Kura Oncology, Inc. (KURA) FY 2022 MD&A

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations of Kura Oncology, Inc. should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes to those statements appearing in this Annual Report. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties. 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 include, but are not limited to, those set forth in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report. All forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report are based on information available to us as of the time we file this Annual Report and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements. For the comparison of the financial results for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, see Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on February 24, 2022.

References to “Kura Oncology, Inc.,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Kura Oncology, Inc.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. Our pipeline consists of small molecule product candidates that target cancer signaling pathways where there is a strong scientific and clinical rationale to improve outcomes, and we intend to pair them with molecular or cellular diagnostics to identify those patients most likely to respond to treatment. We are conducting clinical trials of two product candidates, ziftomenib and tipifarnib, and are preparing to initiate a first-in-human study of a third product candidate, KO-2806. We also have additional programs that are at a discovery stage. We own global commercial rights to all of our programs and product candidates. We plan to advance our product candidates through a combination of internal development and strategic partnerships while maintaining significant development and commercial rights.

Ziftomenib. Our first product candidate, ziftomenib, is a potent, selective, reversible and oral small molecule inhibitor that blocks the interaction of two proteins, menin and the protein expressed by the KMT2A gene (formerly referred to as the mixed-lineage leukemia 1 gene).

We received orphan drug designation for ziftomenib for the treatment of AML from the FDA in July 2019. We initiated our menin-KMT2A Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ziftomenib in relapsed or refractory AML which we call KOMET-001, in September 2019. In the Phase 1a dose-escalation portion of the KOMET-001 trial, ziftomenib demonstrated a wide therapeutic window and encouraging monotherapy activity in an all-comer population of 30 patients with relapsed/refractory AML. A total of 53 patients were treated in the Phase 1b portion of the study, which consisted of two randomized expansion cohorts, each comprised of NPM1-mutant and KMT2A-rearranged AML patients. Ziftomenib demonstrated optimal clinical benefit at 600 mg, with a 30% CR rate (6/20) in patients with NPM1-mutant AML.

Continuous daily dosing of ziftomenib was well tolerated and reported adverse events most often were consistent with features of underlying disease. The most common treatment-emergent adverse event observed was DS, a known adverse event related to AML treatments that promote differentiation of AML cells. The frequency of DS was higher in patients with KMT2A-rearranged AML than those with NPM1-mutant AML. Although meaningful clinical benefit was observed in patients with KMT2A rearrangements, symptoms of DS prevented most patients from receiving sufficient therapy to attain response criteria for CR or CRh, and only one patient achieved a CR/CRh.

Based upon the results of the Phase 1b portion of the KOMET-001 study and following a positive Type C meeting with the FDA, we announced that 600 mg has been determined as the RP2D of ziftomenib in NPM1-mutant AML. We have initiated the Phase 2 registration-directed portion of the KOMET-001 trial to further evaluate the safety, tolerability and anti-leukemic activity of ziftomenib in NPM1-mutant AML, and we reported on February 9, 2023 that we dosed our first patients.

In addition to initiating the Phase 2 portion of the KOMET-001 study, we expect to initiate multiple studies of ziftomenib in combination with standards of care and in earlier lines of therapy. The first ziftomenib combination study, which we call KOMET-007, is designed to evaluate ziftomenib in combination with venetoclax and azacytidine in patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed or refractory NPM1-mutant and/or KMT2A-rearranged AML, and ziftomenib in combination with cytarabine and daunorubicin, or 7+3, in patients with newly diagnosed NPM1-mutant and/or KMT2A-rearranged AML. We expect to dose the first patient in KOMET-007 in the first half of 2023.

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The second ziftomenib combination study, which we call KOMET-008, is designed to evaluate ziftomenib in combination with gilteritinib in patients with relapsed or refractory NPM1-mutant AML, and ziftomenib in combination with FLAG-IDA or LDAC in patients with relapsed or refractory NPM1-mutant AML and/or KMT2A-rearranged AML. We expect to dose the first patient in KOMET-008 in the second half of 2023.

Tipifarnib. Our second product candidate, tipifarnib, is a potent, selective and orally bioavailable inhibitor of farnesyl transferase that has been previously studied in more than 5,000 cancer patients and demonstrated compelling and durable anti-cancer activity in certain patients with a manageable side effect profile.

In February 2021, tipifarnib was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA for the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic HRAS mutant HNSCC with variant allele frequency ≥ 20% after disease progression on platinum-based chemotherapy.

On July 6, 2021, we announced a clinical collaboration with Novartis to evaluate the combination of tipifarnib and alpelisib, a PI3 kinase alpha inhibitor, in patients with HNSCC whose tumors have HRAS overexpression and/or PIK3CA mutation and/or amplification. In the fourth quarter of 2021, we commenced a Phase 1/2 open-label, biomarker-defined cohort study, which we call the KURRENT-HN trial, to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the combination, determine the recommended dose and schedule for the combination, and assess early antitumor activity of the combination for the treatment of such patients. Under the terms of our collaboration agreement with Novartis, we sponsor the KURRENT-HN trial and supply tipifarnib, and Novartis supplies alpelisib. On December 16, 2021, we announced dose administration for the first patient in the PIK3CA cohort and, in August 2022, we announced dose administration for the first patient in the HRAS overexpression cohort in KURRENT-HN. In an ongoing effort to prioritize those programs with the highest potential to create value for patients, health care providers and shareholders, and because we are seeing promising clinical activity in the PIK3CA cohort, we have elected to prioritize the determination of the OBAD for the PIK3CA cohort and discontinue enrollment in the HRAS overexpression cohort. We expect to determine the OBAD for the PIK3CA cohort in mid-2023.

In November 2022, we announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial, which we called the KURRENT-LUNG trial, of tipifarnib in combination with osimertinib in treatment-naïve locally advanced or metastatic EGFR mutated NSCLC. As part of our ongoing prioritization efforts, we have decided to close our KURRENT-LUNG trial and discontinue further development of tipifarnib in combination with osimertinib, despite compelling preclinical data.

KO-2806. Our newest product candidate, KO-2806, is a next-generation farnesyl transferase inhibitor which we believe demonstrates improved potency, pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties relative to earlier FTI drug candidates. In January 2023, we announced the clearance by the FDA of our IND application for KO-2806 for the treatment of advanced solid tumors. We intend to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary antitumor activity of KO-2806 in a Phase 1 first-in-human study as a monotherapy and in combination with other targeted therapies. We expect to initiate this Phase 1 study, which we call the FIT-001 trial, in the third quarter of 2023.

Liquidity Overview

As of December 31, 2022, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $438.0 million. In February 2022, we entered into the ATM Facility with SVB Securities LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., under which we may offer and sell, from time to time, at our sole discretion, shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $150.0 million. We have not sold any shares of our common stock under the ATM Facility.

On November 2, 2022, we entered into the Loan Agreement with the Lenders and Hercules providing for up to $125.0 million in a series of Term Loans. We borrowed $10.0 million upon entering into the Loan Agreement, and may borrow up to an additional $115.0 million under certain circumstances. We may borrow $15.0 million at our sole discretion at any time until September 15, 2023. We may borrow (i) additional tranches of term loans in the amounts of up to $35.0 million and $40.0 million, respectively, which will become available to us upon our satisfaction of certain terms and conditions set forth in the Loan Agreement, and (ii) a final tranche of term loans in the amount of up to $25.0 million, subject to the Lenders’ investment committee approval in its sole discretion.

Also, on November 2, 2022, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, or BMS, pursuant to which BMS purchased 1,370,171 shares of our common stock in a registered direct offering, at a purchase price of approximately $18.25 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately $25.0 million.

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To date, we have not generated any revenues from product sales, and we do not have any approved products. Since our inception, we have funded our operations primarily through equity and debt financings. We anticipate that we will require significant additional financing in the future to continue to fund our operations as discussed more fully below under the heading “Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

Financial Operations Overview

Research and Development Expenses

We focus on the research and development of our pipeline programs. Our research and development expenses consist of costs associated with our research and development activities including salaries, benefits, share-based compensation and other personnel costs, clinical trial costs, manufacturing costs for non-commercial products, fees paid to external service providers and consultants, facilities costs and supplies, equipment and materials used in clinical and preclinical studies and research and development. All such costs are charged to research and development expense as incurred. Payments that we make in connection with in-licensed technology for a particular research and development project that have no alternative future uses in other research and development projects or otherwise and therefore, no separate economic values, are expensed as research and development costs at the time such costs are incurred. As of December 31, 2022, we have no in-licensed technologies that have alternative future uses in research and development projects or otherwise.

We cannot determine with certainty the timing of initiation, the duration or the completion costs of current or future preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates. At this time, due to the inherently unpredictable nature of preclinical and clinical development, we are unable to estimate with any certainty the costs we will incur and the timelines we will require in the continued development of our product candidates and our other pipeline programs. Clinical and preclinical development timelines, the probability of success and development costs can differ materially from expectations. Our future research and development expenses will depend on the preclinical and clinical success of each product candidate that we develop, as well as ongoing assessments of the commercial potential of such product candidates. In addition, we cannot forecast which product candidates may be subject to future collaborations, when such arrangements will be secured, if at all, and to what degree such arrangements would affect our development plans and capital requirements.

Completion of clinical trials may take several years or more, and the length of time generally varies according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use of a product candidate. The cost of clinical trials may vary significantly over the life of a project as a result of differences arising during clinical development, including, among others:

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managing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and related precautions on the operation of our clinical trials;

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per patient clinical trial costs;

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the number of clinical trials required for approval;

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the number of sites included in the clinical trials;

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the length of time required to enroll suitable patients;

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the number of doses that patients receive;

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the number of patients that participate in the clinical trials;

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the drop-out or discontinuation rates of patients;

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the duration of patient follow-up;

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potential additional safety monitoring or other studies requested by regulatory agencies;

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the number and complexity of analyses and tests performed during the clinical trial;

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the phase of development of the product candidate; and

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the efficacy and safety profile of the product candidate.

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General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, benefits, share-based compensation and other personnel costs for employees in executive, finance, business development and support functions. Other significant general and administrative expenses include the costs associated with obtaining and maintaining our patent portfolio, professional services for audit, legal, pre-commercial planning, investor and public relations, director and officer insurance premiums, corporate activities and allocated facilities.

Other Income, Net

Other income, net consists primarily of interest income and interest expense.

Income Taxes

We have incurred net losses and have not recorded any U.S. federal or state income tax benefits for the losses as they have been offset by valuation allowances.

Results of Operations

Comparison of Fiscal Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021

The following table sets forth our results of operations for the years presented, in thousands:

Research and Development Expenses. The following table illustrates the components of our research and development expenses for the years presented, in thousands:

The increase in ziftomenib-related research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021 was primarily due to increases in costs related to our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ziftomenib. The decrease in tipifarnib-related research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021 was primarily due to the closure to further enrollment of our registration-directed trial of tipifarnib. The increase in discovery stage programs for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021 was primarily due to increased research activities for our preclinical-stage product candidate, KO-2806. The FDA cleared the KO-2806 IND filing in January 2023. The increase in personnel costs and other expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021 was to support our ongoing clinical trials. Personnel costs and other expenses include employee salaries and related expenses, facilities and overhead expenses. We expect our research and development expenses to increase in future periods as we continue clinical development activities for ziftomenib and tipifarnib.

General and Administrative Expenses. The increase in general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021 was primarily due to increases in personnel costs. We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase in future periods to support our planned increase in research and development activities.

Other income, net. The increase in other income, net for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021 was primarily due to an increase in interest income.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Since our inception, we have funded our operations primarily through equity and debt financings. We have devoted our resources to funding research and development programs, including discovery research, preclinical and clinical development activities.

On November 2, 2022, we entered into the Loan Agreement with the Lenders and Hercules, in its capacity as agent, providing for up to $125.0 million in a series of Term Loans. Under the terms of the Loan Agreement, we borrowed $10.0 million of an initial $25.0 million tranche of Term Loans, or the Tranche 1 Loan, and we may, at our sole discretion, borrow the remaining $15.0 million in respect of the Tranche 1 Loan at any time until September 15, 2023. Thereafter, we may borrow (i) additional tranches of Term Loans in the amounts of up to $35.0 million, or the Tranche 2 Loan, and $40.0 million, or the Tranche 3 Loan, respectively, which will become available to us upon our satisfaction of certain terms and conditions set forth in the Loan Agreement, and (ii) a final tranche of Term Loans in the amount of up to $25.0 million, or the Tranche 4 Loan, subject to the Lenders’ investment committee approval in its sole discretion. All of the Term Loans have a maturity date of November 2, 2027, or the Maturity Date. Repayment of the Term Loans is interest only through (a) initially, November 1, 2024, (b) if we satisfy the Interest Only Milestone 1 Conditions (as defined in the Loan Agreement), May 1, 2025, (c) if we satisfy the Interest Only Milestone 2 Conditions (as defined in the Loan Agreement), November 1, 2025, and (d) if we satisfy the Approval Milestone (as defined in the Loan Agreement), November 1, 2026. After the interest-only payment period, borrowings under the Loan Agreement are repayable in equal monthly payments of principal and accrued interest until the Maturity Date. The per annum interest rate for the Term Loans is the greater of (i) the prime rate as reported in The Wall Street Journal minus 6.25% plus 8.65% and (ii) 8.65%.

At our option, we may prepay all or any portion of the outstanding Term Loans at any time. Prepayments made on or prior to the third anniversary of the date of the Loan Agreement will be subject to a prepayment fee equal to 1.50% of the principal amount being prepaid. In addition, we paid a $0.1 million facility charge upon closing and will pay additional facility charges in connection with any borrowing of the Tranche 2 Loan, Tranche 3 Loan or Tranche 4 Loan, in each case in the amount of 0.50% of the amount of such tranche of loans. The Loan Agreement also provides for an end of term fee in an amount equal to the greater of approximately (i) $1.5 million (which is 6.05% of the maximum amount of the first tranche of loans) or (ii) 6.05% of the aggregate principal amount of loan advances actually made under the Loan Agreement, which fee is due and payable on the earliest to occur of (i) the Maturity Date, (ii) the date we prepay the outstanding loans in full, and (iii) the date that the secured obligations become due and payable. Our obligations under the Loan Agreement are secured by substantially all of our assets other than our intellectual property, but including proceeds from the sale, licensing or other disposition of our intellectual property. Our intellectual property is subject to negative covenants, which, among other things, prohibit us from selling, transferring, assigning, mortgaging, pledging, leasing, granting a security interest in or otherwise encumbering our intellectual property, subject to limited exceptions.

On November 2, 2022, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with BMS pursuant to which BMS purchased 1,370,171 shares of our common stock in a registered direct offering, at a purchase price of approximately $18.25 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately $25.0 million.

In February 2022, we entered into the ATM Facility under which we may offer and sell, from time to time, at our sole discretion, shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $150.0 million. We have not sold any shares of our common stock under the ATM Facility.

We have incurred operating losses and negative cash flows from operating activities since inception. As of December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $568.8 million. We expect our expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we continue the research and development of, continue and initiate clinical trials of, and seek marketing approval for, our product candidates. In addition, if we obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution to the extent that such sales, marketing and distribution are not the responsibility of potential collaborators. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our research and development programs or future commercialization efforts.

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As of December 31, 2022, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $438.0 million. Based on our current plans, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to enable us to fund our operating expenses into the fourth quarter of 2025. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

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the scope, progress, results and costs of drug discovery, preclinical development, laboratory testing and clinical trials for our product candidates;

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the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;

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the costs of establishing or contracting for sales, marketing and distribution capabilities if we obtain regulatory approvals to market our product candidates;

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the costs of securing and producing drug substance and drug product material for use in preclinical studies, clinical trials and for use as commercial supply;

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the costs of securing manufacturing arrangements for development activities and commercial production;

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the scope, prioritization and number of our research and development programs;

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the extent to which we are obligated to reimburse, or entitled to reimbursement of, clinical trial costs under future collaboration agreements, if any;

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the extent to which we acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies;

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the success of our current or future companion diagnostic test collaborations for companion diagnostic tests; and

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the costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending intellectual property-related claims.

To date, we have not generated any revenues from product sales, and we do not have any approved products. We do not know when, or if, we will generate any revenues from product sales. We do not expect to generate significant revenues from product sales unless and until we obtain regulatory approval of and commercialize one of our current or future product candidates. We are subject to all of the risks incident in the development of new therapeutic products, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. We anticipate that we will need substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of stock offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic partnerships or licensing arrangements. Other than our term loan facility, we do not have any committed external source of funds. Additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all. Subject to limited exceptions, our term loan facility also prohibits us from incurring indebtedness without the prior written consent of the Lenders. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of stock or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders. Debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include increased fixed payment obligations and covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures, declaring dividends, selling or licensing intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic partnerships or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our product candidates, including our other technologies, future revenue streams or research programs, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds when needed, we may be unable to carry out our business plan. As a result, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and commercialize our product candidates even if we would otherwise prefer to develop and commercialize such product candidates ourselves, and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

The following table provides a summary of our net cash flow activities for the years presented, in thousands:

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Operating Activities. The increase of $5.5 million in net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021 was primarily due to the increase of $5.4 million in net loss.

Investing Activities. Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily due to maturities of marketable securities. Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily due to purchases of marketable securities.

Financing Activities. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily related to net proceeds of $24.7 million from the BMS equity investment, proceeds of $4.4 million from the issuance of shares of common stock under our equity plans and net proceeds of $9.4 million from the issuance of long-term debt. Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily related to the repayment of all amounts owed under our prior term loan facility with Silicon Valley Bank, including a final payment and prepayment fees, totaling $7.9 million, partially offset by proceeds of $4.4 million from the issuance of shares of common stock under our equity plans.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

The following is a summary of our significant contractual obligations and commitments as of December 31, 2022, in thousands:

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(1)
Future minimum lease payments under our operating leases in San Diego, California and Boston, Massachusetts.

(2)
Principal payments under our term loan facility.

(3)
Interest payments on our term loan facility. The per annum interest rate for the Term Loans is the greater of (i) the prime rate as reported in The Wall Street Journal minus 6.25% plus 8.65% and (ii) 8.65%. As of December 31, 2022, the interest rate on the Term Loans was 9.90%. In addition, an end of term fee will be due in an amount equal to the greater of approximately (i) $1.5 million or (ii) 6.05% of the aggregate principal amount of loan advances actually made, payable on the earliest of the maturity date, acceleration or prepayment of the Term Loans.

We enter into short-term and cancellable agreements in the normal course of operations with clinical sites and CROs for clinical research studies, professional consultants and various third parties for preclinical research studies, clinical supply manufacturing and other services through purchase orders or other documentation, or that are undocumented except for an invoice. Such short-term agreements are generally outstanding for periods less than one year and are settled by cash payments upon delivery of goods and services. The nature of the work being conducted under these agreements is such that, in most cases, the services may be cancelled upon prior notice of 90 days or less. Payments due upon cancellation generally consist only of payments for services provided and expenses incurred, including non-cancellable obligations of our service providers, up to the date of cancellation. These payments are not included in the table of contractual obligations above.

Excluded from the table above are milestone or contractual payment obligations contingent upon the achievement of certain milestones or events if the amount and timing of such obligations are unknown or uncertain. Our in-license agreements are cancelable by us with written notice within 180 days or less. We may be required to pay up to approximately $80.0 million in milestone payments, plus sales royalties, in the event that regulatory and commercial milestones under the in-license agreements are achieved.

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Critical Accounting Policies and Management Estimates

The SEC defines critical accounting policies as those that are, in management’s view, important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and demanding of management’s judgment. Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements required estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in the financial statements. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to accrued expenses and share-based compensation. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events, and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Though the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to our business and operating results presents additional uncertainty, we continue to use the best information available to form our critical accounting estimates.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements of this Annual Report, we believe the following accounting policies are critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements.

Research and Development Expenses

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. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, we will adjust the accrual accordingly. Non-refundable advance payments for goods and services, including fees for process development or manufacturing and distribution of clinical supplies that will be used in future research and development activities, are deferred and recognized as expense in the period that the related goods are consumed or services are performed. Payments that we make in connection with in-licensed technology for a particular research and development project that have no alternative future uses, in other research and development projects or otherwise, and therefore no separate economic values are expensed as research and development costs at the time such costs are incurred.

Clinical Trial Costs and Accruals

We accrue clinical trial costs based on work performed. In determining the amount to accrue, we rely on estimates of total costs incurred based on enrollment, the completion of clinical trials and other events. We follow this method because we believe reasonably dependable estimates of the costs applicable to various stages of a clinical trial can be made. However, the actual costs and timing of clinical trials are highly uncertain, subject to risks and may change depending on a number of factors. Differences between the actual clinical trial costs and the estimated clinical trial costs that we have accrued in any prior period are recognized in the subsequent period in which the actual costs become known. Historically, our estimated accrued expenses have approximated actual expenses incurred; however, material differences could occur in the future.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements of this Annual Report.

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