NASDAQ: MIRM
Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.CIK 0001759425 · Pharmaceutical Preparations
We are a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming the treatment of rare diseases. About this business →
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About Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Source: Item 1 (Business) from the 10-K filed February 25, 2026. Description as filed by the company with the SEC.
Item 1. Business.
Overview
We are a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming the treatment of rare diseases.
We have three approved medicines: LIVMARLI® (maralixibat) (“Livmarli”), CHOLBAM® (cholic acid) capsules (“Cholbam”), and CTEXLI® (chenodiol) tablets (“Ctexli”).
Livmarli is a novel, orally administered, minimally-absorbed ileal bile acid transporter (“IBAT”) inhibitor (“IBATi”) that is approved for the treatment of cholestatic pruritus in patients with Alagille syndrome (“ALGS”) in the United States (“U.S.”), the European Union (“EU”) and various other countries around the world and for cholestatic pruritus in patients with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (“PFIC”) in the U.S., Canada and Japan and for the treatment of PFIC in the EU. We market and commercialize Livmarli in the U.S., Canada and certain countries in Europe through our specialized and focused commercial team. We have also entered into license and distribution agreements with several rare disease companies for the commercialization of Livmarli in additional countries. We are also seeking to add to the approved indications for Livmarli by conducting the EXPAND study in settings of cholestatic pruritus due to other rare conditions.
In August 2023, we completed the acquisition of assets of Travere Therapeutics, Inc. (“Travere”) that are primarily related to the development, manufacture (including synthesis, formulation, finishing or packaging) and commercialization of chenodiol and Cholbam (also known as Kolbam) (and together with chenodiol, the “Bile Acid Medicines”) pursuant to an asset purchase agreement dated July 16, 2023 (such acquisition, the “Bile Acid Portfolio Acquisition”).
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved Cholbam in March 2015 as the first FDA-approved treatment for pediatric and adult patients with bile acid synthesis disorders due to single enzyme defects and for adjunctive treatment of patients with peroxisomal disorders, including peroxisome biogenesis disorder-Zellweger spectrum disorder (“PBD-ZSD”). Chenodiol is standard of care for the treatment of cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (“CTX”) in the U.S. with a medical necessity recognition by the FDA and was commercialized under the brand name Chenodal. We submitted a New Drug Application (“NDA”) for chenodiol for the treatment of CTX in 2024 and received FDA approval for the treatment of adults with CTX in February 2025. Chenodiol is commercialized under the brand name Ctexli. We currently market and commercialize Cholbam and Ctexli in the U.S. through our specialized and focused commercial team. We have also assumed license and distribution agreements with several rare disease companies for the commercialization of Cholbam and chenodiol in additional countries.
We are advancing our product candidate, volixibat, a novel, oral, minimally-absorbed agent designed to inhibit IBAT, for the treatment of adult patients with cholestatic liver diseases. We are developing volixibat in the setting of primary sclerosing cholangitis (“PSC”) and primary biliary cholangitis (“PBC”). Volixibat has received FDA breakthrough therapy and orphan drug designation for cholestatic pruritus in PBC patients based on the positive interim analysis of the VANTAGE Phase 2b study. Volixibat has also completed a successful interim analysis of the VISTAS Phase 2b study in PSC patients. Enrollment of our VISTAS Phase 2b clinical trial in PSC was completed in the third quarter of 2025 and we expect to announce top-line results from this trial in the second quarter of 2026. Enrollment of our VANTAGE Phase 2b clinical trial in PBC is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026.
On January 23, 2026, we completed the acquisition of Bluejay Therapeutics, Inc. (“Bluejay” and such acquisition, the “Bluejay Acquisition”) and its lead product candidate brelovitug (BJT-778). We are advancing brelovitug for the treatment of chronic hepatitis D virus (“HDV”) infection. Brelovitug is a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds the hepatitis B surface antigen, thereby clearing virions and subviral particles and preventing HDV infection and replication. Brelovitug has been granted FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation and European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) Priority Medicines (“PRIME”) scheme designation and European Commission orphan medicinal product designation. Brelovitug is currently being evaluated in the global AZURE clinical program with topline results from the AZURE-1 and AZURE-4 registration-enabling clinical trials expected in the second half of 2026.
We are also advancing our product candidate MRM-3379, a novel, oral, CNS-penetrant PDE4D inhibitor for the treatment of fragile X syndrome (“FXS”). We are currently enrolling patients in the BLOOM Phase 2 clinical study of MRM-3379 in FXS and expect topline data in 2027.
Our Strategy
Our goal is to strengthen our leadership position in rare and orphan diseases for which the unmet medical need is high. The key components of our strategy include:
•Commercialize medicines for rare diseases. Livmarli is approved by the FDA and the European Commission for the treatment of cholestatic pruritus in patients with ALGS, approved by the FDA for treatment of cholestatic pruritus in patients with PFIC and approved by EMA for the treatment of PFIC. We are commercializing Livmarli in the United States, Canada, and certain countries in Europe through direct sales. Additionally, we have entered into several distributor and licensing agreements to advance Livmarli in numerous territories outside of the markets where we commercialize Livmarli directly. Chenodiol is standard of care in the U.S. for the treatment of CTX and is being commercialized under the brand name Ctexli. Cholbam is approved for the treatment of bile acid synthesis disorders and adjunctive treatment of patients with peroxisomal disorders, including PBD-ZSD and we expect to continue to commercialize the medicine for these indications. We are commercializing Ctexli and Cholbam in the United States through one specialty pharmacy.
•Advance our current pipeline of clinical programs to regulatory approval. We are seeking to add to the approved indications for Livmarli by conducting the EXPAND study in settings of cholestatic pruritus due to other rare conditions. We plan to further leverage our understanding of cholestatic liver disease with volixibat in adult settings. We are conducting adaptive, potentially registrational, Phase 2b clinical trials of volixibat in PSC and PBC. We acquired Bluejay in January 2026 and plan to continue to develop brelovitug for the treatment of chronic HDV infection. We are conducting the global AZURE program to enable registration in the U.S., Europe and other geographies. MRM-3379 is a novel PDE4D inhibitor, which we expect to develop for FXS, a rare genetic neurocognitive disorder. We initiated a dose ranging Phase 2 trial in 2025 with data expected in 2027.
•Continue to acquire additional pipeline or commercial rare disease products or companies. We have assembled a team of scientific, clinical and business leaders with highly relevant experience to enable the advancement of therapeutics for rare and orphan diseases. We intend to leverage our collective expertise to identify, acquire, in-license and advance additional product candidates for the treatment of rare and orphan diseases.
•Deploy our resources efficiently to maximize value creation and long term financial performance. Our financial objective is value creation through long-term cash-flow generating revenue growth. We aim to accomplish this by successfully commercializing current approved medicines and successfully developing and commercializing current and future clinical-stage product candidates.
Our Product Pipeline
The following graphic depicts each of our approved medicines and product candidates, the respective indications we are pursuing, the expected next milestones and regulatory designations:
PreclinicalPhase 1Phases 2 and 3Approved
Livmarli (Maralixibat)
Alagille Syndrome (ALGS) 1
FDA & EMA Approved
Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis (PFIC) 2
FDA & EMA Approved
Cholestatic Pruritus (Additional Settings)
EXPAND Phase 3, topline data expected in Q4 2026
Ctexli (Chenodiol)
Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis (CTX) 3
FDA Approved
Cholbam (Cholic Acid)
Bile acid synthesis disorders and PBD-ZSD 4
FDA Approved
Volixibat
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
VISTAS positive interim analysis, confirmatory topline data expected Q2 2026
Primary Biliary Cholangitis
VANTAGE positive interim analysis, expect enrollment completion H2 2026
Brelovitug
Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV)
AZURE 1 and 4, Phase 3 topline data expected H2 2026 (US registrational program)
AZURE 2 and 3, Phase 3 topline data expected H1 2028 (EU registrational program)
MRM-3379
Fragile X Syndrome (FXS)
BLOOM Phase 2, topline data expected in 2027
1 Received FDA approval for cholestatic pruritus in patients with ALGS three months of age and older. European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Livmarli oral solution for the treatment of cholestatic pruritus in patients ALGS two months of age and older.
2 Received FDA approval for cholestatic pruritus in patients with PFIC 12 months of age and older. European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Livmarli oral solution for the treatment of PFIC in patients 3 months of age and older.
3 Received FDA approval for the treatment of adults with CTX.
4 Bile acid synthesis disorders include PBD-ZSD.
Our Approved Medicines
Livmarli for cholestatic pruritus in patients with ALGS
Livmarli is a novel, orally administered, minimally-absorbed medicine approved by the FDA and EMA for cholestatic pruritus in patients with ALGS. Livmarli is an IBATi that prevents absorption of bile acids in the ileum, thereby lowering serum bile acid (“sBA”) levels in settings of cholestasis where excess bile acids cause symptomatic and progressive disease burden.
ALGS is a rare genetic disorder of severe cholestasis in which bile ducts are abnormally narrow, malformed and reduced in number, which leads to bile accumulation in the liver and ultimately progressive liver disease. Signs and symptoms arising from cholestasis in ALGS may include jaundice, pruritus, xanthomas and growth deficit. The pruritus experienced by patients with ALGS is among the most severe in any chronic liver disease and is present in most affected children by the third year of life. In children with cholestasis due to ALGS, it is estimated that six in 10 of children progress to transplant or death by adulthood. In patients who have not received a liver transplant, 75% have active scratching, with 32% having destruction of skin, bleeding or scarring. Children with ALGS experience a markedly impaired quality of life largely due to the intense pruritus and associated skin lesions and disruptions in sleep and mood.
We believe the prevalent patient population in the United States and Europe is approximately 4,000 - 5,500 pediatric ALGS patients, which, based on our current expectations and beliefs, represents a greater than $500.0 million market opportunity. ALGS is estimated to impact one out of every 30,000 births globally.
Livmarli for cholestatic pruritus in patients with PFIC
Livmarli is a novel, orally administered, minimally-absorbed medicine approved by the FDA for cholestatic pruritus in patients with PFIC and by the EMA for treatment of patients with PFIC.
PFIC is a group of rare autosomal recessive liver diseases characterized by canalicular bile transport defects, resulting in disrupted bile formation, progressive cholestasis with elevation of sBA, and pruritus. In children, PFIC represents 10% to 15% of indications for liver transplant, either due to intractable pruritus or end-stage liver disease. The most prevalent PFIC types are bile salt export pump (“BSEP”) deficiency, also known as PFIC2 (50%–60%), multidrug resistance protein 3 (MDR3) deficiency, also known as PFIC3 (30%–40%), and familial intrahepatic cholestasis-associated protein 1 (FIC1) deficiency, also known as PFIC1 (10%–20%). Other types include tight junction protein 2 (TJP2) deficiency, also known as PFIC4 and myosin VB (MYO5B) deficiency, also known as PFIC6. In addition, a minority of patients with PFIC phenotype elude genetic diagnosis using current methods, and are diagnosed clinically. Recent broadening of use of genetic testing in adult hepatology practices has resulted in an increased diagnosis of late-onset PFIC patients.
Severe pruritus is a common feature of PFIC, greatly affecting quality of life, and leading to liver transplant when symptoms are refractory. The accumulation of bile acids in PFIC is an important mediator of pruritus and driver of liver disease progression. Patients suffer from growth impairment and require fat-soluble vitamin supplementation. Interruption of the enterohepatic bile acid recirculation has the potential to alleviate pruritus and prevent liver damage. Surgical biliary diversion (“SBD”) has been performed to interrupt the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids in pruritic children who are not responsive to clinical management. In a large retrospective analysis in BSEP deficiency, reduction of sBA levels by ≥75% or to <102 μmol/L after SBD was associated with long-term native liver survival.
We believe the prevalent patient population in the United States and Europe is approximately 1,000 pediatric PFIC patients.
Ctexli (Chenodiol)
Chenodeoxycholic acid, chenodiol or CDCA is a naturally occurring bile acid that was until recently approved only for the treatment of people with radiolucent stones in the gallbladder. CDCA received FDA approval to treat CTX in February 2025, which is commercialized under the brand name Ctexli. CTX is a rare, progressive and under diagnosed bile acid synthesis disorder affecting many parts of the body. We estimate there are 1,000 - 2,000 prevalent CTX patients in the United States, however only 10% are currently diagnosed.
Cholbam for the treatment of bile acid synthesis disorders and peroxisomal disorders, including PBD-ZSD
The FDA approved Cholbam (cholic acid capsules) in March 2015, as the first FDA-approved treatment for pediatric and adult patients with bile acid synthesis disorders due to single enzyme defects and for adjunctive treatment of patients with peroxisomal disorders, including PBD-ZSD. The effectiveness of Cholbam has been demonstrated in clinical trials for bile acid synthesis disorders and the adjunctive treatment of peroxisomal disorders. An estimated 200 to 300 prevalent patients in the United States are current candidates for Cholbam therapy.
Our Clinical Product Candidates
Livmarli
We are advancing our approved medicine Livmarli in additional indications. Through the EXPAND phase 3 study we are exploring the treatment of pruritus in rare cholestatic settings other than ALGS, PFIC, PSC, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and PBC. We believe that the prevalent pediatric patient population in the United States and Europe in these additional rare cholestatic settings is approximately 1,000 patients. We expect topline results from the EXPAND study in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Volixibat
We are advancing our product candidate, volixibat, a novel, oral, minimally-absorbed agent designed to inhibit IBAT, for the treatment of adult patients with cholestatic liver diseases. We are developing volixibat for the treatment of PSC and PBC. Volixibat has been studied in over 400 adults for up to 48 weeks. Clinical trials of volixibat have shown
significant activity on IBAT and bile acid markers such as 7αC4, fecal bile acids and cholesterol, demonstrating potent biological activity.
PSC is a serious, idiopathic chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by the progressive inflammation and destruction of bile ducts, which can lead to life-threatening complications. It is estimated that approximately 54,000 people in the United States and Europe suffer from PSC with approximately 30,000 people in the United States alone. Up to approximately 65% of PSC patients suffer from pruritus during the course of the disease. Liver transplantation is the only treatment shown to improve clinical outcomes in PSC but is expensive, requires long-term administration of immunosuppressants and only a portion of the patients who require a liver transplant are able to match with a suitable donor organ. Ursodeoxycholic acid (“UDCA”), is used off-label in PSC with conflicting evidence. We are conducting the VISTAS Phase 2b clinical trial of volixibat in patients with pruritus and PSC. VISTAS is an adaptive, randomized Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating the effect of volixibat on pruritus, sBA and fibrosis markers in patients with PSC and pruritus. We expect to announce topline results from the VISTAS study in the second quarter of 2026.
PBC is a chronic, rare, cholestatic liver disease characterized by progressive liver bile flow impairment caused by immune-mediated destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts. This results in increased hepatic bile acid concentrations, which leads to a local inflammatory response in the liver that progresses to hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatic decompensation. The incidence rates for PBC in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia are reported as ranging from 0.33 to 5.8 per 100,000 people, with a prevalence ranging from 1.91 to 40.2 per 100,000 people, resulting in approximately 230,000 patients across the United States and Europe suffering from PBC with approximately 85,000 people in the United States alone. Up to approximately 60% of PSC patients suffer from pruritus during the course of the disease. We are conducting the VANTAGE Phase 2b clinical trial of volixibat in patients with pruritus and PBC and we expect to complete enrollment in 2026.
There are no approved therapies for PSC in the United States. A variety of licensed and off-label therapies are currently used to reduce the impact of the progressive nature of PBC. These include UDCA, obeticholic acid, seladelpar, elafibranor, and others. However, the few therapeutic options available to manage PBC associated pruritus are temporary and/or suboptimal. We estimate a worldwide total addressable market for volixibat in PSC and PBC to be more than $1 billion.
Brelovitug
We are advancing brelovitug for the treatment of chronic HDV infection. Brelovitug is a novel fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds the hepatitis B surface antigen, thereby clearing virions and subviral particles and preventing HDV infection and replication. The results of the brelovitug Phase 2 study show the potential for this treatment to substantially decrease viral load and improve liver function. The Phase 2 study in 47 adults with chronic HDV infection demonstrated 100% virologic response, defined as a 2 log or greater reduction or target not detected (“TND”) for HDV RNA. This was observed across all dose groups at 48 weeks, with nearly all patients achieving this response by 24 weeks. Additionally, 65-82% of subjects achieved the composite endpoint of virologic response and Alanine Aminotransferase (“ALT”) normalization. The safety profile was favorable with no grade 3 or higher adverse events, no serious adverse events, a low rate of flu-like symptoms and no ALT elevation or neutropenia. Based on this data, brelovitug was granted FDA breakthrough designation and EMA PRIME designation.
Brelovitug is currently being evaluated in the global AZURE Phase 3 program which is designed to meet expected registrational requirements in both the U.S. and EU with a primary combined endpoint of virologic response and ALT normalization. Registration in the U.S. will be supported by the AZURE-1 and AZURE-4 studies with the primary composite endpoint of virologic response and ALT normalization. Virologic response is defined as 2 log or greater decline or undetectable HDV RNA. Studies AZURE-1 and -4 are evaluating two doses of brelovitug, a once weekly 300 mg subcutaneous dose and a once monthly 900 mg subcutaneous dose with a primary analysis after 24 weeks. Each study also includes an extension period to support long term safety and efficacy. We expect to complete the 24-week trial period of both AZURE-1 and -4 and announce topline results in the second half of 2026. AZURE-2 and AZURE-3 will compare brelovitug to an active control, bulevirtide, which is approved in the EU. AZURE-2 and -3 are 48-week and 24-week studies, respectively. These studies are intended to support EMA registration as well as long-term efficacy and safety, with final data expected in the first half of 2028.
MRM-3379
We are advancing MRM-3379 for the treatment of FXS. FXS is an X-linked rare genetic condition that represents the most common inherited single-gene cause of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. While both males and females may be affected, males typically experience more severe symptoms due to the presence of only one X chromosome, with the majority of males meeting the criteria for severe intellectual disability. Patients can also present with severe behavioral alterations, including hyperactivity, impulsivity and anxiety in addition to poor language development
and seizures. It is estimated that there are approximately 50,000 males in the U.S. and Europe with FXS with an estimated worldwide total addressable market for more than $1 billion. There are currently no approved therapies for the treatment of FXS and there is a significant unmet need.
MRM-3379 is a potent and selective allosteric inhibitor of PDE4D, an enzyme predominantly expressed in brain regions associated with learning, memory, and emotional regulation. Inhibition of PDE4D increases signaling by cAMP, which is impaired in FXS patients, and may support the improved function of the biochemical cascades believed to regulate memory, learning, and cognitive processes. MRM-3379 has been granted FDA Fast Track designation for the treatment of FXS. We are currently enrolling patients in the BLOOM Phase 2 clinical study of MRM-3379 in FXS and expect topline data in 2027.
License, Finance, Royalty Agreements and Asset Purchases
Assignment and License Agreement with Shire International GmbH (Takeda)
In November 2018, we entered into an assignment and license agreement (“Shire License Agreement”) with Shire International GmbH (“Shire”), which was subsequently acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. Pursuant to the Shire License Agreement, Shire assigned, transferred and conveyed all of its right, title and interest in and to the license agreement, as amended (“Satiogen Agreement”), with Satiogen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Satiogen”), now a wholly owned Mirum entity, under which we obtained an exclusive, worldwide license to certain patents and know-how controlled by Satiogen related to ASBTis (“ASBTi Technology”) and TGR5 agonists (“TGR5 Technology”), the Pfizer Agreement and the Sanofi Agreement, both as defined below (collectively with the Satiogen Agreement, the “Assigned License Agreements”).
In addition, Shire granted us an exclusive, royalty bearing, sublicensable, worldwide license under certain regulatory materials as well as patents and know-how, which we refer to collectively as the Shire IP, relating to the Livmarli compound and the volixibat compound in development by Shire as of that date, which we collectively refer to as the Shire Licensed Products, to develop, have developed, make, have made, use, sell, have sold, offer for sale or import the Shire Licensed Products worldwide for the therapeutic or prophylactic application in human health. We have sole authority and responsibility over development and commercialization activities for the Shire Licensed Products, and we are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to perform certain development, regulatory and commercialization activities with respect to the PFIC and ALGS indications for Livmarli and unspecified indications with respect to volixibat. We will solely own all inventions and discoveries arising out of activities conducted by us under the Shire License Agreement. We will also be responsible for the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of patents under the Shire License Agreement and the cost thereof. We have the first right, but are not obligated, to enforce any patent licensed under the Shire License Agreement.
We are required to pay Shire up to an aggregate of $109.5 million upon the achievement of certain other clinical development and regulatory milestones for Livmarli in the PFIC and ALGS indications, and a $25.0 million payment upon regulatory approval of Livmarli for each and every other indication. Each such milestone payment will be paid only once for each such indication during the term of the Shire License Agreement, the first time Livmarli reaches such milestone event, regardless of the number of times such milestone is reached by Livmarli for the same indication. In addition, we are required to pay up to an aggregate of $30.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical development and regulatory milestones for volixibat solely for the first indication sought. Each such milestone payment will be paid only once for the first indication for which volixibat is developed during the term of the Shire License Agreement, the first time volixibat reaches such milestone event, regardless of the number of products or the number of indications for which volixibat is developed.
Under the Shire License Agreement and Assigned License Agreements, to date, we have met clinical development, regulatory and sales milestones resulting in the payment of an aggregate of $101.5 million related to our Livmarli and volixibat programs.
Upon achievement of certain thresholds for aggregate worldwide net sales for all Shire Licensed Products, we are required to pay Shire, on a one-time, non-refundable and non-creditable basis, up to an aggregate of $30.0 million in tiered sales milestone payments. In the fourth quarter of 2023, we paid Shire $5.0 million based on the achievement of a sales milestone. Lastly, upon certain annual worldwide net sales of all Shire Licensed Products, we are required to pay Shire, on a non-refundable and non-creditable basis, tiered royalties with rates ranging from low double-digits to mid-teens (“Shire royalties”). As we make royalty payments to Satiogen under the Satiogen Agreement, the Shire royalties will be reduced by a low single digit percentage of net sales. Similarly, if we actually make royalty payments to Sanofi, which is defined below, under the Sanofi Agreement, the Shire royalties will be reduced by low to high single digit percentages of certain net sales thresholds.
Under the Shire License Agreement, we are prohibited from developing any competing product prior to the five-year anniversary of the first commercial sale of a Shire Licensed Product, or commercializing any competing product prior to the eight-year anniversary of the first commercial sale of a Shire Licensed Product. For purposes of the Shire License Agreement, a competing product is any product that is or contains a compound (A) where the primary method of action is ASBT inhibition activity, which is another term for IBAT inhibition, or (B) that is commercialized or developed for any PFIC, ALGS, or BA indication, except (B) shall not apply with respect to (1) a given indication if a product failure has occurred with respect to such indication (e.g., if a product failure has occurred for a Shire Licensed Product for the BA indication, we may thereafter develop and commercialize a product for the BA indication if such product uses a different primary method of action than ASBT inhibition activity) or (2) a given product if such product is a product that is not deleterious to the sales or pricing of a Shire Licensed Product.
The Shire License Agreement will remain in effect on a country-by-country and Shire Licensed Product-by-Shire Licensed Product basis and will continue on such basis until the later of the (i) expiration of the last patent or patent application licensed under the Shire License Agreement that covers a Shire Licensed Product, (ii) expiration of any regulatory exclusivity period, and (iii) tenth anniversary of the first commercial sale of such Shire Licensed Product in such country. The term of the last patent or patent application licensed under the Shire License Agreement ends on October 26, 2032, absent patent term adjustment or extension. We may unilaterally terminate the Shire License Agreement for any reason or no reason upon 90 days’ written notice to Shire. In addition, we may also terminate the Shire License Agreement if we reasonably determine that we are precluded from further development due to materially adverse pre-clinical or clinical pathology or toxicology data. Either party may terminate the Shire License Agreement in the event of the other party’s insolvency or for the other party’s material breach of the Shire License Agreement that remains uncured after 90 days of receiving written notice of such breach. Shire may terminate the Shire License Agreement upon our or our affiliates’ challenge to the validity of the patents licensed under the Shire License Agreement.
License Agreement with Pfizer Inc.
Through the Shire License Agreement, we were assigned the rights to the license agreement (“Pfizer Agreement”), with Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”), pursuant to which we obtained an exclusive, worldwide license to Pfizer’s know-how related to Livmarli, (the “Pfizer Know-How”). Under the Pfizer Agreement, we are permitted to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize products utilizing the Pfizer Know-How for the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, mitigation and cure of human diseases and disorders, and to sublicense such rights. Pfizer retained the right to use the Pfizer Know-How to conduct internal research and to use a third party to conduct research on Pfizer’s behalf.
We have sole responsibility and control over development and commercialization activities for the Pfizer Know-How and products utilizing the Pfizer Know-How, and we are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize products utilizing the Pfizer Know-How. In the event we determine to sublicense to a third party our right to commercialize the Pfizer Know-How or products utilizing the Pfizer Know-How under the Pfizer Agreement, Pfizer has the first right to negotiate such a commercial license with us.
Ownership of inventions and discoveries under the Pfizer Agreement will be determined in accordance with the rules of inventorship under United States patent laws. We will own and bear all expenses incurred in preparing, filing, prosecuting and maintaining all patents for inventions that are solely invented by us.
As consideration, upon commercialization of any product utilizing the Pfizer Know-How, we are required to pay to Pfizer a low single-digit royalty on net sales of such products sold by us, our affiliates or sublicensees. Our royalty obligations continue on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis until the eighth anniversary of the first commercial sale of such licensed product anywhere in the world. We currently pay royalties to Pfizer on our sales of Livmarli.
We may unilaterally terminate the Pfizer Agreement for any reason or no reason upon 90 days’ written notice to Pfizer. Either party may terminate the Pfizer Agreement in the event of the other party’s insolvency or for the other party’s material breach of the Pfizer Agreement which remains uncured after 60 days of receiving written notice of such breach, or 30 days in the case of a payment breach. Absent early termination, the Pfizer Agreement will automatically expire on a country-by-country basis upon the expiration of our royalty payment obligations.
License Agreement with Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH
Through the Shire License Agreement, we were assigned the rights to the license agreement, as amended (“Sanofi Agreement”), with Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH (“Sanofi”), under which we obtained an exclusive, worldwide license to certain patents and know-how controlled by Sanofi related to volixibat (“Sanofi Technology”). Under the Sanofi Agreement, we are permitted to develop and commercialize products containing volixibat utilizing the Sanofi Technology. Additionally, under the Sanofi Agreement, we are permitted to manufacture products containing volixibat utilizing the Sanofi Technology and to sublicense such rights. In addition, Sanofi granted to us, under certain conditions, an
exclusive option to obtain an exclusive license to manufacture volixibat during the term of the Sanofi Agreement. We exercised this option in May 2020 and are transferring manufacturing of volixibat to a third-party contract manufacturer. Sanofi retained the right to practice the Sanofi Technology outside the scope of the license granted to us under the Sanofi Agreement and to make and use for internal research purposes, provided that upon our request, Sanofi is obligated to provide us with a written summary of the results of any such research to the extent such results relate to the use of volixibat as an ASBT inhibitor (“ASBTi”).
Under the Sanofi Agreement, we have sole authority and responsibility over development and commercialization activities for licensed products, and we are required to use diligent efforts to perform certain development, regulatory and commercialization activities.
With the exception of Sanofi’s rights on its further optimization of the process of manufacturing of the product utilizing the Sanofi Technology, we will own all inventions and discoveries arising out of activities conducted by us under the Sanofi Agreement and we will be responsible for the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of patents under the Sanofi Agreement. Further, we will have the first right, but will not be obligated, to enforce patents under the Sanofi Agreement. If we do not exercise our right to enforce patents under the Sanofi Agreement, Sanofi will be able to enforce the patents.
We are required to pay to Sanofi up to an aggregate of $36.0 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory, commercialization and product sales milestones. Upon commercialization of any product utilizing the Sanofi Technology, we will be required to pay to Sanofi tiered royalties in the mid to high single-digit range based upon net sales of licensed products sold by us and our affiliates and sublicensees in a calendar year, subject to adjustments in certain circumstances. Our royalty obligations continue on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis until the later to occur of the expiration of the last valid claim in a licensed patent or patent application covering the applicable licensed product in such country and ten years after the first commercial sale of a licensed product following regulatory approval in such country. The term of the last patent or patent application licensed under the Sanofi Agreement ends on May 26, 2030, absent patent term adjustment or extension. In the event we sublicense our right to commercialize a product utilizing the Sanofi Technology, we are obligated to pay to Sanofi a fee based on a percentage of sublicense fees received by us, which percentage ranges from the mid-teens to low-thirties, depending on the stage of development of such licensed product, and is subject to adjustment in certain circumstances.
For three years after the first commercial sale of a product utilizing the Sanofi Technology, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, we may not, through our own efforts or with an affiliate or third party, commercialize any product for specified indications with a method of action that reduces the reabsorption of bile acids in the intestinal tract, except for the commercialization of products utilizing the Sanofi Technology under the Sanofi Agreement.
We may unilaterally terminate the Sanofi Agreement for any reason or no reason upon 60 days’ written notice to Sanofi. We may also terminate the Sanofi Agreement on a country-by-country or licensed product-by-licensed product basis upon written notice to Sanofi (1) if we reasonably determine that we are precluded from proceeding with the first Phase 2b clinical trial for a product utilizing the Sanofi Technology in certain major markets due to certain safety failures or (2) after using diligent efforts, we reasonably determine that we are precluded from proceeding with a Phase 3 clinical trial for a product utilizing the Sanofi Technology in certain major markets due to certain safety or efficacy failures. Either party may terminate the Sanofi Agreement in the event of the other party’s insolvency or for the other party’s material breach of the Sanofi Agreement which remains uncured after 90 days of receiving written notice of such breach, or ten business days in the case of a payment breach. Absent early termination, the Sanofi Agreement will remain in effect on a country-by-country and licensed product-by-licensed product basis until the expiration of our royalty payment obligations for such licensed product in such country.
License agreement with Novartis Pharma AG
Bluejay obtained a worldwide license to develop and commercialize brelovitug from Novartis in June 2021. Under the terms of the license agreement, Novartis is entitled to receive up to $8.0 million in development milestones and up to $27.0 million in commercial milestones. Novartis is also entitled to receive commercial royalties of mid-single digit percent of sales. In addition, Bluejay agreed to pay Novartis a milestone payment of $4.0 million upon a change of control, which was earned upon closing of the acquisition of Bluejay in January 2026.
Manufacturing and License Agreement with Lonza Ltd.
In conjunction with the manufacture and commercialization of brelovitug, Bluejay entered into a master services agreement with Lonza Ltd. (“Lonza”) in October 2021 and a license agreement with Lonza Sales AG in December 2022 (the “Lonza License Agreement”). Lonza is manufacturing brelovitug using its proprietary cell line technology and related
intellectual property. Under the Lonza License Agreement, Bluejay obtained a non-exclusive, sublicensable license under Lonza’s cell line technology and related know-how and patents for the manufacture and commercialization of brelovitug.
License Agreement with Enthorin Therapeutics, LLC and Dart Neuroscience LLC
On October 22, 2024, we entered into a license agreement (the “MRM-3379 License”) with Enthorin Therapeutics, LLC and Dart Neuroscience LLC (collectively “Enthorin”). The MRM-3379 License grants us an exclusive, royalty bearing, sublicensable, worldwide license under certain regulatory materials as well as patents and know-how, which we refer to collectively as the Enthorin IP, to develop, have developed, make, have made, use, sell, have sold, offer for sale or import ENT-3379, an allosteric inhibitor of Phosphodiesterase 4D, (PDE4D) for any medical diagnostic, therapeutic or prophylactic application in human health, including in FXS. In exchange for the license, we paid an upfront payment of $7.5 million and are obligated to pay up to an additional $217.5 million upon the achievement of regulatory and sales-based milestones as well as mid-single digit percent royalties on any future sales of MRM-3379.
Commercial Agreements related to Cholbam
Asset Purchase Agreement with Asklepion Pharmaceuticals, LLC
Through the Bile Acid Portfolio Acquisition, we were assigned the rights to the Asset Purchase Agreement (“Asklepion APA”), dated January 10, 2015, between Travere and Asklepion Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Asklepion”), pursuant to which we acquired all right, title and interest to certain assets of Asklepion aimed at the development of products related to cholic acid (“Cholic Acid Products”). Pursuant to the Asklepion APA, we are required to pay Asklepion high single-digit to low double-digit tiered royalties on worldwide net revenues of Cholic Acid Products.
Commercial Agreements related to chenodiol
License and Manufacturing Agreement with LGM Pharma
Through the Bile Acid Portfolio Acquisition, we were assigned the rights to the License and Manufacturing Agreement, dated November 4, 2009, between LGM Pharma, formerly Nexgen Pharma, Inc. (“LGM”), and Manchester Pharmaceuticals, Inc. related to the manufacture of chenodiol, pursuant to which we obtained an exclusive, perpetual license to market chenodiol in the U.S. under the terms of an abbreviated new drug application approved by the FDA and owned by LGM, which grants to LGM the authority to manufacture and sell chenodiol in the U.S.
Asklepion APA
Pursuant to the Asklepion APA, we are required to pay Asklepion a low single-digit royalty on net sales of chenodiol in the U.S.
Asset Purchase Agreement with Travere Therapeutics, Inc.
On August 31, 2023, we completed the Bile Acid Portfolio Acquisition. We paid $210.4 million upon closing of the transaction, and up to an additional $235.0 million is payable upon the achievement of certain milestones based on specified amounts of annual net sales of the Bile Acid Medicines. As of December 31, 2025, the Company accrued $25.0 million for the achievement of a commercial milestone associated with achievement of certain net product sales, which is expected to be paid in the first quarter of 2026.
In connection with and immediately prior to the closing of the Bile Acid Portfolio Acquisition, we completed the private placement of 8,000,000 shares of our common stock at a price per share of $26.25, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $202.2 million.
Intellectual Property
Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain proprietary protection for our product candidates and other discoveries, inventions, trade secrets and know-how that are critical to our business operations. Our success also depends in part on our ability to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others, and in part, on our ability to prevent others from infringing our proprietary rights. A comprehensive discussion on risks relating to intellectual property is provided under “Risk Factors” under the subsection “Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property.”
We have developed and continue to develop patent portfolios around our product candidates, Livmarli (maralixibat) and volixibat. We have rights to pending patent applications in the United States, Europe, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore covering the methods of treating various cholestatic liver indications using maralixibat and/or volixibat which, if issued, would expire in October 2032, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions. We have rights to issued U.S. Patent No. 11,376,251, which is directed to methods of treating ALGS in a pediatric subject with maralixibat, expiring in October 2032. We also have rights to U.S. Patent No. 12,350,267, which is directed to methods of
treating PFIC in a pediatric subject with maralixibat, expiring in October 2032. We also have rights to U.S Patent Nos. 10,512,657 and 11,229,661, which are directed to methods of treating or ameliorating PFIC2 and methods of treating or ameliorating a pediatric disorder characterized by having a non-truncating BSEP mutation selected from PFIC2, BRIC2, and drug induced cholestasis in a pediatric subject comprising administering maralixibat, respectively, both of which expire in October 2032. These four U.S. patents are listed in the FDA’s Orange Book: Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (“Orange Book”) for Livmarli. We have rights to a U.S. patent that is directed to methods of treating PBC with volixibat, expiring in October 2032.
We have rights to granted patents in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Israel, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, South Africa and Macau covering the methods of treating cholestasis using IBATis that have limited systemic exposure, which expire in October 2032. We also have rights to pending patent applications in United States, Europe, Hong Kong and Singapore, covering methods of treating pediatric cholestatic liver diseases using IBATis that have limited systemic exposure, which, if issued, would expire in October 2032, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions. We have rights to granted patents in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Israel, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, Singapore, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Macau and Turkmenistan covering methods of treating pediatric cholestatic liver diseases using IBATis that have limited systemic exposure, which expire in October 2032. We also have rights to a granted patent in South Africa covering pediatric dosage forms of IBATis that have limited systemic exposure, which expires in October 2032.
We have rights to U.S. Patent Nos. 11,229,647 and 11,497,745, which are directed to methods of treating ALGS in a pediatric subject comprising administering maralixibat to the subject expiring in February 2040. We also have rights to U.S. Patent No. 11,918,578, which is directed to a method of treating cholestatic pruritus in ALGS subjects expiring in February 2040. These three U.S. patents are listed in the Orange Book for Livmarli. We have rights to granted patents in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, Japan and Russia, which are directed to maralixibat or volixibat for use in treating cholestatic liver disease in a subject having BSEP deficiency but without total loss of BSEP activity, which expire in February 2040. We have rights to pending patent applications in the United States, Europe, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, and Saudi Arabia directed to methods for treating cholestatic liver disease and to methods for using patient genotype to predict response to IBATi administration in patients with BSEP deficiency. Any patents issuing from these applications would expire in February 2040, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions.
We have rights to a granted patent in Russia directed to methods for treating ALGS comprising administering higher dosages of maralixibat. We have rights to pending applications in the United States, Europe, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, and Saudi Arabia directed to methods for treating cholestatic liver disease comprising administering higher dosages of IBATis. We have rights to granted patents in Japan, Russia, Hong Kong, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain, Switzerland, and United Kingdom directed to methods of increasing growth in pediatric subjects having cholestatic liver disease by administering IBATis, which expire in February 2040. We have rights to pending applications in the United States, Europe, Canada, South Korea, Israel, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, and Saudi Arabia directed to methods of increasing growth in pediatric subjects having cholestatic liver disease by administering IBATis. Any patents issuing from these applications would expire in February 2040, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions.
We have rights to pending applications in the United States, Argentina, Taiwan, Europe, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Israel, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, Eurasia, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Chile, Colombia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, South Africa and Hong Kong directed to formulations of maralixibat which, if issued, would expire in October 2042, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions. We have rights to a granted patent in Luxemburg directed to increased event-free survival of long-term maralixibat patients which expires in October 2042. We have rights to pending applications in the United States, Europe, Canada, China, Japan, Australia, Israel, Singapore, Mexico, Eurasia, South Africa, and Hong Kong directed to methods of treatment with IBATis in the fasted state which, if issued, would expire in October 2042, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions. We have rights to pending applications in the United States, Europe, Canada, China, Japan, Australia, Israel, Singapore, Mexico, Eurasia, South Africa, New Zealand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Tunisia, Lybia, Iraq, and Hong Kong directed to increased event-free survival of long-term maralixibat patients which, if issued, would expire in November 2042, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions.
We have rights to pending applications in the United States, Argentina, Taiwan, Uruguay, Paraguay, Europe, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Israel, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, Eurasia, South Africa,
New Zealand, Chile, and United Arab Emirates directed to highly pure maralixibat forms and intermediates which, if issued, would expire in September 2043, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions. We have rights to U.S. Patent No. 12,296,050 directed to maralixibat compositions and solid dosage forms expiring in October 2043. This patent is listed in the Orange Book for Livmarli. We have rights to pending applications in the United States, Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT”), and Taiwan directed to maralixibat compositions and solid dosage forms which, if issued, would expire in October 2043, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions. We have rights to pending applications in the United States, Taiwan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Eurasia, Europe, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa directed to methods of treating PFIC with maralixibat which, if issued, would expire in October 2043, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions. We have rights to pending applications in the United States, Brazil, Canada, China, Eurasia, Europe, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising volixibat which, if issued, would expire in May 2044, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions. We have rights to pending applications in the United States and PCT directed to methods of treating cholestatic pruritus in rare diseases which, if issued, would expire in May 2045, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions.
We have licensed patent applications in the United States, Hong Kong, and Europe from Satiogen covering therapeutic uses of IBATis that have limited systemic exposure for treating inflammatory intestinal conditions, which, if issued, would expire in May 2031, absent any patent term adjustments or extensions. Two of these Satiogen applications have issued as United States Patent No. 10,251,880 and 11,260,053, the latter being Orange-Book listed for Livmarli. We have licensed an issued United States patent, as well as issued foreign counterparts in Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, China, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey, and Brazil from Sanofi, that cover the composition and methods of making volixibat and salts thereof, expiring in December 2027. Patents related to Livmarli and volixibat may be eligible for patent term extensions in certain jurisdictions, including the United States for volixibat, upon approval of a commercial use of the corresponding product by a regulatory agency in the jurisdiction where the patent was granted. Similar to the patent term-extensions in the United States, Supplementary Protection Certificates (“SPCs”) serve as an extension to a patent right in the EU for up to five years. SPCs have been granted for maralixibat for EP2771003 in Austria, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden and are pending in Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Poland, and Slovakia.
We do not have patents or patent applications covering Livmarli as a composition of matter. Therefore, the primary patent-based intellectual property protection for our Livmarli program will be any patents granted on the pending method-of-use and dosage form patent applications.
We have rights to a patent portfolio and will continue to develop a patent portfolio around our product candidate MRM-3379. We have rights to three issued U.S. patents covering MRM-3379 as a composition-of-matter, as well as a pending counterpart in the United States and issued foreign counterparts in Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Spain, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, which are set to expire in March 2034, absent any patent term extensions. We have rights to pending PCT and Taiwan applications covering methods of treating Fragile X syndrome using MRM-3379. Patents related to MRM-3379 may be eligible for patent term extensions in certain jurisdictions, including the United States, upon approval of a commercial use of the corresponding product by a regulatory agency in the jurisdiction where the patent was granted.
Upon approval in the United States, as MRM-3379 has not previously been approved in the United States for any indication, it may be eligible for five years of NCE exclusivity, which would run concurrently with its seven years of orphan drug exclusivity if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for FXS or another approved orphan indication.
We have rights to a patent portfolio and will continue to develop a patent portfolio around our product candidate brelovitug. We have rights to two issued U.S. patents, U.S. Patent Nos. 11,932,681 and 12,331,104, covering brelovitug as a composition-of-matter and methods of treating hepatitis B, as well as a pending counterpart in the United States and issued foreign counterparts in China and Japan, as well as pending foreign counterparts in China, Europe, Hong Kong, and Japan, which are set to expire in 2039-2041 absent any patent term extensions. We have rights to pending United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, Israel, India, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan applications covering methods of treating hepatitis D using brelovitug, which are set to expire in 2044, absent any patent term adjustment or extensions. We have rights to a pending United States provisional application covering the pharmaceutical compositions of brelovitug, and any patent issued claiming priority to the provisional will expire in 2046 absent any patent term adjustments or extensions. Patents related to brelovitug may be eligible for patent term extensions in certain jurisdictions, including the United States, upon approval of a commercial use of the corresponding product by a regulatory agency in the jurisdiction where the patent was granted.
Upon approval in the United States, as brelovitug has not previously been approved in the United States for any indication, it may be eligible for a 12-year biologics exclusivity which would run concurrently with its seven years of orphan drug exclusivity if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for chronic HDV treatment or another approved orphan indication.
In addition to patent protection, we rely on trade secret protection, trademark protection and know-how to expand our proprietary position around our chemistry, technology and other discoveries and inventions that we consider important to our business. We are a party to a number of license agreements under which we are granted intellectual property rights to know-how that are important to our business. We have access to, or have licensed, know-how related to Livmarli in the United States, Europe and other countries from Pfizer and Shire. We have licensed know-how related to ASBTi Technology and TGR5 Technology from Satiogen. We have access to, or have licensed, know-how related to volixibat from Sanofi and Shire. We have licensed know-how related to brelovitug from Novartis. We have licensed know-how related to MRM-3379 from Enthorin. Our existing license agreements as related to Livmarli, volixibat, brelovitug and MRM-3379 impose various development, regulatory and/ commercial diligence obligations, payment of milestones and/or royalties and other obligations.
In addition, we currently have orphan drug exclusivity for Livmarli for the treatment of ALGS and PFIC in the United States and the EU, providing seven years of market exclusivity in the United States, which can be extended to seven and a half years if trials are conducted in accordance with an agreed-upon pediatric investigational plan, and ten years of market exclusivity in the EU, which has been extended to 12 years in the EU for the treatment of ALGS in view of a pediatric award and may be extended to 12 years in the EU for PFIC. In addition, we currently have orphan drug designation for volixibat for the treatment of PBC in the United States and in the EU, providing the opportunity to receive seven years of market exclusivity in the United States, which can be extended to seven and a half years if trials are conducted in accordance with an agreed-upon pediatric investigational plan, and ten years of market exclusivity in the EU, which can be extended to 12 years in the EU if trials are conducted in accordance with an agreed-upon pediatric investigational plan.
In the United States, maralixibat has been granted new chemical entity (“NCE”) exclusivity until September 29, 2026. This five years of post-FDA approval exclusivity runs concurrently with its seven years orphan drug exclusivity for the treatment of ALGS. Upon approval in the United States, as volixibat has not previously been approved in the United States for any indication, it may be eligible for five years of NCE exclusivity, which would run concurrently with its seven years of orphan drug exclusivity if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for an approved orphan indication.
We also seek to protect our intellectual property in part by entering into confidentiality agreements with companies with whom we share proprietary and confidential information in the course of business discussions, and by having confidentiality terms in our agreements with our employees, consultants, scientific advisors, clinical investigators and other contractors and also by requiring our employees, commercial contractors, and certain consultants and investigators, to enter into invention assignment agreements that grant us ownership of any discoveries or inventions made by them while in our employ.
Furthermore, we seek trademark protection in the United States and internationally where available and when we deem appropriate.
Sales, Marketing and Distribution
We believe we have built the commercial infrastructure necessary to effectively support the commercialization of our approved medicines in North America and certain countries in Europe and are using strategic partners, and distributors to assist in the commercialization of our approved medicines in other markets.
The commercial infrastructure for orphan products typically consists of a targeted, specialty sales force that calls on a limited and focused group of physicians supported by sales management, internal sales support, an internal marketing group and distribution support. Additional capabilities important to the marketplace include the management of key accounts such as managed care organizations, group-purchasing organizations, specialty pharmacies, government accounts and reimbursement support. Based on the number of physicians that treat cholestatic liver diseases, we have designed our commercial organization to target the relevant audience for our approved medicines in North America and certain countries in Europe primarily through an internal sales force. To maintain and further develop the appropriate commercial infrastructure, we have invested and expect to continue to invest significant amounts of financial and management resources in our commercial organization.
In addition, we have built a medical affairs organization and multiple capabilities across North America and Europe to meet the scientific and medical educational needs of the healthcare providers and patients in the rare disease community that are focused on providing accurate disease state and balanced product information for appropriate
management of patients with rare disorders. Medical affairs is comprised of medical information, patient advocacy, patient diagnosis, medical science liaisons, research and educational grants.
Our approved medicines are currently distributed in the U.S. and Canada, through a single specialty pharmacy in each country. In other geographies, our approved medicines are sold direct to pharmacies by our third-party logistics providers, authorized distributors or licensed partners. Pharmacies and authorized distributors act as intermediaries between us and the end-users and generally do not stock significant quantities of our products. In certain countries, governments place large periodic orders. The timing of these orders can be inconsistent and can create quarter-to-quarter variation in revenue.
Manufacturing
We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities for the production of our approved medicines or our product candidates that we may develop, nor do we have plans to develop our own manufacturing operations in the foreseeable future. We currently depend on third-party contract manufacturers for all of our required raw materials, active pharmaceutical ingredient and finished products, including clinical supplies. Over the course of the development of our IBATis we have used and continue to use multiple third-party contract manufacturers. We have entered into and expect to continue to enter into agreements for commercial production of our approved medicines. We do not have any current contractual arrangements for the manufacture of commercial supplies of volixibat. We have entered into an agreement with Lonza for the manufacture of brelovitug. We currently employ internal resources and third-party consultants to manage our manufacturing contractors.
Competition
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are subject to rapid and intense technological change. We face, and will continue to face, competition in the development and marketing of our products and product candidates from academic institutions, government agencies, research institutions and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approval and marketing than we do.
Competition may also arise from, among other things, new drug development technologies, new or improved treatment options for preventing or reducing the incidence of disease in diseases our products treat and new small molecule or other classes of therapeutic agents. Such developments by competitors could reduce or eliminate the use of our products or may limit the utility and application of ongoing clinical trials for our product candidates.
We are aware of two other companies pursuing clinical development and commercialization of therapies that reduce sBA levels via the IBAT pathway. GlaxoSmithKline plc (“GSK”) and Ipsen Pharma (“Ipsen”) have IBATs in clinical development for cholestatic liver diseases.
We are aware Ipsen has received approval for odevixibat (Bylvay) for the treatment of pruritus in patients with PFIC and cholestatic pruritus in patients with ALGS in the U.S., and for the treatment of PFIC in the EU and for odevixibat (Kayfanda) for the treatment of cholestatic pruritus in ALGS. In the EU, Bylvay and Kayfanda are authorized under exceptional circumstances. Ipsen has opened enrollment in their ALGS open-label extension study to infants 11 months or younger and is also conducting a study of odevixibat in biliary atresia and plans to pursue other cholestatic liver diseases. GSK announced in November 2024 that the Phase 3 GLISTEN trial with linerixibat in PBC met its primary pruritus endpoint and that GSK has submitted marketing applications to the U.S., EU and other health authorities with potential approvals expected in 2026.
Other off-label medications are also used in ALGS, PFIC, PSC and PBC for cholestatic pruritus such as Ursodeoxycholic acid (“UDCA”), cholestyramine and other bile salt resins, rifampin, naltrexone and other agents, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Further, we may compete with companies that are developing gene therapy for the treatment of PFIC. Additionally, surgical interventions, such as partial external biliary diversion and nasobiliary drainage, and extracorporeal liver support, such as Molecular Adsorbent Recirculation System, are also employed in an attempt to lower bile acid levels, manage pruritus and improve measures of liver function.
In adult settings of cholestasis, similar to pediatric settings, cholestyramine, UDCA, rifampin and naltrexone are commonly used agents. We are aware that Alfasigma S.p.’s (formerly Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) Ocaliva, Gilead Science’s Livdelzi, and Ipsen’s Iqirvo are approved as a second-line treatment for PBC in patients with inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid. We are aware of several agents in clinical development for the treatment of PBC including Alfasigma’s Ocaliva and bezafibrate, Zydus Therapeutics Inc.’s saroglitazar magnesium, Calliditas Therapeutics AB’s setanaxib, COUR Pharmaceuticals’ CNP-104, Umecrine Cognition’s golexanolone, Kowa Company Ltd’s K-808, HighTide Therapeutics Inc.’s HTD-1801, Hepagene Therapeutics Inc.’s HPG-1860, Tharimmune Inc.’s TH-104, Cascade Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s CS-0159, and GSK’s linerixibat, another IBATi.
We are not aware of FDA or European Commission approved therapeutics for the treatment of PSC. We are aware of several agents in clinical development for the treatment of PSC, including Dr. Falk Pharma’s Norucholic acid, HighTide Therapeutics Inc.’s HTD-1801, Alfasigma’s Ocaliva, or obeticholic acid, Ipsen’s elafibranor and ritivixibat, NGM Biopharmaceuticals Inc.’s NGM282, Chemomab Therapeutics Ltd.’s CM-101, Cascade Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s CS-0159, LISCure Biosciences Inc.’s LB-P8, Halo Biosciences Inc.’s HB-1614, ProQR Therapeutics N.V.’s AX-0810, Rectify Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s RTY-694 and Pliant Therapeutics’ bexotegrast.
There are other approved chenodeoxycholic acid products available outside of the U.S. Both Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH and Leadiant Biosciences, Inc. have FDA Orphan Drug Designations granted for the treatment of CTX (granted in 2004 and 2007, respectively), and we believe that Leadiant Biosciences, based on publicly available information, may be conducting a clinical study in CTX. There are currently no FDA-approved treatments in the U.S. that compete with Cholbam. There are other approved cholic acid products available outside of the U.S. and Laboratoires CTRS has received approval from the EMA for a version of cholic acid.
There are currently no approved products available in the U.S. for the treatment of chronic HDV infection. Bulevirtide, which is commercialized by Gilead Sciences, is approved for commercial sale in the EU and Gilead is seeking approval from the FDA to commercialize bulevirtide in the U.S. In addition, we are aware that Vir Biotechnology is developing tobevibart in combination with elebsiran for the treatment of chronic HDV. We are aware of several other agents in clinical development for the treatment of chronic HDV including Gilead Science’s GS-4321, Shanghai HEP Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.’s Hepalatide, Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd.’s RBD1016, Assembly Biosciences’s ABI-6250, Huahui Health Ltd.’s Libevitug and HH-1270, Replicor Inc.’s REP 2139-Mg and REP 2139-Ca, and EIT Pharma’s Jitixib® (Lonafarnib).
Under the Hatch-Waxman Amendments of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “Hatch-Waxman Act”), a pharmaceutical manufacturer may file an abbreviated new drug application (“ANDA”) seeking approval of a generic copy of an approved innovator product or an NDA under Section 505(b)(2) that relies on the FDA’s prior findings of safety and effectiveness in approving the innovator product. A Section 505(b)(2) NDA may be for a new or improved version of the original innovator product. Certain of our approved medicines, including Ctexli and Cholbam, are or may be subject to immediate competition from compounded and generic entrants, as the ANDA and NDA for these drug products have no remaining or current patent or non-patent exclusivity although Ctexli does have orphan designation for the CTX indication. Further, as described in more detail in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and Note 15 in the notes to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report, we have initiated litigation against certain parties alleging infringement of certain “Orange Book” listed patents covering LIVMARLI in accordance with the procedures set out in the Hatch-Waxman Act following the submission by such parties of ANDAs directed to generic versions of LIVMARLI. We cannot make any predictions about the final outcome of these matters or the timing thereof.
In December 2019, the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples Act of 2019 (the “CREATES Act”) was enacted, which provides a legislatively defined private right of action under which generic companies can bring suit against companies who refuse access to product for the bioequivalence testing needed to support approval of a generic product. It is our policy, which is in compliance with the CREATES Act, to evaluate requests for samples of our branded products, and to provide samples in response to bona fide requests from qualified third parties, including generic manufacturers, subject to specified conditions. We have provided samples to certain generic manufacturers.
We are not aware of FDA or European Commission approved therapeutics for the treatment of FXS. We are aware of one other company, Shionogi & Co., LTD., pursuing clinical development of a PDE4D inhibitor (zatomilast/BPN14770) in FXS. We are aware of several other companies pursuing clinical development of therapies for FXS including Harmony Biosciences Inc.’s ZYN002, Allos Pharma Inc.’s Arbaclofen, Healx Ltd.’s Gabaxodol, Spinogenix Inc.’s SPG601, Connecta Therapeutics S.L.’s CTH120, and Kaerus Therapeutics Inc.’s KER-0193.
Government Regulation and Product Approval
As a biopharmaceutical company that operates globally, we are subject to extensive regulation. Government authorities in the United States (at the federal, state and local level) and in other countries extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacturing, quality control, approval, labeling, packaging, storage, record-keeping, promotion, advertising, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, marketing and export and import of drug products such as those we are developing. Generally, our activities in other countries are or will be subject to regulation that is similar in nature and scope as that imposed in the United States, although there can be important differences. Additionally, some significant aspects of regulation in the EU are addressed in a centralized way, but country-specific regulation remains essential in many respects.
U.S. Biopharmaceutical Development Process
In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”), and biologics additionally under the Public Health Service Act, and their implementing regulations. Biopharmaceuticals are also subject to other federal, state and local statutes and regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval, may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions. FDA sanctions could include, among other actions, refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, a clinical hold, warning letters, product recalls or withdrawals from the market, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement or civil or criminal penalties. Any agency or judicial enforcement action could have a material adverse effect on us. The process required by the FDA before a drug or biologic may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:
•completion of extensive preclinical laboratory tests, preclinical animal studies and formulation studies in accordance with applicable regulations, including the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice (“GLP”), regulations and other applicable regulations;
•submission to the FDA of an investigational new drug (“IND”), which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;
•approval by an independent institutional review board (“IRB”), at each clinical site before each trial may be initiated;
•performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials in accordance with applicable regulations, including the FDA’s good clinical practice (“GCP”), regulations to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed drug for its proposed indication;
•submission to the FDA of an NDA for a new drug or Biologics License Application (“BLA”) for a biologic;
•satisfactory completion of an FDA advisory committee review, if applicable;
•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 an FDA pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the drug is produced to assess compliance with the FDA’s current good manufacturing practice (“cGMP”), requirements to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the drug’s identity, strength, quality and purity;
•potential FDA inspection of the preclinical and/or clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the NDA or BLA; and
•FDA review and approval of the NDA or BLA prior to any commercial marketing or sale of the drug or biologic in the United States.
Before testing any compounds with potential therapeutic value in humans, the candidate enters the preclinical testing stage. Preclinical tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, toxicity and formulation, as well as animal studies, to assess the potential safety and activity of the candidate. The conduct of the preclinical tests must comply with federal regulations and requirements including GLPs. The sponsor must submit the results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information, analytical data, any available clinical data or literature and a proposed clinical protocol, to the FDA as part of the IND. An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational drug product to humans. The central focus of an IND submission is on the general investigational plan and the protocol(s) for human trials. Some preclinical testing may continue even after the IND is submitted. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA raises concerns or questions regarding the proposed clinical trials and places the IND on clinical hold within that 30-day time period. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. The FDA may also impose clinical holds at any time before or during clinical trials due to safety concerns or non-compliance.
Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational 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 GCPs, which include the requirement 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 to be used to monitor subject safety and assess efficacy. Each protocol, and any subsequent amendments to the protocol, must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Further, each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an IRB, at or servicing each institution at which the clinical trial will be conducted. An IRB is charged with protecting the welfare and rights of trial participants and considers such items as whether the risks to individuals participating in the clinical trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to 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. There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and completed clinical trial results to public registries.
Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
•Phase 1. The candidate is initially introduced into healthy human subjects and tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution and excretion, the side effects associated with increasing doses and if possible, to gain early evidence of effectiveness. In the case of some products for severe or life-threatening diseases, especially when the product may be too inherently toxic to ethically administer to healthy volunteers, the initial human testing is often conducted in patients.
•Phase 2. The candidate is evaluated in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases or conditions and to determine dosage tolerance, optimal dosage and dosing schedule.
•Phase 3. Clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy and safety in an expanded patient population at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall benefit/risk ratio of the product and provide an adequate basis for product approval. Generally, two adequate and well-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials are required by the FDA for approval of an NDA.
Post-approval studies, or 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. In certain instances, FDA may mandate the performance of Phase 4 trials. In certain instances, the FDA may mandate the performance of Phase 4 clinical trials as a condition of approval of an NDA or BLA.
Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted at least annually to the FDA and written IND safety reports must be submitted to the FDA and the investigators for serious and unexpected adverse events or any finding from tests in laboratory animals that suggests a significant risk for human subjects. Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials may not be completed successfully within any specified period, if at all. The FDA, the IRB, or the sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the candidate has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients. Additionally, some clinical trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee. This group provides authorization for whether or not a trial may move forward at designated check points based on access to certain data from the trial.
Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional animal studies and must also develop additional information about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the candidate as well as finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product and, among other things, must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the product does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
U.S. Review and Approval Processes
The results of product development, preclinical studies and clinical trials, along with descriptions of the manufacturing process, analytical tests conducted on the chemistry of the drug, proposed labeling and other relevant information are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA or BLA requesting approval to market the product. Data may come from company-sponsored clinical trials intended to test the safety and effectiveness of a use of a product, 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 effectiveness of the investigational product
to the satisfaction of the FDA. The submission of an NDA or BLA is subject to the payment of substantial user fees; a waiver of such fees may be obtained under certain limited circumstances.
In addition, the Pediatric Research Equity Act (“PREA”), requires a sponsor to conduct pediatric clinical trials for most drugs, for a new active ingredient, new indication, new dosage form, new dosing regimen or new route of administration. Under PREA, original applications and supplements must contain a pediatric assessment unless the sponsor has received a deferral or waiver. The required assessment must evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the product for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The sponsor or FDA may request a deferral of pediatric clinical trials for some or all of the pediatric subpopulations. A deferral may be granted for several reasons, including a finding that the drug is ready for approval for use in adults before pediatric clinical trials are complete or that additional safety or effectiveness data needs to be collected before the pediatric clinical trials begin. The FDA must send a non-compliance letter to any sponsor that fails to submit the required assessment, keep a deferral current or fails to submit a request for approval of a pediatric formulation. Unless otherwise required by regulation, the Pediatric Research Equity Act does not apply to any product for an indication for which orphan designation has been granted. However, if only one indication for a product has orphan designation, a pediatric assessment may still be required for any applications to market that same product for the non-orphan indication(s).
The FDA reviews all NDAs and BLAs submitted before it accepts them for filing and may request additional information rather than accepting the application for filing. The FDA must make a decision on accepting an application for filing within 60 days of receipt. Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth review. Under the PDUFA, guidelines that are currently in effect, the FDA has a goal of ten months from the date of “filing” of a standard application to review and act on the submission. This review typically takes twelve months from the date the application is submitted to FDA because the FDA has approximately two months to make a “filing” decision after it the application is submitted. The FDA does not always meet its PDUFA goal dates for standard and priority NDAs, and the review process is often significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification.
After the NDA submission is accepted for filing, the FDA reviews the application to determine, among other things, whether the proposed product is safe and effective for its intended use (safe, pure and potent for a biologic) and whether the product is being manufactured in accordance with cGMP to assure and preserve the product’s identity, strength, quality and purity. The FDA may refer applications for novel products or products which present difficult questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee, typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts, for review, evaluation and a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions and typically follows the advisory committee’s recommendations.
Before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA will inspect the facilities at which the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve the product 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 sites to assure compliance with GCP requirements. After the FDA evaluates the application, manufacturing process and manufacturing facilities, it may issue an approval letter or a Complete Response Letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the drug with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A Complete Response Letter indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete and the application will not be approved in its present form. A Complete Response Letter usually describes all of the specific deficiencies in the application identified by the FDA. The Complete Response Letter may require additional clinical data and/or (an) additional pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial(s), and/or other significant and time-consuming requirements related to clinical trials, preclinical studies or manufacturing. If a Complete Response Letter is issued, the applicant may either resubmit the application, addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter, or withdraw the application. Even if such data and information is submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the application does not satisfy the criteria for approval.
If a product receives regulatory approval, the approval may be significantly limited to specific diseases and dosages or the indications for use may otherwise be limited, which could restrict the commercial value of the product. A product may also receive accelerated approval requiring confirmatory studies for full approval. Further, the FDA may require that certain contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling or may condition the approval of the NDA on other changes to the proposed labeling, development of adequate controls and specifications, or a commitment to conduct one or more post-market studies or clinical trials. For example, the FDA may require Phase 4 testing, which involves clinical trials designed to further assess a drug safety and effectiveness, and may require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the safety of approved products that have been commercialized. The FDA may also determine that a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (“REMS”) is necessary to assure the safe use of the drug. If the FDA concludes a REMS is needed, the sponsor of the NDA must submit a proposed REMS; the FDA will not approve the
NDA without an approved REMS, if required. A REMS could include medication guides, physician communication plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools.
Orphan Drug Designation
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan designation to a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States or, if it affects more than 200,000 individuals in the United States, there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making a drug product available in the United States for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales of the product. Orphan designation must be requested before submitting an NDA or BLA. After the FDA grants orphan designation, the identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. Orphan designation does not convey any advantage in or shorten the duration of the regulatory review and approval process.
If a product that has orphan designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease or condition 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 to market the same drug or biological product for the same indication for seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan exclusivity or inability to manufacture the product in sufficient quantities. The designation of such drug also entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax advantages and user-fee waivers. Competitors, however, may receive approval of different products for the indication for which the orphan product has exclusivity or obtain approval for the same product but for a different indication for which the orphan product has exclusivity. Orphan exclusivity also could block the approval of one of our products for seven years if a competitor obtains approval of the same drug as defined by the FDA or if our product candidate is determined to be contained within the competitor’s product for the same indication or disease. If an orphan designated product receives marketing approval for an indication broader than what is designated, it may not be entitled to orphan exclusivity. Orphan drug status in the EU has similar but not identical benefits in that jurisdiction.
Expedited Development and Review Programs
The FDA has a Fast Track designation program that is intended to expedite or facilitate the process for reviewing new drug and biologic products that are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the disease or condition. Unique to a Fast Track product, the FDA may consider for review sections of the NDA or BLA on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted, if the sponsor provides a schedule for the submission of the sections of the application, the FDA agrees to accept sections and determines that the schedule is acceptable, and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the application.
Any product submitted to the FDA for approval, including a product with a Fast Track designation, may also be eligible for other types of FDA programs intended to expedite development and review, such as priority review and accelerated approval. A product is eligible for priority review if it has the potential to provide safe and effective therapy for a serious condition where no satisfactory alternative therapy exists or a significant improvement in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of a serious condition compared to marketed products. The FDA will attempt to direct additional resources to the evaluation of an application for a new drug designated for priority review in an effort to facilitate the review.
In addition, a product may be eligible for accelerated approval. Drug products intended to treat serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions may be eligible for accelerated approval upon a determination that the product has 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, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require that a sponsor of a drug receiving accelerated approval perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical trials. In addition, the FDA currently requires as a condition for accelerated approval pre-approval of promotional materials, which could adversely impact the timing of the commercial launch of the product. Fast track designation, priority review and accelerated approval do not change the standards for approval but may expedite the development or approval process.
A sponsor may seek FDA designation of a drug candidate as a “breakthrough therapy” if the drug is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The designation includes intensive FDA interaction and guidance. If a drug is designated as breakthrough therapy, the FDA will expedite the development and review of such drug. Breakthrough therapy designation includes all of the Fast Track program features, as well as more intensive FDA interaction and guidance. The breakthrough therapy designation is a
distinct status from both accelerated approval and priority review, which can also be granted to the same drug if relevant criteria are met. If a product is designated as breakthrough therapy, the FDA will work to expedite the development and review of such drug.
Even if a product qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the product no longer meets the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened. In addition, this designation may not provide a material commercial advantage.
Post-Approval Requirements
Any drug products for which we receive FDA approvals are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, record-keeping requirements, reporting of adverse experiences with the product, providing the FDA with updated safety and efficacy information, product sampling and distribution requirements, and complying with FDA promotion and advertising requirements, which include, among others, standards for direct-to-consumer advertising, restrictions on promoting drugs for uses or in patient populations that are not described in the products’s approved labeling (known as “off-label use”), limitations on industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities, and requirements for promotional activities involving the internet. Although physicians may prescribe legally available products for off-label uses, manufacturers may not market or promote such off-label uses.
In addition, quality control and manufacturing procedures must continue to conform to applicable manufacturing requirements after approval to ensure the long-term stability of the drug product. We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the production of clinical and commercial quantities of our products in accordance with cGMP regulations. cGMP regulations require among other things, quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation and the obligation to investigate and correct any deviations from cGMP. Manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved biopharmaceuticals are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMP and other laws. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money, and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance. Discovery of problems with a product after approval may result in restrictions on a product, manufacturer, or holder of an approved NDA or BLA, including, among other things, recall or withdrawal of the product from the market. In addition, changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated, and depending on the significance of the change, may require prior FDA approval before being implemented. Other types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications and additional labeling claims, are also subject to further FDA review and approval.
The FDA also may require post-marketing testing, known as Phase 4 testing, and surveillance to monitor the effects of an approved product. Discovery of previously unknown problems with a product or the failure to comply with applicable FDA requirements can have negative consequences, including adverse publicity, judicial or administrative enforcement, warning letters from the FDA, mandated corrective advertising or communications with doctors, and civil or criminal penalties, among others. Newly discovered or developed safety or effectiveness data may require changes to a product’s approved labeling, including the addition of new warnings and contraindications, and also may require the implementation of other risk management measures. Also, new government requirements, including those resulting from new legislation, may be established, or the FDA’s policies may change, which could delay or prevent regulatory approval of our products under development.
U.S. Patent Term Restoration and Marketing Exclusivity
Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of the FDA approval of the use of our product candidates, some of our U.S. patents, if granted, 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 a patent restoration term of up to five years, as compensation for patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review process. However, patent term restoration cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the product’s approval date. The patent term restoration period is generally one-half the time during the patent’s term between the effective date of an IND and the submission date of an NDA or BLA plus the time during the patent’s term between the submission date of an NDA or BLA and the approval of that application. 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 intend to apply for restoration of patent term for one of 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.
Market exclusivity provisions under the FDCA can also delay the submission or the approval of certain marketing applications. The FDCA provides a five-year period of non-patent marketing exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to obtain approval of an NDA for a NCE. A drug is a NCE 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 approve or even accept for review an abbreviated new drug application (“ANDA”), or a 505(b)(2) NDA submitted by another company for another drug based on the same active moiety, regardless of whether the drug is intended for the same indication as the original innovative drug or for another indication, where the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference to all the data required for approval. However, an application may be submitted after four years if it contains a certification of patent invalidity and/or non-infringement to one of the patents listed in the FDA’s Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (Orange Book). The FDCA alternatively provides three years of marketing exclusivity for an NDA, or supplement to an existing NDA if new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability studies, that were conducted or sponsored by the applicant are deemed by the FDA to be essential to the approval of the application, for example new indications, dosages or strengths of an existing drug. This three-year exclusivity covers only the modification for which the drug received approval on the basis of the new clinical investigations and does not prohibit the FDA from approving ANDAs for drugs containing the active agent for the original indication or condition of use. Five-year and three-year exclusivity will not delay the submission or approval of a full NDA. However, an applicant submitting a full NDA would be required to conduct, or obtain a right of reference to, all of the preclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.
Reference biological products are granted 12 years of data exclusivity from the time of first licensure of the product. The FDA will not accept an application for a biosimilar or interchangeable product based on the reference biological product until four years after the date of first licensure of the reference product.
Orphan drug exclusivity, as described above, may offer a seven-year period of marketing exclusivity for the approved indication, except in certain circumstances. Pediatric exclusivity is another type of non-patent market exclusivity in the United States. Pediatric exclusivity, if granted, adds six months to existing exclusivity periods and patent terms. This six-month exclusivity, which runs from the end of other exclusivity protection or patent term, may be granted based on the voluntary completion of a pediatric trial in accordance with an FDA-issued “Written Request” for such a trial.
Other U.S. Healthcare Laws and Compliance Requirements
We are subject to additional healthcare regulation and enforcement by the federal government and by authorities in the states and foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. In the United States, such laws include, without limitation, state and federal anti-kickback, fraud and abuse, false claims, privacy and security, price reporting, and health care provider transparency or “sunshine” laws and regulations.
The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, any person or entity, from knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving any remuneration, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for the purchase, lease or order of any item or service reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs. The term remuneration has been interpreted broadly to include anything of value. 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. The exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly and practices that involve remuneration that may be alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchasing or recommending may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exception or safe harbor. Failure to meet all of the requirements of a particular applicable statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor does not make the conduct per se illegal under the Anti-Kickback Statute. Instead, the legality of the arrangement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on a cumulative review of all of its facts and circumstances. Our practices may not in all cases meet all of the criteria for protection under a statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor.
Additionally, the intent standard under the Anti-Kickback Statute and the criminal healthcare fraud statutes (discussed below) was amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “Affordable Care Act”), to a stricter standard such that a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. In addition, the Affordable Care Act codified case law 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 federal False Claims Act (discussed below).
The federal False Claims Act, as well as the civil monetary penalty law, prohibit, among other things, any person or entity from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false 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 material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. As a result of a modification to the federal False Claims Act made by the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, a claim includes “any request or demand” for money or property presented to the U.S. government. Pharmaceutical and other healthcare companies have been prosecuted under these laws for allegedly providing free product to customers with the expectation that the customers would bill federal programs for the product. Companies have also been prosecuted for causing false claims to be submitted because of the companies’ marketing of the product for unapproved, and thus non-covered, uses.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) also created new federal criminal statutes that prohibit knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud or to obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises, any money or property owned by, or under the control or custody of, any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up by trick, scheme or device, a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Also, many states have similar fraud and abuse statutes or regulations that apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs, or, in several states, apply regardless of the payor.
Additionally, the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act within the Affordable Care Act, and its implementing regulations, require that certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biological and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) annually report information related to certain payments or other transfers of value made or distributed to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), certain other healthcare professionals (such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners), and teaching hospitals, certain ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members.
We may also be subject to data privacy and security regulations by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”), and its implementing regulations, impose requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information. Among other things, HITECH makes HIPAA’s privacy and security standards directly applicable to business associates, independent contractors or agents of covered entities that receive or obtain protected health information in connection with providing a service on behalf of a covered entity. HITECH also created four 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. In addition, state laws govern the privacy and security of health information in specified circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts.
We also are or will become subject to privacy laws in the jurisdictions in which we are established or in which we sell or market our products or run clinical trials. For example, in relation to clinical trials in Europe, we are subject to Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the General Data Protection Regulation and similar laws in European countries outside of the EU (collectively, the “GDPR”), in relation to our collection, control, processing and other use of personal data (i.e., data relating to an identifiable living individual). We process personal data in relation to participants in our clinical trials in the European Economic Area, including the health and medical information of these participants. The GDPR also provides that EU Member States may introduce further conditions, including limitations which could limit our ability to collect, use and share personal data (including health and medical information), or could cause our compliance costs to increase, ultimately having an adverse impact on our business. The GDPR imposes onerous accountability obligations requiring data controllers and processors to maintain a record of their data processing and implement policies as part of its mandated privacy governance framework. It also requires data controllers to be transparent and disclose to data subjects (in a concise, intelligible and easily accessible form) how their personal data is to be used, imposes limitations on retention of personal data; defines for the first time pseudonymized (i.e., key-coded) data; introduces mandatory data breach notification requirements; and sets higher standards for data controllers to demonstrate that they have obtained valid consent for certain data processing activities. We are also subject to EU rules with respect to cross-border transfers of personal data out of the EU and European Economic Area. We are subject to the supervision of local data protection authorities in those EU jurisdictions where we are established or otherwise subject to the GDPR, and we maintain an office in Switzerland, which has similar privacy and data protection laws and regulations. Fines for certain breaches of the GDPR are significant: up to the greater of €20 million or 4% of total global annual turnover. In addition to the foregoing, a breach of the GDPR or other
applicable privacy and data protection laws and regulations could result in regulatory investigations, reputational damage, orders to cease/change our use of data, enforcement notices, or potential civil claims including class action type litigation.
In addition, numerous U.S. states have enacted comprehensive privacy laws that impose certain obligations on covered businesses, including providing specific disclosures in privacy notices and affording residents with certain rights concerning their personal data. As applicable, such rights may include the right to access, correct, or delete certain personal data, and to opt-out of certain data processing activities, such as targeted advertising, profiling, and automated decision-making. The exercise of these rights may impact our business and ability to provide our products and services. Certain states also impose stricter requirements for processing certain personal data, including sensitive information, such as conducting data privacy impact assessments. These state laws allow for statutory fines for noncompliance. For example, California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which applies to personal data of consumers, business representatives, and employees who are California residents, and requires businesses to provide specific disclosures to California residents and honor individuals’ requests to exercise certain privacy rights. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations and private right of action for certain data breaches. While certain clinical trial activities are exempt from the CCPA and other U.S. consumer privacy laws’ requirements, these developments may increase our compliance costs, exposure to regulatory enforcement action and other liabilities.
In order to distribute products commercially, we must comply with state laws that require the registration of manufacturers and wholesale distributors of pharmaceutical products in a state, including, in certain states, manufacturers and distributors who ship products into the state even if such manufacturers or distributors have no place of business within the state. Some states also impose requirements on manufacturers and distributors to establish the pedigree of product in the chain of distribution, including some states that require manufacturers and others to adopt new technology capable of tracking and tracing product as it moves through the distribution chain. Several states have enacted legislation requiring pharmaceutical companies to establish marketing compliance programs, file periodic reports with the state, make periodic public disclosures on sales, marketing, pricing, track and report gifts, compensation and other remuneration made to physicians and other healthcare providers, clinical trials and other activities, and/or register their sales representatives, as well as to prohibit pharmacies and other healthcare entities from providing certain physician prescribing data to pharmaceutical companies for use in sales and marketing, and to prohibit certain other sales and marketing practices. All of our activities are potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition laws.
If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the federal and state healthcare laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including without limitation, significant civil, criminal and/or administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, exclusion from participation in government programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, injunctions, imprisonment, private “qui tam” actions brought by individual whistleblowers in the name of the government, or refusal to allow us to enter into government contracts, contractual damages, reputational harm, administrative burdens, diminished profits and future earnings, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.
Pharmaceutical Coverage, Pricing and Reimbursement
Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any product candidates for which we or our collaborators obtain regulatory approval. In the United States and other countries, sales of pharmaceuticals, including Livmarli, depend, in part, on the extent to which third-party payors provide coverage, and establish adequate reimbursement levels for such drug products.
In the United States, third-party payors include federal and state healthcare programs, government authorities, private managed care providers, private health insurers and other organizations. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price, examining the medical necessity and reviewing the cost-effectiveness of medical drug products and medical services, in addition to questioning their safety and efficacy. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) among other things, requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to negotiate the price of certain single-source drugs that have been on the market for at least seven (7) years covered under Medicare as part of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. Each year up to twenty (20) products will be selected by HHS for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. Products subject to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program are expected to experience a significant reduction in reimbursement from the Medicare program on a per unit basis. In addition, the IRA imposes rebates on many Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D products to penalize price increases that outpace inflation on an annual basis. Additionally, such payors may limit coverage to specific drug products on an approved list, also known as a formulary, which might not include all of the FDA-approved drugs for a particular indication. Third party payors may require pharmaceutical companies to conduct expensive pharmaco-economic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of their products, in addition to the costs required to obtain the FDA approvals. Nonetheless, payors may determine that such products may not be considered medically necessary or cost-effective.
Moreover, the process for determining whether a third-party payor will provide coverage for a drug product may be separate from the process for setting the price of a drug product or for establishing the reimbursement rate that such a payor will pay for the drug product. A payor’s decision to provide coverage for a drug product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Further, one payor’s determination to provide coverage for a drug product does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage for the drug product. Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available for Livmarli and other drug products we may develop to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development.
If we elect to participate in certain governmental programs, we may be required to participate in discount and rebate programs, which may result in prices for our future products that will likely be lower than the prices we might otherwise obtain. For example, drug manufacturers participating under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program must pay rebates on prescription drugs to state Medicaid programs. Under the Veterans Health Care Act (“VHCA”), drug companies are required to offer certain drugs at a reduced price to a number of federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, the Public Health Service and certain private Public Health Service designated entities in order to participate in other federal funding programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. Recent legislative changes require that discounted prices be offered for certain U.S. Department of Defense purchases for its TRICARE program via a rebate system. Participation under the VHCA also requires submission of pricing data and calculation of discounts and rebates pursuant to complex statutory formulas, as well as the entry into government procurement contracts governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulations. The overall funding of certain government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare is uncertain and there is no guarantee that funds approved by the U.S. Congress will be made available by the current administration. If our products are made available to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule of the General Services Administration, additional laws and requirements apply.
Different pricing and reimbursement schemes exist in other countries. In the EU, governments influence the price of pharmaceutical products through their pricing and reimbursement rules and control of national health care systems that fund a large part of the cost of those products to consumers. Some jurisdictions operate positive and negative list systems under which products may only be marketed once a reimbursement price has been agreed. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval, some of these countries may require the completion of clinical trials that compare the cost-effectiveness of a particular drug candidate to currently available therapies. Other member states allow companies to fix their own prices for medicines, but monitor and control company profits. The downward pressure on health care costs in general, particularly prescription drugs, has become very intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. In addition, in some countries, cross-border imports from low-priced markets exert a commercial pressure on pricing within a country.
The marketability of Livmarli and any product candidates for which we or our collaborators receive regulatory approval for commercial sale may suffer if the government and third-party payors fail to provide adequate coverage and reimbursement. In addition, emphasis on managed care in the United States has increased and we expect will continue to increase the pressure on pharmaceutical pricing. Coverage policies and third-party reimbursement rates may change at any time. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for Livmarli or any other products for which we or our collaborators receive regulatory approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.
Healthcare Reform
A primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Government authorities and other third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medical products and services, implementing reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding and applying new payment methodologies. For example, in March 2010, the Affordable Care Act was enacted, which affected existing government healthcare programs and resulted in the development of new programs.
There have been amendments and executive, judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act. For example, on July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) was signed into law, which narrowed access to Affordable Care Act marketplace exchange enrollment and declined to extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced advanced premium tax credits that expired at the end of 2025, which, among other provisions in the law, are anticipated to reduce the number of Americans with health insurance. The OBBBA also is expected to reduce Medicaid spending and enrollment by implementing work requirements for some beneficiaries, capping state-directed payments, reducing federal funding, and limiting provider taxes used to fund the program. Congress is considering proposed legislation intended to further reduce healthcare costs with alternatives to replace the expired Affordable Care Act subsidies. It is unclear how such challenges and the healthcare reform measures of the current presidential administration will impact the Affordable Care Act and our business.
The current administration is pursuing policies to reduce regulations and expenditures across government agencies including at HHS, the FDA, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), and related agencies. These actions, presently directed by executive orders or memoranda from the Office of Management and Budget, may propose policy changes that create additional uncertainty for our business. For example, the current administration has announced agreements with pharmaceutical companies that require the drug manufacturers to offer, through a direct-to-consumer platform, U.S. patients and Medicaid programs prescription drug Most-Favored Nation pricing equal to or lower than those paid in other developed nations, with additional mandates for direct-to-patient discounts and repatriation of foreign revenues. Other recent actions, for example, include (1) directing agencies to reduce agency workforce and cut programs; (2) directing HHS and other agencies to lower prescription drug costs through a variety of initiatives, including by improving upon the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program and establishing Most-Favored-Nation pricing for pharmaceutical products; (3) imposing tariffs on imported pharmaceutical products; and (4) as part of the Make America Healthy Again Commission’s Strategy Report released in September 2025, working across government agencies to increase enforcement on direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. Additionally, the current administration recently called on Congress to enact “The Great Healthcare Plan,” to codify and expand Most-Favored Nation pricing, lower government subsidies to private insurance companies, increase healthcare price transparency, expand pharmaceutical drugs available for over-the-counter purchase, and enact restrictions on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) payment methodologies, among other things. These actions and policies may significantly reduce U.S. drug prices, potentially impacting manufacturers’ global pricing strategies and profitability, while increasing their operational costs and compliance risks. Additionally, in its June 2024 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (“Loper Bright”), the U.S. Supreme Court greatly reduced greatly reduced judicial deference to regulatory agencies, which could increase successful legal challenges to federal regulations affecting our operations. Congress may introduce and ultimately pass health care related legislation that could impact the drug approval process and make changes to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program created under the IRA.
At the state level, individual states in the United States have also increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological 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. For example, on January 5, 2024, the FDA approved Florida’s proposal to import certain drugs from Canada for specific state healthcare programs. It is unclear if and how this program will be implemented and whether it will be subject challenges in the United States or Canada. Other states have also submitted proposals that are pending review by the FDA. Any such approved importation plans, if implemented, may result in lower drug prices for products covered by those programs. Legally mandated price controls on payment amounts by third-party payors or other restrictions could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition 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.
We anticipate that these new laws will result in additional downward pressure on coverage and the price that we receive for any approved product, and could seriously harm our business. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare and other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our products. In addition, it is possible that there will be further legislation or regulation that could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (“FCPA”), prohibits any U.S. individual or business from paying, offering, or authorizing payment or offering of anything of value, directly or indirectly, to any foreign official, political party or candidate for the purpose of influencing any act or decision of the foreign entity in order to assist the individual or business in obtaining or retaining business. The FCPA also obligates companies whose securities are listed in the United States to comply with accounting provisions requiring the company to maintain books and records that accurately and fairly reflect all transactions of the corporation, including international subsidiaries, and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls for international operations.
Europe / Rest of World Government Regulation
In addition to regulations in the United States, we are subject to a variety of regulations in other jurisdictions governing, among other things, clinical trials and any commercial sales and distribution of our products. Whether or not we or our potential collaborators obtain FDA approval for a product, we must obtain the requisite approvals from regulatory authorities in foreign countries prior to the commencement of clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries.
Certain countries outside of the United States have a similar process that requires the submission of an application for a clinical trial authorization (“CTA”), much like the IND prior to the commencement of human clinical trials.
Clinical Trials in the EU
Similarly to the United States, the various phases of non-clinical and clinical research in the EU are subject to significant regulatory controls. In the EU, clinical trials are governed by the Clinical Trials Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 (“CTR”), which entered into application on January 31, 2022 repealing and replacing the former Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20 (“CTD”).
The CTR is intended to harmonize and streamline clinical trial authorizations, simplify adverse-event reporting procedures, improve the supervision of clinical trials and increase transparency. Specifically, the CTR, which is directly applicable in all EU Member States, introduces a streamlined application procedure through a single-entry point, the “EU portal”, the Clinical Trials Information System (“CTIS”); a single set of documents to be prepared and submitted for the application; as well as simplified reporting procedures for clinical trial sponsors. A harmonized procedure for the assessment of applications for clinical trials has been introduced and is divided into two parts. Part I assessment is led by the competent authorities of a reference Member State selected by the trial sponsor and relates to clinical trial aspects that are considered to be scientifically harmonized across EU Member States. This assessment is then submitted to the competent authorities of all concerned Member States in which the trial is to be conducted for their review. Part II is assessed separately by the competent authorities and Ethics Committees in each concerned EU Member State. Individual EU Member States retain the power to authorize the conduct of clinical trials on their territory.
The CTR foresaw a three-year transition period that ended on January 31, 2025. Since this date, all new or ongoing trials are subject to the provisions of the CTR.
In all cases, clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with GCP and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki. Medicines used in clinical trials must be manufactured in accordance with the guidelines on cGMP and in a GMP licensed facility, which can be subject to GMP inspections.
EU Review and approval process
In the EU, medicinal products can only be commercialized after a related marketing authorization has been granted. To obtain a marketing authorization for a product in the EU, an applicant must submit a Marketing Authorization Application (“MAA”), either under a centralized procedure administered by the EMA or one of the procedures administered by the competent authorities of EU Member States (decentralized procedure, national procedure or mutual recognition procedure). A marketing authorization may be granted only to an applicant established in the EU.
The centralized procedure provides for the grant of a single marketing authorization by the European Commission that is valid throughout the EEA (which is comprised of the 27 EU Member States plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein). Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 726/2004, the centralized procedure is compulsory for specific products, including for (i) medicinal products derived from biotechnological processes, (ii) products designated as orphan medicinal products, (iii) advanced therapy medicinal products and (iv) products with a new active substance indicated for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, auto-immune and other immune dysfunctions and viral diseases. For products with a new active substance indicated for the treatment of other diseases and products that are highly innovative or for which a centralized process is in the interest of patients, authorization through the centralized procedure is optional on related approval.
Under the centralized procedure, the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (“CHMP”), conducts the initial assessment of a product. The CHMP is also responsible for several post-authorization and maintenance activities, such as the assessment of modifications or extensions to an existing marketing authorization. The maximum timeframe for the evaluation of an MAA under the centralized procedure is 210 days, excluding clock stops when additional information or written or oral explanation is to be provided by the applicant in response to questions of the CHMP. Accelerated assessment may be granted by the CHMP in exceptional cases, when a medicinal product targeting an unmet medical need is expected to be of major interest from the point of view of public health and, in particular, from the viewpoint of therapeutic innovation. If the CHMP accepts a request for accelerated assessment, the time limit of 210 days will be reduced to 150 days (excluding clock stops). The CHMP can, however, revert to the standard time limit for the centralized procedure if it considers that it is no longer appropriate to conduct an accelerated assessment.
Unlike the centralized authorization procedure, the decentralized marketing authorization procedure requires a separate application to, and leads to separate approval by, the competent authorities of each EU Member State in which the product is to be marketed. This application is identical to the application that would be submitted to the EMA for authorization through the centralized procedure. The reference EU Member State prepares a draft assessment and drafts of
the related materials within 120 days after receipt of a valid application. The resulting assessment report is submitted to the concerned EU Member States who, within 90 days of receipt, must decide whether to approve the assessment report and related materials. If a concerned EU Member State cannot approve the assessment report and related materials due to concerns relating to a potential serious risk to public health, disputed elements may be referred to the Heads of Medicines Agencies’ Coordination Group for Mutual Recognition and Decentralised Procedures – Human for review. The subsequent decision of the European Commission is binding on all EU Member States.
The mutual recognition procedure allows companies that have a medicinal product already authorized in one EU Member State to apply for this authorization to be recognized by the competent authorities in other EU Member States. Like the decentralized procedure, the mutual recognition procedure is based on the acceptance by the competent authorities of the EU Member States of the marketing authorization of a medicinal product by the competent authorities of other EU Member States. The holder of a national marketing authorization may submit an application to the competent authority of an EU Member State requesting that this authority recognize the marketing authorization delivered by the competent authority of another EU Member State.
A marketing authorization has, in principle, an initial validity of five years. The marketing authorization may be renewed after five years on the basis of a re-evaluation of the risk-benefit balance by the EMA or by the competent authority of the EU Member State in which the original marketing authorization was granted. To support the application, the marketing authorization holder must provide the EMA or the competent authority with a consolidated version of the Common Technical Document providing up-to-date data concerning the quality, safety and efficacy of the product, including all variations introduced since the marketing authorization was granted, at least nine months before the marketing authorization ceases to be valid. The European Commission or the competent authorities of the EU Member States may decide on justified grounds relating to pharmacovigilance, to proceed with one further five year renewal period for the marketing authorization. Once subsequently definitively renewed, the marketing authorization shall be valid for an unlimited period. Any authorization which is not followed by the actual placing of the medicinal product on the EU market (for a centralized marketing authorization) or on the market of the authorizing EU Member State within three years after authorization ceases to be valid (the so-called sunset clause).
Innovative products that target an unmet medical need and are expected to be of major public health interest may be eligible for a number of expedited development and review programs, such as the Priority Medicines (“PRIME”) scheme, which provides incentives similar to the breakthrough therapy designation in the U.S. PRIME is a voluntary scheme aimed at enhancing the EMA’s support for the development of medicinal products that target unmet medical needs. 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 medicinal product 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. 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 potentially accelerated MAA assessment once a dossier has been submitted.
In the EU, a “conditional” marketing authorization may be granted in cases where all the required safety and efficacy data are not yet available. The European Commission may grant a conditional marketing authorization for a medicinal product if it is demonstrated that all of the following criteria are met: (i) the benefit-risk balance of the medicinal product is positive; (ii) it is likely that the applicant will be able to provide comprehensive data post-authorization; (iii) the medicinal product fulfils an unmet medical need; and (iv) the benefit of the immediate availability to patients of the medicinal product is greater than the risk inherent in the fact that additional data are still required. The conditional marketing authorization is subject to conditions to be fulfilled for generating the missing data or ensuring increased safety measures. It is valid for one year and must be renewed annually until all related conditions have been fulfilled. Once any pending studies are provided, the conditional marketing authorization can be converted into a traditional marketing authorization. However, if the conditions are not fulfilled within the timeframe set by the EMA and approved by the European Commission, the marketing authorization will cease to be renewed.
A marketing authorization may also be granted “under exceptional circumstances” where the applicant can show that it is unable to provide comprehensive data on efficacy and safety under normal conditions of use even after the product has been authorized and subject to specific procedures being introduced. These circumstances may arise in particular when the intended indications are very rare and, in the state of scientific knowledge at that time, it is not possible to provide comprehensive information, or when generating data may be contrary to generally accepted ethical principles. Like a conditional marketing authorization, a marketing authorization granted in exceptional circumstances is reserved to medicinal products intended to be authorized for treatment of rare diseases or unmet medical needs for which the applicant does not hold a complete data set that is required for the grant of a standard marketing authorization. However, unlike the conditional marketing authorization, an applicant for authorization in exceptional circumstances is not subsequently required to provide the missing data. Although the marketing authorization “under exceptional circumstances” is granted
definitively, the risk-benefit balance of the medicinal product is reviewed annually, and the marketing authorization will be withdrawn if the risk-benefit ratio is no longer favorable.
Pediatric Development in the EU
In the EU, Regulation (EC) No 1901/2006 provides that all MAAs for new medicinal products have to include the results of trials conducted in the pediatric population, in compliance with a pediatric investigation plan (“PIP”) agreed with the EMA’s Pediatric Committee (“PDCO”). The PIP sets out the timing and measures proposed to generate data to support a pediatric indication of the medicinal product for which marketing authorization is being sought. The PDCO can grant a deferral of the obligation to implement some or all of the measures provided in the PIP until there are sufficient data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the product in adults. Further, the obligation to provide pediatric clinical trial data can be waived by the PDCO when these data are 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. Once the marketing authorization is obtained in all EU Member States and study results are included in the product information, even when negative, the product is eligible for a six-month extension to the Supplementary Protection Certificate (“SPC”) if any is in effect at the time of authorization or, in the case of orphan medicinal products, a two-year extension of orphan market exclusivity.
Data and Market Exclusivity
The EU provides opportunities for data and market exclusivity related to marketing authorizations. Upon receiving a marketing authorization, innovative medicinal products are generally entitled to receive eight years of data exclusivity and 10 years of market exclusivity. Data exclusivity, if granted, prevents regulatory authorities in the EU from referencing the innovator’s data to assess a generic application or biosimilar application for eight years from the date of authorization of the innovative product, after which a generic or biosimilar MAA can be submitted, and the innovator’s data may be referenced. The market exclusivity period prevents a successful generic or biosimilar applicant from commercializing its product in the EU until 10 years have elapsed from the initial marketing authorization of the reference product in the EU. The overall ten-year period may, occasionally, be extended for a further year to a maximum of 11 years if, during the first eight years of those ten years, the marketing authorization holder obtains an authorization for one or more new therapeutic indications which, during the scientific evaluation prior to their authorization, are held to bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with existing therapies. However, there is no guarantee that a product will be considered by the EU’s regulatory authorities to be a new chemical/biological entity, and products may not qualify for data exclusivity.
In the EU, there is a special regime for biosimilars, or biological medicinal products that are similar to a reference medicinal product but that do not meet the definition of a generic medicinal product. For such products, the results of appropriate preclinical or clinical trials must be provided in support of an application for marketing authorization. Guidelines from the EMA detail the type of quantity of supplementary data to be provided for different types of biological product.
Orphan Designation in the EU
In the EU, Regulation (EC) No. 141/2000, as implemented by Regulation (EC) No. 847/2000 provides that a medicinal product can be designated as an orphan medicinal product by the European Commission if its sponsor can establish that: (i) the product is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of life-threatening or chronically debilitating conditions; (ii) either (a) such conditions affect not more than 5 in 10,000 persons in the EU when the application is made, or (b) the product without the benefits derived from orphan status, would not generate sufficient return in the EU to justify the necessary investment in developing the medicinal product; and (iii) there exists no satisfactory authorized method of diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of the condition that has been authorized in the EU, or even if such method exists, the product will be of significant benefit to those affected by that condition.
Regulation (EC) No 847/2000 sets out further provisions for implementation of the criteria for designation of a medicinal product as an orphan medicinal product. An application for the designation of a medicinal product as an orphan medicinal product must be submitted at any stage of development of the medicinal product but before filing of an MAA. A marketing authorization for an orphan medicinal product may only include indications designated as orphan. For non-orphan indications treated with the same active pharmaceutical ingredient, a separate marketing authorization has to be sought.
Orphan medicinal product designation entitles an applicant to incentives such fee reductions or fee waivers, protocol assistance, and access to the centralized marketing authorization procedure. Upon grant of a marketing authorization, orphan medicinal products are entitled to a ten-year period of market exclusivity for the approved therapeutic indication, which means that the EMA cannot accept another marketing authorization application or accept an application
to extend for a similar product and the European Commission cannot grant a marketing authorization for the same indication for a period of ten years. The period of market exclusivity is extended by two years for orphan medicinal products that have also complied with an agreed PIP. No extension to any supplementary protection certificate can be granted on the basis of pediatric studies for orphan indications. Orphan medicinal product designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process.
The period of market exclusivity may, however, be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is established that the product no longer meets the criteria on the basis of which it received orphan medicinal product destination, including where it can be demonstrated on the basis of available evidence that the original orphan medicinal product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity or where the prevalence of the condition has increased above the threshold. Additionally, a marketing authorization may be granted to a similar medicinal product with the same orphan indication during the 10 year period if: (i) if the applicant consents to a second original orphan medicinal product application, (ii) if the manufacturer of the original orphan medicinal product is unable to supply sufficient quantities; or (iii) if the second applicant can establish that its product, although similar, is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior to the original orphan medicinal product. A company may voluntarily remove a product from the register of orphan products.
Post-authorization Requirements in the EU
Where a marketing authorization is granted in relation to a medicinal product in the EU, the holder of the marketing authorization is required to comply with a range of regulatory requirements applicable to the manufacturing, marketing, promotion and sale of medicinal products. Similar to the United States, both marketing authorization holders and manufacturers of medicinal products are subject to comprehensive regulatory oversight by the EMA, the European Commission and/or the competent regulatory authorities of the individual EU Member States. The holder of a marketing authorization must establish and maintain a pharmacovigilance system and appoint an individual qualified person for pharmacovigilance who is responsible for oversight of that system. Key obligations include expedited reporting of suspected serious adverse reactions and submission of periodic safety update reports, or PSURs.
All new MAAs must include a risk management plan (“RMP”) describing the risk management system that the company will put in place and documenting measures to prevent or minimize the risks associated with the product. The regulatory authorities may also impose specific obligations as a condition of the marketing authorization. Such risk-minimization measures or post-authorization obligations may include additional safety monitoring, more frequent submission of PSURs, or the conduct of additional clinical trials or post-authorization safety studies.
In the EU, the advertising and promotion of medicinal products are subject to both EU and EU Member States’ laws governing promotion of medicinal products, interactions with physicians and other healthcare professionals, misleading and comparative advertising and unfair commercial practices. General requirements for advertising and promotion of medicinal products, such as direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicinal products are established in EU law. However, the details are governed by regulations in individual EU Member States and can differ from one country to another. For example, applicable laws require that promotional materials and advertising in relation to medicinal products comply with the product’s Summary of Product Characteristics (“SmPC”), which may require approval by the competent national authorities in connection with a marketing authorization. The SmPC is the document that provides information to physicians concerning the safe and effective use of the product. Promotional activity that does not comply with the SmPC is considered off-label and is prohibited in the EU.
Pricing, Coverage and Reimbursement in the EU
In the EU, pricing and reimbursement schemes vary widely from country to country. Some EU Member States may approve a specific price for a product, or they may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the product on the market. Other EU Member States allow companies to fix their own prices for products but monitor and control prescription volumes and issue guidance to physicians to limit prescriptions. In addition, some EU Member States may require the completion of additional studies that compare the cost-effectiveness of a particular medicinal product candidate to currently available therapies. This Health Technology Assessment (“HTA”) process is the procedure according to which the assessment of the public health impact, therapeutic impact and the economic and societal impact of use of a given medicinal product in the national healthcare systems of the individual country is conducted. The outcome of HTA regarding specific medicinal products will often influence the pricing and reimbursement status granted to these medicinal products by the competent authorities of individual EU Member States. On January 12, 2025, Regulation No 2021/2282 on Health Technology Assessment (“HTA Regulation”) entered into application through a phased implementation. The HTA Regulation initially applies to new active substances for oncology and advanced therapy medicinal products. It will be expanded to orphan medicinal products in January 2028, and to all centrally authorized medicinal products as of 2030. Select high-risk medical devices also came into scope in 2026. The HTA Regulation is intended to boost cooperation among EU Member States in assessing health technologies, including
new medicinal products. The HTA Regulation establishes a framework for EU‑level joint clinical assessments, increasing cooperation among Member States on clinical aspects of health technology evaluation. Individual EU Member States will continue to be responsible for assessing non-clinical (e.g., economic, social, ethical) aspects of health technologies, and making decisions on pricing and reimbursement.
For other countries outside of the EU, such as countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America or Asia, the requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary from country to country. In all cases, again, the clinical trials are conducted in accordance with GCP and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Human Capital Management
As of December 31, 2025, we employed 372 employees, of whom 369 are full time, consisting of clinical, research, operations, finance and business development personnel. Fifty-five of our employees hold Ph.D. or M.D. degrees. Further, 289 of our employees are located in the United States, and 76 in Europe and seven in Canada. As of December 31, 2025, none of our employees is subject to a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.
We expect to continue to add employees in 2026, with a focus on clinical, research and development and commercialization activities. We continually evaluate the business need and opportunity to expand our team and balance in-house expertise and capacity with outsourced expertise and capacity. Currently, we outsource substantial clinical trial work to clinical research organizations and drug manufacturing to contract manufacturers.
We maintain a safety culture grounded on the premise of eliminating workplace incidents, risks and hazards. We have implemented and continue to enhance safety measures in all our facilities, including establishing clear and regular policies, safety protocols and updates to all employees.
We believe our success depends on our ability to attract, develop and retain key personnel. We invest in the growth and development of our employees through various training and development programs that build and strengthen employees’ leadership and professional skills. We also have processes in place to conduct activities like performance management, succession and workforce planning in order to support our employees in their growth and development and ensure we provide learning opportunities.
To continually assess and improve our employee retention and engagement, we conduct an engagement survey on a regular basis, the results of which are discussed with our board of directors, at all-hands employee meetings and in individual functions. We take actions to address areas of employment concern and follow up routinely to share with employees what we are doing.
We strive toward having a diverse and engaged team of employees. To accomplish this, we have included questions in our engagement survey to measure employee perception of inclusive culture. In 2020, we established a Culture Team that now consists of two sub-teams, one internationally and one in the United States with over 15 employees across a representative cross-section of departments. Amongst other initiatives, our Culture Team engages in continual discussions across the various business functions to identify potential actions to address areas of improvement and is focused on building accountability across the organization.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated in Delaware in May 2018. Our principal executive offices are located at 989 East Hillsdale Boulevard, Suite 300, Foster City, California 94404, and our telephone number is (650) 667-4085. Our corporate website address is www.mirumpharma.com. We post links on our website to the following filings as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”): annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All such filings are available through our website free of charge. The SEC also maintains an internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Information contained on or accessible through our website is not a part of this Annual Report, and the inclusion of our website address in this report is an inactive textual reference only. Our design logo, “Mirum,” and our other registered and common law trade names, trademarks and service marks are the property of Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.