C4 Therapeutics Inc

Previous wording

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with limited operating history. Our net loss was $17.7 million and $35.9 million for six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of June 30, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $574.5 million. To date, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and have financed our operations primarily through sales of our equity interests, including public offerings or other issuances of our common stock, proceeds from our collaborations and debt financing. We are still in the early stages of development of our product candidates. As a result, we expect that it will be several years, if ever, before we have a product candidate ready for regulatory approval and commercialization. We may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, may never generate revenues that are significant enough to achieve profitability. To become and remain profitable, we must succeed in developing, obtaining marketing approval for, and commercializing products that generate significant revenue. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities, including, without limitation, successfully completing preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates, discovering additional product candidates, establishing arrangements with third parties for the conduct of our clinical trials, procuring clinical- and commercial-scale manufacturing, obtaining marketing approval for our product candidates, manufacturing, marketing and selling any products for which we may obtain marketing approval, identifying collaborators to develop product candidates we identify or additional uses of existing product candidates, and successfully completing development of product candidates for our collaboration partners.

Current wording

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with limited operating history. Our net loss was $24.7 million and $27.0 million for nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of September 30, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $599.1 million. To date, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and have financed our operations primarily through sales of our equity interests, including public offerings or other issuances of our common stock, proceeds from our collaborations and debt financing. We are still in the early stages of development of our product candidates. As a result, we expect that it will be several years, if ever, before we have a product candidate ready for regulatory approval and commercialization. We may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, may never generate revenues that are significant enough to achieve profitability. To become and remain profitable, we must succeed in developing, obtaining marketing approval for, and commercializing products that generate significant revenue. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities, including, without limitation, successfully completing preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates, discovering additional product candidates, establishing arrangements with third parties for the conduct of our clinical trials, procuring clinical- and commercial-scale manufacturing, obtaining marketing approval for our product candidates, manufacturing, marketing and selling any products for which we may obtain marketing approval, identifying collaborators to develop product candidates we identify or additional uses of existing product candidates, and successfully completing development of product candidates for our collaboration partners.

Previous wording

We had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of approximately $295.7 million as of June 30, 2024. We believe that these funds and the anticipated cost savings from our restructuring in January 2024, will be sufficient to fund our planned operating expenses into 2027. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could deplete our current capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

Current wording

We had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of approximately $284.4 million as of September 30, 2024. We believe that these funds and the anticipated cost savings from our restructuring in January 2024 will be sufficient to fund our planned operating expenses into 2027. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could deplete our current capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

Previous wording

While we have commenced clinical trials of several of our product candidates, some of which remain ongoing, we have not yet initiated clinical trials for any of our other product candidates. As is the case with all drugs, it is likely that there may be side effects associated with the use of our product candidates related to on-target toxicity, off-target toxicity, or other mechanisms of drug toxicity including chemical-based toxicity. Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects of this nature. If unacceptable levels of toxicity are observed or if our product candidates have other characteristics that are unexpected, we may need to abandon their development, modify our development plans as to dose level and/or dose schedule or otherwise, or limit development to more narrow uses or subpopulations in which the undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective. For example, due to observed safety signals, we previously modified the dosing schedule in our ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of cemsidomide (CFT7455) as we continue to advance this clinical trial. Further, if we were to observe unacceptable levels of side effects, or if other developers of similar targeted protein degraders were to find an unacceptable severity or prevalence of side effects with their drug candidates, our trials could be suspended or terminated, and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities could order us to cease further development of or deny approval of our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. Drug-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete an ongoing trial or result in potential product liability claims. Many compounds that initially showed promise in early-stage testing for treating cancer have later been found to cause side effects that prevented further development of the compound. Any of these occurrences may significantly harm our business, financial condition, and prospects.

Current wording

While we have commenced clinical trials of several of our product candidates, some of which remain ongoing, we have not yet initiated clinical trials for the remainder of our product candidates. As is the case with all drugs, it is likely that there may be side effects associated with the use of our product candidates related to on-target toxicity, off-target toxicity, or other mechanisms of drug toxicity including chemical-based toxicity. Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects of this nature. If unacceptable levels of toxicity are observed or if our product candidates have other characteristics that are unexpected, we may need to abandon their development, modify our development plans as to dose level and/or dose schedule or otherwise, or limit development to more narrow uses or subpopulations in which the undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective. For example, due to observed safety signals, we previously modified the dosing schedule in our ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of cemsidomide (CFT7455) as we continue to advance this clinical trial. Further, if we were to observe unacceptable levels of side effects, or if other developers of similar targeted protein degraders were to find an unacceptable severity or prevalence of side effects with their drug candidates, our trials could be suspended or terminated, and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities could order us to cease further development of or deny approval of our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. Drug-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete an ongoing trial or result in potential product liability claims. Many compounds that initially showed promise in early-stage testing for treating cancer have later been found to cause side effects that prevented further development of the compound. Any of these occurrences may significantly harm our business, financial condition, and prospects.

Previous wording

While we have commenced clinical trials of several product candidates, one of which we elected to shut down, and anticipate the commencement of a clinical trial of CFT8919 through our partner Betta Pharma, all of our other product candidates are still in the discovery stage at this time and the risk of failure for all of our product candidates remains high. We are unable to predict when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans or will receive marketing approval. Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of any product candidate, we must conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates in humans.

Current wording

While we have commenced clinical trials of several product candidates, one of which we elected to shut down, and anticipate the commencement of a clinical trial of CFT8919 through our partner Betta Pharma, the remainder of our product candidates are still in the discovery stage at this time and the risk of failure for all of our product candidates remains high. We are unable to predict when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans or will receive marketing approval. Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of any product candidate, we must conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates in humans.

Previous wording

We may not be able to initiate 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 or similar regulatory authorities outside of the United States. We have progressed three product candidates, cemsidomide (CFT7455), CFT8634, and CFT1946, into first-in-human clinical trials in June 2021, May 2022, and December 2022, respectively, with clinical trials currently ongoing for cemsidomide (CFT7455) and CFT1946 and a clinical trial planned for CFT8919 through our partner, Betta Pharma. While we believe that we will be able to enroll a sufficient number of patients into each of our ongoing and planned clinical trials, we cannot predict with certainty how difficult it will be to enroll patients for trials, some of which are in rare indications. Our ability to identify and enroll eligible patients for clinical trials of our product candidates may turn out to be limited or we may be slower in enrolling these trials than we anticipate. In addition, some of our competitors have ongoing clinical trials for product candidates that treat the same indications as our product candidates and, as a result, patients who would be eligible for our clinical trials may instead elect to enroll in clinical trials of our competitors’ product candidates. Patient enrollment in clinical trials is also affected by other factors including:

Current wording

We may not be able to initiate 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 or similar regulatory authorities outside of the United States. We have progressed three product candidates, cemsidomide (CFT7455), CFT8634, and CFT1946, into first-in-human clinical trials in June 2021, May 2022, and December 2022, respectively, with clinical trials currently ongoing for cemsidomide (CFT7455) and CFT1946 and a clinical trial planned for CFT8919 through our partner, Betta Pharma. While we believe that we or our partner will be able to enroll a sufficient number of patients into each ongoing or planned clinical trials, we cannot predict with certainty how difficult it will be to enroll patients for trials, some of which are in rare indications. Our ability to identify and enroll eligible patients for clinical trials of our product candidates may turn out to be limited or we may be slower in enrolling these trials than we anticipate. In addition, some of our competitors have ongoing clinical trials for product candidates that treat the same indications as our product candidates and, as a result, patients who would be eligible for our clinical trials may instead elect to enroll in clinical trials of our competitors’ product candidates. Patient enrollment in clinical trials is also affected by other factors including:

Previous wording

We currently rely on CROs to conduct our clinical trials, as we currently do not plan to independently conduct clinical trials of any of our product candidates. Additionally, we must contract with third-party research sites for the conduct of our clinical trials. Just as we rely on Betta Pharma to develop CFT8919 in Greater China in an efficient and effective manner, we may also similarly rely on other third party collaboration partners in the future to develop one or more of our products in various territories on certain timelines. Our agreements with these CROs, sites, and other third parties might terminate for a variety of reasons, including a failure to perform by the third parties. If we were ever to need to enter into alternative arrangements or if we were to need to change a CRO for an ongoing clinical trial, which we have done in the past, we might experience delays in our clinical development activities.

Current wording

We currently rely on CROs to conduct our clinical trials, and we currently do not plan to independently conduct clinical trials of any of our product candidates. Additionally, we must contract with third-party research sites for the conduct of our clinical trials. Just as we rely on Betta Pharma to develop CFT8919 in Greater China in an efficient and effective manner, we may also similarly rely on other third-party collaboration partners in the future to develop one or more of our products in various territories on certain timelines. Our agreements with these CROs, sites, and other third parties might terminate for a variety of reasons, including a failure to perform by the third parties. If we were ever to need to enter into alternative arrangements or if we were to need to change a CRO for an ongoing clinical trial, which we have done in the past, we might experience delays in our clinical development activities.

Previous wording

We also currently rely on certain foreign or foreign-owned third-party vendors, including WuXi AppTec (Hong Kong) Limited, and its affiliates, or WuXi, to manufacture certain materials used in clinical trials of our product candidates or to provide services in connection with certain clinical trials or certain discovery activities. Our engagement with these foreign and foreign-owned vendors may be subject to new U.S. legislation or investigations, such as the proposed BIOSECURE Act, sanctions, trade restrictions and other foreign regulatory requirements, which could cause us to need to identify alternate service providers, increase the cost or reduce the supply of materials available to us, delay the procurement or supply of these materials, delay or impact clinical trials, have an adverse effect on our ability to secure significant commitments from governments to purchase our potential therapies, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition and business prospects.

Current wording

We also currently rely on certain foreign or foreign-owned third-party vendors to manufacture certain materials used in clinical trials of our product candidates or to provide services in connection with certain clinical trials or certain discovery activities. Our engagement with these foreign and foreign-owned vendors may be subject to new U.S. legislation or investigations, sanctions, trade restrictions and other foreign regulatory requirements, which could cause us to need to identify alternate service providers, increase the cost or reduce the supply of materials available to us, delay the procurement or supply of these materials, delay or impact clinical trials, have an adverse effect on our ability to secure significant commitments from governments to purchase our potential therapies, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition and business prospects.

Previous wording

We have only limited supply agreements in place with respect to our product candidates and these existing arrangements do not extend to commercial supply. We acquire many key materials on a purchase order basis. As a result, we do not have long-term committed arrangements with respect to our product candidates and other materials. If we anticipate receiving or receive marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we will need to establish or have established an agreement for commercial manufacture with one or more third parties. In addition, new U.S. legislation or investigations, such as the proposed BIOSECURE Act, as well as possible sanctions, trade restrictions and/or other foreign regulatory requirements, could serve to limit the third parties we could engage, increase the cost or reduce the supply of materials available to us, or otherwise adversely affect our financial condition and business prospects.

Current wording

We have only limited supply agreements in place with respect to our product candidates and these existing arrangements do not extend to commercial supply. We acquire many key materials on a purchase order basis. As a result, we do not have long-term committed arrangements with respect to our product candidates and other materials. If we anticipate receiving or receive marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we will need to establish or have established an agreement for commercial manufacture with one or more third parties. In addition, new U.S. legislation or investigations, as well as possible sanctions, trade restrictions and/or other foreign regulatory requirements, could serve to limit the third parties we could engage, increase the cost or reduce the supply of materials available to us, or otherwise adversely affect our financial condition and business prospects.

Previous wording

Currently, we have four collaborations involving our research programs:

Current wording

Currently, we have three collaborations involving our ongoing research programs:

Previous wording

Under these collaboration agreements, we are generally responsible for developing drug candidates leveraging our TORPEDO platform based on partner-selected targets. Further, these agreements provide that our collaboration partners have exclusive rights to develop degraders for their selected and reserved targets. As a result, we are not permitted to pursue a target of potential interest – either alone or with another partner – while that target is bound by these restrictions.

Current wording

Under these collaboration agreements, we are generally responsible for developing drug candidates leveraging our TORPEDO platform based on partner-selected targets. Further, these agreements as well as our agreements with prior research collaboration partners provide that our current and past collaboration partners have exclusive rights to develop degraders for their selected and reserved targets. As a result, we are not permitted to pursue a target of potential interest – either alone or with another partner – while that target is bound by these restrictions.

Previous wording

Further, if our collaborations do not result in the successful development and commercialization of products or if one of our collaborators terminates its agreement with us or elects not to pursue a program within a collaboration, we may not receive any future research funding or milestone or royalty payments under that collaboration or in respect of that terminated program. If that were to happen, we might decide to abandon the program or to move the program forward on our own, which would require us to devote additional resources to the program on a going-forward basis. In addition, if one of our collaborators terminates its agreement with us generally, which they are permitted to do for convenience with between 90 and 270 days’ notice, or with respect to a specific target or in connection with a material breach of the agreement by us that remains uncured for a specified period of time, we may find it more difficult to attract new collaborators and our development programs may be delayed or the perception of us in the business and financial communities could be adversely affected. All of the risks relating to product development, marketing approval and commercialization described in this report apply to the activities of our collaborators.

Current wording

Further, if our collaborations do not result in the successful development and commercialization of products or if one of our collaborators terminates its agreement with us or elects not to pursue a program within a collaboration, we may not receive any future research funding or milestone or royalty payments under that collaboration or in respect of that terminated program. If that were to happen, we might decide to abandon the program or to move the program forward on our own, which would require us to devote additional resources to the program on a going-forward basis. In addition, if one of our collaborators terminates its agreement with us generally, which they are permitted to do for convenience with between 60 and 270 days’ notice, or with respect to a specific target or in connection with a material breach of the agreement by us that remains uncured for a specified period of time, we may find it more difficult to attract new collaborators and our development programs may be delayed or the perception of us in the business and financial communities could be adversely affected. All of the risks relating to product development, marketing approval and commercialization described in this report apply to the activities of our collaborators.

Previous wording

In May 2023, we entered into the Betta Pharma License Agreement with Betta Pharma under which we are collaboratingon the development and commercialization of CFT8919 in Greater China, while retaining rights to develop and commercialize CFT8919 in the rest of the world. Similarly, in the future, we may form or seek strategic alliances, create joint ventures, or other collaborations or enter into additional licensing arrangements with third parties that we believe will complement or augment our development and commercialization efforts with respect to our product candidates and any future product candidates that we may develop. Our likely collaborators in any other collaboration arrangements we may enter into include large and mid-size pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies. However, it is possible that we will not be able to enter into a collaboration agreement of this nature or that the terms of any potential new collaboration arrangement may not be favorable.

Current wording

In May 2023, we entered into the Betta Pharma License Agreement with Betta Pharma under which Betta Pharma receives an exclusive license for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of CFT8919 in Greater China, while we retain the rights to develop and commercialize CFT8919 in the rest of the world. Similarly, in the future, we may form or seek strategic alliances, create joint ventures, or other collaborations or enter into additional licensing arrangements with third parties that we believe will complement or augment our development and commercialization efforts with respect to our product candidates and any future product candidates that we may develop. Our likely collaborators in any other collaboration arrangements we may enter into include large and mid-size pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies. However, it is possible that we will not be able to enter into a collaboration agreement of this nature or that the terms of any potential new collaboration arrangement may not be favorable.

Previous wording

We are developing product candidates to target cancer, but cancer therapies are sometimes characterized as first-line, second-line, third-line, or subsequent line and the FDA often approves new therapies initially only for a particular line of use. When cancer is detected early enough, first-line therapy is sometimes adequate to cure the cancer or prolong life without a cure. Whenever first-line therapy – usually chemotherapy, antibody drugs, tumor-targeted small molecules, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, surgery, other targeted therapies, or a combination of these therapies – proves unsuccessful, second-line therapy may be administered. Second-line therapies often consist of more chemotherapy, radiation, antibody drugs, tumor-targeted small molecules, or a combination of these. Third-line therapies can include chemotherapy, antibody drugs and small molecule tumor-targeted therapies, more invasive forms of surgery, and new technologies. We expect initially to seek approval of our product candidates in most instances as a second- or third-line therapy, for use in patients with relapsed or refractory cancer. Subsequently, for those product candidates that prove to be sufficiently safe and beneficial, if any, we would expect to seek approval as a second-line therapy and potentially as a first-line therapy, but there is no guarantee that any of our product candidates, even if approved as a second- or third- or subsequent line of therapy, would subsequently be approved for an earlier line of therapy. Further, it is possible that, prior to getting any approvals for our product candidates in earlier lines of treatment, we might have to conduct additional clinical trials.

Current wording

We are developing product candidates to target cancer, but cancer therapies are sometimes characterized as first-line, second-line, third-line, or subsequent line and the FDA often approves new therapies initially only for a particular line of use. When cancer is detected early enough, first-line therapy is sometimes adequate to cure the cancer or prolong life without a cure. Whenever first-line therapy – usually chemotherapy, antibody drugs, tumor-targeted small molecules, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, surgery, other targeted therapies, or a combination of these therapies – proves unsuccessful, second-line therapy may be administered. Second-line therapies often consist of more chemotherapy, radiation, antibody drugs, tumor-targeted small molecules, or a combination of these. Third-line therapies can include chemotherapy, antibody drugs and small molecule tumor-targeted therapies, more invasive forms of surgery, and new technologies. We expect initially to seek approval of our product candidates in most instances as a later-line therapy, for use in patients with relapsed or refractory cancer. Subsequently, for those product candidates that prove to be sufficiently safe and beneficial, if any, we would expect to seek approval as a second-line therapy and potentially as a first-line therapy, but there is no guarantee that any of our product candidates, even if approved as a second- or third- or subsequent line of therapy, would subsequently be approved for an earlier line of therapy. Further, it is possible that, prior to getting any approvals for our product candidates in earlier lines of treatment, we might have to conduct additional clinical trials.

Previous wording

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

Current wording

We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the testing of our product candidates in human clinical trials and will face an even greater risk if or when we commercially sell any products that we may develop. If we cannot

Previous wording

The patent position of the biopharmaceutical industry generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and has been the subject of much litigation. In addition, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot know with certainty whether we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our owned, co-owned or licensed patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first inventors to file for patent protection of those inventions. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights or those of our collaborators are highly uncertain. Our pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued that protect our technology, product candidates or products, in whole or in part, or that effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies, product candidates and products. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent or other laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents and potential applications, narrow the scope of our patent protection, or cause us to be required to pay royalties to third parties. In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our patents and patent applications is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current or future product candidates.

Current wording

The patent position of the biopharmaceutical industry generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and has been the subject of much litigation. In addition, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot know with certainty whether we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our owned, co-owned or licensed patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first inventors to file for patent protection of those inventions. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights or those of our collaborators are highly uncertain. Our pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued that protect our technology, product candidates or products, in whole or in part, or that effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies, product candidates and products.

Previous wording

Our MonoDAC and BiDAC product candidates are small molecule pharmaceuticals, which degrade specific proteins. A number of companies and institutions have patent applications and issued patents in this general area, such as, for example, Accutar Biotechnology, Inc., Amgen Inc., Amphista Therapeutics, Ltd., Araxes Pharma, LLC, Arvinas, Inc., Astellas Pharma Inc., AstraZeneca PLC, Aurigen Discovery Technologies, Ltd., Bayer AG (and its subsidiary Vividion Therapeutics, Inc.), Beigene Co. Ltd., BioTheryX, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Bristol Myers Squibb Company (and its subsidiary Celgene Corporation), Captor Therapeutics Inc., Cullgen Inc., the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and its Center for Protein Degradation, Dialectic Therapeutics, Inc., Foghorn Therapeutics, Inc., Frontier Medicines Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Genentech, Inc., Glubio Therapeutics, Inc., Hinova Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Janssen Biotech, Inc., Kymera Therapeutics, Inc., Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Inc., Novartis International AG, Nurix Therapeutics, Inc., Orum Thereapeutic, Inc., Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Phoremost, Ltd., Plexium, Inc., Prelude Therapeutics, Inc., Inc., Roche AG, Salarius Pharmaceuticals Inc., Salarius Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Seed Therapeutics, Inc., Sichuan Haisco Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., SK Life Science Labs, Inc. (a subsidiary of SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd)., the University of Michigan School of Medicine, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and others. If any of these companies or institutions or others not included in this list were to assert that one of its patents is infringed by any product candidate or product we might develop or its use or manufacture, we or our collaborators may be drawn into expensive litigation, which could adversely affect our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations, require extensive time from and cause the distraction of members of our management team and employees at large. Further, if litigation of this nature were successful, that could have a material and adverse effect on the profitability of our products or prohibit their sale. We may not be aware of patent claims that are currently or may in the future be pending that could affect our business or products. Patent applications are typically published between six and eighteen months from filing and the presentation of new claims in already pending applications can sometimes not be visible to the public, which would include us, for a period of time. In addition, even after a patent application is publicly available, we may not yet have seen that patent application and may, therefore, not be aware of the claims or scope of filed and published patent applications. As a result, we cannot provide any assurance that a third party practicing in the general area of our technology will not present or has not presented a patent claim that covers one or more of our product candidates or products or their methods of use or manufacture. If that…

Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.

Current wording

Our MonoDAC and BiDAC product candidates are small molecule pharmaceuticals, which degrade specific proteins. A number of companies and institutions have patent applications and issued patents in this general area, such as, for example, Accutar Biotechnology, Inc., Amgen Inc., Amphista Therapeutics, Ltd., Araxes Pharma, LLC, Arvinas, Inc., Astellas Pharma Inc., AstraZeneca PLC, Aurigen Discovery Technologies, Ltd., Bayer AG (and its subsidiary Vividion Therapeutics, Inc.), BeiGene Co. Ltd., BioTheryX, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Bristol Myers Squibb Company (and its subsidiary Celgene Corporation), Captor Therapeutics Inc., Cullgen Inc., the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and its Center for Protein Degradation, Dialectic Therapeutics, Inc., Foghorn Therapeutics, Inc., Frontier Medicines Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Genentech, Inc., Glubio Therapeutics, Inc., Hinova Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Janssen Biotech, Inc., Kymera Therapeutics, Inc., Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Inc., Novartis International AG, Nurix Therapeutics, Inc., Orum Thereapeutics, Inc., Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Phoremost, Ltd., Plexium, Inc., Prelude Therapeutics, Inc., Inc., Roche AG, Salarius Pharmaceuticals Inc., Salarius Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Seed Therapeutics, Inc., Sichuan Haisco Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., SK Life Science Labs, Inc. (a subsidiary of SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd)., the University of Michigan School of Medicine, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and others. If any of these companies or institutions or others not included in this list were to assert that one of its patents is infringed by any product candidate or product we might develop or its use or manufacture, we or our collaborators may be drawn into expensive litigation, which could adversely affect our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations, require extensive time from and cause the distraction of members of our management team and employees at large. Further, if litigation of this nature were successful, that could have a material and adverse effect on the profitability of our products or prohibit their sale. We may not be aware of patent claims that are currently or may in the future be pending that could affect our business or products. Patent applications are typically published between six and eighteen months from filing and the presentation of new claims in already pending applications can sometimes not be visible to the public, which would include us, for a period of time. In addition, even after a patent application is publicly available, we may not yet have seen that patent application and may, therefore, not be aware of the claims or scope of filed and published patent applications. As a result, we cannot provide any assurance that a third party practicing in the general area of our technology will not present or has not presented a patent claim that covers one or more of our product candidates or products or their methods of use or manufacture. If tha…

Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.

Previous wording

Because our clinical candidates are pharmaceutical molecules that will be reviewed by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research of the FDA, after commercialization they will be subject in the United States to the patent litigation process of the Hatch-Waxman Act, as amended to date, which allows a generic company to submit an Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA, to the FDA to obtain approval to sell a generic version of our drug using bioequivalence data only. Under the Hatch-Waxman Act, we will list patents that cover our drug products or their respective methods of use in the FDA’s compendium of “Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluation,” sometimes referred to as the Orange Book.

Current wording

Because our clinical candidates are pharmaceutical molecules that will be reviewed by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research of the FDA, after commercialization they will be subject in the United States to the patent litigation process of the Hatch-Waxman Act, as amended to date, which allows a generic company to submit an Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA, to the FDA to obtain approval to sell a generic version of our drug using bioequivalence data only. Under the Hatch-Waxman Act, we will list patents that cover our drug products or their respective methods of use in the

Previous wording

Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome of a dispute of this nature is inherently unpredictable. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to seek to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and our failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position. In addition, some courts outside of the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. The Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 is a U.S. federal law that allows an owner of a trade secret to sue in federal court when its trade secret has been misappropriated. Congress passed this law in an attempt to strengthen the rights of trade secret owners whose valuable assets are taken without authorization. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate them, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor, our competitive position would be harmed.

Current wording

In addition to seeking patents for some of our technology and product candidates, we also rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology, and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect these trade secrets, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as our employees, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors, and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information nor result in the effective assignment to us of intellectual property and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information or other breaches of the agreements. In addition, others may independently discover our trade secrets and proprietary information. In that case, we could not assert any trade secret rights against that third party. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome of a dispute of this nature is inherently unpredictable. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to seek to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and our failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position. In addition, some courts outside of the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. The Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 is a U.S. federal law that allows an owner of a trade secret to sue in federal court when its trade secret has been misappropriated. Congress passed this law in an attempt to strengthen the rights of trade secret owners whose valuable assets are taken without authorization. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate them, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor, our competitive position would be harmed.

Previous wording

In the United States, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, or the CCPA, went into effect in January 2020. The CCPA provides new data privacy rights for consumers and new operational requirements for companies, including placing increased privacy and security obligations on entities handling certain personal data of consumers or households. These requirements could increase our compliance costs and potential liability. The CCPA gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. While there is currently an exception for protected health information that is subject to HIPAA and clinical trial regulations, as currently written, the CCPA may impact certain of our business activities.

Current wording

In the United States, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, or the CCPA, went into effect in January 2020. The CCPA provides data privacy rights for consumers and imposes operational requirements on companies, including placing increased privacy and security obligations on entities handling certain personal data of consumers or households in California. These requirements could increase our compliance costs and potential liability. The CCPA gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation.

Previous wording

Additionally, the CCPA was amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, or CPRA, which became effective on January 1, 2023. The amendments introduced by the CPRA significantly modified the CCPA, including by imposing additional obligations on covered businesses, expanding consumers’ rights and imposing new obligations with respect to certain sensitive personal information. The CPRA also created a new state agency that is vested with authority to implement and enforce the CCPA. The effects of the CCPA, as amended, are potentially significant and may require us to modify our data collection or processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and expenses in an effort to comply and increase our potential exposure to regulatory enforcement and/or litigation.

Current wording

Additionally, the CCPA was amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, or CPRA, which became effective on January 1, 2023. The CPRA significantly modified the CCPA, including by imposing additional obligations on covered businesses, expanding consumers’ rights and imposing new obligations with respect to certain sensitive personal information. The CPRA also created a new state agency that is vested with authority to implement and enforce the CCPA. The effects of the CCPA, as amended, are potentially significant and may require us to modify our data collection or processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and expenses in an effort to comply and increase our potential exposure to regulatory enforcement and/or litigation. While there is currently an exception for protected health information that is subject to HIPAA and clinical trial regulations, as currently written, the CCPA may impact certain of our business activities.

Previous wording

Furthermore, numerous states have passed broad consumer privacy laws that are similar in many respects to the CCPA and with many other states proposing similar laws, it is quite possible that other states will follow suit and also pass comprehensive privacy-focused legislation. If enacted, this type of legislation may add additional complexity, further variation in requirements, restrictions and potential legal risk, require additional investment of resources in compliance programs, impact data collection strategies and the availability of previously useful data and could result in increased compliance costs and/or changes in business practices and policies. The existence of comprehensive privacy laws in different states within the United States will make our compliance obligations more complex and costly and may increase the likelihood that we may be subject to enforcement actions or otherwise incur liability for noncompliance. Further, in addition to comprehensive laws at the state level, some states have been proposing or passing laws that target particular aspects of privacy. For example, in the state of Washington, the My Health My Data Act recently became effective and protects the privacy of medical and health-related information that is not covered by HIPAA and a small number of states have passed laws specifically focused on biometric information.

Current wording

Furthermore, numerous states have passed broad consumer privacy laws that are similar in many respects to the CCPA and with many other states proposing similar laws, it is quite possible that other states will follow suit and also pass comprehensive privacy-focused legislation. If enacted, this type of legislation may add additional complexity, further variation in requirements, restrictions and potential legal risk, require additional investment of resources in compliance programs, impact data collection strategies and the availability of previously useful data and could result in increased compliance costs and/or changes in business practices and policies. The existence of comprehensive privacy laws in different states within the United States will make our compliance obligations more complex and costly and may increase the likelihood that we may be subject to enforcement actions or otherwise incur liability for noncompliance. Further, in addition to comprehensive laws at the state level, some states have been proposing or passing laws that target particular aspects of privacy. For example, in the state of Washington, the My Health My Data Act, which went into effect in March 2024, protects the privacy of medical and health-related information that is not covered by HIPAA. In addition, a small number of states have passed laws specifically focused on biometric information.

Previous wording

Significantly, the GDPR imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data out of the EEA and UK to other regions outside the EEA/UK, or third countries, that have not been deemed to offer “adequate” privacy protections by the competent data protection authorities, including the United States in certain circumstances, unless a derogation exists or adequate international transfer safeguards (for example, the European Commission approved Standard Contractual Clauses, or the EU SCCs, and the UK International Data Transfer Agreement/Addendum, or the UK IDTA) are put in place. Where relying on the EU SCCs or UK IDTA for data transfers, we may also be required to carry out transfer impact assessments on the transfers made pursuant to the EU SCCs and UK IDTA, on a case-by-case basis, to ensure the law in the recipient country provides “essentially equivalent” protections to safeguard the transferred personal data as provided in the EEA and UK, and may be required to adopt supplementary measures if this standard is not met. The international transfer obligations under the EEA and UK data protection regimes will require significant effort and cost, and may result in us needing to make strategic considerations around where EEA and UK personal data is located and which service providers we can utilize for the processing of EEA and UK personal data. Any inability to transfer personal data from the EEA to the United States in compliance with data protection laws may impede our ability to conduct trials and may adversely affect our business and financial position.

Current wording

Significantly, the GDPR imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data out of the EEA and UK to other regions outside the EEA/UK, or third countries, that have not been deemed to offer “adequate” privacy protections by the competent data protection authorities, including the United States in certain circumstances, unless a derogation exists or adequate international transfer safeguards (for example, the European Commission approved Standard Contractual Clauses, or the EU SCCs, and the UK International Data Transfer Agreement/Addendum, or the UK IDTA) are put in place. Where relying on the EU SCCs or UK IDTA for data transfers, we may also be required to carry out transfer impact assessments on the transfers made pursuant to the EU SCCs and UK IDTA, on a case-by-case basis, to ensure the law in the recipient country provides “essentially equivalent” protections to safeguard the transferred personal data as provided in the EEA and

Previous wording

Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified managerial, scientific, medical personnel, sales and marketing, and other personnel. We are highly dependent on our management, scientific and medical personnel, including our President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Legal Officer, Chief People Officer, and Chief Business Officer. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers, other key employees, and other scientific and medical advisors, and an inability to find suitable replacements could result in delays in product development, and harm our business. While we expect to engage in an orderly transition process if and when we integrate newly appointed officers and managers, we face a variety of risks and uncertainties relating to management transition, including diversion of management attention from business concerns, failure to retain other key personnel, or loss of institutional knowledge.

Current wording

Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified managerial, scientific, medical personnel, sales and marketing, and other personnel. We are highly dependent on our management, scientific and medical personnel, including our President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Legal Officer, Chief People Officer, and Chief Business Officer. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers, other key employees, and other scientific and medical advisors, and an inability to find suitable replacements could result in delays in product development, and harm our business. For example, we recently appointed Paige Mahaney, Ph.D., as our Chief Scientific

Previous wording

Our internal computer systems, or those of any of our collaborators, vendors, contractors, or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, which could result in a material disruption of our product development programs and could harm our reputation or subject us to liability, and adversely affect our business and financial results.

Current wording

Our internal computer systems, or those of any of our collaborators, vendors, contractors, or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, incidents or compromises, which could result in a material disruption of our product development programs and could harm our reputation or subject us to liability, and adversely affect our business and financial results.

Previous wording

Our internal computer systems and those of any collaborators, vendors, contractors or consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war, and telecommunication and electrical failures. While we have not experienced any material system failure, accidents, or security breaches of this nature to date, if an event of this nature were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our development programs and our business operations, whether due to a loss of our trade secrets or other proprietary information or other similar disruptions. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our marketing approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of or damage to our data or applications or the inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability, our competitive position could be harmed, and the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed. Additionally, we may have data security obligations with respect to the information of third parties that we store. Unauthorized access or use of any third-party data or information of this nature could result in fines or other penalties that may impact our relationships with these third parties and our operations.

Current wording

Our internal computer systems and those of any collaborators, vendors, contractors or consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war, and telecommunication and electrical failures. While we have not experienced any material system failure, accidents, or security breaches of this nature to date, if an event of this nature were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our development programs and our business operations, whether due to a loss of our trade secrets or other proprietary information or other similar disruptions. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our marketing approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption, security breach, incident or compromise were to result in a loss of or damage to our data or applications or the inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability, our competitive position could be harmed, and the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed. Additionally, we may have data security obligations with respect to the information of third parties that we store. Unauthorized access or use of any third-party data or information of this nature could result in fines or other penalties that may impact our relationships with these third parties and our operations.

Previous wording

Any actual or perceived security breach of our platform, systems, and networks could damage our reputation and brand, expose us to a risk of litigation and possible liability, and require us to expend significant capital and other resources to respond to and alleviate problems caused by the security breach. Our ability to maintain adequate cyber-crime and liability insurance may be reduced. Some jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals of data security breaches involving certain types of personal data and our agreements with certain partners require us to notify them in the event of a security incident. These types of mandatory disclosures are costly, could lead to negative publicity, and may cause our partners to lose confidence in the effectiveness of our data security measures. Any of these events could harm our reputation or subject us to liability, and materially and adversely affect our business and financial results. Although we maintain cyber liability insurance, we cannot be certain that its coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred or that insurance will continue to be available to us on economically reasonable terms, or at all.

Current wording

Any actual or perceived security breach, incident or compromise of our platform, systems, and networks could damage our reputation and brand, expose us to a risk of litigation and possible liability, and require us to expend significant capital and other resources to respond to and alleviate problems caused by the security breach. Our ability to maintain adequate cyber-crime and liability insurance may be reduced. Some jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals of data security breaches involving certain types of personal data and our agreements with certain partners require us to notify them in the event of a security incident. These types of mandatory disclosures are costly, could lead to negative publicity, and may cause our partners to lose confidence in the effectiveness of our data security measures. Any of these events could harm our reputation or subject us to liability, and materially and adversely affect our business and financial results. Although we maintain cyber liability insurance, we cannot be certain that its coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred or that insurance will continue to be available to us on economically reasonable terms, or at all.