UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): October 23, 2012
XOMA CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
DELAWARE
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
|
0-14710
|
52-2154066
|
|
(Commission File Number)
|
(IRS Employer Identification No.)
|
|
2910 Seventh Street, Berkeley, California
|
94710
|
|
(Address of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip Code)
|
|
Registrant's telephone number, including area code
|
(510) 204-7200
|
Not applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2 below):
|
o
|
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
|
|
o
|
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
|
|
o
|
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR.14d-2(b))
|
|
o
|
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
|
On October 23, 2012, XOMA Corporation updated its regulatory disclosure regarding XOMA, which updated the regulatory disclosure supersedes the regulatory disclosure regarding XOMA appearing under the caption “Regulatory” in Part I, Item 1 of XOMA’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 14, 2012, as follows:
Government Regulation
The FDA and comparable regulatory agencies in state and local jurisdictions and in foreign countries impose substantial requirements upon the clinical development, pre-market approval, manufacture, marketing and distribution of biopharmaceutical products. These agencies and other regulatory agencies regulate research and development activities and the testing, approval, manufacture, quality control, safety, effectiveness, labeling, storage, recordkeeping, advertising and promotion of products and product candidates. Failure to comply with applicable FDA or other regulatory requirements may result in Warning Letters, civil or criminal penalties, suspension or delays in clinical development, recall or seizure of products, partial or total suspension of production or withdrawal of a product from the market. The development and approval process requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and we cannot be certain that any approvals for our product candidates will be granted on a timely basis, if at all. We must obtain approval of our product candidates from the FDA before we can begin marketing them in the United States. Similar approvals are also required in other countries.
Product development and approval within this regulatory framework is uncertain, can take many years and requires the expenditure of substantial resources. The nature and extent of the governmental review process for our product candidates will vary, depending on the regulatory categorization of particular product candidates and various other factors.
The necessary steps before a new biopharmaceutical product may be sold in the United States ordinarily include:
|
|
●
|
preclinical in vitro and in vivo tests, which must comply with Good Laboratory Practices, or GLP;
|
|
|
●
|
submission to the FDA of an IND which must become effective before clinical trials may commence, and which must be updated annually with a report on development;
|
|
|
●
|
completion of adequate and well controlled human clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the product candidate for its intended use;
|
|
|
●
|
submission to the FDA of a New Drug Application, or NDA, or a Biologics License Application, or BLA, which must often be accompanied by payment of a substantial user fee;
|
|
|
●
|
FDA pre-approval inspection of manufacturing facilities for current Good Manufacturing Practices, or GMP, compliance and FDA inspection of select clinical trial sites for Good Clinical Practice, or GCP, compliance; and
|
|
|
●
|
FDA review and approval of the NDA or BLA and product prescribing information prior to any commercial sale.
|
The results of preclinical tests (which include laboratory evaluation as well as preclinical GLP studies to evaluate toxicity) for a particular product candidate, together with related manufacturing information and analytical data, are submitted as part of an IND to the FDA. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30 day time period, raises concerns or questions about the conduct of the clinical trial, including concerns that human research subjects will be exposed to unreasonable health risks. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. IND submissions may not result in FDA authorization to commence a clinical trial. A separate submission to an existing IND must also be made for each successive clinical trial conducted during product development. Further, an independent institutional review board, or IRB, for each medical center proposing to conduct the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at that center and it must monitor the study until completed. The FDA, the IRB or the sponsor may suspend a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Clinical testing also must satisfy extensive GCP regulations and regulations for informed consent and privacy of individually-identifiable information.
Clinical trials generally are conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or in some instances, be skipped. In phase I, the initial introduction of the product into humans, the product is tested to assess safety, metabolism, pharmacokinetics and pharmacological actions associated with increasing doses. Phase II usually involves trials in a limited patient population to evaluate the efficacy of the potential product for specific, targeted indications, determine dosage tolerance and optimum dosage and further identify possible adverse reactions and safety risks. Phase III and pivotal trials are undertaken to evaluate further clinical efficacy and safety often in comparison to standard therapies within a broader patient population, generally at geographically dispersed clinical sites. Phase IV, or post-marketing, trials may be required as a condition of commercial approval by the FDA and may also be voluntarily initiated by us or our collaborators. Phase I, phase II or phase III testing may not be completed successfully within any specific period of time, if at all, with respect to any of our product candidates. Similarly, suggestions of safety, tolerability or efficacy in earlier stage trials do not necessarily predict findings of safety and effectiveness in subsequent trials. Furthermore, the FDA, an IRB or we may suspend a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a finding that the subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Clinical trials are subject to central registration and results reporting requirements, such as on www.clinicaltrials.gov.
The results of preclinical studies, pharmaceutical development and clinical trials, together with information on a product’s chemistry, manufacturing, and controls, are submitted to the FDA in the form of an NDA or BLA, for approval of the manufacture, marketing and commercial shipment of the pharmaceutical product. Data from clinical trials are not always conclusive and the FDA may interpret data differently than we or our collaborators interpret data. The FDA may also convene an Advisory Committee of external advisors to answer questions regarding the approvability and labeling of an application. The FDA is not obligated to follow the Advisory Committee’s recommendation. The submission of an NDA or BLA is required to be accompanied by a substantial user fee, with few exceptions or waivers. The user fee is administered under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, which sets goals for the timeliness of the FDA’s review. A standard review period is twelve months from submission of the application, while priority review is eight months from submission of the application. The testing and approval process is likely to require substantial time, effort and resources, and there can be no assurance that any approval will be granted on a timely basis, if at all. The FDA may deny review of an application by refusing to file the application or not approve an application by issuance of a complete response letter if applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied, require additional testing or information, or require risk management programs and post-market testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product. Approval may occur with significant Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies, or REMS, that limit the clinical use in the prescribing information, distribution or promotion of a product. Once issued, the FDA may withdraw product approval if ongoing regulatory requirements are not met or if safety problems occur after the product reaches the market.
Orphan drugs are those intended for use in rare diseases or conditions. As a result of the high cost of development and the low return on investment for rare diseases, governments provide regulatory and commercial incentives for the development of drugs for small disease populations. In the U.S., the term ‘‘rare disease or condition’’ means any disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 persons in the U.S. Applications for United States orphan drug status are evaluated and granted by the Office of Orphan Products Development (“OOPD”) of the FDA, and must be requested before submitting an NDA or BLA. In the U.S., orphan drugs are subject to the standard regulatory process for marketing approval but are exempt from the payment of user fees for licensure, may receive market exclusivity for a period of seven years and some tax benefits, and are eligible for OOPD grants. If a product that has orphan designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease or condition for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan product exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same drug or biological product for the same indication, except in very limited circumstances, for seven years. Competitors, however, may receive approval of different products for the indication for which the orphan product has exclusivity or obtain approval for the same product but for a different indication for which the orphan product has exclusivity. Orphan product exclusivity also could block the approval of one of our products for seven years if a competitor obtains approval of the same drug or biological product as defined by the FDA or if our product candidate is determined to be contained within the competitor’s product for the same indication or disease. If a drug or biological product designated as an orphan product receives marketing approval for an indication broader than what is designated, it may not be entitled to orphan product exclusivity.
Products manufactured or distributed pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA, including manufacture, labeling, advertising, distribution, advertising, promotion, recordkeeping, annual product quality review and reporting requirements. Adverse event experience with the product must be reported to the FDA in a timely fashion and pharmacovigilance programs to proactively look for these adverse events are mandated by the FDA. Manufacturers and their subcontractors are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with ongoing regulatory requirements, including cGMPs, which impose certain procedural and documentation requirements upon us and our third-party manufacturers. Following such inspections, the FDA may issue notices on Form 483 and Warning Letters that could cause us to modify certain activities. A Form 483 notice, if issued at the conclusion of an FDA inspection, can list conditions the FDA investigators believe may have violated cGMP or other FDA regulations or guidances. Failure to adequately and promptly correct the observations(s) can result in further regulatory enforcement action. In addition to Form 483 notices and Warning Letters, failure to comply with the statutory and regulatory requirements can subject a manufacturer to possible legal or regulatory action, such as suspension of manufacturing, seizure of product, injunctive action or possible civil penalties. We cannot be certain that we or our present or future third-party manufacturers or suppliers will be able to comply with the cGMP regulations and other ongoing FDA regulatory requirements. If we or our present or future third-party manufacturers or suppliers are not able to comply with these requirements, the FDA may halt our clinical trials, not approve our products, require us to recall a product from distribution or withdraw approval of the BLA or NDA for that product. Failure to comply with ongoing regulatory obligations can result in delay of approval or Warning Letters, product seizures, criminal penalties, and withdrawal of approved products, among other enforcement remedies.
The FDA strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of products that are placed on the market. These regulations include standards and restrictions for direct-to-consumer advertising, industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities, promotional activities involving the internet, and off-label promotion. While physicians may prescribe for off label uses, manufacturers may only promote for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. The FDA has very broad enforcement authority under the FDCA, and failure to abide by these regulations can result in penalties, including the issuance of a warning letter directing entities to correct deviations from FDA standards, and state and federal civil and criminal investigations and prosecutions.
Federal and state healthcare laws, including fraud and abuse and health information privacy and security laws, are also applicable to our business. We could face substantial penalties and our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects could be adversely affected. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include: the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce, or in return for, the purchase or recommendation of an item or service reimbursable under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs; federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalty laws, which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid, or other third-party payers that are false or fraudulent; and the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, which created new federal criminal statutes that prohibit executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program and making false statements relating to healthcare matters and was amended by the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and its implementing regulations, which imposes certain requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information. State law equivalents of each of the above federal laws exist, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts.
International Regulation
In addition to regulations in the U.S., we are subject to a variety of foreign regulations governing clinical trials and commercial sales and distribution of any future products. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we must obtain approval by the comparable regulatory authorities of foreign countries before we can commence clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries. The approval process varies from country to country, and the time may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval. The requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary greatly from country to country.
Third-Party Payor Coverage and Reimbursement
The commercial success of ACEON and our product candidates, if approved, will depend, in part, upon the availability of coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors at the federal, state and private levels. Government payor programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, private health care insurance companies and managed care plans have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular procedures or drug treatments. The U.S. Congress and state legislatures from time to time propose and adopt initiatives aimed at cost containment. Ongoing federal and state government initiatives directed at lowering the total cost of health care will likely continue to focus on health care reform, the cost of prescription pharmaceuticals and on the reform of the Medicare and Medicaid payment systems. While we cannot predict whether any proposed cost-containment measures will be adopted or otherwise implemented in the future, the announcement or adoption of these proposals could have a material adverse effect on our ability to obtain adequate prices and operate profitably.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
|
Dated: October 23, 2012
|
XOMA CORPORATION
|
||
| By: |
/s/ Fred Kurland
|
||
|
Fred Kurland
|
|||
|
Vice President, Finance and
|
|||
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
|||