SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
x |
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934 |
For the
quarterly period ended March 31, 2005
OR
o |
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934 |
For the
transition period from to
Commission
file number 0-22332
INSITE
VISION INCORPORATED
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware |
|
94-3015807 |
(State or other jurisdiction
|
|
(IRS
Employer |
of incorporation
or organization) |
|
Identification
No.) |
|
|
|
965 Atlantic Avenue, Alameda,
California |
|
94501 |
(Address of principal executive
offices) |
|
(Zip
Code) |
|
|
|
Registrant's telephone
number, including area code (510) 865-8800 |
|
Former name, former address
and former fiscal year, if changed since last
report. |
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be
filed by Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for
the past 90 days. Yes x No o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x
APPLICABLE
ONLY TO CORPORATE ISSUERS:
The
number of shares of Registrant’s common stock, $0.01 par value, outstanding as
of April 30, 2005: 62,518,566.
QUARTERLY
REPORT ON FORM 10-Q
FOR
THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2005
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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Page |
PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION |
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Item
1. |
Financial
Statements |
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|
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets at |
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|
March
31, 2005 and December 31, 2004 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations |
|
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For
the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 |
2 |
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Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows |
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For
the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 |
3 |
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Notes
to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements |
4 |
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|
|
Item
2. |
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of |
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|
Financial
Condition and Results of Operations |
8 |
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Item
3. |
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk |
24 |
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Item
4. |
Controls
and Procedures |
24 |
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|
PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION |
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|
Item
1. |
Legal
Proceedings |
25 |
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|
|
Item
2. |
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds |
25 |
|
|
|
Item
3. |
Defaults
Upon Senior Securities |
25 |
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|
|
Item
4. |
Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders |
25 |
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|
|
Item
5. |
Other
Information |
25 |
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|
Item
6. |
Exhibits |
25 |
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|
Signatures
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|
25 |
PART
I FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item
1. Financial
Statements
InSite
Vision Incorporated |
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited) |
|
|
March
31, |
|
December
31, |
|
(in
thousands, except share and per share amounts) |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
2004 |
|
Assets |
|
|
|
Current
assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
2,487 |
|
$ |
5,351 |
|
Restricted
cash |
|
|
111 |
|
|
170 |
|
Inventories,
net |
|
|
17 |
|
|
18
|
|
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets |
|
|
103 |
|
|
71 |
|
Total
current assets |
|
|
2,718 |
|
|
5,610 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Property
and equipment, at cost: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Laboratory
and other equipment |
|
|
202 |
|
|
288 |
|
Leasehold
improvements |
|
|
73 |
|
|
73 |
|
|
|
|
275 |
|
|
361 |
|
Accumulated
depreciation |
|
|
203 |
|
|
275 |
|
|
|
|
72 |
|
|
86 |
|
Total
assets |
|
$ |
2,790 |
|
$ |
5,696 |
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities
and stockholders' equity (deficit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current
liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Short-term
notes payable to related parties, unsecured |
|
$ |
91 |
|
$ |
91 |
|
Short-term
notes payable to related parties, secured |
|
|
254 |
|
|
251 |
|
Accounts
payable |
|
|
944 |
|
|
574 |
|
Accrued
liabilities |
|
|
1,595
|
|
|
787 |
|
Accrued
compensation and related expense |
|
|
290 |
|
|
317
|
|
Deferred
rent |
|
|
69 |
|
|
75 |
|
Total
current liabilities |
|
|
3,243
|
|
|
2,095 |
|
Total
liabilities |
|
|
3,243 |
|
|
2,095 |
|
Commitments |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stockholders’
equity (deficit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common
stock, $0.01 par value, 120,000,000 shares authorized; |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
62,518,566
issued and outstanding at March 31, 2005; |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
62,381,808
issued and outstanding at December 31, 2004 |
|
|
625 |
|
|
624 |
|
Additional
paid-in capital |
|
|
123,783 |
|
|
124,400 |
|
Notes
receivable from stockholder |
|
|
(187 |
) |
|
(187 |
) |
Accumulated
deficit |
|
|
(124,674 |
) |
|
(121,236 |
) |
Stockholders’
equity (deficit) |
|
|
(453 |
) |
|
3,601 |
|
Total
liabilities and stockholders' equity (deficit) |
|
$ |
2,790 |
|
$ |
5,696 |
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statement.
InSite
Vision Incorporated
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
|
|
Three
months ended March 31, |
|
(in
thousands, except per share amounts) |
|
2005 |
|
2004 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues |
|
$ |
1 |
|
$ |
374 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
of revenues |
|
|
5 |
|
|
5
|
|
Gross
profit (loss) |
|
|
(4 |
) |
|
369 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research
and development |
|
|
2,428 |
|
|
906 |
|
Selling,
general and administrative |
|
|
1,003
|
|
|
556
|
|
Total |
|
|
3,431
|
|
|
1,462
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
from operations |
|
|
(3,435 |
) |
|
(1,093 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gain
on sale of assets |
|
|
- |
|
|
3,462 |
|
Interest
(expense) and other income, net |
|
|
(3 |
) |
|
(8 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income (loss) applicable to common stockholders |
|
$ |
(3,438 |
) |
$ |
2,361 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income (loss) per share applicable to common stockholders: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic |
|
$ |
(0.06 |
) |
$ |
0.08 |
|
Diluted |
|
$ |
(0.06 |
) |
$ |
0.08 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
used to calculate net loss per share applicable to common
stockholders: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic |
|
|
62,493
|
|
|
30,548 |
|
Diluted |
|
|
62,493 |
|
|
30,987 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
No
cash dividends were declared or paid during the periods. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statements.
InSite
Vision Incorporated
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
|
|
Three
months ended March 31, |
|
(in
thousands) |
|
2005 |
|
2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
activities |
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income (loss) |
|
$ |
(3,438 |
) |
$ |
2,361 |
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used in |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
operating
activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization |
|
|
21
|
|
|
59
|
|
Stock
based compensation |
|
|
5 |
|
|
13 |
|
Gain
on sale of assets |
|
|
- |
|
|
(3,462 |
) |
Changes
in: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inventories,
prepaid expenses and other current assets |
|
|
(31 |
) |
|
(135 |
) |
Accounts
payable, accrued liabilities, accrued
compensation
and related expense, and deferred rent |
|
|
468 |
|
|
194
|
|
Net
cash used in operating activities |
|
|
(2,975 |
) |
|
(970 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investing
activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reduction
in restricted cash |
|
|
59 |
|
|
- |
|
Purchases
of property and equipment |
|
|
(7 |
) |
|
- |
|
Net
cash used in investing activities |
|
|
52 |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financing
activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance
of common stock, net |
|
|
59 |
|
|
1,684 |
|
Payment
of notes payable |
|
|
- |
|
|
(254 |
) |
Payment
on capital lease obligations |
|
|
- |
|
|
(4 |
) |
Net
cash provided by financing activities |
|
|
59 |
|
|
1,426
|
|
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
|
|
(2,864 |
) |
|
456
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents, beginning of period |
|
|
5,351
|
|
|
1,045
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents, end of period |
|
$ |
2,487 |
|
$ |
1,501 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statements.
InSite
Vision Incorporated
Notes
to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
March
31, 2005
(Unaudited)
Note
1 - Basis
of Presentation
The
accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been
prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America for interim financial information pursuant to the
instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do
not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete
financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting
of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair presentation
have been included. Operating results for the three month period ended March 31,
2005 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any
future period.
The
Company operates in one segment, using one measure of profitability to manage
its business. Revenues are primarily from one customer located in the
United States and all of the Company's long-lived assets are located in the
United States.
These
condensed consolidated financial statements and notes should be read in
conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto
included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2004.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates
Stock-Based
Compensation. We have
elected to continue to follow the intrinsic value method of accounting as
prescribed by Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25 (APB 25), “Accounting
for Stock Issued to Employees,” to account for employee and director stock
options. Accordingly, we do not recognize compensation expense for options
granted to employees and directors at an exercise price equal to the fair value
of the underlying common stock.
The
Black-Scholes option valuation model was developed for use in estimating the
fair value of traded options that have no vesting requirements and are fully
transferable. In addition, option valuation models require the input of highly
subjective assumptions including the expected stock price volatility. Because
our employee and director stock options have characteristics significantly
different from those of traded options, and because changes in the subjective
input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, in our opinion,
the existing models do not necessarily provide a reliable single measure of the
fair value of such stock options.
Pro forma
information regarding net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share is
required by Statement of Financial Standards (SFAS) No. 123, “Accounting for
Stock Based Compensation,” as amended by SFAS No. 148, and has been determined
as if we had accounted for our employee and director stock options under the
fair value method of that Statement. The fair value for these options was
estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with
the following weighted-average assumptions for the quarter ended March 31, 2005
and 2004, respectively: risk-free interest rates ranging from 0.91% to 4.64%;
volatility factors for the expected market price of our common stock of 1.05 and
1.07; and a weighted-average expected life for the options of 4 years.
The
following table illustrates the effect on net income (loss) and net income
(loss) per share as if we had applied the fair value recognition provisions of
SFAS 123 to stock based employee and director compensation (in thousands, except
per share amounts):
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter
Ended March 31: |
|
|
|
2005 |
|
2004 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income (loss) applicable to common stockholders-as
reported |
|
$ |
(3,438 |
) |
$ |
2,361 |
|
Deduct:
Total stock-based employee compensation expense
determined
under fair value method for all awards |
|
|
(80 |
) |
|
(52 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income (loss) applicable to common stockholders-pro forma |
|
$ |
(3,518 |
) |
$ |
2,309 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income (loss) applicable to common stockholders per share: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
- as reported |
|
$ |
(0.06 |
) |
$ |
0.08 |
|
Basic
- pro forma |
|
$ |
(0.06 |
) |
$ |
0.08 |
|
Diluted
- as reported |
|
$ |
(0.06 |
) |
$ |
0.08 |
|
Diluted
- pro forma |
|
$ |
(0.06 |
) |
$ |
0.07 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
weighted average grant date fair value of options granted during the quarter
ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 were $0.81 and $0.88 respectively.
For
purposes of pro forma disclosures pursuant to SFAS 123 as amended by SFAS 148,
the estimated fair value of options is amortized to expense over the options’
vesting period.
The pro
forma impact of options on the net income (loss) for the quarter ended March 31,
2005 and 2004 is not representative of the effects on net income (loss) for
future quarters, as future quarters will include the effects of additional stock
grants.
Income
(Loss) per Share. Basic
and diluted net income (loss) per share information for all periods is presented
under the requirement of SFAS No. 128, “Earnings per Share.” Basic income (loss)
per share has been computed using the weighted-average number of common shares
outstanding during the period. Dilutive income (loss) per share is computed
using the sum of the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding and
the potential number of dilutive common shares outstanding during the period.
Potential common shares consist of the shares issuable upon exercise of stock
options, warrants and convertible securities.
The
following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net loss per
share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
months ended March 31, |
|
(in
thousands, except per share amounts) |
|
2005 |
|
2004 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Numerator: |
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income (loss) applicable to common stockholders |
|
$ |
(3,438 |
) |
$ |
2,361 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denominator: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted-average
shares outstanding for basic income (loss) per share |
|
|
62,493 |
|
|
30,548 |
|
Effect
of dilutive securities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock
options, warrants and convertible notes payable |
|
|
- |
|
|
439 |
|
Weighted-average
shares outstanding for diluted income (loss) per share |
|
|
62,493 |
|
|
30,987 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
net income (loss) per share |
|
$ |
(0.06 |
) |
$ |
0.08 |
|
Diluted
net income (loss) per share |
|
$ |
(0.06 |
) |
$ |
0.08 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Due to
the net loss applicable to common stockholders, loss per share for the quarter
ended
March 31, 2005 is based
on the weighted average number of common shares only, as the effect of including
equivalent
shares from stock
options would be anti-dilutive. If the Company had recorded net income, the
calculation of earnings per share would have been impacted by the dilutive
effect of the outstanding stock options priced
below the market price of the common
shares at March 31, 2005 but would not have been effected by the outstanding
stock
options and warrants priced
above the market price of the common shares at March 31, 2005. The following
securities have not been included
in the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share as their inclusion
would
have been anti-dilutive:
|
|
March
31, |
|
|
|
2005 |
2004 |
|
Stock
options |
|
|
3,834,249 |
|
2,587,154 |
|
Warrants |
|
|
17,655,788 |
|
1,565,353 |
|
|
|
|
21,490,037 |
|
4,152,507 |
|
Note
2 - Common
Stock
In
January 2005, the Company received approximately $9,000 from the exercise of
warrants to purchase 11,758 shares of Common Stock issued as part of the March
2004 private placement. Additionally, in January 2005 the Company also received
approximately $50,000 from the exercise of warrants to purchase 125,000 shares
of Common Stock issued in November 2003.
Note
3 - Legal,
Subsequent Event
On July
8, 2004, Bristol Investment Group, or Bristol, filed with the American
Arbitration Association (“AAA”) a demand for arbitration against us seeking cash
compensation and warrants based on a letter agreement dated January 28, 2003
pursuant to which Bristol was engaged as a non-exclusive placement agent of
investment capital for us. On May 9, 2005 the arbitrator issued an award
in favor of Bristol, ruling that Bristol is entitled to recover $249,925, plus
attorneys’ fees, plus the cash value of warrants to purchase 922,800 shares of
our common stock. As of March 31, 2005, we have recorded an accrued
liability with respect to this arbitration award, of which the estimated
attorney's fees have been reflected in selling, general and administrative
expenses and the remainder of which was recorded as a stock issuance
cost. The
arbitrator requested further submissions from the parties in order to determine
the cash value of the warrants and the amount of attorney’s fees to be
awarded.
Note
4 - Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
In
November 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued
Statement
of Financial Accounting Standards No. 151,
“Inventory Costs - An Amendment of ARB No. 43, Chapter 4” (“SFAS 151”). SFAS 151
amends the guidance in ARB No. 43, Chapter 4, “Inventory Pricing,” to clarify
the accounting for abnormal amounts of idle facility expense, freight, handling
costs, and wasted material (spoilage). Among other provisions, the new rule
requires that items such as idle facility expense, excessive spoilage, double
freight and re-handling costs must be recognized as current-period charges
regardless of whether they meet the criterion of “so abnormal” as stated in ARB
No. 43. Additionally, SFAS 151 requires that the allocation of fixed production
overheads to the costs of conversion be based on the normal capacity of the
production facilities. SFAS 151 is effective for fiscal years beginning after
June 15, 2005 and is required to be adopted by the Company in the first quarter
of 2006, beginning on January 1, 2006. The Company is currently evaluating the
effect that the adoption of SFAS 151 will have on its consolidated results of
operations and financial condition but does not expect SFAS 151 to have a
material financial statement impact.
In
December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004), “Share-Based
Payment” (“SFAS 123R”), which requires the measurement of all share-based
payments to employees, including grants of stock options, using a
fair-value-based method and the recording of such expense in the consolidated
statements of operations. The accounting provisions of SFAS 123R were
originally effective for all reporting periods beginning after June 15,
2005. The pro forma disclosures previously permitted under SFAS 123 no
longer will be an alternative to financial statement recognition. See
“Stock-Based Compensation” above for the pro forma net loss and net loss per
share amounts, for the quarters ended March 31, 2004 and 2005, as if the Company
had used a fair-value-based method similar to the methods required under
SFAS 123R to measure compensation expense for employee stock incentive
awards. Although the Company has not yet determined whether the adoption of
SFAS 123R will result in amounts that are similar to the current pro forma
disclosures under SFAS 123, it is evaluating the requirements under
SFAS 123R and expects the adoption to have a significant adverse impact on
the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and net loss per
share.
In April
2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved a new rule that delays the
effective date of SFAS 123R to the first annual reporting period beginning after
June 15, 2005. The Company will implement SFAS 123R so that it is
effective for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending December 31,
2006.
Note
5 - Subsequent
event
On May 3,
2005, the Company signed subscription agreements for the sale of 16,363,626
shares of Common Stock at $0.55 per share and warrants to purchase 4,909,077
shares of Common Stock in a private placement. The warrants have a term of 5
years and have an exercise price of $0.6325 per share. The proceeds, net of
placement fees, are anticipated to be approximately $8.4 million. The closing is
contingent on approval from the American Stock Exchange, among other standard
conditions. The Company also issued warrants to purchase 818,181 shares of
Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.6325 per share to the placement
agent.
Item
2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Except
for the historical information contained herein, the discussion in this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains certain forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of our plans,
objectives, expectations and intentions. The cautionary statements made in this
document should be read as applicable to all related forward-looking statements
wherever they appear in this document. Our actual results could differ
materially from those discussed herein. Factors that could cause or contribute
to such differences include those discussed below in "Risk Factors," as well as
those discussed elsewhere herein. Readers are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date
hereof. We undertake no obligation to update any forward- looking statements to
reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the
occurrence or identification of unanticipated events or previously unidentified
events.
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the financial statements
and notes thereto included in this Quarterly Report and in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004.
Overview
We are an
ophthalmic product development company focused on developing genetically-based
technology for the diagnosis, prognosis and management of glaucoma, as well as
ophthalmic pharmaceutical products based on our proprietary DuraSite®
eyedrop-based drug delivery technology. In addition, we have a retinal program
that includes a retinal drug delivery technology.
In 2003,
we faced significant challenges related to our lack of financial resources. To
continue our operations we took a number of actions to reduce our cash usage
including:
· |
laying-off
approximately 42% of our personnel; |
· |
senior
management voluntarily reduced their
salaries; |
· |
we
placed several development programs on hold, including those related to
our ISV-900 technology, our ISV-014 retinal delivery device, and
treatments for retinal diseases; |
· |
we
slowed the clinical activities related to AzaSite’
(ISV-401); and |
· |
we
instituted other cash saving actions including extending the payment of
our liabilities. |
Although
we continue to carefully monitor our expenses, with the receipt of funds from a
March 2004 private placement, we were able in June 2004 to restore management
salaries to the same level as they were prior to the voluntary salary reductions
and fully resume our clinical activities related to AzaSite.
On May 3,
2005, the Company signed subscription agreements for the sale of 16,363,626
shares of Common Stock at $0.55 per share and warrants to purchase 4,909,077
shares of Common Stock in a private placement. The warrants have a term of 5
years and have an exercise price of $0.6325 per share. The proceeds, net of
placement fees, are anticipated to be approximately $8.4 million. The closing is
contingent on approval from the American Stock Exchange, among other standard
conditions. The Company also issued warrants to purchase 818,181 shares of
Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.6325 per share to the placement
agent.
We only
expect our current cash to enable us to continue our operations as currently
planned until approximately the beginning of June 2005. Assuming the
consummation of the private placement pursuant to the subscription agreements we
signed on May 3, 2005, we expect the proceeds from that transaction along with
our current funds to enable us to continue our operations as currently planned
until approximately the end of October 2005.
With our
existing resources we are focusing our research and development and commercial
efforts on the following:
· |
AzaSite
(ISV-401), a DuraSite formulation of azithromycin, a broad spectrum
antibiotic; and |
· |
targeted
activities to support the scientific/clinical foundation and market
introduction of our
OcuGene
glaucoma genetic test
based on our ISV-900 technology. |
AzaSite
(ISV-401). We have
developed a topical formulation of the antibiotic azithromycin, an antibiotic
with a broad spectrum of activity that is widely used to treat respiratory and
other infections in its oral and parenteral forms, to treat bacterial
conjunctivitis and other infections of the outer eye. We believe that the key
advantages of AzaSite may include a significantly reduced dosing regimen (7
doses vs. 36 doses for comparable products), the high and persistent levels of
azithromycin achieved in the tissues of the eye and its wide spectrum of
activity. Product safety and efficacy have been shown, respectively, in Phase 1
and Phase 2 clinical trials. The Phase 2 study compared an AzaSite formulation
containing 1% azithromycin to a placebo. The results of this study showed that
the AzaSite formulation was statistically significantly more effective than the
placebo in bacterial eradication and clinical cure, which includes reduction in
inflammation and redness.
In July
2004, we initiated two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials for AzaSite. One of the
Phase 3 clinical trials is a multi-center study in which patients in one arm
will be dosed with a 1% AzaSite formulation and the patients in the second arm
will be dosed with a placebo. This study is designed to include approximately
550 patients, of which 224 must be confirmed positive for acute bacterial
conjunctivitis in at least one eye. The other Phase 3 clinical trial is a
multi-center study in which patients in one arm will be dosed with a 1% AzaSite
formulation and the patients in the second arm will be dosed with a 0.3%
formulation of the antibiotic tobramycin. This study is designed to include
approximately 775 patients, of which 310 must be confirmed positive for acute
bacterial conjunctivitis in at least one eye. The Phase 3 trials are being
conducted in the United States and we anticipate including both children and
adults to permit aggressive enrollment of the subjects necessary to complete the
studies. Additionally, we anticipate expanding the trials into Latin America in
the second quarter of 2005 to further facilitate subject enrollment. The primary
endpoints of both trials will be microbial eradication and clinical cure. In
October 2004, we announced that over 100 of the centers at which the clinical
trials are being conducted have been activated and are enrolling patients in the
two clinical trials.
In 2003,
we secured a new source for the active ingredient used in AzaSite and have a
contract-manufacturing site for production of clinical trial supplies and
registration batches. The supplies are being manufactured under the supervision
of our personnel. We manufactured the registration batches needed to support the
filing of the New Drug Application, or NDA, for AzaSite with the United States
Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, at this contract facility in the fourth
quarter of 2004. We anticipate that our contract manufacturing facility will be
ready for inspection by the FDA at the time of our NDA submission.
ISV-403. In
February 2003, we filed an Investigational New Drug Application, or IND with the
FDA for our ophthalmic antibiotic product candidate ISV-403, which was the first
milestone under the August 2002 license agreement with Bausch & Lomb and
resulted in the receipt of $2.0 million from the sale of Series A-1 Preferred
Stock. In April 2003, we began a Phase 1 clinical trial of ISV-403 and in June
2003 the dosing for the study was completed. In December 2003, we sold the
ISV-403 product candidate to Bausch & Lomb, which resulted in the receipt of
$1.5 million in cash, the return of the $4.0 million of Series A-1 Preferred
Stock, and the related dividends, to us for cancellation, and provides for
royalties on future product sales, if any. During the first nine months of 2004,
we provided contract research services to Bausch & Lomb. These activities
have been completed and due to the sale, Bausch & Lomb is now responsible
for the further clinical development of the product and we are focusing our
development efforts on our AzaSite product candidate.
OcuGene. Our
OcuGene
glaucoma genetic test is focused on discovering genes that are associated with
glaucoma, and the mutations on these genes that cause and regulate the severity
of the disease and has been pursued in collaboration with academic
researchers. In June 2003, a peer-reviewed study was published in
Clinical Genetics titled
"Association of the Myocilin mt.1 Promoter Variant with the Worsening of
Glaucomatous Disease Over Time," (2003: 64: 18-27). "The results of this study
indicate substantial evidence that the TIGR/MYOC mt.1(+) variant provides a
strong marker for accelerated worsening of both optic disc and visual field
measures of glaucoma progression above and beyond other baseline risk factors,"
stated one of the authors of the study, Jon Polansky, M.D., University of
California, San Francisco, who also served on our Scientific Advisory Board.
In 2003,
the information from this article and previous publications was used to target
specific thought leaders and ophthalmic centers in an effort to support the
focused introduction of the OcuGene
glaucoma genetic test. In June 2003, expanded marketing efforts were curtailed
as we limited our cash use and we have not resumed the marketing efforts as we
focus on our AzaSite clinical trials. We have continued our interactions with
key European glaucoma specialists on additional studies on the relationship of
mt. 1(+) variant and ocular hypertensives and their conversion to glaucoma and
other related topics.
Since our
inception through the end of 2001, we had not received any revenues from the
sale of our products, although we have received a small amount of royalties from
the sale of our AquaSite product, an over-the-counter dry eye treatment, by CIBA
Vision and Global Damon. In the fourth quarter of 2001, we commercially launched
our OcuGene
glaucoma genetic test and early in 2002 we began to receive a small amount of
revenues from the sale of this test. With the exception of 1999 and the six
month period ended June 30, 2004, we have been unprofitable since our inception
due to continuing research and development efforts, including preclinical
studies, clinical trials and manufacturing of our product candidates. We have
financed our research and development activities and operations primarily
through private and public placements of our equity securities, issuance of
convertible debentures and, to a lesser extent, from collaborative agreements
and bridge loans.
Results
of Operations
Revenues.
We had
total revenues in the first quarters of 2005 and 2004 of $1,000 and $374,000,
respectively. In the first three months of 2005, sales of OcuGene
represented 100% of the revenues. In the first three months of 2004, 99% of the
net revenues were from contract research activities. The decrease in revenue is
due to the completion of contract research activities conducted for Bausch &
Lomb in 2004 under the ISV-403 Asset Purchase Agreement. We recognize revenue
when all services have been performed and collectibility is reasonably assured.
Accordingly, revenue for the sales of OcuGene may
be recognized in a later period than the associated recognition of costs of the
services provided, especially during the initial launch of the
product.
Cost
of goods.
Cost of
goods was $5,000 for each of the first quarters of 2005 and 2004, respectively,
reflecting in each case the cost of OcuGene tests
performed as well as the cost of sample collection kits distributed for use.
Research
and development.
Research
and development expenses increased to $2.4 million during the first quarter of
2005 from $0.9 million during the first quarter of 2004. 90% of this increase is
due to the initiation of the AzaSite Phase 3 clinical trials. The remainder of
the increase reflects salary increases to our research staff to return such
salaries to the same level they were prior to the voluntary salary reductions
instituted in 2003 and costs related to increased research activities in support
of the AzaSite program.
Selling,
general and administrative.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses increased to $1.0 million in the first
quarter of 2005 from $556,000 in the first quarter of 2004. The increase mainly
reflects salary adjustments to return staff member salaries to the same level
they were prior to the voluntary salary reductions in 2003. Additionally, the
increase reflects legal fees incurred in the defense of the Bristol arbitration
including an estimate of the legal fees to be paid to Bristol as part
of the arbitration award.
Our
expenses for the year ended December 31, 2005 will be dependent upon the
progress of the AzaSite Phase 3 clinical trials and we currently anticipate that
our research and development expenses will increase significantly from levels
incurred in the year ended December 31, 2004 as we proceed with our AzaSite
program. We anticipate that we will continue the suspension of activity on our
other product candidates absent additional funding as we focus on our AzaSite
clinical program. We may also make selective additions to our headcount. Also,
we anticipate that our selling, general and administrative costs will increase
from the 2004 levels. We anticipate that the expense reductions related to the
scale-back of marketing activities related to OcuGene will
continue in 2005.
Interest,
other income and expenses.
Net
interest, other income and expense was an expense of $3,000 in the first quarter
of 2005 compared to an expense of $8,000 in 2004. The decrease reflects the
lower level of notes payable in the first quarter of 2005 compared to the first
quarter of 2004 and the related decrease in interest expense.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
We have
financed our operations since inception primarily through private placements and
public offerings of debt and equity securities, equipment and leasehold
improvement financing, other debt financing and payments under corporate
collaborations. At March 31, 2005, our cash and cash equivalents balance was
$2.5 million. It is our policy to invest our cash and cash equivalents in highly
liquid securities, such as interest bearing money market funds, Treasury and
federal agency notes and corporate debt.
In May
2005, we signed subscription agreements for a private placement for
approximately $8.4 million, net of estimated placement fees. The closing is
contingent on approval from the American Stock Exchange, among other standard
closing conditions.
Our
auditors have included an explanatory paragraph in their audit report relating
to our financial statements for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2004
referring to our recurring operating losses and substantial doubt about our
ability to continue as a going concern. We only expect our current cash to
enable us to continue our operations as currently planned until approximately
the beginning of June 2005. Assuming the consummation of the private placement
pursuant to the subscription agreements we signed on May 3, 2005, we expect the
proceeds from that transaction along with our current funds to enable us to
continue our operations as currently planned until approximately the end of
October 2005. We will require and are seeking additional funding through
collaborative or other partnering arrangements, public or private equity or debt
financings, asset sales and from other sources. However, there can be no
assurance that we will obtain interim or longer-term financing or that such
funding, if obtained, will be sufficient to continue our operations as currently
conducted or in a manner necessary for the long-term success of our company. If
we raise funds through the issuance of equity securities, our stockholders may
suffer substantial dilution. If we raise funds through debt securities, such
debt will likely be secured by a security interest or pledge of all or
substantially all of our assets, may require us to make principal and interest
payments in cash, securities or a combination thereof, would likely include the
issuance of warrants and may subject us to restrictive covenants. Dr.
Chandrasekaran, our chief executive officer, chief financial officer and a
member of our board of directors, has a senior secured note payable from us.
This security interest enables Dr. Chandrasekaran to control the disposition of
these assets in the event of our liquidation.
Net cash
used in operating activities was $3.0 million and $1.0 million for the three
months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The increase in net cash
used in operating activities reflected the conduct of the AzaSite Phase 3
clinical trials, which commenced in July 2004. Operating activities in the first
three months of 2004 related primarily to research and development expenditures
for our AzaSite antibiotic program and under the research contract with Bausch
& Lomb on ISV-403.
Net cash
provided by investing activities included the reduction in restricted cash of
$59,000 less $7,000 used in the first quarter 2005 for the acquisition of
laboratory and other equipment.
Net cash
provided by financing activities was $59,000 in the first quarter of 2005
compared to $1.4 million in the first quarter of 2004. In the first quarter of
2005, we received $59,000 from the exercise of warrants issued in 2003 and 2004.
In the first quarter of 2004, we received net proceeds of $1.7 million from the
issuance of 3.9 million shares of common stock in the initial closing of the
March 2004 private placement. We received $4,000 in the first quarter of 2004
from the issuance of our common stock from the exercise of stock options by
employees. In the first quarter of 2004, we also made $254,000 of payments on
our short-term borrowings and $4,000 of payments on capital leases for certain
laboratory equipment in the first quarter of 2004.
Assuming
we are able to obtain additional financing when required to continue our
operations, our future capital expenditures and requirements will depend on
numerous factors, including the progress and results of our clinical testing,
research and development programs and preclinical testing, the time and costs
involved in obtaining regulatory approvals, our ability to successfully
commercialize AzaSite and OcuGene and any
other products that we may launch in the future, our ability to
establish collaborative arrangements, the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending
and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property rights, competing
technological and market developments, changes in our existing collaborative and
licensing relationships, acquisition of new businesses, products and
technologies, the completion of commercialization activities and arrangements,
and the purchase of additional property and equipment.
RISK
FACTORS
Our
current cash will only fund our business until approximately the beginning of
June 2005. We expect the proceeds from the May 2005 private placement, if
completed, will only fund our business until approximately the end of
October 2005; we will need to seek additional funding or partnering arrangements
that could be further dilutive to our stockholders and could negatively affect
us and our stock price
Our
independent auditors included an explanatory paragraph in their audit report
related to our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2004 referring to our recurring operating losses and a
substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We only
expect our current cash to enable us to continue our operations as currently
planned until approximately the beginning of June 2005. Assuming the
consummation of the private placement pursuant to the subscription agreements we
signed on May 3, 2005, we expect the proceeds from that transaction along with
our current funds to enable us to continue our operations as currently planned
until approximately the end of October 2005. At that point, or earlier if
circumstances change from our current expectations, we will require additional
funding. We cannot assure you that additional funding will be available on a
timely basis, or on reasonable terms, or at all. The terms of any securities
issued to future investors may be superior to the rights of our then current
stockholders and could result in substantial dilution and could adversely affect
the market price for our Common Stock. If we raise funds through the issuance of
debt securities, such debt will likely be secured by a security interest or
pledge of all of our assets, will require us to make principal and interest
payments in cash, securities or a combination thereof, would likely include the
issuance of warrants, and may subject us to restrictive covenants. If we do not
obtain such additional financing when required, we would likely have to cease
operations and liquidate our assets. In addition, the existence of the
explanatory paragraph in the audit report may in and of itself harm our stock
price as certain investors may be restricted or precluded from investing in
companies that have received this notice in an audit report. Further, the
factors leading to the explanatory paragraph in the audit report may harm our
ability to obtain additional funding and could make the terms of any such
funding, if available, less favorable than might otherwise be the
case.
In
addition, we expect to enter into partnering and collaborative arrangements in
the future as part of our business plan, regardless of whether we require
additional funding to continue our operations. Such arrangements could include
the licensing or sale of certain assets or the issuance of securities, which may
adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock. It is difficult to know
our future capital requirements precisely and such requirements depend upon many
factors, including:
· |
the
progress and results of our preclinical and clinical testing, especially
with respect to our AzaSite product
candidate; |
· |
the
progress of our research and development
programs; |
· |
our
ability to establish additional corporate partnerships to develop,
manufacture and market our potential
products; |
· |
the
cost of maintaining or expanding a marketing organization for
OcuGene
and the related promotional activities; |
· |
changes
in, or termination of, our existing collaboration or licensing
arrangements; |
· |
whether
we manufacture and market any of our other products
ourselves; |
· |
the
time and cost involved in obtaining regulatory
approvals; |
· |
the
cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing patent claims and
other intellectual property rights; |
· |
competing
technological and market developments; |
· |
the
purchase of additional capital equipment;
and |
· |
the
outcome of existing or possible future legal
actions. |
If
we do not receive additional funding when needed to continue our operations we
will likely cease operations and liquidate our assets, which are secured by
notes payable to our chief executive officer
In the
event that we are unable to secure additional funding when required to continue
our operations, we will likely be forced to wind down our operations, either
through liquidation, voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy or a sale of our
assets. As of March 31, 2005, our chief executive officer had outstanding loans
to us in an aggregate principal amount of $250,000, which are secured by a lien
on substantially all of our assets including our intellectual property. The
notes issued by us in connection with these loans are due on the earlier to
occur of March 31, 2007 or 10 business days subsequent to the successful
completion of a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial with AzaSite. In the event that
we wind down operations, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, while these
secured loans are outstanding, this security interest enables our chief
executive officer to control the disposition of these assets. If we are unable
to repay the amounts due under the secured notes when due, our chief executive
officer could cause us to enter into involuntary liquidation proceedings in the
event we default on our obligations. If we wind down our operations for any
reason, it is likely that our stockholders will lose their entire investment in
us.
Clinical
trials are very expensive, time-consuming and difficult to design and
implement
We
commenced Phase 3 trials of our AzaSite product candidate in the third quarter
of 2004. The AzaSite Phase 3 trials will be expensive and may be difficult to
implement due to the number of patients and testing sites and could be subject
to delay or failure at any stage of the trials. We expect our current funding
plus the proceeds of the pending May 2005 private placement will only be
sufficient to enable us to continue our operations as currently planned until
approximately the end of October 2005. Accordingly, we will require additional
funds to complete these trials including the preparation of the related clinical
reports, obtain the necessary FDA approvals and market the product. Any delay or
failure of the AzaSite trials will likely require us to obtain even further
funding in order to address such delays or failures or to refocus our efforts on
other product candidates. Human clinical trials for our product candidates are
very expensive and difficult to design and implement, in part because they are
subject to rigorous regulatory requirements. The clinical trial process is also
time-consuming. We estimate that clinical trials of our other product candidates
will take at least several years to complete once initiated. Furthermore, we
could encounter problems that cause us to abandon or repeat clinical trials,
further delaying or preventing the completion of such trials. The commencement
and completion of clinical trials may be delayed by several factors,
including:
· |
unforeseen
safety issues; |
· |
determination
of dosing issues; |
· |
lack
of effectiveness during clinical trials; |
· |
slower
than expected rates of patient recruitment; |
· |
inability
to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment;
and |
· |
inability
or unwillingness of medical investigators to follow our clinical
protocols. |
In
addition, we or the FDA may suspend our clinical trials at any time if it
appears that we are exposing participants to unacceptable health risks or if the
FDA finds deficiencies in our submissions or the conduct of these
trials.
The
results of our clinical trials may not support our product candidate
claims
Even if
our clinical trials are completed as planned, we cannot be certain that their
results will support our product candidate claims, including with respect to
AzaSite. Even if pre-clinical testing and early clinical trials for a product
candidate, including AzaSite, are successful, this does not ensure that later
clinical trials will be successful, and we cannot be sure that the results of
later clinical trials will replicate the results of prior clinical trials and
pre-clinical testing or meet our expectations. The clinical trial process may
fail to demonstrate that our product candidates, including AzaSite, are safe for
humans or effective for indicated uses. Any such failure would likely cause us
to abandon the product candidate and may delay development of other product
candidates. Any delay in, or termination of, our clinical trials will delay or
preclude the filing of our NDAs with the FDA and, ultimately, our ability to
commercialize our product candidates and generate product revenues. For example,
if our current AzaSite Phase 3 trials do not produce positive results or we are
otherwise unable to obtain FDA approval for the commercialization of AzaSite,
our business would be significantly harmed as we have devoted a significant
portion of our resources to this product candidate, at the expense of our other
product candidates. In addition, our clinical trials involve relatively small
patient populations. Because of the small sample size, the results of these
clinical trials may not be indicative of future results.
We
may require additional licenses or be subject to expensive and uncertain patent
litigation in order to sell AzaSite in the U.S. and/or Europe; We are aware that
Pfizer has recently received patents in the U.S. and Europe which cover the use
of azithromycin in a topical formulation to treat bacterial infections in the
eye
A number
of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and research and academic
institutions have developed technologies, filed patent applications or received
patents on various technologies that may be related to our business. Some of
these technologies, applications or patents may conflict with our technologies
or patent applications. Such conflicts could limit the scope of the patents, if
any, we may be able to obtain or result in the denial of our patent applications
or block our rights to exploit our technology. In addition, if the USPTO or
foreign patent agencies have issued or issue patents that cover our activities
to other companies, we may not be able to obtain licenses to these patents at
all, or at a reasonable cost, or be able to develop or obtain alternative
technology. If we do not obtain such licenses, we could encounter delays in or
be precluded altogether from introducing products to the market.
We are
aware that Pfizer has been recently issued U.S. Patent No. 6,681,411 by the
USPTO and the European Patent Office has granted EP 0925789, both of which cover
the use of azithromycin in a topical formulation to treat bacterial infections
in the eye. We may require a license under these patents to develop or sell
AzaSite in the U.S. and/or Europe, which may not be available on reasonable
commercial terms, if at all. If we are unable to obtain a license to these
patents, Pfizer brings suit to enforce them, these patents are held valid and
enforceable and our technology is deemed to infringe these patents, Pfizer would
be entitled to damages and we could be prevented from selling AzaSite in Europe
and/or the U.S.
We may
need to litigate in order to defend against claims of infringement by Pfizer or
others, to enforce patents issued to us or to protect trade secrets or know-how
owned or licensed by us. Litigation could result in substantial cost to and
diversion of effort by us, which may harm our business. Such costs can be
particularly harmful to emerging companies such as ours without significant
existing revenue streams or other cash resources. We have also agreed to
indemnify our licensees against infringement claims by third parties related to
our technology, which could result in additional litigation costs and liability
for us. In addition, our efforts to protect or defend our proprietary rights may
not be successful or, even if successful, may result in substantial cost to
us.
If our
products, methods, processes and other technologies infringe the proprietary
rights of other parties, we could incur substantial costs and we may have
to:
· |
obtain
licenses, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if
at all; |
· |
redesign
our products or processes to avoid
infringement; |
· |
stop
using the subject matter claimed in the patents held by others, which
could preclude us from commercializing our
products; |
· |
defend
litigation or administrative proceedings which may be costly whether we
win or lose, and which could result in a substantial diversion of our
valuable management resources. |
Our
business depends upon our proprietary rights, and we may not be able to protect,
enforce or secure our intellectual property rights
adequately
Our
future success will depend in large part on our ability to obtain patents,
protect trade secrets, obtain and maintain rights to technology developed by
others, and operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of others. A
substantial number of patents in the field of ophthalmology and genetics have
been issued to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies.
Moreover, competitors may have filed patent applications, may have been issued
patents or may obtain additional patents and proprietary rights relating to
products or processes competitive with ours. Our patent applications may not be
approved. We may not be able to develop additional proprietary products that are
patentable. Even if we receive patent issuances, those issued patents may not be
able to provide us with adequate protection for our inventions or may be
challenged by others.
Furthermore,
the patents of others may impair our ability to commercialize our products. The
patent positions of firms in the pharmaceutical and genetic industries generally
are highly uncertain, involve complex legal and factual questions, and have
recently been the subject of much litigation. The USPTO and the courts have
not developed, formulated, or presented a consistent policy regarding the
breadth of claims allowed or the degree of protection afforded under
pharmaceutical and genetic patents. Despite our efforts to protect our
proprietary rights, others may independently develop similar products, duplicate
any of our products or design around any of our patents. In addition, third
parties from which we have licensed or otherwise obtained technology may attempt
to terminate or scale back our rights.
We also
depend upon unpatented trade secrets to maintain our competitive position.
Others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary
information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets. Our
trade secrets may also be disclosed, and we may not be able to protect our
rights to unpatented trade secrets effectively. To the extent that we or our
consultants or research collaborators use intellectual property owned by others,
disputes also may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and
inventions.
Physicians
and patients may not accept and use our products
Even if
the FDA approves our product candidates, physicians and patients may not accept
and use them. Acceptance and use of our product will depend upon a number of
factors including:
· |
perceptions
by members of the health care community, including physicians, about the
safety and effectiveness of our drugs; |
· |
cost-effectiveness
of our product relative to competing
products; |
· |
the
perceived benefits of competing products or
treatments; |
· |
availability
of reimbursement for our products from government or other healthcare
payers; and |
· |
effectiveness
of marketing and distribution efforts by us and our licensees and
distributors, if any. |
Because
we expect sales of our current product candidates, if approved, to generate
substantially all of our product revenues for the foreseeable future, the
failure of any of these drugs, particularly AzaSite, to find market acceptance
would harm our business and could require us to seek additional
financing.
Questions
concerning our financial condition may cause customers and current and potential
partners to reduce or not conduct business with us
Our
recent financial difficulties, and concerns regarding our ability to continue
operations even if we are able to raise additional funding, may cause current
and potential customers and partners to decide not to conduct business with us,
to reduce or terminate the business they currently conduct with us, or to
conduct business with us on terms that are less favorable than those customarily
offered by them. In such event, our sales would likely decrease, our costs could
increase, our product development and commercialization efforts would suffer and
our business will be significantly harmed.
It
is difficult to evaluate our business because we are in an early stage of
development and our technology is untested
We are in
an early stage of developing our business. We have only received an
insignificant amount of royalties from the sale of one of our products, an
over-the-counter dry eye treatment, and in 2002 we began to receive a small
amount of revenues from the sale of our OcuGene
glaucoma genetic test. Before regulatory authorities grant us marketing approval
for additional products, we need to conduct significant additional research and
development and preclinical and clinical testing, including with respect to our
leading product candidate AzaSite. All of our products, including AzaSite, are
subject to risks that are inherent to products based upon new technologies.
These risks include the risks that our products:
· |
are
found to be unsafe or ineffective; |
· |
fail
to receive necessary marketing clearance from regulatory
authorities; |
· |
even
if safe and effective, are too difficult or expensive to manufacture or
market; |
· |
are
unmarketable due to the proprietary rights of third parties;
or |
· |
are
not able to compete with superior, equivalent, more cost-effective or more
effectively promoted products offered by
competitors. |
Therefore,
our research and development activities including with respect to AzaSite may
not result in any commercially viable products.
We
have a history of operating losses and we expect to continue to have losses in
the future
We have
incurred significant operating losses since our inception in 1986 and have
pursued numerous drug development candidates that did not prove to have
commercial potential. As of March 31, 2005, our accumulated deficit was
approximately $124.7 million. We expect to incur net losses for the foreseeable
future or until we are able to achieve significant royalties or other revenues
from sales of our products. In addition, we recognize revenue when all services
have been performed and collectibility is reasonably assured. Accordingly,
revenue for the sales of OcuGene may
be recognized in a later period than the associated recognition of costs of the
services provided, especially during the initial launch of the product. In
addition, due to this delay in revenue recognition, our revenues recognized in
any given period may not be indicative of our then current viability and market
acceptance of our OcuGene
product.
Attaining
significant revenue or profitability depends upon our ability, alone or with
third parties, to develop our potential products successfully, conduct clinical
trials, obtain required regulatory approvals and manufacture and market our
products successfully. We may not ever achieve or be able to maintain
significant revenue or profitability, including with respect to our leading
product candidate AzaSite.
We
may not successfully manage our growth
If we are
able to raise additional funding and gain FDA approval for additional products,
including AzaSite, our success will depend upon the expansion of our operations
and the effective management of our growth, which will place a significant
strain on our management and on our administrative, operational and financial
resources. To manage this growth, we will have to expand our facilities, augment
our operational, financial and management systems and hire and train additional
qualified personnel. If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, our
business would be harmed.
We
are dependent upon key employees and we may not be able to retain or attract key
employees, and our ability to attract and retain key employees is likely to be
harmed by our current financial situation
We are
highly dependent on Dr. Chandrasekaran, who is our chief executive officer,
president and chief financial officer, and Dr. Lyle Bowman, our vice president,
development and operations. The loss of services from either of these key
personnel might significantly delay or prevent the achievement of planned
development objectives. We carry a $1.0 million life insurance policy on Dr.
Chandrasekaran under which we are the sole beneficiary, however in the event of
the death of Dr. Chandrasekaran such policy would be unlikely to fully
compensate us for the hardship such a loss would cause us. We do not carry a
life insurance policy on Dr. Bowman. Furthermore, a critical factor to our
success will be recruiting and retaining qualified personnel. Competition for
skilled individuals in the biotechnology business is highly intense, and we may
not be able to continue to attract and retain personnel necessary for the
development of our business. Our ability to attract and retain such individuals
may be reduced by our recent and current financial situation and our past
reductions in force. For example, during 2003 we laid off approximately 42% of
our employees and salaries of our senior management were reduced. Although we
have recently increased salaries to their pre-reduction levels and paid
performance bonuses, and we are not aware of any plans of our management or
scientific personnel to leave us, the voluntary salary reductions and other cost
reduction measures we have undertaken in the past or may undertake in the future
and our ongoing financial difficulties make it more likely that such individuals
will seek other employment opportunities and may leave our Company permanently.
The loss of key personnel or the failure to recruit additional personnel or to
develop needed expertise could harm our business.
Our
strategy for research, development and commercialization of our products
requires us to enter into various arrangements with corporate and academic
collaborators, licensors, licensees and others; Furthermore, we are dependent on
the diligent efforts and subsequent success of these outside parties in
performing their responsibilities
Because
of our reliance on third parties for the development, marketing and sale of our
products, any revenues that we receive will be dependent on the efforts of these
third parties, such as our corporate collaborators. These partners may terminate
their relationships with us and may not diligently or successfully market our
products. In addition, marketing consultants and contract sales organizations,
such as those deployed by us currently for OcuGene, or
in the future for OcuGene and
potential future products such as AzaSite, may market products that compete with
our products and we must rely on their efforts and ability to market and sell
our products effectively. We may not be able to conclude arrangements with other
companies to support the commercialization of our products on acceptable terms,
or at all. Moreover, our current financial condition may make us a less
attractive partner to potential collaborators. In addition, our collaborators
may take the position that they are free to compete using our technology without
compensating or entering into agreements with us. Furthermore, our collaborators
may pursue alternative technologies or develop alternative products either on
their own or in collaboration with others, including our competitors, as a means
for developing treatments for the diseases or disorders targeted by these
collaborative programs.
Our
current financial situation may impede our ability to protect or enforce
adequately our legal rights under agreements and to our intellectual
property
We only
expect our current cash to enable us to continue our operations as currently
planned until approximately the beginning of June 2005. Assuming the
consummation of the private placement pursuant to the subscription agreements we
signed on May 3, 2005, we expect the proceeds from that transaction along with
our current funds to enable us to continue our operations as currently planned
until approximately the end of October 2005. Our limited financial resources
makes it more difficult for us to enforce our intellectual property rights,
through the filing or maintenance of patents, taking legal action against those
that may infringe on our proprietary rights, defending infringement claims
against us, or otherwise. Our current financial situation may impede our ability
to enforce our legal rights under various agreements we are currently a party to
or may become a party to due to our inability to incur the costs associated with
such enforcement. Our inability to protect our legal and intellectual property
rights adequately may make us more vulnerable to infringement and could harm our
business.
Our
products are subject to government regulations and approval which may delay or
prevent the marketing of potential products and impose costly procedures upon
our activities
The FDA
and comparable agencies in state and local jurisdictions and in foreign
countries impose substantial requirements upon preclinical and clinical testing,
manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products. Lengthy and detailed
preclinical and clinical testing, validation of manufacturing and quality
control processes, and other costly and time-consuming procedures are required.
Satisfaction of these requirements typically takes several years and the time
needed to satisfy them may vary substantially, based on the type, complexity and
novelty of the pharmaceutical product. The effect of government regulation may
be to delay or to prevent marketing of potential products for a considerable
period of time and to impose costly procedures upon our activities. The FDA or
any other regulatory agency may not grant approval on a timely basis, or at all,
for any products we develop. Success in preclinical or early stage clinical
trials does not assure success in later stage clinical trials. Data obtained
from preclinical and clinical activities are susceptible to varying
interpretations that could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. If
regulatory approval of a product is granted, such approval may impose
limitations on the indicated uses for which a product may be marketed. Further,
even after we have obtained regulatory approval, later discovery of previously
unknown problems with a product may result in restrictions on the product,
including withdrawal of the product from the market. Moreover, the FDA has
recently reduced previous restrictions on the marketing, sale and prescription
of products for indications other than those specifically approved by the FDA.
Accordingly, even if we receive FDA approval of a product for certain indicated
uses, our competitors, including our collaborators, could market products for
such indications even if such products have not been specifically approved for
such indications. Additionally, the FDA recently issued an advisory that
microarrays used for diagnostic and prognostic testing may need regulatory
approval. The need for regulatory approval of multiple gene analysis is
uncertain at this time. Delay in obtaining or failure to obtain regulatory
approvals would make it difficult or impossible to market our products and would
harm our business.
The FDA's
policies may change and additional government regulations may be promulgated
which could prevent or delay regulatory approval of our potential products.
Moreover, increased attention to the containment of health care costs in the
United States could result in new government regulations that could harm our
business. Adverse governmental regulation might arise from future legislative or
administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. See "-Uncertainties
regarding healthcare reform and third-party reimbursement may impair our ability
to raise capital, form collaborations and sell our products"
We
rely on third parties to develop, market and sell our products; We may not be
able to continue or enter into third party arrangements, and these third
parties' efforts may not be successful
We do not
plan on establishing a dedicated sales force or a marketing organization for our
product candidates and primarily use external marketing and sales resources for
OcuGene. We
also rely on third parties for clinical testing or product development. We must
enter into a third party collaboration agreement for the development, marketing
and sale of our ISV-205 product or develop, market and sell the product
ourselves. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in finding a
corporate partner for our ISV-205 program or that any collaboration will be
successful, either of which could significantly harm our business. In addition,
we have no experience in marketing and selling products and we cannot assure you
that we would be successful in marketing ISV-205 ourselves. If we are to develop
and commercialize our product candidates successfully, including ISV-205, we
will be required to enter into arrangements with one or more third parties that
will:
· |
provide
for Phase 2 and/or Phase 3 clinical
testing; |
· |
obtain
or assist us in other activities associated with obtaining regulatory
approvals for our product candidates; and |
· |
market
and sell our products, if they are
approved. |
In
December 2003, we completed the sale of our drug candidate ISV-403 for the
treatment of ocular infections to Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. Bausch &
Lomb has assumed all future ISV-403 development and commercialization expenses
and is responsible for all development activities, with our assistance, as
appropriate. The Bausch & Lomb Purchase Agreement and License Agreement
grants Bausch & Lomb rights to develop and market ISV-403, subject to
payment of royalties, in all geographies except Japan (which were retained by
SSP, in connection with a separate license agreement between us and SSP), with
such rights being shared with SSP in Asia (except Japan) and exclusive
elsewhere. This sale resulted in the termination of the August 2002 license
agreement we entered into with Bausch & Lomb related to ISV-403. Our ability
to generate royalties from this agreement will be dependent upon Bausch &
Lomb's ability to complete the development of ISV-403, obtain regulatory
approval for the product and successfully market it. In addition, under the
Bausch & Lomb Purchase Agreement, we also have certain potential
indemnification obligations to Bausch & Lomb in connection with the asset
sale which, if triggered, could significantly harm our business and our
financial position.
Our
marketing and sales efforts related to our OcuGene
glaucoma genetic test have been significantly curtailed. Our activities have
been mainly using external resources that included:
· |
a
network of key ophthalmic clinicians; and |
· |
other
resources with ophthalmic expertise. |
We may
not be able to enter into or maintain arrangements with third parties with
ophthalmic or diagnostic industry experience on acceptable terms or at all. If
we are not successful in concluding such arrangements on acceptable terms, or at
all, we may be required to establish our own sales force and expand our
marketing organization significantly, despite the fact that we have no
experience in sales, marketing or distribution. Even if we do enter into
collaborative relationships, as we have experienced with Pharmacia, these
relationships can be terminated forcing us to seek alternatives. We may not be
able to build a marketing staff or sales force and our sales and marketing
efforts may not be cost-effective or successful.
In
addition, we currently contract with a third party to assemble the sample
collection kits used in our OcuGene
glaucoma genetic test. If our assembler should encounter significant delays or
we have difficulty maintaining our existing relationship, or in establishing a
new one, our sales of this product could be adversely affected.
We
have no experience in performing the analytical procedures related to genetic
testing and have established an exclusive commercial agreement with a third
party to perform these procedures for our OcuGene
glaucoma genetic test; If we are unable to maintain this arrangement, and are
unable to establish new arrangements with third parties, we will have to
establish our own regulatory compliant analytical process for genetic testing
and may not have the financial resources to do so
We have
no experience in the analytical procedures related to genetic testing. We have
entered into an agreement with Quest Diagnostics Incorporated under which Quest
exclusively performs OcuGene
genetic analytical procedures at a commercial scale in the United States.
Accordingly, we are reliant on Quest for all of our OcuGene
analytical procedures. If we are unable to maintain this arrangement, we would
have to contract with another clinical laboratory or would have to establish our
own facilities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to contract with
another laboratory to perform these services on a commercially reasonable basis,
or at all.
Clinical
laboratories must adhere to Good Laboratory Practice regulations that are
strictly enforced by the FDA on an ongoing basis through the FDA's facilities
inspection program. Should we be required to perform the analytical procedures
for genetic testing ourselves, we:
· |
will
be required to expend significant amounts of capital to install an
analytical capability; |
· |
will
be subject to the regulatory requirements described above;
and |
· |
will
require substantially more additional capital than we otherwise may
require. |
We cannot
assure you we will be able successfully to enter into another genetic testing
arrangement or perform these analytical procedures ourselves on a cost-efficient
basis, or at all.
We
rely on a sole source for some of the raw materials in our products, including
AzaSite, and the raw materials we need may not be available to
us
We
currently have a single supplier for azithromycin, the active drug incorporated
into our AzaSite product candidate. The supplier has submitted a Drug Master
File on the compound with the FDA and is subject to the FDA's review and
oversight. If the FDA were to identify issues in the production of the drug that
the supplier was unable to resolve quickly, or other issues were to arise that
impact production, our ability to continue with the development of AzaSite, and
potentially the commercial sale if the product is approved, could be
interrupted, which would harm our business. In addition, while we do have a
supply agreement for azithromycin through the clinical development of the
product, we do not currently have a contractual agreement with this supplier of
azithromycin for commercial production and consequently this supplier is not
obligated to provide us any particular quantities of the drug for
commercialization. Additional suppliers for this drug exist, but qualification
of an alternative source could be time consuming, expensive and could result in
a delay that could harm our business and there is no guarantee that these
additional suppliers can supply sufficient quantities at a reasonable price, or
at all.
SSP is
the sole source for the active drug incorporated into the ISV-403 product
candidate we sold to Bausch & Lomb for further development and
commercialization. SSP has submitted a Drug Master File on the compound with the
FDA and is subject to the FDA's review and oversight. If SSP is unable to obtain
and maintain FDA approval for their production of the drug or is otherwise
unable to supply Bausch & Lomb with sufficient quantities of the drug,
Bausch & Lomb's ability to continue with the development, and potentially
the commercial sale if the product is approved, of ISV-403 would be interrupted
or impeded, and our royalties from commercial sales of the ISV-403 product could
be delayed or reduced and our business could be harmed.
In
addition, certain of the raw materials we use in formulating our DuraSite drug
delivery system are available only from Noveon Corporation. Although we do not
have a current supply agreement with the Noveon Corporation, to date we have not
encountered any difficulties obtaining necessary materials from them. Any
significant interruption in the supply of these raw materials could delay our
clinical trials, product development or product sales and could harm our
business.
We
have no experience in commercial manufacturing and need to establish
manufacturing relationships with third parties, and if contract manufacturing is
not available to us or does not satisfy regulatory requirements, we will have to
establish our own regulatory compliant manufacturing capability and may not have
the financial resources to do so
We have
no experience manufacturing products for Phase 3 and commercial purposes. We
have a pilot facility licensed by the State of California to manufacture a
number of our products for Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials but not for late
stage clinical trials or commercial purposes. Any delays or difficulties that we
may encounter in establishing and maintaining a relationship with qualified
manufacturers to produce, package and distribute our finished products may harm
our clinical trials, regulatory filings, market introduction and subsequent
sales of our products.
We have a
contract with the manufacturer of our AzaSite Phase 3 clinical trial supplies
and registration batches to validate their production line for commercial scale
batches and to manufacture the required validation batches for FDA review. While
we are in discussions towards a commercial manufacturing agreement, we could
encounter delays or difficulties in finalizing such an agreement, which would
adversely impact our potential market introduction and subsequent sales of
AzaSite.
We
currently contract with a third party to assemble the sample collection kits
used in our OcuGene
glaucoma genetic test. If our assembler should encounter significant delays or
we have difficulty maintaining our existing relationship, or in establishing a
new one, our sales of this product could be adversely affected.
Contract
manufacturers must adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices regulations that are
strictly enforced by the FDA on an ongoing basis through the FDA's facilities
inspection program. Contract manufacturing facilities must pass a pre-approval
plant inspection before the FDA will approve a new drug application. Some of the
material manufacturing changes that occur after approval are also subject to FDA
review and clearance or approval. The FDA or other regulatory agencies may not
approve the process or the facilities by which any of our products may be
manufactured. Our dependence on third parties to manufacture our products may
harm our ability to develop and deliver products on a timely and competitive
basis. Should we be required to manufacture products ourselves, we:
· |
will
be required to expend significant amounts of capital to install a
manufacturing capability; |
· |
will
be subject to the regulatory requirements described
above; |
· |
will
be subject to similar risks regarding delays or difficulties encountered
in manufacturing any such products; and |
· |
will
require substantially more additional capital than we otherwise may
require. |
Therefore,
we may not be able to manufacture any products successfully or in a
cost-effective manner.
We
compete in highly competitive markets and our competitors' financial, technical,
marketing, manufacturing and human resources may surpass ours and limit our
ability to develop and/or market our products and
technologies
Our
success depends upon developing and maintaining a competitive advantage in the
development of products and technologies in our areas of focus. We have many
competitors in the United States and abroad, including pharmaceutical,
biotechnology and other companies with varying resources and degrees of
concentration in the ophthalmic market. Our competitors may have existing
products or products under development which may be technically superior to ours
or which may be less costly or more acceptable to the market. Competition from
these companies is intense and is expected to increase as new products enter the
market and new technologies become available. Many of our competitors have
substantially greater financial, technical, marketing, manufacturing and human
resources than we do, particularly in light of our current financial condition.
In addition, they may succeed in developing technologies and products that are
more effective, safer, less expensive or otherwise more commercially acceptable
than any that we have or will develop. Our competitors may obtain cost
advantages, patent protection or other intellectual property rights that would
block or limit our ability to develop our potential products. Our competitors
may also obtain regulatory approval for commercialization of their products more
effectively or rapidly than we will. If we decide to manufacture and market our
products by ourselves, we will be competing in areas in which we have limited or
no experience such as manufacturing efficiency and marketing capabilities. See
"- We
have no experience in commercial manufacturing and need to establish
manufacturing relationships with third parties, and if contract manufacturing is
not available to us or does not satisfy regulatory requirements, we will have to
establish our own regulatory compliant manufacturing capability and may not have
the financial resources to do so"
If
we cannot compete successfully for market share against other drug companies, we
may not achieve sufficient product revenues and our business will
suffer
The
market for our product candidates is characterized by intense competition and
rapid technological advances. If our product candidates receive FDA approval,
they will compete with a number of existing and future drugs and therapies
developed, manufactured and marketed by others. Existing or future competing
products may provide greater therapeutic convenience or clinical or other
benefits for a specific indication than our products, or may offer comparable
performance at a lower cost. If our products fail to capture and maintain market
share, we may not achieve sufficient product revenues and our business will
suffer.
We will
compete against fully integrated pharmaceutical companies and smaller companies
that are collaborating with larger pharmaceutical companies, academic
institutions, government agencies and other public and private research
organizations. Many of these competitors have products competitive with AzaSite
already approved or in development including Zymar and Ocuflox by Allergan,
Vigamox and Ciloxan by Alcon, Quixin by Johnson & Johnson and Chibroxin by
Merck. In addition, many of these competitors, either alone or together with
their collaborative partners, operate larger research and development programs
and have substantially greater financial resources than we do, as well as
significantly greater experience in:
· |
undertaking
pre-clinical testing and human clinical
trials; |
· |
obtaining
FDA and other regulatory approvals of
drugs; |
· |
formulating
and manufacturing drugs; |
· |
launching,
marketing and selling drugs; and |
· |
attracting
qualified personnel, parties for acquisitions, joint ventures or other
collaborations. |
Uncertainties
regarding healthcare reform and third-party reimbursement may impair our ability
to raise capital, form collaborations and sell our
products
The
continuing efforts of governmental and third-party payers to contain or reduce
the costs of healthcare through various means may harm our business. For
example, in some foreign markets the pricing or profitability of health care
products is subject to government control. In the United States, there have
been, and we expect there will continue to be, a number of federal and state
proposals to implement similar government control. The implementation or even
the announcement of any of these legislative or regulatory proposals or reforms
could harm our business by impeding our ability to achieve profitability, raise
capital or form collaborations.
In
addition, the availability of reimbursement from third-party payers determines,
in large part, the demand for healthcare products in the United States and
elsewhere. Examples of such third-party payers are government and private
insurance plans. Significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status
of newly approved healthcare products, and third-party payers are increasingly
challenging the prices charged for medical products and services. If we succeed
in bringing one or more products to the market, reimbursement from third-party
payers may not be available or may not be sufficient to allow us to sell our
products on a competitive or profitable basis.
Our
insurance coverage may not adequately cover our potential product liability
exposure
We are
exposed to potential product liability risks inherent in the development,
testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of human therapeutic products.
Product liability insurance for the pharmaceutical industry is extremely
expensive. Although we believe our current insurance coverage is adequate to
cover likely claims we may encounter given our current stage of development and
activities, our present product liability insurance coverage may not be adequate
to cover all potential claims we may encounter. In addition, our existing
coverage will not be adequate as we further develop, manufacture and market our
products, and we may not be able to obtain or afford adequate insurance coverage
against potential claims in sufficient amounts or at a reasonable
cost.
Our
use of hazardous materials may pose environmental risks and liabilities which
may cause us to incur significant costs
Our
research, development and manufacturing processes involve the controlled use of
small amounts of hazardous solvents used in pharmaceutical development and
manufacturing, including acetic acid, acetone, acrylic acid, calcium chloride,
chloroform, dimethyl sulfoxide, ethyl alcohol, hydrogen chloride, nitric acid,
phosphoric acid and other similar solvents. We retain a licensed outside
contractor that specializes in the disposal of hazardous materials used in the
biotechnology industry to properly dispose of these materials, but we cannot
completely eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these
materials. Our cost for the disposal services rendered by our outside contractor
was approximately $10,400 and $6,000 for the years ended 2004 and 2003,
respectively. In the event of an accident involving these materials, we could be
held liable for any damages that result, and any such liability could exceed our
resources. Moreover, as our business develops we may be required to incur
significant costs to comply with federal, state and local environmental laws,
regulations and policies, especially to the extent that we manufacture our own
products.
If
we engage in acquisitions, we will incur a variety of costs, and the anticipated
benefits of the acquisition may never be realized
We may
pursue acquisitions of companies, product lines, technologies or businesses that
our management believes are complementary or otherwise beneficial to us. Any of
these acquisitions could have negative effects on our business. Future
acquisitions may result in substantial dilution to our stockholders, the
incurrence of additional debt and amortization expenses related to goodwill,
research and development and other intangible assets. Any of these results could
harm our financial condition. In addition, acquisitions would involve several
risks for us, including:
· |
assimilating
employees, operations, technologies and products from the acquired
companies with our existing employees, operations, technologies and
products; |
· |
diverting
our management's attention from day-to-day operation of our
business; |
· |
entering
markets in which we have no or limited direct experience;
and |
· |
potentially
losing key employees from the acquired
companies. |
Management
and principal stockholders may be able to exert significant control on matters
requiring approval by our stockholders and security interests in our assets held
by management may enable them to control the disposition of such
assets
As of
March 31, 2005, our management and principal stockholders together
beneficially owned approximately 21% of our outstanding shares of Common Stock.
As a result, these stockholders, acting together, may be able to exert
significant control on matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including
the election of a majority of our Board of Directors and the approval of
business combinations.
In July
2003, we issued a $400,000 short-term senior secured note payable to Dr.
Chandrasekaran, our chief executive officer, chief financial officer and a
member of our board of directors, for cash. As of March 31, 2005, $250,000 of
this note remained outstanding. This note bears an interest rate of five and
one-half percent (5.5%) and is due on the earlier to occur of March 31, 2007 or
10 business days subsequent to the successful completion of a pivotal Phase 3
clinical trial with AzaSite and is secured by a lien on substantially all of our
assets including our intellectual property and certain other equipment secured
by the lessor of such equipment.
This
security interest enables Dr. Chandrasekaran to control the disposition of these
assets in the event of our liquidation. If we are unable to repay the amounts
due under this note, he could, or cause us to, enter into involuntary
liquidation proceedings in the event we default on our obligation.
In
addition, investors in our March 2004 private placement, as a group, owned
approximately 44% of our outstanding shares of Common Stock as of March 31, 2005
(45% assuming the closing of our May 2005 private placement). If such investors
were to exercise the warrants they currently hold, assuming no additional
acquisitions or distributions, such investors would own approximately 56% of our
outstanding shares of Common Stock based on their ownership percentages as of
March 31, 2005 (55% assuming the closing of our May 2005 private placement).
Thus, these stockholders, acting together, may be able to effectively control
all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of a
majority of our Board of Directors and approval of business
combinations.
The
market prices for securities of biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
such as ours have been and are likely to continue to be highly volatile due to
reasons that are related and unrelated to our operating performance and progress
The
market prices for securities of biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies,
including ours, have been highly volatile. The market has from time to time
experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the
operating performance of particular companies. In addition, future announcements
and circumstances, such as our current financial condition, the audit report
included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004
that includes an explanatory paragraph referring to our recurring operating
losses and a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern,
our ability to obtain new financing, the terms of any financing we are able to
raise, the results of testing and clinical trials, developments in patent or
other proprietary rights of us or our competitors, litigation regarding the
same, the status of our relationships with third-party collaborators,
technological innovations or new therapeutic products, governmental regulation,
or public concern as to the safety of products developed by us or others and
general market conditions, concerning us, our competitors or other
biopharmaceutical companies, may have a significant effect on the market price
of our Common Stock.
Further,
conversions of convertible securities and the sale of the shares of our Common
Stock underlying those convertible securities could cause a significant decline
in the market price for our Common Stock. We have not paid any cash dividends on
our Common Stock, and we do not anticipate paying any dividends on our Common
Stock in the foreseeable future.
In
addition, terrorist attacks in the U.S. and abroad, U.S. retaliation for these
attacks, the war in Iraq and continued worldwide economic weakness and the
related decline in consumer confidence have had, and may continue to have, an
adverse impact on the U.S. and world economy. These and similar events, as well
as fluctuations in our operating results and market conditions for
biopharmaceutical and biotechnology stocks in general, could have a significant
effect on the volatility of the market price for our Common Stock and on the
future price of our Common Stock.
We
have adopted and are subject to anti-takeover provisions that could delay or
prevent an acquisition of our Company and could prevent or make it more
difficult to replace or remove current management
Provisions
of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may constrain or discourage a
third party from acquiring or attempting to acquire control of us. Such
provisions could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the
future for shares of our Common Stock. In addition, such provisions could also
prevent or make it more difficult for our stockholders to replace or remove
current management and could adversely affect the price of our Common Stock if
they are viewed as discouraging takeover attempts, business combinations or
management changes that stockholders consider in their best interest. Our Board
of Directors has the authority to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred
stock (“Preferred Stock”), 15,000 of which have been designated as Series A-1
Preferred Stock. Our Board of Directors has the authority to determine the
price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting
rights, of the remaining unissued shares of Preferred Stock without any further
vote or action by the stockholders. The rights of the holders of Common Stock
will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders
of any Preferred Stock that may be issued in the future. The issuance of
Preferred Stock, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with
possible financings, acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could have the
effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of
our outstanding voting stock, even if the transaction might be desired by our
stockholders. Provisions of Delaware law applicable to us could also delay or
make more difficult a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving us,
including Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a
Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any
interested stockholder for a period of three years unless conditions set forth
in the Delaware General Corporation Law are met. The issuance of Preferred Stock
or Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law could also be deemed to
benefit incumbent management to the extent these provisions deter offers by
persons who would wish to make changes in management or exercise control over
management. Other provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may
also have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a takeover attempt or
management changes that our stockholders might consider in their best interest.
For example, our bylaws limit the ability of stockholders to remove directors
and fill vacancies on our board of directors. Our bylaws also impose advance
notice requirements for stockholder proposals and nominations of directors and
prohibit stockholders from calling special meetings or acting by written
consent.
Legislative
actions, higher insurance costs and potential new accounting pronouncements are
likely to impact our future financial position and results of
operations
There
have been regulatory changes, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and
there may be potential new accounting pronouncements or regulatory rulings,
which will have an impact on our future financial position and results of
operations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other rule changes and proposed
legislative initiatives are likely to increase general and administrative costs.
In addition, insurance costs, including health, workers' compensation and
directors and officers' insurance costs, have been dramatically increasing and
insurers are likely to increase rates as a result of high claims rates over the
past year and our rates are likely to increase further in the future. Further,
proposed initiatives could result in changes in accounting rules, including
legislative and other proposals to account for employee stock options as an
expense. These and other potential changes could materially increase the
expenses we report under generally accepted accounting principles, and adversely
affect our operating results.
Item
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk
The
following discusses our exposure to market risk related to changes in interest
rates.
We invest
our excess cash in investment grade, interest-bearing securities. At March 31,
2005, we had approximately $2.5 million invested in money market mutual funds.
While a hypothetical decrease in market interest rates by 10 percent from the
March 31, 2005 levels would cause a decrease in interest income, it would not
result in a loss of the principal. Additionally, the decrease in interest income
would not be material.
Item
4. Controls and Procedures
(a)
Evaluation
of disclosure controls and procedures. The
Company's principal executive and financial officer, Dr. Chandrasekaran,
reviewed and evaluated the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls
and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e) and 15(d)-15(e)) as of
the end of the period covered by this Form 10-Q. Based on that evaluation, Dr.
Chandrasekaran concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures
are effective in providing him with material information relating to the Company
in a timely manner, as required to be disclosed in the reports the Company files
under the Exchange Act.
(b)
Changes
in internal control over financial reporting. There was
no change in the Company's internal control over financial reporting that
occurred during the period covered by this Form 10-Q that has materially
affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal
control over financial reporting.
Part
II OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal
Proceedings.
On July
8, 2004, Bristol Investment Group, or Bristol, filed with the American
Arbitration Association (“AAA”) a demand for arbitration against us seeking cash
compensation and warrants based on a letter agreement dated January 28, 2003
pursuant to which Bristol was engaged as a non-exclusive placement agent of
investment capital for us. On May 9, 2005 the arbitrator issued an award
in favor of Bristol, ruling that Bristol is entitled to recover a cash financing
fee of $249,925, plus attorneys’ fees, plus the cash value of warrants to
purchase 922,800 shares of our common stock. As of March 31,
2005, we have recorded an accrued liability with respect to this arbitration
award, of which the estimated attorney's fees have been reflected in selling,
general and administrative expenses and the remainder of which was recorded as a
stock issuance cost in additional paid-in capital.
The arbitrator requested further submissions from the parties in order to
determine the cash value of the warrants and the amount of attorney’s fees to be
awarded.
Item
2. Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
None.
Item
3. Defaults
Upon Senior Securities.
None.
Item
4. Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
None.
Item
5. Other
Information.
None.
Item
6. Exhibits.
The
exhibits listed on the Exhibit Index (following the signature page of this
Quarterly Report) are included or incorporated by reference, in this Quarterly
Report.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
|
|
|
|
INSITE VISION
INCORPORATED |
|
|
|
Date: May 16, 2005 |
By: |
/s/ S. Kumar Chandrasekaran,
Ph.D. |
|
S. Kumar Chandrasekaran, Ph.D. |
|
Chairman of the Board, Chief
Executive
Officer and Chief Financial
Officer
(on behalf of the registrant and as
principal
executive, financial and accounting
officer) |
EXHIBIT
INDEX
|
Number |
|
Exhibit
Table |
|
|
|
|
|
31.1 |
|
Rules
13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive
Officer. |
|
31.2 |
|
Rules
13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial
Officer. |
|
32.1 |
|
Section
1350 Certifications of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer. |
|
|
|
|