10-Q 1 form10-q.htm

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM 10-Q

 

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

 

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2019

 

OR

 

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

 

For the transition period from ______ to ______.

 

Commission File Number: 001-38552

 

 

 

PROVENTION BIO, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

Delaware    81-5245912

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

P.O. Box 666, Oldwick, New Jersey   08858
(Address of registrant’s principal executive offices)   (Zip code)

 

(908) 336-0360

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X] No [  ]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes [X] No [  ]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

  Large accelerated filer [  ] Accelerated filer [  ]
  Non-accelerated filer [X] Smaller reporting company [X]
    Emerging growth company [X]

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [X]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes [  ] No [X]

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of Each Class   Trading Symbol(s)   Name of Each Exchanged on Which Registered
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share   PRVB   The Nasdaq Capital Market

 

As of the close of business on May 6, 2019, 37,361,562 common shares, $0.0001 par value per share, of the registrant were issued and outstanding.

 

 

 

   
   

 

Provention Bio, Inc.

Form 10-Q

For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2019

 

Table of Contents

 

Item    Page
       
PART I. Financial information    
       
1. Condensed Financial Statements   4
  Condensed Balance Sheets at March 31, 2019 (unaudited) and December 31, 2018   4
  Condensed Statements of Operations (unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018   5
  Condensed Statements of Changes in Stockholder’s Equity (Deficit) (unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018   6
  Condensed Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018   7
  Notes to Condensed Financial Statements (unaudited)   8
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations   20
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk   31
4. Controls and Procedures   31
       
PART II. Other Information    
     
1. Legal Proceedings   32
1A. Risk Factors   32
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds   32
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities   32
4. Mine Safety Disclosures   33
5. Other Information   33
6. Exhibits   34
  Signatures   35

 

 2 
 

 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 under Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “expect” and similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the following:

 

  our lack of operating history;
     
  the expectation that we will incur operating losses for the foreseeable future;
     
  our current and future capital requirements to support our development and commercialization efforts for our product candidates and our ability to satisfy our capital needs;
     
  our dependence on our product candidates, many of which are still in preclinical or early stages of clinical development;
     
 

our ability, or that of our third-party manufacturers, to manufacture GMP batches of our product candidates as required for pre-clinical and clinical trials and, subsequently, our ability to manufacture commercial quantities of our product candidates;

 

 

our ability to attract and retain key executives and medical and scientific personnel;

 

 

our ability to complete required clinical trials for our product candidates and obtain approval from the FDA or other regulatory agencies in different jurisdictions;

 

 

our lack of a sales and marketing organization and our ability to commercialize our product candidates if we obtain regulatory approval;

 

 

our dependence on third-parties to manufacture our product candidates;

 

 

our reliance on third-party CROs to conduct our clinical trials;

 

 

our ability to maintain or protect the validity of our licensed patents and other intellectual property;

 

 

our ability to internally develop new inventions and intellectual property;

 

 

interpretations of current laws and the passages of future laws;

 

 

acceptance of our business model by investors;

 

 

the accuracy of our estimates regarding expenses and capital requirements; and

 

  our ability to adequately support organizational and business growth.

 

 

Any forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q reflect our current views with respect to future events or to our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are made as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future.

 

 3 
 

 

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

PROVENTION BIO, INC.

CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

   March 31, 2019   December 31, 2018 
   (unaudited)      
ASSETS          
Current assets:          
Cash and cash equivalents  $51,206   $58,539 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   698    2,990 
Total assets  $51,904   $61,529 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY          
Current liabilities:          
Accounts payable  $779   $568 
Accrued expenses   2,195    1,303 
Total current liabilities   2,974    1,871 
           
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 5)          
           
Stockholders’ equity:          
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 25,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018        
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 37,361,562 issued and outstanding at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018   4    4 
Additional paid-in capital   95,674    95,430 
Accumulated deficit   (46,748)   (35,776)
Total stockholders’ equity   48,930    59,658 
Total liabilities, preferred stock and stockholders’ equity  $51,904   $61,529 

 

The accompanying unaudited notes are an integral part of the condensed financial statements.

 

 4 
 

 

PROVENTION BIO, INC.

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited)

( in thousands, except per share data)

 

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
   2019   2018 
Operating expenses:          
Research and development  $10,022   $4,383 
General and administrative   1,237    653 
Total operating expenses   11,259    5,036 
Loss from operations   (11,259)   (5,036)
Interest income   287    57 
Change in fair value of warrant liability       (84)
Loss before income tax benefit   (10,972)   (5,063)
Income tax benefit        
Net loss  $(10,972)  $(5,063)
Accretion on Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock       (125)
Net loss attributable to common stockholders  $(10,972)  $(5,188)
           
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted  $(0.29)  $(0.52)
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted   37,362    10,000 

 

The accompanying unaudited notes are an integral part of the condensed financial statements.

 

 5 
 

 

PROVENTION BIO, INC.

CONDENSED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT) (unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share data)

 

   Convertible Redeemable
Preferred Stock
   Common Stock  

Additional

Paid-In

   Accumulated  

Total Stockholders’

Equity

 
   Shares   Amount   Shares   Amount   Capital   Deficit   (Deficit) 
Balance at January 1, 2019      $    37,362   $4   $95,430   $(35,776)  $59,658 
Stock-based compensation                   244        244 
Net loss                       (10,972)   (10,972)
Balance at March 31, 2019      $    37,362   $4   $95,674   $(46,748)  $48,930 

 

   Convertible Redeemable
Preferred Stock
   Common Stock  

Additional

Paid-In

   Accumulated  

Total Stockholders’

Equity

 
   Shares   Amount   Shares   Amount   Capital   Deficit   (Deficit) 
Balance at January 1, 2018   11,382   $26,185    10,000   $1   $3,264   $(9,298)  $(6,033)
Accretion of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock to redemption value       125            (125)       (125)
Stock-based compensation                   98        98 
Net loss                     (5,063)   (5,063)
Balance at March 31, 2018   11,382   $ 26,310    10,000   $      1   $    3,237   $    (14,361)  $       (11,123)

 

The accompanying unaudited notes are an integral part of the condensed financial statements.

 

 6 
 

 

PROVENTION BIO, INC.

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
   2019   2018 
Operating Activities          
Net loss  $(10,972)  $(5,063)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:          
Stock-based compensation expense   244    98 
Change in fair value of warrant liability       84 
           
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:          
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   2,292    (1,645)
Accounts payable   211    467 
Accrued expenses   892    71 
Net cash used in operating activities   (7,333)   (5,988)
           
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents   (7,333)   (5,988)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period   58,539    21,834 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period  $51,206   $15,846 
           
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing transactions:          
Accretion of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock  $   $125 

 

The accompanying unaudited notes are an integral part of the condensed financial statements.

 

 7 
 

 

PROVENTION BIO, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

(tabular dollars and shares in thousands, except per share data)

 

1. DESCRIPTON OF BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

 

Business

 

Provention Bio, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated on October 4, 2016 under the laws of the State of Delaware. The Company is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics and innovative approaches to intercept and prevent immune-mediated diseases. Since its inception, the Company has devoted substantially all of its efforts to business planning, research and development, recruiting management and technical staff, acquiring operating assets and raising capital. The Company’s business is subject to significant risks and uncertainties and will be dependent on raising substantial additional capital before it becomes profitable and it may never achieve profitability.

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying unaudited financial information as of March 31, 2019 and for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 has been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The December 31, 2018 Balance Sheet was derived from the Company’s audited financial statements. These interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the notes to the financial statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”) for 2018, as filed with the SEC on March 19, 2019.

 

In the opinion of management, the unaudited financial information as of March 31, 2019 and for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, reflects all adjustments, which are normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present a fair statement of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full fiscal year or any future period.

 

2. LIQUIDITY

 

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates continuity of operations, realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. The Company has incurred recurring losses since inception and as of March 31, 2019, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $46.7 million. To date, the Company has not generated any revenues and has financed its operations primarily through a private offering of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock in April 2017 and its initial public offering (“IPO”) in July 2018.

 

In April 2017, the Company completed its private placement of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock. The Company issued an aggregate 11,381,999 shares of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock at $2.50 per share. The Company received net proceeds of $26.7 million.

 

In July 2018, the Company issued and sold an aggregate of 15,969,563 shares of common stock in its IPO at a public offering price of $4.00 per share. In connection with the IPO, the Company issued to MDB Capital Group, LLC (“MDB”), the underwriter in the IPO, and its designees warrants to purchase 1,596,956 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share. The Company received net proceeds from the IPO of $59.3 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of approximately $3.7 million and other offering expenses of approximately $0.8 million. Upon the closing of the IPO, all of the Company’s shares of redeemable convertible preferred stock outstanding at the time of the offering were automatically converted into 11,381,999 shares of common stock. In addition, the warrants issued in connection with the Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock also converted to warrants for the purchase of 558,740 shares of the Company’s common stock.

 

 8 
 

 

The Company has devoted substantially all of its financial resources and efforts to research and development and expects to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses over the next several years due to, among other things, costs related to research funding, development of its product candidates and its preclinical programs, strategic alliances and the development of its administrative organization. The Company’s net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year.

 

The Company will require substantial additional financing to fund its operations and to continue to execute its strategy. The Company intends to raise capital through public or private equity financings. The sale of equity and other securities may result in dilution to the Company’s stockholders and certain of those securities may have rights senior to those of the Company’s existing shares. If the Company raises additional funds through the issuance of preferred stock, convertible debt securities or other debt financing, these securities or other debt could contain covenants that would restrict the Company’s operations. Any other third-party funding arrangement could require the Company to relinquish valuable rights. The source, timing and availability of any future financing will depend principally upon market conditions, and, more specifically, on the progress of the Company’s clinical development programs. Funding may not be available when needed, at all, or on terms acceptable to the Company. Lack of necessary funds may require the Company, among other things, to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of the Company’s planned operations.

 

Based on the Company’s business plans, management believes that it has sufficient cash on hand to meet the Company’s obligations for at least the next twelve months from the issuance date of these financial statements.

 

3. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

A summary of the significant accounting policies followed by the Company in the preparation of the financial statements is as follows:

 

Use of estimates

 

The process of preparing financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of assets and liabilities at the date of financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates and changes in estimates may occur.

 

Segment and geographic information

 

Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker, or decision-making group, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company views its operations and manages its business in one operating and reporting segment.

 

Cash, cash equivalents and concentration of credit risk

 

The Company considers only those investments which are highly liquid, readily convertible to cash, or that mature within three months from date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Marketable investments are those with original maturities in excess of three months.

 

The Company has no significant off-balance-sheet concentration of credit risk such as foreign exchange contracts, option contracts or other hedging arrangements. The Company holds cash and cash equivalents in banks in excess of FDIC insurance limits. However, the Company believes risk of loss is minimal as the cash and cash equivalents are held by large, highly-rated financial institutions.

 

Financial instruments

 

Cash and cash equivalents are reflected in the accompanying financial statements at fair value. The carrying amount of accounts payable and accrued expenses, including accrued research and development expenses, approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of those instruments.

 

 9 
 

 

Net loss per common share

 

Net loss per share information is determined using the two-class method, which includes the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period and other securities that participate in dividends (a participating security). The Company considered the Series A Preferred Stock, all of which were automatically converted to common stock upon the Company’s IPO, to be participating securities because they included rights to participate in dividends, if any, with the common stock.

 

Under the two-class method, basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. The net loss attributable to common stockholders is calculated by adjusting the net loss of the Company for the accretion on the Preferred Stock. Net losses are not allocated to preferred stockholders as they do not have an obligation to share in the Company’s net losses. In periods with net income attributable to common stockholders, the Company would allocate net income first to preferred stockholders based on dividend rights under the Company’s certificate of incorporation and then to preferred and common stockholders based on ownership interests. Diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed using the more dilutive of (1) the two-class method or (2) the if-converted method.

 

Diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is the same as basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders for all periods presented since the effect of potentially dilutive securities are anti-dilutive given the net loss of the Company.

 

Foreign Currency Translation

 

The Company considers the U.S. dollar to be its functional currency. Expenses denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the exchange rate on the date the expense is incurred. The effect of exchange rate fluctuations on translating foreign currency assets and liabilities into U.S. dollars is included in the Statements of Operations. Foreign exchange transaction gains and losses are included in the results of operations and are not material in the Company’s financial statements.

 

Research and development expenses

 

Research and development expenses primarily consist of costs associated with the preclinical and clinical development of our product candidate portfolio, including the following:

 

external research and development expenses incurred under arrangements with third parties, such as contract research organizations (CROs) and other vendors and contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) for the production of drug substance and drug product; and

 

employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits and share-based compensation expense.

 

Research and development expenses also include costs of acquired product licenses and related technology rights where there is no alternative future use, costs of prototypes used in research and development, consultant fees and amounts paid to certain of our collaborative partners.

 

All research and development expenses are charged to operations as incurred in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic, or ASC, 730, Research and Development. The Company accounts for non-refundable advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities as expenses when the service has been performed or when the goods have been received, rather than when the payment is made.

 

Accrued Research and Development Expenses

 

As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, the Company is required to estimate its accrued expenses. This process involves reviewing quotations and contracts, identifying services that have been performed on the Company’s behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when the Company has not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of the actual cost. The majority of the Company’s service providers invoice the Company monthly in arrears for services performed or when contractual milestones are met. The Company makes estimates of its accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in our financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to the Company at that time. The Company periodically confirms the accuracy of its estimates with the service providers and make adjustments if necessary. The significant estimates in the Company’s accrued research and development expenses are related to expenses incurred with respect to CROs, CMOs and other vendors in connection with research and development and manufacturing activities.

 

 10 
 

 

The Company bases its expense related to CROs and CMOs on its estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to quotations and contracts with such vendors that conduct research and development and manufacturing activities on our behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to the Company’s vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the applicable research and development or manufacturing expense. In accruing service fees, the Company estimates the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from its estimate, the Company adjusts the accrual or prepaid expense accordingly. Although the Company does not expect its estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, the Company’s understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and could result in us reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. There have been no material changes in estimates for the periods presented.

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

The Company follows the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to employees and non-employees, including stock options. Stock-based compensation expense is based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 and is generally recognized as an expense over the requisite service period. For grants containing performance-based vesting provisions, the grant-date fair value of the performance-based stock options is recognized as compensation expense once it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved. The Company accounts for actual forfeitures in the period the forfeiture occurs.

 

Stock Options

 

The Company estimates the fair value of stock options on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Due to the lack of trading history, the Company’s computation of stock-price volatility is based on the volatility rates of comparable publicly held companies over a period equal to the expected term of the options granted by the Company. The Company’s computation of expected term is determined using the “simplified” method, which is the midpoint between the vesting date and the end of the contractual term. The Company believes that it does not have sufficient reliable exercise data in order to justify the use of a method other than the “simplified” method of estimating the expected exercise term of employee stock option grants. The Company utilizes a dividend yield of zero based on the fact that the Company has never paid cash dividends to stockholders and has no current intentions to pay cash dividends. The risk-free interest rate is based on the zero-coupon U.S. Treasury yield at the date of grant for a term equivalent to the expected term of the option.

 

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, (“ASU 2018-07”) which supersedes ASC 505-50 and expands the scope of ASC 718 to include all share-based payments arrangements related to the acquisition of goods and services from both employees and nonemployees. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company early adopted ASU 2018-07. After the adoption of ASU 2018-07, the measurement date for non-employee awards is the date of grant. Compensation expense for non-employees is recognized, without changes to the fair value of the award, over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period of the respective award. The adoption of ASU 2018-07 did not have a material impact the Company’s financial statements or footnote disclosures.

 

Prior to the third quarter of 2018, the Company accounted for awards of equity instruments issued to non-employees in accordance with ASC Topic 505-50, Equity-Based Payment to Non-Employees, (“ASC 505-50”) and accordingly the value of the stock compensation to non-employees was based upon the measurement date as determined at either a) the date at which a performance commitment was reached, or b) at the date at which the necessary performance to earn the equity instruments was completed, which was normally the end of the vesting period. At the end of each financial reporting period prior to completion of the service, the fair value of these awards was remeasured using updated assumption inputs in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model.

 

Stock-based compensation expense is included in both research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses in the Statements of Operations.

 

 11 
 

 

Warrant liability

 

In April 2017, the Company issued warrants to purchase shares of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock in connection with the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock. The Company accounted for these warrants as a liability in the financial statements because the underlying instrument into which the warrants were exercisable contained redemption provisions that were outside the Company’s control.

 

Upon the completion of the IPO in July 2018, the warrants issued in connection with the Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock converted to warrants for the purchase of 558,740 shares of our common stock and the warrants no longer contain redemption provisions that are outside the Company’s control. The liability associated with these warrants was revalued just prior to the completion of the IPO, with the change in the fair value of the warrant liability charged to earnings. The warrant liability was then reclassified to additional paid-in capital upon the completion of the IPO in July 2018.

 

The fair value of the warrants was determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and were re-measured to fair value at each financial reporting period date with any changes in fair value recognized in the statements of operations. See Note 8 to our financial statements for further information.

 

Income taxes

 

The Company utilizes the liability method of accounting for deferred income taxes, as set forth in ASC 740, Income Taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. A valuation allowance is established against deferred tax assets when, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company’s policy is to record interest and penalties on uncertain tax positions as income tax expense.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”), which requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by most leases on their balance sheet. Effective January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU 2016-02. The adoption had no impact on the Company’s financial statements and related disclosures as the Company does not currently have any lease agreements.

 

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820), which modifies the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, including, among other changes, the consideration of costs and benefits when evaluating disclosure requirements. For public companies, the amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting guidance will have on its financial statements and footnote disclosures.

 

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force). ASU 2018-15 aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal-use software license). This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting guidance will have on its financial statements and footnote disclosures.

 

In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-18, Collaborative Arrangements (Topic 808), which clarifies the interaction between the guidance for collaborative arrangements (Topic 808) and the new revenue recognition standard (Topic 606). For public companies, the amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting guidance will have on its financial statements and footnote disclosures.

 

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4. CAPITALIZATION

 

As of March 31, 2019, the Company had authorized 100,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share, of which 37,361,562 shares were issued and outstanding. In addition, as of March 31, 2019, the Company had authorized 25,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share, of which, none were issued and outstanding.

 

5. LICENSE AND OTHER AGREEMENTS

 

In April 2017, the Company entered into a License Agreement with Vactech Ltd. (the “Vactech License Agreement”), pursuant to which Vactech Ltd. (“Vactech”) granted the Company exclusive global rights for the purpose of developing and commercializing the group B coxsackie virus vaccine (CVB) platform technology. In consideration of the licenses and other rights granted by Vactech, the Company issued two million shares of its common stock to Vactech. The Company recorded the issuance of the shares at their estimated fair value of approximately $1.70 per share for a total of $3.4 million as a license fee expense included as part of Research & Development Expense for the year ended December 31, 2017. Provention paid Vactech a total of approximately $0.5 million for transition and advisory services during the first 18 months of the term of the agreement. In addition, Provention may be obligated to make a series of contingent milestone payments to Vactech totaling up to an additional $24.5 million upon the achievement of certain clinical development and regulatory filing milestones. In addition, the Company has agreed to pay Vactech tiered single-digit royalties on net sales of any approved product based on the CVB platform technology and three additional payments totaling $19.0 million upon the achievement of certain annual net sales levels. The Vactech Agreement may be terminated by the Company on a country by country basis without cause (in which case the exclusive global rights to the technology will transfer back to Vactech) and by either party upon a material breach or insolvency of the other party. If the Company terminates the agreement with respect to two or more specified European countries, the agreement will be deemed terminated with respect to all of the EU, and if the Company terminates the agreement with respect to the United States, the agreement will be deemed terminated with respect to all of North America. The agreement expires upon the expiration of the Company’s last obligation to make royalty payments to Vactech. As of March 31, 2019, the Company has not achieved any milestones that would trigger payments to Vactech.

 

In April 2017, the Company entered into a License, Development and Commercialization Agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV (the “CSF-1R License Agreement”), pursuant to which Janssen Pharmaceutica NV granted the Company exclusive global rights for the purpose of developing and commercializing JNJ-40346527 (renamed PRV-6527), a colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF-1R) inhibitor for inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). The Company is obligated to conduct a single Phase 2a proof-of-mechanism and proof-of-concept clinical trial for the Crohn’s Disease indication. Janssen will supply product for the clinical trial. At the conclusion of the Phase 2a study, Janssen will have an option to buy back the rights for future development for a one-time payment of $50.0 million and future single-digit royalties on future net sales for a period of 10 years from first sale or expiration of the intellectual property, whichever is shorter. If Janssen does not exercise its option to buy-back the rights, all rights will remain with the Company and it will be obligated to make contingent milestone payments to Janssen totaling $35.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones for the first indication and an additional $20.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones for a second indication. In addition, Provention has agreed to pay Janssen tiered single-digit royalties on net sales of any approved product based on the CSF-1R technology and three additional payments totaling $100.0 million upon the achievement of certain annual net sales levels. The CSF-1R License Agreement may be terminated by Provention without cause (in which case the exclusive global rights to the technology will transfer back to Janssen) and by either party upon a material breach and expires upon the expiration of Provention’s last obligation to make royalty payments to Janssen. As of March 31, 2019, the Company has not achieved any milestones that would trigger payments to Janssen.

 

In April 2017, the Company entered into a License, Development and Commercialization Agreement with Janssen Sciences Ireland UC (the “TLR3 License Agreement”), pursuant to which Janssen Sciences Ireland UC granted the Company exclusive global rights for the purpose of developing and commercializing JNJ-42915925 (renamed PRV-300), an anti-Toll-Like Receptor 3 (TLR3) antibody. The Company evaluated PRV-300 for UC in a recently completed Phase 1b trial (the PULSE study). See Note 13 – Subsequent Events for the announcement of top-line results of the PULSE study. Under the TLR3 License Agreement, the Company is obligated to make contingent milestone payments to Janssen totaling $31.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones for the first indication and an additional $17.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones for a second indication. In addition, Provention has agreed to pay Janssen a single-digit royalty on net sales of any approved product based on the TLR3 technology and three additional payments totaling $60.0 million upon the achievement of certain annual net sales levels. Provention is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and market TLR3. The TLR3 License Agreement may be terminated by the Company without cause (in which case the exclusive global rights to the technology will transfer back to Janssen) and by either party upon a material breach or insolvency of the other party and expires upon the expiration of the Company’s last obligation to make royalty payments to Janssen. As of March 31, 2019, the Company has not achieved any milestones that would trigger payments to Janssen.

 

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In March 2018, the Company entered into a Development Services Agreement with The Institute of Translational Vaccinology (the “Intravacc Development Services Agreement”), pursuant to which The Institute of Translational Vaccinology (“Intravacc”) will provide services related to process development, non-GMP and GMP manufacturing of the Company’s polyvalent coxsackie virus B vaccine (CVB), including providing proprietary technology for manufacturing purposes. The Company will pay Intravacc approximately 10 million euros for their services over the development and manufacturing period which we expect will last for approximately 18 to 24 months. Each party retains its existing intellectual property and will share newly developed intellectual property via a fully-paid non-exclusive license between the parties for all development work through phase 1 clinical trials. Any future use, including commercial use, of Intravacc’s technology will be subject to a separate nonexclusive license agreement. The Intravacc Development Services Agreement may be terminated by us with ninety days’ notice without cause and by either party upon a material breach or insolvency of the other party. As of March 31, 2019, the Company had paid Intravacc a total of approximately 5.0 million euros, or approximately $6.0 million, for services provided by Intravacc under the Intravacc Development Services Agreement.

 

In May 2018, the Company entered into a License Agreement with MacroGenics, Inc. (the “MacroGenics License Agreement”), pursuant to which MacroGenics, Inc. (“MacroGenics”) granted the Company exclusive global rights for the purpose of developing and commercializing MGD010 (renamed PRV-3279), a humanized protein and a potential treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other similar diseases. As partial consideration for the MacroGenics License Agreement, the Company granted MacroGenics a warrant to purchase 270,299 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share (See Note 11). The Company is obligated to make contingent milestone payments to MacroGenics totaling $42.5 million upon the achievement of certain developmental and approval milestones for the first indication, and an additional $22.5 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory approvals for a second indication. In addition, the Company is obligated to make contingent milestone payments to MacroGenics totaling $225.0 million upon the achievement of certain sales milestones. The Company has also agreed to pay MacroGenics a single-digit royalty on net sales of the product. Further, the Company is required to pay MacroGenics a low double-digit percentage of certain consideration to the extent received in connection with a future grant of rights to PRV-3279 by the Company to a third party. The Company is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and seek regulatory approval for PRV-3279. The license agreement may be terminated by either party upon a material breach or bankruptcy of the other party, by Provention without cause upon prior notice to MacroGenics, and by MacroGenics in the event that the Company challenges the validity of any licensed patent under the agreement, but only with respect to the challenged patent.

 

In May 2018, the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with MacroGenics (the “MacroGenics Asset Purchase Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company acquired MacroGenics’ interest in teplizumab (renamed PRV-031), a humanized mAb for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). As partial consideration for the MacroGenics Asset Purchase Agreement, the Company granted MacroGenics a warrant to purchase 2,162,389 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share (See Note 11). The Company is obligated to pay MacroGenics contingent milestone payments totaling $170.0 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory approval milestones. In addition, the Company is obligated to make contingent milestone payments to MacroGenics totaling $225.0 million upon the achievement of certain sales milestones. The Company has also agreed to pay MacroGenics a single-digit royalty on net sales of the product. We have also agreed pay third-party obligations, including low single-digit royalties, a portion of which is creditable against royalties payable to MacroGenics, aggregate milestone payments of up to approximately $1.3 million and other consideration, for certain third-party intellectual property under agreements the Company is assuming pursuant to the MacroGenics Asset Purchase Agreement. Further, the Company is required to pay MacroGenics a low double-digit percentage of certain consideration to the extent it is received in connection with a future grant of rights to PRV-031 by the Company to a third party. The Company is obligated to use reasonable commercial efforts to develop and seek regulatory approval for PRV-031.

 

As of March 31, 2019, the Company has not achieved any milestones that would trigger payments to MacroGenics.

 

The Company recorded the warrants issued under MacroGenics License Agreement and the MacroGenics Asset Purchase Agreement at an estimated fair value of $1.64 per share, approximately $4.0 million in the aggregate, as license fee expense included as part of Research & Development Expense during the second quarter of 2018. See Note 11 of these condensed financial statements for further details of the warrants issued to MacroGenics.

 

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In November 2018, the Company entered into a License and Collaboration Agreement (the “Amgen Agreement”) with Amgen, Inc. (“Amgen”) for PRV-015 (formerly AMG 714), a novel anti-IL-15 monoclonal antibody being developed for the treatment of gluten-free diet non-responsive celiac disease (NRCD). Under the terms of the agreement, the Company will conduct and fund a Phase 2b trial in NRCD and lead the development and regulatory activities for the program. Amgen has agreed to make an equity investment of up to $20.0 million in the Company, subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in the agreement. The equity investment will coincide with the Company’s future financing events or receipt of non-dilutive milestone payment from a third party including but not limited to Janssen related to the Company’s CSF-1R program. Amgen is also responsible for the manufacturing of PRV-015. Upon completion of the Phase 2b trial, a $150.0 million milestone payment is due from Amgen to the Company, plus an additional regulatory milestone payment, and single digit royalties on future sales. If Amgen elects not to pay the $150.0 million milestone, AMG 714 rights will be transferred to Company pursuant to a termination license agreement from Amgen and the Company. The Company will be obligated to make certain contingent milestone payments to Amgen and other third parties totaling up to $70.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones and a low double-digit royalty on net sales of any approved product based on the IL-15 technology. The agreement may be terminated by the Company without cause (in which case the exclusive global rights to the technology will transfer back to Amgen) and by either party upon a material breach. The agreement expires upon the expiration of Amgen’s last obligation to make royalty payments to Provention (or, the Company’s last obligation to make royalty payments to Amgen, if the program rights are transferred to the Company.)

 

6. NET LOSS PER SHARE OF COMMON STOCK

 

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted loss per share for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018:

 

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
   2019   2018 
         
Net loss, basic  $(10,972)  $(5,063)
Accretion of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock       (125)
Net loss attributable to common stockholders  $(10,972)  $(5,188)
           
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted   37,362    10,000 
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted  $(0.29)  $(0.52)

 

The following potentially dilutive securities have been excluded from the computation of diluted weighted average shares outstanding as they would be antidilutive:

 

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
   2019   2018 
         
Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock       11,382 
Warrants   4,588    559 
Stock options   3,975    2,656 

 

7. ACCRUED EXPENSES

 

Accrued expenses consisted of the following:

 

   March 31, 2019   December 31, 2018 
         
Accrued research and development costs  $2,036   $1,023 
Other accrued liabilities   93    154 
Accrued professional fees   66    126 
Total accrued expenses  $2,195   $1,303 

 

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8. FAIR VALUE OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

 

The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheet for cash and cash equivalents, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value based on the short-term nature of these items.

 

The Company groups its assets and liabilities generally measured at fair value in three levels, based on the markets in which the assets and liabilities are traded and the reliability of the assumptions used to determine fair value.

 

Level 1 – Valuation is based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 1 assets and liabilities generally include debt and equity securities that are traded in an active exchange market. Valuations are obtained from readily available pricing sources for market transactions involving identical assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2 – Valuation is based on observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

 

Level 3 – Valuation is based on unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include financial instruments whose value is determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.

 

The Company had no assets or liabilities classified as Level 1 or Level 2 as of March 31, 2019 or December 31, 2018. Liability classified warrants issued in April 2017 to the placement agent in conjunction with the Series A Preferred Stock offering (see Note 9) were previously classified as Level 3. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recorded $0.1 million of expense related to the change in the fair value (an increase) of the Series A Preferred Stock warrant liability. Upon the completion of the IPO in July 2018, these warrants converted to warrants for the purchase of 558,740 shares of our common stock and no longer contain redemption provisions outside the Company’s control. The liability associated with these warrants was revalued just prior to the completion of the IPO, with the change in the fair value of the warrant liability charged to earnings. The warrant liability was then reclassified to additional paid-in capital upon the completion of the IPO in July 2018.

 

There were no recurring or non-recurring measurements of fair value as of March 31, 2019, as of December 31, 2018 or during the three months ended March 31, 2019 with respect to assets and liabilities.

 

9. SERIES A CONVERTIBLE REDEEMABLE PREFERRED STOCK

 

In April 2017, the Company issued 11,381,999 shares of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock for $2.50 per share which raised gross proceeds of $28.5 million and net cash proceeds of $26.7 million after deducting certain issuance costs including warrants. The Company classified the Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock outside of permanent equity based upon the terms of the instrument. See Note 11 for a description of the warrants issued to the placement agent in connection with this transaction.

 

In connection with the closing of the Company’s IPO in July 2018, all of the Company’s shares of redeemable convertible preferred stock outstanding at the time of the offering were automatically converted into 11,381,999 shares of common stock.

 

10. STOCK OPTIONS

 

In 2017, the Company adopted the Provention Bio, Inc. 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”). Pursuant to the 2017 Plan, the Company’s Board of Directors may grant incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, and restricted stock to employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisors. As of March 31, 2019, there were options to purchase an aggregate of 3,975,099 shares of Common Stock outstanding under the 2017 Plan. Options issued under the 2017 Plan are exercisable for up to 10 years from the date of issuance.

 

In connection with the completion of its IPO, the Company amended and restated its 2017 Plan to, among other things, include an evergreen provision, which would automatically increase the number of shares available for issuance under the 2017 Plan in an amount equal to (1) the difference between (x) 18% of the total shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding, on a fully diluted basis, on December 31st of the preceding calendar year, and (y) the total number of shares of the Company’s common stock reserved under the 2017 Plan on December 31st of such preceding calendar year or (2) an amount less than this calculated increase as determined by the board of directors.

 

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In connection with the evergreen provisions of the 2017 Plan, the number of shares available for issuance under the 2017 Plan was increased by 3,050,893 shares, as determined by the board of directors under the provisions described above, effective as of January 1, 2019. As of March 31, 2019, there were 2,935,218 shares available for future grants.

 

Stock-based compensation

 

Total stock-based compensation expense recognized for both employees and non-employees was as follows:

 

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
   2019   2018 
         
Research and development  $100   $54 
General and administrative   144    44 
Total share-based compensation expense  $244   $98 

 

Option activity

 

The Company grants options with a service-based vesting requirement and also granted options with a performance-based vesting requirement. The service-based component vests over a four-year period in multiple tranches. Each tranche of the performance-based component vests upon the achievement of a specific milestone. These milestones are related to the Company’s clinical trials, completion of the Company’s IPO, and certain other performance metrics.

 

A summary of option activity for the three months ended March 31, 2019 are presented below:

 

           Weighted-     
       Weighted-   Average     
       Average   Remaining     
   Underlying   Exercise   Contractual   Intrinsic 
Stock Option Awards  Shares   Price   Term   Value 
                 
Outstanding at December 31, 2018   3,476   $2.85    8.8 years   $ 
Granted   499   $2.26           
Exercised      $           
Forfeited or expired      $           
Outstanding at Match 31, 2019   3,975   $2.78    8.7 years   $34 
Exercisable at March 31, 2019   1,076   $2.56    8.3 years   $ 

 

The weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $1.42 per share. As of March 31, 2019, there were approximately 903,000 unvested options subject to performance-based vesting criteria with approximately $1.3 million of unrecognized compensation expense. This expense will be recognized when each milestone becomes probable of occurring. In addition, as of March 31, 2019, there were approximately 1,996,000 unvested options outstanding subject to time-based vesting with approximately $2.9 million of unrecognized compensation expense which will be recognized over a period of 2.1 years.

 

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The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to estimate the fair value of option awards with the following weighted-average assumptions for the period indicated:

 

   Three months ended March 31, 
   2019   2018 
         
Exercise Price  $2.26   $2.50 
Expected volatility   66%   62%
Expected dividends        
Expected term (in years)   6.6    5.7 
Risk-free interest rate   2.41%   2.60%

 

The weighted-average valuation assumptions were determined as follows:

 

  Risk-free interest rate: The Company bases the risk-free interest rate on the interest rate payable on U.S. Treasury securities in effect at the time of grant for a period that is commensurate with the assumed expected option term.
     
  Expected annual dividends: The estimate for annual dividends is 0%, because the Company has not historically paid, and does not expect for the foreseeable future to pay, a dividend.
     
  Expected stock price volatility: The expected volatility used is based on historical volatilities of similar entities within the Company’s industry which were commensurate with the Company’s expected term assumption.
     
  Expected term of options: The expected term of options represents the period of time options are expected to be outstanding. The expected term of the options granted to employees is derived from the “simplified” method as described in Staff Accounting Bulletin 107 relating to stock-based compensation, whereby the expected term is an average between the vesting period and contractual period due to the limited operating history. The expected term for options granted to non-employees is equal to the contractual term of the awards.

 

11. WARRANTS

 

In connection with the April 2017 sale of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock, the Company issued warrants to MDB, the Placement Agent, and its designees to purchase 558,740 shares of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock with an exercise price of $2.50 per share with a seven-year term. The underlying instrument into which the warrants are exercisable contained redemption provisions that were outside the Company’s control. Accordingly, these warrants were considered liabilities and at issuance, the fair value of $0.9 million was recorded as a warrant liability against a reduction to the proceeds from the issuance of the Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock. Upon completion of the IPO in July 2018, the warrants automatically became warrants for the purchase of 558,740 shares of the Company’s common stock and because the warrants no longer contain redemption provisions outside the Company’s control, the Company determined that equity classification was appropriate. See Note 8 for further information.

 

In May 2018, in connection with the MacroGenics License Agreement and the MacroGenics Asset Purchase Agreement, the Company issued warrants to MacroGenics to purchase 2,432,688 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. These warrants have a seven-year term. The Company recorded the warrants issued under MacroGenics License Agreement and the MacroGenics Asset Purchase Agreement at an estimated fair value of $1.64 per share, approximately $4.0 million in the aggregate, as license fee expense included as part of Research & Development Expense during the second quarter of 2018.

 

The Company uses valuation methods and assumptions that consider, among other factors, the fair value of the underlying stock, risk-free interest rate, volatility, expected life and dividend rates in estimating fair value for the warrants issued to MacroGenics. The fair values of these instruments are determined using models based on inputs that require management judgment and estimates.

 

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The fair value of the warrants issued to MacroGenics were measured at issuance on May 7, 2018 using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the following assumptions:

 

Equity value upon issuance on May 7, 2018  $2.58 
Exercise Price  $2.50 
Expected volatility   62.0%
Expected dividends    
Contractual term (in years)   7.0 
Risk-free interest rate   2.86%

 

The MacroGenics warrants were evaluated under ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, (“ASC 815) and the Company determined that equity classification was appropriate.

 

In July 2018, in connection with the Company’s completion of IPO, the Company issued to MDB, the underwriter in the IPO, and its designees warrants to purchase 1,596,956 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share. These warrants have a five-year term.

 

The Company uses valuation methods and assumptions that consider, among other factors, the fair value of the underlying stock, risk-free interest rate, volatility, expected life and dividend rates in estimating fair value for the warrants. The fair values of these instruments are determined using models based on inputs that require management judgment and estimates.

 

The fair value of the warrants issued to MDB were measured at issuance on July 19, 2018 using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the following assumptions:

 

Equity value upon issuance on July 19, 2018  $4.00 
Exercise Price  $5.00 
Expected volatility   60.0%
Expected dividends    
Contractual term (in years)   5.0 
Risk-free interest rate   2.74%

 

The Company estimated the fair value of the warrants issued to MDB to be $1.90 per share, approximately $3.0 million in the aggregate, which was recorded as a cost of the IPO. The MDB warrants were evaluated under ASC 480 and ASC 815 and the Company determined that equity classification was appropriate.

 

12. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

The Company paid transition service fees to Vactech of approximately $0.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2018. The Company did not make any payments to Vactech during the three months ended March 31, 2019.

 

13. SUBEQUENT EVENTS

 

On May 8, 2019, the Company announced preliminary top-line results from its Phase 1b clinical trial (the PULSE study), which evaluated PRV-300, an anti-TLR3 (toll-like receptor 3) monoclonal antibody in 37 patients with active, moderate-to-severe UC.

 

PRV-300 met the primary safety and tolerability endpoint over the twelve-week study period and also demonstrated TLR3 target engagement and proof-of-mechanism. However, improvements in secondary and exploratory clinical, endoscopic, histologic and other UC-related efficacy endpoints were not observed over background medication, suggesting that elevated TLR3 gene signatures previously observed in UC patients, as well as in PULSE, are downstream or circumstantial effects that do not contribute significantly to causal pathology. Therefore, while PRV-300 is a safe, pharmacologically active drug, it appears as that TLR3 may not be a useful target in UC.

 

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

 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the audited financial statements and related notes and management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 19, 2019. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and related financing, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties and should be read together with the “Risk Factors” section of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

 

Overview

 

We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics and innovative approaches aimed at intercepting and preventing immune-mediated diseases. Since our inception, we have devoted substantially all of our efforts to business planning, research and development, recruiting management and technical staff, acquiring operating assets and raising capital. Our business is subject to significant risks and uncertainties and we will be dependent on raising substantial additional capital before it becomes profitable and it may never achieve profitability.

 

We have not generated any revenue to date and through March 31, 2019, and we had an accumulated deficit of $46.7 million. We have financed our operations through a private offering of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock in April 2017, and our initial public offering, or IPO, which closed in July 2018.

 

In April 2017, we completed our private placement of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock. We issued an aggregate 11,381,999 shares of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock at $2.50 per share. We received net proceeds of $26.7 million.

 

In July 2018, we issued and sold an aggregate of 15,969,563 shares of common stock in our IPO at a public offering price of $4.00 per share. In connection with the IPO, we issued to MDB, the underwriter in the IPO, and its designees warrants to purchase 1,596,956 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share. We received net proceeds from the IPO of $59.3 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of approximately $3.7 million and other offering expenses of approximately $0.8 million. Upon the closing of the IPO, all of our shares of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock outstanding at the time of the IPO were automatically converted into 11,381,999 shares of common stock. In addition, the warrants issued in connection with the Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock also converted to warrants for the purchase of 558,740 shares of our common stock.

 

We expect that over the next several years we will continue to incur losses from operations as we increase our expenditures in research and development in connection with clinical trials and other development activities. If adequate funds are not available to us on a timely basis, or at all, we may be required to terminate or delay certain development activities.

 

Recent Company Developments

 

  On May 8, 2019, we announced preliminary top-line results from our Phase 1b clinical trial (the PULSE study), which evaluated PRV-300, an anti-TLR3 (toll-like receptor 3) monoclonal antibody in 37 patients with active, moderate-to-severe UC.
     
    PRV-300 met the primary safety and tolerability endpoint over the twelve-week study period and also demonstrated TLR3 target engagement and proof-of-mechanism. However, improvements in secondary and exploratory clinical, endoscopic, histologic and other UC-related efficacy endpoints were not observed over background medication, suggesting that elevated TLR3 gene signatures previously observed in UC patients, as well as in PULSE, are downstream or circumstantial effects that do not contribute significantly to causal pathology. Therefore, while PRV-300 is a safe, pharmacologically active drug, it appears as that TLR3 may not be a useful target in UC.

 

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Our Focus and Pipeline

 

Inflammation is a natural consequence of most infections, as it is the immune system’s first response to invading pathogens in the event of injury or acute illness. Most of the time, this response is beneficial and well-controlled; helping to repair tissue damage and clear pathogens from the body. In addition to directly damaging tissues and organs, an infection can sometimes result in a potentially fatal acute pathological immune reaction. In such instances, a patient’s life is at risk primarily from the excessive immune response and release of toxic immune mediators. When patients have the requisite genetic predisposition, infections can sometimes also trigger chronic autoimmune responses that persist and progress long after the original insult has subsided. These sustained responses have been linked to an increased susceptibility to chronic conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, cancer, and certain neurological disorders.

 

Provention’s “predict” and “preempt” therapeutic approach is to intercept the underlying pathological immune and inflammatory responses in susceptible individuals. Provention’s pipeline includes:

 

  PRV-031: a humanized, anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody for the interception of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in pediatric patients with early onset T1D and, potentially, for delaying and/or preventing disease progression in subjects at risk of developing T1D;
     
  PRV-015: a human anti-interleukin 15 (IL-15) monoclonal antibody for the treatment of gluten-free diet non-responding celiac disease, intercepting the effects of contaminating gluten in the most common autoimmune disorder without any approved medication (celiac disease);
     
  PRV-6527: an oral small molecule CSF-1R inhibitor targeting the differentiation and activation of antigen-presenting cells to prevent chronic inflammatory responses and progression or relapse in Crohn’s disease;
     
  PRV-3279: a humanized bispecific scaffold molecule targeting the B-cell surface proteins, CD32B and CD79B, for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE);
     
  PRV-101: a coxsackie virus B (CVB) vaccine to prevent acute CVB infections and, in those patients at risk, preventing the CVB-triggered autoimmune damage to pancreatic beta cells that progresses to T1D and T1D-associated celiac disease; and
     
  PRV-300: an anti-TLR3 antibody blocking key receptors participating in the transmission of danger signals from viral infections and damaged cells to prevent the life-threatening release of toxic inflammatory mediators in severe influenza.

 

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The table below summarizes the current status and anticipated milestones for our principal product candidates:

 

Product Candidate / Indication   Status   Next Expected Milestone
PRV-031 (teplizumab, anti-CD3 mAb) for the interception of T1D  

We commenced a Phase 3 clinical trial (the PROTECT study) in approximately 300 pediatric and adolescent patients with early onset type one diabetes. The first patient was dosed in April 2019.

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated PRV-031 as an orphan drug for the treatment of recent onset T1D.

 

We expect to report top line results from the Phase 3 PROTECT study in 2022.

 

We expect public disclosure of top-line results from an NIDDK sponsored study of PRV-031 conducted at TrialNet sites for preventing disease progression in patients at high risk of developing T1D early in the second half of 2019.

PRV-015 (anti-IL-15 mAb) for the treatment of gluten-free diet non-responding celiac disease.   We are planning a Phase 2b clinical trial (the PROACTIVE trial) in celiac patients with gluten-free diet non-responsive celiac disease and will undertake additional chronic toxicology studies to support this trial as needed.   We expect to commence the Phase 2b PROACTIVE study in the first half of 2020.
PRV-6527 (oral CSF-1R inhibitor) for the treatment of Crohn’s disease   We are conducting a Phase 2a clinical trial (the PRINCE study) in 93 patients who have moderate to severe Crohn’s disease.   We completed enrollment of the Phase 2a PRINCE study in April 2019 and expect to report top line results study in the fourth quarter of 2019.
PRV-3279 (humanized anti-CD32B and CD79B bispecific) for the treatment of lupus   We are designing a Phase 1b and 2a study (the PREVAIL study) to evaluate the safety and the effects of PRV-3279 in healthy volunteers and patients with lupus.   We expect to commence a Phase 1b study in the second half of 2019.
PRV-101 (polyvalent coxsackie virus B vaccine) for the prevention of acute CVB and the prevention of CVB triggered T1D   We are developing a polyvalent vaccine at Intravacc, our strategic partner in vaccine manufacturing process development.  

We expect to file a clinical trial application (CTA) by the end of the fourth quarter of 2019.

 

We expect to start the First-in-Human study in the first half of 2020.

PRV-300 (anti-TLR3 mAb) for the treatment of ulcerative colitis   We are evaluating potential studies of PRV-300 in severe influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and emerging viral diseases.   We expect to engage with third parties for the potential sublicense of PRV-300.

 

Provention intends to leverage its distinctive competences and drug development strategy; advance its carefully selected portfolio of product candidates; in-license or acquire additional targeted development assets, and apply its disease interception and prevention approach to multiple autoimmune and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

 

Financial operations overview

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

Research and development expenses consist primarily of clinical studies, other internal operating expenses, the cost of manufacturing our drug candidate for clinical study, and the cost of conducting preclinical activities. Expenses also include the cost of salaries, benefits and other related costs, including stock-based compensation, for personnel serving in our research and development functions. In addition, our research and development expenses include payments to third parties, as well as the fair value of equity issuances to third parties for the license rights to products in development (prior to marketing approval). Our expenses related to clinical trials are primarily related to activities at contract research organizations, or CROs, that design, obtain regulatory approval, and conduct clinical trials on our behalf. Our expenses related to the production of drug substance or drug product for our clinical trials and development programs are primarily related to activities performed by licensors, strategic partners or contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs, on our behalf. Our development efforts from inception through March 31, 2019, were principally related to the acquisition and development of our six programs detailed in the Pipeline description immediately above.

 

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All research and development expenses are charged to operations as incurred in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic, or ASC, 730, Research and Development. We account for non-refundable advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities as expenses when the service has been performed or when the goods have been received, rather than when the payment is made.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, benefits and other related costs, including stock-based compensation, for our personnel serving in our executive and finance and accounting functions. General and administrative expenses also include professional fees for legal, including patent-related expenses, consulting, insurance, board of director fees, tax and accounting services. We anticipate that we will incur increased general and administrative expenses related to audit, legal, regulatory, and tax-related services associated with maintaining compliance with exchange listing and SEC requirements, director and officer insurance premiums, and investor relations costs associated with being a public company.

 

Change in Fair Value of Warrant Liability

 

Change in fair value of warrant liability represents the re-measurement of liability classified warrants using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model at each financial reporting period. The fair value was affected by changes in inputs to the model including the fair value of our Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock, expected stock price volatility, the estimated term until exercise, and the risk-free interest rate.

 

Upon the completion of the IPO in July 2018, the warrants issued in connection with the Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock converted to warrants for the purchase of 558,740 shares of our common stock. The liability associated with these warrants was revalued just prior to the completion of the IPO, with the change in the fair value of the warrant liability charged to earnings. The warrant liability was then reclassified to additional paid-in capital upon the completion of the IPO in July 2018, as the warrants no longer contain redemption provisions outside our control.

 

Interest Income

 

Interest income consists of interest income earned on our cash and cash equivalents.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Comparison of the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018

 

   Three months ended March 31,   Increase 
   2019   2018   (Decrease) 
   (in thousands, except per share data)     
Statement of Operations Data:            
Operating expenses:               
Research and development  $10,022   $4,383   $5,639 
General and administrative   1,237    653    584 
Total operating expenses   11,259    5,036    6,223 
Loss from operations   (11,259)   (5,036)   6,223 
Interest income   287    57    230 
Change in fair value of warrant liability       (84)   (84)
Loss before income tax benefit   (10,972)   (5,063)   5,909 
Income tax benefit            
Net loss   (10,972)   (5,063)   5,909 
Accretion on Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock       (125)   (125)
Net loss attributable to common stockholders  $(10,972)  $(5,188)  $5,784 
                
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted  $(0.29)  $(0.52)     
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted   37,362    10,000      

 

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Research and Development Expenses

 

Research and development expenses were $10.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, an increase of $5.6 million, compared to $4.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase related primarily to an increase in clinical development expenses for PRV-031 and PRV-101. Research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2018 primarily related to external clinical development expenses for PRV-6527 and PRV-300, external development expenses for PRV-101, and $0.7 million of internal clinical development costs consisting mostly of compensation and related expenses, including stock-based compensation.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

General and administrative expenses were $1.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, an increase of $0.6 million, compared to $0.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. General and administrative expenses primarily included $0.4 million in professional fees and legal expenses, $0.4 million in personnel costs, including stock-based compensation and approximately $0.3 million in insurance and other costs associated with being a public company. General and administrative expenses were $0.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and were primarily comprised of $0.3 million in compensation costs, including stock-based compensation, and $0.2 million in professional fees and legal expenses.

 

Change in fair value of warrant liability

 

Change in fair value of warrant liability was a loss of approximately $0.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and was primarily impacted by a change in the fair value of our Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock, as determined using a Black Scholes option-pricing model.

 

Upon the completion of the IPO in July 2018, the warrants issued in connection with the Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock converted to warrants for the purchase of 558,740 shares of our common stock. The warrant liability was then reclassified to additional paid-in capital upon the completion of the IPO in July 2018, as the warrants no longer contain redemption provisions outside our control. As such, the Company did not record any gain or loss related to the warrant liability during the three months ended March 31, 2019.

 

Interest Income

 

Interest income was $0.3 million during the three months ended March 31, 2019 compared to $0.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase in interest income during the three months ended March 31, 2019 related primarily to an increase in average cash and cash equivalents balances that resulted from the net proceeds of our IPO in July 2018.

 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

Overview

 

There is considerable time and cost associated with developing a potential drug or pharmaceutical product to the point of regulatory approval and commercialization. We have funded our operations to date through offerings of our equity securities. We expect to continue to incur losses, as we plan to continue to fund development activities.

 

As of March 31, 2019, we had cash and cash equivalents of $51.2 million. We will need to raise additional capital to fund our operations, to develop and commercialize PRV-031, PRV-015, PRV-6527, PRV-3279, and PRV-101, and to develop, acquire, or in-license other products. We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our projected operating requirements into the middle of 2020. We plan to raise additional capital through equity offerings. Such additional funding will be necessary to continue to develop our potential product candidates, to pursue the license or purchase of other technologies, to commercialize our product candidates or to purchase other products. We may seek to sell common or preferred equity or convertible debt securities, enter into a credit facility or another form of third-party funding, or seek other debt financing. In addition, we may consider raising additional capital to fund operating activities, to expand our business, to pursue strategic investments, to take advantage of financing opportunities, or for other reasons. In the event that the we are able to raise capital, subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in the Amgen Agreement described herein, Amgen has agreed to make an equity investment of up to $20.0 million in our securities. This equity investment is expected to coincide with our potential future financing events, if any, or potential receipt of non-dilutive milestone payment from a third party, including but not limited to Janssen related to our CSF-1R program. The sale of equity and convertible debt securities may result in dilution to our stockholders and those securities may have rights senior to those of our common shares. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of preferred stock, convertible debt securities or other debt financing, these securities or other debt could contain covenants that would restrict our operations. Any other third-party funding arrangement could require us to relinquish valuable rights. We may require additional capital beyond our currently anticipated amounts. Additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms, or at all. If we are unable to obtain sufficient additional funds when required, we may be forced to delay, restrict or eliminate all or a portion of our development programs, dispose of assets or technology or cease operations.

 

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Our cash requirements in 2019 will be impacted by a number of factors, the most significant of which are expenses related to the initiation of the PROTECT clinical study of PRV-031, the PRINCE clinical study of PRV-6527, the initiation of the PREVAIL clinical study of PRV-3279, and development efforts for PRV-101 and PRV-015.

 

In April 2017, we completed a private offering of 11,381,999 shares of our Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock, at a price of $2.50 per share, resulting in net cash proceeds from the sale of the shares, after deducting the underwriter’s discount and offering expenses, of $26.7 million.

 

In July 2018, we closed our initial public offering of 15,969,563 shares of common stock at a price of $4.00 per share. The net proceeds to the Company were $59.3 million, after deducting underwriters’ commissions of approximately $3.7 million and other offering expenses of approximately $0.8 million. In connection with the closing of the IPO, all of our shares of redeemable convertible preferred stock outstanding at the time of the IPO were automatically converted into 11,381,999 shares of common stock. In addition, the warrants issued in connection with the Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock also converted to warrants for the purchase of 558,740 shares of our common stock.

 

Cash Flows

 

As of March 31, 2019, we had cash and cash equivalents totaling $51.2 million. We currently have invested our cash and cash equivalents in money market funds.

 

The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018:

 

   For the three months ended March 31, 
   2019   2018 
   (in thousands) 
Net cash (used in) provided by:          
Operating activities  $(7,333)  $(5,988)
Investing activities        
Financing activities        
Net change in cash and cash equivalents  $(7,333)  $(5,988)

 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

 

Net cash used in operating activities was $7.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and primarily related to cash used to fund clinical development activities for PRV-031, PRV-6527 and PRV-300, development activities for PRV-101, as well as costs for our recently acquired PRV-3279 and PRV-015 program. Our working capital was $48.9 million as of March 31, 2019.

 

Net cash used in operating activities was $6.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and primarily related to clinical development programs for PRV-6527 and PRV-300 and the development program for PRV-101.

 

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

 

There was no cash used in or provided by investing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2018, respectively.

 

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Cash Flows from Financing Activities

 

There was no cash used in or provided by financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2018, respectively.

 

Commitments and Contractual Obligations

 

In April 2017, we entered into the Vactech License Agreement, pursuant to which Vactech Ltd. (Vactech) granted us exclusive global rights for the purpose of developing and commercializing the group B coxsackie virus vaccine (CVB) platform technology. In consideration of the licenses and other rights granted by Vactech, we issued two million common shares to Vactech. We paid Vactech a total of approximately $0.5 million for transition and advisory services during the first 18 months of the term of the agreement. In addition, we are obligated to make a series of contingent milestone payments to Vactech totaling up to an additional $24.5 million upon the achievement of certain clinical development and regulatory filing milestones. In addition, we have agreed to pay Vactech tiered single-digit royalties on net sales of any approved product based on the CVB platform technology and three additional payments totaling $19.0 million upon the achievement of certain annual net sales levels. As of March 31, 2019, we have not achieved any milestones that would trigger payments to Vactech.

 

In April 2017, we entered into the Janssen CSF-1R License Agreement, pursuant to which Janssen Pharmaceutica NV granted us exclusive global rights for the purpose of developing and commercializing a colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF-1R) inhibitor named JNJ-40346527 (renamed PRV-6527) for inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn’s Disease and UC. We are obligated to conduct a single Phase 2a proof-of-mechanism and proof-of-concept clinical trial for the Crohn’s Disease indication. Janssen will supply product for the clinical trial. At the conclusion of the Phase 2a study, Janssen will have an option to buy back the rights for future development for a one-time payment of $50.0 million and future single-digit royalties on future net sales for a period of 10 years from first sale or expiration of the intellectual property, whichever is shorter. If Janssen does not exercise its option to buy-back the rights, all rights will remain with us and we will be obligated to make contingent milestone payments to Janssen totaling $35.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones for the first indication and an additional $20.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones for a second indication. In addition, we have agreed to pay Janssen tiered single-digit royalties on net sales of any approved product based on the CSF-1R technology and three additional payments totaling $100.0 million upon the achievement of certain annual net sales levels. As of March 31, 2019, we have not achieved any milestones that would trigger payments to Janssen under the CSF-1R License Agreement.

 

In April 2017, we entered into the Janssen TLR3 License Agreement, pursuant to which Janssen Sciences Ireland UC granted us exclusive global rights for the purpose of developing and commercializing an anti-TLR3 antibody named JNJ-42915925 (renamed PRV-300). We evaluated PRV-300 for UC in a recently completed Phase 1b trial (the PULSE study). See Note 13 – Subsequent Events for the announcement of top-line results of the PULSE study. Under the TLR3 License Agreement, we will be obligated to make contingent milestone payments to Janssen totaling $31.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones for the first indication and an additional $17.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones for a second indication. In addition, we have agreed to pay Janssen a single-digit royalty on net sales of any approved product based on the TLR3 technology and three additional payments totaling $60.0 million upon the achievement of certain annual net sales levels. As of March 31, 2019, we have not achieved any milestones that would trigger payments to Janssen under the TLR-3 License Agreement.

 

In March 2018, we entered into the Intravacc Development Services Agreement with The Institute of Translational Vaccinology, pursuant to which Intravacc will provide services related to process development, non-GMP and GMP manufacturing of our polyvalent coxsackie virus B vaccine (CVB), including providing proprietary technology for manufacturing purposes. We will pay Intravacc approximately 10 million euros for their services over the development and manufacturing period which we expect will last for approximately 18 to 24 months. Each party retains its existing intellectual property and will share newly developed intellectual property via a fully-paid non-exclusive license between the parties for all development work through phase 1 clinical trials. Any future use, including commercial use, of Intravacc’s technology will be subject to a separate nonexclusive license agreement. The Intravacc Development Services Agreement may be terminated by us with ninety-days’ notice without cause and by either party upon a material breach or insolvency of the other party. As of March 31, 2019, we have paid Intravacc a total of approximately 5.0 million euros, or approximately $6.0 million, for services provided by Intravacc under the Intravacc Development Services Agreement.

 

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In May 2018, we entered into the MacroGenics License Agreement with MacroGenics, Inc., pursuant to which MacroGenics granted us exclusive global rights for the purpose of developing and commercializing MGD010 (renamed PRV-3279), a humanized protein and a potential treatment for SLE and other similar diseases. As partial consideration for the License Agreement, we granted MacroGenics a warrant to purchase 270,299 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. We are obligated to make contingent milestone payments to MacroGenics totaling $42.5 million upon the achievement of certain developmental and approval milestones for the first indication, and an additional $22.5 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory approvals for a second indication. In addition, we are obligated to make contingent milestone payments to MacroGenics totaling $225.0 million upon the achievement of certain sales milestones. We have also agreed to pay MacroGenics a single-digit royalty on net sales of the product. Further, we are required to pay MacroGenics a low double-digit percentage of certain consideration to the extent received in connection with a future grant of rights to PRV-3279 by us to a third party. We are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and seek regulatory approval for PRV-3279. The license agreement may be terminated by either party upon a material breach or bankruptcy of the other party, by Provention without cause upon prior notice to MacroGenics, and by MacroGenics in the event that we challenge the validity of any licensed patent under the agreement, but only with respect to the challenged patent. As of March 31, 2019, we have not achieved any milestones that would trigger payments to MacroGenics under the MacroGenics License Agreement

 

In May 2018, we entered into the MacroGenics Asset Purchase Agreement with MacroGenics pursuant to which we acquired MacroGenics’ interest in teplizumab (renamed PRV-031), a humanized mAb for the treatment of T1D. As partial consideration for the License Agreement, we granted MacroGenics a warrant to purchase 2,162,389 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. We are obligated to pay MacroGenics contingent milestone payments totaling $170.0 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory approval milestones. In addition, we are obligated to make contingent milestone payments to MacroGenics totaling $225.0 million upon the achievement of certain sales milestones. We have also agreed to pay MacroGenics a single-digit royalty on net sales of the product. We have also agreed to pay third-party obligations, including low single-digit royalties, a portion of which is creditable against royalties payable to MacroGenics, aggregate milestone payments of up to approximately $1.3 million and other consideration, for certain third-party intellectual property under agreements we are assuming pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement. Further, we are required to pay MacroGenics a low double-digit percentage of certain consideration to the extent it is received in connection with a future grant of rights to PRV-031 by us to a third party. We are obligated to use reasonable commercial efforts to develop and seek regulatory approval for PRV-031. As of March 31, 2019, we have not achieved any milestones that would trigger payments to MacroGenics under the MacroGenics Asset Purchase Agreement.

 

In November 2018, we entered into the Amgen Agreement with Amgen for PRV-015 (formerly AMG 714), a novel anti-IL-15 monoclonal antibody being developed for the treatment of gluten-free diet NRCD. Under the terms of the agreement, we will conduct and fund a Phase 2b trial in NRCD and lead the development and regulatory activities for the program. Amgen has agreed to make an equity investment of up to $20.0 million in the Company, subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in the agreement. The equity investment will coincide with our future financing events or receipt of non-dilutive milestone payment from a third party including but not limited to Janssen related to our CSF-1R program. Amgen is also responsible for the manufacturing of PRV-015. Upon completion of the Phase 2b trial, a $150.0 million milestone payment is due from Amgen to us, plus an additional regulatory milestone payment, and single digit royalties on future sales. If Amgen elects not to pay the $150.0 million milestone, AMG 714 rights will be transferred to us pursuant to a termination license agreement from Amgen and us. We will be obligated to make certain contingent milestone payments to Amgen and other third parties totaling up to $70.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones and a low double-digit royalty on net sales of any approved product based on the IL-15 technology. The agreement may be terminated by us without cause (in which case the exclusive global rights to the technology will transfer back to Amgen) and by either party upon a material breach. The agreement expires upon the expiration of Amgen’s last obligation to make royalty payments to Provention (or, our last obligation to make royalty payments to Amgen, if the program rights are transferred to us). As of March 31, 2019, we have not achieved any milestones that would trigger payments to Amgen under the Amgen Agreement.

 

We also have employment agreements with certain employees which require the funding of a specific level of payments, if certain events, such as a change in control or termination without cause, occur.

 

In addition, in the course of normal business operations, we have agreements with contract service providers to assist in the performance of our research and development and manufacturing activities. Expenditures to CROs and CMOs represent significant costs in clinical development. Subject to required notice periods and our obligations under binding purchase orders, we can elect to discontinue the work under these agreements at any time. We could also enter into additional collaborative research, contract research, manufacturing, and supplier agreements in the future, which may require upfront payments and even long-term commitments of cash.

 

Future Funding Requirements

 

To date, we have not generated revenue, and we do not know when, or if, we will generate revenue. We do not expect to generate revenue unless or until we obtain marketing approval of, secure reimbursement for, and commercialize, our product candidates. We will need to raise additional capital to fund our operations, to develop and commercialize our product candidates, and to develop, acquire, in-license or co-promote other products. Our future capital requirements may be substantial and will depend on many factors.

 

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources. We do not have any interest in special purpose entities, structured finance entities or other variable interest entities.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

Preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the US requires us to make estimates and assumptions affecting the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and expenses and the disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. We use our historical experience and other relevant factors when developing our estimates and assumptions. We continually evaluate these estimates and assumptions. The amounts of assets and liabilities reported in our balance sheets and the amounts of expenses reported in our statements of comprehensive loss are affected by estimates and assumptions, which are used for, but not limited to, the accounting for research and development, stock-based compensation, accrued expenses and both liability-classified and equity-classified warrants. The accounting policies discussed below are considered critical to an understanding of our financial statements because their application places the most significant demands on our judgment. Actual results could differ from our estimates. For additional accounting policies, see Note 3 to our Financial Statements— Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

 

Research and Development

 

Research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries, benefits and other related costs, including stock-based compensation, for personnel serving our development functions, and other internal operating expenses, the cost of clinical studies, and the cost of our drug candidates for clinical study. In addition, research and development expenses include payments to third parties for the development of our product candidates and the estimated fair value for the issuance of equity for the license rights to products in development (prior to marketing approval). Our expenses related to clinical trials are primarily related to activities at contract research organizations that design, gain approval for and conduct clinical trials on our behalf. Such amounts are then recognized as an expense as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed.

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

We recognize stock-based compensation expense for awards of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair value of those awards. The grant-date fair value of the award is recognized as compensation expense ratably over the requisite service period, which generally equals the vesting period of the award. We also grant performance-based stock options. The grant-date fair value of the performance-based stock options is recognized as compensation expense once it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved. We record actual forfeitures in the period the forfeiture occurs.

 

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which supersedes ASC 505-50 and expands the scope of ASC 718 to include all share-based payments arrangements related to the acquisition of goods and services from both employees and nonemployees. During the third quarter of 2018, we early adopted ASU 2018-07. After the adoption of ASU 2018-07, the measurement date for non-employee awards is the date of grant. Compensation expense for non-employees is recognized, without changes to the fair value of the award, over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period of the respective award. The adoption of ASU 2018-07 did not have a material impact our financial statements or footnote disclosures.

 

Prior to the third quarter of 2018, we accounted for awards of equity instruments issued to non-employees in accordance with ASC Topic 505-50 “Equity-Based Payment to Non-Employees” and accordingly the value of the stock compensation to non-employees was based upon the measurement date as determined at either a) the date at which a performance commitment was reached, or b) at the date at which the necessary performance to earn the equity instruments was complete, which was normally the end of the vesting period. At the end of each financial reporting period prior to completion of the service, the fair value of these awards was remeasured using updated assumption inputs in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model.

 

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We used the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to estimate the fair value of option awards with the following weighted-average assumptions for the period indicated:

 

   Three months ended March 31, 
   2019   2018 
         
Exercise Price  $2.26   $2.50 
Expected volatility   66%   62%
Expected dividends        
Expected term (in years)   6.6    5.7 
Risk-free interest rate   2.41%   2.60%

 

The weighted-average valuation assumptions were determined as follows:

 

  Risk-free interest rate: we base the risk-free interest rate on the interest rate payable on U.S. Treasury securities in effect at the time of grant for a period that is commensurate with the assumed expected option term.
  Expected annual dividends: the estimate for annual dividends is 0%, because we have not historically paid, and do not expect for the foreseeable future to pay, a dividend.
  Expected stock price volatility: the expected volatility used is based on historical volatilities of similar entities within our industry which were commensurate with our expected term assumption.
  Expected term of options: the expected term of options represents the period of time options are expected to be outstanding. The expected term of the options granted to employees is derived from the “simplified” method as described in Staff Accounting Bulletin 107 relating to stock-based compensation, whereby the expected term is an average between the vesting period and contractual period due to our limited operating history. The expected term for options granted to non-employees is equal to the contractual term of the awards.

 

Stock-based compensation expense is included in both research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses in the Statement of Operations.

 

Determination of Fair Value of Common Stock

 

Prior to our IPO, there was no public market for our common stock. The estimated fair value of our common stock had been determined by our board of directors as of the date of each option grant and quarter end, with input from management, considering our most recently available third-party valuations of common stock. These factors included, but were not limited to: our most recently available valuations of our common stock by an unrelated third party; the price at which we sold shares of our convertible redeemable preferred stock to outside investors in arms-length transactions; the rights, preferences and privileges of our convertible preferred stock relative to those of our common stock; our results of operations, financial position and capital resources; current business conditions and projections; the lack of marketability of our common stock; the hiring of key personnel and the experience of management; the risk inherent in the development of our products; our stage of development and material risks related to our business; the fact that the option grants involved illiquid securities in a private company; and the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event, such as our IPO or sale, in light of prevailing market conditions.

 

Previously, we determined the estimated fair value of our common stock at various dates using contemporaneous valuations performed in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation, or the Practice Aid. The Practice Aid identifies various available methods for allocating enterprise value across classes and series of capital stock to determine the estimated fair value of common stock at each valuation date. In accordance with the Practice Aid, our board of directors considered the following methods:

 

  Current Value Method. Under the Current Value Method, or CVM, value is determined based on our balance sheet. This value is first allocated based on the liquidation preference associated with preferred stock issued as of the valuation date, and then any residual value is assigned to the common stock.
     
  Option-Pricing Method. Under the option-pricing method, or OPM, shares valued by creating a series of call options with exercise prices based on the liquidation preferences and conversion terms of each equity class. The estimated fair values of the preferred and common stock are inferred by analyzing these options.
     
  Probability-Weighted Expected Return Method. The probability-weighted expected return method, or PWERM, is a scenario-based analysis that estimates value per share based on the probability-weighted present value of expected future investment returns, considering each of the possible outcomes available to us, as well as the economic and control rights of each share class.

 

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Prior to our IPO, we determined that a PWERM was the most appropriate method for allocating our enterprise value to determine the estimated fair value of our common stock. Our common stock valuations as of April 25, 2017, June 30, 2017, September 11, 2017, September 30, 2017, December 1, 2017, December 31, 2017, March 1, 2018, March 31, 2018, May 7, 2018, June 30, 2018 and July 18, 2018 were prepared using the PWERM.

 

Our board of directors and management developed best estimates based on application of these approaches and the assumptions underlying these valuations, giving careful consideration to the advice from our third-party valuation expert. Such estimates involved inherent uncertainties and the application of significant judgment. As a result, if factors or expected outcomes change and we use significantly different assumptions or estimates, our equity-based compensation could be materially different.

 

Subsequent to the completion of our IPO, our board of directors determines the fair market value of our common stock based on its closing price as reported on the date of grant on the primary stock exchange on which our common stock is traded.

 

Accrued Research and Development Expenses

 

As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued expenses. This process involves reviewing quotations and contracts, identifying services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of the actual cost. The majority of our service providers invoice us monthly in arrears for services performed or when contractual milestones are met. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in our financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of our estimates with the service providers and make adjustments if necessary. The significant estimates in our accrued research and development expenses are related to expenses incurred with respect to CROs, CMOs and other vendors in connection with research and development and manufacturing activities.

 

We base our expenses related to CROs and CMOs on our estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to quotations and contracts with such vendors that conduct research and development and manufacturing activities on our behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the applicable research and development or manufacturing expense. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from our estimate, we adjust the accrual or prepaid expense accordingly. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and could result in us reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. There have been no material changes in estimates for the periods presented.

 

Warrant Liability

 

In April 2017, we issued warrants to purchase shares of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock in connection with the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock financing. We accounted for these warrants as a liability in the financial statements because the underlying instrument into which the warrants were exercisable contained redemption provisions that were outside our control.

 

Upon the completion of the IPO in July 2018, the warrants issued in connection with the Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock converted to warrants for the purchase of 558,740 shares of our common stock and no longer contain these redemption provisions outside our control. The liability associated with these warrants was revalued just prior to the completion of the IPO, with the change in the fair value of the warrant liability charged to earnings. The warrant liability was then reclassified to additional paid-in capital upon the completion of the IPO in July 2018, as the warrants no longer contain redemption provisions outside our control.

 

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The fair value of the warrants was determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and were re-measured to fair value at each financial reporting period date with any changes in fair value recognized in the statements of operations. See Note 8 to our financial statements in Part I-Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

See Note 3, “Significant Accounting Policies”, in the accompanying notes to financial statements, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2019. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

 

Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2019, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

 

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

No changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the quarter ended March 31, 2019 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. From time to time, we make changes to our internal control over financial reporting that are intended to enhance our effectiveness, and which do not have a material effect on our overall internal control over financial reporting. As a newly public company, we continue the process of reviewing and documenting our disclosure controls and procedures, including our internal controls and procedures for financial reporting, and may from time to time make changes aimed at enhancing their effectiveness and to ensure that our systems evolve with our business.

 

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PART II. Other Information

 

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings.

 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

 

You should consider carefully the risk factors, together with all of the other information included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Each of these risk factors could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our common stock. There have been no material changes to our risk factors as previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

 

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

 

None.

 

Use of Proceeds from Initial Public Offering of Common Stock

 

The offer and sale of the shares in the IPO was registered under the Securities Act pursuant to registration statements on Form S-1 (File No. 333-224801), which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on May 9, 2018 and amended subsequently and declared effective on July 3, 2018, and Form S-1MEF (File No. 333-226198), which was filed with the SEC on July 16, 2018 and was effective on filing with the SEC. These registration statements, collectively, registered a maximum offering amount of $65.5 million of our common stock in connection with our IPO, pursuant to which we sold 15,969,563 shares of common stock to the public at a price of $4.00 per share. The IPO closed on July 19, 2018, generating net proceeds of approximately $59.3 million after deducting underwriting commissions of approximately $3.7 million and other offering expenses of $0.8 million payable by us. The offering terminated before all of the securities registered on the registration statements had been sold.

 

MDB Capital Group, LLC acted as sole book-running manager for the offering. Dougherty & Company LLC acted as qualified independent underwriter for the offering. Anthony DiGiandomenico, a member of our board of directors, is a co-founder of MDB and Cameron Gray, a member of our board of directors, is a managing director of MDB.

 

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As of March 31, 2019, we have used approximately $18.3 million of the net offering proceeds primarily to fund ongoing development activities for PRV-6527, PRV-300, PRV-031, PRV-101, PRV-3279 and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. We are holding a significant portion of the balance of the net proceeds from the offering in capital preservation investments, including short-term, investment grade, interest bearing investments in U.S. government securities. There has been no material change in our planned use of the net proceeds from the offering as described in our final prospectus filed with the SEC on July 17, 2018 pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act.

 

We have not used any of the net proceeds from the offering to make payments by us, directly or indirectly, to any director or officer of ours (other than payment in the ordinary course of business of salaries and/or director fees) or to any of their associates, or to any persons owning ten percent or more of our common stock or to their associates, or to our affiliates, other than the underwriting commission paid to MDB Capital Group and underwriter warrants issued to MDB, a portion of which was assigned to Cameron Gray, one of our directors.

 

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

 

None.

 

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION

 

None.

 

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ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

 

31.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15(d)-14(a).
     
31.2   Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15(d)-14(a).
     
32.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350.
     
32.2   Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350.
     
101   The following materials from Provention Bio, Inc.’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, formatted in eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL): (i) Condensed Balance Sheets at March 31, 2019 (unaudited) and December 31, 2018, (ii) Condensed Statements of Operations (unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, (iii) Condensed Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) (unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (iv) Condensed Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, and (v) Notes to Condensed Financial Statements (unaudited).

 

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SIGNATURE

 

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

 

    PROVENTION BIO, INC.
     
    May 8, 2019
       
    By: /s/ Andrew Drechsler
      Andrew Drechsler
      Chief Financial Officer
      (Authorized Officer and Principal Financial Officer)

 

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