Arcus Biosciences, Inc.
For the period ended Dec 31, 2025. Filed Feb 25, 2026.
View on SEC.govAbout this filing
A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.
FY2025 · Filed Feb 25, 2026
What changed in Risk Factors?
Read the current filingPrevious report: 10-K
Period ended 2024-12-31; filed 2025-02-25.
0001724521-25-000040
Item 1A. Risk FactorsCurrent report: 10-K
Period ended 2025-12-31; filed 2026-02-25.
0001724521-26-000009
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 299 previous paragraphs and 308 current paragraphs.
235 unchanged; 58 reworded; 12 added; 5 removed; 1 previous and 3 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 (12)
Current report
Our operating activities may be restricted as a result of covenants related to the indebtedness under our loan and security agreement with Hercules Capital, Inc., as amended, and we may be required to repay the outstanding indebtedness in an event of default, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
Current report
In August 2024, we entered into a loan and security agreement with Hercules Capital, Inc. (the "Hercules Agreement" and "Hercules"), as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the lenders listed in the Hercules Agreement (collectively, the "Lenders"). The Hercules Agreement was subsequently amended in December 2025 (the "Hercules Amendment"). The Hercules Agreement provided a secured term facility of up to $250 million in four tranches, subject to customary terms and conditions, of which $100 million had been drawn down by us. The Hercules Amendment amended the terms for the remaining $150 million term loan commitments available under the loan facility, subject to customary terms and conditions. The Hercules Agreement, as amended, is secured by substantially all of our assets, subject to certain exclusions. The maturity date of the Hercules Agreement is September 2030, with interest-only period until September 2028, which may be extended to September 2030, subject to achieving certain specified regulatory approval milestones. Until we have repaid all outstanding obligations, the Hercules Agreement, as amended, subjects us to various customary covenants, including, among other things, requirements as to financial reporting and minimum cash (beginning July 2027) and net product revenue (following achievement of certain regulatory milestones), and certain advisory management rights for the Lenders and Hercules. The minimum cash covenant is conditionally waived if our market capitalization exceeds a specified threshold, and the minimum net product revenue covenant may be satisfied through alternative measures based on our market capitalization and cash position. In addition, the Hercules Agreement contains customary restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, to incur liens on our property and assets, to make certain investments, to repurchase or redeem any capital stock or other equity interest other than certain permitted investments, to declare or pay any cash dividends or other distributions on capital stock other than from the Company’s subsidiaries to the Company or another subsidiary of the Company, to merge or consolidate with any other entity or to acquire all or substantially all the capital stock or property of another entity other than certain permitted acquisitions, to change our line of business and to enter into any change in control transaction. Our business may be adversely affected by these restrictions on our ability to operate our business.
Current report
In addition, we may be required to repay the outstanding indebtedness under the loan facility if an event of default occurs and is continuing under the Hercules Agreement. An event of default will occur if, among other things, we fail to make payments under the Hercules Agreement; we breach any of our covenants under the Hercules Agreement, subject to specified cure periods with respect to certain breaches; a material adverse effect has occurred; any of our representations or warranties are false or misleading in any material respect; we or our assets become subject to certain legal proceedings, such as bankruptcy proceedings; or we default on certain contracts with third parties, which would permit Hercules to accelerate the maturity of such indebtedness under the Hercules Agreement. We may not have enough available cash or be able to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings to repay such indebtedness at the time any such event of default occurs. In this case, we may be required to limit or reduce our activities necessary to commercialize our investigational products, or delay or limit clinical trials for our investigational products. Hercules could also exercise its rights as collateral agent to enforce its security interest in the collateral. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected as a result of any of these events.
Current report
We may fail to obtain orphan drug designations from the FDA for our investigational products, and even if we obtain such designations, we may be unable to maintain the benefits associated with orphan drug designation, including the potential for market exclusivity.
Current report
Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the U.S., may designate biologics or drugs designed to address relatively small patient populations as "orphan drugs." Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan drug designation to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is defined as one occurring in a patient population of fewer than 200,000 in the U.S., or a patient population greater than 200,000 in the U.S., where there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing the drug or biologic will be recovered from sales in the U.S. In the U.S., orphan designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding for clinical trial costs, tax advantages and user-fee waivers. In addition, if an investigational product that has orphan designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease or condition for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications, including an NDA or BLA, to market the same drug for the same approved use or indication within such disease or condition for seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity or where the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient product quantity.
Current report
In June 2025, the FDA granted orphan drug designation to quemliclustat for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. We may seek orphan drug designations for quemliclustat in other diseases or conditions or for our other investigational products. There can be no assurances that we will be able to obtain such designations. Even if we, or any future collaborators, obtain orphan drug designation for an investigational product, we, or they, may not be able to obtain or maintain orphan drug exclusivity for that investigational product. Further, even if we, or any future collaborators, obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different drugs with different active ingredients may be approved for the same indications or uses. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA can subsequently approve the same drug for the same indication or use within the same rare disease or condition if the FDA concludes that the later drug is clinically superior for such indication or use, in that it is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care, or the manufacturer of the product with orphan exclusivity is unable to maintain sufficient product quantity to meet the needs related to the approved indication or use of the patient population with the relevant rare disease or condition. Orphan drug designation neither shortens the development or regulatory review time of a drug nor gives the drug any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process.
Current report
Increasing efforts by governmental and third-party payors in the U.S. and abroad to cap or reduce healthcare costs may cause such organizations to limit both coverage and the level of reimbursement for recently approved products and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment. Even if we show improved efficacy or improved convenience of administration, third-party payors may deny or revoke the reimbursement status of our investigational products, if approved, or establish prices for our investigational products at levels that are too low to enable us to realize an appropriate return on our investment. If reimbursement is not available or is available only at limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our investigational products, and may not be able to obtain a satisfactory financial return.
Current report
No uniform policy for coverage and reimbursement for products exist among third-party payors in the U.S. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for products can differ significantly from payor to payor, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance or that step edits or other conditions on reimbursement will not be imposed. Furthermore, rules and regulations regarding reimbursement change frequently, in some cases on short notice, and we believe that changes in these rules and regulations are likely.
Current report
Various initiatives are discussed in detail above under "Item 1. Business—Government Regulation—Healthcare Reform". More recently, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was enacted in July 2025, imposes significant reductions in the funding of the Medicaid program. Such reductions are expected to decrease the number of persons enrolled in Medicaid and reduce the services covered by Medicaid, which could adversely affect our sales of any investigational product that we commercialize.
Current report
The Trump administration has issued executive orders that address the pricing of pharmaceuticals in the U.S. and propose a so-called most favored nation pricing policy, which would tie the price of drugs in the U.S. to the lowest price in a group of other countries. While it is unclear whether and how the Trump proposals will be implemented, the Trump policies are likely to have a negative impact on the pharmaceutical industry. Even proposals or executive actions that are ultimately deemed unlawful could negatively impact the U.S. pharmaceutical sector and our business.
Current report
Moreover, the federal government and the individual states in the U.S. have become increasingly active in developing proposals, passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control drug pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, formulary flexibility, marketing cost disclosure, drug price increase reporting, and other transparency measures. Some states have enacted legislation creating so-called prescription drug affordability boards, which ultimately may attempt to impose price limits on certain drugs in these states, while some states are also seeking to implement general, across the board price caps for pharmaceuticals, or are seeking to regulate drug distribution. Some measures are designed to encourage importation from other countries. These types of initiatives may result in additional reductions in Medicare, Medicaid, and other healthcare funding, and may otherwise affect the prices we may obtain for our investigational products that receive approval.
Current report
These and other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future may result in more rigorous coverage and payment criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for any approved drug. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our drugs. Additional state and federal healthcare reform measures may be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our investigational products or additional pricing pressures. We cannot predict with certainty what impact any federal or state health reforms will have on us, but such changes could impose new or more stringent regulatory requirements on our activities or result in reduced reimbursement for our products, any of which could adversely affect our business.
Removed paragraphs (5)
Previous report
•any failure or delay in reaching an agreement with Contract Research Organizations (“CROs”) and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites;
Previous report
A key element of our strategy is the development of intra-portfolio combinations. If we are not successful in discovering, developing and commercializing investigational products that take advantage of different mechanisms of action to achieve superior outcomes relative to the use of single agents or other combination therapies, our ability to achieve our strategic objectives would be impaired.
Previous report
A key element of our strategy is to build a broad portfolio of investigational products that will allow for the development of intra-portfolio combinations. We believe that by developing or licensing these investigational products, we can control the combinations we pursue and, if and when approved, maximize the commercial potential of these combinations. However, these combinations have not been tested before and may fail to demonstrate synergistic activity against immunological targets, may fail to achieve superior outcomes relative to the use of single agents or other combination therapies, may exacerbate adverse events associated with one of the investigational products when used as monotherapy, or may fail to demonstrate sufficient safety or efficacy traits in clinical trials to enable us to complete those clinical trials or obtain marketing approval for the combination therapy. Any of these events could delay our programs. In addition, our early clinical trials may test more than one investigational product in uncontrolled studies, and it may be difficult to interpret the results of those uncontrolled trials or evaluate the contribution of each investigational agent in such combination.
Previous report
Even if we are successful in developing combination therapies, competition from other investigational products in the same class which are either already approved or further along in development than ours may prevent us from realizing the commercial potential of our combination therapies and prevent us from achieving our strategic objectives.
Previous report
We may be subject to claims that former employees, collaborators or other third parties have an interest in our patents or other intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. The failure to name the proper inventors on a patent application can result in the patents issuing thereon being unenforceable. Inventorship disputes may arise from conflicting views regarding the contributions of different individuals named as inventors, the effects of foreign laws where foreign nationals are involved in the development of the subject matter of the patent, conflicting obligations of third parties involved in developing our investigational products or as a result of questions regarding co-ownership of potential joint inventions. Litigation may be necessary to resolve these and other claims challenging inventorship and/or ownership. Alternatively, or additionally, we may enter into agreements to clarify the scope of our rights in such intellectual property. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property. Such an outcome could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees.
Reworded paragraphs (58)
Previous wording
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history that may make it difficult to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability. All of our investigational products are in development, and none have been approved for commercial sale, nor have we ever generated any revenue from product sales. Our revenues to date have been primarily from upfront and milestone payments, R&D support and clinical materials reimbursement from our strategic partners. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had net losses of $283 million and $307 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $1.1 billion. While we may receive income from year to year under the Gilead Agreement and the Taiho Agreement, we generally expect to incur substantial and increasing levels of operating losses over the next several years and for the foreseeable future as we advance our investigational products. Our prior losses, combined with expected future losses, have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital.
Current wording
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history that may make it difficult to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability. All of our investigational products are in development, and none have been approved for commercial sale, nor have we ever generated any revenue from product sales. Our revenues to date have been primarily from upfront and milestone payments, R&D support and clinical materials reimbursement from our strategic partners. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had net losses of $353 million and $283 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of $1.5 billion. While we may receive income from year to year under the Gilead Agreement and the Taiho Agreement, we generally expect to incur substantial and increasing levels of operating losses over the next several years and for the foreseeable future as we advance our investigational products. Our prior losses, combined with expected future losses, have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital.
Previous wording
As of December 31, 2024, we had $992 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, which we believe will be sufficient to fund our planned level of operations for the foreseeable future and provide funding to our initial pivotal read-outs for domvanalimab, quemliclustat and casdatifan including STAR-221, PRISM-1 and PEAK-1. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate some or all of our R&D programs or future commercialization efforts. In addition, if we are able to raise additional capital, raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our intellectual property or investigational products. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors related to the cost and timing of developing our investigational products, including:
Current wording
As of December 31, 2025, we had $1.0 billion of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, which we believe will be sufficient to provide funding until at least the second half of 2028. This is based on disciplined prioritization of our resources to these programs. For example, we have paused further development for etrumadenant in third-line metastatic colorectal cancer to focus our resources on our late-stage clinical portfolio and research programs. However, we cannot guarantee that we will not need additional capital and if so, that we will be able to obtain additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate some or all of our R&D programs or future commercialization efforts. In addition, if we need and are able to raise additional capital, raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our intellectual property or investigational products. For example, if we decide in the future to issue debt or equity securities ranking senior to shares of our common stock or otherwise incur additional indebtedness, it is possible that these securities or indebtedness will be governed by an indenture or other instrument containing covenants restricting our operating flexibility. Additionally, any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock and may result in dilution to stockholders. Because our decision to issue debt or equity securities in any future offering or otherwise incur indebtedness will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings or financings, any of which could reduce the market price of share of our common stock and dilute their value. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors related to the cost and timing of developing our investigational products, including:
Previous wording
The FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and in determining when or whether marketing approval will be obtained for any of our investigational products. Regulatory authorities may refuse to accept any application or may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical or other studies. In addition, varying interpretations of the data obtained from preclinical and clinical testing could delay, limit or prevent marketing approval of an investigational product. Changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment of additional statutes or regulations, or changes in regulatory review for each submitted product application, may also cause delays in or prevent the approval of an application. For example, since a key element of our strategy is the development of intra-portfolio combinations, regulatory authorities may disagree that we have sufficiently demonstrated the contribution of each investigational product or other agent in our combination trials to any observed therapeutic effects and require further studies to further characterize the activity of each component within the combination.
Current wording
The FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and in determining when or whether marketing approval will be obtained for any of our investigational products. Regulatory authorities may refuse to accept any application or may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical or other studies. In addition, varying interpretations of the data obtained from preclinical and clinical testing could delay, limit or prevent marketing approval of an investigational product. Changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment of additional statutes or regulations, or changes in regulatory review for each submitted product application, may also cause delays in or prevent the approval of an application. For example, since we utilize intra-portfolio combinations, regulatory authorities may disagree that we have sufficiently demonstrated the contribution of each investigational product or other agent in our combination trials to any observed therapeutic effects and require further studies to further characterize the activity of each component within the combination.
Previous wording
The results of preclinical and early clinical trials of our investigational products and other products with the same mechanism of action may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials. For example, we have presented data from multiple Phase 2 studies (such as ARC-8 and EDGE-Gastric) that are evaluating the same or similar regimen in the same setting as one of our current or potentially future Phase 3 studies. Data from these Phase 2 studies may not be predictive of the results of any of our Phase 3 studies even if evaluating the same regimen and setting. Clinical trial failure may result from a multitude of factors including flaws in study design, dose selection, placebo effect, patient enrollment criteria and failure to demonstrate favorable safety or efficacy traits. As such, failure in clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. A number of companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered setbacks in the advancement of clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. Based upon negative or inconclusive results, we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical trials or preclinical studies. In addition, data obtained from clinical trials are susceptible to varying interpretations, and regulators may not interpret our data as favorably as we do, which may further delay, limit or prevent marketing approval. In particular, results from uncontrolled trials, meaning trials in which there is no control group such as a placebo group, are inherently difficult to interpret. This difficulty is compounded in clinical trials such as ours, in which two or more investigational products that have not yet been approved are being evaluated. Accordingly, the data generated during preclinical or early clinical trials evaluating our investigational products may not be predictive of future clinical trial results for these or other investigational products when studied in a randomized environment or larger patient populations or with different study designs.
Current wording
The results of preclinical and early clinical trials of our investigational products and other products with the same mechanism of action may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials. For example, we presented data from our Phase 2 EDGE-Gastric study that evaluated the same combination as our Phase 3 STAR-221 study. Despite results from EDGE-Gastric showing median overall survival ("OS") beyond two years, which exceeded benchmarks from other Phase 3 studies showing median OS of 13-14 months, the Phase 3 STAR-221 was discontinued after our interim analysis in December 2025 showed no benefit over standard of care. Accordingly, data from Phase 2 studies (such as ARC-8 and ARC-20) may not be predictive of the results of any of our Phase 3 studies even if evaluating the same regimen and setting. Clinical trial failure may result from a multitude of factors including flaws in study design, dose selection, placebo effect, patient enrollment criteria and failure to demonstrate favorable safety or efficacy traits. As such, failure in clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. A number of companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered setbacks in the advancement of clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. Based upon negative or inconclusive results, we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical trials or preclinical studies. In addition, data obtained from clinical trials are susceptible to varying interpretations, and regulators may not interpret our data as favorably as we do, which may further delay, limit or prevent marketing approval. In particular, results from uncontrolled trials, meaning trials in which there is no control group such as a placebo group, are inherently difficult to interpret. This difficulty is compounded in any of our clinical trials in which two or more investigational products that have not yet been approved are being evaluated. Accordingly, the data generated during preclinical or early clinical trials evaluating our investigational products may not be predictive of future clinical trial results for these or other investigational products when studied in a randomized environment or larger patient populations or with different study designs.
Previous wording
•obtaining approval from one or more institutional review boards, or ethics committees at clinical trial sites;
Current wording
•obtaining approval from one or more IRBs, or ethics committees at clinical trial sites;
Previous wording
•occurrence of serious adverse events in trials of the same class of agents conducted by other companies that could be considered similar to our investigational products;
Current wording
•occurrence of serious AEs in trials of the same class of agents conducted by other companies that could be considered similar to our investigational products;
Previous wording
•or failure of our CMOs to produce clinical trial materials in sufficient quantities in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practice (“cGMP”), regulations or other applicable requirements; and
Current wording
•or failure of our contract manufacturing organizations ("CMOs") to produce clinical trial materials in sufficient quantities in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practice ("cGMP"), regulations or other applicable requirements; and
Previous wording
Most of our clinical trials, including our Phase 3 trials, are open-label studies in which both the patient and investigator know whether the patient is receiving the investigational products or either an existing approved drug or placebo. Open-label clinical trials are susceptible to bias that may exaggerate any therapeutic effect or overestimate the risk associated with the investigational product. Patients may perceive their symptoms to have improved merely due to their awareness of receiving an experimental treatment. Investigators may interpret the information of the treated group more favorably given their awareness of the treatment regimen or may attribute safety risks to the investigational product. If regulatory agencies feel that we have not implemented sufficient controls to prevent such biases or that the controls we have implemented were ineffective, we may experience delays or negative outcomes in our applications for drug approval. In addition, the FDA and other regulatory authorities may disfavor the use of open-studies, or otherwise not agree that the results from open-label studies, regardless of outcome, will support submission of an application for marketing approval in the indications we are targeting, and we may be required to conduct randomized trials evaluating our investigational products before we are able to able to obtain marketing approval of our investigational products, if ever.
Current wording
Most of our clinical trials, including some of our Phase 3 trials, are open-label studies in which both the patient and investigator know whether the patient is receiving the investigational products or either an existing approved drug or placebo. Open-label clinical trials are susceptible to bias that may exaggerate any therapeutic effect or overestimate the risk associated with the investigational product. Patients may perceive their symptoms to have improved merely due to their awareness of receiving an experimental treatment. Investigators may interpret the information of the treated group more favorably given their awareness of the treatment regimen or may attribute safety risks to the investigational product. If regulatory agencies feel that we have not implemented sufficient controls to prevent such biases or that the controls we have implemented were ineffective, we may experience delays or negative outcomes in our applications for drug approval. In addition, the FDA and other regulatory authorities may disfavor the use of open-studies, or otherwise not agree that the results from open-label studies, regardless of outcome, will support submission of an application for marketing approval in the indications we are targeting, and we may be required to conduct randomized trials evaluating our investigational products before we are able to able to obtain marketing approval of our investigational products, if ever.
Previous wording
As we continue to develop our investigational products and initiate clinical trials of additional investigational products, serious adverse events, undesirable side effects or unexpected characteristics may emerge causing us to abandon these investigational products or limit their development to more narrow uses or subpopulations in which the serious adverse events, undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective. Even if our investigational products initially show promise in early clinical trials, the side effects of drugs are frequently only detectable after they are tested in larger, Phase 3 clinical trials or, in some cases, after they are made available to patients on a commercial scale after approval. Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine if the serious adverse or unexpected side effects were caused by the investigational product or another factor, especially in oncology subjects who may suffer from other medical conditions and be taking other medications.
Current wording
As we continue to develop our investigational products and initiate later phase clinical trials of our investigational products or initiate clinical trials to evaluate different combination regimens involving our investigational products, serious AEs, undesirable side effects or unexpected characteristics may emerge causing us to abandon these investigational products or limit their development to more narrow uses or subpopulations in which the serious AEs, undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective. For example, we and AstraZeneca temporarily paused enrollment into the eVolve-RCC02 following observations of potential immune-mediated AEs. Even if our investigational products initially show promise in early clinical trials, the side effects of drugs are frequently only detectable after they are tested in larger, Phase 3 clinical trials or, in some cases, after they are made available to patients on a commercial scale after approval. Different AEs may also emerge, or the same or similar AEs but with increased incidence and/or severity, when our investigational products are used in different combination regimens. Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine if the serious adverse or unexpected side effects were caused by our investigational product or another product or factor, especially in oncology subjects who may suffer from other medical conditions and be taking other medications.
Previous wording
Additionally, adverse developments in clinical trials of investigational products conducted by others or adverse events associated with commercial products offered by others may cause the FDA or other regulatory oversight bodies to suspend or terminate our clinical trials or change the requirements for approval of any of our investigational products, or otherwise adversely affect the clinical and commercial development of our investigational products.
Current wording
Additionally, adverse developments in clinical trials of investigational products conducted by others or AEs associated with commercial products offered by others may cause the FDA or other regulatory oversight bodies to suspend or terminate our clinical trials or change the requirements for approval of any of our investigational products, or otherwise adversely affect the clinical and commercial development of our investigational products.
Previous wording
Other potentially significant negative consequences associated with adverse events include:
Current wording
Other potentially significant negative consequences associated with AEs include:
Previous wording
•institutional review boards, ethics committees, or safety monitoring committees may recommend that enrollment or dosing be placed on hold or that additional safety measures be implemented for ongoing clinical trials;
Current wording
•IRBs, ethics committees, or safety monitoring committees may recommend that enrollment or dosing be placed on hold or that additional safety measures be implemented for ongoing clinical trials;
Previous wording
Lack of efficacy, adverse events, undesirable side effects, or other adverse findings may emerge in clinical trials conducted by third parties investigating the same investigational products as us in different territories or different investigational products directed to the same target as one of our programs. For example, we and Gloria Biosciences each licensed our rights to the same anti-PD-1 antibody (which we refer to as zimberelimab) from WuXi Biologics. Gloria Biosciences refers to this antibody as GLS-010 and is conducting clinical trials with GLS-010 in China. We have no control over their clinical trials or development program, and adverse findings from the results or their conduct of clinical trials could adversely affect our development of zimberelimab or even the viability of zimberelimab as an investigational product. We may be required to report Gloria Biosciences' adverse events or unexpected side effects to the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, which could, among other things, order us to cease further development of zimberelimab. We may face similar risks from any independent development conducted with our investigational products by Gilead and Taiho, following any exercise of their respective options to our programs.
Current wording
Lack of efficacy, AEs, undesirable side effects, or other adverse findings may emerge in clinical trials conducted by third parties investigating the same investigational products as us in different territories or different investigational products directed to the same target as one of our programs. For example, we and Gloria Biosciences each licensed our rights to the same anti-PD-1 antibody (which we refer to as zimberelimab) from WuXi Biologics. Gloria Biosciences refers to this antibody as GLS-010 and is conducting clinical trials with GLS-010 in China. We have no control over their clinical trials or development program, and adverse findings from the results or their conduct of clinical trials could adversely affect our development of zimberelimab or even the viability of zimberelimab as an investigational product. We may be required to report Gloria Biosciences' AEs or unexpected side effects to the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, which could, among other things, order us to cease further development of zimberelimab. We may face similar risks from any independent development conducted with our investigational products by Gilead and Taiho, following any exercise of their respective options to our programs.
Previous wording
Many of our investigational products are being pursued in combination with one or more additional products or investigational products. The development of combination therapies may be more complex than the development of single agent therapies and generally requires that sponsors demonstrate the contribution of each investigational product to the claimed effect and the safety and efficacy of the combination as a whole. This requirement may make the design and conduct of clinical trials more complex, requiring more clinical trial subjects. We also may not be able to meet the FDA’s current or future approval standards required for combination therapies or combination products, if we decided to administer or package a combination therapy as a single drug product. For example, under the "combination rule", the FDA may not file or approve a fixed-dose combination product unless each component of a proposed drug product is shown to make a contribution to the claimed effects and the dosage of each component (amount, frequency, duration) is safe and effective for the intended population. To satisfy these requirements, the FDA may recommend we conduct a clinical factorial study, designed to assess the effects attributable to each drug in the combination product. Moreover, the applicable requirements for approval of a combination therapy may differ from country to country.
Current wording
Certain of our investigational products are being pursued in combination with one or more investigational products. The development of combination therapies may be more complex than the development of single agent therapies and generally requires that sponsors demonstrate the contribution of each investigational product to the claimed effect and the safety and efficacy of the combination as a whole. This requirement may make the design and conduct of clinical trials more complex, requiring more clinical trial subjects. We also may not be able to meet the FDA’s current or future approval standards required for combination therapies or combination products, if we decided to administer or package a combination therapy as a single drug product. For example, under the "combination rule", the FDA may not file or approve a fixed-dose combination product unless each component of a proposed drug product is shown to make a contribution to the claimed effects and the dosage of each component (amount, frequency, duration) is safe and effective for the intended population. To satisfy these requirements, the FDA may recommend we conduct a clinical factorial study, designed to assess the effects attributable to each drug in the combination product. Moreover, the applicable requirements for approval of a combination therapy may differ from country to country.
Previous wording
Companion diagnostics are subject to regulation by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities as a medical device and may require separate regulatory authorization prior to commercialization of either the companion diagnostic or the relevant investigational product. According to FDA guidance, if the FDA determines that a companion diagnostic device is essential to the safe and effective use of a novel therapeutic product or indication, the FDA generally will not approve the therapeutic product or new therapeutic product indication if the companion diagnostic is not also approved or cleared for that indication. Depending on the data from our clinical trials, we may utilize diagnostic tests, during our clinical trial enrollment process to help identify patients with characteristics that we believe will be most likely to respond to our investigational products. For example, certain clinical trials that we are conducting, such as our STAR-221 trial, use a diagnostic test to measure PD-L1 levels in tumor samples provided by enrolled patients. Our future trials may also use a diagnostic test to help identify eligible patients. In addition, we have significant efforts directed to identifying changes in various cells and proteins to understand their relationship, if any, to the clinical activity observed in our clinical trials and to assess if such cells and/or proteins could be used as predictive biomarkers to select for patients more likely to respond to our investigational products. However, we cannot be certain that we will be able to identify any such biomarkers, that such biomarkers will result in us identifying the appropriate patients for our investigational products or that we or any third-party collaborators will be able to validate any diagnostic tests incorporating any predictive biomarkers we may identify.
Current wording
Companion diagnostics are subject to regulation by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities as a medical device and may require separate regulatory authorization prior to commercialization of either the companion diagnostic or the relevant investigational product. According to FDA guidance, if the FDA determines that a companion diagnostic device is essential to the safe and effective use of a novel therapeutic product or indication, the FDA generally will not approve the therapeutic product or new therapeutic product indication if the companion diagnostic is not also approved or cleared for that indication. Depending on the data from our clinical trials, we may utilize diagnostic tests, during our clinical trial enrollment process to help identify patients with characteristics that we believe will be most likely to respond to our investigational products, which may be incorporated into future Phase 3 trials to help identify eligible patients. In addition, we have significant efforts directed to identifying changes in various cells and proteins to understand their relationship, if any, to the clinical activity observed in our clinical trials and to assess if such cells and/or proteins could be used as predictive biomarkers to select for patients more likely to respond to our investigational products. However, we cannot be certain that we will be able to identify any such biomarkers, that such biomarkers will result in us identifying the appropriate patients for our investigational products or that we or any third-party collaborators will be able to validate any diagnostic tests incorporating any predictive biomarkers we may identify.
Previous wording
Disruptions at the FDA and other government agencies caused by funding shortages or global health concerns could hinder their ability to hire, retain or deploy key leadership and other personnel, prevent new or modified products from being developed, review, approved or commercialized in a timely manner or at all, which could negatively impact our business.
Current wording
Disruptions at the FDA and other government agencies caused by funding shortages, staffing limitations or policy changes could hinder their ability to hire, retain or deploy key leadership and other personnel, prevent new or modified products from being developed, review, approved or commercialized in a timely manner or at all, which could negatively impact our business.
Previous wording
The ability of the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, statutory, regulatory, and policy changes, the FDA’s or foreign regulatory authorities’ ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and other events that may otherwise affect the FDA’s or foreign regulatory authorities’ ability to perform routine functions. Average review times at the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of other government agencies that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies, may also slow the time necessary for new drugs, and biologics or modifications to approved drugs and biologics to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. For example, in recent years, the U.S. government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA, have had to furlough critical FDA employees and stop critical activities. Separately, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA postponed most inspections at domestic and foreign manufacturing facilities from March 2020 until July 2021. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, or if new global health concerns otherwise hinder or prevent the FDA or other regulatory authorities from conducting their regular inspections, reviews, or other regulatory activities, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA or other regulatory authorities to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Current wording
The ability of the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, statutory, regulatory, and policy changes, the FDA’s or foreign regulatory authorities’ ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and other events that may otherwise affect the FDA’s or foreign regulatory authorities’ ability to perform routine functions. Average review times at the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of other government agencies that fund R&D activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies, may also slow the time necessary for new drugs, and biologics or modifications to approved drugs and biologics to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. For example, in recent years, the U.S. government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA, have had to furlough critical FDA employees and stop critical activities. In addition, the current U.S. Presidential administration has issued certain policies and Executive Orders directed towards reducing the employee headcount and costs associated with U.S. administrative agencies, including the FDA, and it remains unclear the degree to which these efforts may limit or otherwise adversely affect the FDA’s ability to conduct routine activities. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, or if funding shortages, staffing limitations or similar factors hinder or prevent the FDA or other regulatory authorities from conducting their regular inspections, reviews, or other regulatory activities, such events could significantly impact the ability of the FDA or other such regulatory authorities to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Previous wording
We expect to depend on our collaboration with Gilead for the research, development, manufacture and commercialization of our investigational products. If this collaboration is not successful, our business could be adversely affected.
Current wording
We expect to depend on our collaboration with Gilead for the research, development, manufacture and commercialization of certain of our investigational products. If this collaboration is not successful, our business could be adversely affected.
Previous wording
Our strategy for fully developing and commercializing our investigational products is dependent upon maintaining our current arrangements with Gilead and our other strategic partners. Our ability to leverage these arrangements to produce commercial success will depend, among other things, on our collaborators' cooperation and ability to successfully meet their responsibilities with regards to a clinical program. We cannot predict the success of any collaboration that we enter into. Our partnership with Gilead poses a number of risks that could materially impact our operations and financial condition including, but not limited to, the following:
Current wording
Our strategy for fully developing and commercializing certain of our investigational products is dependent upon maintaining our current arrangements with Gilead and our other strategic partners. Our ability to leverage these arrangements to produce commercial success will depend, among other things, on our collaborators' cooperation and ability to successfully meet their responsibilities with regards to a clinical program. We cannot predict the success of any collaboration that we enter into. Our partnership with Gilead poses a number of risks that could materially impact our operations and financial condition including, but not limited to, the following:
Previous wording
•we have appointed three individuals that were designated by Gilead to our board of directors pursuant to the terms of the Investor Rights Agreement, and Gilead owns approximately 32.6% of our outstanding common stock as of December 31, 2024. Gilead acquired an additional 1.4 million shares of our common stock in the February 2025 underwritten offering and subsequently held approximately 29.7% of our common stock as of February 19, 2025. They have the right (but not the obligation) to acquire additional shares from us up to an amount resulting in Gilead owning a total of 35% of our outstanding common stock and, as a result, may be able to exert significant influence over our company;
Current wording
•we have appointed three individuals that were designated by Gilead to our board of directors pursuant to the terms of the Investor Rights Agreement, and Gilead owns approximately 25.1% of our outstanding common stock as of December 31, 2025 and, as a result, may be able to exert significant influence over our company;
Previous wording
•it will be difficult for us to enter into new collaborations for any programs to which Gilead retains its option rights.
Current wording
•it will be difficult for us to enter into new collaborations for any programs to which Gilead has option rights.
Previous wording
In addition, principal investigators for our clinical trials may serve as scientific advisors or consultants to us from time to time and may receive compensation in connection with such services. If these relationships and any related compensation result in perceived or actual conflicts of interest, the utility of certain data from the clinical trial may be questioned and the utility of the clinical trial itself may be jeopardized, which could result in the delay or rejection of any NDA or BLA we submit to the FDA, or equivalent marketing application to other regulatory authorities outside the U.S. Any such delay or rejection could prevent us from commercializing our investigational products, which would have material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.
Current wording
In addition, principal investigators for our clinical trials may serve as scientific advisors or consultants to us from time to time and may receive compensation in connection with such services. If these relationships and any related compensation result in perceived or actual conflicts of interest, the utility of certain data from the clinical trial may be questioned and the utility of the clinical trial itself may be jeopardized, which could result in the delay or rejection of any
Previous wording
Supply by third parties of the investigational products, standard-of-care drugs or comparator agents used in our clinical trials may become limited or interrupted which could delay, prevent or impair our development efforts.
Current wording
Supply by third parties of the investigational products, standard-of-care drugs or comparator agents used in our clinical trials may become limited or interrupted, or more costly, which could delay, prevent or impair our development efforts.
Previous wording
Manufacturing biologics, especially in large quantities, is often complex and may require the use of innovative technologies to handle living cells. We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture and supply of our investigational products for preclinical and clinical testing, as well as for commercial manufacture if any of our investigational products are approved. If any of these third-parties fail to perform these activities for us, nonclinical or clinical development of our investigational products could be delayed, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and/or growth prospects. Further, we currently have limited manufacturing arrangements for our investigational products and expect that each of our investigational products will only be covered by single source suppliers for the foreseeable future. Our reliance on limited manufacturing arrangements increases the risk that we will not have and may not be able to obtain sufficient quantities of our investigational products for use in our clinical trials and, if approved, commercial activities. For example, WuXi Biologics, located in China, is currently our sole manufacturer of zimberelimab and domvanalimab. We regularly assess our supply needs against our manufactured quantities, however, if WuXi Biologics, or any other manufacturer that we rely on, is unable or unwilling to provide the quantity of material we require, there is no guarantee that any reserves we have of our investigational products will be sufficient for our future clinical development plans. If any reserves we have are depleted and we are unable to establish a reliable source of supply, our development efforts, and if approved, commercial activities, could be delayed or impaired. See the risk factor titled “Unfavorable global economic, political and trade conditions could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations and may exacerbate the effects of the risks described herein.”
Current wording
Manufacturing biologics, especially in large quantities, is often complex and may require the use of innovative technologies to handle living cells. We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture and supply of our investigational products for preclinical and clinical testing, as well as for commercial manufacture if any of our investigational products are approved. If any of these third-parties fail to perform these activities for us, nonclinical or clinical development of our investigational products could be delayed, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and/or growth prospects. Further, we currently have limited manufacturing arrangements for our investigational products and expect that each of our investigational products will only be covered by single source suppliers for the foreseeable future. Our reliance on limited manufacturing arrangements increases the risk that we will not have and may not be able to obtain sufficient quantities of our investigational products for use in our clinical trials and, if approved, commercial activities. For example, WuXi Biologics, located in China, is currently our sole manufacturer of zimberelimab. We regularly assess our supply needs against our manufactured quantities, however, if WuXi Biologics, or any other manufacturer that we rely on, is unable or unwilling to provide the quantity of material we require, there is no guarantee that any reserves we have of our investigational products will be sufficient for our future clinical development plans. If any reserves we have are depleted and we are unable to establish a reliable source of supply, our development efforts, and if approved, commercial activities, could be delayed or impaired.
Previous wording
Any supply chain challenges may affect our ability to supply clinical sites with our investigational products and any standard-of-care drugs and comparator agents that we use in our clinical trials. These supply chain challenges can include longer lead times for the manufacturers of our investigational products to obtain raw materials, longer timeframes to procure or lack of supply for standard-of-care drugs or comparator agents used in our clinical trials, and transit delays at each point in the manufacturing, supply or distribution chain. For example, we use various standard-of-care chemotherapies, including 5-flourouracil and oxaliplatin in our STAR-221 clinical trial, and carboplatin in certain of our clinical trials. However, certain of the countries where we conduct these clinical trials are experiencing a shortage in the supply of these chemotherapies. These supply chain challenges may prevent us from enrolling subjects into our clinical trials, may result in increased costs for our clinical trials, and may otherwise delay, prevent or impair our development efforts.
Current wording
Any supply chain challenges may affect our ability to supply clinical sites with our investigational products and any standard-of-care drugs and comparator agents that we use in our clinical trials. These supply chain challenges can include longer lead times for the manufacturers of our investigational products to obtain raw materials, longer timeframes to procure or lack of supply for standard-of-care drugs or comparator agents used in our clinical trials, and transit delays at each point in the manufacturing, supply or distribution chain. For example, certain standard of care therapies for our Phase 3 trials are challenging to source, including carboplatin, fluorouracil, oxaliplatin and cabozantinib. If we are unable to source these drugs, we may be prevented from enrolling subjects into our clinical trials, may incur increased costs for our clinical trials, and may otherwise be delayed, prevented or impaired in our development efforts. See the risk factor titled "Unfavorable global economic, political and trade conditions could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations and may exacerbate the effects of the risks described herein."
Previous wording
Following potential approval of any our investigational products, the FDA may impose significant restrictions on a product’s indicated uses or marketing or impose ongoing requirements for potentially costly and time-consuming post-approval studies, post-market surveillance or clinical trials to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product. The FDA may also require a REMS as a condition of approval of our investigational products, which could include requirements for a medication guide, physician communication plans or additional elements to ensure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. In addition, if the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority approves our investigational products, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, import, export and recordkeeping for our products will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with cGMPs and GCP requirements for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our products, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our third-party manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in, among other things:
Current wording
Following potential approval of any our investigational products, the FDA may impose significant restrictions on a product’s indicated uses or marketing or impose ongoing requirements for potentially costly and time-consuming post-approval studies, post-market surveillance or clinical trials to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product. The FDA may also require a REMS as a condition of approval of our investigational products, which could include requirements for a medication guide, physician communication plans or additional elements to ensure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. In addition, if the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority approves our investigational products, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, AE reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, import, export and recordkeeping for our products will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with cGMPs and GCP requirements for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our products, including AEs of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our third-party manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in, among other things:
Previous wording
The FDA’s and other regulatory authorities’ policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our investigational products. In addition, the FDA’s and other regulatory authorities’ policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our investigational products. We also cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may be subject to enforcement action and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.
Current wording
The FDA’s and other regulatory authorities’ policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our investigational products. We also cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of new government regulations. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may be subject to enforcement action and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.
Previous wording
•inaccuracies in our estimates of the addressable patient population resulting in a smaller market opportunity than we believed.
Current wording
•inaccuracies in our estimates of the addressable patient population resulting in a smaller sales opportunity than we believed.
Previous wording
Even if we receive marketing approval for one or more of our investigational products, our commercial success is dependent on obtaining coverage and reimbursement approval for a product from a government or other third-party payor, which coverage may be delayed or may not be sufficient to cover our costs.
Current wording
Even if we receive marketing approval for one or more of our investigational products, our commercial success is dependent on obtaining coverage and reimbursement for a product from a government or other third-party payor, which coverage may be delayed or may not be sufficient to cover our costs.
Previous wording
Our commercial success is dependent on obtaining coverage and reimbursement approval for a product from a government or other third-party payor, which is a time-consuming and costly process that could require us and any collaborators to provide supporting scientific, clinical and cost effectiveness data for the use of our products to the payor. There may be significant delays in obtaining such coverage and reimbursement for newly approved products, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the product is approved by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Moreover, eligibility for coverage and reimbursement does not imply that a product will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, intellectual property, manufacture, sale and distribution expenses. Interim reimbursement levels for new products, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent. Obtaining reimbursement for our products may be particularly difficult because of the higher prices often associated with branded therapeutics and therapeutics administered under the supervision of a physician. Additionally, our collaborators will be required to obtain coverage and reimbursement for any related companion diagnostics tests they develop separate and apart from the coverage and reimbursement we seek for our investigational products, once approved.
Current wording
Our commercial success is dependent on obtaining coverage and reimbursement for any product for which we receive approval from private or government third-party payors, which is a time-consuming and costly process that could require us and any collaborators to provide supporting scientific, clinical and cost effectiveness data for the use of our products to the payor. There may be significant delays in obtaining such coverage and reimbursement for newly approved products, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the product is approved by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Moreover, eligibility for coverage and reimbursement does not imply that a product will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, intellectual property, manufacture, sale and distribution expenses. Interim reimbursement levels for new products, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent. Obtaining reimbursement for our products may be particularly difficult because of the higher prices often associated with branded therapeutics and therapeutics administered under the supervision of a physician. Additionally, our collaborators will be required to obtain coverage and reimbursement for any related companion diagnostics tests they develop separate and apart from the coverage and reimbursement we seek for our investigational products, once approved.
Previous wording
Zimberelimab and domvanalimab are biological products and we may develop additional biological products in the future. We believe that any of our current and future investigational products approved as a biological product under a BLA should qualify for the twelve-year period of exclusivity. However, there is a risk that this exclusivity could be shortened due to Congressional action or otherwise, or that the FDA will not consider our investigational products to be reference products for competing products, potentially creating the opportunity for biosimilar competition sooner than anticipated. Moreover, the extent to which a biosimilar, once approved, could be substituted for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biological products will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors.
Current wording
We believe that any of our current and future investigational products approved as a biological product under a BLA should qualify for the twelve-year period of exclusivity. However, there is a risk that this exclusivity could be shortened due to Congressional action or otherwise, or that the FDA will not consider our investigational products to be reference products for competing products, potentially creating the opportunity for biosimilar competition sooner than anticipated. Moreover, the extent to which a biosimilar, once approved, could be substituted for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biological products will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors.
Previous wording
We rely, in part, on license and other strategic agreements, which subject us to various obligations, including diligence obligations with respect to development and commercialization activities, reporting and notification obligations, payment obligations for achievement of certain milestones and royalties on product sales, negative covenants and other material obligations. We may need to devote substantial time and attention to ensuring that we are compliant with our obligations under these agreements. If we fail to comply with the obligations under our license agreements or use the intellectual property licensed to us in an unauthorized manner, we may be required to pay damages and our licensors may have the right to terminate the license. If our license agreements are terminated, we may not be able to develop, manufacture, market or sell the products covered by our agreements and those being tested or approved in combination with such products. Such an occurrence could materially adversely affect the value of the investigational product being developed under any such agreement and any other investigational products being developed or tested in combination. Domvanalimab, which we in-licensed from Abmuno, and zimberelimab, which we in-licensed from WuXi Biologics, are being evaluated in combination in our two most advanced Phase 3 studies, STAR-121 and STAR-221. In the event we breach any of our license agreements with Abmuno and/or WuXi Biologics, and our license agreements are terminated, we would have to cease these development activities, or we would have to negotiate a new or reinstated agreement, which may not be available to us on equally favorable terms, or at all.
Current wording
We rely, in part, on license and other strategic agreements, which subject us to various obligations, including diligence obligations with respect to development and commercialization activities, reporting and notification obligations, payment obligations for achievement of certain milestones and royalties on product sales, negative covenants and other material obligations. We may need to devote substantial time and attention to ensuring that we are compliant with our obligations under these agreements. If we fail to comply with the obligations under our license agreements or use the intellectual property licensed to us in an unauthorized manner, we may be required to pay damages and our licensors may have the right to terminate the license. If our license agreements are terminated, we may not be able to develop, manufacture, market or sell the products covered by our agreements and those being tested or approved in combination with such products. Such an occurrence could materially adversely affect the value of the investigational product being developed under any such agreement and any other investigational products being developed or tested in combination.
Previous wording
We have entered into in-license agreements with multiple licensors and option agreements to enable the development and commercialization of our investigational products worldwide. In the future, we may seek to enter into acquisitions or additional licensing arrangements with third parties to expand our pipeline or that we believe will complement or augment our development and commercialization efforts with respect to our investigational products and any future investigational products that we may develop. These transactions can entail numerous operational and financial risks, including exposure to unknown liabilities, disruption of our business and diversion of our management’s time and attention in order to manage a collaboration or develop acquired products, investigational products or technologies, incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of equity securities to pay transaction consideration or costs, higher than expected collaboration, acquisition or integration costs, write-downs of assets or goodwill or impairment charges, increased amortization expenses, difficulty and cost in facilitating the collaboration or combining the operations and personnel of any acquired business, impairment of relationships with key suppliers, manufacturers or customers of any acquired business due to changes in management and ownership and the inability to retain key employees of any acquired business. As a result, if we enter into in-license, acquisition or collaboration agreements, or strategic partnerships, we may not be able to realize the benefit of such transactions if we are unable to successfully integrate them with our existing operations and company culture, which could delay our timelines or otherwise adversely affect our business.
Current wording
We have entered into in-license agreements with multiple licensors and option agreements to enable the development and commercialization of our investigational products worldwide. We are also parties to several clinical collaboration agreements to support the development of our investigational products in additional settings and/or indications. In the future, we may seek to enter into acquisitions or additional licensing or clinical collaboration arrangements with third parties to expand our pipeline or that we believe will complement or augment our development and commercialization efforts with respect to our investigational products and any future investigational products that we may develop. These transactions can entail numerous operational and financial risks, including exposure to unknown liabilities, disruption of our business and diversion of our management’s time and attention in order to manage a collaboration or develop acquired products, investigational products or technologies, incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of equity securities to pay transaction consideration or costs, higher than expected collaboration, acquisition or integration costs, write-downs of assets or goodwill or impairment charges, increased amortization expenses, difficulty and cost in facilitating the collaboration or combining the operations and personnel of any acquired business, impairment of relationships with key suppliers, manufacturers or customers of any acquired business due to changes in management and ownership and the inability to retain key employees of any acquired business. As a result, if we enter into in-license, acquisition or collaboration agreements, or strategic partnerships, we may not be able to realize the benefit of such transactions if we are unable to successfully integrate them with our existing operations and company culture, which could delay our timelines or otherwise adversely affect our business.
Previous wording
The coverage of patents is subject to interpretation by the courts, and the interpretation is not always uniform. There is a substantial amount of intellectual property litigation in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and we may become party to, or threatened with, litigation or other adversarial proceedings regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our products candidates. Third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on existing or future intellectual property rights. If we were sued for patent infringement, we would need to demonstrate that our investigational products, products or methods either do not infringe the patent claims of the relevant patent or that the patent claims are invalid or unenforceable, and we may not be able to do this. Proving invalidity may be difficult. For example, in the U.S., proving invalidity in court requires a showing of clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption of validity enjoyed by issued patents. If we are found to infringe a third-party’s intellectual property rights, we could be forced, including by court order, to cease developing, manufacturing or commercializing the infringing investigational product or product. Alternatively, we may be required to obtain a license from such third-party in order to use the infringing technology and continue developing, manufacturing or marketing the infringing investigational product. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our investigational products or force us to cease some of our business operations, which could materially harm our business.
Current wording
The coverage of patents is subject to interpretation by the courts, and the interpretation is not always uniform. There is a substantial amount of intellectual property litigation in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and we may become party to, or threatened with, litigation or other adversarial proceedings regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our investigational products. Third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on existing or future intellectual property rights. If we were sued for patent infringement, we would need to demonstrate that our investigational products, products or methods either do not infringe the patent claims of the relevant patent or that the patent claims are invalid or unenforceable, and we may not be able to do this. Proving invalidity may be difficult. For example, in the U.S., proving invalidity in court requires a showing of clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption of validity enjoyed by issued patents. If we are found to infringe a third-party’s intellectual property rights, we could be forced, including by court order, to cease developing, manufacturing or commercializing the infringing investigational product or product. Alternatively, we may be required to obtain a license from such third-party in order to use the infringing technology and continue developing, manufacturing or marketing the infringing investigational product. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our investigational products or force us to cease some of our business operations, which could materially harm our business.
Previous wording
In addition, in 2012, the European Patent Package, or EU Patent Package, regulations were passed with the goal of providing a single pan-European Unitary Patent and a new European Unified Patent Court, or UPC, for litigation involving European patents. Implementation of the EU Patent Package occurred on June 1, 2023. Under the UPC, all European patents, including those issued prior to ratification of the European Patent Package, will by default automatically fall under the jurisdiction of the UPC. The UPC will provide our competitors with a new forum to centrally revoke our European patents, and allow for the possibility of a competitor to obtain pan-European injunctions. Such a loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on our business and our ability to commercialize our technology and product candidates and, resultantly, on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations. It will be several years before we will understand the scope of patent rights that will be recognized and the strength of patent remedies that will be provided by the UPC. Under the EU Patent Package as currently proposed, we will have the right to opt our patents out of the UPC over the first seven years of the court’s existence, but doing so may preclude us from realizing the benefits of the new unified court. Moreover, if we do not meet all of the formalities and requirements for opt-out under the UPC, our future European patents could remain under the jurisdiction of the UPC.
Current wording
In addition, in 2012, the European Patent Package, or EU Patent Package, regulations were passed with the goal of providing a single pan-European Unitary Patent and a new European Unified Patent Court, or UPC, for litigation involving European patents. Implementation of the EU Patent Package occurred on June 1, 2023. Under the UPC, all European patents, including those issued prior to ratification of the European Patent Package, will by default automatically fall under the jurisdiction of the UPC. The UPC will provide our competitors with a new forum to centrally revoke our European patents, and allow for the possibility of a competitor to obtain pan-European injunctions. Such a loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on our business and our ability to commercialize our technology and investigational products and, resultantly, on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations. It will be several years before we will understand the scope of patent rights that will be recognized and the strength of patent remedies that will be provided by the UPC. Under the EU Patent Package as currently proposed, we will have the right to opt our patents out of the UPC over the first seven years of the court’s existence, but doing so may preclude us from realizing the benefits of the new unified court. Moreover, if we do not meet all of the formalities and requirements for opt-out under the UPC, our future European patents could remain under the jurisdiction of the UPC.
Previous wording
Trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. We require our employees to enter into written employment agreements containing provisions of confidentiality and obligations to assign to us any inventions generated in the course of their employment. We and any third parties with which we share facilities enter into written agreements that include confidentiality and intellectual property obligations to protect each party’s property, potential trade secrets, proprietary know-how, and information. We further seek to protect our potential trade secrets, proprietary know-how, and information in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who are given access to them, such as our corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, CROs, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties. With our consultants, contractors, and outside scientific collaborators, these agreements typically include invention assignment obligations. 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 is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the U.S. are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third-party, we would have no right to prevent 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 or other third-party, our competitive position would be harmed.
Current wording
Trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. We require our employees to enter into written employment agreements containing provisions of confidentiality and obligations to assign to us any inventions generated in the course of their employment. We further seek to protect our potential trade secrets, proprietary know-how, and information in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who are given access to them, such as our corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, CROs, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties. With our consultants, contractors, and outside scientific collaborators, these agreements typically include invention assignment obligations. 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 is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the U.S. are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third-party, we would have no right to prevent 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 or other third-party, our competitive position would be harmed.
Previous wording
Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biopharmaceuticals industry depends upon our ability to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled and experienced personnel with scientific, medical, regulatory, manufacturing and management skills and experience. We conduct our operations in the San Francisco Bay Area, a region that is home to many other biopharmaceutical companies as well as many academic and research institutions, resulting in fierce competition for qualified personnel and rapidly increasing wages. Our industry also has experienced a high rate of turnover in recent years. While we have expanded a number of our in-office roles to permit remote work arrangements, allowing us to seek talent from outside the San Francisco Bay Area, we still may not be able to attract or retain qualified personnel in the future due to the intense competition for a limited number of qualified personnel among biopharmaceutical companies.
Current wording
Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biopharmaceuticals industry depends upon our ability to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled and experienced personnel with scientific, medical, regulatory, manufacturing and management skills and experience. We conduct our operations in the San Francisco Bay Area, a region that is home to many other biopharmaceutical companies as well as many academic and research institutions, resulting in fierce competition for qualified personnel and rapidly increasing wages. Our industry also has experienced a high rate of turnover in recent years. While we have expanded a number of our in-office roles to permit remote work arrangements, allowing us to seek talent from outside the San Francisco Bay Area, we still may not be able to attract or retain qualified personnel in the future due to the intense competition for a limited number of qualified personnel among biopharmaceutical companies. Many of the other biopharmaceutical companies we compete with have greater financial and other resources, different risk profiles and a longer history in the industry than we do. Our competitors may provide higher compensation, more diverse opportunities and/or better opportunities for career advancement. Any or all of these competing factors may limit our ability to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, which could negatively affect our ability to successfully develop and commercialize our investigational products and to grow our business and operations as currently contemplated.
Previous wording
We compete in the segments of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other related markets that develop immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, which is highly competitive with rapidly changing standards of care. As such, our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient, or are less expensive than any products that we may develop or that would render any products that we may develop obsolete or non-competitive. Our competitors also may obtain marketing approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market.
Current wording
We compete in the segments of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other related markets that develop drugs and biologics for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, which are highly competitive with rapidly changing standards of care. As such, our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient, or are less expensive than any products that we may develop or that would render any products that we may develop obsolete or non-competitive. Our competitors also may obtain marketing approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market.
Previous wording
We are increasingly dependent upon information technology systems, infrastructure and data to operate our business. In the ordinary course of business, we collect, store and transmit confidential information, including but not limited to intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information (collectively, "Sensitive Information").
Current wording
We are increasingly dependent upon information technology systems, infrastructure and data to operate our business. In the ordinary course of business, we collect, store and transmit confidential information, including but not limited to intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information (collectively, "Confidential Information").
Previous wording
We also have outsourced elements of our operations to third parties, and as a result we manage a number of third-party contractors and other parties who have access to our sensitive information. Our ability to monitor these third parties’ information security practices is limited, and these third parties may not have adequate information security measures in place. If the third parties we rely on experience a security incident or other interruption, we could experience adverse consequences. While we may be entitled to damages if these third parties fail to satisfy their privacy- or security-related obligations to us, any award may be insufficient to cover our damages, or we may be unable to recover such an award. In addition, supply chain attacks have increased in frequency and severity, and we cannot guarantee that third parties’ infrastructure in our supply chain or our third-party partners’ supply chains have not been compromised.
Current wording
We also have outsourced elements of our operations to third parties, and as a result we manage a number of third-party contractors and other parties who have access to our Confidential Information. Our ability to monitor these third parties’ information security practices is limited, and these third parties may not have adequate information security measures in place. If the third parties we rely on experience a security incident or other interruption, we could experience adverse consequences. While we may be entitled to damages if these third parties fail to satisfy their privacy- or security-related obligations to us, any award may be insufficient to cover our damages, or we may be unable to recover such an award. In addition, supply chain attacks have increased in frequency and severity, and we cannot guarantee that third parties’ infrastructure in our supply chain or our third-party partners’ supply chains have not been compromised.
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Rearranged current paragraphs (3)
Current report — wording carried from elsewhere
NDA or BLA we submit to the FDA, or equivalent marketing application to other regulatory authorities outside the U.S. Any such delay or rejection could prevent us from commercializing our investigational products, which would have material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.
Current report — wording carried from elsewhere
Domvanalimab, which we in-licensed from Abmuno, and zimberelimab, which we in-licensed from WuXi Biologics, are being evaluated in combination in the Phase 3 STAR-121 trial, and zimberelimab is being evaluated in several of our early-phase trials, including ARC-20. In the event we breach any of our license agreements with Abmuno and/or WuXi Biologics, and our license agreements are terminated, we would have to cease these development activities, or we would have to negotiate a new or reinstated agreement, which may not be available to us on equally favorable terms, or at all.
Current report — wording carried from elsewhere
Risks Related to our Business Operations
Rearranged previous paragraphs (1)
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
Many of the other biopharmaceutical companies we compete with have greater financial and other resources, different risk profiles and a longer history in the industry than we do. Our competitors may provide higher compensation, more diverse opportunities and/or better opportunities for career advancement. Any or all of these competing factors may limit our ability to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, which could negatively affect our ability to successfully develop and commercialize our investigational products and to grow our business and operations as currently contemplated.