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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

Form 10-Q

 


 

(Mark One)

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended: March 31, 2005

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from              to             

 

Commission file number: 000-50676

 


 

Icagen, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Delaware   56-1785001
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

4222 Emperor Boulevard, Suite 350

Durham, North Carolina 27703

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (919) 941-5206

 


 

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  x    No  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

 

As of May 1, 2005, there were outstanding 21,726,017 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share.

 



Table of Contents

ICAGEN, INC.

 

INDEX

 

          Page

PART I    FINANCIAL INFORMATION    3
Item 1.    Financial Statements - Unaudited    3
     Balance Sheets as March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004    3
     Statements of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2005 and March 31, 2004    4
     Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2005 and March 31, 2004    5
     Notes to Financial Statements    6
Item 2.    Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations    11
Item 3.    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk    34
Item 4.    Controls and Procedures    35
PART II    OTHER INFORMATION    35
Item 2.    Unregistered Sales of Equity in Securities and Use of Proceeds    35
Item 6.    Exhibits    36
Signatures    37
Exhibit Index    38

 

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PART I FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1 – FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – UNAUDITED

 

Icagen, Inc.

 

Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

    

March 31,

2005


    December 31,
2004


 
     (unaudited)        

Assets

                

Current assets:

                

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 61,929     $ 30,217  

Accounts receivable

     668       502  

Prepaid expenses and other

     2,269       2,958  
    


 


Total current assets

     64,866       33,677  

Non-current assets:

                

Property and equipment, net

     1,792       1,906  

Technology licenses and related costs, net of accumulated amortization of $406 and $361 as of March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, respectively

     2,461       2,506  

Deposits and other

     48       48  
    


 


Total non-current assets

     4,301       4,460  
    


 


Total assets

   $ 69,167     $ 38,137  
    


 


Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

                

Current liabilities:

                

Accounts payable

   $ 3,966     $ 3,502  

Accrued expenses

     1,446       1,570  

Current portion of deferred revenue

     1,687       995  

Current portion of equipment debt

     538       604  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     7,637       6,671  

Deferred revenue, less current portion

     13,258       13,507  

Equipment debt financing, less current portion

     666       732  
    


 


Total liabilities

     21,561       20,910  

Commitments and Contingencies

                

Stockholders’ equity:

                

Convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 18,000,000 shares authorized at March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004; 0 and 13,910,639 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, respectively; aggregate liquidation preference of $0 and $78,910 at March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, respectively

     —         14  

Common stock, $0.001 par value; 82,000,000 shares authorized at March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, respectively; 21,579,703 and 1,657,456 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, respectively

     21       2  

Additional paid-in capital

     112,578       77,116  

Deferred compensation

     (3,999 )     (4,222 )

Accumulated deficit

     (60,994 )     (55,683 )
    


 


Total stockholders’ equity

     47,606       17,227  
    


 


Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 69,167     $ 38,137  
    


 


 

See accompanying notes.

 

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Icagen, Inc.

 

Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

(unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,

 
     2005

    2004

 

Collaborative research and development revenues:

                

Research and development fees (including related party research fees from Abbott Laboratories (“Abbott”) of $692 and $844 in 2005 and 2004, respectively)

   $ 1,074     $ 844  

Reimbursed research and development costs

     949       —    
    


 


Total collaborative research and development revenues

     2,023       844  

Operating expenses:

                

Research and development (including related party expenses from Quintiles Transnational Corp. of $1,888 and $444 in 2005 and 2004, respectively)

     6,528       4,397  

General and administrative

     1,043       594  
    


 


Total operating expenses

     7,571       4,991  
    


 


Loss from operations

     (5,548 )     (4,147 )

Other income (expense):

                

Interest income

     271       72  

Interest expense

     (41 )     (52 )

Other income

     7       7  
    


 


Total other income, net

     237       27  
    


 


Loss before income taxes

     (5,311 )     (4,120 )

Income taxes

     —         —    
    


 


Net loss

   $ (5,311 )   $ (4,120 )
    


 


Net loss per share – basic and diluted

   $ (0.40 )   $ (2.71 )
    


 


Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted

     13,136,228       1,521,190  
    


 


Pro forma net loss per share assuming conversion of preferred stock – basic and diluted

   $ (0.27 )   $ (0.25 )
    


 


Pro forma weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted

     19,393,588       16,256,473  
    


 


 

See accompanying notes.

 

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Icagen, Inc.

 

Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,

 
     2005

    2004

 

Operating activities

                

Net loss

   $ (5,311 )   $ (4,120 )

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

                

Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment

     262       277  

Amortization of technology licenses and related costs

     45       13  

Amortization of deferred compensation

     345       185  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                

Accounts receivable

     (166 )     64  

Prepaid expenses and other current and non-current assets

     689       (1,281 )

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

     340       1,500  

Deferred revenue

     443       129  
    


 


Net cash used in operating activities

     (3,353 )     (3,233 )

Investing activities

                

Acquisition of property and equipment

     (148 )     (212 )
    


 


Net cash used in investing activities

     (148 )     (212 )

Financing activities

                

Proceeds from sale of common stock, net of issuance costs

     35,342       —    

Proceeds from equipment debt financing

     59       —    

Payments on equipment debt financing and capital lease obligations

     (191 )     (258 )

Proceeds from exercise of warrants and stock options

     3       72  

Repayment on employee stock option notes receivable

     —         5  
    


 


Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     35,213       (181 )
    


 


Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     31,712       (3,626 )

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

     30,217       32,434  
    


 


Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

   $ 61,929     $ 28,808  
    


 


Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information

                

Cash paid for interest

   $ 41     $ 52  
    


 


 

See accompanying notes.

 

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Icagen, Inc.

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

March 31, 2005

(unaudited)

 

1. Company Description and Significant Accounting Policies

 

Company Description

 

Icagen, Inc. (“Icagen” or the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware in November 1992. Icagen is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel orally-administered small molecule drugs that modulate ion channel targets. The Company has identified multiple drug candidates that modulate ion channels. These drug candidates were developed internally or through collaborative research programs, and two of the drug candidates are currently in clinical trials. The Company’s four most advanced programs are for the treatment of sickle cell disease, atrial fibrillation, epilepsy and neuropathic pain and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. The Company is also conducting ongoing drug discovery programs focused on new therapeutics for pain disorders, inflammatory disorders and glaucoma.

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding interim financial reporting. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the year ended December 31, 2004.

 

In the opinion of our management, the accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited financial statements, and reflect all adjustments of a normal recurring nature considered necessary to present fairly results of the interim periods presented. The operating results for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full year.

 

Initial Public Offering

 

On February 8, 2005, the Company completed an initial public offering (“IPO”) of 5,000,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $8.00 per share. On March 9, 2005, the underwriters purchased an additional 100,000 shares of common stock pursuant to an over-allotment option. The Company’s net proceeds from the IPO, including the over-allotment option and after deducting underwriters’ discounts and commissions and offering expenses, were approximately $35.3 million.

 

All outstanding shares of the Company’s Series A, Series B, Series C, Series D, Series E, Series E-1, Series F, Series G, Series G-1 and Series H convertible preferred stock (“Preferred Stock”) automatically converted into shares of common stock upon completion of the IPO. Series A, Series B, Series C, Series D, Series E, Series F and Series H converted at a ratio of one common share per preferred share. Series E-1 and Series G converted at a ratio of 1.13809 common shares per preferred share and Series G-1 converted at a ratio of 1.875 common shares per preferred share.

 

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Revenue Recognition

 

The Company’s collaboration agreements contain multiple elements, including non-refundable upfront license fees, payments for reimbursement of research and development costs, payments for ongoing research and development, payments associated with achieving development and regulatory milestones and royalties based on specified percentages of net product sales, if any. The Company applies the revenue recognition criteria outlined in Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue Recognition (“SAB 104”), and Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue 00-21, Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables (“EITF 00-21”). In applying these revenue recognition criteria, the Company considers a variety of factors in determining the appropriate method of revenue recognition under these arrangements, such as whether the elements are separable, whether there are determinable fair values and whether there is a unique earnings process associated with each element of a contract.

 

Cash received in advance of revenue recognition is recorded as deferred revenue and recognized as revenue as services are performed over the applicable term of the agreement. When the period of deferral cannot be specifically identified from the agreement, the deferral period is estimated based upon other factors contained within the agreement. The Company continually reviews these estimates, which could result in a change in the deferral period and which might impact the timing and the amount of revenue recognized.

 

When a payment is specifically tied to a separate earnings process, revenues are recognized when the specific performance obligation associated with the payment is completed. Performance obligations typically consist of significant milestones in the development life cycle of the related program, such as the initiation or completion of clinical trials, filing for approval with regulatory agencies and receipt of approvals by regulatory agencies. Revenues from milestone payments may be considered separable from funding for research and development services because of the uncertainty surrounding the achievement of milestones for products in early stages of development. Accordingly, these payments could be recognized as revenue if and when the performance milestone is achieved if they represent a separate earnings process as described in EITF 00-21.

 

In connection with the Company’s research and development collaborations with the McNeil Consumer & Specialty Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc. (“McNeil”), a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (“Bristol-Myers Squibb”) and Astellas Pharma Inc., formerly Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Astellas”), revenues are recognized from non-refundable upfront license fees, which the Company does not believe are specifically tied to a separate earnings process, ratably over the term of the agreement. With respect to the Company’s collaborations with Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astellas, this period is the initial term of the research phase of the collaboration. With respect to the Company’s collaboration with McNeil, this period is the estimated life of the agreement, which is through the expiration of the last-to-expire patent covered by the agreement in 2019. Research and development services provided under some of the Company’s collaboration agreements are on a fixed fee basis. Revenues associated with long-term, fixed fee contracts are recognized based on the performance requirements of the agreements and as services are performed. The Company’s collaboration agreement with Abbott also allows for, and the Company’s collaboration agreements with Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astellas allowed for, research term extensions, and each term extension provides or provided for additional research fees to be paid to the Company based on the level of effort and length of time associated with the services provided. Revenues are recognized from contract extensions as the extended services are performed.

 

Revenues derived from reimbursement of direct out-of-pocket expenses for research and development costs associated with one of the Company’s research collaboration agreements and with the Company’s cost sharing arrangement with McNeil are recorded in compliance with EITF Issue 99-19,

 

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Reporting Revenue Gross as a Principal Versus Net as an Agent (“EITF 99-19”), and EITF Issue 01-14, Income Statement Characterization of Reimbursements Received for “Out-of-Pocket” Expenses Incurred (“EITF 01-14”). According to the criteria established by these EITF Issues, in transactions where the Company acts as a principal, with discretion to choose suppliers, bears credit risk and performs part of the services required in the transaction, the Company records revenue for the gross amount of the reimbursement. The costs associated with these reimbursements are reflected as a component of research and development expense in the statements of operations.

 

None of the payments that the Company has received from collaborators to date, whether recognized as revenue or deferred, is refundable even if the related program is not successful.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Research and Development Costs

 

The Company expenses research and development costs as incurred. Research and development expense includes, among other items, clinical trial costs. The Company accounts for its clinical trial costs by estimating the total cost to treat a patient in each clinical trial and recognizing this cost, based on a variety of factors, beginning with the preparation for the clinical trial. This estimated cost includes payments to contract research organizations for trial site and patient-related costs, including laboratory costs related to the conduct of the trial, and other costs. The cost per patient varies based on the type of clinical trial, the site of the clinical trial and the length of the treatment period for each patient.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes using the liability method in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities and are estimated using enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is provided when the Company determines that it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be realized.

 

Net Loss Per Share

 

The Company computes net loss per share in accordance with SFAS No. 128, Earnings Per Share (“SFAS 128”). Under the provisions of SFAS 128, basic net loss per share (“Basic EPS”) is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted net loss per share (“Diluted EPS”) is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares and dilutive common share equivalents then outstanding. Common share equivalents consist of the incremental common shares issuable upon the conversion of preferred stock, shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options and shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants. For the periods presented, Diluted EPS is identical to Basic EPS because common share equivalents, including all of the Company’s Preferred Stock, outstanding stock options and outstanding warrants, are excluded from the calculation, as their effect is antidilutive. Had the Company been in a net income position, these

 

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securities may have been included in the calculation. These potentially dilutive securities consist of the following on a weighted average basis:

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,

     2005

   2004

Convertible preferred stock

   6,257,360    14,735,283

Outstanding common stock options

   3,545,090    3,014,251

Outstanding warrants

   26,307    119,640
    
  

Total

   9,828,757    17,869,174
    
  

 

Unaudited Pro Forma Financial Information

 

Unaudited pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, including the pro forma effects of the automatic conversion of all outstanding Preferred Stock into shares of the Company’s common stock effective upon the completion of the Company’s IPO as if such conversion had occurred at the date of the original issuance.

 

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted, and unaudited pro forma basic and diluted, net loss per share (in thousands, except share and per share data):

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,

 
     2005

    2004

 

Historical:

                

Numerator:

                

Net loss

   $ (5,311 )   $ (4,120 )
    


 


Denominator:

                

Weighted-average common shares outstanding – basic and diluted

     13,136,228       1,521,190  
    


 


Net loss per share – basic and diluted

   $ (0.40 )   $ (2.71 )
    


 


Pro Forma:

                

Numerator:

                

Net loss, as reported

   $ (5,311 )   $ (4,120 )
    


 


Denominator:

                

Shares used above

     13,136,228       1,521,190  

Pro forma adjustments to reflect assumed conversion of Preferred Stock, on a weighted-average basis

     6,257,360       14,735,283  
    


 


Shares used to compute pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share

     19,393,588       16,256,473  
    


 


Pro forma net loss per share – basic and diluted

   $ (0.27 )   $ (0.25 )
    


 


 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

The Company accounts for stock option grants in accordance with Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees (“APB No. 25”), and related Interpretations because the Company believes the alternative fair value accounting provided for under SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation (“SFAS 123”), requires the use of option valuation models that were not developed for use in valuing employee stock options. Under APB No. 25, when the exercise price of the Company’s employee stock options equals or exceeds the fair market value of the

 

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underlying common stock on the date of grant, no compensation expense is recognized. For stock options granted with an exercise price less than the fair value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant, the Company records deferred compensation for the difference between the exercise price and the deemed fair value of the Company’s common stock on such date. Deferred compensation is amortized on a straight-line basis over the related option vesting periods, which range from 12 to 48 months.

 

On December 31, 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure (“SFAS 148”). SFAS 148 amended SFAS 123 to provide alternative methods of transition to the fair value method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. In addition, SFAS 148 amends the disclosure provisions of SFAS 123 to require disclosure in the summary of significant accounting policies of the effects of an entity’s accounting policy with respect to stock-based employee compensation on reported net income and earnings per share in annual and interim financial statements. SFAS 148 does not amend SFAS 123 to require companies to account for their employee stock-based awards using the fair value method. However, the disclosure provisions are required for all companies with stock-based employee compensation, regardless of whether they utilize the fair value method of accounting described in SFAS 123 or the intrinsic value method described in APB No. 25.

 

Pro forma information regarding net income (loss) is required by SFAS 123 and has been determined as if the Company had accounted for its employee stock options under the fair value method of that Statement. The fair value for these options was estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,

 
     2005

    2004

 

Expected dividend yield

     0.0 %     0.0 %

Risk-free interest rate

     3.5 %     2.7 %

Expected volatility

     40.0 %     40.0 %

Expected life (in years)

     2.5       2.5  

Estimated weighted average fair value per share of options granted

   $ 2.90     $ 5.73  

 

Option valuation models such as the Black-Scholes model require the input of highly subjective assumptions. Because the Company’s employee stock options have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, and because changes in the subjective input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, in management’s opinion, the existing models do not necessarily provide a reliable single measure of the fair value of its employee stock options.

 

For purposes of SFAS 123 pro forma disclosures, the estimated fair value of the options is amortized to expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting periods. The following disclosure is required in a tabular format by SFAS 148 (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,

 
     2005

    2004

 

Net loss, as reported

   $ (5,311 )   $ (4,120 )

Add: stock-based compensation included in net loss

     345       185  

Deduct: stock-based compensation assuming SFAS 123 fair value method was applied to all stock option awards

     (365 )     (191 )
    


 


Pro forma net loss, as required by SFAS 123

   $ (5,331 )   $ (4,126 )
    


 


Basic and diluted net loss per share, as reported

   $ (0.40 )   $ (2.71 )
    


 


Pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share, as required by SFAS 123

   $ (0.41 )   $ (2.71 )
    


 


 

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2. Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In December 2004, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment (“Statement 123(R)”), which is a revision of FASB Statement No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation (“Statement 123”). Statement 123(R) supersedes APB No. 25 and amends FASB Statement No. 95, Statement of Cash Flows. Generally, the approach in Statement 123(R) is similar to the approach described in Statement 123. However, Statement 123(R) requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the income statement based on their fair values. Pro forma disclosure is no longer an alternative. The deadline for adoption of Statement 123(R) by public companies was recently extended to the fiscal year beginning after June 15, 2005 from the prior deadline of July 1, 2005. Early adoption will be permitted in periods in which financial statements have not yet been issued. The Company expects to adopt Statement 123(R) on January 1, 2006.

 

Statement 123(R) permits public companies to adopt its requirements using one of two methods: (1) a “modified prospective” method in which compensation cost is recognized beginning with the effective date (a) based on the requirements of Statement 123(R) for all share-based payments granted after the effective date and (b) based on the requirements of Statement 123 for all awards granted to employees prior to the effective date of Statement 123(R) that remain unvested on the effective date; or (2) a “modified retrospective” method which includes the requirements of the modified prospective method described above, but also permits entities to restate based on the amounts previously recognized under Statement 123 for purposes of pro forma disclosures either (a) all prior periods presented or (b) prior interim periods of the year of adoption. The Company plans to adopt Statement 123(R) using the modified prospective method.

 

As permitted by Statement 123, the Company currently accounts for share-based payments to employees using APS No. 25’s intrinsic value method and, as such, generally recognizes no compensation cost for employee stock options. Accordingly, the adoption of Statement 123(R)’s fair value method will have a significant impact on its results of operations, although it will have no impact on its overall financial position. The impact of adoption of Statement 123(R) cannot be predicted at this time because it will depend on levels of share-based payments granted in the future. However, had the Company adopted Statement 123(R) in prior periods, the impact of that standard would have approximated the impact of Statement 123 as described in the disclosure of pro forma net income and earnings per share in Note 1 to these financial statements. Statement 123(R) also requires the benefits of tax deductions in excess of recognized compensation cost to be reported as a financing cash flow, rather than as an operating cash flow as required under current literature. This requirement will reduce net operating cash flows and increase net financing cash flows in periods after adoption. While the Company cannot estimate what those amounts will be in the future (because they depend on, among other things, when employees exercise stock options), there were no operating cash flows recognized in prior periods for such excess tax deductions because the Company has had operating losses since inception.

 

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

 

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and the related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and related financing, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should review the section entitled

 

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“Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results” of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

 

Overview

 

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel orally-administered small molecule drugs that modulate ion channel targets. Utilizing our proprietary know-how and integrated scientific and medical capabilities, we have identified multiple drug candidates that modulate ion channels. Our four most advanced programs are:

 

    ICA-17043 for sickle cell disease. We initiated a pivotal Phase III clinical trial of ICA 17043 in the first quarter of 2005. In June 2004, we entered into collaboration and copromotion agreements with McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, relating to the development and commercialization of ICA-17043;

 

    a compound for atrial fibrillation, which is being developed by our collaborator Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and is in Phase I clinical trials;

 

    lead compounds for epilepsy and neuropathic pain, for which we are conducting preclinical studies; and

 

    a compound for dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, which is being developed by our collaborator Astellas Pharma Inc., formerly Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and is undergoing advanced preclinical testing.

 

Since our incorporation in November 1992, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to the discovery and development of drug candidates with activity at ion channels. We currently have, either ourselves or with our collaborators, four clinical or preclinical drug development programs, as well as other drug discovery programs addressing specific ion channel targets. We have not received approval to market any product and, to date, have received no product revenues.

 

Since our inception, we have incurred substantial losses and, as of March 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $61.0 million. These losses and accumulated deficit have resulted from the significant costs incurred in the research and development of our compounds and technologies and general and administrative costs. We expect that our operating losses will continue and likely increase substantially for at least the next several quarters and years as we continue to expand our research, development and clinical trial activities and infrastructure.

 

A substantial portion of our revenue for at least the next several years will depend on our achieving development and regulatory milestones in our existing collaborative research and development programs and entering into new collaborations. Our revenue may vary substantially from quarter to quarter and year to year. Our operating expenses may also vary substantially from quarter to quarter and year to year based on the timing of clinical trial patient enrollment and our research activities. In particular, as we advance ICA-17043 in collaboration with McNeil and the lead compounds that we are developing for the treatment of epilepsy and neuropathic pain, we expect that our research and development expenses will increase significantly. We believe that period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations are not meaningful and should not be relied on as indicative of our future performance.

 

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Recent Developments

 

On February 8, 2005, we completed an initial public offering, or IPO, of 5,000,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $8.00 per share. On March 9, 2005, the underwriters purchased an additional 100,000 shares of common stock pursuant to an over-allotment option. Our net proceeds from the IPO, including the over-allotment option and after deducting underwriter’s discounts and commissions and offering expenses, were approximately $35.3 million.

 

During the first quarter of 2005, we initiated a pivotal Phase III clinical trial of ICA-17043 for the chronic treatment of sickle cell disease. This trial is designed to be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 300 patients. The primary endpoint for this study is vaso-occlusive crisis rate in the ICA-17043 arm versus vaso-occlusive crisis rate in the placebo arm. We plan to conduct the study at approximately 60 sites across the U.S. and in selected other countries. The study design includes an interim analysis by an independent data monitoring committee.

 

During the first quarter of 2005, we also conducted a Phase I multiple-dose safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic study of ICA-69673, which was our most advanced compound in our epilepsy and neuropathic pain program. Results of this study did not support the continued clinical development of ICA-69673 for the chronic oral treatment of epilepsy and neuropathic pain. We therefore decided to discontinue the development of this compound. We are currently performing preclinical studies on our other lead compounds in order to select a backup compound to advance into clinical development.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

Our 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 amount of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates. Critical accounting policies are those policies that are reflective of significant judgments and uncertainties and could potentially result in materially different results under different assumptions and conditions. Our most critical accounting policies involve: revenue recognition, accrued expenses, research and development, stock-based compensation and accounting for income taxes. For a more detailed explanation of our critical accounting policies, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2005.

 

Results of Operations

 

Comparison of Three Months Ended March 31, 2005 and March 31, 2004

 

Collaborative Research and Development Revenue

 

Collaborative research and development revenues increased by $1.2 million, or 140%, to $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $844,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2004. This increase reflects an increase of approximately $1.3 million due to the initiation of our collaboration with McNeil in June 2004, partially offset by a decrease of $152,000 in connection with our collaboration with Abbott.

 

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Research and Development Expense

 

Research and development expense increased by $2.1 million, or 48%, to $6.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $4.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The increase was due primarily to an increase of $1.0 million related to the development of ICA-17043 for the treatment of sickle cell disease, an increase of $718,000 related to the development of ICA-69673 for epilepsy and neuropathic pain, an increase of $222,000 in salary and benefits expense due to normal annual increases in salary and benefits expense for existing employees and the addition of new employees and an increase of $106,000 in amortization of deferred compensation expense.

 

ICA-17043 for sickle cell disease and ICA-69673 for epilepsy and neuropathic pain represent a substantial majority of the total research and development payments by us to third parties. The following table shows, for the periods presented, the total out-of-pocket payments made by us to third parties for preclinical study support, clinical supplies and clinical trials associated with these programs:

 

     Three months ended March 31,

    

Development Program


   2005

   2004

   Cumulative from
Inception


     (in thousands)

ICA-17043

   $ 2,070    $ 1,052    $ 19,016

ICA-69673

     1,156      438      6,932
    

  

  

Total

   $ 3,226    $ 1,490    $ 25,948

 

General and Administrative Expense

 

General and administrative expense increased by $449,000, or 76%, to $1.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $594,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The increase was due primarily to an increase of $114,000 in insurance costs primarily related to directors’ and officers’ insurance and an increase of $110,000 in salary and benefits due to normal annual increases in salary and benefits expense for existing employees and the addition of new employees.

 

Interest Income and Interest Expense

 

Interest income increased $199,000, or 276%, to $271,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2005, from $72,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The increase in interest income was attributable to a higher average cash balance as a result of the investment of the net proceeds from our IPO.

 

Interest expense decreased $11,000, or 21%, to $41,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $52,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The decrease in interest expense was attributable to decreased average borrowings under our equipment debt financing.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

We have financed our operations since inception through the issuance of equity securities, payments received under our collaboration agreements with McNeil, Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astellas, proceeds from equipment debt financing and capital leases and interest income. At March 31, 2005, our cash and cash equivalents were $61.9 million as compared to $30.2 million at December 31, 2004. Our cash and cash equivalents are highly liquid investments with a maturity of 90 days or less at date of purchase and consist of time deposits and investments in money market funds with commercial banks and financial institutions and United States government obligations.

 

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On February 8, 2005, we completed an IPO of 5,000,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $8.00 per share. On March 9, 2005, the underwriters purchased an additional 100,000 shares of common stock pursuant to an over-allotment option. Our net proceeds from the IPO, including the over-allotment option and after deducting underwriter’s discounts and commissions and offering expenses, were approximately $35.3 million.

 

Cash Flows

 

Net cash used in operating activities was $3.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005. This reflects a net loss of approximately $5.3 million and an increase of approximately $166,000 in accounts receivable. These amounts were partially offset by a decrease of $689,000 in prepaid expenses and other current and non-current assets, an increase of $443,000 in deferred revenue, $345,000 of non-cash expenses related to amortization of deferred compensation charges, an increase of $340,000 in accounts payable and accrued expenses, and $262,000 of non-cash expenses for depreciation and amortization of property and equipment.

 

Net cash used in investing activities in the three months ended March 31, 2005 was $148,000 related to the purchase of property and equipment.

 

Net cash generated by financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2005 was $35.2 million and consisted primarily of $35.3 million in net proceeds from our initial public offering partially offset by $191,000 in principal repayments related to our equipment debt financing.

 

Net cash used in operating activities was $3.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. This reflects a net loss of approximately $4.1 million and an increase of approximately $1.3 million in prepaid expenses and other current and non-current assets. These amounts were partially offset by an increase of approximately $1.5 million in accounts payable and accrued expenses, $277,000 of non-cash expenses for depreciation and amortization of property and equipment, $185,000 of non-cash expenses related to amortization of deferred compensation charges, and an increase of $129,000 in deferred revenue.

 

Net cash used in investing activities in the three months ended March 31, 2004 was $212,000 related to the purchase of property and equipment.

 

Net cash used in financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2004 was $181,000 and consisted primarily of $258,000 in principal repayments related to our equipment debt financing and capital lease obligations.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

Our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2004 are described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to these obligations, during the first quarter of 2005, we entered into a contract for a long-term animal safety study of ICA-69673 in our program for epilepsy and neuropathic pain. Given our recent decision to discontinue further development of this compound, we have terminated this study. We estimate that wind-down costs related to this contract will be approximately $250,000, which we expect to incur in the second quarter of 2005.

 

Funding Requirements

 

We expect to incur losses from operations for at least the next several years. In particular, as described above, we expect to incur increasing research and development expense and general and administrative expense in the future.

 

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We believe our existing cash and cash equivalents, funding by McNeil of its share of ICA-17043 development costs and research and development funding of approximately $2.1 million from another collaborator for the remainder of 2005, will be sufficient to enable us to fund our operating expenses, obligations under our equipment debt financing and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 24 months. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

 

    the scope and results of our research, preclinical and clinical development activities;

 

    the timing of, and the costs involved in, obtaining regulatory approvals;

 

    the cost of commercialization activities, including product marketing, sales and distribution;

 

    the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining and enforcing patent claims and other patent-related costs, including litigation costs and the results of such litigation;

 

    the extent to which we acquire or invest in businesses, products and technologies;

 

    the success of our collaborations with McNeil, Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astellas; and

 

    our ability to establish and maintain additional collaborations.

 

We do not anticipate that we will generate product revenue for at least the next several years. In the absence of additional funding, we expect our continuing operating losses to result in increases in our cash used in operations over the next several quarters and years. To the extent our capital resources are insufficient to meet future capital requirements, we will need to finance future cash needs through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements. Except for funding by McNeil of its share of ICA-17043 development costs and collaboration revenue of approximately $2.1 million as funding for research and development activities that we expect to receive during the remainder of 2005 from one of our collaborators, we do not currently have any commitments for future external funding.

 

Additional equity or debt financing, or corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements, may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate our research and development programs, reduce our planned commercialization efforts, or obtain funds through arrangements with collaborators or others that may require us to relinquish rights to certain drug candidates that we might otherwise seek to develop or commercialize independently. Additionally, any future equity funding may dilute the ownership of our equity investors.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In December 2004, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment, or Statement 123(R), which is a revision of FASB Statement No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, or Statement 123. Statement 123(R) supersedes APB Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, or Opinion 25, and amends FASB Statement No. 95, Statement of Cash Flows. Generally, the approach in Statement 123(R) is similar to the approach described in Statement 123. However, Statement 123(R) requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the income statement based on their fair values. Pro forma

 

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disclosure is no longer an alternative. The deadline for adoption of Statement 123(R) by public companies was recently extended from July 1, 2005 to the fiscal year beginning after June 15, 2005. Early adoption will be permitted in periods in which financial statements have not yet been issued. We expect to adopt Statement 123(R) on January 1, 2006.

 

Statement 123(R) permits public companies to adopt its requirements using one of two methods: (1) a “modified prospective” method in which compensation cost is recognized beginning with the effective date (a) based on the requirements of Statement 123(R) for all share-based payments granted after the effective date and (b) based on the requirements of Statement 123 for all awards granted to employees prior to the effective date of Statement 123(R) that remain unvested on the effective date; or (2) a “modified retrospective” method which includes the requirements of the modified prospective method described above, but also permits entities to restate based on the amounts previously recognized under Statement 123 for purposes of pro forma disclosures either (a) all prior periods presented or (b) prior interim periods of the year of adoption. We plan to adopt Statement 123(R) using the modified prospective method.

 

As permitted by Statement 123, we currently account for share-based payments to employees using Opinion 25’s intrinsic value method and, as such, generally recognize no compensation cost for employee stock options. Accordingly, the adoption of Statement 123(R)’s fair value method will have a significant impact on our results of operations, although it will have no impact on our overall financial position. The impact of adoption of Statement 123(R) cannot be predicted at this time because it will depend on levels of share-based payments granted in the future. However, had we adopted Statement 123(R) in prior periods, the impact of that standard would have approximated the impact of Statement 123 as described in the disclosure of pro forma net income and earnings per share in Note 1 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Statement 123(R) also requires the benefits of tax deductions in excess of recognized compensation cost to be reported as a financing cash flow, rather than as an operating cash flow as required under current literature. This requirement will reduce net operating cash flows and increase net financing cash flows in periods after adoption. While we cannot estimate what those amounts will be in the future (because they depend on, among other things, when employees exercise stock options), there were no operating cash flows recognized in prior periods for such excess tax deductions because we have had operating losses since inception.

 

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the documents incorporated by reference in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” “will,” and “would,” or similar words. You should read statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss future expectations, contain projections of future results of operations or of financial position or state other “forward-looking” information. The important factors listed below, as well as any cautionary language elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, provide examples of risks, uncertainties and events that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations described in these forward-looking statements. You should be aware that the occurrence of the events described in the risk factors below and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial position.

 

Any forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by such forward-looking statements, possibly materially. We disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statements.

 

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Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results

 

Risks Related to Our Financial Results and Need for Additional Financing

 

We have incurred losses since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future. We might never achieve or maintain profitability.

 

We have a limited operating history and have not yet commercialized any products or generated any product revenues. As of March 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $61.0 million. We have incurred losses in each year since our inception in 1992. Our net losses were $5.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005, $16.7 million in 2004, $14.2 million in 2003 and $8.6 million in 2002. These losses resulted principally from costs incurred in our research and development programs and from our general and administrative expenses. We expect to continue to incur significant and increasing operating losses for at least the next several years as we continue our research activities, conduct development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our initial drug candidates, and commercialize any approved drugs. These losses, among other things, have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity, total assets and working capital.

 

We have financed our operations and internal growth principally through the issuance of equity securities and funding under collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies. We have devoted substantially all of our efforts to research and development, including clinical trials, and we have not completed development of any drugs. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with developing drugs targeting ion channels, we are unable to predict the extent of any future losses, whether or when any of our product candidates will become commercially available, or when we will become profitable, if at all. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.

 

If we are unable to achieve and then maintain profitability, the market value of our common stock will decline.

 

We will need substantial additional funding and may be unable to raise capital when needed, which would force us to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs or commercialization efforts.

 

We expect our research and development expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as the scope of the clinical trials that we are conducting expands. In addition, subject to regulatory approval of any of our product candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses for product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution. We will need substantial additional funding and may be unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, which would force us to delay, reduce or eliminate our research and development programs or commercialization efforts.

 

We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, including the net proceeds from our recently completed IPO, funding by McNeil of its share of ICA-17043 development costs and research and development funding of approximately $2.1 million from another collaborator for 2005 will be sufficient to enable us to fund our operating expenses, obligations under our equipment debt financing and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 24 months. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

 

    the scope and results of our research, preclinical and clinical development activities;

 

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    the timing of, and the costs involved in, obtaining regulatory approvals;

 

    the cost of commercialization activities, including product marketing, sales and distribution;

 

    the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining and enforcing patent claims and other patent-related costs, including litigation costs and the results of such litigation;

 

    the extent to which we acquire or invest in businesses, products and technologies;

 

    the success of our collaborations with McNeil, Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astellas; and

 

    our ability to establish and maintain additional collaborations.

 

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through public or private equity offerings, debt financings and corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience dilution. Debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. Any debt financing or additional equity that we raise may contain terms, such as liquidation and other preferences, that are not favorable to us or our stockholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements with third parties, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us.

 

Risks Related to Development of Product Candidates

 

We depend heavily on the success of our most advanced internal product candidates, ICA-17043 for sickle cell disease and lead compounds for epilepsy and neuropathic pain, which are still under development. If we are unable to commercialize either or both of these product candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.

 

We have invested a significant portion of our efforts and financial resources in the development of our most advanced internal product candidates, ICA-17043 for sickle cell disease and our lead compounds for the treatment of epilepsy and neuropathic pain. Our ability to generate product revenues, which we do not expect in any case will occur earlier than the first half of 2008, will depend heavily on the successful development and commercialization of these product candidates, particularly ICA-17043. The commercial success of these product candidates will depend on several factors, including the following:

 

    successful completion of clinical trials;

 

    receipt of marketing approvals from the FDA and similar foreign regulatory authorities;

 

    establishing commercial manufacturing arrangements with third party manufacturers;

 

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    launching commercial sales of the product, whether alone or in collaboration with others; and

 

    acceptance of the product in the medical community and with third party payors.

 

We initiated a pivotal Phase III clinical trial of ICA-17043 for the chronic treatment of sickle cell disease in the first quarter of 2005. This clinical trial may not be successful. It is also possible that the FDA could require us to perform additional studies of ICA-17043, including additional Phase III clinical trials. For example, because the FDA normally requires two pivotal clinical trials to approve an NDA even if we achieve favorable results in the Phase III clinical trial of ICA-17043 which we are conducting, the FDA may require that we conduct a second pivotal Phase III clinical trial if the FDA does not find the results to be sufficiently persuasive. In addition, the results of our Phase II clinical trial are not necessarily indicative of the results we will obtain in our planned Phase III or other subsequent clinical trials, particularly because the primary clinical endpoints of these trials are not the same.

 

Our efforts to commercialize the lead compounds that we are developing for epilepsy and neuropathic pain are at an earlier stage, as we are currently conducting preclinical studies of these drug candidates. If we are not successful in commercializing either or both of ICA-17043 and one of our lead compounds for epilepsy and neuropathic pain, or are significantly delayed in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.

 

We will not be able to commercialize our product candidates if our preclinical studies do not produce successful results or our clinical trials do not demonstrate safety and efficacy in humans.

 

Before obtaining regulatory approval for the sale of our product candidates, we must conduct, at our own expense, extensive preclinical tests and clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy in humans of our product candidates. Preclinical and clinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is uncertain as to outcome. Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and interim results of a clinical trial do not necessarily predict final results. A failure of one or more of our clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. We may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, preclinical testing and the clinical trial process that could delay or prevent our ability to receive regulatory approval or commercialize our product candidates, including:

 

    regulators or institutional review boards may not authorize us to commence a clinical trial or conduct a clinical trial at a prospective trial site;

 

    our preclinical tests or clinical trials may produce negative or inconclusive results, and we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional preclinical testing or clinical trials or we may abandon projects that we expect to be promising;

 

    enrollment in our clinical trials may be slower than we currently anticipate, resulting in significant delays. For example, enrollment of patients in our Phase II clinical trial of ICA-17043, our sickle cell disease product candidate, took longer than we initially expected. Additionally, participants may drop out of our clinical trials;

 

    we might have to suspend or terminate our clinical trials if the participating patients are being exposed to unacceptable health risks. For example, in March 2005, results of our multiple-dose safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic study of ICA-69673 did not support the continued development of ICA-69673 for the chronic oral treatment of epilepsy and neuropathic pain. As a result, at this time, we have decided not to pursue the further clinical development of this compound;

 

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    regulators or institutional review boards may require that we hold, suspend or terminate clinical research for various reasons, including noncompliance with regulatory requirements;

 

    the cost of our clinical trials may be greater than we currently anticipate;

 

    any regulatory approval we ultimately obtain may be limited or subject to restrictions or post-approval commitments that render the product not commercially viable; and

 

    the effects of our product candidates may not be the desired effects or may include undesirable side effects or the product candidates may have other unexpected characteristics.

 

In our Phase II clinical trials of ICA-17043 for sickle cell anemia, the only adverse events that were dose-related and occurred more frequently in the active treatment arms than in the placebo arm were diarrhea and nausea. No patients elected to discontinue treatment with ICA-17043 prematurely as a result of these events.

 

If we are required to conduct additional clinical trials or other testing of our product candidates beyond those that we currently contemplate, if we are unable to successfully complete our clinical trials or other testing or if the results of these trials or tests are not positive or are only modestly positive, we may:

 

    be delayed in obtaining marketing approval for our product candidates;

 

    not be able to obtain marketing approval; or

 

    obtain approval for indications that are not as broad as intended.

 

Our product development costs will also increase if we experience delays in testing or approvals. We do not know whether planned clinical trials will begin as planned, will need to be restructured or will be completed on schedule, if at all. Significant clinical trial delays also could allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do and impair our ability to commercialize our products or product candidates.

 

Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties for Manufacturing,

Research and Development and Marketing and Distribution Activities

 

We depend significantly on collaborations with third parties to discover, develop and commercialize some of our product candidates.

 

A key element of our business strategy is to collaborate with third parties, particularly leading pharmaceutical companies, to research, develop and commercialize some of our product candidates. We are currently a party to four such collaborations, with McNeil, Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astellas. In 2004, research funding from our collaborators accounted for the following percentages of our total net revenues: Abbott – 52%, McNeil – 40% and Astellas – 8%. Research funding under our collaboration agreements with Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astellas has ended, and the research funding under our collaboration agreement with Abbott is currently scheduled to end at the end of 2005. Our collaborations

 

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may not be scientifically or commercially successful. The termination of any of these arrangements might adversely affect the development of the related product candidates and our ability to derive revenue from them.

 

The success of our collaboration arrangements will depend heavily on the efforts and activities of our collaborators. Our collaborators have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to these collaborations. The risks that we face in connection with these collaborations, and that we anticipate being subject to in future collaborations, include the following:

 

    our collaboration agreements are for fixed terms and subject to termination by our collaborators in the event of a material breach by us;

 

    our collaborators in some cases have the first right to maintain or defend our intellectual property rights and, although we have the right to assume the maintenance and defense of our intellectual property rights if our collaborators do not, our ability to do so may be compromised by our collaborators’ acts or omissions; and

 

    our collaborators may utilize our intellectual property rights in such a way as to invite litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property rights or expose us to potential liability.

 

Collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and other third parties often are terminated or allowed to expire by the other party. Such terminations or expirations would adversely affect us financially and could harm our business reputation.

 

If one of our collaborators were to change its strategy or the focus of its development and commercialization efforts with respect to our relationship, the success of our product candidates and our operations could be adversely affected.

 

There are a number of factors external to us that may change our collaborators’ strategy or focus with respect to our relationship with them. For example:

 

    our collaborators may develop and commercialize, either alone or with others, products and services that are similar to or competitive with the products that are the subject of the collaboration with us. For example, we are aware of an internal ion channel discovery group at Abbott;

 

    our collaborators may change the focus of their development and commercialization efforts. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies historically have re-evaluated their priorities from time to time, including following mergers and consolidations, which have been common in recent years in these industries. For example, in May 2004 our collaborator Yamanouchi signed a definitive merger agreement with Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., which took effect on April 1, 2005, and Yamanouchi and Fujisawa were renamed Astellas Pharma Inc.; and

 

    the ability of our product candidates and products to reach their potential could be limited if our collaborators decrease or fail to increase spending relating to such products. For example, our collaborator Abbott has not proceeded with clinical trials of a product candidate for the treatment of urinary incontinence that we discovered and developed in collaboration with it following designation of this compound as a clinical candidate and has informed us that it is currently seeking opportunities to out-license this compound.

 

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If any of the above factors were to occur, our collaborator might terminate the collaboration or not commit sufficient resources to the development, manufacture or marketing and distribution of our product or product candidate that is the subject of the collaboration. In such event, we might be required to devote additional resources to the product or product candidate, seek a new collaborator or abandon the product or product candidate, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business.

 

Under our collaboration agreements, we are restricted from conducting specified types of research, development, manufacturing and commercialization activities.

 

Our collaboration agreements with Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astellas restrict us from conducting research and development with respect to the ion channel targets that are the subjects of the collaborations. These agreements have the effect of limiting the specific ion channel targets as to which we may pursue research and development, either alone or in cooperation with third parties. In the case of our collaboration agreements with Abbott and Bristol-Myers Squibb, these restrictions apply for periods specified in the collaboration agreements and do not survive the expiration or termination of these agreements. In the case of our collaboration with Astellas, these restrictions generally continue until December 2005 even if the collaboration agreement terminates prior to such time. These restrictions may have the effect of limiting our ability to research, develop and commercialize product candidates that we discover with respect to these ion channel targets. In addition, our collaboration agreement with McNeil provides that, except for products that are part of our collaboration, for the period from the effective date of the collaboration until the earlier of the seventh anniversary of the effective date or the third anniversary of the commercial launch of ICA-17043 in the United States, neither we nor McNeil may manufacture or sell specified types of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of sickle cell disease. This exclusivity provision applies during the term of our collaboration agreement with McNeil and to us for up to one year after termination if the collaboration agreement is terminated by McNeil based on our bankruptcy or breach.

 

The success of ICA-17043 depends heavily on our collaboration with McNeil, which was established in June 2004 and involves a complex sharing of control over decisions, responsibilities and costs and benefits. Any loss of McNeil as a collaborator, or adverse development in the collaboration, would materially harm our business.

 

In June 2004, we entered into a collaboration with McNeil to develop and commercialize ICA-17043 for the treatment of sickle cell disease. The collaboration involves a complex sharing of control over decisions, responsibilities and costs and benefits. McNeil may terminate the collaboration relationship without cause upon three months’ prior notice, following a period of two years from the inception of the collaboration. McNeil may also terminate the collaboration relationship based upon an FDA requirement to stop clinical trials of ICA-17043 upon six months’ prior notice if the requirement is not withdrawn during the six-month notice period. Any loss of McNeil as a collaborator in the development or commercialization of ICA-17043, dispute over the terms of, or decisions regarding, the collaboration or other adverse development in our relationship with McNeil would materially harm our business.

 

We may not be successful in establishing additional collaborations, which could adversely affect our ability to discover, develop and commercialize products.

 

If we are unable to reach new agreements with suitable collaborators, we may fail to meet our business objectives for the affected product or program. We face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators. Moreover, these collaboration arrangements are complex and time-consuming to negotiate and document. We may not be successful in our efforts to establish additional collaborations or other alternative arrangements. The terms of any additional collaborations or other arrangements that we establish may not be favorable to us. Moreover, these collaborations or other arrangements may not be successful.

 

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If third parties do not manufacture our product candidates in sufficient quantities and at an acceptable cost, clinical development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed, prevented or impaired.

 

We do not currently own or operate manufacturing facilities and have little experience in manufacturing pharmaceutical products. We rely and expect to continue to rely on third parties for the production of clinical and commercial quantities of our product candidates. There are a limited number of manufacturers that operate under the FDA’s cGMP regulations and that are both capable of manufacturing for us and willing to do so. We do not have any long-term manufacturing agreements with third parties, and manufacturers under our short-term supply agreements are not obligated to accept any purchase orders we may submit. Our current and anticipated future dependence upon others for the manufacture of our product candidates may adversely affect our future profit margins and our ability to develop product candidates and commercialize any products that receive regulatory approval on a timely and competitive basis. In particular, if the third parties that are currently manufacturing ICA-17043 for clinical trials or that may in the future manufacture the lead compounds that we are developing for the treatment of epilepsy and neuropathic pain for our preclinical studies or clinical trials should cease to continue to do so for any reason, we expect that we would experience delays in advancing these trials while we identify and qualify replacement suppliers.

 

Use of third party manufacturers may increase the risk that we will not have adequate supplies of our product candidates.

 

Reliance on third party manufacturers entails risks to which we would not be subject if we manufactured product candidates or products ourselves, including:

 

    reliance on the third party for regulatory compliance and quality assurance;

 

    the possible breach of the manufacturing agreement by the third party; and

 

    the possible termination or nonrenewal of the agreement by the third party, based on its own business priorities, at a time that is costly or inconvenient for us.

 

If we are not able to obtain adequate supplies of our product candidates and any approved products, it will be more difficult for us to develop our product candidates and compete effectively. Our product candidates and any products that we successfully develop may compete with product candidates and products of third parties for access to manufacturing facilities.

 

Our contract manufacturers are subject to ongoing, periodic, unannounced inspection by the FDA and corresponding state and foreign agencies or their designees to ensure strict compliance with cGMP regulations and other governmental regulations and corresponding foreign standards. We cannot be certain that our present or future manufacturers will be able to comply with cGMP regulations and other FDA regulatory requirements or similar regulatory requirements outside the United States. We do not control compliance by our contract manufacturers with these regulations and standards. Failure of our third party manufacturers or us to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, failure of regulatory authorities to grant marketing approval of our product candidates, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of product candidates or products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect supplies of our product candidates and products.

 

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If third parties on whom we rely for clinical trials, such as Quintiles Transnational Corp., do not perform as contractually required or as we expect, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our product candidates, and our business may suffer.

 

We do not have the ability to independently conduct the clinical trials required to obtain regulatory approval for our products. We depend on independent clinical investigators, contract research organizations and other third party service providers to conduct the clinical trials of our product candidates and expect to continue to do so for at least the next several years. We rely on Quintiles Transnational Corp. for the performance of most of our clinical trials. One of our directors, Dr. Dennis B. Gillings, is chairman and chief executive officer of Quintiles Transnational Corp., and QFinance, Inc., the holder of 4.1% of our outstanding capital stock, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Quintiles Transnational Corp.

 

We rely heavily on independent clinical investigators, contract research organizations and other third party service providers for successful execution of our clinical trials, but do not control many aspects of their activities. We are responsible for ensuring that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the general investigational plan and protocols for the trial. Moreover, the FDA requires us to comply with standards, commonly referred to as Good Clinical Practices, for conducting and recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of trial participants are protected. Our reliance on third parties that we do not control does not relieve us of these responsibilities and requirements. Third parties may not complete activities on schedule, or may not conduct our clinical trials in accordance with regulatory requirements or our stated protocols. The failure of these third parties to carry out their obligations could delay or prevent the development, approval and commercialization of our product candidates.

 

We plan to expand our internal clinical development and regulatory capabilities. We will not be successful in doing so unless we are able to recruit appropriately trained personnel and add to our infrastructure.

 

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

 

If we are unable to obtain and maintain protection for the intellectual property relating to our technology and products, the value of our technology and products will be adversely affected.

 

Our success will depend in large part on our ability to obtain and maintain protection in the United States and other countries for the intellectual property covering or incorporated into our technology and products. The patent situation in the field of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals generally is highly uncertain and involves complex legal and scientific questions. We may not be able to obtain additional issued patents relating to our technology or products. Even if issued, patents may be challenged, narrowed, invalidated or circumvented, which could limit our ability to stop competitors from marketing similar products or limit the length of term of patent protection we may have for our products. Changes in either patent laws or in interpretations of patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our intellectual property or narrow the scope of our patent protection.

 

Our patents also may not afford us protection against competitors with similar technology. Because patent applications in the United States and many foreign jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all, and because publications of discoveries

 

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in the scientific literature often lag behind actual discoveries, neither we nor our licensors can be certain that we or they were the first to make the inventions claimed in issued patents or pending patent applications, or that we or they were the first to file for protection of the inventions set forth in these patent applications.

 

If we fail to comply with our obligations in our intellectual property licenses with third parties, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.

 

We are a party to a number of license agreements. We consider only our license with CMCC to be material to our business. We expect to enter into additional licenses in the future. Our existing licenses impose, and we expect future licenses will impose, various diligence, milestone payment, royalty, insurance and other obligations on us. If we fail to comply with these obligations, the licensor may have the right to terminate the license, in which event we might not be able to market any product that is covered by the licensed patents.

 

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our proprietary information and know-how, the value of our technology and products could be adversely affected.

 

In addition to patented technology, we rely upon unpatented proprietary technology, processes and know-how. We seek to protect this information in part by confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants and third parties. These agreements may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently developed by competitors. If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our proprietary information and know-how, competitors may be able to use this information to develop products that compete with our products, which could adversely impact our business.

 

If we infringe or are alleged to infringe intellectual property rights of third parties, it will adversely affect our business.

 

Our research, development and commercialization activities, as well as any product candidates or products resulting from these activities, may infringe or be claimed to infringe patents or patent applications under which we do not hold licenses or other rights. Third parties may own or control these patents and patent applications in the United States and abroad. These third parties could bring claims against us or our collaborators that would cause us to incur substantial expenses and, if successful against us, could cause us to pay substantial damages. Further, if a patent infringement suit were brought against us or our collaborators, we or they could be forced to stop or delay research, development, manufacturing or sales of the product or product candidate that is the subject of the suit.

 

As a result of patent infringement claims, or in order to avoid potential claims, we or our collaborators may choose or be required to seek a license from the third party and be required to pay license fees or royalties or both. These licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we or our collaborators were able to obtain a license, the rights may be nonexclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. Ultimately, we could be prevented from commercializing a product, or be forced to cease some aspect of our business operations, if, as a result of actual or threatened patent infringement claims, we or our collaborators are unable to enter into licenses on acceptable terms. This could harm our business significantly.

 

There has been substantial litigation and other proceedings regarding patent and other intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. In addition to infringement claims against us, we may become a party to other patent litigation and other proceedings, including interference proceedings declared by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and opposition proceedings in the

 

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European Patent Office, regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our products and technology. The cost to us of any patent litigation or other proceeding, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace. Patent litigation and other proceedings may also absorb significant management time.

 

Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of Our Product Candidates

 

If we are not able to obtain required regulatory approvals, we will not be able to commercialize our product candidates, and our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired.

 

Our product candidates and the activities associated with their development and commercialization, including their testing, manufacture, safety, efficacy, recordkeeping, labeling, storage, approval, advertising, promotion, sale and distribution, are subject to comprehensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory agencies in the United States and by comparable authorities in other countries. Failure to obtain regulatory approval for a product candidate will prevent us from commercializing the product candidate. We have not received regulatory approval to market any of our product candidates in any jurisdiction. We have only limited experience in filing and prosecuting the applications necessary to gain regulatory approvals and expect to rely on third party contract research organizations to assist us in this process. Securing FDA approval requires the submission of extensive preclinical and clinical data, information about product manufacturing processes and inspection of facilities and supporting information to the FDA for each therapeutic indication to establish the product candidate’s safety and efficacy. Our future products may not be effective, may be only moderately effective or may prove to have undesirable or unintended side effects, toxicities or other characteristics that may preclude our obtaining regulatory approval or prevent or limit commercial use.

 

The process of obtaining regulatory approvals is expensive, often takes many years, if approval is obtained at all, and can vary substantially based upon the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidates involved. Changes in the regulatory approval policy during the development period, changes in or the enactment of additional statutes or regulations, or changes in regulatory review for each submitted product application, may cause delays in the approval or rejection of an application. The FDA has substantial discretion in the approval process and may refuse to accept any application or may decide that our data is insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical or other studies. In addition, varying interpretations of the data obtained from preclinical and clinical testing could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval of a product candidate.

 

We may not be able to obtain orphan drug exclusivity for our products. If our competitors are able to obtain orphan drug exclusivity for their products that are the same drug as our products, we may not be able to have competing products approved by the applicable regulatory authority for a significant period of time.

 

Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including Europe and the United States, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. We have obtained an orphan drug designation from the FDA for our product candidate ICA-17043 for the treatment of sickle cell disease. Generally, if a product with an orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to a seven-year period of marketing exclusivity, which precludes the FDA from approving another marketing application for the same drug for that time period. For a drug composed of small molecules, the FDA defines “same drug” as a drug that contains the same active molecule and is intended for the same use. Orphan drug

 

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exclusivity in Europe lasts for ten years, but can be reduced to six years if a drug no longer meets the criteria for orphan drug designation or if the drug is sufficiently profitable so that market exclusivity is no longer justified. Obtaining orphan drug designation in Europe, where ICA-17043 has not been granted such status, and obtaining orphan drug exclusivity for ICA-17043, both in the United States and in Europe, may be important to its success. If a competitor obtains orphan drug exclusivity for a product competitive with ICA-17043 before we do and if the competitor’s product is the same drug as ours, we would be excluded from the market. Even if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for ICA-17043, we may not be able to maintain it. For example, if a competitive product that is the same drug as our product is shown to be clinically superior to our product, any orphan drug exclusivity we have obtained will not block the approval of such competitive product. Also, ICA-17043 might not be entitled to orphan drug exclusivity if we were to obtain FDA approval for a broader indication.

 

The fast track designation for our sickle cell disease product candidate may not actually lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process.

 

If a drug is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition and the drug demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for this condition, the drug sponsor may apply for FDA fast track designation. Although we have obtained a fast track designation from the FDA for ICA-17043 for the treatment of sickle cell disease, we may not experience a faster development process, review or approval compared to conventional FDA procedures. Our fast track designation may be withdrawn by the FDA if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program. Our fast track designation does not guarantee that we will qualify for or be able to take advantage of the expedited review procedures.

 

Our products could be subject to restrictions or withdrawal from the market and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements, or if we experience unanticipated problems with our products, when and if any of them are approved.

 

Any product for which we obtain marketing approval, along with the manufacturing processes, post-approval clinical data, labeling, advertising and promotional activities for such product, will be subject to continual requirements of and review by the FDA and other regulatory bodies. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration requirements, cGMP requirements relating to quality control, quality assurance and corresponding maintenance of records and documents, requirements regarding the distribution of samples to physicians and recordkeeping. Even if regulatory approval of a product is granted, the approval may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our products, manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in:

 

    restrictions on such products, manufacturers or manufacturing processes;

 

    warning letters;

 

    withdrawal of the products from the market;

 

    refusal to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications that we submit;

 

    voluntary or mandatory recall;

 

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    fines;

 

    suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals;

 

    refusal to permit the import or export of our products;

 

    product seizure; and

 

    injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

 

Failure to obtain regulatory approval in international jurisdictions would prevent us from marketing our products abroad.

 

We intend to have our products marketed outside the United States. In order to market our products in the European Union and many other foreign jurisdictions, we must obtain separate regulatory approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. With respect to some of our product candidates, our collaborator has, or we expect that a future collaborator will have, responsibility to obtain regulatory approvals outside the United States, and we will depend on our collaborators to obtain these approvals. The approval procedure varies among countries and can involve additional testing. The time required to obtain approval may differ from that required to obtain FDA approval. The foreign regulatory approval process may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval. We may not obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions, and approval by one foreign regulatory authority does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or jurisdictions or by the FDA. We and our collaborators may not be able to file for regulatory approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market.

 

Risks Related to Commercialization

 

The commercial success of any products that we may develop will depend upon the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, healthcare payors and others in the medical community.

 

Any products that we bring to the market may not gain market acceptance by physicians, patients, healthcare payors and others in the medical community. If these products do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate material product revenues and we may not become profitable. The degree of market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:

 

    the prevalence and severity of any side effects;

 

    the efficacy and potential advantages over alternative treatments;

 

    the ability to offer our product candidates for sale at competitive prices;

 

    relative convenience and ease of administration;

 

    the willingness of the target patient population to try new therapies and of physicians to prescribe these therapies;

 

    the strength of marketing and distribution support; and

 

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    sufficient third party coverage or reimbursement.

 

If we are unable to establish sales and marketing capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market and sell our product candidates, we may be unable to generate product revenues.

 

We do not have a sales organization and have no experience in the sale, marketing or distribution of pharmaceutical products. To achieve commercial success for any approved product, we must either develop a sales and marketing organization or outsource these functions to third parties. Currently, we plan to build a focused specialty sales and marketing infrastructure to market or copromote some of our product candidates if and when they are approved. There are risks involved with establishing our own sales and marketing capabilities, as well as in entering into arrangements with third parties to perform these services. For example, developing a sales force is expensive and time consuming and could delay any product launch. If the commercial launch of a product candidate for which we recruit a sales force and establish marketing capabilities is delayed as a result of FDA requirements or other reasons, we would incur related expenses too early relative to the product launch. This may be costly, and our investment would be lost if we cannot retain our sales and marketing personnel.

 

If we are unable to obtain adequate reimbursement from third party payors for any products that we may develop or acceptable prices for those products, our revenues and prospects for profitability will suffer.

 

Most patients will rely on Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurers and other third party payors to pay for their medical needs, including any drugs we or our collaborators may market. If third party payors do not provide adequate coverage or reimbursement for any products that we may develop, our revenues and prospects for profitability will suffer. In December 2003, the Congress enacted a limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients in the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003. While the program established by this statute may increase demand for our products, if we participate in this program, our prices will be negotiated with drug procurement organizations for Medicare beneficiaries and are likely to be lower than we might otherwise obtain. Non-Medicare third party drug procurement organizations may also base the price they are willing to pay on the rate paid by drug procurement organizations for Medicare beneficiaries.

 

A primary trend in the United States healthcare industry is toward cost containment. In addition, in some foreign countries, particularly the countries of the European Union, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take six to 12 months or longer after the receipt of regulatory marketing approval for a product. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we may be required to conduct a clinical trial that compares the cost effectiveness of our product candidates or products to other available therapies. The conduct of such a clinical trial could be expensive and result in delays in commercialization of our products.

 

Third party payors are challenging the prices charged for medical products and services, and many third party payors limit reimbursement for newly-approved healthcare products. In particular, third party payors may limit the indications for which they will reimburse patients who use any products that we may develop. Cost control initiatives could decrease the price we might establish for products that we may develop, which would result in lower product revenues to us.

 

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If product liability lawsuits are brought against us, we may incur substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of any products that we may develop.

 

We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the testing of our product candidates in human clinical trials and will face an even greater risk if we commercially sell any products that we may develop. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that our product candidates or products caused injuries, we will incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

 

    decreased demand for any product candidates or products that we may develop;

 

    injury to our reputation;

 

    withdrawal of clinical trial participants;

 

    costs to defend the related litigation;

 

    substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;

 

    loss of revenue; and

 

    the inability to commercialize any products that we may develop.

 

We have product liability insurance that covers our clinical trials up to a $5.0 million annual aggregate limit with a deductible of $25,000 per claim. The amount of insurance that we currently hold may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that may occur. We intend to expand our insurance coverage to include the sale of commercial products if we obtain marketing approval for any products. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost and we may not be able to obtain insurance coverage that will be adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.

 

We face substantial competition which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products before or more successfully than we do.

 

The development and commercialization of new drugs is highly competitive. We face competition with respect to our current product candidates and any products we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies worldwide. Our competitors may develop products that are more effective, safer, more convenient or less costly than any that we are developing. Our competitors may also obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours. We believe that our most significant competitors in the area of drugs that work by modulating the activity of ion channels are large pharmaceutical companies which have internal ion channel drug discovery groups as well as smaller more focused companies engaged in ion channel drug discovery.

 

There are approved products on the market for all of the diseases and indications for which we are developing products. In many cases, these products have well known brand names, are distributed by large pharmaceutical companies with substantial resources and have achieved widespread acceptance among physicians and patients. In addition, we are aware of product candidates of third parties that are in development, which, if approved, would compete against product candidates for which we receive marketing approval.

 

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Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we do. Smaller or early stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to or necessary for our programs or advantageous to our business.

 

Our business activities involve the use of hazardous materials, which require compliance with environmental and occupational safety laws regulating the use of such materials. If we violate these laws, we could be subject to significant fines, liabilities or other adverse consequences.

 

Our research and development programs involve the controlled use of hazardous materials. Accordingly, we are subject to federal, state and local laws governing the use, handling and disposal of these materials. Although we believe that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of these materials comply in all material respects with the standards prescribed by state and federal regulations, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials. In addition, our collaborators may not comply with these laws. In the event of an accident or failure to comply with environmental laws, we could be held liable for damages that result, and any such liability could exceed our assets and resources. We maintain liability insurance for some of these risks, but our policy excludes pollution and has a coverage limit of $5.0 million.

 

Risks Related to Employees and Growth

 

If we fail to attract and keep senior management and key scientific personnel, we may be unable to successfully develop or commercialize our product candidates.

 

Our success depends on our continued ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified managerial and key scientific personnel. We consider retaining Dr. P. Kay Wagoner, our president and chief executive officer, to be key to our efforts to develop and commercialize our product candidates. All of our employees, other than Dr. Wagoner and Dr. Katz, are at will employees and can terminate their employment at any time. Our employment agreements with Dr. Wagoner and Dr. Katz are terminable by them on short or no notice.

 

In addition, our growth will require us to hire a significant number of qualified scientific and commercial personnel, including clinical development, regulatory, marketing and sales executives and field personnel, as well as additional administrative personnel. There is intense competition from other companies and research and academic institutions for qualified personnel in the areas of our activities. If we cannot continue to attract and retain, on acceptable terms, the qualified personnel necessary for the continued development of our business, we may not be able to sustain our operations or grow.

 

General Company Related Risks

 

Our executive officers, directors and principal stockholders have the ability to control all matters submitted to stockholders for approval.

 

As of February 28, 2005, our executive officers, directors and stockholders who owned more than 5% of our outstanding common stock beneficially owned, in the aggregate, shares representing approximately 46.7% of our capital stock. As a result, if these stockholders were to choose to act together, they would be able to control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, as well as

 

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our management and affairs. For example, these persons, if they choose to act together, will control the election of directors and approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of voting power could delay or prevent an acquisition of our company on terms that other stockholders may desire.

 

Provisions in our corporate charter documents, under Delaware law and in our collaboration agreement with McNeil may prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to change our management and hinder efforts to acquire a controlling interest in us.

 

Provisions of our corporate charter and bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions may also prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our management. These provisions include:

 

    a classified board of directors;

 

    limitations on the removal of directors;

 

    advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and nominations;

 

    the inability of stockholders to act by written consent or to call special meetings; and

 

    the ability of our board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could, among other things, be used to institute a “poison pill” that would work to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, effectively preventing acquisitions that have not been approved by our board of directors.

 

The affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of our shares of capital stock entitled to vote is necessary to amend or repeal the above provisions of our corporate charter. In addition, absent approval of our board of directors, our bylaws may only be amended or repealed by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of our shares of capital stock entitled to vote.

 

In addition, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder, generally a person which together with its affiliates owns or within the last three years has owned 15% of our voting stock, for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. Accordingly, Section 203 may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company.

 

Under our collaboration with McNeil, McNeil has the right to terminate the copromotion agreement and our governance rights under the collaboration agreement if specified changes in control of us occur involving a list of five specified large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In addition, in such event, our right to receive a share of profits and losses in the copromotion territory is converted into a right to receive a royalty on net product sales. These provisions may have the effect of discouraging or preventing a change in control of our company.

 

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If our stock price is volatile, purchasers of our common stock could incur substantial losses.

 

Our stock price is likely to be volatile. The stock market in general and the market for biotechnology companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their common stock at or above the IPO price or the price at which they purchase it. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:

 

    results of clinical trials of our product candidates or those of our competitors;

 

    regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries;

 

    variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;

 

    changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;

 

    market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors and issuance of new or changed securities analysts’ reports or recommendations;

 

    general economic, industry and market conditions; and

 

    the other factors described in this “Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results” section.

 

A significant portion of our total outstanding shares are restricted from immediate resale but may be sold into the market in the near future. This could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

 

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. Moreover, holders of an aggregate of 14,857,468 shares of our common stock have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. We also have registered all shares of common stock that we may issue under our equity compensation plans. As a result, they can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to lock-up agreements signed in connection with our IPO.

 

As of May 1, 2005, we had 21,726,017 shares of common stock outstanding. Of our outstanding shares, 16,523,946 shares are subject to lock-up agreements with the underwriters of our IPO that expire on August 2, 2005. Subject to limitations under federal securities laws, including in some cases the holding period requirements and volume limitations of Rule 144, these shares become eligible for sale in the public market on August 3, 2005.

 

ITEM 3 – QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

Our exposure to market risk is currently confined to our cash and cash equivalents that have maturities of less than 90 days. We currently do not hedge interest rate exposure. We have not used derivative financial instruments for speculation or trading purposes. Because of the short-term maturities of our cash and cash equivalents, we do not believe that an increase in market rates would have any significant impact on the realized value of our investments.

 

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We have operated primarily in the United States and have received payments from our collaborators in United States dollars. Accordingly, we do not have any material exposure to foreign currency rate fluctuations.

 

ITEM 4 – CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2005. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2005, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

 

No change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2005 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 2 – UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY IN SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

 

We did not sell any equity securities that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, in the first quarter of 2005.

 

Use of Proceeds

 

On February 8, 2005, we completed an IPO of 5,000,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $8.00 per share. On March 9, 2005, the underwriters purchased an additional 100,000 shares of common stock pursuant to an over-allotment option. Our net proceeds from the IPO, including the over-allotment option and after deducting underwriter’s discounts and commissions and offering expenses, were approximately $35.3 million.

 

The offer and sale of all of the shares in the IPO were registered under the Securities Act pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-114336), which was declared effective by the SEC on February 3, 2005. J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., UBS Securities LLC and CIBC World Markets Corp. were the managing underwriters of the IPO. We paid the underwriters approximately $2.9 million in underwriting discounts and commissions. We incurred other expenses in connection with the offering approximately as follows:

 

     Amount

Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee

   $ 10,928

National Association of Securities Dealers Inc. fee

     9,125

NASDAQ Stock Market listing fee

     100,000

Accountants’ fees and expenses

     500,000

Legal fees and expenses

     1,750,000

Blue Sky fees and expenses

     10,000

Transfer Agent’s fees and expenses

     10,000

Printing and engraving expenses

     250,000

Miscellaneous

     5,000
    

Total Expenses

   $ 2,645,053

 

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Payments of expenses were to persons other than our directors or officers (or their associates), persons owning 10% or more of our equity securities, or our affiliates.

 

Of the aggregate net proceeds of approximately $35.3 million from the IPO, from February 3, 2005 through March 31, 2005, we used approximately $4.7 million for general corporate purposes, including clinical trials, research and development expenses, purchase of equipment, repayment of indebtedness, working capital and general and administrative expenses, with the remaining $30.6 million in proceeds invested in short-term investment-grade securities and money market accounts. Of the approximately $35.3 million, we have paid approximately $858,000 to Quintiles Transnational Corp. One of our directors, Dr. Dennis B. Gillings, is chairman and chief executive officer of Quintiles. Other than these payments, none of the net proceeds of the IPO has been paid by us, directly or indirectly, to any director, officer or general partner of us, or any of their associates, or to any person owning ten percent or more of any class of our equity securities, or any of our affiliates.

 

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

We did not make any purchases of our shares of common stock in the first quarter of 2005, nor did any affiliated purchaser or anyone acting on behalf of us or an affiliated purchaser.

 

ITEM 6 – EXHIBITS

 

The exhibits filed herewith or incorporated by reference are set forth on the Exhibit Index attached hereto.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

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

 

ICAGEN, INC.
By:  

/s/ Richard D. Katz, M.D.


    Richard D. Katz, M.D.
    Senior Vice President, Finance and Corporate Development and Chief Financial Officer
    (Duly authorized officer and principal financial officer)

 

Date: May 16, 2005

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit
Number


  

Description


31.1    Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a).
31.2    Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a).
32.1    Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2    Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

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