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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

 


 

FORM 10-Q

 


 

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2003

 

Commission File Number 000-31141

 

 

DISCOVERY PARTNERS

INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(Exact Name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Delaware

 

33-0655706

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer identification number)

 

 

 

9640 Towne Centre Drive
San Diego, California 92121

 

(858) 455-8600

(Address of principal executive
offices and zip code)

 

(Registrant’s telephone number,
Including area code)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

 

Yes  ý  No  o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).

 

Yes  ý  No  o

 

As of April 22, 2003 a total of 24,405,135 shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock, $0.001 par value, were issued and outstanding.

 

 



 

DISCOVERY PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

FORM 10-Q

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART I.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.

Financial Statements:

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets At March 31, 2003 (unaudited) and December 31, 2002

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 (unaudited)

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 (unaudited)

 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Item 2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

PART II.

OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

Item 2.

Changes in Securities and Use of Proceeds

Item 3.

Defaults Upon Senior Securities

Item 4.

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

Item 5.

Other Information

Item 6.

Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

 

2



 

DISCOVERY PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

 

PART I

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Financial Statements

Discovery Partners International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

 

 

 

March 31, 2003

 

December 31, 2002

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

6,837,359

 

$

8,309,269

 

Short-term investments

 

62,865,507

 

61,326,678

 

Accounts receivable

 

10,123,068

 

9,816,462

 

Inventories

 

2,493,674

 

4,607,941

 

Other current assets

 

1,220,950

 

1,333,173

 

Total current assets

 

83,540,558

 

85,393,523

 

Restricted cash

 

939,688

 

930,598

 

Property and equipment, net

 

9,408,224

 

9,819,577

 

Patent, license rights and other intangible assets, net

 

9,202,933

 

7,219,564

 

Other assets, net

 

974,814

 

1,080,163

 

Total assets

 

$

104,066,217

 

$

104,443,425

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

$

2,987,644

 

$

3,650,032

 

Contract loss accrual

 

 

837,522

 

Current portion of obligations under capital leases and line of credit

 

547,385

 

722,892

 

Deferred revenue

 

3,647,334

 

2,290,566

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

 

7,182,363

 

7,501,012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obligations under capital leases, less current portion

 

247,176

 

305,970

 

Deferred rent

 

104,580

 

104,940

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, $.001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2003 and December 31, 2002

 

 

 

Common stock, $.001 par value, 99,000,000 shares authorized, 24,400,455 and 24,371,131 issued and outstanding at March 31, 2003 and December 31, 2002, respectively

 

24,400

 

24,371

 

Treasury stock, at cost, 150,000 and 35,000 shares at March 31, 2003 and December 31, 2002, respectively

 

(408,250

)

(119,250

)

Additional paid-in capital

 

200,754,703

 

200,691,363

 

Deferred compensation

 

(175,598

)

(260,226

)

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

749,577

 

885,485

 

Accumulated deficit

 

(104,412,734

)

(104,690,240

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

 

96,532,098

 

96,531,503

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

$

104,066,217

 

$

104,443,425

 

 

See accompanying notes

 

3



 

Discovery Partners International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

 

March 31, 2003

 

March 31, 2002

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

 

$

12,703,220

 

$

10,020,372

 

Cost of revenues

 

9,106,802

 

5,921,103

 

Gross margin

 

3,596,418

 

4,099,269

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

704,207

 

1,941,766

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

3,073,498

 

3,268,442

 

Amortization of stock-based compensation

 

84,628

 

197,638

 

Total operating expenses

 

3,862,333

 

5,407,846

 

Loss from operations

 

(265,915

)

(1,308,577

)

Interest income, net

 

545,290

 

484,892

 

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses), net

 

(1,869

)

(11,405

)

Minority interest in consolidated subsidiary.

 

 

71,462

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

277,506

 

$

(763,628

)

Net income (loss) per share, basic

 

$

0.01

 

$

(0.03

)

Weighted average shares outstanding, basic

 

24,323,016

 

24,280,309

 

Net income (loss) per share, diluted

 

$

0.01

 

$

(0.03

)

Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted

 

24,501,486

 

24,280,309

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The composition of stock-based compensation is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenues

 

$

1,238

 

$

2,860

 

Research and development

 

40,517

 

80,869

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

42,873

 

113,909

 

 

 

$

84,628

 

$

197,638

 

 

See accompanying notes

 

4



 

Discovery Partners International, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months ended

 

 

 

March 31, 2003

 

March 31, 2002

 

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

277,506

 

$

(763,628

)

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

1,310,398

 

1,232,979

 

Amortization of deferred compensation

 

84,628

 

197,638

 

Minority interest in consolidated subsidiary

 

 

(71,462

)

Change in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

(382,679

)

1,160,772

 

Inventories

 

2,114,267

 

(259,706

)

Other current assets

 

116,608

 

(138,112

)

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

(669,170

)

(231,081

)

Contract loss accrual

 

(837,522

)

 

Deferred revenue

 

1,334,303

 

(580,482

)

Deferred rent

 

(360

)

3,795

 

Restricted cash

 

(1,081

)

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

3,346,898

 

550,713

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

(631,963

)

(1,085,020

)

Other assets

 

119,025

 

45,845

 

Purchase of patents, license rights and other intangible assets

 

(2,075,773

)

(19,260

)

Purchases of short-term investments

 

(1,538,829

)

(2.326.166

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(4,127,540

)

(3,384,601

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from borrowings (principal payments) on capital leases and line ofcredit, net

 

(252,607

)

687,472

 

Issuance of common stock, net of purchases

 

63,369

 

113,305

 

Purchase of treasury stock

 

(289,000

)

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

(478,238

)

800,777

 

Effect of exchange rate changes

 

(213,030

)

(148,135

)

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

 

(1,471,910

)

(2,181,246

)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

8,309,269

 

50,915,481

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

6,837,359

 

$

48,734,235

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION

 

 

 

 

 

Interest paid

 

$

19,824

 

$

43,747

 

 

See accompanying notes

 

5



 

DISCOVERY PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

MARCH 31, 2003

 

 

1. Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete financial statements. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2003, condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, and the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 are unaudited, but include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments), which Discovery Partners International, Inc. (the Company) considers necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2003 shown herein are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2003. For more complete financial information, these financial statements, and notes thereto, should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2002 included in the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

The consolidated financial statements include all the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Irori Europe, Ltd., Discovery Partners International AG (DPI AG), ChemRx Advanced Technologies, Inc., Systems Integration Drug Discovery Company, Inc., Xenometrix, Inc. and Structural Proteomics, Inc. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

 

2. Net Loss Per Share

 

Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share is presented in conformity with SFAS No. 128, Earnings per Share. In accordance with SFAS No. 128, basic net income (loss) per share has been computed using the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, less shares subject to repurchase. Diluted net income (loss) per shares has been computed using the weighted-average number of common and common stock equivalent shares outstanding during the period, less shares subject to repurchase.  Common equivalent shares, composed of outstanding stock options and warrants, are included in diluted net income (loss) per share to the extent these shares are dilutive.

 

3. Comprehensive Loss

 

SFAS No. 130, Reporting Comprehensive Income, requires the Company to report, in addition to net loss, comprehensive income (loss) and its components. A summary follows:

 

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three months ended

 

 

 

March 31, 2003

 

March 31, 2002

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comprehensive income (loss):

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

$

80,373

 

$

63,706

 

Unrealized loss on investments

 

(216,281

)

(177,664

)

Net income (loss)

 

277,506

 

(763,628

)

Comprehensive income (loss)

 

$

141,598

 

$

(877,586

)

 

6



 

4. Inventory

 

Inventories are recorded at the lower of weighted average cost or market. Inventories consist of the following:

 

 

 

March 31, 2003

 

December 31, 2002

 

 

 

 

 

(Audited)

 

Raw materials

 

$

1,154,520

 

$

1,119,688

 

Work-in-process

 

2,214,877

 

3,735,508

 

Finished goods

 

18,414,964

 

18,552,432

 

 

 

21,784,361

 

23,407,628

 

Less reserves

 

(19,290,687

)

(18,799,687

)

 

 

$

2,493,674

 

$

4,607,941

 

 

5. Deferred Stock Compensation

 

In conjunction with the Company’s initial public offering completed in July 2000, the Company recorded deferred stock compensation totaling approximately $2.7 million and $1.0 million during the years ended December 31, 2000 and 1999, respectively, representing the difference at the date of grant between the exercise or purchase price and estimated fair value of the Company’s common stock as estimated by the Company’s management for financial reporting purposes in accordance with APB No. 25. Deferred compensation is included as a reduction of stockholders’ equity and is being amortized to expense on an accelerated basis in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 28 over the vesting period of the options and restricted stock.  During the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, the Company recorded amortization of stock-based compensation expense of approximately $85,000 and $198,000, respectively.

 

6.        Rights Agreement

 

On February 13, 2003, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted a Rights Agreement (the “Agreement”).  The Agreement provides for a dividend distribution of one preferred share purchase right for each outstanding share of the Company’s common stock held of record at the close of business on February 24, 2003.  The rights are not currently exercisable.  Under certain conditions involving an acquisition or proposed acquisition by any person or group holding 15 percent or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock, the rights permit the holders to purchase from the Company one unit consisting of one-thousandth of a share of the Company’s Series A junior participating preferred stock at a price of $19.00 per unit, subject to adjustment.  Under certain conditions, the rights may be redeemed by the Company’s Board of Directors in whole, but not in part, at a price of $0.01 per right.

 

7.        Contract Termination

 

During the second quarter of 2002, due to changing market conditions, the Company made a decision to cease selling proprietary chemical compounds on a stand-alone basis to third parties.  At the time, the Company had contract obligations to deliver compounds each quarter through the second quarter of 2003.  The pricing of the compounds included in this contract assumed that the Company would sell these compounds, under certain conditions, to multiple other customers.  As a result of the decision to cease selling these compounds on a stand-alone basis, these additional sales would not be realized and thus a loss was anticipated for this contract.  Accordingly, an anticipated loss accrual was recorded as of June 30, 2002 totaling $1.5 million.  During 2002, the Company incurred a loss totaling $647,000 related to the sale of compounds under this contract reducing the contract loss accrual to $837,000 as of December 31, 2002.  On March 31, 2003, this contract was terminated at the customer’s request.  During the first quarter of 2003, the Company incurred an additional loss on the contract totaling $400,000 reducing the contract loss accrual to $437,000.  In accordance with the termination agreement, the Company was paid $600,000 as an early termination fee which is included in revenue.  Additionally, the remaining $437,000 contract loss accrual was no longer required and was thus eliminated with a corresponding decrease to cost of sales for the first quarter 2003.

 

7



 

8. Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In June 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal. SFAS No. 146 addresses financial accounting and reporting for costs associated with exit or disposal activities and supersedes EITF Issue No. 94-3, “Liability Recognition for Certain Employee Termination Benefits and Other Costs to Exit an Activity (including Certain Costs Incurred in a Restructuring).” The principal difference between SFAS No. 146 and Issue 94-3 relates to the requirements under SFAS No. 146 for recognition of a liability for a cost associated with an exit or disposal activity. SFAS No. 146 requires that a liability for a cost associated with an exit or disposal activity be recognized when the liability is incurred. Under Issue 94-3, a liability for an exit cost as generally defined in Issue 94-3 was recognized at the date of an entity’s commitment to an exit plan. The provisions of SFAS No. 146 are to be applied prospectively to exit or disposal activities that are initiated after December 31, 2002. SFAS No. 146 may affect the timing of recognizing future exit or disposal costs, if any, as well as the amounts recognized.

 

In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation - Transition and Disclosure, an amendment of FASB Statement No. 123.  This statement amends SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock Based Compensation to provide alternative methods of voluntarily transitioning to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation.  SFAS No. 148 also amends the disclosure requirements of SFAS No. 123 to require disclosure of the method used to account for stock-based employee compensation and the effect of the method on reported results in both annual and interim financial statements.  The disclosure provisions became effective for the year ended December 31, 2002 and each reporting period thereafter (see Note 9).  The Company has not yet completed the final evaluation of the transitioning options presented by SFAS No. 148;  however, during 2003 we expect to reach a determination of whether and, if so, when to change our existing accounting for stock-based compensation to the fair value method in accordance with the transition alternatives of SFAS No. 148.

 

9.  Stock-Based Compensation

 

As permitted by SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, the Company accounts for common stock options granted to employees and directors using the intrinsic value method and, thus, recognizes no compensation expense for such stock-based awards where the exercise prices are equal to or greater than the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the date of the grant. Pro forma information regarding net income or loss is required by SFAS No. 123.  The fair value of these options was estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions:  a risk-free interest rate of 4.5%; a dividend yield of 0%; a volatility factor of 97% and an option life of 6.6 years.  The following table illustrates the effect on net income and earnings per share if the Company had applied the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS No. 123 to stock-based employee compensation:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2003

 

2002

 

Net income (loss), as reported

 

$

277,506

 

$

(763,628

)

Deduct:  Total stock-based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

determined under fair value based method

 

(790,626

)

(670,217

)

Pro forma net loss

 

$

(513,120

)

$

(1,433,845

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings (loss) per share:

 

 

 

 

 

Basic – as reported

 

$

0.01

 

$

(0.03

)

Diluted – as reported

 

$

0.01

 

$

(0.03

)

Basic – pro forma

 

$

(0.02

)

$

(0.06

)

Diluted – pro forma

 

$

(0.02

)

$

(0.06

)

 

8



 

 

10.  Subsequent Events

 

On April 22, 2003, the Company announced that it will consolidate its three domestic chemistry facilities into two.  The South San Francisco facility will focus on primary screening library design and synthesis programs and the San Diego facility will focus on lead optimization and medicinal chemistry projects.  At the same time, the Company announced its intention to establish offshore chemistry capabilities to reduce costs.  As a result, the Company will close its Tucson facility during 2003 and relocate some of its employees.  The closure of the Tucson facility is estimated to generate between $1.0 million and $2.0 million in one-time costs including termination benefits, facility and vendor contract termination costs and relocation costs.  These activities will be accounted for in accordance with SFAS No. 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal.

 

9



 

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

THIS FORM 10-Q CONTAINS CERTAIN STATEMENTS THAT ARE NOT STRICTLY HISTORICAL AND ARE “FORWARD-LOOKING” STATEMENTS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995 AND INVOLVE A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK AND UNCERTAINTY. SUCH STATEMENTS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO STATEMENTS REGARDING THE ESTIMATED COSTS TO CLOSE OUR TUCSON FACILITY AND STATEMENTS ABOUT OUR EXPECTATIONS RELATED TO PROFITABILITY.  OUR ACTUAL RESULTS MAY DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE PROJECTED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS DUE TO RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT EXIST IN OUR OPERATIONS, DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS AND BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING THOSE DESCRIBED BELOW UNDER THE HEADING “RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES” AND THOSE DESCRIBED IN OUR FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2002 AND OTHER REPORTS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION.

 

Web Site Access to SEC Filings

 

We maintain an Internet website at www.discoverypartners.com.  We make available free of charge on our Internet website our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

 

Overview

 

We sell a broad range of products and services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to make the drug discovery process for our customers faster, less expensive and more effective at generating drug candidates. We focus on the portion of the drug discovery process that begins after identification of a drug target through when a drug candidate is ready for clinical trials. Our major products and services are as follows:

 

             We develop, produce and sell collections of chemical compounds in collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to be used to test for their potential use as new drugs or for use as the chemical starting point for new drugs.

 

             We develop, manufacture and sell proprietary instruments and the associated line of consumable supplies that are used by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in their own in-house drug discovery chemistry operations.

 

             We provide assay development and screening services to our customers in which chemical compounds are tested for their biological activity as potential drugs.

 

             We provide medicinal chemistry for lead optimization and biological profiling.

 

             We provide access to computational software tools that guide the entire process of chemical compound design, development and testing.

 

             We license our proprietary gene profiling system that characterizes a cell’s response upon exposure to compounds and other agents by the pattern of gene expression in the cell.

 

10



 

Business conditions in our industry have been difficult since 2002 and we expect it to continue through at least 2003. We do not expect that we could achieve substantial revenue growth through 2003 without adversely affecting profitability. We do not intend to seek revenue growth that would adversely affect profitability, and we will try to manage our expenses accordingly.

 

In the first quarter of 2003, 55% of our revenue came from our combinatorial chemistry contract with Pfizer, and we anticipate that this contract will continue to provide for a significant percentage of our revenue throughout 2003 and 2004.  However, Pfizer has the right to terminate the contract without cause by giving six months’ notice.  It is imperative that we continue to satisfy this key customer due to the significance of the revenue.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

This discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates, and the estimates themselves might be different if we used different assumptions.

 

We believe the following critical accounting policies involve significant judgments and estimates that are used in the preparation of our financial statements.

 

Revenue recognition. Revenue from product sales, which include the sale of instruments, related consumables, and chemical compounds, is recorded as products are shipped if the costs of such shipments can be reasonably estimated and if all customer’s acceptance criteria have been met. Certain of our contracts for product sales include customer acceptance provisions that give our customers the right of replacement if the delivered product does not meet specified criteria; however, we have historically demonstrated that the products meet the specified criteria and the number of customers exercising their right of replacement has been insignificant and therefore we recognize revenue without providing for such contingency. Development contract revenues and high-throughput screening service revenues are recognized on a percentage-of-completion basis. Advances received under these development contracts and high-throughput screening service agreements are initially recorded as deferred revenue, which is then recognized as costs are incurred over the term of the contract. Certain of these contracts may allow the customer the right to reject the work performed; however, we have no material history of such rejections and therefore we recognize revenue without providing for such contingency. Revenue from drug discovery and chemistry service agreements is recognized on a monthly basis and is based upon the number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees that actually worked on each agreement and the agreed-upon rate per FTE per month. Revenue due to us under the Xenometrix patent licensing agreements is recognized upon receipt of monies, provided we have no future obligation with respect to such payments. From time to time we receive requests from customers to bill and hold goods for them. In these cases, the customer accepts the risk of loss and the transfer of ownership of such goods prior to shipment. If the specific revenue recognition criteria under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States at the time of the bill and hold are met, the revenue is recognized.

 

In February 2003, we entered into an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).  In accordance with the agreement, we agreed to develop and supply to GSK two complete X-Kan™ Chemistry Synthesis Systems.  X-Kans are chemical microreactors that combine the 2D tagging features of the previously introduced Irori NanoKan™ technology with an increased size and scale that are similar to the currently available Irori MicroKan™ and MiniKan™ products.  Revenue under this agreement is recognized as the related expenses are incurred, up to contractual limits.

 

Goodwill. On January 1, 2002, we adopted SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.  Upon adoption, we performed a transitional impairment test of our goodwill.  Additionally, in accordance with SFAS No. 142, we performed our annual impairment test as of October 1, 2002.  Each impairment test involved a two-step approach.  The first step involved estimating the fair value of the Company and comparing it to the carrying value of recorded assets.  Under SFAS No. 142, if the fair value of the Company’s identifiable reporting units is greater than the recorded assets for such reporting units, on a case by case basis, then the first test is passed and no further impairment testing is required.  This initial impairment testing indicated no impairment existed as of January 1, 2002.  Due to a significant decline in the market capitalization of the Company and those of its peers between January 1, 2002 and October 1, 2002, the carrying value of the recorded assets exceeded the estimated fair value for

 

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each of the Company’s identifiable reporting units as of October 1, 2002.  As a result of this potential indication of impairment, we performed the second step of impairment testing, which involved allocating the fair value to all of our assets and liabilities, including unrecorded intangible assets, in order to determine the deemed fair value, if any, of goodwill.  Both impairment test steps required us to make significant assumptions and estimates, including the determination of the fair value of identifiable reporting units as well as the fair value of specific assets and liabilities.  This process, which utilized a combination of discounted cash flow and market multiple approaches to determining fair market value, required us to estimate future cash flows and applicable discount rates.  The analysis resulted in a $50.9 million goodwill impairment charge in the fourth quarter of 2002, which represented the write-off of all goodwill existing on the books.  In the event we make future acquisitions that result in goodwill being recorded, we will be required to perform this test, at a minimum, on an annual basis.

 

Inventory. Inventories are recorded at the lower of cost or market. We write-down our inventory for estimated obsolescence or  non-marketability if there is an excess of cost of inventory over the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. If actual market conditions are less favorable than we have projected, additional inventory write-downs may be required. During the second quarter of 2002, we identified changes in the market for chemical compound libraries including a shift in demand from diverse purified compounds to purified targeted compounds and an increased demand to bring proprietary assets into drug discovery collaborations. As a result, we made a decision to cease developing, producing and selling our non-exclusive chemical compounds on a stand-alone basis to third parties and, instead, will make these compounds available only as part of collaborations with our future partners; however, there are no assurances that this strategy will be successful. We will expense the development and production of any compound that is created for use as part of collaborations with our future partners. A significant portion of our net inventory balance represents work-in-process related to two multi-year chemistry collaborations.  Estimated losses on any deliverables are recorded when they become apparent. As of March 31, 2003, we have reserved approximately $874,000 against the work-in-process representing the anticipated losses on the sale of chemical compound libraries.

 

Long-lived assets. We periodically assess the recoverability of our long-lived assets by determining whether the carrying value of such assets exceeds its fair value. If impairment is indicated, we reduce the carrying value of the asset to fair value.

 

Results of Operations For The Three Months Ended March 31, 2003 and 2002

 

During the second quarter of 2002, due to changing market conditions, we made a decision to cease selling proprietary chemical compounds on a stand-alone basis to third parties.  At the time, we had contract obligations to deliver compounds each quarter through the second quarter of 2003.  The pricing of the compounds included in this contract assumed that we would sell these compounds, under certain conditions, to multiple other customers.  As a result of our decision to cease selling these compounds on a stand-alone basis, these additional sales would not be realized and thus a loss was anticipated for this contract.  Accordingly, an anticipated loss accrual was recorded as of June 30, 2002 totaling $1.5 million.  During 2002, we incurred a loss totaling $647,000 related to the sale of compounds under this contract reducing the contract loss accrual to $837,000 as of December 31, 2002.  On March 31, 2003 (which was subsequent to the filing of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002), this contract was terminated at the customer’s request.  During the first quarter of 2003, we incurred an additional loss on the contract totaling $400,000 reducing the contract loss accrual to $437,000.  In accordance with the termination agreement, we were paid $600,000 as an early termination fee which is included in revenue.  Additionally, the remaining $437,000 contract loss accrual was no longer required and was thus eliminated with a corresponding decrease to cost of sales for the first quarter 2003.

 

Revenue. Total revenues increased 27% from the three months ended March 31, 2002 to the three months ended March 31, 2003.  The revenue growth was primarily due to increases in exclusive compound development and supply revenue and the termination payment described above as well as increases in chemistry services and instrumentation offset by decreases in nonexclusive compound supply sales, screening and related services revenues and instrumentation consumables and services.  In the first quarter of 2003, 55% of our revenue came from our combinatorial chemistry contract with Pfizer, and we anticipate that this contract will continue to provide for a significant percentage of our revenue throughout  2003 and 2004.  However, Pfizer has the right to terminate the

 

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contract without cause by giving six months’ notice.  It is imperpative that we continue to satisfy this key customer due to the significance of the revenue.

 

Gross margin. Gross margin as a percentage of revenues decreased from 41% for the three months ended March 31, 2002 to 28% for the three months ended March 31, 2003.  The reduction in gross margin for the first quarter 2003 is primarily due to a shift in development resources to revenue generating activities in connection with our collaboration with Pfizer and due to inventory reserves recorded in the first quarter 2003 totaling approximately $700,000 representing anticipated contract losses as well as lower of cost or market adjustments.  These decreases were partially offset by higher volumes and the reversal of the contract loss accrual.

 

Research and development expenses. Research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits, supplies and expensed development materials, and facilities costs and equipment depreciation. Research and development expenses decreased 64% ($1.2 million) from the three months ended March 31, 2002 to the three months ended March 31, 2003. Research and development expenses decreased primarily due to the redeployment of company funded research and development efforts to direct revenue generating activities and the completion of development activities associated with our micro ARrayed Compound Screening (mARCS) platform.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits for sales and marketing and administrative personnel, advertising and promotional expenses, professional services, and facilities costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased 6% ($195,000) from the three months ended March 31, 2002 to the three months ended March 31, 2003 due primarily to cost reduction measures.

 

 Stock-based compensation. During 1999 and 2000, we granted stock options with exercise prices that were less than the estimated fair value of the underlying shares of common stock on the date of grant. As a result, we have recorded deferred stock-based compensation to be amortized over the period that these options vest. The deferred stock-based compensation expense for the three months ended March 31, 2003 was approximately $85,000, compared to approximately $198,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2002.

 

Interest income. Interest income, net, increased 12% ($60,000) from the three months ended March 31, 2002 to the three months ended March 31, 2003 due primarily to an increase in realized gains on the sale of certain investments during the first quarter of 2003 and a decrease in interest expense due to a reduction in debt from March 31, 2002 to March 31, 2003.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Since inception of the Company, we have funded our operations principally with $39.0 million of private equity financings and $94.7 million of net proceeds from our initial public offering in July/August 2000.

 

At March 31, 2003, cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled approximately $69.7 million, compared to $69.6 million at December 31, 2002.

 

We currently anticipate investing between $3.0 million and $3.5 million through December 31, 2003 for leasehold improvements and capital equipment necessary to support future revenue growth. Our actual future capital requirements will depend on a number of factors, including our success in increasing sales of both existing and new products and services, expenses associated with any unforeseen litigation, regulatory changes, competition and technological developments, the nature of the establishment of our offshore capabilities and potential future merger and acquisition activity.

 

On October 4, 2001, our Board of Directors authorized a Stock Repurchase Program, authorizing us to repurchase up to 2,000,000 shares of common stock at no more than $3.50 per share.  In February 2003, we purchased 115,000 shares for a total of $289,000 and we may continue to purchase additional shares in the future.

 

In March 2003, we paid $2 million in license fees as required under our exclusive license agreement with Abbott Laboratories.  Cumulatively, we have paid Abbott $6 million in such license fees, which represent prepaid royalty

 

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fees.  Royalty fees due to Abbott are based on a percentage of our commercial net sales of the mARCS technology.  All royalties earned by Abbott up to $6 million will be credited against the prepaid royalty made by us, thus, no further royalty fees are payable to Abbott until the $6 million has been earned. As of March 31, 2003, no such royalties have been earned by Abbott.

 

On April 22, 2003, the Company announced that it will consolidate its three domestic chemistry facilities into two.  The South San Francisco facility will focus on primary screening library design and synthesis programs and the San Diego facility will focus on lead optimization and medicinal chemistry projects.  At the same time, the Company announced its intention to establish offshore chemistry capabilities to reduce costs.  As a result, the Company will close its Tucson facility during 2003 and relocate some of its employees.  The closure of the Tucson facility is estimated to generate between $1.0 million and $2.0 million in one-time costs including termination benefits, facility and vendor contract termination costs and relocation costs.  These activities will be accounted for in accordance with SFAS No. 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal.

 

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RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

 

In addition to the other information contained herein, you should carefully consider the following risk factors in evaluating our company.

 

We derive a significant percentage of our revenues from a single customer and are contractually required to fulfill specific obligations. We need to continue to satisfy the customer or else we could lose the contract and its anticipated revenues.

 

We anticipate that a significant portion of our revenues for 2003 and beyond will be derived from the chemistry collaboration we entered into with Pfizer in December 2001. This collaboration requires us to deliver a large number of chemical compounds of guaranteed minimum purity with higher minimum weight quantity than we have historically been required to produce and deliver to other customers. We face the risk that, to the extent such minimum weight quantity and purity levels are not achieved in production, scheduled compound deliveries may be delayed, or additional costs may be required to reproduce or re-purify the compounds so that the minimum specifications are achieved, which could defer or eliminate revenues while increasing cost of revenues. We also may fail to deliver the minimum number of compounds required by Pfizer, which would increase the risk of Pfizer exercising its right to terminate the contract. In any event Pfizer has a contractual right to terminate the contract, with or without cause, upon six months notice beginning on January 1, 2003. During the first quarter of 2003, revenue from Pfizer represented 55% of total revenue.

 

We may not achieve or sustain profitability in the future.

 

We have incurred operating and net losses since our inception. As of March 31, 2003, we had an accumulated deficit of $104.4 million. For the years ended December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002 we had net losses of $11.7 million, $11.1 million, and $62.1 million, respectively. We may also in the future incur operating and net losses and negative cash flow from operations. We may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability. Moreover, if we do achieve profitability, the level of any profitability cannot be predicted and may vary significantly from quarter to quarter.  For example, although we had net income in the first quarter of 2003 we may not be able to achieve profitability for the year.

 

We expect business conditions in our industry to be difficult in the near term.

 

Business conditions in the drug discovery services business have been difficult since 2002 and we expect it to continue through at least 2003. We do not expect that we could achieve substantial revenue growth through 2003 without adversely affecting profitability. We do not intend to seek revenue growth that would adversely affect profitability.

 

Our success will depend on the prospects of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and the extent to which these industries engage third parties to perform one or more aspects of their drug discovery process.

 

Our revenues depend to a large extent on research and development expenditures by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and companies in these industries outsourcing research and development projects. These expenditures are based on a wide variety of factors, including the resources available for purchasing research equipment, the spending priorities among various types of research and policies regarding expenditures during recessionary periods.  Geopolitical uncertainty or general economic downturns in our customers’ industries or any decrease in research and development expenditures could harm our operations, as could increased popularity of management theories that counsel against outsourcing of critical business functions. Any decrease in drug discovery spending by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies could cause our revenues to decline and adversely impact our profitability.

 

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Our success will depend on technological improvements to the process of drug discovery and on improvements to our customers’ expected return on investment (ROI) in the phases of the drug discovery and development process that we participate in.

 

The drug discovery and development process can be broadly separated into the following stages: Target identification; target validation; lead discovery; lead optimization; pre-clinical development; IND filing; clinical trials, phases I-III; new drug application (NDA); and post market surveillance. We currently participate in the areas of lead discovery and lead optimization. Current market studies indicate that, on average, less than one in fifty leads discovered ultimately results in an NDA. Moreover, based on current averages, for the isolated phases of lead discovery and lead optimization, the cost of acquiring a validated target plus the costs of lead discovery and lead optimization are greater than the expected proceeds of out-licensing a potential drug candidate during the pre-clinical phase of drug development. It is estimated that currently, a positive expected ROI on drug discovery and development does not occur until the drug candidate has successfully passed through phase II of clinical trials. Such conditions make it difficult for us to solicit profitable business from collaboration partners who are unable to fund the development of drug candidates through phase II of clinical trials.

 

The concentration of the pharmaceutical industry and the current trend toward increasing consolidation could hurt our business prospects.

 

The pharmaceutical company side of the market for our products and services is highly concentrated, with approximately 50 large pharmaceutical companies conducting drug discovery research. The continuation of the current trend toward consolidation of the pharmaceutical industry may reduce the number of our potential customers even further. Accordingly, we expect that a relatively small number of customers will account for a substantial portion of our revenues.

 

Additional risks associated with a highly concentrated customer base include:

 

             fewer customers for our products and services;

 

             larger companies may develop and utilize in-house technology and expertise rather than using our products and services;

 

             larger customers may negotiate price discounts or other terms for our products and services that are unfavorable to us; and

 

             the market for our products and services may become saturated.

 

For example, because of the heavy concentration of the pharmaceutical industry and the relatively high cost of our systems, such as NanoKan, mARCS and Crystal Farm, we expect to place only a limited number of systems before we saturate the market for these products.

 

Our decision to discontinue the non-exclusive chemical compound supply product line places more emphasis on integrated drug discovery collaborations, an area of higher risk and complexity.

 

As a result of our decision to limit access to our proprietary chemistry compounds and capabilities solely to companies that enter into integrated drug discovery, chemistry or screening and optimization collaborations with us, we now rely on this relatively complex form of customer engagement to deliver value for the Company. As a result of the inherent complexity of such collaborations, we have an increased risk of being unable to reach agreement with the prospective customer for such collaborations or of structuring sub-optimal arrangements that fail to adequately compensate us for the risks inherent in such collaborations.

 

We may not be successful in establishing offshore capabilities

 

We currently have plans to establish offshore capabilities to take advantage of lower cost PhD level scientific talent in locations such as China, India or Eastern Europe.  However, we may not be successful in establishing

 

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successful relationships in these locations.  Additionally, such offshore business could suffer due to interruption to our business, customer dissatisfaction or other factors.

 

We may fail to expand customer relationships through integration of products and services.

 

We may not be successful in selling our offerings in combination across the range of drug discovery disciplines we serve because integrated combinations of our products and services may not achieve time and cost efficiencies for our customers, especially our large pharmaceutical company customers. On the other hand, biotechnology companies may desire our integrated offerings but are often not sufficiently financed to pay for these services. In addition, we may not succeed in further integrating our offerings. We may not be able to use existing relationships with customers in individual areas of our business to sell products and services in multiple areas of drug discovery. If we do not achieve integration of our products and services, we may not be able to take advantage of potential revenue opportunities or differentiate ourselves from competitors.

 

All our products and services have lengthy sales cycles and involve significant scientific risk of fulfillment, which could cause our operating results to fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter.

 

Sales of all our products and services typically involve significant technical evaluation and commitment of expense or capital by our customers. Accordingly, the sales cycles, or the time from finding a prospective customer through closing the sale, associated with these products or collaborations, range from six to eighteen months. Sales of these products and the formation of these collaborations are subject to a number of significant risks, including customers’ budgetary constraints and internal acceptance reviews that are beyond our control. Due to these lengthy and unpredictable sales cycles, our operating results could fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter. We expect to continue to experience significant fluctuations in quarterly operating results due to a variety of factors, such as general and industry specific economic conditions, that may affect the research and development expenditures of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

 

A large portion of our revenues rely upon the scientific success, either on the customer’s part in the form of delivering specified proteins for assay development or chemistry library design ideas of scientific projects for chemical compound development and production, or on our part in the form of assay or compound development or compound production. To the extent that either we experience delays in receiving specific deliverables required for us to complete our objectives or we encounter delays in our ability meet our scientific obligations, we may be unable to receive and recognize revenues in accordance with our expectations.

 

A large portion of our expenses, including expenses for facilities, equipment and personnel, is relatively fixed. Accordingly, if revenues decline or do not grow as anticipated, we might not be able to correspondingly reduce our operating expenses. Failure to achieve anticipated levels of revenues could therefore significantly harm our operating results for a particular fiscal period.

 

Due to the possibility of fluctuations in our revenues (on an absolute basis and relative to our expenses), we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating results are not a good indication of our future performance.

 

If our products and services do not become widely used in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, it is unlikely that we will succeed.

 

We have a limited history of offering our products and services, including informatics tools, biology services, mARCS, toxicology services, Crystal Farm and combinatorial chemistry instrumentation systems. It is uncertain whether our current customers will continue to use these products and services or whether new customers will use these products and services. In order to be successful, our products and services must meet the requirements of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and we must convince potential customers to use our products and services instead of competing technologies and offerings. Moreover, we cannot thrive unless we can achieve economies of scale on our various offerings. Market acceptance will depend on many factors, including our ability to:

 

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             convince potential customers that our technologies are attractive alternatives to other technologies for drug discovery;

 

             manufacture products and conduct services in sufficient quantities with acceptable quality and at an acceptable cost;

 

             convince potential customers to purchase drug discovery products and services from us rather than developing them internally; and

 

             place and service sufficient quantities of our products.

 

Because of these and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, our products and services may not gain sufficient market acceptance.

 

The drug discovery industry is competitive and subject to technological change, and we may not have the resources necessary to compete successfully.

 

We compete with companies in the United States and abroad that engage in the development and production of drug discovery products and services. These competitors include companies engaged in the following areas of drug discovery:

 

             Assay development and screening, including Cerep, Evotec OAI AG, Pharmacopeia and Tripos;

 

             Combinatorial chemistry instruments, including Argonaut and Mimotopes;

 

             Compound libraries and lead optimization, including Albany Molecular Research, Pharmacopeia, Array Biopharma, Evotec OAI AG, Biofocus and ArQule;

 

             Informatics, including Accelrys and Tripos; and

 

             Gene profiling, including Affymetrix and Gene Logic.

 

Academic institutions, governmental agencies and other research organizations also conduct research in areas in which we provide services, either on their own or through collaborative efforts. Also, essentially all of our pharmaceutical company customers have internal departments that provide some or all of the products and services we sell, so these customers may have limited needs for our products and services. Many of our competitors, including Pharmacopeia, have access to greater financial, technical, research, marketing, sales, distribution, service and other resources than we do. We may not yet be large enough to achieve satisfactory market recognition or operating efficiencies, particularly in comparison to some competitors.  In addition, small size (particularly when combined with unprofitable operations) often results in the loss of stock research analyst coverage; absence of coverage makes it difficult for a company to find and hold a stock market following.  Currently, only one analyst follows us.

 

Moreover, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are characterized by continuous technological innovation. We anticipate that we will face increased competition in the future as new companies enter the market and our competitors make advanced technologies available. Technological advances or entirely different approaches that we or one or more of our competitors develop may render our products, services and expertise obsolete or uneconomical. For example, advances in informatics and virtual screening may render some of our technologies, such as our large compound libraries, obsolete. Additionally, the existing approaches of our competitors or new approaches or technologies that our competitors develop may be more effective than those we develop. We currently are investing in mARCS technology to improve screening processes. However, we may be unable to successfully sell this technology to customers and we may never recover the cost of our investment including the prepaid royalty to Abbott, which is carried on our balance sheet as other intangible assets in an amount equal to approximately $6.0 million. We may not be able to compete successfully with existing or future competitors.

 

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In addition, due to improvements in global communications, combined with the supply of lower cost PhD level scientific talent in offshore locations such as China, India and Eastern Europe, we face the growing threat of competition for our chemistry and computational chemistry services.

 

The intellectual property rights we rely on to protect the technology underlying our products and techniques may not be adequate, which could enable third parties to use our technology or very similar technology and could reduce our ability to compete in the market.

 

Our success will depend on our ability to obtain, protect and enforce patents on our technology and to protect our trade secrets. We also depend, in part, on patent rights that third parties license to us. Any patents we own or license may not afford meaningful protection for our technology and products. Others may challenge our patents or the patents of our licensors and, as a result, these patents could be narrowed, invalidated or rendered unenforceable. In addition, current and future patent applications on which we depend may not result in the issuance of patents in the United States or foreign countries. Competitors may develop products similar to ours that are not covered by our patents. Further, since there is a substantial backlog of patent applications at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the approval or rejection of our or our competitors’ patent applications may take several years.

 

Our European eukaryotic gene profiling patent was opposed by various companies.  Oral proceedings were held before the Opposition Division of the European Patent Office in January 2003.  At the conclusion of the hearing, the Opposition Division maintained our patent in amended form.  As amended, the patent claims kits and methods for identifying and characterizing the potential toxicity of a compound using expression profiles of four categories of stress. However, the decision of the Opposition Division may be appealed to the Technical Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office.  Such appeal, if any, will not be resolved for several years. There is no assurance that we will ultimately prevail in the appeal or be successful in enforcing or further licensing our European patent.  If we are unsuccessful, the value of our gene profiling patent and any royalties it may generate could be reduced.

 

In addition to patent protection, we also rely on copyright protection, trade secrets, know-how, continuing technological innovation and licensing opportunities. In an effort to maintain the confidentiality and ownership of our trade secrets and proprietary information, we require our employees, consultants and advisors to execute confidentiality and proprietary information agreements. However, these agreements may not provide us with adequate protection against improper use or disclosure of confidential information, and there may not be adequate remedies in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure. Furthermore, like many technology companies, we may from time to time hire scientific personnel formerly employed by other companies involved in one or more areas similar to the activities conducted by us. In some situations, our confidentiality and proprietary information agreements may conflict with, or be subject to, the rights of third parties with whom our employees, consultants or advisors have prior employment or consulting relationships.

 

Although we require our employees and consultants to maintain the confidentiality of all confidential information of previous employers, their prior affiliations may subject us or these individuals to allegations of trade secret misappropriation or other similar claims. Finally, others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques, or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets. Our failure to protect our proprietary information and techniques may inhibit or limit our ability to exclude certain competitors from the market.

 

The drug discovery industry has a history of intellectual property litigation and we may be involved in intellectual property lawsuits, which may be expensive.

 

In order to protect or enforce our patent rights, we may have to initiate legal proceedings against third parties. In addition, others may sue us for infringing their intellectual property rights, or we may find it necessary to initiate a lawsuit seeking a declaration from a court that we are not infringing the proprietary rights of others. The patent positions of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and drug discovery companies are generally uncertain. A number of pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, independent researchers, universities and research institutions may have filed patent applications or may have been granted patents that cover technologies similar to the

 

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technologies owned by, or licensed to, us or our collaborators. A number of patents may have been issued or may be issued in the future that could cover certain aspects of our technology and that could prevent us from using technology that we use or expect to use. In addition, we are unable to determine all of the patents or patent applications that may materially affect our ability to make, use or sell any potential products. Legal proceedings relating to intellectual property would be expensive, take significant time and divert management’s attention from other business concerns, no matter whether we win or lose. The cost of such litigation could affect our profitability.

 

Further, an unfavorable judgment in an infringement lawsuit brought against us, in addition to any damages we might have to pay, could require us to stop the infringing activity or obtain a license. Any required license may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, some licenses may be nonexclusive, and therefore, our competitors may have access to the same technology that is licensed to us. If we fail to obtain a required license or are unable to design around a patent, we may be unable to sell some of our products or services.

 

Our stock price likely will be volatile.

 

The trading price of our common stock likely will be volatile and could be subject to fluctuations in price in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

 

             actual or anticipated variations in quarterly operating results;

 

             announcements of technological innovations by us or our competitors;

 

             new products or services introduced or announced by us or our competitors;

 

             changes in financial estimates by (or the beginning or cessation of coverage by) securities analysts;

 

             conditions or trends in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries or in the drug discovery “tools” industry;

 

             announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments, or terminations of strategic partners or joint ventures;

 

             the implementation or wind-down of stock buyback programs;

 

             additions or departures of key personnel;

 

             economic and political factors; and

 

             sales of our common stock.

 

In addition, price and volume fluctuations in the stock market in general, and the Nasdaq National Market and the market for technology companies in particular, have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. Further, the market prices of securities of life sciences companies have been particularly volatile. Conditions or trends in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries generally may cause further volatility in the trading price of our common stock, because the market may incorrectly perceive us as a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company. These broad market and industry factors may harm the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In the past, plaintiffs have often instituted securities class action litigation following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities. A securities class action suit against us could result in potential liabilities, substantial costs and the diversion of management’s attention and resources, regardless of whether we win or lose.

 

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Our customers may restrict our use of scientific information, which could prevent us from using this information for additional revenue.

 

We plan to generate and use information that is not proprietary to our customers and which we derive from performing drug discovery services for our customers. However, our customers may not allow us to use information such as the general interaction between types of chemistries and types of drug targets that we generate when performing drug discovery services for them. Our current contracts typically restrict our use of certain scientific information we generate for our customers, such as the biological activity of chemical compounds with respect to drug targets, and future contracts also may restrict our use of additional scientific information. To the extent that our use of information is restricted, we may not be able to collect and aggregate scientific data and take advantage of potential revenue opportunities.

 

Our success will depend on our ability to attract and retain key executives, experienced scientists and sales personnel.

 

Our future success will depend to a significant extent on our ability to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled scientists and sales personnel. In addition, our business would be significantly harmed if we lost the services of Riccardo Pigliucci, our chief executive officer. Our ability to maintain, expand or renew existing engagements with our customers, enter into new engagements and provide additional services to our existing customers depends, in large part, on our ability to hire and retain scientists with the skills necessary to keep pace with continuing changes in drug discovery technologies and sales personnel who are highly motivated. Additionally, it is difficult for us to find qualified sales personnel in light of the fact that our sales personnel generally hold Ph.D’s. Our employees are “at will,” which means that they may resign at any time, and we may dismiss them at any time (subject, in some cases, to severance payment obligations). We believe that there is a shortage of, and significant competition for, scientists with the skills and experience in the sciences necessary to perform the services we offer. We compete with pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, combinatorial chemistry companies, contract research companies and academic institutions for new personnel. We may not be successful in attracting new scientists or sales personnel or in retaining or motivating our existing personnel.

 

We have acquired several businesses and face risks associated with integrating these businesses and potential future acquisitions.

 

We plan to continue to review potential acquisition candidates in the ordinary course of our business, and our strategy includes building our business through acquisitions. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including, among others, difficulties and expenses incurred in the consummation of acquisitions and assimilation of the operations, personnel and services or products of the acquired companies, difficulties of operating new businesses, the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns and the potential loss of key employees of the acquired company. In addition, acquired businesses may have management structures incompatible with our own and may experience difficulties in maintaining their existing levels of business after joining us. If we do not successfully integrate and grow the businesses we have acquired or any businesses we may acquire in the future, our business will suffer. Additionally, acquisition candidates may not be available in the future or may not be available on terms and conditions acceptable to us. Acquisitions of foreign companies also may involve additional risks of assimilating different business practices, overcoming language and cultural barriers and foreign currency translation. We currently have no agreements or commitments with respect to any acquisition, and we may never successfully complete any additional acquisitions.

 

Our success will depend on our ability to manage growth and expansion.

 

Growth in our operations has placed and, if we grow in the future, will continue to place a significant strain on our operational, human and financial resources. In the past three years we have acquired four new businesses, and we intend to continue to grow our business internally and by acquisition. As and if we expand our operations we will not necessarily have in place infrastructure and personnel sufficient to accommodate the increased size of our business. Our ability to effectively manage any growth through acquisitions or any internal growth will depend, in large part, on our ability to hire, train and assimilate additional management, professional, scientific and technical personnel and our ability to expand, improve and effectively use our operating, management, marketing and

 

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financial systems to accommodate our expanded operations. These tasks are made more difficult as we acquire businesses in geographically disparate locations.

 

Our operations could be interrupted by damage to our facilities.

 

Our results of operations are dependent upon the continued use of our highly specialized laboratories and equipment. Our operations are primarily concentrated in facilities in San Diego, California, near San Francisco, California and near Basel, Switzerland. Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, or terrorist acts could damage our laboratories or equipment and these events may materially interrupt our business. We maintain business interruption insurance to cover lost revenues caused by such occurrences. However, this insurance would not compensate us for the loss of opportunity and potential adverse impact on relations with existing customers created by an inability to meet our customers’ needs in a timely manner, and may not compensate us for the physical damage to our facilities.

 

We may incur exchange losses when foreign currency used in international transactions is converted into U.S. dollars.

 

Currency fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which we do business, including the British pound, the Japanese yen, the Swiss franc and the Euro, will cause foreign currency translation gains and losses. We cannot predict the effects of exchange rate fluctuations on our future operating results because of the number of currencies involved, changes in the percentage of our revenue that will be invoiced in foreign currencies, the variability of currency exposure and the potential volatility of currency exchange rates. We do not currently engage in foreign exchange hedging transactions to manage our foreign currency exposure; however, we may begin to hedge certain transactions between the Swiss franc and other currencies that are invoiced from our Swiss affiliate in order to minimize foreign exchange transaction gains and losses.

 

We may be subject to liability regarding hazardous materials.

 

Our products and services as well as our research and development processes involve the controlled use of hazardous materials. For example, we often use acids, bases, oxidants, and flammable materials. Acids include trifluoroacetic acid and hydrochloric acid, bases include sodium hydroxide and triethylamine, oxidants include peracids and potassium permanganate, and flammable solvents include methanol, hexane and tetrahydrofuran. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of such materials and certain waste products. We cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of such an accident, we could be held liable for any damages that result, and any such liability could exceed our resources and disrupt our business. In addition, we may have to incur significant costs to comply with environmental laws and regulations related to the handling or disposal of such materials or waste products in the future, which would require us to spend substantial amounts of money.

 

Because it is unlikely that we will pay dividends, our stockholders will only be able to benefit from holding our stock if the stock price appreciates.

 

We have never paid cash dividends on our capital stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

Anti-takeover provisions in our stockholder rights plan and in our charter and bylaws could make a third-party acquisition of us difficult.

 

In 2003 we adopted a stockholder rights plan (a so-called “poison pill”).  Also, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so would be beneficial to our stockholders. These provisions could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. In addition, as a result of our acquisition of Axys Advanced Technologies, we have a standstill agreement with Axys Pharmaceuticals, which prevents Axys Pharmaceuticals (and prevents its subsequent acquirer, Applera Corporation) from making a hostile effort to acquire us.

 

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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

Short-term investments.  Our interest income is sensitive to changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates, particularly since a significant portion of our investments are and will be in short-term marketable securities, U.S. government securities and corporate bonds. Due to the nature and maturity of our short-term investments, we have concluded that there is no material market risk exposure to our principal. The average maturity of our investment portfolio is six months. A 1% change in interest rates would have an effect of approximately $328,000 on the value of our portfolio.

 

Foreign currency rate fluctuations.  The functional currency for our Discovery Partners International AG (DPI AG) group is the Swiss franc. DPI AG accounts are translated from their local currency to the U.S. dollar using the current exchange rate in effect at the balance sheet date for the balance sheet accounts, and using the average exchange rate during the period for revenues and expense accounts. The effects of translation for our DPI AG group are recorded as a separate component of stockholders’ equity (accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)). DPI AG conducts its business with customers in local currencies. Exchange gains and losses arising from these transactions are recorded using the actual exchange differences on the date the transaction is settled. We have not in the past taken any action to reduce our exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates, such as options or futures contracts, with respect to transactions with DPI AG or transactions with our worldwide customers, but anticipate that we could begin to hedge against foreign exchange transaction gains and losses resulting from non-Swiss franc invoices issued to customers by DPI AG in the near future. A 10% change in the value of the Swiss franc relative to the U.S. dollar throughout the first quarter of 2003 would have resulted in a 1% change in revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2003.

 

Inflation.  We do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our business or operating results during the periods presented.

 

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

 

(a)  Evaluation of Controls and Procedures

 

Within 90 days before the filing of this report, our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Pigliucci, and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Kussman, carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon that evaluation, Mr. Pigliucci and Mr. Kussman concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in causing material information to be collected, communicated and analyzed by management of the Company on a timely basis and to ensure that the quality and timeliness of our public disclosures comply with our SEC disclosure obligations.

 

(b)  Changes in Controls and Procedures

 

There were no significant changes in our internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls after the date of our most recent evaluation.

 

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PART II

OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

 

None.

 

Item 2. Changes in Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

The registration statement (File No. 333-36638) for our initial public offering was declared effective by the SEC on July 27, 2000. We received net proceeds from the Offering of approximately $94.7 million. Through March 31, 2003, we had used approximately $17.0 million of the net proceeds for acquisitions of companies, $6.0 million for prepaid mARCS royalties and $8.8 million for capital expenditures.

 

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

 

None.

 

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

None.

 

Item 5. Other Information

 

None.

 

Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

 

(a)       Exhibits:

 

Exhibit
Number

 

Exhibit Description

3.1

 

Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (1)

3.2

 

Bylaws of the Company (1)

4.1

 

Specimen common stock certificate (1)

4.2

 

Rights Agreement, dated as of February 13, 2003, including the form of Certificate of Designation, the form of Rights Certificate and the Summary of Rights (2)

10.70

 

Employment Agreement between Discovery Technologies Ltd (since renamed Discovery Partners International AG) and Urs Regenass dated January 20, 2001

99.1

 

Section 906 Certification of the Chief Executive Officer

99.2

 

Section 906 Certification of the Chief Financial Officer

 


(1)   Incorporated by Reference to the Company's Registration Statement No. 333-36638 on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 27, 2000.

 

(2)   Incorporated by Reference to the Company's Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 24, 2003.

 

(b)     Reports on Form 8-K:

 

We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on February 24, 2003 to report events of February 13, 2003: our adoption of a Rights Agreement and our declaration of a dividend of one preferred share purchase right on each outstanding share of our common stock.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

DISCOVERY PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

 

 

 

 

Date: April 25, 2003

By:

/s/  Riccardo Pigliucci

 

 

Riccardo Pigliucci
Chief Executive Officer

 

 

(Duly Authorized Officer)

 

 

 

 

Date: April 25, 2003

By:

/s/  Craig Kussman

 

 

Craig Kussman

 

 

 

Chief Financial Officer, Vice President Finance
and Administration and Secretary

 

 

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 

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CERTIFICATIONS

 

I, Riccardo Pigliucci, certify that:

 

1.          I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Discovery Partners International, Inc.

 

2.          Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this quarterly report;

 

3.          Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this quarterly report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report;

 

4.          The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and have:

 

a.      designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

 

b.     evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this quarterly report (the “Evaluation Date”); and

 

c.      presented in this quarterly report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our evaluation as of the Evaluation Date;

 

5.          The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a.      all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the registrant’s auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls; and

 

b.     any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal controls; and

 

6.          The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have indicated in this quarterly report whether there were significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

 

Date: April 25, 2003

/s/   Riccardo Pigliucci

 

Riccardo Pigliucci
Chief Executive Officer

 

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I, Craig Kussman, certify that:

 

1.          I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Discovery Partners International, Inc.

 

2.          Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this quarterly report;

 

3.          Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this quarterly report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report;

 

4.          The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and have:

 

a.           designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

 

b.          evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this quarterly report (the “Evaluation Date”); and

 

c.           presented in this quarterly report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our evaluation as of the Evaluation Date;

 

5.          The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a.           all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the registrant’s auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls; and

 

b.          any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal controls; and

 

6.          The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have indicated in this quarterly report whether there were significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

 

Date: April 25, 2003

/s/   Craig Kussman

 

Craig Kussman
Chief Financial Officer

 

27



 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit
Number

 

Exhibit Description

3.1

 

Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (1)

3.2

 

Bylaws of the Company (1)

4.1

 

Specimen common stock certificate (1)

4.2

 

Rights Agreement, dated as of February 13, 2003, including the form of Certificate of Designation, the form of Rights Certificate and the Summary of Rights (2)

10.70

 

Employment Agreement between Discovery Technologies Ltd (since renamed Discovery Partners International AG) and Urs Regenass dated January 20, 2001

99.1

 

Section 906 Certification of the Chief Executive Officer

99.2

 

Section 906 Certification of the Chief Financial Officer

 


(1)   Incorporated by Reference to the Company's Registration Statement No. 333-36638 on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 27, 2000.

 

(2)   Incorporated by Reference to the Company's Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 24, 2003.

 

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