced by our product candidates, the administration of recombinant proteins frequently causes an immune response, resulting in the creation of antibodies against the therapeutic protein |
| The antibodies can have no effect or can totally neutralize the effectiveness of the protein, or require that higher doses be used to obtain a therapeutic effect |
| In some cases, the antibody can cross react with the patient’s own proteins, resulting in an “auto-immune” type disease |
| Whether antibodies will be created can often not be predicted from preclinical or clinical experiments, and their appearance is often delayed, so that there can be no assurance that neutralizing antibodies will not be created at a later date — in some cases even after pivotal clinical trials have been completed |
| Subjects who received the IL-1 Trap in clinical trials have developed antibodies |
| It is possible that as we test the VEGF Trap with more sensitive assays in different patient populations and larger clinical trials, we will find that subjects given the VEGF Trap develop antibodies to the product candidate |
| We may be unable to formulate or manufacture our product candidates in a way that is suitable for clinical or commercial use |
| Changes in product formulations and manufacturing processes may be required as product candidates progress in clinical development and are ultimately commercialized |
| If we are unable to develop suitable product formulations or manufacturing processes to support large scale clinical testing of our product candidates, including the VEGF Trap, VEGF Trap-Eye, IL-1 Trap, and IL-4/13 Trap, we may be unable to supply necessary materials for our clinical trials, which would delay the development of our product candidates |
| Similarly, if we are unable to supply sufficient quantities of our product or develop product formulations suitable for commercial use, we will not be able to successfully commercialize our product candidates |
| Risks Related to Intellectual Property If we cannot protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets or our patents are insufficient to protect our proprietary rights, our business and competitive position will be harmed |
| Our business requires using sensitive and proprietary technology and other information that we protect as trade secrets |
| We seek to prevent improper disclosure of these trade secrets through confidentiality agreements |
| If our trade secrets are improperly exposed, either by our own employees or our collaborators, it would help our competitors and adversely affect our business |
| We will be able to protect our proprietary rights from unauthorized use by third parties only to the extent that our rights are covered by valid and enforceable patents or are effectively maintained as trade secrets |
| The patent position of biotechnology companies involves complex legal and factual questions and, therefore, enforceability cannot be predicted with certainty |
| Our patents may be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented |
| Patent applications filed outside the United States may be challenged by third parties who file an opposition |
| Such opposition proceedings are increasingly common in the European Union and are costly to defend |
| We have patent applications that are being opposed and it is likely that we will need to defend additional patent applications in the future |
| Our patent rights may not provide us with a proprietary position or 13 _________________________________________________________________ [47]Table of Contents competitive advantages against competitors |
| Furthermore, even if the outcome is favorable to us, the enforcement of our intellectual property rights can be extremely expensive and time consuming |
| We may be restricted in our development and/or commercialization activities by, and could be subject to damage awards if we are found to have infringed, third party patents or other proprietary rights |
| Our commercial success depends significantly on our ability to operate without infringing the patents and other proprietary rights of third parties |
| Other parties may allege that they have blocking patents to our products in clinical development, either because they claim to hold proprietary rights to the composition of a product or the way it is manufactured or used |
| We are aware of patents and pending applications owned by Genentech that claim certain chimeric VEGF receptor compositions |
| Although we do not believe that the VEGF Trap or VEGF Trap-Eye infringes any valid claim in these patents or patent applications, Genentech could initiate a lawsuit for patent infringement and assert its patents are valid and cover the VEGF Trap or VEGF Trap-Eye |
| Genentech may be motivated to initiate such a lawsuit at some point in an effort to impair our ability to develop and sell the VEGF Trap or VEGF Trap-Eye, which represents a potential competitive threat to Genentech’s VEGF-binding products and product candidates |
| An adverse determination by a court in any such potential patent litigation would likely materially harm our business by requiring us to seek a license, which may not be available, or resulting in our inability to manufacture, develop and sell the VEGF Trap or VEGF Trap-Eye or in a damage award |
| We are aware of certain United States and foreign patents relating to particular IL-4 and IL-13 receptors |
| Our IL-4/13 Trap includes portions of the IL-4 and IL-13 receptors |
| In addition, we are aware of a broad patent held by Genentech relating to proteins fused to certain immunoglobulin domains |
| Our Trap product candidates include proteins fused to immunoglobulin domains |
| Although we do not believe that we are infringing valid and enforceable third party patents, the holders of these patents may sue us for infringement and a court may find that we are infringing one or more validly issued patents, which may materially harm our business |
| Any patent holders could sue us for damages and seek to prevent us from manufacturing, selling, or developing our drug candidates, and a court may find that we are infringing validly issued patents of third parties |
| In the event that the manufacture, use, or sale of any of our clinical candidates infringes on the patents or violates other proprietary rights of third parties, we may be prevented from pursuing product development, manufacturing, and commercialization of our drugs and may be required to pay costly damages |
| Such a result may materially harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations |
| We seek to obtain licenses to patents when, in our judgment, such licenses are needed |
| If any licenses are required, we may not be able to obtain such licenses on commercially reasonable terms, if at all |
| The failure to obtain any such license could prevent us from developing or commercializing any one or more of our product candidates, which could severely harm our business |
| Regulatory and Litigation Risks If we do not obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, we will not be able to market or sell them |
| We cannot sell or market products without regulatory approval |
| If we do not obtain and maintain regulatory approval for our product candidates, the value of our company and our results of operations will be harmed |
| In the United States, we must obtain and maintain approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for each drug we intend to sell |
| Obtaining FDA approval is typically a lengthy and expensive process, and approval is highly uncertain |
| Foreign governments also regulate drugs distributed in their country and approval in any country is likely to be a lengthy and expensive process, and approval is highly uncertain |
| None of our product candidates has ever received regulatory approval to be marketed and sold in the United States or any other country |
| We may never receive regulatory approval for any of our product candidates |
| 14 _________________________________________________________________ [48]Table of Contents If the testing or use of our products harms people, we could be subject to costly and damaging product liability claims |
| We could also face costly and damaging claims arising from employment law, securities law, environmental law, or other applicable laws governing our operations |
| The testing, manufacturing, marketing, and sale of drugs for use in people expose us to product liability risk |
| Any informed consent or waivers obtained from people who sign up for our clinical trials may not protect us from liability or the cost of litigation |
| Our product liability insurance may not cover all potential liabilities or may not completely cover any liability arising from any such litigation |
| Moreover, we may not have access to liability insurance or be able to maintain our insurance on acceptable terms |
| Our operations may involve hazardous materials and are subject to environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations |
| We may incur substantial liability arising from our activities involving the use of hazardous materials |
| As a biopharmaceutical company with significant manufacturing operations, we are subject to extensive environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations, including those governing the use of hazardous materials |
| Our research and development and manufacturing activities involve the controlled use of chemicals, viruses, radioactive compounds, and other hazardous materials |
| The cost of compliance with environmental, health, and safety regulations is substantial |
| If an accident involving these materials or an environmental discharge were to occur, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, or face regulatory actions, which could exceed our resources or insurance coverage |
| Changes in the securities laws and regulations have increased, and are likely to continue to increase, our costs |
| The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which became law in July 2002, has required changes in some of our corporate governance, securities disclosure, and compliance practices |
| In response to the requirements of that Act, the SEC and the NASDAQ Stock Market have promulgated new rules and listing standards covering a variety of subjects |
| Compliance with these new rules and listing standards has increased our legal costs, and significantly increased our accounting and auditing costs, and we expect these costs to continue |
| These developments may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance |
| Likewise, these developments may make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors, particularly independent directors, or qualified executive officers |
| In future years, if we or our independent registered public accounting firm are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, the market value of our common stock could be adversely affected |
| As directed by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the SEC adopted rules requiring public companies to include a report of management on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting in their annual reports on Form 10-K that contains an assessment by management of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting |
| In addition, the independent registered public accounting firm auditing our financial statements must attest to and report on management’s assessment and on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting |
| Our independent registered public accounting firm provided us with an unqualified report as to our assessment and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2005, which report is included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 |
| However, we cannot assure you that management or our independent registered public accounting firm will be able to provide such an assessment or unqualified report as of future year-ends |
| In this event, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which could result in a decrease in the market value of our common stock |
| 15 _________________________________________________________________ [49]Table of Contents Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties If our collaboration with sanofi-aventis for the VEGF Trap is terminated, our business operations and our ability to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the VEGF Trap in the time expected, or at all, would be harmed |
| We rely heavily on sanofi-aventis to assist with the development of the VEGF Trap oncology program |
| Sanofi-aventis funds all of the development expenses incurred by both companies in connection with the VEGF Trap oncology program |
| If the VEGF Trap oncology program continues, we will rely on sanofi-aventis to assist with funding the VEGF Trap program, provide commercial manufacturing capacity, enroll and monitor clinical trials, obtain regulatory approval, particularly outside the United States, and provide sales and marketing support |
| While we cannot assure you that the VEGF Trap will ever be successfully developed and commercialized, if sanofi-aventis does not perform its obligations in a timely manner, or at all, our ability to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the VEGF Trap in cancer indications will be significantly adversely affected |
| Sanofi-aventis has the right to terminate its collaboration agreement with us at any time upon twelve months advance notice |
| If sanofi-aventis were to terminate its collaboration agreement with us, we would not have the resources or skills to replace those of our partner, which could cause significant delays in the development and/or manufacture of the VEGF Trap and result in substantial additional costs to us |
| We have no sales, marketing, or distribution capabilities and would have to develop or outsource these capabilities |
| Termination of the sanofi-aventis collaboration agreement would create substantial new and additional risks to the successful development of the VEGF Trap oncology program |
| Our collaborators and service providers may fail to perform adequately in their efforts to support the development, manufacture, and commercialization of our drug candidates |
| We depend upon third-party collaborators, including sanofi-aventis and service providers such as clinical research organizations, outside testing laboratories, clinical investigator sites, and third-party manufacturers and product packagers and labelers, to assist us in the development of our product candidates |
| If any of our existing collaborators or service providers breaches or terminates its agreement with us or does not perform its development or manufacturing services under an agreement in a timely manner or at all, we could experience additional costs, delays, and difficulties in the development or ultimate commercialization of our product candidates |
| Risks Related to the Manufacture of Our Product Candidates We have limited manufacturing capacity, which could inhibit our ability to successfully develop or commercialize our drugs |
| Before approving a new drug or biologic product, the FDA requires that the facilities at which the product will be manufactured be in compliance with current good manufacturing practices, or cGMP requirements |
| Manufacturing product candidates in compliance with these regulatory requirements is complex, time-consuming, and expensive |
| To be successful, our products must be manufactured for development, following approval, in commercial quantities, in compliance with regulatory requirements, and at competitive costs |
| If we or any of our product collaborators or third-party manufacturers, product packagers, or labelers are unable to maintain regulatory compliance, the FDA can impose regulatory sanctions, including, among other things, refusal to approve a pending application for a new drug or biologic product, or revocation of a pre-existing approval |
| As a result, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially harmed |
| Our manufacturing facility is likely to be inadequate to produce sufficient quantities of product for commercial sale |
| We intend to rely on our corporate collaborators, as well as contract manufacturers, to produce the large quantities of drug material needed for commercialization of our products |
| We rely entirely on third-party manufacturers for filling and finishing services |
| We will have to depend on these manufacturers to deliver material on a timely basis and to comply with regulatory requirements |
| If we are unable to supply sufficient material on acceptable terms, or if we should encounter delays or difficulties in our relationships with our corporate collaborators or contract manufacturers, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially harmed |
| 16 _________________________________________________________________ [50]Table of Contents We may expand our own manufacturing capacity to support commercial production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, or API, for our product candidates |
| This will require substantial additional funds, and we will need to hire and train significant numbers of employees and managerial personnel to staff our facility |
| Start-up costs can be large and scale-up entails significant risks related to process development and manufacturing yields |
| We may be unable to develop manufacturing facilities that are sufficient to produce drug material for clinical trials or commercial use |
| In addition, we may be unable to secure adequate filling and finishing services to support our products |
| As a result, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially harmed |
| We may be unable to obtain key raw materials and supplies for the manufacture of our product candidates |
| In addition, we may face difficulties in developing or acquiring production technology and managerial personnel to manufacture sufficient quantities of our product candidates at reasonable costs and in compliance with applicable quality assurance and environmental regulations and governmental permitting requirements |
| If any of our clinical programs are discontinued, we may face costs related to the unused capacity at our manufacturing facilities |
| We have large-scale manufacturing operations in Rensselaer, New York |
| Under a long-term manufacturing agreement with Merck, which expires in October 2006, we produce an intermediate for a Merck pediatric vaccine at our facility in Rensselaer, New York |
| We also use our facilities to produce API for our own clinical and preclinical candidates |
| When we no longer use our facilities to manufacture the Merck intermediate or if clinical candidates are discontinued, we will have to absorb overhead costs and inefficiencies |
| Certain of our raw materials are single-sourced from third parties; third-party supply failures could adversely affect our ability to supply our products |
| Certain raw materials necessary for manufacturing and formulation of our product candidates are provided by single-source unaffiliated third-party suppliers |
| We would be unable to obtain these raw materials for an indeterminate period of time if these third-party single-source suppliers were to cease or interrupt production or otherwise fail to supply these materials or products to us for any reason, including due to regulatory requirements or action, due to adverse financial developments at or affecting the supplier, or due to labor shortages or disputes |
| This, in turn, could materially and adversely affect our ability to manufacture our product candidates for use in clinical trials, which could materially and adversely affect our business and future prospects |
| Also, certain of the raw materials required in the manufacturing and the formulation of our clinical candidates may be derived from biological sources, including mammalian tissues, bovine serum, and human serum albumin |
| There are certain European regulatory restrictions on using these biological source materials |
| If we are required to substitute for these sources to comply with European regulatory requirements, our clinical development activities may be delayed or interrupted |
| Risks Related to Commercialization of Products If we are unable to establish sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities, or enter into agreements with third parties to do so, we will be unable to successfully market and sell future products |
| We have no sales or distribution personnel or capabilities and have only a small staff with marketing capabilities |
| If we are unable to obtain those capabilities, either by developing our own organizations or entering into agreements with service providers, we will not be able to successfully sell any products that we may obtain regulatory approval for and bring to market in the future |
| In that event, we will not be able to generate significant revenue, even if our product candidates are approved |
| We cannot guarantee that we will be able to hire the qualified sales and marketing personnel we need or that we will be able to enter into marketing or distribution agreements with third-party providers on acceptable terms, if at all |
| Under the terms of our collaboration agreement with sanofi-aventis, we currently rely on sanofi-aventis for sales, marketing, and distribution of the VEGF Trap in cancer indications, should it be approved in the future by regulatory authorities for marketing |
| We will have to rely on a third party or devote significant resources to develop our own sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities for our other product candidates, including the VEGF Trap-Eye, and we may be unsuccessful in developing our own sales, marketing, and distribution organization |
| 17 _________________________________________________________________ [51]Table of Contents Even if our product candidates are approved for marketing, their commercial success is highly uncertain because our competitors may get to the marketplace before we do with better or lower cost drugs or the market for our product candidates may be too small to support commercialization or sufficient profitability |
| There is substantial competition in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries from pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and chemical companies |
| Many of our competitors have substantially greater research, preclinical and clinical product development and manufacturing capabilities, and financial, marketing, and human resources than we do |
| Our smaller competitors may also enhance their competitive position if they acquire or discover patentable inventions, form collaborative arrangements, or merge with large pharmaceutical companies |
| Even if we achieve product commercialization, our competitors have achieved, and may continue to achieve, product commercialization before our products are approved for marketing and sale |
| Genentech has an approved VEGF antagonist, Avastin^®(Genentech), on the market for treating certain cancers and many different pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are working to develop competing VEGF antagonists, including Novartis, Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, and Pfizer |
| Many of these molecules are farther along in development than the VEGF Trap and may offer competitive advantages over our molecule |
| Novartis has an ongoing phase 3 clinical development program evaluating an orally delivered VEGF tyrosine kinase inhibitor in different cancer settings |
| Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Bayer have received approval from the FDA to market and sell the first oral medication that targets tumor cell growth and new vasculature formation that fuels the growth of tumors |
| The marketing approvals for Genentech’s VEGF antagonist, Avastin, and their extensive, ongoing clinical development plan for Avastin in other cancer indications, may make it more difficult for us to enroll patients in clinical trials to support the VEGF Trap and to obtain regulatory approval of the VEGF Trap in these cancer settings |
| This may delay or impair our ability to successfully develop and commercialize the VEGF Trap |
| In addition, even if the VEGF Trap is ever approved for sale for the treatment of certain cancers, it will be difficult for our drug to compete against Avastin and the Onyx/Bayer kinase inhibitor, because doctors and patients will have significant experience using these medicines |
| In addition, an oral medication may be considerably less expensive for patients than a biologic medication, providing a competitive advantage to companies that market such products |
| The market for eye diseases is also very competitive |
| Novartis and Genentech are collaborating on the development of a VEGF antibody fragment for the treatment of wet AMD that is in phase 3 development |
| In December 2005, Genentech announced that it filed an application with the FDA to market and sell this VEGF inhibitor in patients with wet AMD In addition, it has been reported that ophthalmologists are using a third-party reformulated version of Genentech’s approved VEGF antagonist, Avastin with success for the treatment of wet AMD The marketing approval of the Eyetech/Pfizer VEGF inhibitor and the potential off-label use of Avastin and approval of the Novartis/Genentech VEGF antibody fragment make it more difficult for us to successfully develop the VEGF Trap-Eye |
| Even if the VEGF Trap-Eye is ever approved for sale for the treatment of eye diseases, it will be difficult for our drug to compete against the Eyetech/Pfizer drug and, if approved by the FDA, the Novartis/Genentech VEGF inhibitor, because doctors and patients will have significant experience using these medicines |
| Moreover, the relatively low cost of therapy with Avastin in patients with wet AMD presents a further competitive challenge in this indication |
| The availability of highly effective FDA approved TNF-antagonists such as Enbrel^® (Amgen), Remicade^® (Centocor), and Humira^® (Abbott Laboratories), and the IL-1 receptor antagonist Kineret^® (Amgen), and other marketed therapies makes it more difficult to successfully develop and commercialize the IL-1 Trap |
| This is one of the reasons we discontinued the development of the IL-1 Trap in adult rheumatoid arthritis |
| In addition, even if the IL-1 Trap is ever approved for sale, it will be difficult for our drug to compete against these FDA approved TNF-antagonists in indications where both are useful because doctors and patients will have significant experience using these effective medicines |
| Moreover, in such indications these approved therapeutics may offer competitive advantages over the IL-1 Trap, such as requiring fewer injections |
| There are both small molecules and antibodies in development by third parties that are designed to block the synthesis of interleukin-1 or inhibit the signaling of interleukin-1 |
| These drug candidates could 18 _________________________________________________________________ [52]Table of Contents offer competitive advantages over the IL-1 Trap |
| The successful development of these competing molecules could delay or impair our ability to successfully develop and commercialize the IL-1 Trap |
| For example, we may find it difficult to enroll patients in clinical trials for the IL-1 Trap if the companies developing these competing interleukin-1 inhibitors commence clinical trials in the same indications |
| We are developing the IL-1 Trap for the treatment of a spectrum of rare diseases associated with mutations in the CIAS1 gene |
| These rare genetic disorders affect a small group of people, estimated to be between several hundred and a few thousand |
| There may be too few patients with these genetic disorders to profitably commercialize the IL-1 Trap in this indication |
| The successful commercialization of our product candidates will depend on obtaining coverage and reimbursement for use of these products from third-party payers |
| Sales of biopharmaceutical products largely depend on the reimbursement of patients’ medical expenses by government health care programs and private health insurers |
| Without the financial support of the governments or third-party payers, the market for any biopharmaceutical product will be limited |
| These third-party payers increasingly challenge the price and examine the cost-effectiveness of products and services |
| Significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of any new therapeutic, particularly if there exist lower-cost standards of care |
| Third-party payers may not reimburse sales of our products, which would harm our business |
| Risk Related to Employees We are dependent on our key personnel and if we cannot recruit and retain leaders in our research, development, manufacturing, and commercial organizations, our business will be harmed |
| We are highly dependent on our executive officers |
| If we are not able to retain any of these persons or our Chairman, our business may suffer |
| In particular, we depend on the services of P Roy Vagelos, MD, the Chairman of our board of directors, Leonard Schleifer, MD, Ph |
| D, our President and Chief Executive Officer, George D Yancopoulos, MD, Ph |
| D, our Senior Vice President, Preclinical Development and Biomolecular Science, and Randall G Rupp, Ph |
| There is intense competition in the biotechnology industry for qualified scientists and managerial personnel in the development, manufacture, and commercialization of drugs |
| We may not be able to continue to attract and retain the qualified personnel necessary for developing our business |
| Risks Related to Our Common Stock Our stock price is extremely volatile |
| There has been significant volatility in our stock price and generally in the market prices of biotechnology companies’ securities |
| Various factors and events may have a significant impact on the market price of our common stock |
| These factors include, by way of example: • progress, delays, or adverse results in clinical trials; • announcement of technological innovations or product candidates by us or competitors; • fluctuations in our operating results; • public concern as to the safety or effectiveness of our product candidates; • developments in our relationship with collaborative partners; • developments in the biotechnology industry or in government regulation of healthcare; • large sales of our common stock by our executive officers, directors, or significant shareholders; 19 _________________________________________________________________ [53]Table of Contents • arrivals and departures of key personnel; and • general market conditions |
| The trading price of our common stock has been, and could continue to be, subject to wide fluctuations in response to these and other factors, including the sale or attempted sale of a large amount of our common stock in the market |
| Broad market fluctuations may also adversely affect the market price of our common stock |
| Future sales of our common stock by our significant shareholders or us may depress our stock price and impair our ability to raise funds in new share offerings |
| A small number of our shareholders beneficially own a substantial amount of our common stock |
| As of December 31, 2005, our seven largest shareholders, including sanofi-aventis, beneficially owned 47dtta0prca of our outstanding shares of Common Stock, assuming, in the case of Leonard S Schleifer, MD Ph |
| D, our Chief Executive Officer, and P Roy Vagelos, MD, our Chairman, the conversion of their Class A Stock into Common Stock and the exercise of all options held by them which are exercisable within 60 days of December 31, 2005 |
| As of that date, sanofi-aventis owned 2cmam799cmam552 shares of Common Stock, representing approximately 5dtta2prca of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding |
| Under our stock purchase agreement with sanofi-aventis, through September 5, 2006, sanofi-aventis may sell no more than 250cmam000 of these shares in any calendar quarter |
| After September 5, 2006, sanofi-aventis may sell no more than 500cmam000 of these shares in any calendar quarter |
| If sanofi-aventis, or our other significant shareholders or we, sell substantial amounts of our Common Stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur exists, the market price of our Common Stock could fall |
| Sales of Common Stock by our significant shareholders, including sanofi-aventis, also might make it more difficult for us to raise funds by selling equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate |
| Our existing shareholders may be able to exert significant influence over matters requiring shareholder approval |
| Holders of Class A Stock, who are generally the shareholders who purchased their stock from us before our initial public offering, are entitled to ten votes per share, while holders of Common Stock are entitled to one vote per share |
| As of December 31, 2005, holders of Class A Stock held 4dtta2prca of all shares of Common Stock and Class A Stock then outstanding, and had 30dtta3prca of the combined voting power of all of Common Stock and Class A Stock then outstanding |
| These shareholders, if acting together, would be in a position to significantly influence the election of our directors and to effect or prevent certain corporate transactions that require majority or supermajority approval of the combined classes, including mergers and other business combinations |
| This may result in our company taking corporate actions that you may not consider to be in your best interest and may affect the price of our Common Stock |
| As of December 31, 2005: • our current officers and directors beneficially owned 14dtta8prca of our outstanding shares of Common Stock, assuming conversion of their Class A Stock into Common Stock and the exercise of all options held by such persons which are exercisable within 60 days of December 31, 2005, and 33dtta6prca of the combined voting power of our outstanding shares of Common Stock and Class A Stock, assuming the exercise of all options held by such persons which are exercisable within 60 days of December 31, 2005; and • our seven largest shareholders beneficially owned 47dtta0prca of our outstanding shares of Common Stock assuming, in the case of Leonard S Schleifer, MD, Ph |
| D, our Chief Executive Officer, and P Roy Vagelos, MD, our Chairman, the conversion of their Class A Stock into Common Stock and the exercise of all options held by them which are exercisable within 60 days of December 31, 2005 |
| In addition, these seven shareholders held 53dtta4prca of the combined voting power of our outstanding shares of Common Stock and Class A Stock, assuming the exercise of all options held by our Chief Executive Officer and our Chairman which are exercisable within 60 days of December 31, 2005 |
| 20 _________________________________________________________________ [54]Table of Contents The anti-takeover effects of provisions of our charter, by-laws, and rights agreement, and of New York corporate law, could deter, delay, or prevent an acquisition or other “change in control” of us and could adversely affect the price of our common stock |
| Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our by-laws, our rights agreement and the New York Business Corporation Law contain various provisions that could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of our company or our management that shareholders may consider favorable or beneficial |
| Some of these provisions could discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other shareholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions |
| These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock |
| These provisions include: • authorization to issue “blank check” preferred stock, which is preferred stock that can be created and issued by the board of directors without prior shareholder approval, with rights senior to those of our common shareholders; • a staggered board of directors, so that it would take three successive annual meetings to replace all of our directors; • a requirement that removal of directors may only be effected for cause and only upon the affirmative vote of at least eighty percent (80prca) of the outstanding shares entitled to vote for directors, as well as a requirement that any vacancy on the board of directors may be filled only by the remaining directors; • any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of shareholders may be taken without a meeting, only if, prior to such action, all of our shareholders consent, the effect of which is to require that shareholder action may only be taken at a duly convened meeting; • any shareholder seeking to bring business before an annual meeting of shareholders must provide timely notice of this intention in writing and meet various other requirements; and • under the New York Business Corporation Law, a plan of merger or consolidation of the Company must be approved by two-thirds of the votes of all outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon |
| See the risk factor immediately above captioned “Our existing shareholders may be able to exert significant influence over matters requiring shareholder approval |
| ” We have a shareholder rights plan which could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us without the support of our board of directors and principal shareholders |
| In addition, many of our stock options issued under our 2000 Long-Term Incentive Plan may become fully vested in connection with a “change in control” of the Company, as defined in the plan |