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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

ý QUARTERLY REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE

ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended: March 31, 2004

 

Commission File Number: 0-23413

 

INTERLEUKIN GENETICS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its Charter)

 

DELAWARE

 

94-3123681

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

135 BEAVER STREET
WALTHAM, MA 02452

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

 

(781) 398-0700

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

 

Title of Each Class

 

Outstanding at April 30, 2004

Common stock, $.001 Par value

 

23,492,203

 

 



 

INTERLEUKIN GENETICS, INC.

Form 10-Q

INDEX

 

PART I.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at
March 31, 2004 and December 31, 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the
Three months ended March 31, 2004 and March 31, 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the
three months ended March 31, 2004 and March 31, 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

 

 

 

 

Item 2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Item 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure 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.

Default 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



 

INTERLEUKIN GENETICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

 

 

As of

 

 

 

March 31, 2004

 

December 31, 2003

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

6,494,815

 

$

4,759,453

 

Accounts receivables

 

8,688

 

123,436

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

86,895

 

114,519

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current assets

 

6,590,398

 

4,997,408

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed assets, net

 

252,140

 

271,669

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other assets

 

230,833

 

189,365

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total assets

 

$

7,073,371

 

$

5,458,442

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

84,210

 

$

69,807

 

Accrued expenses

 

582,154

 

538,191

 

Deferred revenue

 

649,760

 

653,760

 

Current portion of capital lease obligations

 

25,794

 

26,346

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

 

1,341,918

 

1,288,104

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term notes

 

2,595,336

 

2,595,336

 

Capital lease obligations, less current portion

 

11,598

 

17,290

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

 

3,948,852

 

3,900,730

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, Series A $0.001 par value– 5,000,000 shares authorized, issued and outstanding; aggregate liquidation preference of $18,000,000 at March 31, 2004

 

5,000

 

5,000

 

Common stock, $0.001 par value – 50,000,000 shares authorized; 23,506,660 and 23,287,215 shares issued and 23,481,033 and 23,262,588 outstanding at March 31, 2004 and December 31, 2003, respectively

 

23,506

 

23,287

 

Treasury stock – 24,627 shares at cost

 

(250,119

)

(250,119

)

Additional paid-in capital

 

49,267,115

 

46,771,565

 

Accumulated deficit

 

(45,920,983

)

(44,992,021

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

 

3,124,519

 

1,557,712

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

$

7,073,371

 

$

5,458,442

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

 

3



 

INTERLEUKIN GENETICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)

 

 

 

For the three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2004

 

2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

 

$

644,943

 

$

28,738

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenue

 

485,130

 

16,882

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross profit

 

159,813

 

11,856

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

381,260

 

872,439

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

683,161

 

692,712

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

 

1,064,421

 

1,565,151

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from operations

 

(904,608

)

(1,553,295

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income (expense):

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

9,551

 

5,762

 

Interest expense

 

(33,688

)

(28,027

)

Amortization of note discount

 

 

(90,051

)

Other income (expense)

 

(217

)

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total other income

 

(24,354

)

(112,314

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(928,962

)

$

(1,665,609

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share

 

$

(0.04

)

$

(0.07

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding

 

23,323,069

 

23,118,293

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

 

4



 

INTERLEUKIN GENETICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOW
(Unaudited)

 

 

 

For the three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2004

 

2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(928,962

)

$

(1,665,609

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and Amortization

 

26,444

 

31,258

 

Amortization of note discount

 

 

90,051

 

Change in value of stock options issued as compensation for services rendered

 

 

52,229

 

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

Account receivable, net

 

114,748

 

(26,182

)

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

27,623

 

(6,039

)

Accounts payable

 

14,404

 

(140,233

)

Accrued expenses

 

43,963

 

120,557

 

Deferred revenue

 

(4,000

)

(4,000

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

(705,780

)

(1,547,968

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of fixed assets

 

(3,059

)

(15,193

)

Increase in other assets

 

(45,324

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(48,383

)

(15,193

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

 

Net proceeds from sale of Preferred Series A

 

 

6,851,350

 

Proceeds from issuance of bridge loan

 

 

500,000

 

Proceeds from equity milestone payment

 

2,000,000

 

 

Proceeds from exercises of employee stock options

 

495,769

 

1,695

 

Payments of capitalized lease obligations, net

 

(6,244

)

(9,504

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

2,489,525

 

7,343,541

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net increase in cash and equivalents

 

1,735,362

 

5,780,380

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

 

4,759,453

 

733,848

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

 

$

6,494,815

 

$

6,514,228

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for interest

 

$

33,688

 

$

35,874

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for income taxes

 

$

 

$

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

 

5



 

Note 1 – Presentation of Interim Information

 

Interleukin Genetics, Inc., a Delaware corporation is a functional genomics company focused on personalized medicine. We believe that by identifying individuals at risk for certain diseases and combining this knowledge with specific interventions, better healthcare decisions can be made, reducing costs and greatly improving patient health outcomes. We have a growing portfolio of patents covering the genetics of a number of common diseases and conditions.

 

We have prepared the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial reporting and with Securities Exchange Commission rules and regulations for Form 10-Q. It is recommended that these interim condensed consolidated financial statements be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003.  The interim condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited; however, in the opinion of our management, include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to make the interim financial information not misleading. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.  Results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of those to be expected for the full year.

 

Since our inception, we have incurred accumulated deficits of approximately $45.9 million, including a net loss of approximately $929,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2004. For the three months ended March 31, 2004, we incurred negative cash flows from operating activities of approximately $706,000.

 

We anticipate our current cash, along with our anticipated revenue, and, if required, new debt issuances will be sufficient to fund operations, as planned until mid-2005.

 

Our future financial needs depend on many factors. We will need funds for the commercial launch of additional genetic tests, continued research and development efforts, obtaining and protecting patents and administrative expenses. Additional financing may not be available when needed, or, if available, may not be available on favorable terms. If we cannot obtain additional capital on acceptable terms when needed, we may have to discontinue operations, or, at a minimum, curtail one or more of our research and development programs.

 

On March 5, 2003, we announced that we entered into a broad strategic alliance with several affiliates of the Alticor, Inc. family of companies to develop and market personalized nutritional and skin care products.  For the purpose of clarity, in this document we will refer to Alticor and all of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including Access Business Group, Pyxis Innovations and Quixtar as “Alticor”.

 

Note 2 – Significant Accounting Policies

 

We believe our most significant accounting policies are in the areas of revenue recognition, cost estimations of certain ongoing research contracts, and our treatment of employee stock options.

 

6



 

Revenue recognition:

 

Contract revenues are recognized ratably as services are provided based on a fixed contract price or on negotiated hourly rates. Provision for anticipated losses on fixed-price contracts is made in the period such losses are identified.  Revenue from genetic susceptibility tests is recognized when the tests have been completed and the results reported to the doctors or patients who ordered the test.  To the extent test kits have been purchased and paid for but not yet submitted for test results, we defer recognition of all related revenue. These amounts are presented as deferred revenue in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

 

We have entered into agreements with outside parties for the distribution of genetic susceptibility tests, both domestically and internationally for which we receive royalty payments.  Royalties are recognized when earned under our royalty agreements when amounts are fixed or determinable and payment is reasonably assured.  Revenue from milestone or other contingent payments is recognized when earned in accordance with the terms of the related agreement

 

Fees for the sale or licensing of product rights are recorded as deferred revenue upon receipt and recognized as revenue on the straight-line basis over the period that the related products or services are delivered or obligations as defined in the agreement are performed in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104 (SAB No. 104), Revenue Recognition.

 

Cost estimates:

 

Much of our research and development is done on contract by outside parties.  It is not unusual that at the end of an accounting period we need to estimate both the total cost of these projects and the percent of that project which was completed as of the accounting date.  We then need to adjust those estimates when actual final costs are known.  To date, these adjustments have not been material to our financial statements, and we believe that the estimates that we made as of March 31, 2004 are reflective of the actual expenses incurred as of that date.  However, the possibility exists that certain research projects might cost more than we have estimated and that these higher costs will be reflected in future periods.

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

We account for our stock-based compensation plans under Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25 (APB 25), Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.  Under APB 25, no stock-based compensation is reflected in net income, as all options granted under the plans had an exercise price equal to the market value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant and the related number of shares granted is fixed at that point in time.  The following table illustrates the effect on net loss and loss per share if we had applied the fair value recognition provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (“SFAS”) No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, as amended by SFAS 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation-Transition and Disclosure, issued in December 2002.  The stock compensation expense in the below table recognizes the expense over the vesting period of the stock options.

 

7



 

 

 

Three months ended
March 31

 

 

 

2004

 

2003

 

Net loss applicable to common stock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As reported

 

$

(928,962

)

$

(1,665,609

)

Less:  fair value impact of employee stock compensation:

 

(190,053

)

(270,874

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro forma

 

$

(1,190,015

)

$

(1,936,483

)

Basic and diluted net loss per share

 

 

 

 

 

As reported

 

$

(0.04

)

$

(0.07

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro forma

 

$

(0.05

)

$

(0.08

)

 

The fair value of the options was estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option valuation model with the weighted–average assumptions listed in the table below:

 

 

 

2004

 

2003

 

Risk free interest rate

 

4.0

%

4.0

%

Expected life

 

7 years

 

7 years

 

Expected volatility

 

80

%

80

%

Expected dividend yield

 

0

%

0

%

 

The Black-Scholes option valuation model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options. The Company’s employee stock options have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options such as extremely limited transferability and, in most cases, vesting restrictions. In addition, the assumptions used in option valuation models are based upon historical averages that may not predict future results, particularly the expected stock price volatility of the underlying stock. Because changes in these input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, in management’s opinion, existing valuation models do not provide a reliable, single measure of the fair value of its employee stock options.

 

Note 3 – Research Arrangements

 

In July 1999, we entered into an agreement with Sheffield University (Sheffield), whereby we will undertake the development and commercialization of certain discoveries resulting from Sheffield’s research. For certain of the discoveries, the parties have reached a specific non-cancelable agreement of development and commercialization.  However, for new discoveries on which the parties have not yet reached specific agreement, the agreement may be terminated with or without cause by either party upon six months’ notice.

 

The agreement with Sheffield is a five-year agreement with an automatic yearly renewal. During 1999, in accordance with this agreement, we issued

 

8



 

275,000 shares of common stock to Sheffield for transferring all rights and title of certain patents. The value of the common stock of $653,125 was charged to research and development expense in the third quarter of 1999. Additionally, each year beginning July 1, 2000, Sheffield receives 25,000 fully vested options to purchase common stock at the then current market price, plus 10,000 fully vested options to purchase common stock for each new patent application filed in the previous 12 months. During the years ended December 31, 2003 and December 31, 2002, 45,000 and 35,000 fully vested options, respectively, to purchase common stock were granted under this agreement. These options have a five-year exercise period. In 1999, we signed another research agreement with Sheffield that automatically renews in one-year increments. This agreement requires us to pay the cost of agreed upon research projects conducted at Sheffield.  For the three months ended March 31, 2004 we expensed approximately $64,000 for research conducted at Sheffield.  This includes funding to the University and to collaborators at the University.  Both agreements with Sheffield can be canceled if a certain key collaborator leaves Sheffield.  These agreements expire in June 2004.  We have not yet made a decision as to whether or not to renew this agreement.

 

In September 1999, a five-year consulting agreement was entered into with Sheffield’s key collaborator. In accordance with the consulting agreement, the key collaborator received 200,000 shares of common stock for relinquishing interests in previous research agreements. The value of the common stock of $475,000 was charged to research and development expense in the third quarter of 1999. The key collaborator will also receive 1% of the first $4 million of net sales under the PST Technology and 2% for sales above $4 million. During 2002, this collaborator received no significant royalty payments for sales of PST. On July 1, 2002 and 2003, in consideration for future services, the key collaborator received 25,000 fully vested options to purchase common stock at the then current market price. These options have a five-year exercise period from the date of grant.  This agreement expires in June 2004. We intend to continue a relationship with this collaborator.

 

In March 2002, we entered into a research collaboration agreement with UnitedHealth Group’s research arm, the Center for Healthcare Policy and Evaluation, to study how commonly inherited gene variants affect the response of patients with certain inflammatory diseases to specific drugs. Knowledge resulting from this work will help us develop pharmacogenetic tests that physicians and managed care organizations can use to assist in the selection of the optimal drug for an individual patient.

 

Note 4 – Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported periods.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Note 5 – Basic and Diluted Net Loss per Common Share

 

Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 128 (SFAS 128), “Earnings per Share,” outlines methods for computing and presenting earnings per share. SFAS 128 requires a calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share for

 

9



 

all periods presented.  We reported losses for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2004 and 2003 and accordingly any potential common stock equivalents are anti-dilutive due to the loss in each period.  Potential common stock excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share consists of stock options, warrants, preferred stock and convertible debt as described in the table below.

 

 

 

March

 

 

 

2004

 

2003

 

Options outstanding

 

2,876,353

 

2,974,002

 

Warrants outstanding

 

525,000

 

525,000

 

Preferred stock

 

28,160,200

 

28,157,683

 

Convertible debt

 

4,060,288

 

3,128,911

 

Total

 

35,621,841

 

34,785,596

 

 

The table reflects the change in the number of potential shares of common stock available to the holders of the convertible debt resulting from the milestone payment from Alticor that was received on March 11, 2004 for both the 2004 and 2003 periods.  See note 6 entitled “Strategic Alliance with Alticor Inc.” for details of this transaction.

 

Note 6 – Strategic Alliance with Alticor Inc.

 

On March 5, 2003, we announced that we entered into a broad strategic alliance with several affiliates of the Alticor family of companies to develop and market novel nutritional and skin care products.  The alliance will utilize Interleukin Genetics’ intellectual property and expertise in genomics to develop personalized consumer products.  Alticor has a long history of manufacturing and distributing high quality nutritional supplements and skin care products to a worldwide market.

 

The alliance includes an equity investment, a multi-year research and development agreement, a licensing agreement with royalties on marketed products, the deferment of outstanding loan repayment and the refinancing of bridge financing obligations.  The major elements of the alliance are:

 

                  The purchase by Alticor of $9,000,000 of equity in the form of 5 million shares of Series A Preferred Stock for $1.80 per share.  These are convertible into approximately 28.2 million shares of common stock at a conversion price equal to $0.3196, representing 54.5% of the Company’s common stock if converted.  $7,000,000 of the total purchase price was received on March 5, 2003. The remaining $2,000,000 was subject to the achievement of a defined milestone.  This milestone was achieved in February of this year and the milestone payment was received on March 11, 2004.

 

                  The right of the Series A holders to nominate and elect four directors to a five person board.

 

                  A research and development agreement providing Interleukin with funding of $5,000,000, payable over the period between April 2003 and March 2005, to conduct certain research projects with a royalty on resulting products.

 

10



 

                  Credit facilities in favor of Interleukin, as follows:

 

                  $1,500,000 working capital credit line to initiate selected research agreements with third party entities approved by the board of directors of Interleukin;

                  $2,000,000 refinancing of notes previously held by Alticor, extending the maturity date and reducing the interest rate; and

                  $595,336 refinancing on July 1, 2003 of bridge financing notes previously held by third parties, extending the maturity date and reducing the interest rate.

 

As of March 31, 2004 there was $2,595,336 outstanding under the terms of these credit facilities.  The credit facilities will mature in December 2007, bear interest at 1% over the prime rate, are collateralized by a security interest in Interleukin’s intellectual property, (except intellectual property relating to periodontal disease and sepsis) and are convertible at the election of Alticor into shares of common stock at a conversion price equal to $0.6392 per share, subject to future adjustment.

 

On February 26, 2004, we signed an agreement with Alticor for a firm minimum order of DNA-based risk assessment tests to be delivered in the first year of product launch.  With the execution of this agreement, Interleukin has achieved the "Milestone" under the Stock Purchase Agreement, dated March 5, 2003, between Interleukin and Alticor.  The Milestone was met when we entered into a genetic testing agreement of such size that the projected internal rate of return with respect to the project is at least 20% with a payback period of three years or less.  Product launch is expected for the first half of 2005.

 

Note 7 – Capital Stock

 

Authorized Common and Preferred Stock

 

At March 31, 2004, we had authorized 6,000,000 shares of Series A Preferred stock of which 5,000,000 were issued and outstanding.  At March 31, 2004, we had authorized 75,000,000 shares of $0.001 par value common stock of which 23,481,033 shares were outstanding and approximately 28.2 million were reserved for the conversion of the Series A Preferred to common stock, approximately 4.1 million shares were reserved for the conversion of approximately $2.6 million of debt, 3.4 million shares were reserved for the exercise of authorized and outstanding stock options, 525,000 shares were reserved for the exercise of authorized and outstanding warrants to purchase common stock and approximately 465,000 shares were reserved for the exercise of rights held under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

 

Series A Preferred Stock

 

In a private placement on March 5, 2003, we entered into a Purchase Agreement with Alticor, pursuant to which Alticor purchased from us Series A Preferred Stock for $7,000,000 in cash on that date, and an additional $2,000,000 in cash that was paid, as a result of our achieving a certain milestone, on March 11, 2004. The offering was made to Alticor by way of a private placement exempt from registration under the Securities Act.

 

The Series A Preferred Stock issued in the private placement is convertible into 28,160,200 shares of Common Stock reflecting a conversion price of $.3196 per share after being adjusted for the milestone payment and is subject to weighted average antidilution adjustments.  Assuming the conversion of all shares of Series A Preferred Stock as of March 31, 2004, such shares represent 54.5% of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock.

 

11



 

The Series A Preferred Stock accrues dividends at the rate of 8% of the original purchase price per year, payable only when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors and are non-cumulative.  Heretofore, no dividends have been declared on these shares.  If we declare a distribution, with certain exceptions, payable in securities of other persons, evidences of indebtedness issued by us or other persons, assets (excluding cash dividends) or options or rights to purchase any such securities or evidences of indebtedness, then, in each such case the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock shall be entitled to a proportionate share of any such distribution as though the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock were the holders of the number of shares of our Common Stock into which their respective shares of Series A Preferred Stock are convertible as of the record date fixed for the determination of the holders of our Common Stock entitled to receive such distribution.

 

In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive, prior and in preference to any distribution of any of our assets or surplus funds to the holders of our Common Stock by reason of their ownership thereof, the amount of two times the then-effective purchase price per share, as adjusted for any stock dividends, combinations or splits with respect to such shares, plus all declared but unpaid dividends on such share for each share of Series A Preferred Stock then held by them.  After receiving this amount, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock shall participate on an as-converted basis with the holders of Common Stock in any of the remaining assets.

 

Each share of Series A Preferred Stock is convertible at any time at the option of the holder into a number of shares of our Common Stock determined by dividing the then-effective purchase price ($1.80 since the milestone payment was received, and subject to further adjustment) by the conversion price in effect on the date the certificate is surrendered for conversion (currently $0.3196).  The liquidation preference at March 31, 2004 was $18,000,000.

 

Each holder of Series A Preferred Stock is entitled to vote its shares of Series A Preferred Stock on an as-converted basis with the holders of Common Stock as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders, except as otherwise required by applicable law.  This means that each share of Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to a number of votes equal to the number of shares of Common Stock into which it is convertible on the applicable record date.

 

Note 8 – Debt

 

On August 9, 2002 we received approximately $475,000 in net proceeds from the sale of term promissory notes with an original aggregate principal amount of $525,000. These notes paid interest at a rate of 15% and had an original maturity of August 9, 2003.  The purchasers of the promissory notes received warrants to purchase one share of our common stock at a purchase price of $2.50 for every dollar invested in the promissory notes. In total, warrants to purchase 525,000 shares of common stock were issued. These warrants expire ten years from the date of issuance.  These notes and $70,336 in accrued interest were repaid on July 1, 2003 using proceeds provided by Alticor under terms of a credit facility with Alticor.  All of these warrants are still outstanding.

 

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On October 23, 2002, we entered into an interim financing agreement with Pyxis Innovations, Inc. that provided debt financing of $2.0 million. The financing was in the form of four $500,000 promissory notes, which were issued on October 23, 2002, November 15, 2002, December 16, 2002 and January 30, 2003.  These notes had an original maturity date of December 31, 2003 and accrued interest at a rate of 15%. The outstanding principal amount and all accrued interest were to be paid upon maturity.  These notes are secured by all of our intellectual property except intellectual property relating to periodontal disease and sepsis.  These notes were amended as part of the strategic alliance with Alticor Inc.  (see below).

 

On March 5, 2003 as part of our strategic alliance with Alticor Inc. we were granted credit facilities as follows:

 

                  $1,500,000 working capital credit line to initiate selected research agreements with third party entities approved by the board of directors of Interleukin;

                  $2,000,000 refinancing of notes previously held by Alticor, extending the maturity date and reducing the interest rate; and

                  $595,336 refinancing on July 1, 2003 of bridge financing notes previously held by third parties, extending the maturity date and reducing the interest rate.

 

As of March 31, 2004 there was $2,595,336 outstanding under the terms of these credit facilities.  The credit facilities will mature in December 2007, bear interest at 1% over the prime rate (5% at March 31, 2004), are secured by a security interest in our intellectual property (except intellectual property related to periodontal disease and sepsis), and are convertible at the election of Alticor into shares of common stock at a conversion price equal to $0.6392 per share.

 

Note 9 - Segment Information

 

We follow the provisions of SFAS No. 131 (SFAS 131), “Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information.” SFAS 131 establishes standards for reporting information about operating segments in annual and interim financial statements, requiring that public business enterprises report financial and descriptive information about reportable segments based on a management approach. SFAS 131 also establishes standards for related disclosures about products and services, geographic areas and major customers. In applying the requirements of this statement, we continue to have one reportable segment, which is the development of genetic susceptibility tests and therapeutic targets for common diseases.

 

We have no assets outside of the United States.  For the three-month periods ended March 31, 2004 and 2003 all assets were located, and all revenue was primarily generated in the United States.

 

Note 10 - Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

On March 31, 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a proposed Statement, Share-Based Payment, which addresses the accounting for share-based awards to employees, including employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs). The FASB formally proposed to require companies to recognize the fair value of stock options and other stock-based compensation to employees.

 

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The proposed Statement would eliminate the ability to account for share-based compensation transactions using APB Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, and generally would require instead, that such transactions, be accounted for using a fair-value-based method. The proposed requirements in the exposure draft would be effective for public companies as of the beginning of the first fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2004.

 

The Company currently accounts for its stock-based compensation plans in accordance with APB Opinion No. 25. Therefore, the eventual adoption of this proposed statement, if issued in final form by the FASB, is likely to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Forward Looking Statements

 

This report on Form 10-Q and the documents incorporated by reference within this document contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act.  Statements contained in this report that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements.  Words or phrases such as “will likely result”, “expect”, “will continue”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intend”, “plan”, “project”, “outlook”, or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements address or may address the following subjects:

 

                  The sufficiency of our current cash resources, additional anticipated financings and anticipated revenues to fund operations into mid 2005;

                  Our expectation that we will receive at least an additional $2,500,000 in revenue over the twelve months period ending March 2005 from Alticor under the terms of Research Agreements;

                  Any expectation we may have of raising additional capital through equity financings;

                  Our expectation that we will receive royalty payments and/or genetic test processing revenue under the terms of a License Agreement and a Distribution Agreement with Alticor;

                  Our expectation that we may sign additional Research Agreements with Alticor or other third parties;

                  Our expectation of the benefits that will result from the ongoing research programs that outside parties are conducting on our behalf;

                  Any expectation we may have regarding the success of developing products, the timing of releasing products for sale or the success of these products when they are released;

                  Any expectation we may have of attracting business partners to assist in developing, marketing or distribution of our products;

                  Any expectation that certain health-care related trends will emerge or continue that will support our business model;

                  Our expectation that our total research and development costs, including clinical costs, but excluding contract research and development, will be between approximately $1.5 and $2.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2004;

                  Our expectation that we might derive benefit from our patented intellectual property; and

                  Our expectation that we will continue to experience losses until our genetic testing revenues grow substantially from current levels.

 

Actual results may vary materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations include but are not limited to; risks related to market acceptance of genetic risk assessment tests in general and our products in particular, risks related to technology and product obsolescence, delays in development of products, dependence on third parties, our ability to fund operations through mid-2005, competitive risks and those risks set forth within the section titled “Factors That May Affect Our Future Performance” beginning on page 21 within this report.  We cannot be certain that our

 

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results will not be adversely affected by one or more of these factors or by other factors not currently anticipated.  All information set forth in this Form 10-Q is as of the date of this Form 10-Q.  Unless required by law we accept no responsibility to update this information.

 

GENERAL OVERVIEW

 

We are in the business of personalized health.  In essence, personalized health is a new and growing field that includes the development and marketing of: 1) genetic risk assessment products, 2) pharmacogenetic tests, 3) personalized nutrition supplements and skincare products, and 4) personalized therapeutics.  We will use our intellectual property and expertise to develop products or acquire additional intellectual property that can be leveraged, through collaboration with partners, to address market needs with any or all of these products listed above.

 

Our current commercial strategy is to partner with companies that have sales and marketing capabilities and products or services that complement our own products.  We currently have no plans to develop our own sales force; we plan to rely on our strategic partners to promote and distribute our products.  The essence of these strategic partnerships is that the selling partner will benefit because its product or service sales will be spurred by our products.  The first of these strategic partnerships is the partnership we have with Alticor and its affiliates.

 

Currently, we will generate cash flow by:  1) charging a fee for generating a personalized risk assessment 2) receiving a royalty from products sold as a result of the risk assessment report and 3) receiving a license fee and royalty from out-licensing our core technology.  Furthermore, we plan to collaborate with other companies in the research and development of products. In these collaborations, we expect to receive a certain amount of research funding from the partner covering labor, material, overhead and a small amount of profit.  Our first such contract is with Alticor for the development of personalized nutritional and skincare products.  We entered into this partnership on March 5, 2003 and it is currently our only revenue generating research collaboration.

 

On March 5, 2003, we announced that we entered into a broad strategic alliance with Alticor to develop and market personalized nutritional and skin care products.  The alliance will utilize our intellectual property and expertise in genomics to develop personalized consumer products.  Alticor has a long history of manufacturing and distributing high quality nutritional supplements and skin care products to a worldwide market.

 

We are devoting most of our resources to the support of the strategic collaboration with Alticor which includes the development of our own products to be sold in combination with Alticor’s products.  A portion of our resources is also devoted to the development of a new product for the periodontal market.  Our revenues have consisted primarily of research payments from Alticor and minimal royalties from PSTÒ.  Additionally, we expect to continue incurring losses as we continue research and development efforts in the development of new tests and new products.

 

The alliance includes an equity investment, a multi-year research and development agreement, a licensing agreement with royalties on marketed products, the deferment of outstanding loan repayment and the refinancing of

 

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bridge financing obligations.  The financial elements of this alliance are described in greater detail within the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” beginning on page 17.  During the three months ended March 31, 2004 we recognized $636,600 (99% of our total revenue) from research services provided to Alticor under the terms of this and other related agreements.

 

Our first genetic test, PST®, a test predictive of risk for periodontal disease, is currently marketed in the United States and Europe.  We use third parties to market and distribute PST and we earn royalties based upon their sales. In December 2000, we entered into an exclusive seven-year license agreement with Hain Diagnostika/ADS GmbH (“Hain”) for the marketing, distribution and processing of PST in all countries outside of North America and Japan. In May 2003, we amended the agreement with Hain to a non-exclusive license limited to the European Territory.  Since December 2001, Kimball Genetics has been our sole marketing partner within the United States.  We believe that through our partners we have adequate coverage in the sales, distribution and processing of PST.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

COMPARISON OF THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2004 TO THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2003

 

Revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2004 was $644,943 compared to $28,738 for the three months ended March 31, 2003, a 2144% increase. The increase was due to $637,000 in revenue from our research agreement with Alticor, partially offset by $17,000 in revenue from a single customer for genotyping services to that customer in the first quarter of 2003.  This revenue was non-recurring.  Cost of revenue was $485,130 for the three months ended March 31, 2004, compared to $16,882 for the same period in 2003. Gross profit margin was 25% in the three months ended March 31, 2004 compared to 41% for the same period in 2003.  The increase in costs of revenue, and decrease in margins in 2004 is a direct result of increased labor, material and overhead associated with the research services under the terms of our agreement with Alticor.

 

Alticor Project:  Pursuant to the terms of our Research Agreement with Alticor, we are collaborating in the development of personalized nutrigenomic products for sale in the United States and Canada.  Our primary responsibility will be to develop genetic tests and software to assess personalized risk and to develop and use screening technologies to validate the effectiveness of nutrigenomic consumables Alticor is developing.  Additionally, we will play a key role in enhancing and maintaining scientific credibility in academic and medical communities.  After our initial focus in developing products for sale in the United States and Canada, we expect that we will expand our focus to include developing nutrigenomic products for sale overseas and developing products in the United States and overseas in other areas of wellness and skin care.

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2004, we had research and development expenses of $381,260 as compared to $872,439 for the same quarter of 2003, a decrease of 56%.  The decrease in R&D expenses reflected a re-allocation of internal resources from internally funded projects to the research project funded by Alticor that is now reported as cost of revenue.  During 2004 we are planning several new and ongoing research and clinical projects both in-

 

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house and through collaborative partners.  The most significant projects are the following:

 

General Research:  We are continuing the development of our basic understanding of genetic variations, specifically as it relates to inflammation.  We expect to identify and study new single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cause functional changes on inflammatory responses to stimuli.  We anticipate expanding our SNP discovery work in order to begin development work on genetic tests and to assist in the development of products in the areas of weight management, maintenance of mental acuity, skincare, exercise performance and the prevention of complications among pre-diabetics.

 

Rheumatoid Arthritis:  In collaboration with United Health Group, we conducted a study to determine whether analysis of genotype will be useful to predict responses to anti-cytokine therapy for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.  The anti-cytokine therapies currently on the market act very differently on human biology.  Three of the four anti-cytokine therapies used to treat rheumatoid arthritis are anti TNFα drugs; the other acts upon the IL-1 gene.  We believe that depending upon the specific genetics of individuals, we might be able to predict which class of drugs would be most effective. We have concluded the genotyping in this project and are currently analyzing the data.

 

In collaboration with the University of Sheffield School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), we conducted a study to determine if it is cost effective to analyze patient genotypes prior to the use of Kineret in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.  The results of the economic modeling indicated that use of a pharmacogenetic test prior to prescribing Kineret could potentially be cost-effective by producing higher response rates.

 

Therapeutic Product:  We continue to assess opportunities to develop off-patent drugs or drugs that have been shown to be safe but do not have FDA approval for anti-inflammatory indications in individuals with a specific genotype.  Our plan is to attempt to validate these drugs for pharmacogenomic applications.  We hope to use our knowledge of genetic variations in the area of inflammation to find new applications for some of these drugs.  We expect to commence animal/pre-clinical studies during 2004.

 

We expect total research and development expenses, including clinical costs but excluding contract research and development costs, to be between approximately $1.5 and $2.5 million for the calendar year 2004. Actual costs may vary from this estimate as a result of our ability to raise additional new capital, changes in technology, the success of current and future research projects, the success or failure of our current or future strategic alliances and collaborations and the identification of new business opportunities.  We have not made an attempt to finalize an estimate of our research and development expenses beyond 2004 due to the factors listed above.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses were $683,161 during the three months ended March 31, 2004 compared to $692,712 during the same quarter last year, a decrease of 1%.

 

During 2004, we expect selling, general and administrative costs to increase as we:

 

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1.               Seek to develop a new personalized risk assessment product for the dental market; and

 

2.               Commence construction of our own clinical laboratory during 2004.  We believe that building our own laboratory will be the best way to both offer flexibility in the services and products we are able to provide to our customers and control costs.

 

Interest income for the three months ended March 31, 2004 was $9,551 compared to $5,762 for the same period in 2003.  This increase was due primarily to the higher average cash and cash equivalent balances in 2004 in comparison to the same period in 2003.  Interest expense of $33,688 was incurred during the quarter ended March 31, 2004, compared to $28,027 in the same period in 2003.  The increase is primarily due to interest expense related to the increased balance of our long-term debt with Alticor. We also had an expense of $90,051 in 2003 related to the amortization of the value of the warrants associated with these promissory notes.  This expense was amortized over the life of the notes, which were retired in July 2003.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As of March 31, 2004, we had cash and cash equivalents of $6,494,815. Net cash used in operating activities during the three months ended March 31, 2004 was $705,780 as compared to $1,547,968 used during the same period in 2003.  Cash was used primarily to fund operations. The reduction in cash used in operations in the 2004 period was primarily due to the $625,000 of research funding by Alticor and lower legal fees.

 

Investing activities used cash of $48,383 during the three months ended March 31, 2004 and $15,193 during the same period in 2003. During the 2004 period cash was used to purchase fixed assets and to fund the development of intellectual property.  In 2003 cash was used to purchase fixed assets primarily for use in our new functional genomics research laboratory.  We anticipate that in 2004 our capital expenditures will be between $1.0 and $1.2 million.  This increase will be primarily the result of building a commercial clinical laboratory to process the samples from the product launches that we anticipate in 2005.

 

Financing activities provided cash of $2,489,525 during the three months ended March 31, 2004 and $7,343,541 during the three months ended March 31, 2003.  During 2004 we received $2,000,000 from an equity milestone payment from Alticor and approximately $495,000 from the exercise of employee stock options and stock purchases through the employee stock purchase plan.  During 2003 we received $6,850,225 in net proceeds from our stock purchase agreement with Alticor (see below) and $500,000 from the issuance of term promissory notes.  These notes are discussed below.

 

We currently do not have any commitments for any material capital expenditures other than that which has been mentioned above. Our obligations at March 31, 2004 for capital lease payments totaled $37,392, of which $11,598 is classified as long-term and $25,794 is classified as current. These capital lease obligations mature through March 2006 at various interest rates.

 

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In a private placement on March 5, 2003, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with Alticor pursuant to which Alticor purchased from us 5,000,000 shares of our Series A Preferred Stock for an aggregate of $7,000,000 in cash.  In March 2004, Alticor paid an additional $2,000,000 for no additional equity when we achieved the milestones set forth in the Stock Purchase Agreement.  The Milestone was met when we entered into a genetic testing agreement of such size that the projected internal rate of return with respect to the project is at least 20% with a payback period of three years or less.  The offering was made to Alticor by way of a private placement exempt from registration under the Securities Act.  As of March 31, 2004, the Series A Preferred Stock is convertible into an aggregate of 28,160,200 shares of our common stock (reflecting a conversion price of $0.3196 per share), subject to weighted average anti-dilution adjustments.  If all the shares of Series A Preferred Stock had been converted to common stock as of March 31, 2004, the shares issued would represent approximately 54.5% of our outstanding common stock.

 

Pursuant to the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement, In March 2003 Alticor also refinanced $2,000,000 of debt we had incurred to Alticor from October 2002 through January 2003.  In June 2003, Alticor advanced an additional $595,336 that we used to repay bridge financing notes issued in August 2002.  All of our indebtedness to Alticor carries a variable interest rate equal to one percent above the “prime rate,” payable quarterly in cash, matures on December 31, 2007 and is convertible at the option of Alticor into shares of our common stock at a conversion price of two times the then applicable conversion price of the Series A Preferred Stock.  As of March 31, 2004, outstanding indebtedness to Alticor would be convertible into 4,060,288 shares of common stock.  Alticor also has agreed to provide a working capital credit line of up to $1,500,000 to initiate selected research agreements with third party entities approved by our board of directors.  No qualifying agreements have been approved to date and we have not accessed the credit line.

 

Concurrent with the closing of the Stock Purchase Agreement, we entered into a Research Agreement with Alticor, governing the terms of developing and validating nutrigenomic and dermagenomic tests and products.  It is expected that Alticor will provide us with a total of $5,000,000 beginning in April 2003 and continuing until March 2005, to conduct certain research projects.  To date, Alticor has paid $2,500,000 under this research agreement.  We will also receive a royalty payment based upon sales of the resulting products.  We also entered into a License Agreement with Alticor, granting an exclusive, world-wide license of all of our current and future intellectual property, limited to the field of nutrigenomics and dermagenomics in exchange for royalty payments based upon the sales of these products.

 

In August 2002, we received approximately $475,000, net proceeds, from the sale of term promissory notes with an aggregate original principal amount of $525,000. These notes had an original maturity of one year and accrued interest at a rate of 15%.  The principal and accrued interest, a total of $595,336, was repaid in July 2003. The funds for this repayment were provided by Alticor as described above. The promissory notes purchasers received warrants to purchase one share of stock for a purchase price of $2.50 for every dollar invested in the promissory notes. In total, warrants to purchase 525,000 shares of stock were issued. These warrants expire in August 2012.

 

We anticipate that our existing cash and cash equivalents, together with anticipated revenue and interest income, will be sufficient to conduct operations as planned until mid-2005.  Our future cash requirements are anticipated to be substantial, and we do not have commitments for additional

 

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capital at this time. Our cash requirements are expected to arise from the commercial launch of our products, continued research and development efforts, the protection of the intellectual property rights (including preparing and filing of patent applications), as well as operational, administrative, legal and accounting expenses. There is no assurance that we will be able to raise additional capital on terms acceptable to us, if at all.  If additional amounts cannot be raised and we are unable to substantially reduce our expenses, or increase our revenues, we would suffer material adverse consequences to our business, financial condition and results of operations and would likely be required to seek other alternatives up to and including protection under the United States Bankruptcy Laws.

 

Factors That May Affect Our Future Performance

 

We have a history of operating losses and expect these losses to continue in the future

 

We have experienced significant operating losses since our inception and expect these losses to continue for some time. We incurred losses from operations of  $5.1 million in 2002 and $3.9 million in 2003 and $930,000 through the first three months of 2004. As of March 31, 2004, our accumulated deficit was $45.9 million. Our losses result primarily from research and development, general and administrative expenses. We have not generated significant revenues from product sales, and we do not know if we will ever generate sufficient revenues from product sales to cover our operating expenses. We will need to generate significant revenues to continue our research and development programs and achieve profitability. We cannot predict when, if ever, we will achieve profitability.

 

The market for genetic susceptibility tests is unproven

 

The market for genetic susceptibility tests is at an early stage of development and may not continue to grow. The general scientific community, including us, has only a limited understanding of the role of genes in predicting disease. When we identify a gene or genetic marker that may predict disease, we conduct clinical trials to confirm the initial scientific discovery and to establish the scientific discovery’s clinical utility in the marketplace. The results of these clinical trials could limit or delay our ability to bring the test to market, reduce the test’s acceptance by our customers or cause us to cancel the program, any of which limit or delay sales and cause additional losses. The only genetic susceptibility test we currently market is PST, and it has produced only minimal revenues to date. The marketplace may never accept our products, and we may never be able to sell our products at a profit. We may not complete development of or commercialize our other genetic susceptibility tests.

 

The success of our genetic susceptibility tests will depend upon their acceptance as medically useful and cost-effective by patients, physicians, dentists, other members of the medical and dental community and by third-party payors, such as insurance companies and the government. We can achieve broad market acceptance only with substantial education about the benefits and limitations of genetic susceptibility tests. Our tests may not gain market acceptance on a timely basis, if at all. If patients, dentists and physicians do not accept our tests, or take a longer time to accept them than we anticipate, then it will reduce our sales, resulting in additional losses.

 

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The market for personalized healthcare is unproven

 

The competition in the field of Personalized Health is not well defined due to lack of an established market and customer base.  The concept is new and requires consumers to do things differently, hence may be considered a “disruptive technology”.  Adoption of such technology requires substantial market development and customer prospecting.  There are a few companies offering predisposition tests or health risk assessments and product recommendations based upon these assessments activities in these areas remain small and the overall market is unproven. While both Alticor and we have done some initial market research regarding the marketability of these products there can be no assurance that these products will be successful upon launch or that they can be sold at sufficient margins to make them profitable to our partners or us.  If customers do not accept our tests, or take a longer time to accept them than we anticipate, then it will reduce our sales, resulting in additional losses

 

We rely heavily on third parties to perform sales, marketing and distribution functions on our behalf, which could limit our efforts to successfully market products

 

We have limited experience and capabilities with respect to distributing, marketing and selling genetic susceptibility tests. We have relied and plan to continue to rely significantly on sales, marketing and distribution arrangements with third parties, over which we have limited influence. If these third parties do not successfully market our products, it will reduce our sales and increase our losses. If we are unable to negotiate acceptable marketing and distribution agreements with future third parties, or if in the future we elect to perform sales, marketing and distribution functions ourselves, we will incur significant costs and face a number of additional risks, including the need to recruit experienced marketing and sales personnel.  On March 5, 2003, we signed a strategic alliance with Alticor Inc.  As part of this alliance, Alticor will conduct sales, marketing and distribution functions on our behalf.  On February 26, 2004, we signed a purchase order agreement with Alticor for a firm minimum order of DNA-based risk assessment tests to be delivered during the first year of product launch.  This product launch is anticipated for the first half of 2005. While Alticor has far more experience and success in marketing, selling and distributing products than we do, we could become very dependent upon their success and their failure to successfully market our products could reduce our sales and increase our losses.

 

If we fail to obtain additional capital, or obtain it on unfavorable terms, then we may have to end our research and development programs and other operations

 

We anticipate that our current and anticipated financial resources are adequate to maintain our current and planned operations through mid-2005. If we are not generating sufficient cash or cannot raise additional capital prior to this date, we will be unable to fund our business operations and will be required to seek other strategic alternatives and may be required to declare bankruptcy.

 

Our future capital needs depend on many factors. We will need capital for the commercial launch of additional genetic tests, continued research and development efforts, obtaining and protecting patents and administrative

 

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expenses. Additional financing may not be available when needed, or, if available, it may not be available on favorable terms. If we cannot obtain additional funding on acceptable terms when needed, we may have to discontinue operations, or, at a minimum, curtail one or more of our research and development programs.

 

Because a single shareholder has a controlling percentage of our voting power, other stockholders’ voting power is limited.

 

As of March 31, 2004 a single stockholder owned, or had rights to own approximately 58.0% of our outstanding common stock.  Accordingly, this stockholder will be able to determine the outcome of stockholder votes, including votes concerning the election of directors, the adoption or amendment of provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws and the approval of certain mergers and other significant corporate transactions, including a sale of substantially all of our assets. This stockholder may make decisions that are adverse to other stockholders’ or warrantholders’ interests. This ownership concentration may also adversely affect the market price of our common stock.  Four of our five directors are individuals chosen by this single stockholder.  These directors might pursue policies in the interest of this single stockholder to the detriment of our other stockholders.

 

The Series A Preferred Stock has certain rights which are senior to common shareholder rights and this may reduce the value of the common stock.

 

The Series A Preferred Stock, which was issued to Alticor on March 5, 2003, accrues dividends at the rate of 8% of the original purchase price per year, payable only when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors and are non-cumulative.  If we declare a distribution, with certain exceptions, payable in securities of other persons, evidences of indebtedness issued by us or other persons, assets (excluding cash dividends) or options or rights to purchase any such securities or evidences of indebtedness, then, in each such case the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock shall be entitled to a proportionate share of any such distribution as though the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock were the holders of the number of shares of our common stock into which their respective shares of Series A Preferred Stock are convertible as of the record date fixed for the determination of the holders of our common stock entitled to receive such distribution.

 

In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive, prior and in preference to any distribution of any of our assets or surplus funds to the holders of our common stock by reason of their ownership thereof, the amount of two times the then-effective purchase price per share, as adjusted for any stock dividends, combinations or splits with respect to such shares, plus all declared but unpaid dividends on such share for each share of Series A Preferred Stock then held by them.  After receiving this amount, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock shall participate on an as-converted basis with the holders of common stock in any of our remaining assets.

 

The preferential treatment accorded the Series A Preferred Stock might reduce the value of the common stock.

 

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We rely on third parties to perform research and development on our behalf, which could limit our efforts to successfully develop products.

 

We have limited research and development capabilities. In July 1999, we entered into a new contractual arrangement with the University of Sheffield, replacing the research and development agreement that had been in place since 1996. Under our arrangement with Sheffield, we will undertake the business development and commercialization of discoveries resulting from Sheffield’s research. The agreement is non-cancelable for those discoveries on which Sheffield and we have reached a specific business development agreement, but otherwise either party can end the arrangement upon six months’ notice. This agreement with Sheffield has a five-year term with an automatic yearly renewal. As part of this arrangement, we issued an aggregate of 475,000 shares of our common stock to Sheffield and its researchers in exchange for patent rights and other interests held by Sheffield and its researchers under our previous project agreements. Our agreement with Sheffield requires us to fund agreed upon research and development activities at the University of Sheffield on our behalf based upon annual budgets. We also entered into a five-year consulting agreement with Sheffield’s key collaborator, Dr. Gordon Duff.  These agreements expire in June 2004.

 

Reliance on third-party research and development entails risks we would not be subject to if we performed this function ourselves. These risks include reliance on the third party for regulatory compliance and quality assurance, the possibility of breach of agreements by third parties because of factors beyond our control and the possibility of terminations or nonrenewals of agreements by third parties, based on their own business priorities, at times that are costly or inconvenient for us. We may in the future elect to perform all research and development ourselves, which will require us to raise substantial additional funds and recruit additional qualified personnel.

 

If we are unsuccessful in establishing additional strategic alliances, our ability to develop and market products and services will be damaged.

 

Entering into strategic alliances for the development and commercialization of products and services based on our discoveries is an important element of our business strategy. We anticipate entering into additional collaborative arrangements with Alticor, Inc. and other parties in the future. We face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators. In addition, these alliance arrangements are complex to negotiate and time-consuming to document. If we fail to maintain existing alliances or establish additional strategic alliances or other alternative arrangements, then our ability to develop and market products and services will be damaged. In addition, the terms of any future strategic alliances may be unfavorable to us or these strategic alliances may be unsuccessful.

 

If we fail to obtain an adequate level of reimbursement for our products or services by third-party payors, then our products and services will not be commercially viable.

 

The availability and levels of reimbursement by governmental and other third-party payors affect the market for any healthcare service. These third-party payors continually attempt to contain or reduce the costs of healthcare by challenging the prices charged for medical products and services. To the extent that our products are sold through the medical channel, our ability to successfully commercialize our existing genetic susceptibility test and

 

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others that we may develop depends on obtaining adequate reimbursement from third-party payors. The extent of third-party payor reimbursement will likely heavily influence physicians’ and dentists’ decisions to recommend genetic susceptibility tests, as well as patients’ elections to pursue testing. If reimbursement is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, then we cannot sell our products and services profitably. In particular, third-party payors tend to deny reimbursement for services which they determine to be investigational in nature or which are not considered “reasonable and necessary” for diagnosis or treatment. To date, few third-party payors have agreed to reimburse patients for genetic susceptibility tests, and we do not know if third-party payors will, in the future, provide full reimbursement coverage for these genetic tests. If third-party payors do not provide adequate reimbursement coverage, then individuals may choose to directly pay for the test. If both third-party payors and individuals are unwilling to pay for the tests, then the number of tests we can sell will be significantly decreased, resulting in reduced revenues and additional losses.

 

If we fail to obtain patent protection for our products and preserve our trade secrets, then competitors may develop competing products and services, which will decrease our sales and market share.

 

Our success will partly depend on our ability to obtain patent protection, in the United States and in other countries, for our products and services. In addition, our success will also depend upon our ability to preserve our trade secrets and to operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of third parties.

 

We own exclusive rights in fourteen issued U.S. patents, we have received Notice of Allowances on two U.S. patent applications and have thirteen additional U.S. patent applications pending. We have also been granted a number of corresponding foreign patents and have a number of foreign counterparts of our U.S patents and patent applications pending. Our patent positions, and those of other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, are generally uncertain and involve complex legal, scientific and factual questions. Our ability to develop and commercialize products and services depends on our ability to:

 

        Obtain patents;

 

        Obtain licenses to the proprietary rights of others;

 

        Prevent others from infringing on our proprietary rights; and

 

        Protect trade secrets.

 

Our pending patent applications may not result in issued patents or any issued patents may never afford meaningful protection for our technology or products. Further, others may develop competing products which avoid legally infringing upon, or conflicting with, our patents. In addition, competitors may challenge any patents issued to us, and these patents may subsequently be narrowed, invalidated or circumvented.

 

We also rely on trade secrets and proprietary know-how that we seek to protect, in part, by confidentiality agreements. The third parties we contract with may breach these agreements, and we might not have adequate

 

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remedies for any breach. Additionally, our competitors may discover or independently develop our trade secrets.

 

Third parties may own or control patents or patent applications and require us to seek licenses, which could increase our costs or prevent us from developing or marketing our products or services.

 

We may not have rights under patents or patent applications that are related to our current or proposed products. Third parties may own or control these patents and patent applications in the United States and abroad. Therefore, in some cases, to develop or sell any proposed products or services, with patent rights controlled by third parties, our collaborators or we may seek, or may be required to seek, licenses under third-party patents and patent applications. If this occurs, we will pay license fees or royalties or both to the licensor. If licenses are not available to us on acceptable terms, we or our collaborators may be prohibited from developing or selling our products or services.

 

If third parties believe our products or services infringe upon their patents, they could bring legal proceedings against us seeking damages or seeking to enjoin us from testing, manufacturing or marketing our products or services. Any litigation could result in substantial expenses to us and significant diversion of attention by our technical and management personnel. Even if we prevail, the time, cost and diversion of resources of patent litigation would likely damage our business. If the other parties in any patent litigation brought against us are successful, in addition to any liability for damages, we may have to cease the infringing activity or obtain a license.

 

Technological changes may cause our products and services to become obsolete.

 

Our competitors may develop susceptibility tests that are more effective than our technologies or that make our technologies obsolete. Innovations in the treatment of the diseases in which we have products or product candidates could make our products obsolete. These innovations could prevent us from selling, and significantly reduce or eliminate the markets for, our products.

 

We may be prohibited from fully using our net operating loss carryforwards, which could affect our financial performance.

 

As a result of the losses incurred since inception, we have not recorded a federal income tax provision and have recorded a valuation allowance against all future tax benefits. As of December 31, 2003, we had net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $12.8 million for federal and state income tax purposes, expiring in varying amounts through the year 2023. We also had a research tax credit of approximately $620,000 at December 31, 2003 that expires in varying amounts through the year 2023. Our ability to use these net operating loss and credit carryforwards is subject to restrictions contained in the Internal Revenue Code which provide for limitations on our utilization of our net operating loss and credit carryforwards following a greater than 50% ownership change during the prescribed testing period. We have experienced two such ownership changes.  One change arose in March 2003 and the other was in June 1999. As a result, all of our net operating loss carryforwards will be limited in utilization.  The annual limitation may result in the expiration of the carryforwards prior to utilization. In addition, in order to realize the future tax benefits of our net operating

 

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loss and tax credit carryforwards, we must generate taxable income, of which there is no assurance.

 

We are subject to intense competition from other companies, which may damage our business.

 

Our industry is highly competitive. Our competitors in the United States and abroad are numerous and include major pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies, specialized biotechnology firms, universities and other research institutions, including those receiving funding from the Human Genome Project. Many of our competitors have considerably greater financial resources, research and development staffs, facilities, technical personnel, marketing and other resources than we do. Furthermore, many of these competitors are more experienced than we are in discovering, commercializing and marketing products. These greater resources may allow our competitors to discover important genes or genetic markers before we do. If we do not discover disease predisposing genes and commercialize these discoveries before our competitors, then our ability to generate sales and revenues will be reduced or eliminated, and could make our products obsolete. We expect competition to intensify in our industry as technical advances are made and become more widely known.

 

We are subject to government regulation which may significantly increase our costs and delay introduction of future products.

 

The sale, performance or analyses of our genetic tests do not currently require FDA or other federal regulatory authority approval. Changes in existing regulations could require advance regulatory approval of genetic susceptibility tests, resulting in a substantial curtailment or even prohibition of our activities without regulatory approval. If our genetic tests ever require regulatory approval, on either a state or federal level, then the costs of introduction will increase and marketing and sales of products may be significantly delayed. We anticipate that the testing procedure itself will be performed primarily in our own DNA testing laboratory which will need to be certified under the auspices of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1988 (“CLIA”), administered by the Health Care Financing Administration.  We anticipate there will also be additional state and local regulations governing the operation of this laboratory.  A delay in receiving CLIA certification or any applicable state or local certification would reduce our revenues and increase our net losses.

 

We may be subject to product liability claims that are costly to defend and that could limit our ability to use some technologies in the future.

 

The design, development, manufacture and use of our genetic susceptibility tests involve an inherent risk of product liability claims and associated adverse publicity. Producers of medical products face substantial liability for damages in the event of product failure or allegations that the product caused harm. We currently maintain product liability insurance, but it is expensive and difficult to obtain, may not be available in the future on economically acceptable terms and may not be adequate to fully protect us against all claims. We may become subject to product liability claims that, even if they are without merit, could result in significant legal defense costs. We could be held liable for damages in excess of the limits of our insurance coverage, and any claim or resulting product recall could create significant adverse publicity.

 

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Ethical, legal and social issues related to genetic testing may reduce demand for our products.

 

Genetic testing has raised issues regarding the appropriate utilization and the confidentiality of information provided by genetic testing. Genetic tests for assessing a person’s likelihood of developing a chronic disease have focused public attention on the need to protect the privacy of genetic assessment medical information. For example, concerns have been expressed that insurance carriers and employers may use these tests to discriminate on the basis of genetic information, resulting in barriers to the acceptance of genetic tests by consumers. This could lead to governmental authorities prohibiting genetic testing or calling for limits on or regulating the use of genetic testing, particularly for diseases for which there is no known cure. Any of these scenarios would decrease demand for our products and result in substantial losses.

 

Our dependence on key executives and scientists could adversely impact the development and management of our business.

 

Our success substantially depends on the ability, experience and performance of our senior management and other key personnel. If we lose one or more of the members of our senior management or other key employees, it could damage our development programs and our business. In addition, our success depends on our ability to continue to hire, train, retain and motivate skilled managerial and scientific personnel. The pool of personnel with the skill that we require is limited. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense. We compete with numerous pharmaceutical and health care companies, as well as universities and nonprofit research organizations in the highly competitive Boston Massachusetts business area. Loss of the services of Dr. Philip R. Reilly, our Chairman and CEO, Dr. Kenneth Kornman, our President or Mr. Fenel M. Eloi, our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, could delay our research and development programs or otherwise damage our business. We have entered into employment agreements with three-year terms with Dr. Reilly, Dr. Kornman and Mr. Eloi. Each of these employees can terminate his employment upon 30 days notice. We do not maintain key man life insurance on any of our personnel.

 

In a circumstance in which Alticor enters a business in competition with our own, our Directors might have a conflict of interest.

 

In conjunction with our strategic alliance with Alticor, we have agreed to certain terms for allocating opportunities as permitted under Section 122(17) of the Delaware General Corporation Law. This agreement, as set forth in the Purchase Agreement, regulates and defines the conduct of certain of our affairs as they may involve Alticor as our majority stockholder and its affiliates, and the powers, rights, duties and liabilities of us and our officers and directors in connection with corporate opportunities.

 

Except under certain circumstances, Alticor and its affiliates have the right to engage in the same or similar activities or lines of business or have an interest in the same classes or categories of corporate opportunities as we do. If Alticor or one of our directors appointed by Alticor, and its affiliates acquire knowledge of a potential transaction or matter that may be a corporate opportunity for both Alticor and its affiliates and us, to the fullest extent permitted by law, Alticor and its affiliates will not have a

 

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duty to inform us about the corporate opportunity or be liable to us or to you for breach of any fiduciary duty as a stockholder of ours for not informing us of the corporate opportunity, keeping it for its own account, or referring it to another person.

 

Additionally, except under limited circumstances, if an officer or employee of Alticor who is also one of our directors is offered a corporate opportunity, such opportunity shall not belong to us. In addition, we agreed that such director will have satisfied his duties to us and not be liable to us or to you in connection with such opportunity.

 

The terms of this agreement will terminate on the date that no person who is a director, officer or employee of ours is also a director, officer, or employee of Alticor or an affiliate.

 

We do not expect to pay dividends for the foreseeable future and you should not expect to receive any funds without selling your shares of common stock, which you may only be able to do at a loss.

 

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain any earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not expect to receive any funds without selling your shares, which you may only be able to do at a loss.

 

Our former use of Arthur Andersen LLP as our independent auditors may pose risk to us and will limit your ability to seek potential recoveries from them related to their work.

 

On June 15, 2002, Arthur Andersen LLP, our former independent auditor, was convicted on a federal obstruction of justice charge. Some investors, including institutional investors, may choose not to invest in or hold securities of a company whose financial statements were audited by Arthur Andersen, which may serve to, among other things, depress the price of our common stock. In July and August 2002, our board of directors decided to no longer engage Arthur Andersen and engaged Grant Thornton LLP to serve as our independent auditors.

 

SEC rules require us to present our audited financial statements in various SEC filings, along with Arthur Andersen’s consent to our inclusion of its audit report in those filings. The SEC recently has provided regulatory relief designed to allow companies that file reports with the SEC to dispense with the requirement to file a consent of Arthur Andersen in certain circumstances. Notwithstanding the SEC’s regulatory relief, the inability of Arthur Andersen to provide its consent or to provide assurance services to us could negatively affect our ability to, among other things, access the public capital markets.  Any delay or inability to access the public markets as a result of this situation could have a material adverse impact on our business.  Also an investor’s ability to seek potential recoveries from Arthur Andersen related to any claims that an investor may assert as a result of the work performed by Arthur Andersen will be limited significantly in the absence of a consent and may be further limited by the diminished amount of assets of Arthur Andersen that are or may in the future by available for claims.

 

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ITEM 3.  QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

As of March 31, 2004 the only financial instruments we carried were cash and cash equivalents.  We believe the market risk arising from holding these financial instruments is not material.

 

Some of our sales occur outside the United States and are transacted in foreign currencies.  Accordingly, we are subject to exposure from adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates.  At this time we do not believe this risk is material and we do not currently use derivative financial instruments to manage foreign currency fluctuation risk.  However, if foreign sales increase and the risk of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuation increases, we may in the future consider utilizing derivative instruments to mitigate these risks.

 

ITEM 4.  CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, after evaluating the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(c) and 15d-14(c)) as if the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q have concluded that, based on such evaluation, our disclosure controls and procedures were adequate and effective to ensure that material information relating to us, including our consolidated subsidiaries, was made known to them by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q was being prepared.

 

Changes in Internal Controls

 

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting, identified in connection with the evaluation of such internal control that occurred during the last fiscal quarter, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

PART II

OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

The Company is not a party to, nor is its property the subject of, any pending legal proceeding.

 

ITEM 2.  CHANGES IN SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

 

None.

 

ITEM 3.  DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

 

None

 

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ITEM 4.  SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

None

 

ITEM 5.  OTHER INFORMATION

 

None

 

c) Not applicable

 

d) Not applicable

 

ITEM 6.  EXHIBITS AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K

 

On March 16, 2004 we filed a report on Form 8-K to announce the public dissemination of a press release reporting our receipt of an equity milestone payment from Pyxis Innovations, Inc.

 

On March 26, 2004 we filed a report on Form 8-K to announce the public dissemination of a press release reporting our results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2003.

 

Exhibits:

 

Exhibit 31.1: Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

Exhibit 31.2: Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

Exhibit 32:  Certification pursuant to Section 906 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

INTERLEUKIN GENETICS, INC.

 

 

Date: May 13, 2004

By:

 

/s/ Philip R. Reilly

 

 

 

 

Philip R. Reilly

 

 

 

Chairman of the Board and

 

 

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Fenel M. Eloi

 

 

 

 

Fenel M. Eloi

 

 

 

Chief Financial Officer,

 

 

 

Secretary & Treasurer

 

 

 

(Principal Financial and

 

 

 

Accounting Officer)

 

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