Neurogene Inc.
For the period ended Mar 31, 2026. Filed May 12, 2026.
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A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.
Mar 31, 2026 · Filed May 12, 2026
What changed in Risk Factors?
Read the current filingPrevious report: 10-Q
Period ended 2025-09-30; filed 2025-11-13.
0001404644-25-000101
Item 1A. Risk FactorsCurrent report: 10-Q
Period ended 2026-03-31; filed 2026-05-12.
0001404644-26-000037
Item 1A. Risk FactorsThe baseline is this issuer’s latest earlier reporting period of the same form that was filed before the current report. A previous 10-Q is a different quarter, not a year-over-year comparison. Amendments are excluded.
Compared 348 previous paragraphs and 354 current paragraphs.
249 unchanged; 97 reworded; 7 added; 1 removed; 1 previous and 1 current paragraphs rearranged.
Tables are not compared: 0 previous and 0 current tables excluded. Dates, whitespace, punctuation and numbering changes are ignored; changes to financial figures remain significant.
A changed paragraph is not evidence that risk increased or decreased. An unchanged paragraph does not establish that risk stayed the same.
Added paragraphs (7)
Current report
We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. Our operations may involve the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals and biological materials. In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or commercialization efforts. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.
Current report
Our market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates which may not prove to be accurate. Our estimates and forecasts relating to size and expected growth of our target market may prove to be inaccurate. Even if the markets in which we compete meet our size estimates and growth forecasts, ourbusiness may not grow at similar rates, or at all. Our growth is subject to many factors, including our success in implementing our business strategy, which is subject to many risks and uncertainties.
Current report
We are exposed to potential product liability and professional indemnity risks that are inherent in the research, development, manufacturing, marketing, and use of pharmaceutical products. While we currently have no products that have been approved for commercial sale, the current and future use of a product candidate in clinical trials, and the sale of any approved products in the future, may expose us to liability claims. These claims may be made by patients that use the product, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, or others selling such product. Any claims against us, regardless of their merit, could be difficult and costly to defend and could materially and adversely affect the market for our products or any prospects forcommercialization of our products. Although we believe we currently maintain adequate product liability insurance for NGN-401, NGN-101 and other product candidates, it is possible that our liabilities could exceed our insurance coverage or that in the future we may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or obtain insurance coverage that will be adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise. If a successful product liability claim or series of claims is brought against us for uninsured liabilities or in excess of insured liabilities, our assets may not be sufficient to cover such claims and our business operations could be impaired.
Current report
From time to time we may be subject to litigation claims through the ordinary course of our business operations regarding, but not limited to, employment matters, security of patient and employee personal information, contractual relations with collaborators andintellectual property rights. Litigation to defend ourselves against claims by third parties, or to enforce any rights that we may have against third parties, may continue to be necessary, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources, causing a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
Current report
We may in the future experience disruptions as a result of such macroeconomic conditions, including delays or difficulties in initiating orexpanding clinical trials and manufacturing sufficient quantities of materials. Any one or a combination of these events could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Current report
As part of our ongoing monitoring of internal control from time to time we have discovered deficiencies in our internal controls that have required remediation. In the past, these deficiencies have included a "material weakness," defined as a deficiency or combination of deficiencies that results in more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected. While management has determined in its assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025 that we have no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies, there can be no assurance that we will not identify a significant deficiency or material weakness in the future, which could adversely affect the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting and our ability to maintain compliance with securities law requirements and applicable exchange listing requirements, which could negatively impact our stock price and give rise to potential investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC and other regulatory authorities.
Current report
If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or if we are unable to maintain proper andeffective internal controls, we may not be able to produce timely and accurate financial statements. If that were to happen, the market price of our common stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Removed paragraphs (1)
Previous report
For example, our internal controls related to the cash disbursements process were not adequately designed to identify unauthorized payment requests, resulting in the identification of a material weakness. Specifically, at the end of August 2023, we discovered that we were subject to a business email compromise attack by a third party. This deficiency in our controls resulted in the diversion of payments to a fraudulent bank account. While management has determined in its assessment of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, that we have remediated this material weakness, there can be no assurance that the remediation will prevent similar attacks in the future or that we will not identify other material weaknesses in the future. If we are unable to successfully remediate a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or if we identify any other material weaknesses, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting, and our stock price may decline as a result. We also could become subject to investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Reworded paragraphs (97)
Previous wording
•NGN-401 is in clinical development and our other programs are in early stages of development and may fail in development or suffer delays that materially and adversely affect their commercial viability. If we or our current or future collaborators are unable to complete development of, or commercialize, our product candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
Current wording
•NGN-401 is in clinical development and our other programs are in early stages of development and may fail in development or suffer delays that materially and adversely affect their commercial viability. If we are unable to complete development of, or commercialize, our product candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
Previous wording
•We may be required to allocate resources to fulfilling the requirements of the CVR Agreement entered into in connection with the Reverse Merger (as defined below) related to certain legacy lease obligations which may take away from our core programs and create a distraction for our management and employees.
Current wording
•We may be required to allocate resources to fulfilling the requirements of the CVR Agreement, dated December 18, 2023, by and between us and the Rights Agent (the “CVR Agreement”) entered into in connection with the Reverse Merger (as defined below) related to certain legacy lease obligations which may take away from our core programs and create a distraction for our management and employees.
Previous wording
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company with limited operating history. Since our inception in 2018, we have incurred significant operating losses and have used substantially all of our resources to conduct research and development activities, preclinical studies, Phase 1/2 clinical trials of our most advanced product candidates as well as a Phase 3 pivotal trial for NGN-401, establish in-house manufacturing capabilities, including analytical and process development operations to support ongoing manufacturing operations, manufacture product candidates, conduct business planning, develop and maintain our intellectual property portfolio, hire personnel, raise capital, and provide general and administrative support for these activities. We have limited experience as a company in initiating, conducting or completing clinical trials. In part because of this lack of experience, we cannot be certain that our current and planned clinical trials will begin on time, meet our anticipated timelines for enrollment and data analysis, or be completed on time, if at all. In addition, while we have completed enrollment in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 in patients with Rett syndrome and have initiated dosing in our Embolden TM registrational trial for NGN-401 and have completed enrollment in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-101 in patients with CLN5 Batten disease, we have not yet demonstrated our ability to successfully complete clinical trials (including Phase 3 or other pivotal clinical trials), obtain regulatory or marketing approvals, manufacture a commercial-scale product or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf, or conduct sales, marketing and distribution activities necessary for successful product commercialization. Additionally, we expect our financial condition and operating results to continue to fluctuate significantly from period to period due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Consequently, any predictions made about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history.
Current wording
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company with limited operating history. Since our inception in 2018, we have incurred significant operating losses and have used substantially all of our resources to conduct research and development activities, preclinical studies, Phase 1/2 clinical trials of our most advanced product candidates as well as a Phase 3 pivotal trial for NGN-401, establish in-house manufacturing capabilities, including analytical and process development operations to support ongoing manufacturing operations, manufacture product candidates, conduct business planning, develop and maintain our intellectual property portfolio, hire personnel, raise capital, and provide general and administrative support for these activities. We have limited experience as a company in initiating, conducting or completing clinical trials. In part because of this lack of experience, we cannot be certain that our current and planned clinical trials will begin on time, meet our anticipated timelines for enrollment and data analysis, or be completed on time, if at all. In addition, while we have completed enrollment in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 in patients with Rett syndrome, initiated dosing in our Embolden TM registrational trial for NGN-401 and completed enrollment in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-101 in patients with CLN5 Batten disease, we have not yet demonstrated our ability to successfully complete clinical trials (including Phase 3 or other pivotal clinical trials), obtain regulatory or marketing approvals, manufacture a commercial-scale product or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf, or conduct sales, marketing and distribution activities necessary for successful product commercialization. Additionally, we expect our financial condition and operating results to continue to fluctuate significantly from period to period due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Consequently, any predictions made about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history.
Previous wording
In addition, as our business grows, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, restrictions, difficulties, complications, delays and other known and unknown factors. We will need to transition at some point from a company with an early research and development focus to a company capable of supporting larger pivotal clinical trials and eventually commercial activities, including the manufacture of commercial scale product. We may not be successful in such a transition.
Current wording
In addition, as our business grows, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, restrictions, difficulties, complications, delays and other known and unknown factors. We will need to transition at some point from a company with a limited focus on early research and development and small clinical trials to a company that can also support commercial activities, including the manufacture of commercial scale product. We may not be successful in such a transition.
Previous wording
Developing biotechnology products is a long, time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete. Since our inception, we have funded our operations primarily through private financings and have incurred significant recurring losses, including a cumulative net loss from inception through September 30, 2025 of$327.9 million. We expect our expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly with respect to our recently launched Embolden registrational clinical trial of NGN-401 in patients with Rett syndrome, with the expectation that we will also initiate additional clinical trials in the future, and continue to research, develop and conduct preclinical studies of our other potential product candidates. We also anticipate that we may have near term expenses related to NGN-101 as we continue to evaluate options for the program following the denial by the FDA of a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (“RMAT”) designation, which precludes our ability to use a streamlined registrational pathway necessary for further investment in the program.
Current wording
Developing biotechnology products is a long, time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete. Since our inception, we have funded our operations primarily through private financings and have incurred significant recurring losses, including a cumulative net loss from inception through March 31, 2026 of$383.6 million. We expect our expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly with respect to our Embolden registrational clinical trial of NGN-401 in patients with Rett syndrome, with the expectation that we will also initiate additional clinical trials in the future, and continue to research, develop and conduct preclinical studies of our other potential product candidates. We also anticipate that we may have near term expenses related to NGN-101 as we continue to evaluate options for the program following the denial by the FDA of a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (“RMAT”) designation, which precludes our ability to use a streamlined registrational pathway necessary for further investment in the program.
Previous wording
•the timing and progress of preclinical and clinical development activities, including any impact to our NGN-401 clinical trial activities relating to our participation in the FDA’s Support for clinical Trials Advancing Rare disease Therapeutics (“START”) program and the RMAT program;
Current wording
•the timing and progress of preclinical and clinical development activities, including any impact to our NGN-401 clinical trial activities relating to our participation in the FDA’s Support for clinical Trials Advancing Rare disease Therapeutics (“START”) program and the RMAT and Breakthrough Therapy designations for NGN-401;
Previous wording
•the number and scope of preclinical and clinical programs we pursue to develop our gene therapy candidate pipeline and EXACT(Expression Attenuation via Construct Timing) platform;
Current wording
•the number and scope of preclinical and clinical programs we pursue to develop our gene therapy candidate pipeline and EXACT(Expression Attenuation via Construct Tuning) platform;
Previous wording
•the scale up of our clinical and regulatory capabilities, including establishing our current good manufacturing practices (“cGMP”) manufacturing capabilities to support expansion of our pipeline and future registration-enabling clinical trials, and obtaining cGMP material for clinical trials or potential commercial sales;
Current wording
•the scale up of our clinical and regulatory capabilities, including establishing our current good manufacturing practices (“cGMP”) manufacturing capabilities to support expansion of our pipeline and future registration-enabling clinical trials, obtaining cGMP material for clinical trials or potential commercial sales, and performing Process Performance Qualification (“PPQ”) testing to demonstrate consistent quality in our manufacturing process;
Previous wording
We do not have any committed external sources of funds. We have filed an S-3 Registration Statement for the sale of up to $300.0 million in of any combination of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, or units, and may conduct one or more sales of securities pursuant to such registration statement from time to time. We have also entered into an at the market (“ATM”) Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with Leerink Partners LLC (“Leerink”), pursuant to which, from time to time, we may offer and sell through Leerink up to $150.0 million of the common stock registered under the shelf registration statement, pursuant to one or more “at the market” offerings. However, sales of our common stock under the Sales Agreement with Leerink are subject to business, economic or competitive uncertainties and contingencies, andadequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. We may be required to or choose to seek additional funds sooner than planned through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations and licensing arrangements or other sources. Such financings may dilute our stockholders or the failure to obtain such financing may restrict our operating activities. Any additional fundraising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our business. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences and anti-dilution protections that adversely affect your rights as a stockholder. Debt financing may result in imposition of debt covenants, increased fixed payment obligations or other restrictions that may affect our business. If we raise additional funds through upfront payments or milestone payments pursuant to future collaborations with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to product development programs, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. Additional capital may not be available in sufficient amounts or on reasonable terms, if at all. Our ability to raise additional capital may be adversely impacted by global macroeconomic conditions, including rising interest rates, escalating trade tensions and restrictions, including tariffs, geopolitical instability, changes in government regulations and significant volatility in the credit and financial markets in the United States and worldwide, particularly in the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries, over which we may have no or little control. Our failure to raise capital as and when needed or on acceptable terms would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy, and we may have to delay, reduce the scope of, suspend or eliminate clinical trials, product development programs or future commercialization efforts.
Current wording
We do not have any committed external sources of funds. We have filed an S-3 Registration Statement for the sale of up to $300.0 million in any combination of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants or units, and may conduct one or more sales of securities pursuant to such registration statement from time to time. We have also entered into an at the market (“ATM”) Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with Leerink Partners LLC (“Leerink”), pursuant to which, as of March 31, 2026, we have sold $31.0 million in shares of common stock, resulting in proceeds of $30.1 million after deducting sales commissions and other offering expenses. We may in the future, from time to time, offer and sell through Leerink up to an additional $119.0 million of the common stock registered under the shelf registration statement, pursuant to one or more “at the market” offerings. However, sales of our common stock under the Sales Agreement with Leerink are subject to business, economic or competitive uncertainties and contingencies, and adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. We may be required to or choose to seek additional funds sooner than planned through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations and licensing arrangements or other sources. Such financings may dilute our stockholders or the failure to obtain such financing may restrict our operating activities. Any additional fundraising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our business. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences and anti-dilution protections that adversely affect your rights as a stockholder. Debt financing may result in imposition of debt covenants, increased fixed payment obligations or other restrictions that may affect our business. If we raise additional funds through upfront payments or milestone payments pursuant to future collaborations with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to product development programs, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. Additional capital may not be available in sufficient amounts or on reasonable terms, if at all. Our ability to raise additional capital may be adversely impacted by global macroeconomic conditions, including volatility in interest rates, escalating trade tensions and restrictions, tariffs, geopolitical instability, changes in government regulations and significant volatility in the credit and financial markets in the United States and worldwide, particularly in the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries, over which we may have no or little control. Our failure to raise capital as and when needed or on acceptable terms would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our abili…
Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.
Previous wording
We have incurred significant net losses in each period since we commenced operations in 2018. Our net loss was$65.6 million for thenine months ended September 30, 2025 and our cumulative net loss from inception as of September 30, 2025 was$327.9 million. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. Our operating expenses and net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:
Current wording
We have incurred significant net losses in each period since we commenced operations in 2018. Our net loss was$30.9 million for thethree months ended March 31, 2026 and our cumulative net loss from inception as of March 31, 2026 was$383.6 million. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. Our operating expenses and net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:
Previous wording
The success of NGN-401 will depend on a variety of factors. We do not have complete control over many of these factors, including certain aspects of clinical development and the regulatory submission process, potential threats to our intellectual property rights and the manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sales efforts of any future collaborator. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee that we will ever be able to generate revenue through the sale of this product candidate, even if approved. If we are not successful in commercializing NGN-401, or are significantly delayed in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
Current wording
The success of NGN-401 will depend on a variety of factors. We do not have complete control over many of these factors, including certain aspects of clinical development and the regulatory submission process, potential threats to our intellectual property rights and the manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sales efforts of any future collaborator we may work with. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee that we will ever be able to generate revenue through the sale of this product candidate, even if approved. If we are not successful in commercializing NGN-401, or are significantly delayed in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
Previous wording
The development and commercialization of biological products is highly competitive. If approved, NGN-401 or any other product candidates we may develop will face significant competition and our failure to effectively compete may prevent us from achieving significant market penetration. We compete with a variety of multinational biopharmaceutical companies, specialized biotechnology companies and emerging biotechnology companies, as well as academic institutions, governmental agencies, and public and private research institutions, among others. Many of the companies with which we are currently competing or will compete against in the future 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. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These competitors also 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, NGN-401 and any other product candidates we may develop.
Current wording
The development and commercialization of biological products is highly competitive. If approved, NGN-401 or any other product candidates we may develop will face significant competition and our failure to effectively compete may prevent us from achieving significant market penetration. We compete with a variety of multinational biopharmaceutical companies, specialized biotechnology companies and emerging biotechnology companies, as well as academic institutions, governmental agencies, and public and private research institutions, among others. Many of the companies with which we are currently competing or will compete against in the future 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. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. New and emerging technologies for treatment of genetic diseases may create additional competitive pressures in our industry. These competitors also 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, NGN-401 and any other product candidates we may develop.
Previous wording
NGN-401 is in clinical development, and our preclinical programs are in early stages of development and may fail in development or suffer delays that materially and adversely affect their commercial viability. If we or our current or future collaborators are unable to complete development of, or commercialize, our product candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
Current wording
NGN-401 is in clinical development and our preclinical programs are in early stages of development and may fail in development or suffer delays that materially and adversely affect their commercial viability. If we are unable to complete development of, or commercialize, our product candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
Previous wording
We have no products on the market and while we have completed enrollment in our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 and initiated our Embolden registrational trial, NGN-401 is still in the clinical development stage. In addition, we announced that unless we are able to find an alternative pathway for advancement, we will need to discontinue our NGN-101 program following the denial of RMAT designation for NGN-101 by the FDA, which would preclude a streamlined path to regulatory approval.
Current wording
We have no products on the market and while we have completed enrollment in our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 and initiated dosing in our Embolden registrational trial, NGN-401 is still in the clinical development stage. In addition, we have disclosed that unless we are able to find an alternative pathway for advancement, we will need to discontinue our NGN-101 program following the denial of RMAT designation for NGN-101 by the FDA, which would preclude a streamlined path to regulatory approval.
Previous wording
Our other programs are in early stages of preclinical development and we expect to expend the majority of our resources on our Rett program for the near future, which may delay the development plans for our pipeline. As a result, we expect it will be many years before we commercialize our product candidates and ultimately may not be successful in commercializing any of our product candidates. Our ability to achieve and sustain profitability depends on obtaining regulatory approvals for, and successfully commercializing, our lead product candidate NGN-401 or other product candidates, either alone or with third parties, and we cannot guarantee that we will ever obtain regulatory approval for any product candidates we may develop.
Current wording
Our other programs are in early stages of preclinical development, and we expect to expend the majority of our resources on our Rett program for the near future, which may delay the development plans for our pipeline. As a result, we expect it will be several years before we commercialize our product candidates and ultimately may not be successful in commercializing any of our product candidates. Our ability to achieve and sustain profitability depends on obtaining regulatory approvals for, and successfully commercializing, our lead product candidate NGN-401 or other product candidates, either alone or with third parties, and we cannot guarantee that we will ever obtain regulatory approval for any product candidates we may develop.
Previous wording
Following denial by the FDA of our RMAT application for NGN-101 for CLN5 Batten disease in November 2024, we disclosed that we do not expect to move forward with that program at this time. Given the rarity of the disease, continued investment in the program was predicated on alignment on a streamlined registrational pathway with the FDA. Therefore, we submitted an RMAT application to the FDA. Despite our belief that we met the standard of preliminary clinical evidence required to obtain an RMAT designation, the RMAT application was denied. Similar challenges may prevent our success with or increase the cost of other current, planned or future clinical trials. We or our collaborators may experience delays in initiating or completing clinical trials, and also may experience unforeseen events during, or as a result of, any current or future clinical trials that could delay or prevent our ability to receive marketing approval or commercialize NGN-401 or any other product candidates, including:
Current wording
Following denial by the FDA of our RMAT application for NGN-101 for CLN5 Batten disease in November 2024, we disclosed that we do not expect to move forward with that program at this time. Given the rarity of the disease, continued investment in the program was predicated on alignment on a streamlined registrational pathway with the FDA. Despite our belief that we met the standard of preliminary clinical evidence required to obtain an RMAT designation, the RMAT application was denied. Similar challenges may prevent our success with or increase the cost of other current, planned or future clinical trials. We or our collaborators may experience delays in initiating or completing clinical trials, and also may experience unforeseen events during, or as a result of, any current or future clinical trials that could delay or prevent our ability to receive marketing approval or commercialize NGN-401 or any other product candidates, including:
Previous wording
•clinical trials of any product candidates may fail to show safety or efficacy or potency, or produce negative or inconclusive results, and we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials or we may decide to abandon product development programs;
Current wording
•clinical trials of any product candidates may fail to show safety, efficacy or potency, or may produce negative or inconclusive results, and we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials or we may decide to abandon product development programs;
Previous wording
If safety concerns develop with respect to our product candidates or clinical trial designs, we may be delayed in our development plans as we may need to pause our enrollment in a clinical trial, revise our trial designs, investigate potential safety developments, or take other measures that may increase the amount of time and resources required to bring our product candidates forward. For example, on November 11, 2024, we were advised of asevere adverse event (“SAE”)experienced by a participant in the 3E15 vg dose of our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 for the treatment of Rett syndrome. The participant subsequently died following complications from a rare and life-threatening hyperinflammatory syndrome associated with systemic exposure to high doses of adeno-associated virus (“AAV”). The FDA completed a review of the safety data for NGN-401 and allowed us to continue with the Phase 1/2 trial using the 1E15 vg dose and the same immunosuppression regime. We paused further use of the 3E15 vg dose upon initial notification of the SAE and made the determination to remove that dose level from the trial protocol as we do not plan to enroll any further participants at the 3E15 vg dose level.
Current wording
If safety concerns develop with respect to our product candidates or clinical trial designs, we may be delayed in our development plans aswe may need to pause our enrollment in a clinical trial, revise our trial designs, investigate potential safety developments, or take other measures that may increase the amount of time and resources required to bring our product candidates forward. For example, in November 2024, following asevere adverse event (“SAE”) that resulted in a fatalityin the 3E15 vgdose of our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 for the treatment of Rett syndrome, we elected to initially pause further use of the 3E15 vg dose and subsequently made the determination to remove that dose and also paused enrollment until such time as we could update our trial protocol to remove the 3E15vg dose and add additional safety monitoring protocols, which we subsequently did.
Previous wording
Commencing clinical trials in the United States is subject to acceptance by the FDA of an IND or, if commenced in other jurisdictions, acceptance by the comparable foreign regulatory agency of a similar application, as well as finalizing the trial design. In the event that the FDA or applicable foreign regulatory agency requires us to complete additional preclinical studies, or we are required to satisfy other regulatory requests prior to commencing clinical trials, the start of our clinical trials may be delayed. Even after we receive and incorporate guidance from these regulatory authorities, the FDA or other regulatory authorities could disagree that we have satisfied their requirements to commence any clinical trial or change their position on the acceptability of our trial design or the clinical endpoints selected, which may require us to complete additional preclinical studies or clinical trials, delay the enrollment of our clinical trials or impose stricter approval conditions than we currently expect. There are equivalent processes and risks applicable to clinical trial applications in other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom (“UK”), Australia and the European Union (“EU”).
Current wording
Commencing clinical trials in the United States is subject to acceptance by the FDA of an IND or, if commenced in other jurisdictions, acceptance by the comparable foreign regulatory agency of a similar application, as well as finalizing the trial design. In the event that the FDA or applicable foreign regulatory agency requires us to complete additional preclinical studies, or we are required to satisfy other regulatory requests prior to commencing clinical trials, the start of our clinical trials may bedelayed. Even after we receive and incorporate guidance from these regulatory authorities, the FDA or other regulatory authorities could disagree that we have satisfied their requirements to commence any clinical trial or change their position on the acceptability of our trial design or the clinical endpoints selected, which may require us to complete additional preclinical studies or clinical trials, delay the enrollment of our clinical trials or impose stricter approval conditions than we currently expect. There are equivalent processes and risks applicable to clinical trial applications in other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom (“UK”), Australia and the European Union (“EU”).
Previous wording
We may not have the financial resources to continue development of, or to modify existing collaborations or enter into new collaborations for, a product candidate if we experience any issues that delay or prevent regulatory approval of, or our ability to commercialize, NGN-401 or any other product candidates we are developing or may develop in the future. We or our current or future collaborators’ inability to complete development of, or commercialize, NGN-401 or any other product candidates or significant delays in doing so, could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Current wording
We may not have the financial resources to continue development of, or to modify existing collaborations or enter into newcollaborations for, a product candidate if we experience any issues that delay or prevent regulatory approval of, or our ability to commercialize, NGN-401 or any other product candidates we are developing or may develop in the future. We or our current or future collaborators’ inability to complete development of, or commercialize, NGN-401 or any other product candidates or significant delays in doing so, could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Previous wording
Our current approach is to identify, develop and commercialize gene therapy product candidates using an AAV9 capsid for delivery of therapeutic transgenes to certain kinds of cells.
Current wording
Our current approach is to identify, develop and commercialize gene therapy product candidates using an AAV9 capsid for delivery oftherapeutic transgenes to certain kinds of cells.
Previous wording
Although AAV9 has been tested in numerous clinical trials and is an approved serotype for at least one gene therapy product, we cannot be certain that our AAV9 product candidates will successfully advance through preclinical studies and clinical trials, or that they will not cause significant adverse events or toxicities. For more information, please refer to the risk factor below titled “Participants in our clinical trials may experience undesirable side effects, which could cause delays or prevent regulatory approval of our product candidates, limit the commercial potential or create significant negative consequences to our development plans, even if such side effects are ultimately determined not to be attributable or possibly attributable to our product candidates”.
Current wording
Although AAV9 has been tested in numerous clinical trials and is an approved serotype for at least one gene therapy product, we cannot becertain that our AAV9 product candidates will successfully advance through preclinical studies and clinical trials, or that they will not cause significant adverse events or toxicities. For more information, please refer to the risk factor below titled “Participants in our clinical trials may experience undesirable side effects, which could cause delays or prevent regulatory approval of our product candidates, limit the commercial potential or create significant negative consequences to our development plans, even if such side effects are ultimately determined not to be attributable or possibly attributable to our product candidates”.
Previous wording
In November 2024, a participant who had been recently dosed at the 3E15 vg dose of NGN-401 in our Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of Rett syndrome experienced an SAE consistent with known risks of AAV gene therapy and ultimately died from this complication. While this reaction was very rare, we cannot ensure that other SAEs related to the use of AAV9 will not occur, or that we will not experience delays or other negative impacts to our clinical trial related to this or other AAV-related SAEs. We also cannot be certain that we will be able to avoid triggering toxicities in our future preclinical studies or clinical trials or that our chosen routes of administration to deliver such therapies will not cause unforeseen side effects or other challenges. Although AAV9 has been shown to facilitate biodistribution and cell transduction to the central nervous system (“CNS”), the potentially limited levels of AAV9 transduction of cells in the CNS may also limit the potential efficacy or potency of any of our product candidates, including NGN-401.
Current wording
In November 2024, a participant who had been recently dosed at the 3E15 vg dose of NGN-401 in our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 for the treatment of Rett syndrome experienced an SAE consistent with known risks of AAV gene therapy and ultimately died from this complication. While this reaction was very rare, we cannot ensure that other SAEs related to the use of AAV9 will not occur, or that we will not experience delays or other negative impacts to our clinical trial related to this or other AAV-related SAEs. We also cannot be certain that we will be able to avoid triggering toxicities in our future preclinical studies or clinical trials or that our chosen routes of administration to deliver such therapies will not cause unforeseen side effects or other challenges. Although AAV9 has been shown to facilitate biodistribution and cell transduction to the central nervous system (“CNS”), the potentially limited levels of AAV9 transduction of cells in the CNS may also limit the potential efficacy or potency of any of our product candidates, including NGN-401.
Previous wording
Our primary product candidates, including NGN-401 for the treatment of Rett syndrome, are AAV-based gene therapies. AAV-based gene therapies in development or approved for use carry a risk of certain adverse side effects, known and unknown, including the potential for inflammatory events such as heightened innate or adaptive immune reactions in response to the presence of the AAV vector, including the development of a T-cell and/or B-cell immune response, complement system activation, thrombotic microangiopathy, thrombocytopenia, toxicity due to damage of the dorsal root ganglia, loss of nerve conductivity with or without the diminishment or loss of reflexes and sensory symptoms, increased liver enzymes and liver toxicity, organ damage to kidneys or the heart, or in rare cases, death. In addition, some participants in our AAV-based gene therapy clinical trials may have pre-existing conditions, such as diminished lean muscle mass, impaired function of biological systems or vital organs, or recent viral infections, or complications relating to their genetic makeup, and, as such, those participants may present a different risk profile and may have an increased potential for serious adverse events such as a heightened immune response, the re-activation of a viral infection due to immunosuppression measures that are taken in conjunction with administration of AAV-based gene therapy, or a diminished capacity to withstand treatment-related side effects that might be mild if they were to present in another participant. Because of the novel nature of gene therapy in general and specifically AAV-based gene therapy, not all side effects may have been discovered, and we may not be able to identify all of the increased risk factors for our participants, and additional unexpected serious adverse events may occur as a result. In addition, due to components of our product candidates used to carry the genetic materials, it is possible that some participants could develop delayed side effects from treatment. There can also be significant variability in how patients respond to gene therapy, especially in a mosaic disease presentation like Rett syndrome in females where some of the cells carry a correct copy of the DNA sequence for the impacted gene while other cells have a mutated variant. As a result, some patients may not respond as well to gene therapy as others.
Current wording
Our primary product candidates, including NGN-401 for the treatment of Rett syndrome, are AAV-based gene therapies. AAV-based gene therapies in development or approved for use carry a risk of certain adverse side effects, known and unknown, including the potential for inflammatory events such as heightened innate or adaptive immune reactions in response to the presence of the AAV vector, including the development of a T-cell and/or B-cell immune response, complement system activation, thrombotic microangiopathy, thrombocytopenia, toxicity due to damage of the dorsal root ganglia, loss of nerve conductivity with or without the diminishment or loss of reflexes and sensory symptoms, increased liver enzymes andliver toxicity, organ damage to kidneys or the heart, vector integration that may result in cancerous cell development, or in rare cases, death. In addition, some participants in our AAV-based gene therapy clinical trials may have pre-existing conditions, such as diminished lean muscle mass, impaired function of biological systems or vital organs, or recent viral infections, or complications relating to their genetic makeup, and, as such, those participants may present a different risk profile and may have an increased potential for serious adverse events such as a heightened immune response, the re-activation of a viral infection due to immunosuppression measures that are taken in conjunction with administration of AAV-based gene therapy, or a diminished capacity to withstand treatment-related side effects that might be mild if they were to present in another participant. Because of the novel nature of gene therapy in general and specifically AAV-based gene therapy, not all side effects may have been discovered, and we may not be able to identify all of the increased risk factors for our participants, and additional unexpected serious adverse events may occur as a result. In addition, due to components of our product candidates used to carry the genetic materials, it is possible that some participants could develop delayed side effects from treatment. There can also be significant variability in how patients respond to gene therapy, especially in a mosaic disease presentation like Rett syndrome in females where some of the cells carry a correct copy of the DNA sequence for the impacted gene while other cells have a mutated variant. As a result, some patients may not respond as well to gene therapy as others.
Previous wording
Serious adverse events related to our trial or to other clinical trials using AAV-based gene therapy, even if those other trials are not related to our product candidates or targeted disease states, and even if such adverse events are not ultimately attributable to the relevant product candidates or products, may result in unfavorable public sentiment about our clinical trial and our product candidates, increased government regulation, potential regulatory delays for approval of our product candidates, stricter labeling requirements, the imposition of additional monitoring of our products if they are approved, challenges in enrolling patients in our clinical trials and a decrease in demand for our product candidates.
Current wording
Serious adverse events related to our trial or to other clinical trials using AAV-based gene therapy, even if those other trials are not related to our product candidates or targeted disease states, and even if such adverse events are not ultimately attributable to therelevant product candidates or products, may result in unfavorable public sentiment about our clinical trial and our product candidates, increased government regulation, potential regulatory delays for approval of our product candidates, stricter labeling requirements, the imposition of additional monitoring of our products if they are approved, challenges in enrolling patients in our clinical trials and a decrease in demand for our product candidates.
Previous wording
We have invested in early-stage research and development with the goal of identifying and developing additional product candidates. Our future success may depend in part on the successful development of novel therapeutic approaches, including new therapies that may be able to use our EXACT technology or other transgene regulation technology. However, while our preclinical research and clinical trials may initially show promise in identifying potential product candidates, they may ultimately fail to yield product candidates for a number of reasons. For example, although EXACT is designed to deliver therapeutic levels of transgene while avoiding overexpression toxicity and off-target effects, there can be no assurance that any EXACT transgene regulation will result in product candidates that are shown in clinical trials to be safe, pure, and effective or potent.
Current wording
We have invested in early stage research and development with the goal of identifying and developing additional product candidates as well as investments in research into new technologies to potentially augment our pipeline. Our future success may depend in part on the successful development of novel therapeutic approaches, including new therapies that may be able to use our EXACT technology or other transgene regulation technology. However, while our preclinical research and clinical trials may initially show promise in identifying potential product candidates, they may ultimately fail to yield product candidates for a number of reasons. For example, although EXACT is designed to deliver therapeutic levels of transgene while avoiding overexpression toxicity and off-target effects, there can be no assurance that any EXACT transgene regulation will result in product candidates that are shown in clinical trials to be safe, pure, and effective or potent.
Previous wording
To date, very few products that utilize gene transfer have been approved in the United States, Europe or other markets, and no products have been approved using our EXACT technology or technology similar to it. There have been a limited number of clinical trials of gene transfer technologies, with only very few product candidates ever approved by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities.
Current wording
To date, veryfew products that utilize gene transfer have been approved in the United States, Europe or other markets, and no products have been approved using our EXACT technology or technology similar to it. There have been a limited number of clinical trials of gene transfer technologies, with only very few product candidates ever approved by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities.
Previous wording
As a result, it is difficult for us to predict the time and cost of product candidate development, and we cannot predict whether the application of our approach to gene therapy will result in the identification, development, and regulatory approval of any product candidates, or that other gene therapy programs will not be considered better or more attractive. There can be no assurance that any development problems we experience in the future related to our current gene therapy approaches or product candidates or any of our research programs will not cause significant delays or unanticipated costs, or that such development problems can be solved. Research programs to identify new product candidates require substantial technical, financial, and human resources. If we are unable to identify suitable gene therapy product candidates for preclinical and clinical development in a cost-effective manner, we may not be able to successfully implement this portion of our business strategy, and may have to delay, reduce the scope of, suspend or eliminate one or more of our current or future product candidates, clinical trials or future commercialization efforts, which would negatively impact our financial condition.
Current wording
As a result, it isdifficult for us to predict the time and cost of product candidate development, and we cannot predict whether the application of our approach to gene therapy will result in the identification, development, and regulatory approval of any product candidates, or that other gene therapy programs will not be considered better or more attractive. There can be no assurance that any development problems we experience in the future related to our current gene therapy approaches or product candidates or any of our research programs will not cause significant delays or unanticipated costs, or that such development problems can be solved. Research programs to identify new product candidates require substantial technical, financial, and human resources. If we are unable to identify suitable gene therapy product candidates for preclinical and clinical development in a cost effective manner, we may not be able to successfully implement this portion of our business strategy, and may have to delay, reduce the scope of, suspend or eliminate one or more of our current or future product candidates, clinical trials or future commercialization efforts, which would negatively impact our financial condition.
Previous wording
Successful and timely completion of clinical trials will require that we enroll and maintain a sufficient number of patients. Patient enrollment is affected by many factors, including the size and nature of the patient population and competition for patients with other trials. Genetic diseases generally, and especially the rare diseases for which some of our current product candidates are targeted, have low incidence and prevalence. For example, we estimate global incidence of Rett syndrome to be approximately one in 10,000 live female births. Accordingly, it may be difficult for us to identify and timely recruit a sufficient number of eligible patients to conduct our clinical trials. Further, any natural history studies that we or our collaborators may conduct may fail to provide us with patients for our clinical trials because patients enrolled in the natural history studies may not be good candidates for our clinical trials, or may choose to not enroll in our clinical trials.
Current wording
Successfuland timely completion of clinical trials will require that we enroll and maintain a sufficient number of patients. Patient enrollment is affected by many factors, including the size and nature of the patient population and competition for patients with other trials. Genetic diseases generally, and especially the rare diseases for which some of our current product candidates are targeted, have low incidence and prevalence. For example, we estimate global incidence of Rett syndrome to be approximately one in 10,000 live female births. Accordingly, it may be difficult for us to identify and timely recruit a sufficient number of eligible patients to conduct our clinical trials. Further, any natural history studies that we or our collaborators may conduct may fail to provide us with patients for our clinical trials because patients enrolled in the natural history studies may not be good candidates for our clinical trials, or may choose to not enroll in our clinical trials.
Previous wording
Trials may be subject to delays as a result of patient enrollment taking longer than anticipated or patient withdrawal. We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our product candidates if we are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials as required by the FDA, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) in the United Kingdom, the Therapeutic Goods Association (“TGA”) in Australia, the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) or other foreign regulatory authorities. We cannot predict how successful we will be at enrolling subjects in future clinical trials. Subject enrollment is affected by other factors including:
Current wording
Trials maybe subject to delays as a result of patient enrollment taking longer than anticipated or patient withdrawal. We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our product candidates if we are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials as required by the FDA, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) in the United Kingdom, the Therapeutic Goods Association (“TGA”) in Australia, the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) or other foreign regulatory authorities. We cannot predict how successful we will be at enrolling subjects in future clinical trials. Subject enrollment is affected by other factors including:
Previous wording
Even if we are able to enroll a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials, we may have difficulty maintaining enrollment of such patients. Our inability to enroll or maintain a sufficient number of patients would result in significant delays in completing clinical trials or receipt of marketing approvals and increased development costs, or may require us to abandon one or more clinical trials altogether.
Current wording
Even if weare able to enroll a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials, we may have difficulty maintaining enrollment of such patients. Our inability to enroll or maintain a sufficient number of patients would result in significant delays in completing clinical trials or receipt of marketing approvals and increased development costs, or may require us to abandon one or more clinical trials altogether.
Previous wording
The discovery and development of therapeutics for patients with neurological diseases is an emerging field, and the scientific discoveries that form the basis for our efforts to discover and develop product candidates are relatively new. The scientific evidence to support the feasibility of developing product candidates based on these discoveries is both preliminary and limited. Although we believe, based on our preclinical work, that our programs have the potential to be disease-modifying therapies, clinical results may not confirm this hypothesis or may only confirm it for certain alterations or certain indications. The patient populations for our product candidates are limited to those with specific neurological diseases. We cannot be certain that the patient populations for each specific disease will be large enough to allow us to successfully obtain approval and commercialize our product candidates and achieve profitability. Further, our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 involves, and our Embolden registrational trial will involve, a small patient population. Because of the small sample sizes, the expansion of our clinical trial to an adolescent/adult cohort and the heterogeneity of the disease state, the results of this trial may not be indicative of results of future clinical trials. In particular, while we expanded our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 to include adolescent and adult patients in both our Phase 1/2 trial and our Embolden registrational trial, our interim data releases to date have focused solely on pediatric participants in those trials, and we cannot be sure that the results we have reported in our pediatric population of that trial will be representative of our adolescent or adult participants,
Current wording
The discovery and development of therapeutics for patients with neurological diseases is an emerging field, and the scientific discoveries that form the basis for our efforts to discover and develop product candidates are relatively new. The scientific evidenceto support the feasibility of developing product candidates based on these discoveries is both preliminary and limited. Although we believe, based on our preclinical work, that our programs have the potential to be disease-modifying therapies, clinical results may not confirm this hypothesis or may only confirm it for certain alterations or certain indications. The patient populations for our product candidates are limited to those with specific neurological diseases. We cannot be certain that the patient populations for each specific disease will be large enough to allow us to successfully obtain approval and commercialize our product candidates and achieve profitability. Further, our clinical trial of NGN-401 involves a small patient population. Because of the small sample sizes, the expansion of our clinical trial to an adolescent/adult cohort and the heterogeneity of the disease state, the results of this trial may not be indicative of results of future clinical trials. In particular, while we have expanded the clinical trial of NGN-401 to include adolescent and adult patients in both our Phase 1/2 trial and our Embolden registrational trial, our interim data releases to date have focused solely on pediatric participants in those trials, and we cannot be sure that the results that we have reported in our pediatric population of that trial will be representative of our adolescent or adult participants.
Previous wording
Furthermore, failure can occur at any time during the preclinical study or clinical trial process, and the outcome of preclinical studies and early-stage clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, especially as our initial clinical trials do not contain a control arm. In addition, we have designed our initial clinical trials with relatively small cohorts before expanding in size and dosing in subsequent cohorts. If safety issues arise in an early cohort, we may be delayed or prevented from dose escalating or subsequently expanding into larger trial cohorts. For example, on November 11, 2024, we were advised of an SAE experienced by a recently dosed participant at the 3E15 vg dose in our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 for the treatment of Rett syndrome. The participant subsequently died following complications from a rare and life threatening hyperinflammatory syndrome associated with systemic exposure to high doses of AAV. The FDA completed a review of the safety data for NGN-401 and allowed us to proceed with the Phase 1/2 trial using the 1E15 vg dose, although we decided to revise our trial protocol before resuming dosing, and have removed the 3E15 vg dose level from the trial protocol as we do not plan to enroll any further participants at the that dose level.
Current wording
Furthermore, failure can occur at any time during the preclinical study or clinical trial process, and the outcome of preclinical studies and early-stage clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, especially as our initial clinical trials do not contain a control arm. In addition, we have designed our initial clinical trials with relatively small cohorts before expanding in size and dosing in subsequent cohorts. If safety issues arise in an early cohort, we may be delayed or prevented from dose escalating or subsequently expanding into larger trial cohorts. For example, in November 2024, following an SAE at the 3E15 vg dose in our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 for the treatment of Rett syndrome that resulted in a fatality, we elected to revise our trial protocol before resuming dosing and remove the 3E15 vg dose from the trial protocol with no plans to enroll any further participants at that dose.
Previous wording
We cannot be sure that submission of an IND application, clinical trial application (“CTA”) or similar application will result in the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, as applicable, allowing clinical trials to begin in a timely manner, if at all. Moreover, even if these trials begin, issues may arise that could cause regulatory authorities to require us to suspend or terminate such clinical trials. Events that may prevent successful or timely initiation or completion of clinical trials include: inability to generate sufficient preclinical, toxicology or other in vivo or in vitro data to support the initiation or continuation of clinical trials; delays in reaching a consensus with regulatory authorities on study design or implementation of the clinical trials; delays or failure in obtaining regulatory authorization to commence a trial; delays in reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and clinical trial sites; delays in identifying, recruiting and training suitable clinical investigators; delays in obtaining required IRB approval at each clinical trial site; difficulties in patient enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons; delays related to safety concerns; delays in manufacturing, testing, releasing, validating or importing/exporting sufficient stable quantities of our product candidates for use in clinical trials or the inability to do any of the foregoing; failure by our CROs, other third parties or us to adhere to clinical trial protocols; failure to perform in accordance with the FDA’s or any other regulatory authority’s good clinical practices (“GCPs”) or applicable regulatory guidelines in other countries; changes to the clinical trial protocols; clinical sites deviating from trial protocol or dropping out of a trial; changes in regulatory requirements and guidance that require amending or submitting new clinical protocols; selection of clinical endpoints that require prolonged periods of observation or analyses of resulting data; transfer of manufacturing processes to larger-scale facilities operated by a CDMO and delays or failure by our CDMOs or us to make any necessary changes to such manufacturing process and demonstrate comparability to materials used in earlier clinical phases; and third parties being unwilling or unable to satisfy their contractual obligations to us.
Current wording
We cannot be sure that the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities will agree with our clinical development plan. We have completed enrollment in our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 in patients with Rett syndrome and have commenced dosing in our Embolden registrational trial for NGN-401. However, if the FDA or any comparable regulatory authorities require us to conduct additional trials or enroll additional patients, our development timelines may be delayed, or we may not be able to pursue further development due to such delays. For example, in November 2024, we announced that we do not expect to move forward with the NGN-101 for CLN5 Batten disease gene therapy program at this time. Given the rarity of the disease, continued investment in the program was predicated on alignment on a streamlined registrational pathway with the FDA. To support a streamlined pathway, we submitted an RMAT application to the FDA. Despite our belief that we met the standard of preliminary clinical evidence required to obtain an RMAT designation, the RMAT application was denied. We cannot be sure that submission of an IND application, clinical trial application (“CTA”) or similar application will result in the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, as applicable, allowing clinical trials to begin in a timely manner, if at all. Moreover, even if these trials begin, issues may arise that could cause regulatory authorities to require us to suspend or terminate such clinical trials. Events that may prevent successful or timely initiation or completion of clinical trials include: inability to generate sufficient preclinical, toxicology or other in vivo or in vitro data to support the initiation or continuation of clinical trials; delays in reaching a consensus with regulatory authorities on study design or implementation of the clinical trials; delays or failure in obtaining regulatory authorization to commence a trial; delays in reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and clinical trial sites; delays in identifying, recruiting and training suitable clinical investigators; delays in obtaining required IRB approval at each clinical trial site; difficulties in patient enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons; delays related to safety concerns; delays in manufacturing, testing, releasing, validating or importing/exporting sufficient stable quantities of our product candidates for use in clinical trials or the inability to do any of the foregoing; failure by our CROs, other third parties or us to adhere to clinical trial protocols; failure to perform in accordance with the FDA’s or any other regulatory authority’s good clinical practices (“GCPs”) or applicable regulatory guidelines in other countries; changes to the clinical trial protocols; clinical sites deviating from trial protocol…
Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.
Previous wording
Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects, adverse events or unexpected characteristics. We believe NGN-401 has been generally well-tolerated at the 1E15 vg dose; however, we have not yet completed this clinical trial and the benefit-risk assessments of our product candidates remains ongoing. In November 2024, a participant who had recently received the 3E15 vg dose of NGN-401 experienced an SAE consistent with the known risks of AAV gene therapy and subsequently died following complications from a rare and life-threatening hyperinflammatory syndrome associated with systemic exposure to high doses of AAV. Participants at the 1E15 vg dose level have also experienced adverse events, and may experience adverse events in the future. If additional SAEs or other adverse events or other side effects are observed in any of our current or future clinical trials, we may have difficulty recruiting patients to such trials, patients may drop out of our trials, patients may be harmed, or we may be required to delay enrollment or abandon one or more cohorts of a trial or delay or abandon the trials or our development efforts of one or more product candidates altogether, including NGN-401. We, the FDA, MHRA, or other applicable regulatory authorities, or an IRB, may require suspension of any clinical trials of NGN-401 or any other product candidates at any time for various reasons, including a finding that subjects or patients in such trials are being exposed to unacceptable health risks or adverse side effects. Some potential products developed in the biotechnology industry that initially showed therapeutic promise in early-stage trials have later been found to cause side effects that prevented their further development. Even if the side effects do not preclude a product candidate from obtaining or maintaining marketing approval, undesirable side effects may inhibit market acceptance of an approved product due to its tolerability versus other therapies. In addition, as gene replacement has a potentially life-long activity, with no ability to withdraw the product as with other treatment modalities, this profile could prolong the duration of undesirable side effects, which could also inhibit market acceptance. Treatment-emergent adverse events could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled subjects to complete our clinical trials or could result in potential product liability claims. Potential side effects associated with NGN-401 or any other product candidates may not be appropriately recognized or managed by the treating medical staff, as toxicities resulting from NGN-401 or any other product candidates may not be normally encountered in the general patient population and by medical personnel. Any of these occurrences could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects significantly.
Current wording
Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects, adverse events or unexpected characteristics. We believe NGN-401 has been generally well-tolerated at the 1E15 vg dose; however, we have not yet completed this clinical trial and the benefit-risk assessments of our product candidates remains ongoing. In November 2024, a participant who had recently received the 3E15 vg dose of NGN-401 experienced an SAE consistent with the known risks of AAV gene therapy and subsequently died following complications from a rare and life-threatening hyperinflammatory syndrome associated with systemic exposure to high doses of AAV. Participants at the 1E15 vg dose have also experienced adverse events, and may experience adverse events in the future. If additional SAEs or other adverse events or other side effects are observed in any of our current or future clinical trials, we may have difficulty recruiting patients to such trials, patients may drop out of our trials, patients may be harmed, or we may be required to delay enrollment or abandon one or more cohorts of a trial or delay or abandon the trials or our development efforts of one or more product candidates altogether, including NGN-401. We, the FDA, MHRA, or other applicable regulatory authorities, or an IRB, may require suspension of any clinical trials of NGN-401 or any other product candidates at any time for various reasons, including a finding that subjects or patients in such trials are being exposed to unacceptable health risks or adverse side effects. Some potential products developed in the biotechnology industry that initially showed therapeutic promise in early-stage trials have later been found to cause side effects that prevented their further development. Even if the side effects do not preclude a product candidate from obtaining or maintaining marketing approval, undesirable side effects may inhibit market acceptance of an approved product due to its tolerability versus other therapies. In addition, as gene replacement has a potentially life-long activity, with no ability to withdraw the product as with other treatment modalities, this profile could prolong the duration of undesirable side effects, which could also inhibit market acceptance. Treatment-emergent adverse events could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled subjects to complete our clinical trials or could result in potential product liability claims. Potential side effects associated with NGN-401 or any other product candidates may not be appropriately recognized or managed by the treating medical staff, as toxicities resulting from NGN-401 or any other product candidates may not be normally encountered in the general patient population and by medical personnel. Any of these occurrences could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects significantly.
Previous wording
In addition, even if we successfully advance NGN-401 or any other product candidates through clinical trials, such trials will only include a limited number of patients and limited duration of follow up to such product candidates. As a result, we cannot be assured that adverse effects of NGN-401 or any other product candidates will not be uncovered when a significantly larger number of patients are exposed to such product candidate after approval, or a significantly longer follow up post-dosing is obtained as part of regulators’ recommendations for long-term follow up of clinical study subjects treated with gene therapy. For example, product candidates tested in clinical-stage gene therapy trials by commercial-stage companies have later been involved in well-publicized adverse events after approval and commercialization, including death, and/or have failed to demonstrate the expected efficacy. Lack of efficacy or serious adverse events, even if such adverse events are not ultimately attributable to the relevant product candidates, may result in increased government regulation, unfavorable public perception of gene therapies, potential regulatory delays in the testing or approval of our product candidates, stricter labeling requirements for those product candidates that are approved and a decrease in demand for any such product candidates. Further, any clinical trials may not be sufficient to determine the effect and safety consequences of using our product candidates over a multi-year period.
Current wording
In addition, even if we successfully advance NGN-401 or any other product candidates through clinical trials, such trials will only include a limited number of patients and limited duration of follow up to such product candidates. As a result, we cannot be assured that adverse effects of NGN-401 or any other product candidates will not be uncovered when a significantly larger number of patients are exposed to such product candidate after approval, or a significantly longer follow up post-dosing is obtained as part of regulators’ recommendations for long-term follow up of clinical study subjects treated with gene therapy. For example, product candidates tested in clinical-stage gene therapy trials by commercial stage companies have later been involved in well-publicized adverse events after approval and commercialization, including death, and/or have failed to demonstrate the expected efficacy. Lack of efficacy or the occurrence of serious adverse events, even if such adverse events are not ultimately attributable to the relevant product candidate, may result in increased government regulation, unfavorable public perception of gene therapies, potential regulatory delays in the testing or approval of our product candidates, stricter labeling requirements for those product candidates that are approved and a decrease in demand for any such product candidate. Further, any clinical trials may not be sufficient to determine the effect and safety consequences of using our product candidates over a multi-year period. For example, another company pursuing gene therapy in a clinical trial for a different rare disease recently reported the discovery of cancer believed to have been caused by vector integration several years after an AAV-based gene therapy treatment was received by that patient, although causality has yet to be fully established. While we believe such subsequent adverse events to be rare, because gene therapy is relatively new, there may be other potential risks of gene therapy that may emerge in the years following treatment of which we are not yet aware. Safety issues in other AAV-based gene therapy programs could result in increased regulatory scrutiny, new guidance, clinical holds on our trials, protocol amendments, or delays affecting our programs even if our trials have not experienced similar events.
Previous wording
Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we intend to focus our research and development efforts on certain selected product candidates. To date we have allocated significant resources to our most advanced product candidates, NGN-401 and NGN-101. As a result, we may forgo or delay pursuit of opportunities with other potential candidates that may later prove to have greater commercial potential. For example, in November 2024, we announced that we do not expect to move forward with the NGN-101 for CLN5 Batten disease gene therapy program at this time. Given the rarity of the disease, continued investment in the program was predicated on a streamlined registrational pathway with the FDA. To support a streamlined pathway, we submitted an RMAT application to the FDA. Despite our belief that we met the standard of preliminary clinical evidence required to obtain an RMAT designation, the RMAT designation was denied. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable product candidates. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such candidate.
Current wording
Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we intend to focus our research and development efforts on certain selected product candidates. To date we have allocated significant resources to our most advanced product candidates, NGN-401 and NGN-101. As a result, we may forgo or delay pursuit of opportunities with other potential candidates that may later prove to have greater commercial potential. For example, in November 2024, we announced that we do not expect to move forward with the NGN-101 for CLN5 Batten disease gene therapy program at this time. Given therarity of the disease, continued investment in the program was predicated on a streamlined registrational pathway with the FDA. To support a streamlined pathway, we submitted an RMAT application to the FDA. Despite our belief that we met the standard of preliminary clinical evidence required to obtain an RMAT designation, the RMAT designation was denied. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable product candidates. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such candidate.
Previous wording
We are early in our development efforts and will need to successfully complete later-stage and pivotal clinical trials in order to obtain FDA or comparable foreign regulatory approval to market our product candidates. Carrying out clinical trials and the submission of a successful IND or CTA is a complicated process. Even though our product candidate NGN-401 for Rett syndrome has been accepted into the FDA’s START program and RMAT program, the combination of which is expected to allow access to frequent advice from FDA staff, intensive guidance on efficient drug development and eligibility for an Accelerated Approval pathway and Priority Review, our lack of experience with FDA submissions may still slow our progress towards FDA approval. We have completed enrollment in both our Phase 1/2 trial of NGN-101 for the treatment of CLN5 Batten disease and our Phase 1/2 clinical trial for NGN-401 for treatment of Rett syndrome and have commenced dosing in our Embolden registrational trial for NGN-401 in the United States; however, we have not yet completed a Phase 1/2 clinical trial and have limited experience as a company in preparing, submitting and prosecuting regulatory filings. We expect to engage with foreign regulators to determine the requirements to support initiation of a pivotal clinical trial in foreign countries; however, those regulatory authorities may recommend changes to the study design for NGN-401, including the number and size of registrational clinical trials required to be conducted in that program. Regulatory authorities could also require manufacturing changes or have us implement additional analytical processes prior to initiation of a future clinical trial. Consequently, we may be unable to successfully and efficiently execute and complete necessary clinical trials in a way that leads to regulatory submission and approval of our product candidates or we may determine that the regulatory requirements for submission are too burdensome to support continued development of one or more of our product candidates, as we did with our NGN-101 product candidate for CLN5 Batten disease, which we do not plan to move forward with due to a lack of alignment with the FDA on a streamlined pathway to registration. Additionally, even if regulatory authorities agree with the design and implementation of the clinical trials set forth in a regulatory meeting, such regulatory authorities may change their requirements in the future. The FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require the analysis of data from trials assessing different doses of the product candidate alone or in combination with other therapies to justify the selected dose prior to the initiation of large trials in a specific indication. Any delays or failure to initiate clinical trials or obtain regulatory approvals for our trials may prevent us from completing our clinical trials or commercializing our products on a timely basis, if at all. We are subject to similar risks…
Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.
Current wording
We are early in our development efforts and will need to successfully complete later-stage and pivotal clinical trials in order to obtain FDA or comparable foreign regulatory approval to market our product candidates. Carrying out clinical trials and the submission of a successful IND or CTA is a complicated process. Even though our product candidate NGN-401 for Rett syndrome has been accepted into the FDA’s START program and granted Breakthrough Therapy and RMAT designations, the combination of which is expected to allow access to frequent advice from FDA staff, intensive guidance on efficient drug development and eligibility for an Accelerated Approval pathway and Priority Review, our lack of experience with FDA submissions may still slow our progress towards FDA approval. We have completed enrollment in both our Phase 1/2 trial of NGN-101 for the treatment of CLN5 Batten disease and our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 for the treatment of Rett syndrome and have commenced dosing in our Embolden registrational trial for NGN-401 in the United States; however, we have not yet completed a Phase 1/2 clinical trial and have limited experience as a company in preparing, submitting and prosecuting regulatory filings. We expect to engage with foreign regulators to determine the requirements to support initiation of a pivotal clinical trial in foreign countries; however, those regulatory authorities may have different requirements for approval, including different requirements for clinical trial designs, and may recommend or require changes to the study design for NGN-401, including the number and size of registrational clinical trials required to be conducted in that program to be considered for approval. Regulatory authorities could also require manufacturing changes or have us implement additional analytical processes prior to initiation of a future clinical trial. Consequently, we may be unable to successfully and efficiently execute and complete necessary clinical trials in a way that leads to regulatory submission and approval of our product candidates or we may determine that the regulatory requirements for submission are too burdensome to support continued development of one or more of our product candidates, as we did with our NGN-101 product candidate for CLN5 Batten disease, which we do not plan to move forward with due to a lack of alignment with the FDA on a streamlined pathway to registration. Additionally, even if regulatory authorities agree with the design and implementation of the clinical trials set forth in a regulatory meeting, such regulatory authorities may change their requirements in the future. The FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require the analysis of data from trials assessing different doses of the product candidate alone or in combination with other therapies to justify the selected dose prior to the initiation of large trials in a specific indication. Any delays or failure to initiate clinical tria…
Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.
Previous wording
Biological products are inherently difficult to manufacture. Although we believe that the manufacture of our product candidates may be simplified due to their shared raw materials and other similarities, we cannot be certain that this will be the case and we may be required to develop manufacturing methods that ultimately differ significantly between product candidates, which would require that we invest substantial time and capital to develop suitable manufacturing methods. Our program materials are manufactured using technically complex processes requiring specialized equipment and facilities, highly specific raw materials, cells, and reagents, and other production constraints. Our production process requires a number of highly specific raw materials, cells and reagents with limited suppliers. Even though we aim to have backup supplies of raw materials, cells and reagents whenever possible, we cannot be certain those supplies will be sufficient if our primary sources are unavailable. One or more of our suppliers is the sole source of certain materials used by us in our manufacturing process, and a disruption of the supply of those materials could also negatively impact our ability to manufacture clinical supply as we would have to suspend or revise our operations to accommodate for any disruption in the supply of those materials. A shortage of a critical raw material, cell line, or reagent, or a technical issue during manufacturing, may lead to delays in clinical development or commercialization plans. We are particularly susceptible to any shortages, delays or inability to obtain suitable raw materials, given that all of our current and planned product candidates require this starting material. Any changes in the manufacturing of components of the raw materials we use could result in unanticipated or unfavorable effects in our manufacturing processes, resulting in delays.
Current wording
Biological products are inherently difficult to manufacture. Although we believe that the manufacture of our product candidates may be simplified due to their shared raw materials and other similarities, we cannot be certain that this will be the case and we may be required to develop manufacturing methods that ultimately differ significantly between product candidates, which would require that we invest substantial time and capital to develop suitable manufacturing methods. Our program materials are manufactured using technically complex processes requiring specialized equipment and facilities, highly specific raw materials, cells, and reagents, and other production constraints. Our production process requires a number of highly specific raw materials, cells and reagents with limited suppliers. Even though we aim to have backup supplies of raw materials, cells and reagents whenever possible, we cannot be certain those supplies will be sufficient if our primary sources are unavailable. One or more of our suppliers is the sole source of certain materials used by us in our manufacturing process, and a disruption of the supply of those materials could also negatively impact our ability to manufacture clinical supply as we would have to suspend or revise our operations to accommodate for any disruption in the supply of those materials. A shortage of a critical raw material, cell line, or reagent, or a technical issue during manufacturing, may lead to delays in clinical development or commercialization plans. We are particularly susceptible to any shortages, delays or inability to obtain suitable raw materials, given that all of our current and planned product candidates require this starting material. Any changes in the manufacturing of components of the raw materials we use could result in unanticipated or unfavorable effects in our manufacturing processes, resulting in delays. The raw materials we use may also be sensitive to certain environmental factors, may change over time, or may be of inconsistent quality which could cause small variances in the biological assays between manufacturing lots. If we experience significant variability between our manufacturing lots, we may be required to perform additional testing for safety and efficacy prior to seeking approval for such product candidate, which could delay our development process.
Previous wording
Delays in developing our manufacturing capabilities or failure to achieve operating efficiencies from such capabilities may require us to devote additional resources and management time to manufacturing operations and may delay our product development timelines.
Current wording
Delays in developing our manufacturing capabilities or failure to achieve operating efficiencies from such capabilities may require us to devote additional resources and management time to manufacturing operations for future product candidates and may delay our product development timelines.
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Current report — wording carried from elsewhere
Since the start of President Trump’s administration in 2025 (the “Trump Administration”), U.S. policy changes have been implemented at a rapid pace and additional change is likely. It is difficult to predict how executive actions that may be taken under the current administration may affect the FDA’s ability to exercise its regulatory authority. If any actions impose constraints on the FDA’s ability to engage in routine oversight and product review activities in the normal course, our business may be negatively impacted. Additionally, the Trump Administration or other parts of the federal government could adopt legislation, regulations or policies that adversely affect our business or create a more challenging and costly environment to pursue the development, approval and commercialization of our product candidates. Recent developments at the FDA include announcement of a plan to phase out animal testing for monoclonal antibodies and certain other drugs, the proposed rare disease evidence principles program to facilitate approval of drugs to treat rare diseases with very small patient populations with significant unmet medical need and with a known genetic defect that is the major driver of the pathophysiology, and the announcement of a new Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program for companies supporting certain U.S. national health priorities and interests. To the extent our competitors are selected for this new voucher pilot program, or are otherwise able to participate in any of these initiatives intended to accelerate drug development and application review, and obtain faster approval than us, our competitive position may be harmed.
Rearranged previous paragraphs (1)
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
We cannot be sure that the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities will agree with our clinical development plan. We have completed enrollment in our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NGN-401 in patients with Rett syndrome and have commenced dosing in our Embolden registrational trial for NGN-401. However, if the FDA or any comparable regulatory authorities require us to conduct additional trials or enroll additional patients, our development timelines may be delayed, or we may not be able to pursue further development due to such delays. For example, in November 2024, we announced that we do not expect to move forward with the NGN-101 for CLN5 Batten disease gene therapy program at this time. Given the rarity of the disease, continued investment in the program was predicated on alignment on a streamlined registrational pathway with the FDA. To support a streamlined pathway, we submitted an RMAT application to the FDA. Despite our belief that we met the standard of preliminary clinical evidence required to obtain an RMAT designation, the RMAT application was denied.