NASDAQ: CNTA
Centessa Pharmaceuticals plcCIK 0001847903 · Pharmaceutical Preparations
In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “Centessa,” “the Company,” and “our Company” refer to Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc and its consolidated subsidiaries. About this business →
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About Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc
Source: Item 1 (Business) from the 10-K filed March 31, 2026. Description as filed by the company with the SEC.
Item 1. Business
In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “Centessa,” “the Company,” and “our Company” refer to Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new class of therapeutics in orexin-based neuroscience. We are developing a franchise of small molecule orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists designed to address neuroscience diseases underpinned by dysregulation of wakefulness, attention, cognition, mood, and other symptoms, each grounded in the shared biology of the orexin pathway.
Our strategy is a pipeline-in-a-pathway approach: we leverage our deep understanding of the orexin pathway, differentiated structural biology and translational insights with the aim to develop and scale a franchise of novel OX2R agonists across sleep-wake disorders and other neurological, neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders with significant unmet need. We believe this pathway-centric model positions us to deliver transformational medicines, establish leadership in orexin-based neuroscience, and create durable long-term value.
Our most advanced product candidate, cleminorexton (formerly referred to as ORX750), is a novel, oral, highly potent and selective orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonist in late-stage clinical development for the treatment of central disorders of hypersomnolence, including narcolepsy type 1 (NT1), narcolepsy type 2 (NT2) and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH). We believe cleminorexton has best-in-class potential across all three indications, and first-in-class potential in NT2 and IH.
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Supported by differentiated pharmacology, strong orexin biology, compelling translational and clinical rationale, and insights from the clinical development of cleminorexton, we are also advancing ORX142 and ORX489, our follow-up OX2R agonist candidates, for broader neuroscience indications within neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Our earlier stage pipeline consists of additional OX2R agonists and research efforts on differentiated pharmacology associated with activation of the orexin pathway.
The Proposed Lilly Transaction
On March 31, 2026, we entered into a Transaction Agreement (the “Transaction Agreement”) with Eli Lilly and Company, an Indiana corporation (“Lilly” or “Parent”), and LDH XV Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Purchaser”), pursuant to which Purchaser (and/or at Parent’s election its nominee(s)), will acquire our entire issued and to be issued share capital (including shares represented by our ADSs) pursuant to a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the UK Companies Act 2006 (the “Scheme of Arrangement” and such acquisition, the “Transaction”), for $38.00 in cash per share, without interest, plus one non-transferable contingent value right entitling the holders to receive up to three contingent cash payments of up to an aggregate of $9.00 per share, contingent upon the achievement of specified milestones set forth in the Contingent Value Rights Agreement (the “CVR Agreement”), substantially in the form attached as Annex I to the Transaction Agreement (such contingent value rights, the “CVRs” and, together with the Cash Consideration, the “Transaction Consideration”). The Transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to certain customary closing conditions, including the approval of the Scheme of Arrangement by our shareholders, the sanction of the Scheme of Arrangement by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales and receipt of the required regulatory approvals. See “Note 12 – Subsequent events” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K for additional information regarding the Transaction.
Orexin Pathway
The orexin pathway (also known as the hypocretin system) is an important and well-validated target in neuroscience. The pathway is a vital neuromodulatory network originating in the hypothalamus. Orexin neurons project from the hypothalamus into multiple brain regions and release orexin (also known as hypocretin). Orexin is a key signaling neuropeptide that activates an array of downstream neurotransmitters and is implicated in numerous physiologic functions, including wakefulness, attention, cognition and mood. The orexin system consists of two orexin neuropeptides, orexin-A (OXA) and orexin-B (OXB) (also known as hypocretin-1 and hypocretin-2) which bind to and activate the orexin receptors, Orexin Receptor-1 (OX1R) and Orexin Receptor-2 (OX2R) on other neurons. These receptors are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and are abundantly expressed throughout the brain with different distribution patterns, suggesting they have distinct physiological roles acting through different neuronal pathways. Importantly, OXA and OXB
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both bind to OX2R with high affinity. Activation of OX1R and OX2R promotes calcium mobilization and membrane depolarization of target neurons, triggering the release of wake-promoting neurotransmitters including histamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and dopamine and regulating wakefulness. OX2R has also been implicated in metabolism, behavioral arousal, mood and cognitive function consistent with its wide distribution in the brain.
Figure 1: Orexin Pathway
Sources: Pizza, F et al., J Sleep Res 2022;31(4):e13665; Toor, B et al., Front Neurol Neurosci 2021;45:38 ; Ten-Blanco, M et al., Front Neuroendo 2023;69:101066; and, Yamamoto, H et al., PLoS One, 2022;17(7):e0271901.
We believe OX2R agonists are potentially transformative therapeutics to address the pathophysiology of central disorders of hypersomnolence, including NT1, NT2 and IH, acting as an upstream intervention that activates multiple downstream pathways essential for promoting wakefulness. For NT1 specifically, OX2R agonists have the potential to address the underlying disease pathology, with the potential to re-activate orexin receptors which remain in the brain in postsynaptic neurons even after the loss of the natural orexin peptide, to reduce excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, and other common symptoms of NT1. In NT2 and IH, where there are normal orexin levels, OX2R agonists have the potential to increase orexin receptor activation to reduce EDS and other common symptoms of these conditions. In addition, given the overlap of orexin pathways onto neural circuitry governing motor function, mood, attention, and cognition, we anticipate that OX2R agonists may also have broad applicability in treating impaired attention, mood, cognitive deficits, fatigue and other symptoms across other neuroscience indications.
Our Orexin Franchise
Our wholly owned orexin franchise includes multiple small-molecule novel OX2R agonists with different chemical composition and pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles to support first- and best-in-class potential across targeted neuroscience indications, alongside research efforts on differentiated pharmacology associated with the activation of the orexin pathway.
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Figure 2: Pipeline
Although OX2R agonism has long been recognized as having significant therapeutic potential, there has been a substantial gap in the development of OX2R agonists primarily as a result of the challenge in designing small molecule drugs that target the OX2R receptor. The development of a small molecule orexin agonist requires highly complex medicinal chemistry to address a number of key challenges including the design of a brain penetrant molecule with a highly potent and selective chemical structure that can mimic the precise binding and activating properties of the native peptide, which is approximately seven-fold larger in size than the average small molecule CNS drug. As a result, OX2R has historically been considered a difficult-to-drug target, and development of an effective OX2R agonist therapeutic has been significantly limited.
Our team possesses a deep understanding of the orexin pathway and has extensive capabilities across key areas of research and development with a significant focus on translational medicine, computational and structural biology, and medicinal chemistry. Through a collaboration with Nxera, we gained exclusive access to a stabilized OX2R G protein-coupled receptor (“GPCR”) protein, known as StaR, which enabled the determination of three-dimensional structures of the OX2R bound to novel orexin agonists via X-ray crystallography, Cryo-EM and Biophysical Mapping. Leveraging this proprietary structure-based drug design and our medicinal chemistry capabilities, we have overcome historic OX2R agonist development challenges.
We have discovered and are advancing multiple novel OX2R agonist candidates designed to mimic the natural neuropeptide orexin with different PK profiles. These candidates have demonstrated robust activity in preclinical efficacy models and high selectivity for OX2R. These targeted profiles, which also include duration of action and rapid onset of action among others, are intended to support first- and best-in-class potential of our OX2R agonist across selected indications.
Figure 3: Clinical stage OX2R agonist product candidate profiles
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Sources: 1. Black et al., World Sleep 2023 Abstract., 2. Black et al., European Sleep Research Society 2024 Abstract. 3. Company data / presentations.
Cleminorexton: Our Lead Clinical Program for NT1, NT2 and IH
Program Overview
Cleminorexton is a potential best-in-class investigational, oral, highly selective and potent OX2R agonist in development for the treatment of NT1, NT2 and IH with first-in-class potential in NT2 and IH.
Phase 2a CRYSTAL-1 Study in Patients with NT1, NT2 and IH
The ongoing CRYSTAL-1 study is an adaptive, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of cleminorexton in patients with NT1, NT2 and IH. The goals of the study are to demonstrate the safety and tolerability of cleminorexton, evaluate PK and pharmacodynamic (PD) measures, and identify the optimal dose(s) and regimen of cleminorexton in each indication for the ongoing registrational program. For initial dose cohorts, independent cohorts with NT1, NT2, and IH participants received both cleminorexton and placebo treatment (administered once daily) randomized in a 2-week crossover design. Efficacy was assessed by the change from baseline in mean sleep latency (MSL) on the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT), and excessive daytime sleepiness on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), each compared with placebo, and, for NT1 participants, by the incidence rate ratio for Weekly Cataplexy Rate (WCR) compared with placebo. After completion of each indication cohort, a new dose was selected and reviewed by the Safety Review Committee based on observed safety, tolerability, exposure and efficacy.
Following the initial dose cohorts, the study was adapted to a 4-week parallel design. Under this design, participants in ongoing and future cohorts are randomized to one of two blinded treatment sequences and receive 4 weeks of treatment with either cleminorexton or placebo (administered either once-daily or as a split dose) followed by a 2-week crossover to the other treatment. Efficacy is assessed after the initial 4-week parallel treatment period. Following completion of CRYSTAL-1, participants may enroll into an ongoing open-label long term extension (LTE) study of cleminorexton with separate cohorts for each condition.
2-Week Crossover Data Update:
In November 2025, we shared preliminary topline data from the completed initial dosing cohorts of cleminorexton within CRYSTAL’s 2-week crossover design for NT1, NT2 and IH (n=55) as of a September 23, 2025 data cutoff date. As of that cutoff date, cleminorexton was observed to be generally well-tolerated at all doses tested across each indication with all TEAEs being transient and mild to moderate in severity. One participant discontinued from treatment due to urinary urgency in the NT2 cohort. There were no clinically meaningful changes in cardiac, visual, liver or renal function. The most common TEAEs (≥10%) across all completed NT1, NT2 and IH cohorts were pollakiuria (51%), insomnia (22%), dizziness (13%) and headache (11%).
In NT1 participants, statistically significant, clinically meaningful and dose-dependent improvements from baseline compared with placebo were observed in mean sleep latency on the MWT and ESS scores in the 1.0 mg and 1.5 mg dose cohorts of cleminorexton administered once daily. More specifically, in the 1.5 mg cohort (n=6), cleminorexton achieved a >20-minute change from baseline in mean sleep latency compared with placebo on the MWT at Week 2 (p-value =0.0026), with half the participants achieving >30 minutes in mean sleep latency on the MWT. Also, in the 1.5 mg cohort (n=7), participants had a mean ESS total score of 5.1 with cleminorexton compared to a mean ESS total score of
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18.7 with placebo at Week 2 (p-value =0.0001). Participants had a mean ESS total score of 19.6 at baseline. Cleminorexton also achieved statistically significant, clinically meaningful and dose-dependent reductions in Weekly Cataplexy Rate (WCR) at both doses. In the 1.5 mg cohort (n=7), participants with cleminorexton had an 87% relative reduction in WCR compared with placebo, with an estimated incidence rate ratio of 0.13 at Week 2 (p-value = 0.0025).
In NT2 participants, statistically significant, clinically meaningful and dose-dependent improvements from baseline compared with placebo were observed in mean sleep latency on the MWT and ESS scores in the 2.0 mg and 4.0 mg dose cohorts of cleminorexton administered once daily. More specifically, in the 4.0 mg cohort (n=10), cleminorexton achieved a >10-minute change from baseline in mean sleep latency compared with placebo on the MWT at Week 2 (p-value = 0.0193). Also, in the 4.0 mg cohort (n=10), participants had a mean ESS total score of 8.1 with cleminorexton compared to a mean ESS total score of 15.9 with placebo at Week 2 (p-value =0.0023). Participants had a mean ESS total score of 17.3 at baseline.
In IH participants, statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements from baseline compared with placebo were observed on multiple efficacy measures including mean sleep latency on the MWT (p-value =0.0213) in the 2.0 mg dose cohort (n=17) administered once daily.
CRYSTAL-1 is ongoing.
Phase 1 Study in Healthy Volunteers
In May 2024, we announced the initiation of a Phase 1 first-in-human (FIH) clinical study of cleminorexton in healthy volunteers. The Phase 1 study is a randomized, double-blind, sponsor-open, placebo-controlled, study evaluating the safety, tolerability, PK, and PD of cleminorexton in healthy adult participants. This study incorporates a standard SAD/MAD study design, various food effect evaluations, and a PoC phase designed to demonstrate the potential efficacy of cleminorexton versus placebo following crossover dose administration in acutely sleep-deprived healthy male participants to establish a preliminary exposure-response relationship. We previously shared data from PoC cohorts that evaluated single doses of cleminorexton at 1.0, 2.5, 3.5, and 5.0 mg. The mean sleep latency on the MWT showed dose-dependent improvements and a full range of response across the evaluated doses, with the 5.0 mg dose producing MWT scores approaching the limit of the test. The Phase 1 study is ongoing and as of a January 14, 2026 data cutoff date, over 254 participants have been dosed with cleminorexton at doses administered with once-daily and split-dosing regimens which have enabled ongoing and planned future dose escalation in the Phase 2a study. The adverse event profile observed in the Phase 1 study has remained generally consistent with previously reported Phase 1 data.
Narcolepsy (NT1 and NT2) and Idiopathic Hypersomnia (IH)
Narcolepsy is a rare, lifelong, debilitating neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to regulate the normal sleep-wake cycle, resulting in EDS, among other symptoms. Narcolepsy symptoms usually start during adolescence or early adulthood, between 7-25 years of age, and diagnostic delays of 8-12 years are common. Narcolepsy is estimated to affect approximately 126,000 to 175,000 people in the United States (US), and over three million people worldwide; however, there are several different estimates of the size of the population based on different epidemiological methods, and calculations likely underestimate the size of the population due to diagnostic challenges. It is estimated that less than 50% of affected patients are diagnosed.
Narcolepsy is classified as two subtypes, NT1 and NT2. NT1 is caused by the T-cell-mediated destruction of orexin-producing neurons in the hypothalamus and is characterized by low levels of orexin peptides in the brain as measured in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (orexin A <110 pg/ml). The selective loss of these neurons is likely an autoimmune reaction to specific antigens in those individuals with a genetic predisposition. The cause of NT2 is not well understood. Some NT2 cases have been associated with partial loss of orexinergic neurons and intermediate levels of orexin in CSF, and others progress over time to a diagnosis of NT1, with the onset of cataplexy and greater loss of orexin. However, in most cases, CSF orexin levels are within the normal range.
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Figure 4: Schematic representation of the orexin neurotransmitter system.
NT1 is also commonly referred to as narcolepsy with cataplexy, and NT2 is referred to as narcolepsy without cataplexy. Approximately one-third of narcolepsy patients have NT1, characterized by significant symptoms of EDS, cataplexy, disturbed nighttime sleep, with dysregulation of sleep architecture and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep-related phenomena, such as the variable occurrence of sleep paralysis, hallucinations on waking up or falling asleep, vivid dreams, and other debilitating symptoms. Approximately two-thirds of narcolepsy patients have NT2. NT2 shares many clinical similarities with NT1, however individuals with NT2 do not experience cataplexy. Cataplexy events produce muscle weakness in particular areas of the body such as the face, neck, or limbs, and can result in a partial loss of muscle tone or full body collapse. Even in the case of a full body collapse, the individual remains fully awake and aware of their surroundings but is unable to move. Cataplexy events usually resolve within several minutes, and the individual regains full control of their muscles.
NT1 and NT2 are complex neurologic disorders that are frequently accompanied by a wide range of medical and psychiatric comorbidities in addition to the sleep/wake related impairment. More than 30% of individuals with NT1 and NT2 have a comorbid mood, depression, or anxiety disorder. Cognitive effects are commonly reported and described as a constellation of symptoms that may include fatigue, brain fog, automatic behaviors, and impairments in memory, attention, and concentration. Metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities, including diabetes and hypertension, are also prevalent in this population. The presence of these comorbidities contributes to the overall complexity of managing NT1 and NT2, as they can influence symptom presentation, treatment selection, and patient outcomes.
No approved treatment addresses the loss of orexin. Multiple medications are FDA approved to treat symptoms of narcolepsy; however, most treatment paradigms for patients with narcolepsy typically involve a polypharmacy approach due to suboptimal efficacy from monotherapies.
There are four medications approved to treat both EDS or cataplexy in narcolepsy, which are LUMRYZ™ (extended-release sodium oxybate) from Alkermes plc (“Alkermes”), WAKIX® (pitolisant) marketed by Harmony Biosciences, and XYREM® (sodium oxybate) and XYWAV® (calcium oxybate; magnesium oxybate; potassium oxybate; sodium oxybate) marketed by Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (“Jazz”). Medications approved to treat EDS in narcolepsy include the wake promoting agents modafinil and armodafinil which are available as generics and SUNOSI® (solriamfetol) marketed by Axsome Therapeutics. Stimulant medications such as methylphenidate and amphetamine containing products have a general indication for narcolepsy, but are typically prescribed to address the symptom of EDS. Antidepressant medications are also used off label to address cataplexy.
Despite the number of available therapies, the majority of patients still report significant EDS and over half report serious side effects. The side effects, abuse potential and limited efficacy for some patients underscores the need for new therapeutic options.
IH is a rare, chronic neurological disorder affecting approximately 120,000 people in the U.S. It is characterized by severe EDS, with or without prolonged nighttime sleep, sleep inertia (prolonged difficulty waking, confusion, and irritability), daytime “brain fog” or cognitive cloudiness, and autonomic symptoms. The onset of IH symptoms typically occurs in the second decade of life, and similar to narcolepsy, significant diagnostic delays have been reported. In one study, more than 45% of individuals with IH reported living with symptoms for 10 years or longer prior to diagnosis.
The pathophysiology and underlying cause of IH remain unknown, and unlike NT1, no orexin deficiency has been observed in the CSF of individuals with IH. A rare human genetic variant associated with IH, identified in a Japanese
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population, produces a mutant orexin peptide with reduced signaling efficiency compared with wild‑type orexin, suggesting that orexin pathways may contribute to disease mechanisms in a subset of patients. Additional research has proposed that symptoms of IH may arise from enhanced GABAergic responsiveness, autonomic dysfunction, or circadian disruption.
As there is no cure for IH, current disease management focuses on symptom reduction rather than disease resolution. Currently, the only US FDA-approved therapy for the treatment of IH is Xywav®, a Schedule III drug with risks associated with misuse and abuse as well as adverse effects that affect patients’ tolerability. Other medications, such as modafinil, armodafinil, methylphenidate, amphetamines, pitolisant, and solriamfetol, are often used off label to manage IH symptoms, but none have received specific FDA approval for IH. While these treatments improve measures of wakefulness, many patients view these drugs as insufficient in addressing all of their symptoms, and they often have concerns about the side effects and potential risks of these therapies. Given the significant impact IH has on daily functioning, IH represents major area of unmet medical need.
Various companies are conducting research and clinical development with orexin agonists for the treatment of sleep disorders and other indications, including Takeda, Alkermes, Jazz, Harmony, and Eisai Co., Ltd.
Other Clinical Studies
Phase 1 study of ORX142 in healthy volunteers
In November 2025, we announced interim results from our ongoing first‑in‑human (“FIH”) Phase 1 study evaluating the safety, tolerability, and PK profile of ORX142 in healthy volunteers. The study includes single‑ascending and multiple‑ascending dose cohorts, as well as a placebo‑controlled, cross‑over pharmacodynamic assessment in acutely sleep‑deprived healthy adults to inform dose selection for future patient trials. As of the March 4, 2026 data cutoff, 184 healthy participants had been dosed. ORX142 demonstrated a rapid onset of action, a differentiated PK profile, and was generally well‑tolerated across all dose levels. In addition, ORX142 produced statistically significant, dose‑dependent improvements in mean sleep latency on the MWT in sleep‑deprived participants compared to placebo, supporting the mechanism’s potential to enhance wakefulness and arousal‑related performance and informing downstream clinical development decisions. These data are expected to inform dosing in patient studies for targeted indications. The study is ongoing.
Phase 1 study of ORX489 in healthy volunteers
During the first quarter of 2026, following clearance of our IND from the FDA, we initiated a Phase 1 FIH study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and PK profile of ORX489 in healthy volunteers. The study is ongoing.
Earlier Stage Orexin Pipeline
Our earlier stage orexin pipeline includes additional OX2R agonists as well as research efforts on differentiated pharmacology associated with the activation of the orexin pathway.
We own worldwide rights to all of our pipeline programs and may opportunistically evaluate and enter into strategic transactions around certain product candidates, targets, geographies, or disease areas.
LockBody Technology Platform
In February 2025, we announced a license agreement providing Genmab access to our proprietary LockBody technology platform to research products against up to three targets during a multi-year research period, with an option to take exclusive commercial licenses for worldwide development and commercialization of products against each selected target. See “Intellectual Property and License Agreements- Genmab License Agreement.” Our LockBody technology is designed to selectively drive potent effector function activity, such as CD3, into the tumor micro environment (“TME”) while avoiding systemic toxicity. Our LockBody technology platform is intended to allow for the development of LockBody constructs (a “LockBody”). A LockBody is designed to be a conditionally-active antibody drug with the potential to engage powerful immune pathways in diseased tissue, but not in non-diseased tissue or the periphery, where the drug’s action is often unwanted.
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Corporate Information
Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc is registered with the Registrar of Companies in England and Wales under number 12973576, and our registered office is at 3rd Floor, 1 Ashley Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, United Kingdom, WA14 2DT. Our website address is http://www.centessa.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference in this annual report on Form 10-K.
Our UK business is operated by Centessa Pharmaceuticals (UK) Limited, (“CPUK”). CPUK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc. CPUK was incorporated in 2020 under the laws of England and Wales with primary operations in the United Kingdom.
Our U.S. business is operated by our US subsidiary, Centessa Pharmaceuticals LLC (formerly Centessa Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) (“CPLLC”). CPLLC was incorporated as a Delaware corporation in 2020 and was converted to a Delaware Limited Liability Company on June 29, 2023.
Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, are available free of charge on our website located at http://www.centessa.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
The SEC maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding us and other issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s Internet website address is http://www.sec.gov.
Competition
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are characterized by the rapid evolution of technologies and understanding of disease etiology, intense competition and a strong emphasis on intellectual property. We face, and will continue to face, competition from companies focused on the same or similar therapeutic areas. We are currently developing therapeutics that will compete, if approved, with other products and therapies that currently exist, are being developed or will in the future be developed, some of which we may not currently be aware. We expect substantial competition from multiple sources, including major pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical, and existing or emerging biotechnology companies, academic research institutions, governmental agencies and public and private research institutions worldwide. For example, a number of multinational companies as well as biotechnology companies are developing programs for the indications that we are exploring for our orexin program, including, but not limited to, Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company Limited and Alkermes plc. Many of our competitors, either alone or through collaborations, have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we do. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These companies also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and recruiting patients in clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. As a result, our competitors may discover, develop, license or commercialize products before or more successfully than we do.
We also face significant competition in seeking appropriate strategic partners and licensing and acquisition opportunities, and the negotiation process is time-consuming and complex. As a result, we may not be successful in our efforts in building a pipeline of product candidates through acquisitions, licensing or through internal development or in progressing these product candidates through clinical development. Although our research and development efforts to date have resulted in the identification, discovery and preclinical and clinical development of certain product candidates, these product candidates may not be safe or effective as therapies, and we have discontinued product candidates and may not be able to develop, in-license or otherwise acquire any other product candidates.
Manufacturing
We do not own or operate, and currently have no plans to establish, any manufacturing facilities. We currently depend on third-party contract development and manufacturing organizations (“CDMOs” or “CMOs”), for all of our requirements of raw materials, drug substance and drug product for our preclinical research and our ongoing clinical trials of our product candidates. Other than as discussed below, we have not entered into long-term agreements with our current CMOs. We generally intend to continue to rely on CMOs for later-stage development and commercialization of our
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product candidates, including any additional product candidates that we may identify. Although we rely on CMOs, we have personnel and third-party consultants with extensive manufacturing experience to oversee the relationships with our CMOs. Our dependence on CMOs exposes us to many risks and exposures including those listed under the caption “Risk Factors - We could experience manufacturing problems that result in delays in our development or commercialization of our programs or otherwise harm our business.”
Sales and Marketing
We intend to evaluate our commercialization strategy as we advance each product candidate through clinical development which may include building internal sales and marketing capabilities and / or, where appropriate, utilization of strategic partners, distributors or contract sales forces to expand the commercial availability of our product candidates.
Intellectual Property and License Agreements
We strive to protect the proprietary technology that we believe is important to our business, including seeking and maintaining patents and patent applications intended to cover our product candidates and compositions, their methods of use and processes for their manufacture, and any other aspects of inventions that are commercially important to the development of our business. We have entered into various license agreements to obtain the rights to use certain patents for the development and commercialization of our product candidates. As described below, we also rely on trade secrets to protect aspects of our business that are not amenable to, or that we do not consider appropriate for, patent protection.
Our success will depend on our ability to obtain and maintain patent and other proprietary rights protecting our commercially important technology, inventions and know-how related to our business, defend and enforce our current and future issued patents, if any, preserve the confidentiality of our trade secrets and operate without infringing the valid and enforceable patents and proprietary rights of third parties. We also rely on know-how, continuing technological innovation and potential in-licensing opportunities to develop and maintain our intellectual property portfolio. We seek to obtain U.S. and non-U.S. patent protection, and endeavor to promptly file patent applications for new inventions with potential commercial value.
The patent positions of biopharmaceutical companies like us are generally uncertain and involve complex legal, scientific and factual questions. In addition, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued, and patent scope can be reinterpreted by the courts after issuance. Moreover, many jurisdictions permit third parties to challenge issued patents in administrative proceedings, which may result in further narrowing or even cancellation of patent claims. We cannot predict whether the patent applications we are currently pursuing will issue as patents in any particular jurisdiction or whether the claims of any patents, if issued, will provide sufficient protection from competitors.
Because patent applications in the United States and certain other jurisdictions are maintained in secrecy for 18 months or potentially even longer, and because the publication of discoveries in scientific or patent literature often lags behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain of the priority of inventions covered by pending patent applications. Moreover, we may have to participate in interference proceedings or derivation proceedings declared by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) to determine priority of invention.
Centessa Pharmaceuticals (UK) Limited
As of December 31, 2025, our subsidiary, Centessa Pharmaceuticals (UK) Limited (“CPUK”):
i.owned nine pending U.S. provisional patent applications, seven pending U.S. patent applications, one issued U.S. patent, and 40 pending non-U.S. patent applications in connection with its orexin program. The orexin-related patent portfolio includes claims directed to OX2R agonists and uses thereof. The issued patent, which includes composition of matter, pharmaceutical composition, and method of use claims with OX2R agonists, expires in 2042, and the pending patent applications, if issued, are expected to expire between 2041 and 2046, without considering any possible patent term adjustments or extensions and assuming payment of all appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity, or other governmental fees;
ii.owned one pending U.S. provisional applications, five pending U.S. patent applications, 45 pending non-U.S. patent applications, and two issued non-U.S. patents in connection with its LockBody® technology platform. The LockBody® technology platform patent portfolio includes composition of matter and method of treatment claims directed to CD47 agents, CD3 agents, CD28 agents and CD89 agents. Also included, are three pending U.S. patent applications, six issued U.S. patents, one pending PCT international application, 20
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pending non-U.S. patent applications, and 20 issued non-U.S. patents comprising composition of matter, pharmaceutical compositions, and/or method of treatment claims directed anti-CD47 antibodies, anti-C-MET antibodies, and anti-CD3 antibodies. The issued patents are expected to expire between 2038 and 2040, and the pending patent applications, once nationalized, where applicable, and if issued, are expected to expire between 2038 and 2046, without considering any possible patent term adjustments or extensions and assuming payment of all appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity, or other governmental fees;
iii.owned, one pending U.S. patent application, one pending PCT international application, 14 pending non-U.S. patent applications, and two non-U.S. patents with claims directed to compositions and methods of use of the anti-BDCA2 antibodies, which it has licensed to AnaptysBio Inc. The issued patents, which include composition of matter claims, pharmaceutical composition claims, and method of use claims with the anti-BDCA2 antibody, expire in 2040, and the pending patent applications, if issued, are expected to expire between 2040 and 2044, without considering any possible patent term adjustments or extensions and assuming payment of all appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity, or other governmental fees.
In addition, CPUK owns a number of patents and patent applications related to a number of discontinued programs which are not specified above including, patents and patent applications in connection with alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency and patents and patent applications with claims directed to composition and / or method of use of anti-LIGHT antibodies and anti-PD-L1 antibodies.
Intellectual Property License Agreements
Genmab License Agreement
On February 14, 2025, Centessa Pharmaceuticals (UK) Limited (“CPUK”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) with Genmab A/S (“Genmab”) pursuant to which Centessa granted to Genmab an exclusive worldwide license to leverage the Company’s proprietary LockBody platform to research products against up to three undisclosed targets during a multi-year research period, with an option to take up to three exclusive commercial licenses for worldwide development and commercialization of products against each selected target. Genmab will be conducting all research and development activities under the License Agreement and the products may combine Centessa’s LockBody technology with Genmab’s proprietary antibody technologies. The LockBody technology platform is designed to improve the therapeutic index of therapies by allowing targeted conditional activation of potent cell killing mechanisms in diseased tissue only.
Under the terms of the License Agreement, Centessa received an upfront payment of $15 million, may receive option exercise fees potentially totaling up to an additional $15 million and is eligible to receive potential payouts of approximately $230 million in development, regulatory and sales milestones per product, as well as tiered royalties ranging in the mid-single digits on annual global net licensed product (“Licensed Product”) sales. Royalties are to be paid on a Licensed Product-by-Licensed Product and country-by-country basis until the latest of (a) the expiration of the last-to-expire valid claim included in the licensed patents in such country that covers the Licensed Product; or (b) the tenth (10th) anniversary of the first commercial sale of such Licensed Product in such country; or (c) the expiration of the regulatory exclusivity periods in such country with respect to such Licensed Product, provided that such period of regulatory exclusivity would, with respect to the U.S., not exceed twelve (12) years after the first commercial sale in the U.S. and with respect to any country other than the U.S., not exceed ten (10) years after the first commercial sale in that country.
The License Agreement includes various representations, warranties, covenants, indemnities, and other customary provisions. Unless earlier terminated in accordance with its terms, the License Agreement will expire upon expiration of the last royalty term for the last licensed product. Genmab may terminate the License Agreement or on a target-by-target basis for convenience upon specified time periods. On a target-by-target basis, if Genmab elects not to exercise its option for an exclusive commercial license for worldwide development and commercialization of products against the applicable target (a “Reserved Target”), then the License Agreement will automatically terminate with respect to such Reserved Target. Subject to the terms and specified exceptions set forth in the License Agreement, either party may terminate the License Agreement for the other party’s uncured material breach or insolvency upon a specified notice period.
CPUK License Agreement with Nxera Pharma UK Limited (formerly Heptares Therapeutics Limited) in connection with the Nxera STAR Technology for Orexin Agonism
In January 2019, Nxera Pharma UK Limited (“Nxera”) entered into a license, assignment, and research services agreement with Centessa Pharmaceuticals (Orexia) Limited (“Orexia”), which was amended and restated in 2020 (together
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the “Agreement”), relating to certain specific molecules and future molecules generated by using the Nxera STAR technology, with, among other criteria, the primary mode of action of an orexin agonist or orexin positive modulator (“Molecules”). Under the agreement, Nxera assigned to Orexia all of Nxera’s right, title, and interest in and to intellectual property that was already in existence and that is developed as a result of the agreement that relates solely to Molecules or products that contain Molecules (“Products”), including all rights to obtain patent or similar protection throughout the world for such intellectual property and to take any and all actions regarding past infringements of existing intellectual property. Additionally, Nxera granted to Orexia an exclusive, sublicensable (subject to certain terms) license to make, import, export, use, sell, or offer for sale, including to development, commercialization, registration, modification, enhancement, improvement, manufacturing, holding, keeping or disposing of Molecules and Products. Nxera must not by itself or through a third party (other than a single company) exploit, use or dispose of (inter alia) any product in the field of orexin agonism and orexin positive modulation for the duration of the agreement and for three years thereafter.
In consideration for the assignment and license, Orexia is to pay Nxera a royalty in the low single-digits on net sales of Products (subject to limitations in certain scenarios). Royalties are on a Product-by-Product and country-by-country basis. Payments shall commence with the first commercial sale of such product in a country and shall continue until the later of: (a) the duration of regulatory exclusivity in the country; or (b) ten years after the first commercial sale. Further, Orexia is responsible for all development costs incurred by itself or Nxera in the performance of the research program (within the confines of the research budget). Additionally, Orexia must pay Nxera, on a Molecule-by-Molecule basis, development milestone payments in the aggregate of a low double-digit number in the millions of pounds sterling. Milestone payments are payable once per Molecule.
Orexia may terminate the agreement at any time following the expiration or termination of the research program. In addition, customary termination rights exist for both parties for breach and insolvency. In the event of termination, all licenses automatically terminate. The term of the agreement is until the later of: (i) the expiration of the last to expire patent within the licensed intellectual property; (ii) the expiration of the royalty term; and (iii) the fifteenth anniversary of the effective date. Upon expiration, with respect to any given Molecule, the license granted to Orexia shall become perpetual, irrevocable, and fully-paid up. In 2023, in connection with an internal reorganization, Orexia assigned the Agreement to Centessa Pharmaceuticals (UK) Limited.
Government Regulation
United States Food and Drug Administration Regulation
The FDA, and other regulatory authorities at federal, state and local levels, as well as in foreign countries, extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, import, export, safety, effectiveness, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, record keeping, approval, advertising, promotion, marketing, post-approval monitoring and post-approval reporting of drugs and biologics such as those we are developing. We, along with our vendors, collaboration partners, clinical research organizations (“CROs”), and CMOs, will be required to navigate the various preclinical, clinical, manufacturing and commercial approval requirements of the governing regulatory agencies of the countries in which we wish to conduct studies or seek approval of our product candidates. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals of drugs and ensuring subsequent compliance with appropriate United States federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable regulatory requirements at any time during the product development process or post-approval may subject an applicant to delays in development or approval, as well as administrative and judicial sanctions.
In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”), and biologics under the FDCA and the Public Health Service Act (“PHSA”), and their implementing regulations. Both drugs and biologics are also subject to other federal, state and local statutes and regulations. Our product candidates are early-stage and have not been approved by the FDA for marketing in the United States.
Our product candidates must be approved for therapeutic indications by the FDA before they may be marketed in the United States. For our drug product candidates regulated under the FDCA, FDA must approve a New Drug Application (“NDA”). For our biologic product candidates regulated under the FDCA and PHSA, FDA must approve a BLA. The process is similar and generally involves the following:
•completion of extensive preclinical studies in accordance with applicable regulations, including studies conducted in accordance with GLP requirements;
•submission to the FDA of an IND, which must become effective before clinical trials may begin and must be updated annually and when certain changes are made;
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•approval of the protocol and related documentation by an Institutional Review Board (“IRB”), or an independent ethics committee at each clinical trial site before each trial may be initiated;
•performance of adequate and well-controlled clinical trials in accordance with the FDA’s Good Clinical Practice (“GCP”) requirements and any additional requirements for the protection of human research subjects and their health information, to establish the safety and efficacy of the investigational product for each proposed indication;
•preparation and submission to the FDA of an NDA or BLA after completion of all pivotal trials;
•payment of user fees for FDA review of the NDA or BLA (unless a fee waiver applies);
•a determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of an NDA or BLA to file the application for review;
•satisfactory completion of one or more FDA pre-approval inspections of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the product will be produced to assess compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practice (“cGMP”) requirements to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to ensure and preserve the drug or biological product’s identity, strength, quality and purity;
•satisfactory completion of any FDA audits of the clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the NDA or BLA; and
•FDA review and approval of the NDA or BLA, including, where applicable, consideration of the views of any FDA advisory committee, prior to any commercial marketing or sale of the drug or biologic in the United States.
Preclinical Studies and Clinical Trials
Before testing any drug or biologic in humans, the product candidate must undergo rigorous preclinical testing. Preclinical studies include laboratory evaluations of chemistry, formulation and stability, as well as in vitro and animal studies to assess safety and in some cases to establish the rationale for therapeutic use. The conduct of preclinical studies is subject to federal and state regulations and requirements, including GLP requirements for safety and toxicology studies. In the United States, the results of the preclinical studies, together with manufacturing information and analytical data must be submitted to the FDA as part of an IND.
An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational product to humans and must become effective before clinical trials may begin. The central focus of an IND submission is on the general investigational plan and the protocol(s) for clinical studies. The IND also includes results of animal and in vitro studies assessing the toxicology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, and pharmacodynamic characteristics of the product; chemistry, manufacturing, and controls information; and any available human data or literature to support the use of the investigational product. In the United States, the IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30-day time period, raises concerns or questions about the conduct of the clinical trial, including concerns that human research subjects will be exposed to unreasonable health risks, and imposes a clinical hold. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. Some long-term preclinical testing may continue after the IND is submitted. Accordingly, submission of an IND may or may not result in FDA authorization to begin a trial.
The clinical stage of development involves the administration of the product candidate to healthy volunteers or patients under the supervision of qualified investigators, generally physicians not employed by or under the trial sponsor’s control, in accordance with GCP requirements, which include the requirements that all research subjects provide their informed consent for their participation in any clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria and the parameters and criteria to be used in monitoring safety and evaluating effectiveness. Each protocol, and any subsequent amendments to the protocol, must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Furthermore, each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an IRB for each institution at which the clinical trial will be conducted to ensure that the risks to individuals participating in the clinical trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to the anticipated benefits. The IRB also approves the informed consent form that must be provided to each clinical trial subject or his or her legal representative and must monitor the clinical trial until completed.
The FDA may, at any time during the initial 30-day IND review period or while clinical trials are ongoing under the IND, impose a partial or complete clinical hold based on concerns for patient safety and/or noncompliance with regulatory requirements. This order issued by the FDA would delay a proposed clinical study or cause suspension of an
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ongoing study until all outstanding concerns have been adequately addressed, and the FDA has notified the company that investigations may proceed. Imposition of a clinical hold could cause significant delays or difficulties in completing planned clinical studies in a timely manner. In addition, the IRB, or the sponsor may suspend or discontinue a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Some studies also include oversight by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical study sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board, which provides authorization for whether or not a study may move forward at designated check points based on access to certain data from the study and may recommend that the clinical trial be stopped if it determines that there is an unacceptable safety risk for subjects or other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy. There also are requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and completed clinical trials to public registries. In the United States, information about applicable clinical trials, including clinical trial results, must be submitted within specific timeframes for publication on the www.clinicaltrials.gov website.
A sponsor who wishes to conduct a clinical trial outside of the United States may, but need not, obtain FDA authorization to conduct the clinical trial under an IND. The FDA will accept a well-designed and well-conducted foreign clinical study not conducted under an IND if the study was conducted in accordance with GCP requirements, and the FDA is able to validate the data through an onsite inspection if deemed necessary. Clinical trials to evaluate therapeutic indications to support NDAs and BLAs for marketing approval are typically conducted in three sequential phases, which may overlap.
•Phase 1—Phase 1 clinical trials involve initial introduction of the investigational product in a limited population of healthy human volunteers or patients with the target disease or condition. These studies are typically designed to test the safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism and distribution of the investigational product in humans, evaluate the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence of effectiveness.
•Phase 2—Phase 2 clinical trials typically involve administration of the investigational product to a limited patient population with a specified disease or condition to evaluate the preliminary efficacy, optimal dosages and dosing schedule and to identify possible adverse side effects and safety risks. Multiple Phase 2 clinical trials may be conducted to obtain information prior to beginning larger and more expensive Phase 3 clinical trials.
•Phase 3—Phase 3 clinical trials typically involve administration of the investigational product to an expanded patient population to further evaluate dosage, to provide substantial evidence of clinical efficacy and to further test for safety, generally at multiple geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk/benefit ratio of the investigational product and to provide an adequate basis for physician labeling. Generally, two adequate and well-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials are required by the FDA for approval of an NDA or BLA.
Post-approval trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, may be conducted after initial marketing approval. These trials are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication and are commonly intended to generate additional safety data regarding use of the product in a clinical setting. In certain instances, the FDA may mandate the performance of Phase 4 clinical trials as a condition of approval of an NDA or BLA. Failure to exhibit due diligence with regard to conducting required Phase 4 clinical trials could result in withdrawal of approval for products.
Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials, among other information, must be submitted at least annually to the FDA and written IND safety reports must be submitted to the FDA and the investigators fifteen days after the trial sponsor determines the information qualifies for reporting for serious and unexpected suspected adverse events, findings from other studies or animal or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk for human participants exposed to the drug or biologic and any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigator brochure. The sponsor must also notify the FDA of any unexpected fatal or life-threatening suspected adverse reaction as soon as possible but in no case later than seven calendar days after the sponsor’s initial receipt of the information.
Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional animal studies and must also develop additional information about the drug or biological characteristics of the product candidate and finalize a process for manufacturing the drug product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and manufacturers must develop, among other things, methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final drug product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate
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that the product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life and to identify appropriate storage conditions for the product candidate.
FDA Marketing Application Review Process
Assuming successful completion of the required clinical testing, the results of the preclinical studies and clinical trials, together with detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacture, controls and proposed labeling, among other things, are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA or BLA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. The NDA or BLA must include all relevant data available from pertinent preclinical studies and clinical trials, including negative or ambiguous results as well as positive findings. Data may come from company-sponsored clinical trials intended to test the safety and efficacy of a product’s use or from a number of alternative sources, including studies initiated by investigators. To support marketing approval, the data submitted must be sufficient in quality and quantity to establish the safety and efficacy of the investigational drug, or the safety, purity and potency of the investigational biologic, to the satisfaction of the FDA. FDA approval of an NDA or BLA must be obtained before a drug or biologic may be marketed in the United States.
In addition, under the Pediatric Research Equity Act (“PREA”), certain NDAs and BLAs and certain supplements to an NDA or BLA must contain data to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug or biological product candidate for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The FDCA requires that a sponsor who is planning to submit a marketing application for a drug or biological product that includes a new active ingredient or clinically active component, new indication, new dosage form, new dosing regimen or new route of administration submit an initial Pediatric Study Plan within 60 days after an End-of-Phase 2 meeting or as may be agreed between the sponsor and FDA. Unless otherwise required by regulation, PREA generally does not apply to a drug or biological product for an indication for which ODD has been granted.
In the United States, the FDA reviews all submitted NDAs and BLAs to ensure they are sufficiently complete to permit substantive review before it accepts them for filing and may request additional information rather than accepting the NDA or BLA for filing. The FDA makes a decision on accepting an NDA or BLA for filing within 60 days of receipt, and such decision could include a refusal to file by the FDA. Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review of the application. The FDA reviews an NDA or BLA to determine, among other things, whether the product is safe and effective and whether the facility in which it is manufactured, processed, packaged or held meets standards, including cGMP requirements, designed to assure and preserve the product’s identity, strength, quality and purity. Under the goals and policies agreed to by the FDA under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (“PDUFA”), the FDA targets ten months, from the filing date, in which to complete its initial review of an original NDA for a new molecular entity or BLA and respond to the applicant, and six months from the filing date of an original NDA for a new molecular entity or BLA that has been granted priority review. The FDA does not always meet its PDUFA goal dates for standard or priority NDAs or BLAs, and the review process is often extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification.
Further, under PDUFA, as amended, each NDA or BLA must be accompanied by an application fee, and the sponsor of an approved NDA or BLA is also subject to an annual program fee. FDA adjusts these PDUFA fees on an annual basis. Fee waivers or reductions may be available in certain circumstances, including a waiver of the application fee for the first application filed by a small business. Additionally, no user fees are assessed on NDAs or BLAs for products designated as orphan drugs, unless the product also includes a non-orphan indication.
The FDA may refer an application for a drug or biologic to an advisory committee. An advisory committee is a panel of independent experts, including clinicians and other scientific experts, which reviews, evaluates and provides a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions.
Before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA typically will inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA may inspect one or more clinical trial sites to assure compliance with GCP and other requirements and the integrity of the clinical data submitted to the FDA.
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After evaluating the application and all related information, including the advisory committee recommendation, if any, and inspection reports regarding the manufacturing facilities and clinical trial sites, the FDA may issue an approval letter, or, in some cases, a Complete Response Letter. A Complete Response Letter indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete and the application is not ready for approval. A Complete Response Letter will usually describe all of the deficiencies that the FDA has identified in the NDA or BLA, except that where the FDA determines that the data supporting the application are inadequate to support approval, the FDA may issue the Complete Response Letter without first conducting required inspections, testing submitted product lots, and/or reviewing proposed labeling. In issuing the Complete Response Letter, the FDA may recommend actions that the applicant might take to place the NDA or BLA in condition for approval, including requests for additional information or clarification. Even with submission of this additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval. If and when those conditions have been met to the FDA’s satisfaction, the FDA will typically issue an approval letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications.
Even if the FDA approves a product, depending on the specific risk(s) to be addressed, the FDA may limit the approved indications for use of the product, require that contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling, require that post-approval studies, including Phase 4 clinical trials, be conducted to further assess a product’s safety or efficacy after approval, require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the product after commercialization, or impose other conditions, including distribution and use restrictions or other risk management mechanisms under a REMS, which can materially affect the potential market and profitability of the product. A REMS can include medication guides, communication plans for healthcare professionals, and elements to assure safe use (“ETASU”). ETASU can include, but are not limited to, special training or certification for prescribing or dispensing, dispensing only under certain circumstances, special monitoring, and the use of patient registries. If the FDA concludes a REMS is needed, the sponsor of the NDA or BLA must submit a proposed REMS; the FDA will not approve the NDA or BLA without a REMS, if required. The FDA may prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of post-marketing studies or surveillance programs. After approval, some types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, manufacturing changes, and additional labeling claims, are subject to further testing requirements and FDA review and approval.
Orphan Drug Designation and Exclusivity
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan drug designation (“ODD”) to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, defined as a disease or condition with either a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or a patient population greater than 200,000 individuals in the United States when there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available the drug or biologic in the United States will be recovered from sales in the United States of that drug or biologic. ODD must be requested before submitting an NDA or BLA. After the FDA grants ODD, the generic identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA.
If a product that has received ODD and subsequently receives the first FDA approval for that drug or biologic for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan product exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications, including a full NDA or BLA, to market the same drug or biologic for the same indication for seven years from the approval of the NDA or BLA, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity or if the FDA finds that the holder of the orphan drug exclusivity has not shown that it can assure the availability of sufficient quantities of the orphan drug to meet the needs of patients with the disease or condition for which the drug was designated. Orphan drug exclusivity does not prevent the FDA from approving a different drug or biologic for the same disease or condition, or the same drug or biologic for a different disease or condition. Among the other benefits of ODD are tax credits for certain research and development expenses and a waiver of the NDA or BLA application fee.
A designated orphan drug may not receive orphan drug exclusivity if it is approved for a use that is broader than the indication for which it received ODD. In addition, orphan drug exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.
Expedited Development and Review Programs
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The FDA maintains several programs intended to facilitate and expedite development and review of new drugs and biologics to address unmet medical needs in the treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions. These programs include Fast Track designation, Breakthrough Therapy designation, priority review and accelerated approval. Additionally, under the Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act of 2022 (“FDORA”), sponsors of designated platform technologies may receive expedited development and review of any subsequent application for a drug or biologic that uses or incorporates the platform technology.
A new drug or biologic is eligible for Fast Track designation if it is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for such disease or condition. Fast Track designation applies to the combination of the product and the specific indication for which it is being studied. Fast Track designation provides increased opportunities for sponsor interactions with the FDA during preclinical and clinical development, in addition to the potential for a rolling review once a marketing application is filed, meaning that the FDA may initiate review of sections of a Fast Track product’s application before the application is complete upon satisfaction of certain conditions.
In addition, a new drug or biological product may be eligible for Breakthrough Therapy designation if it is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug or biologic, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs or biologics, may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. Breakthrough Therapy designation provides all the features of Fast Track designation in addition to intensive guidance on an efficient development program beginning as early as Phase 1, and the FDA’s organizational commitment to expedited development, including involvement of senior managers and experienced review staff in a cross-disciplinary review, where appropriate.
Any product submitted to the FDA for approval, including a product with Fast Track, or Breakthrough Therapy designation, may also be eligible for priority review. A product is eligible for priority review if it is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness. For an original NDA for a new molecular entity or a BLA, priority review designation means the FDA’s goal is to take action on the marketing application within six months of the 60-day filing date (compared with ten months under standard review).
The FDA may grant accelerated approval to a product intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition that generally provides a meaningful therapeutic advantage to patients over available treatments, and demonstrates an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality (“IMM”), that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on IMM or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments.
For drugs and biologics granted accelerated approval, the FDA generally requires sponsors to conduct, in a diligent manner, adequate and well-controlled post-approval confirmatory studies to verify and describe the product’s clinical benefit and, under FDORA, the FDA may require, as appropriate, that such trials be underway prior to approval or within a specific time period after the date of accelerated approval. Failure to conduct required post-approval studies with due diligence, failure to confirm a clinical benefit during the post-approval studies, or dissemination of false or misleading promotional materials would allow the FDA to withdraw the product approval on an expedited basis, and under FDORA, the FDA has increased authority for such expedited withdrawal procedures. All promotional materials for product candidates approved under accelerated approval are subject to prior review by the FDA unless the FDA informs the applicant otherwise.
Fast Track designation, Breakthrough Therapy designation, priority review and accelerated approval do not change the scientific or medical standards for approval or the quality of evidence necessary to support approval but they may expedite the development or review process.
Under FDORA, a platform technology incorporated within or utilized by a drug or biological product is eligible for designation as a designated platform technology if: (1) the platform technology is incorporated in, or utilized by, a drug approved under an NDA or BLA; (2) preliminary evidence submitted by the sponsor of the approved or licensed drug, or a sponsor that has been granted a right of reference to data submitted in the application for such drug, demonstrates that the platform technology has the potential to be incorporated in, or utilized by, more than one drug without an adverse effect on quality, manufacturing, or safety; and (3) data or information submitted by the applicable person indicates that
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incorporation or utilization of the platform technology has a reasonable likelihood to bring significant efficiencies to the drug development or manufacturing process and to the review process. A sponsor may request the FDA to designate a platform technology as a designated platform technology concurrently with, or at any time after, submission of an IND application for a drug that incorporates or utilizes the platform technology that is the subject of the request. If so designated, the FDA may expedite the development and review of any subsequent original NDA or BLA for a drug that uses or incorporates the platform technology. Designated platform technology status does not ensure that a drug will be developed more quickly or receive FDA approval. In addition, the FDA may revoke a designation if the FDA determines that a designated platform technology no longer meets the criteria for such designation.
Post-Approval Requirements for Drugs and Biologics in the United States
In the United States, drugs and biologics manufactured or distributed pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to extensive and continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, requirements relating to recordkeeping, periodic reporting, product sampling and distribution, reporting of adverse experiences with the product, complying with promotion and advertising requirements, which include restrictions on promoting products for unapproved uses or patient populations (known as “off-label use”) and limitations on industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities. Although physicians may prescribe approved products for off-label uses, manufacturers may not market or promote such uses. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, including not only by Company employees but also by agents of the Company or those speaking on the Company’s behalf, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in, among other things, adverse publicity, warning letters, corrective advertising and potential civil and criminal penalties, including liabilities under the False Claims Act where products carry reimbursement under federal health care programs. Promotional materials for approved drugs and biologics must be submitted to the FDA in conjunction with their first use or first publication. Further, if there are any modifications to the product, including changes in indications, labeling or manufacturing processes or facilities, the applicant may be required to submit and obtain FDA approval of a new NDA or BLA or NDA or BLA supplement, which may require the development of additional data or preclinical studies and clinical trials.
The FDA may impose a number of post-approval requirements as a condition of approval of an NDA or BLA. For example, the FDA may require post-market testing, including Phase 4 clinical trials, and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product’s safety and effectiveness after commercialization.
In addition, drug and biologics manufacturers and their subcontractors involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved products are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with ongoing regulatory requirements, including cGMP, which impose certain procedural and documentation requirements upon us and our CMOs. Changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated, and, depending on the significance of the change, may require prior FDA approval before being implemented. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMP and impose reporting requirements upon us and any third-party manufacturers that we may decide to use. Manufacturers and other parties involved in the drug supply chain for prescription drug and biological products must also comply with product tracking and tracing requirements and for notifying the FDA of counterfeit, diverted, stolen and intentionally adulterated products or products that are otherwise unfit for distribution in the United States. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain compliance with cGMP and other aspects of regulatory compliance. Failure to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements can subject a manufacturer to possible legal or regulatory action, such as warning letters, suspension of manufacturing, product seizures, injunctions, civil penalties or criminal prosecution.
The FDA may withdraw approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information, requirements for post-market studies or clinical trials to assess new safety risks, or imposition of distribution or other restrictions under a REMS. Other potential consequences include, among other things:
•restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product, complete withdrawal of the product from the market or product recalls;
•safety alerts, Dear Healthcare Provider letters, press releases or other communications containing warnings or other safety information about the product;
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•mandated modification of promotional materials and labeling and issuance of corrective information;
•fines, warning letters, or untitled letters;
•holds on clinical trials;
•refusal of the FDA to approve applications or supplements to approved applications, or suspension or revocation of product approvals;
•product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of products;
•injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties; and
•consent decrees, corporate integrity agreements, debarment or exclusion from federal healthcare programs.
Regulation of Combination Products in the United States
Certain products may be comprised of components that are regulated under separate regulatory authorities and by different centers at the FDA. These products are known as combination products. A combination product is comprised of a combination of a drug and a device; a biological product and a device; a drug and a biological product; or a drug, a device, and a biological product. Under regulations issued by the FDA, a combination product includes:
•a product comprised of two or more regulated components that are physically, chemically, or otherwise combined or mixed and produced as a single entity;
•two or more separate products packaged together in a single package or as a unit and comprised of drug and device products, device and biological products, or biological and drug products;
•a drug, device, or biological product packaged separately that according to its investigational plan or proposed labeling is intended for use only with an approved individually specified drug, device or biological product where both are required to achieve the intended use, indication, or effect and where upon approval of the proposed product the labeling of the approved product would need to be changed, e.g., to reflect a change in intended use, dosage form, strength, route of administration, or significant change in dose; or
•any investigational drug, device, or biological product packaged separately that according to its proposed labeling is for use only with another individually specified investigational drug, device, or biological product where both are required to achieve the intended use, indication, or effect.
Under the FDCA, the FDA is charged with assigning a center with primary jurisdiction, or a lead center, for review of a combination product. That determination is based on the “primary mode of action” of the combination product, which means the single mode of action that provides the most important therapeutic action of the combination product, i.e., the mode of action expected to make the greatest contribution to the overall intended therapeutic effects of the combination product.
United States Patent Term Restoration and Marketing Exclusivity
Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of FDA approval of our future product candidates, some of our United States patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, commonly referred to as the Hatch-Waxman Amendments. The Hatch-Waxman Amendments permit restoration of the patent term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during the FDA regulatory review process. Patent-term restoration, however, cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the product’s approval date and only those claims covering such approved drug product, a method for using it or a method for manufacturing it may be extended. The patent-term restoration period is generally one-half the time between the effective date of an IND and the submission date of an NDA or BLA plus the time between the submission date of an NDA or BLA and the approval of that application, except that the review period is reduced by any time during which the applicant failed to exercise due diligence. Only one patent applicable to an approved drug is eligible for the extension and the application for the extension must be submitted prior to the expiration of the patent. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration. In the future, we may apply for restoration of patent term for our currently owned or licensed patents to add patent life beyond its current expiration date, depending on the expected length of the clinical trials and other factors involved in the filing of the relevant NDA or BLA.
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Regulatory exclusivity provisions under the FDCA also can delay the submission or the approval of certain applications. The FDCA provides a five-year period of non-patent marketing exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to gain approval of an NDA for a new chemical entity. A drug is a new chemical entity if the FDA has not previously approved any other new drug containing the same active moiety, which is the molecule or ion responsible for the action of the drug substance. During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not accept for review an ANDA, or a 505(b)(2) NDA submitted by another company for another version of such drug where the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference to all the data required for approval. However, an application may be submitted after four years if it contains a certification of patent invalidity or non-infringement.
The FDCA also provides three years of exclusivity for an NDA, 505(b)(2) NDA or supplement to an existing NDA if new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability studies, that were conducted or sponsored by the applicant are deemed by the FDA to be essential to the approval of the application, for example, new indications, dosages or strengths of an existing drug. This three-year exclusivity covers only the conditions of use associated with the new clinical investigations and does not prohibit the FDA from approving ANDAs for drugs containing the original active agent for other conditions of use. Five-year and three-year exclusivity will not delay the submission or approval of a full NDA. However, an applicant submitting a full NDA would be required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to all of the preclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.
In addition, both drugs and biologics can obtain pediatric exclusivity in the United States. Pediatric exclusivity, if granted, adds six months to existing regulatory exclusivity periods for all formulations, dosage forms, and indications of the active moiety for biologics and drugs, and for drugs to patent terms. Pediatric exclusivity may be granted based on the voluntary completion of a pediatric study in accordance with an FDA-issued “Written Request” for such a study.
United States Biosimilars and Exclusivity
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or collectively (“ACA”), signed into law in 2010, includes a subtitle called the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (“BPCIA”), which created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA-licensed reference biological product. The FDA has issued several guidance documents outlining an approach to the review and approval of biosimilars in the United States. Biosimilarity, which requires that there be no clinically meaningful differences between the biological product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity, and potency, can be shown through analytical studies, animal studies, and a clinical study or studies. Interchangeability requires that a product is biosimilar to the reference product and the product must demonstrate that it can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product in any given patient and, for products that are administered multiple times to an individual, the biologic and the reference biologic may be alternated or switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic.
Under the BPCIA, a reference biological product is granted 12 years of data exclusivity from the time of first licensure of the product, and an application for a biosimilar product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date that the reference product was first licensed by the FDA. In addition, the approval of a biosimilar product may not be made effective by the FDA until 12 years from the date on which the reference product was first licensed. During this 12-year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full BLA for the competing product containing that applicant’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of its product. The BPCIA also created certain exclusivity periods for biosimilars approved as interchangeable products. The first biological product determined to be interchangeable with a branded reference product for any condition of use is also eligible for a period of exclusivity, during which time the FDA may not determine that another product is interchangeable with the same reference product for any condition of use. The FDA may approve multiple “first” interchangeable products so long as they are all approved on the same first day of marketing. This exclusivity period, which may be shared among multiple first interchangeable products, lasts until the earlier of: (1) one year after the first commercial marketing of the first interchangeable product; (2) 18 months after resolution of a patent infringement suit instituted under 42 U.S.C. § 262(l)(6) against the applicant that submitted the application for the first interchangeable product, based on a final court decision regarding all of the patents in the litigation or dismissal of the litigation with or without prejudice; (3) 42 months after approval of the first interchangeable product, if a patent infringement suit instituted under 42 U.S.C. § 262(l)(6) against the applicant that submitted the application for the first interchangeable product is still ongoing; or (4) 18 months after approval of the first interchangeable product if the applicant that submitted the application for the first interchangeable
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product has not been sued under 42 U.S.C. § 262(l)(6). Whether biosimilar products deemed “interchangeable” by the FDA will, in fact, be readily substituted by pharmacies will be determined by state pharmacy law.
Other United States Regulatory Matters
Manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities of product candidates following product approval, where applicable, or commercialization are also subject to regulation by numerous regulatory authorities in the United States in addition to the FDA, which may include the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), other divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and state and local governments and governmental agencies.
Other United States Healthcare Laws
Healthcare providers and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of pharmaceutical products. Arrangements with third-party payors and customers can expose pharmaceutical manufacturers to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”), which may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which companies research, sell, market and distribute pharmaceutical products. In addition, transparency laws and patient privacy laws can apply to the activities of pharmaceutical manufacturers. The applicable federal, state and foreign healthcare laws and regulations that can affect a pharmaceutical company’s operations include without limitation:
•The federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe, or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce, or in return for, either the referral of an individual, or the purchase, lease, order or recommendation of any good, facility, item or service for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, or other federal healthcare programs. A person or entity can be found guilty of violating the statute without actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it. Violations are subject to civil and criminal fines and penalties for each violation, plus up to three times the remuneration involved, imprisonment, and exclusion from government healthcare programs. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the FCA. The Anti-Kickback Statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on the one hand and prescribers, purchasers, and formulary managers on the other. There are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common activities from prosecution, but such exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly and require strict compliance in order to offer protection;
•The federal civil and criminal false claims laws, including the FCA, and civil monetary penalty laws, which prohibit any person or entity from, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false, fictitious or fraudulent claim for payment to, or approval by, the federal government or knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used a false record or statement, including providing inaccurate billing or coding information to customers or promoting a product off-label, material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. As a result of a modification made by the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, a claim includes “any request or demand” for money or property presented to the federal government. In addition, manufacturers can be held liable under the FCA even when they do not submit claims directly to government payors if they are deemed to “cause” the submission of false or fraudulent claims. The FCA also permits a private individual acting as a “whistleblower” to bring actions on behalf of the federal government alleging violations of the FCA and to share in any monetary recovery;
•The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), which created federal criminal statutes that prohibit, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any healthcare benefit program, regardless of the payor (e.g., public or private) and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up by any trick or device a material fact or making any materially false statements in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services
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relating to healthcare matters. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity can be found guilty of violating HIPAA without actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it;
•HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (“HITECH”), and their respective implementing regulations, which impose, among other things, specified requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information held by covered entities and their business associates as well as their covered subcontractors. HITECH also created new tiers of civil monetary penalties, amended HIPAA to make civil and criminal penalties directly applicable to business associates, and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce the federal HIPAA laws and seek attorneys’ fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions;
•The federal legislation commonly referred to as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, created under the ACA, and its implementing regulations, which requires certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) to report annually to CMS information related to payments or other transfers of value made to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), certain other licensed health care practitioners and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members;
•Federal government price reporting laws, which require us to calculate and report complex pricing metrics in an accurate and timely manner to government programs;
•Federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm consumers; and
•Analogous state laws and regulations, including: state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to our business practices, including, but not limited to, research, distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including private insurers; state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the U.S. federal government, or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state and local laws that require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures; state laws that require the reporting of information related to drug pricing; state and local laws requiring the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives; and state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in some circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.
Pricing and rebate programs must comply with the Medicaid rebate requirements of the U.S. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 and more recent requirements in the ACA. If products are made available to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule of the General Services Administration, additional laws and requirements apply. Products must meet applicable child-resistant packaging requirements under the U.S. Poison Prevention Packaging Act. Manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities also are potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition laws.
The distribution of pharmaceutical products is subject to additional requirements and regulations, including extensive record-keeping, licensing, storage and security requirements intended to prevent the unauthorized sale of pharmaceutical products.
The scope and enforcement of each of these laws is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform, especially in light of the lack of applicable precedent and regulations with respect to certain laws. Federal and state enforcement bodies have recently increased their scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Prohibitions or restrictions on sales or withdrawal of future marketed products could materially affect our business in an adverse way. Changes in regulations, statutes or the interpretation of existing regulations could impact our business in the future by requiring, for example: (i) changes to our manufacturing arrangements; (ii) additions or modifications to product labeling; (iii) the recall or discontinuation of our products; or (iv) additional record-keeping
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requirements. If any such changes were to be imposed, they could adversely affect the operation of our business. Ensuring our business arrangements comply with applicable healthcare laws, as well as responding to possible investigations by government authorities, can be time- and resource-consuming and can divert a company’s attention from the business.
The failure to comply with any of these laws or regulatory requirements subjects companies to possible legal or regulatory action. Depending on the circumstances, failure to meet applicable regulatory requirements can result in significant penalties, including civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, possible exclusion from participation in federal and state funded healthcare programs, contractual damages and the curtailment or restricting of our operations, as well as additional reporting obligations and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws. Any action for violation of these laws, even if successfully defended, could cause a pharmaceutical company to incur significant legal expenses and divert management’s attention from the operation of the business.
Health Reform
In the United States, there have been and continue to be a number of legislative initiatives to contain healthcare costs. For example, in 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (the “ACA”) was passed, which substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers and continues to significantly impact the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The ACA, among other things, subjects biological products to potential competition by lower-cost biosimilars; increases the minimum Medicaid rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program; extends the rebate program to individuals enrolled in Medicaid managed care organizations; establishes annual fees and taxes on manufacturers of certain branded prescription drugs; and creates a Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which manufacturers must agree to offer 70% point-of-sale discounts off negotiated prices of applicable brand drugs to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period, as a condition to coverage under Medicare Part D for the manufacturer’s outpatient drugs.
Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted in the United States since the ACA was enacted:
•The Budget Control Act of 2011 and subsequent legislation, among other things, created measures for spending reductions by Congress that include aggregate reductions of Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year, which remain in effect through 2031. Due to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, estimated budget deficit increases resulting from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and subsequent legislation, Medicare payments to providers were further reduced starting on January 1, 2025.
•On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law, which eliminated the statutory Medicaid drug rebate cap, set at 100% of a drug’s average manufacturer price, for single source and innovator multiple source drugs, beginning January 1, 2024. These laws and regulations may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding and otherwise affect the prices we may obtain for any of our product candidates for which we may obtain regulatory approval or the frequency with which any such product candidate is prescribed or used.
•The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 further reduced Medicare payments to several types of providers and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.
•On April 13, 2017, CMS published a final rule that gives states greater flexibility in setting benchmarks for insurers in the individual and small group marketplaces, which may have the effect of relaxing the essential health benefits required under the ACA for plans sold through such marketplaces.
•On May 30, 2018, the Right to Try Act, was signed into law. The law, among other things, provides a federal framework for certain patients to access certain investigational new drug products that have completed a Phase 1 clinical trial and that are undergoing investigation for FDA approval. Under certain circumstances, eligible patients can seek treatment without enrolling in clinical trials and without obtaining FDA permission under the FDA expanded access program. There is no obligation for a pharmaceutical manufacturer to make its drug products available to eligible patients as a result of the Right to Try Act.
•On May 23, 2019, CMS published a final rule to allow Medicare Advantage Plans the option of using step therapy for Part B drugs beginning January 1, 2020.
Moreover, payment methodologies may be subject to changes in healthcare legislation and regulatory initiatives which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services and result in reduced demand for certain pharmaceutical products or additional pricing pressures.
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Additionally, there has been increasing legislative and enforcement interest in the United States with respect to specialty drug pricing practices. Specifically, there have been several recent U.S. presidential executive orders, congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, reduce the cost of prescription drugs under Medicare, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs.
At a federal level, President Trump reversed some of President Biden’s executive orders including rescinding Executive Order 14087 entitled “Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Americans.” President Trump may issue new executive orders designed to impact drug pricing, and/or rescind or modify the previous administration’s efforts to address drug costs. A number of these and other proposed measures may require authorization through additional legislation to become effective. Congress and the Trump administration have indicated that they will continue to seek new legislative measures to control drug costs.
On April 15, 2025, the Trump administration published Executive Order 14273, “Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First,” which generally directs the federal government to take measures to reduce drug prices, including eliminating the so-called “pill penalty” under the IRA that creates a distinction between small molecule and large molecule products for purposes of determining when a drug may be eligible for drug price negotiation. On May 12, 2025, the Trump administration published Executive Order 14297, “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients” which generally, among other things, directs the federal government to establish and communicate most-favored-nation (“MFN”) price targets to pharmaceutical manufacturers to bring prices for American patients in line with comparably developed nations. Further, the Executive Order directs the federal government to support regulatory paths to allow direct-to-patient sales for companies that meet these targets. It also states that the Administration will take additional aggressive action (for example, examining whether marketing approvals should be modified or rescinded or opening the door for individual drug importation waivers) should manufacturers fail to offer American consumers the MFN lowest price. It also directs the Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to “take all necessary and appropriate action to ensure foreign countries are not engaged in any act, policy, or practice that may be unreasonable or discriminatory or that may impair United States national security, including by suppressing the price of pharmaceutical products below fair market value in foreign countries.” Notably, a similar MFN pricing rule enacted under the first Trump administration was subject to an injunction resulting from judicial challenges to the rule, which was formally rescinded by the former Biden Administration in August 2021.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) includes several provisions that may impact our business to varying degrees, including provisions that reduce the out-of-pocket spending cap for Medicare Part D beneficiaries from $7,050 to $2,000 starting in 2025, thereby effectively eliminating the coverage gap; impose new manufacturer financial liability on certain drugs under Medicare Part D, allow the U.S. government to negotiate Medicare Part B and Part D price caps for certain high-cost drugs and biologics without generic or biosimilar competition; require companies to pay rebates to Medicare for certain drug prices that increase faster than inflation; and delay until January 1, 2032 the implementation of the HHS rebate rule that would have limited the fees that pharmacy benefit managers can charge. Further, under the IRA, orphan drugs are exempted from the Medicare drug price negotiation program, but only if they have one orphan designation and for which the only approved indication is for that disease or condition. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, this restriction was eliminated; and effective for the 2028 initial price applicability year, all orphan drugs, regardless of the number of orphan drug designations or indications, are exempt from the Medicare drug price negotiation program. The implementation of the IRA is currently subject to ongoing litigation challenging the constitutionality of the IRA’s Medicare drug price negotiation program. Although the effects of the IRA on our business and the healthcare industry in general is not yet known we are taking into consideration the potential impact of the IRA on our development and commercialization activities.
On December 19, 2025, CMS released two proposed rules that would incorporate MFN pricing principles into federal reimbursement for prescription drugs. The first proposal, the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing Model (“GLOBE”) for Medicare Part B, would require manufacturers of specified single source drugs and sole source biologics to pay incremental rebates based on international benchmark prices, with participation triggered for products meeting CMS’s spending and eligibility criteria. The second proposal, the Guarding U.S. Medicare Against Rising Drug Costs (“GUARD”) model for Medicare Part D, would similarly mandate manufacturer rebates for qualifying sole source drugs where the Medicare net price exceeds an MFN benchmark derived from international reference pricing methodologies. As proposed, GLOBE would begin a five year performance period on October 1, 2026 and GUARD would begin its performance period in 2027. These proposals will likely be subject to legal challenges that could delay their implementation or modify their impact on manufacturer pricing and revenue. Additionally, in November 2025, CMS introduced the GENErating cost Reductions fOr U.S. Medicaid (“GENEROUS”) Model, a voluntary MFN framework for manufacturers participating in the
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Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. Although it is voluntary, the GENEROUS Model could also impact the drug pricing landscape for manufacturers.
At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. Certain states are also pursuing cost containment efforts through Prescription Drug Affordability Boards (“PDABs”) and similar entities. While many PDABs have been granted authority to promote drug price transparency and reporting, some states have granted PDABs more expansive authority, including to set Upper Payment Limits (UPLs) on select, high price drugs. The adoption and implementation of UPLs may put downward pressure on drug prices and impact our company’s future revenues. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs. This could reduce the ultimate demand for our drugs or put pressure on our drug pricing, which could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Legally mandated price controls on payment amounts by third-party payors or other restrictions could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs. This could reduce the ultimate demand for our drugs or put pressure on our drug pricing, which could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Coverage and Reimbursement
Sales of our products, when and if approved, will depend, in part, on the extent to which our products will be covered by third-party payors, such as government health programs, commercial insurance and managed healthcare organizations. In the United States, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for drug or biological products exists. Accordingly, decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided for any of our products will be made on a payor-by-payor basis. Factors payors consider in determining reimbursement are based on whether the product is:
•a covered benefit under its health plan;
•safe, effective and medically necessary;
•appropriate for the specific patient;
•cost-effective; and
•neither experimental nor investigational.
In the United States, for example, principal decisions about reimbursement for new products are typically made by CMS, which decides whether and to what extent a new product will be covered and reimbursed under Medicare. Private third-party payors often follow CMS’s decisions regarding coverage and reimbursement to a substantial degree. However, one third-party payor’s determination to provide coverage for a product candidate does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage for the product candidate. Further, no uniform policy for coverage and reimbursement exists in the United States, and coverage and reimbursement can differ significantly from payor to payor. As a result, coverage determination is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be obtained. Further, coverage policies and third-party payor reimbursement rates may change at any time. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.
The U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments have shown significant interest in implementing cost containment programs to limit the growth of government-paid health care costs, including price-controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of biosimilars for branded prescription drugs. For example, the ACA contains provisions that may reduce the profitability of drug products through increased rebates for drugs reimbursed by Medicaid programs, extension of Medicaid rebates to Medicaid managed care plans, mandatory discounts for certain Medicare Part D beneficiaries and annual fees based on pharmaceutical companies’ share of sales to federal healthcare programs. Adoption of general controls and measures, coupled with the tightening of restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could limit payments for pharmaceutical drugs.
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The Medicaid Drug Rebate Program requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to enter into and have in effect a national rebate agreement with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services as a condition for states to receive federal matching funds for the manufacturer’s outpatient drugs furnished to Medicaid patients. The ACA made several changes to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, including increasing pharmaceutical manufacturers’ rebate liability by raising the minimum basic Medicaid rebate on most branded prescription drugs from 15.1% of average manufacturer price (“AMP”), to 23.1% of AMP and adding a new rebate calculation for “line extensions” (i.e., new formulations, such as extended release formulations) of solid oral dosage forms of branded products, as well as potentially impacting their rebate liability by modifying the statutory definition of AMP. The ACA also expanded the universe of Medicaid utilization subject to drug rebates by requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers to pay rebates on Medicaid managed care utilization and by enlarging the population potentially eligible for Medicaid drug benefits.
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (“MMA”), established the Medicare Part D program to provide a voluntary prescription drug benefit to Medicare beneficiaries. Under Part D, Medicare beneficiaries may enroll in prescription drug plans offered by private entities that provide coverage of outpatient prescription drugs. Unlike Medicare Part A and B, Part D coverage is not standardized. While all Medicare drug plans must give at least a standard level of coverage set by Medicare, Part D prescription drug plan sponsors are not required to pay for all covered Part D drugs, and each drug plan can develop its own drug formulary that identifies which drugs it will cover and at what tier or level. However, Part D prescription drug formularies must include drugs within each therapeutic category and class of covered Part D drugs, though not necessarily all the drugs in each category or class. Any formulary used by a Part D prescription drug plan must be developed and reviewed by a pharmacy and therapeutic committee. Government payment for some of the costs of prescription drugs may increase demand for products for which we receive marketing approval. However, any negotiated prices for our products covered by a Part D prescription drug plan likely will be lower than the prices we might otherwise obtain. Moreover, while the MMA applies only to drug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, private payors often follow Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own payment rates. Any reduction in payment that results from the MMA may result in a similar reduction in payments from non-governmental payors.
For a drug product to receive federal reimbursement under the Medicaid or Medicare Part B programs or to be sold directly to U.S. government agencies, the manufacturer must extend discounts to entities eligible to participate in the 340B drug pricing program. The required 340B discount on a given product is calculated based on the AMP and Medicaid rebate amounts reported by the manufacturer. As of 2010, the ACA expanded the types of entities eligible to receive discounted 340B pricing, although, under the current state of the law, with the exception of children’s hospitals, these newly eligible entities will not be eligible to receive discounted 340B pricing on orphan drugs. In addition, as 340B drug pricing is determined based on AMP and Medicaid rebate data, the revisions to the Medicaid rebate formula and AMP definition described above could cause the required 340B discount to increase.
As noted above, the marketability of any products for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale may suffer if the government and third-party payors fail to provide coverage and reimbursement. Obtaining coverage and reimbursement for newly approved drugs and biologics is a time-consuming and costly process, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which a drug is approved by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Assuming coverage is obtained for a given product by a third-party payor, the resulting reimbursement payment rates may not be adequate or may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. Additionally, coverage policies and third-party reimbursement rates may change at any time. Patients who are prescribed medications for the treatment of their conditions, and their prescribing physicians, generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the costs associated with their prescription drugs. Patients are unlikely to use products unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover all or a significant portion of the cost of prescribed products.
In addition, in most foreign countries, the proposed pricing for a drug must be approved before it may be lawfully marketed. The requirements governing drug pricing and reimbursement vary widely from country to country. For example, the EU provides options for its Member States to restrict the range of medicinal products for which their national health insurance systems provide reimbursement and to control the prices of medicinal products for human use. A Member State may approve a specific price for the medicinal product or it may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the medicinal product on the market. There can be no assurance that any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for pharmaceutical products will allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements for any of our products. Historically, products launched in the EU do not follow price structures of the United States and generally prices tend to be significantly lower.
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European Drug Development
In the EU, our future products also may be subject to extensive regulatory requirements. As in the United States, medicinal products can be marketed only if a marketing authorization from the competent regulatory agencies has been obtained.
Similar to the United States, the various phases of preclinical and clinical research in the EU are subject to significant regulatory controls. In April 2014, the EU adopted the Clinical Trials Regulation (EU) No 536/2014, which replaced the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC on January 31, 2022. The transitory provisions of the Regulation provide that, by January 31, 2025, all ongoing clinical trials must have transitioned to the Regulation. The Regulation is directly applicable in all Member States (and so does not require national implementing legislation in each Member State) and aims at simplifying and streamlining the approval of clinical studies in the EU. The main characteristics of the Regulation include: a streamlined application procedure via a single-entry point through the Clinical Trials Information System, or CTIS; a single set of documents to be prepared and submitted for the application as well as simplified reporting procedures for clinical trial sponsors; and a harmonized procedure for the assessment of applications for clinical trials, which is divided in two parts (Part I contains scientific and medicinal product documentation and Part II contains the national and patient-level documentation). Part I is assessed by a coordinated review by the competent authorities of all EU Member States in which an application for authorization of a clinical trial has been submitted (“Member States concerned”) of a draft report prepared by a Reference Member State. Part II is assessed separately by each Member State concerned. Strict deadlines have also been established for the assessment of clinical trial applications.
We plan to apply for renewal of SME status with the EMA as a small and medium-sized enterprise (“SME”). If we obtain renewal of our SME status with the EMA, it will provide access to administrative, regulatory and financial support, including fee reductions for scientific advice and regulatory procedures.
European Union Drug Review and Approval
In the EU, medicinal products can only be commercialized after obtaining a marketing authorization (“MA”). There are two main types of MAs:
•The centralized MA is issued by the European Commission through the centralized procedure, based on the opinion of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (“CHMP”), of the EMA, and is valid throughout the entire territory of EU and the additional countries of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) (“EEA”). The centralized procedure is mandatory for certain types of products, such as products produced by biotechnological processes, orphan medicinal products, advanced-therapy medicinal products (gene-therapy, somatic cell-therapy or tissue-engineered medicines) and medicinal products containing a new active substance indicated for the treatment of HIV, AIDS, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, auto-immune and other immune dysfunctions and viral diseases. The centralized procedure is optional for products containing a new active substance not yet authorized in the EU, or for products that constitute a significant therapeutic, scientific or technical innovation or which are in the interest of public health in the EU. Under the centralized procedure the maximum timeframe for the evaluation of an MA application by the EMA is 210 days, excluding clock stops, when additional written or oral information is to be provided by the applicant in response to questions asked by the CHMP. Clock stops may extend the timeframe of evaluation of an MA application considerably beyond 210 days. Where the CHMP gives a positive opinion, the EMA provides the opinion together with supporting documentation to the European Commission, who makes the final decision to grant an MA, which is issued within 67 days of receipt of the EMA’s recommendation. Accelerated assessment might be granted by the CHMP in exceptional cases, when a medicinal product is expected to be of a major public health interest, particularly from the point of view of therapeutic innovation. The timeframe for the evaluation of an MA application under the accelerated assessment procedure is 150 days, excluding stop-clocks, but it is possible that the CHMP may revert to the standard time limit for the centralized procedure if it determines that the application is no longer appropriate to conduct an accelerated assessment.
•National MAs, which are issued by the competent authorities of the Member States of the EU and only cover their respective territory, are available for products not falling within the mandatory scope of the centralized procedure. Where a product has already been authorized for marketing in a Member State of the EU, this national MA can be recognized in other Member States through the mutual recognition procedure. If the product has not received a national MA in any Member State at the time of application, it can be approved simultaneously in various Member States through the decentralized procedure. Under the decentralized
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procedure an identical dossier is submitted to the competent authorities of each of the Member States in which the MA is sought, one of which is selected by the applicant as the Reference Member State (“RMS”). The competent authority of the RMS prepares a draft assessment report, a draft summary of the product characteristics, or SmPC, and a draft of the labeling and package leaflet, which are sent to the other Member States (referred to as the Concerned Member States) for their approval. If the Concerned Member States raise no objections, on the basis of a potential serious risk to public health, to the assessment, SmPC, labeling, or package leaflet proposed by the RMS, the product is subsequently granted a national MA in all the Member States (i.e., in the RMS and the Concerned Member States).
Under the above-described procedures, before granting the MA, the EMA or the competent authorities of the Member States of the EU make an assessment of the risk-benefit balance of the product on the basis of scientific criteria concerning its quality, safety and efficacy.
European Union Data and Market Exclusivity
In the EU, innovative medicinal products (including both small molecules and biological medicinal products), sometimes referred to as new active substances, approved on the basis of a complete and independent data package, generally qualify for eight years of data exclusivity upon grant of an MA and an additional two years of market exclusivity. The data exclusivity, if granted, prevents generic or biosimilar applicants from referencing the innovator’s preclinical and clinical trial data contained in the dossier of the reference product when applying for a generic or biosimilar MA in the EU, for a period of eight years from the date on which the reference product was first authorized in the EU. During the additional two-year period of market exclusivity, a generic or biosimilar MA can be submitted, and the innovator’s data may be referenced, but no generic or biosimilar product can be marketed in the EU until the expiration of the market exclusivity period. The overall ten-year period will be extended to a maximum of eleven years if, during the first eight years of those ten years, the MA holder obtains an MA for one or more new therapeutic indications which, during the scientific evaluation prior to their authorization, are determined to bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with currently approved therapies. There is no guarantee that a product will be considered by the EMA to be an innovative medicinal product, and products may not qualify for data exclusivity. Even if an innovative medicinal product gains the prescribed period of data exclusivity, another company could nevertheless also market another version of the product if such company obtained an MA based on an application with a complete and independent data package of pharmaceutical tests, preclinical tests and clinical trials.
European Union orphan designation and exclusivity
In the EU, on recommendation of the EMA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products, the European Commission grants orphan designation to a product if its sponsor can establish that: (1) the product is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition; (2) either (a) such condition affects no more than 5 in 10,000 persons in the EU, when the application is made, or (b) it is unlikely that the product, without the benefits derived from orphan status, would generate sufficient return in the EU to justify the necessary investment in its development; and (3) there exists no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of such condition authorized for marketing in the EU, or, if such a method exists, the product would be of a significant benefit to those affected by that condition.
In the EU, orphan designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers, and ten years of market exclusivity is granted following marketing approval for the orphan medicinal product. This period may be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is established that the orphan designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity. During the period of market exclusivity, an MA may only be granted to a “similar medicinal product” for the same therapeutic indication if: (i) a second applicant can establish that its product, although similar to the authorized orphan product, is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior; (ii) the MA holder for the authorized orphan product consents to a second medicinal product application; or (iii) the MA holder for the authorized orphan product cannot supply enough orphan medicinal product. A “similar medicinal product” is defined as a medicinal product containing a similar active substance or substances as contained in an authorized orphan medicinal product, and which is intended for the same therapeutic indication. Orphan designation must be requested before submitting an application for marketing approval. Orphan designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process.
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European Union pediatric investigation plan
In the EU, companies developing a new medicinal product must agree upon a pediatric investigation plan (“PIP”), with the EMA’s Pediatric Committee (“PDCO”), and must conduct pediatric clinical trials in accordance with that PIP, unless the EMA has granted a product-specific waiver, a class waiver, or a deferral for one or more of the measures included in the PIP. This requirement also applies when a company wants to add a new indication, pharmaceutical form or route of administration for a medicine that is already authorized. The PIP sets out the timing and measures proposed to generate data to support a pediatric indication of the product for which MA is being sought. The PDCO can grant a deferral of the obligation to implement some or all of the measures of the PIP until there are sufficient data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the product in adults, in which case the pediatric clinical trials must be completed at a later date. Further, the obligation to provide pediatric clinical trial data can be waived by the PDCO when this data is not needed or appropriate because the product is likely to be ineffective or unsafe in children, the disease or condition for which the product is intended occurs only in adult populations, or when the product does not represent a significant therapeutic benefit over existing treatments for pediatric patients. Products that are granted an MA with the results of pediatric clinical trials conducted in accordance with the PIP (even where such results are negative) are eligible for six months’ supplementary protection certificate (“SPC”) extension, provided an application for such extension is made at the same time as filing the SPC application for the product, or at any point up to two years before the SPC expires. In the case of orphan medicinal products, a two year extension of the orphan market exclusivity may be available. This pediatric reward is subject to specific conditions and is not automatically available when data in compliance with the PIP are developed and submitted.
PRIME Designation
In March 2016, the EMA launched an initiative to facilitate development of product candidates in indications, often rare, for which few or no therapies currently exist. The PRIority Medicines (“PRIME”), scheme is intended to encourage product development in areas of unmet medical need and provides accelerated assessment of products representing substantial innovation, where the MA application will be made through the centralized procedure. Eligible products must target conditions for which there is an unmet medical need (there is no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment in the EU or, if there is, the new medicine will bring a major therapeutic advantage) and they must demonstrate the potential to address the unmet medical need by introducing new methods of therapy or improving existing ones. Applicants will typically be at the exploratory clinical trial phase of development and will have preliminary clinical evidence in patients to demonstrate the promising activity of the medicine and its potential to address to a significant extent an unmet medical need. In exceptional circumstances, products from small- and medium-sized enterprises may qualify for earlier entry into the PRIME scheme than larger companies, if compelling nonclinical data in a relevant model provide early evidence of promising activity, and first in man trials indicate adequate exposure for the desired pharmacotherapeutic effects and tolerability. Many benefits accrue to sponsors of product candidates with PRIME designation, including but not limited to, early and proactive regulatory dialogue with the EMA, frequent discussions on clinical trial designs and other development program elements, and accelerated MA application assessment once a dossier has been submitted. Importantly, a dedicated EMA contact and rapporteur from the EMA’s CHMP or Committee for Advanced Therapies are appointed early in the PRIME scheme facilitating increased understanding of the product at EMA’s Committee level. A kick-off meeting initiates these relationships and includes a team of multidisciplinary experts at the EMA to provide guidance on the overall development and regulatory strategies. Where, during the course of development, a medicine no longer meets the eligibility criteria, support under the PRIME scheme may be withdrawn.
Regulatory Requirements After a Marketing Authorization has been Obtained
If an MA for a medicinal product in the EU is obtained, the holder of the MA is required to comply with a range of requirements applicable to the manufacturing, marketing, promotion and sale of medicinal products. These include:
•Compliance with the EU’s stringent pharmacovigilance or safety reporting rules must be ensured. These rules can impose post-authorization studies and additional monitoring obligations.
•The manufacturing of authorized medicinal products, for which a separate manufacturer’s license is mandatory, must also be conducted in strict compliance with the applicable EU laws, regulations and guidance, including Directive 2001/83/EC, Directive (EU) 2017/1572, Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 and the European Commission Guidelines for Good Manufacturing Practice. These requirements include compliance with EU cGMP standards when manufacturing medicinal products and active pharmaceutical ingredients, including the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients outside of the EU with the intention to import the active pharmaceutical ingredients into the EU.
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•The marketing and promotion of authorized products, including industry-sponsored continuing medical education and advertising directed toward the prescribers of products and/or the general public, are strictly regulated in the EU. Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines is prohibited across the EU.
Much like the Anti-Kickback Statute prohibition in the United States, the provision of benefits or advantages to physicians or other health care professionals to induce or encourage the prescription, recommendation, endorsement, purchase, supply, order or use of medicinal products is also prohibited in the EU. The provision of benefits or advantages to induce or reward improper performance is generally governed by the national anti-bribery laws of EU Member States, and the Bribery Act 2010 in the UK. Infringement of these laws could result in substantial fines and imprisonment. EU Directive 2001/83/EC, which is the EU Directive governing medicinal products for human use, further provides that, where medicinal products are being promoted to persons qualified to prescribe or supply them, no gifts, pecuniary advantages or benefits in kind may be supplied, offered or promised to such persons unless they are inexpensive and relevant to the practice of medicine or pharmacy. This provision has been retained in the UK law by the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and so remains applicable in the UK despite its departure from the EU.
Payments made to physicians or other healthcare professionals in certain EU Member States must be publicly disclosed. Moreover, agreements with physicians often must be the subject of prior notification and approval by the physician’s employer, his or her competent professional organization and/or the regulatory authorities of the individual EU Member States. These requirements are provided in the national laws, industry codes or professional codes of conduct, applicable in the EU Member States. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in reputational risk, public reprimands, administrative penalties, fines or imprisonment.
All aforementioned EU rules are generally applicable in the EEA.
Reform of the Regulatory Framework in the European Union
The European Commission introduced legislative proposals in April 2023 that, if implemented, will replace the current regulatory framework in the EU for all medicines (including those for rare diseases and for children). In April 2024, the European Parliament adopted its position on the legislative proposals and, in June 2025, the Council of the European Union adopted its position. A common position on the text has been agreed upon on December 11, 2025, in the context of subsequent inter-institutional trilogue negotiations. The proposed revisions remain to be adopted and are not expected to become applicable before 2028.
Brexit and the Regulatory Framework in the United Kingdom
The UK officially withdrew from the EU on January 31, 2020 and the EU and the UK signed a trade and cooperation agreement, or TCA, which has been formally applicable since May 1, 2021. The TCA includes specific provisions concerning pharmaceuticals, which include the mutual recognition of GMP, inspections of manufacturing facilities for medicinal products and GMP documents issued, but does not provide for wholesale mutual recognition of UK and EU pharmaceutical regulations. At present, the UK has implemented EU legislation on the marketing, promotion and sale of medicinal products through the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The regulatory regime in the UK therefore aligns in many ways with current EU regulations, however it is possible that these regimes will diverge more significantly in the future now that the UK’s regulatory system is independent from the EU and the TCA does not provide for mutual recognition of UK and EU pharmaceutical legislation.
For example, the UK regulatory framework in relation to clinical trials is governed by the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004, as amended, which is derived from the now repealed Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC, as implemented into UK national law through secondary legislation. In April 2025, the UK introduced the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) (Amendment) Regulations 2025. These changes, which will take full effect from April 2026, aim to create a streamlined, risk proportionate system that accelerates approvals while maintaining robust safety standards.
As of January 1, 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is the UK's standalone medicines and medical devices regulator. As a result of the Ireland/Northern Ireland protocol, different rules previously applied in Northern Ireland than in England, Wales, and Scotland (together, "Great Britain", or GB) following Brexit, which continued to follow the EU regulatory regime. However, on January 1, 2025 a new arrangement called the "Windsor Framework" came into effect and reintegrated Northern Ireland under the regulatory authority of the MHRA with respect to medicinal products. The Windsor Framework removes EU licensing processes and EU labeling, and serialization requirements in relation to Northern Ireland and introduces a UK-wide licensing process for medicines. A single UK-wide
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marketing authorization will be granted by the MHRA for all novel medicinal products intended for the UK market, enabling products to be sold in a single pack and under a single authorization throughout the UK. In addition, the new arrangements require all medicines placed on the UK market to be labelled “UK Only”, indicating they are not for sale in the EU.
On January 1, 2024, a new international recognition framework was put in place by the MHRA, under which the MHRA may have regard to decisions on the approval of MAs made by the European Medicines Agency and certain other regulators. Various national procedures are now available to place a product on the market in the UK. The MHRA offers a 150-day assessment timeline for all high quality applications for a UK MA. The 150 day timeline does not, however, include a “clock-off” period which may occur if issues arise or points require clarification following an initial assessment of the application. Such issues should be addressed within a 60-day period, although extensions may be granted in exceptional cases.
There is no pre-MA orphan designation (as there is in the EU) in the UK and the application for orphan designation will be reviewed by the MHRA at the time of a UK MA application. The criteria for orphan designation are the same as in the EU, except they apply to the UK only (e.g., there must be no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of the condition concerned in the UK, as opposed to the EU, and the prevalence of the condition must be no more than 5 in 10,000 persons in the UK).
Personal Data Processing
The collection, use, transfer, disclosure, retention, security and other processing of personal data (including, without limitation, clinical trial data and other personal health data) (collectively, “Process” or “Processing”) may be subject to independent and overlapping data security and privacy regulatory frameworks in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. These frameworks are evolving and may impose potentially conflicting obligations. For example, in Europe, the collection and use of personal data, including health related data, is governed by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“EU GDPR”) which is applicable across the European Economic Area (“EEA”), and by related applicable data protection and privacy laws of the Member States of the EEA. Switzerland has passed similar laws, and, following Brexit, the United Kingdom (“UK”) has transposed the EU GDPR into UK domestic law (“UK GDPR”), along with applicable UK data protection and privacy laws which supplement the UK GDPR (including the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and UK (Data Use and Access) Act 2025). In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, “GDPR” refers to both the UK GDPR and the EU GDPR, unless specified otherwise. The GDPR applies to any company established in the EEA/UK and to companies established outside the EEA/UK that process personal data in connection with the offering of goods or services to data subjects in the EEA/UK or the monitoring of the behavior of data subjects in the EEA. The GDPR enhances data protection obligations for data controllers (such as clinical trial sponsors) of personal data, including stringent requirements relating to the consent of data subjects, expanded disclosures about how personal data is used, requirements to conduct data protection impact assessments for “high risk” Processing, expanded the scope of rights data subjects can exercise, limitations on retention of personal data, special provisions for “sensitive information” including health and genetic information of data subjects, mandatory data breach notification and “privacy by design” requirements, and direct obligations on service providers acting as data processors. The GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data outside of the EEA to countries that do not ensure an adequate level of protection for personal data, like the U.S., in certain circumstances. Such transfers of personal data outside of the EEA require the use of a valid “transfer mechanism”, the carrying out of a transfer impact assessment and, in many cases, the implementation of supplementary technical, organizational and/or contractual measures. Failure to comply with the requirements of the GDPR and the related national data protection laws of the EEA Member States and the UK may result in fines up to 20 million euros (£17.5 million for the UK GDPR) or 4% of a company’s global annual revenues for the preceding financial year, whichever is higher. Moreover, the GDPR grants data subjects the right to request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances and confers a private right of action on both data subjects and non-profit associations to lodge complaints with supervisory authorities, seek judicial remedies, and claim material and non-material damages resulting from infringement of the GDPR.
In the United States, there are a broad variety of data protection laws and regulations that may apply to our activities such as state data breach notification laws, state personal data privacy laws (for example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”)), state health information privacy laws, and federal and state consumer protection laws. In California, the CCPA became effective on January 1, 2020, and was modified by the California Privacy Rights Act, which became effective on January 1, 2023. The CCPA defined personal information broadly, and created individual privacy rights and protections for California consumers (as defined in the law), placed increased privacy and security obligations on entities handling personal data of consumers or households, and provided civil penalties for violations and a
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private right of action for data breaches. The CCPA requires a covered business to provide certain disclosures to consumers about its data collection, use and sharing practices, and to provide affected California residents with ways to opt-out of certain sales or transfers of personal information. While there is a broad exception for protected health information that is subject to HIPAA, as well as clinical trial information, the CCPA may impact certain of our personal information processing activities if we become a "Business" regulated by the scope of the CCPA.
Nineteen other U.S. states have introduced comprehensive privacy and data security laws similar to the CCPA, reflecting a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the U.S. Further, certain states, such as Washington, have introduced laws which specifically regulate health data. Other U.S. states have introduced laws regulating special categories of personal information, such as biometric data, genetic data, and neural data. At the federal level, regulators and legislators are also increasingly scrutinizing and restricting certain personal data transfers and transactions involving foreign countries. The effects of the CCPA, as well as other U.S. state and federal laws privacy and data security laws, are significant and may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and potential liability in an effort to comply with such legislation.
Given the breadth and depth of changes in data protection obligations, achieving and maintaining compliance with applicable data protection laws and regulations such as the EU/UK GDPR and CCPA will require significant time, resources and expense, and we may be required to put in place new or additional mechanisms to ensure compliance with current, evolving and new data protection requirements. This may be an onerous undertaking and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
All of these evolving compliance and operational requirements impose significant costs, such as costs related to organizational changes, implementing additional protection technologies, training employees and engaging consultants and legal advisors, which are likely to increase over time. In addition, such requirements may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies, utilize management’s time and/or divert resources from other initiatives and projects. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with any applicable federal, state or foreign laws and regulations relating to data privacy and security could result in damage to our reputation, as well as proceedings or litigation by governmental agencies or other third parties, including class action privacy litigation in certain jurisdictions, which would subject us to significant fines, sanctions, awards, injunctions, penalties or judgments. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Rest of the World Regulation
For other countries outside of the EEA, the UK and the United States, such as countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America or Asia, the requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, privacy, information security, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary from country to country. Additionally, the clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with GCP requirements and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Employees and Human Capital
As of December 31, 2025, we had an aggregate of 118 full-time employees. 36% of our employees have M.D. or Ph.D. degrees. Within our workforce, 86 employees are engaged in research and development and 32 are engaged in business development, finance, legal, and general management and administration. None of our employees are represented by labor unions or covered by collective bargaining agreements. We consider our relationship with our employees to be strong.
Our Human Capital resource objectives include assessing our work-plan needs based on our goals and selectively sourcing the market for talent based on capabilities, experiences and fit with the Centessa culture. As a company, we have identified four key values to support our company culture and objectives: Innovation, Integrity, Accountability and Collaboration. These values are part of the identification, recruitment, and onboarding of employees. Our total compensation strategy is grounded in our goal-setting process, and we believe in a performance-based system with differentiation based on outcomes. In addition to our cash compensation, which includes annual bonuses, we have an equity program which enables our Compensation Committee to allocate, at its discretion, equity to all new hires and provides the opportunity, at the discretion of the Compensation Committee, for all employees to receive equity annually. Allocation of equity is based upon performance but also considers long-term talent retention. We believe that the granting of stock-based and cash-based compensation awards drives shareholder value and the success of our company by motivating our employees to perform to the best of their abilities and achieve our objectives.
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As a global company, we believe that much of our success is rooted in the diversity of our teams and our commitment to inclusion. Our employee population is currently 47% female and 53% male. Inclusion is supported through the frequency of town hall meetings, access to Executive “coffee chats” and purposeful team meeting designs. In addition, we support our senior leadership with ongoing training and feedback, and help them understand diversity of style and communication techniques. Employee development is supported through access to virtual and in-person learning workshops focused on goal setting, managing work/life balance, and communication techniques as well as training on core compliance models. In addition to our existing values-focused recognition platform, we have a Spot Awards program to further reinforce the values we believe make our company great.