e424b5
This filing is made pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in
connection
with Registration
No. 333-137109
2,610,000 Shares
$13.75 per share
Common Stock
We are offering 2,610,000 shares of our common stock.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the
symbol RPRX. On January 30, 2007, the last
reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global
Market was $14.42 per share.
Investing in our common stock
involves risks. See Risk Factors beginning on
page S-5
of this prospectus supplement.
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Per Share
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Total
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Price to the public
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$
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13.7500
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$
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35,887,500
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Underwriting discount
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$
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0.8937
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$
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2,332,557
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Proceeds, before expenses, to
Repros Therapeutics Inc.
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$
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12.8563
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$
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33,554,943
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The underwriters may also purchase up to an additional
390,000 shares from us at the public offering price, less
the underwriting discount, within 30 days from the date of
this prospectus supplement to cover any over-allotments.
Neither the Securities and Exchange
Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or
disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus
supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
The underwriters expect to deliver shares against payment in New
York, New York on February 5, 2007.
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CIBC World Markets
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Punk, Ziegel &
Company
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Sole Book-Running
Manager
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Co-Lead Manager
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ThinkEquity Partners
LLC
The date of this prospectus supplement (to the prospectus dated
September 5, 2006) is January 31, 2007
Table of
Contents
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Prospectus Supplement
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S-1
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S-5
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S-20
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S-21
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S-21
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S-21
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S-22
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S-23
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S-24
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S-34
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S-38
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S-38
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S-38
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S-39
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Prospectus
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Table of Contents
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1
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About This Prospectus
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2
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About Repros Therapeutics
Inc.
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2
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Risk Factors
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4
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Forward-Looking Information
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4
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Use of Proceeds
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5
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Plan of Distribution
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5
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Legal Matters
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7
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Experts
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7
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Where You Can Find More Information
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7
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We provide information to you about this offering of shares of
our common stock in two separate documents that are bound
together: (1) this prospectus supplement, which describes
the specific details regarding this offering; and (2) the
accompanying prospectus, which provides general information,
some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we
refer to this prospectus, we are referring to both
documents combined. If information in this prospectus supplement
is inconsistent with the accompanying prospectus, you should
rely on this prospectus supplement.
You should rely only on information contained in or incorporated
by reference into this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have
not, authorized anyone to provide you with information that is
different. We are offering to sell and seeking offers to buy
shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where offers
and sales are permitted. The information contained in this
prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the
documents incorporated by reference herein and therein are
accurate only as of their respective dates, regardless of the
time of delivery of this prospectus supplement or of any sale of
our common stock.
Proellextm
and
Androxaltm
are our trademarks. This prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus also contain trademarks, trade names and
service marks of other companies, which are the property of
their respective owners.
S-i
Prospectus
Supplement Summary
This summary highlights selected information contained
elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus. This summary may not
contain all the information that you should consider before
investing in our common stock. You should read the entire
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus carefully,
including Risk Factors contained in this prospectus
supplement and the financial statements incorporated by
reference in the accompanying prospectus, before making an
investment decision. This prospectus supplement may add to,
update or change information in the accompanying prospectus.
Repros
Therapeutics Inc.
We are a development stage biopharmaceutical company focused on
the development of new drugs to treat hormonal and reproductive
system disorders. We are developing Proellex, a selective
blocker of the progesterone receptor in women, for the treatment
of uterine fibroids and endometriosis. We are also developing
Androxal, which causes increased testosterone secretion from the
testes, for the treatment of testosterone deficiency in men
resulting from secondary hypogonadism.
We have recently conducted interim analyses of each of our three
ongoing clinical trials to determine whether the number of
patients enrolled in each trial is appropriate and to assess
whether further clinical development of each product candidate,
beyond completion of the current trials, is warranted. These
interim analyses were conducted internally and were not audited
by a third party. Upon completion of each of these trials, we
will complete formal analyses of efficacy and safety data and
hold discussions with the appropriate regulatory agencies about
further development.
An interim analysis of our ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial
of Proellex in uterine fibroid patients demonstrated
statistically significant reductions in excessive menstrual
bleeding and an improvement in quality of life versus placebo.
Furthermore, after three months of treatment, no statistically
significant change in endometrial thickness was observed. An
interim analysis of our ongoing European endometriosis
Phase 1/2 clinical trial of Proellex demonstrated that
treatment with the highest dose of Proellex, 50 mg,
achieved statistically significant reduction in days of pain
compared to treatment with Lupron, the current pharmaceutical
standard of care for the treatment of endometriosis.
We have completed a Phase 1 clinical trial and an interim
analysis from an ongoing non-pivotal Phase 3 trial of
Androxal for the treatment of testosterone deficiency in men
resulting from secondary hypogonadism. Both trials demonstrated
statistically significant increases in testosterone levels
versus placebo. In our current Phase 3 trial, at three
months, Androxal restored testosterone levels to the normal
range in over 80% of patients treated.
Our
Research & Development Programs
Our product development pipeline is summarized in the table
below:
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Product Candidate (Indication)
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Status
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Next Expected Milestone(s)
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Proellex
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Uterine Fibroids
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Phase 2 (U.S.)
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Full Phase 2 data
(mid-2007)
One year extension data (4Q2007)
Initiate pivotal trials (YE2007)
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Endometriosis
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Phase 1/2 (Europe)
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Full Phase 1/2 data
(3Q2007)
Initiate U.S. Phase 2 (mid-2007)
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Androxal
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Male Secondary
Hypogonadism
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Non-pivotal Phase 3 (U.S.)
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Full non-pivotal Phase 3 data
(3Q2007)
Initiate first pivotal Phase 3 (around YE2007)
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Corporate
Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 2408 Timberloch
Place,
Suite B-7,
The Woodlands, Texas 77380 and our telephone number is
(281) 719-3400.
Our website address is www.reprosrx.com. The information
contained in our website is not a part of this prospectus
supplement or the accompanying prospectus.
S-1
The
Offering
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Common stock offered by Repros
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2,610,000 shares |
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Common stock to be outstanding after this offering
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12,760,962 shares |
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Use of proceeds
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We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for
preclinical studies, clinical trials and regulatory submissions
of our product candidates, and for general corporate purposes. |
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Nasdaq Global Market symbol
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RPRX |
The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding
immediately after this offering is based on the number of shares
outstanding as of January 19, 2007, which was
10,150,962 shares, and does not include:
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1,565,148 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise
of outstanding options at a weighted average exercise price of
$4.86 per share;
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606,935 shares of common stock available for future
issuance under our stock option plans; and
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486,745 shares of common stock available for future
issuance under our employee stock purchase plan.
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Unless otherwise stated, the information contained in this
prospectus supplement assumes no exercise by the underwriters of
their over-allotment option.
S-2
Summary
Consolidated Financial Data
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
The following table sets forth our summary consolidated
financial data. This data has been derived from our audited
consolidated financial statements for the years ended
December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005, and our unaudited
consolidated financial statements for the nine-month periods
ended September 30, 2005 and 2006, and as of
September 30, 2006, all of which are incorporated by
reference into this prospectus supplement. You should read this
information in conjunction with Managements
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations and our financial statements and the related
notes, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus
supplement. The results of operations for interim periods are
not necessarily indicative of operating results for the full
year.
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From inception
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(August 20, 1987)
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through
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Year Ended December 31,
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Nine Months Ended September 30,
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September 30,
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2003
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2004
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2005
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2005
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2006
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2006
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(unaudited)
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(unaudited)
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Statement of Operations
Data:
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Revenues and other income:
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Licensing fees
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$
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$
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$
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$
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$
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$
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28,755
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Product royalties
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627
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Research and development grants
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595
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118
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4
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4
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1,219
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Interest income
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318
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104
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630
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456
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486
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14,242
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Gain on disposal of fixed assets
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102
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102
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Other income
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35
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35
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Total revenues and other income
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1,015
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257
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634
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460
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486
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44,980
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Expenses:
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Research and development
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2,161
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2,471
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6,101
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4,231
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7,245
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107,606
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General and administrative
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2,183
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1,483
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1,924
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1,357
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1,989
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30,536
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Interest expense and amortization
of intangibles
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388
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Total expenses
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4,344
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3,954
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8,025
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5,588
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9,234
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138,530
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Loss from continuing operations
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(3,329
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(3,697
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(7,391
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)
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(5,128
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(8,748
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)
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(93,550
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)
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Loss from discontinued operations
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(1,828
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)
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Gain on disposal
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939
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Net loss before cumulative effect
of change in accounting principle
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(3,329
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(3,697
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(7,391
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)
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(5,128
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(8,748
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(94,439
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)
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Cumulative effect of change in
accounting principle
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(8,454
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Net loss
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$
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(3,329
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)
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$
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(3,697
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)
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$
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(7,391
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)
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$
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(5,128
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)
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$
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(8,748
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)
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$
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(102,893
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)
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Net loss per sharebasic and
diluted
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$
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(0.29
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$
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(0.72
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$
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(0.77
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)
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$
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(0.54
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)
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$
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(0.86
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)
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Shares used in calculating net
loss per share, basic and diluted
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11,487
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5,117
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9,647
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9,501
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10,145
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S-3
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As of September 30, 2006
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Actual
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As Adjusted
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(unaudited)
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Balance Sheet Data:
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Cash and cash equivalents
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$
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2,117
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$
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35,092
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Marketable securities
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7,750
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7,750
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Total assets
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10,929
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43,904
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Total current liabilities
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1,911
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1,911
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Total stockholders equity
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9,018
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41,993
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The as adjusted balance sheet data as of September 30, 2006
gives effect to the receipt of net proceeds of
$33.0 million from the sale of 2,610,000 shares of
common stock offered by this prospectus at the public offering
price of $13.75 per share, after deducting the underwriters
discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
As of December 31, 2006, our cash and cash equivalents and
marketable securities were $6.7 million.
S-4
Risk
Factors
You should carefully consider the risks described below
before making an investment decision. You should also refer to
the other information in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus, including our financial statements and
the related notes incorporated by reference in the accompanying
prospectus. The risks and uncertainties described below are not
the only risks and uncertainties we face. Additional risks and
uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently
deem immaterial also may impair our business operations. If any
of the following risks actually occur, our business, results of
operations and financial condition could suffer. In that event
the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may
lose all or part of your investment in our common stock. The
risks discussed below also include forward-looking statements
and our actual results may differ substantially from those
discussed in these forward-looking statements.
Risks
Relating to Our Business
Our product candidates are at an early clinical stage of
development, and if we are not able to successfully develop and
commercialize them, we may not generate sufficient revenues to
continue our business operations.
We currently have only two product candidates that are in
clinical trials. Androxal is in a 194 patient
non-pivotal
Phase 3 safety trial in the United States for the treatment
of men with testosterone deficiency, and Proellex is presently
in a 128 patient Phase 2 trial in the United States for the
treatment of uterine fibroids and in a 39 patient Phase 1/2
trial in Europe for the treatment of endometriosis. Based on our
current interim data from the Phase 1/2 trial for Proellex
for the treatment of endometriosis, we intend to submit a
U.S. investigational new drug application, or IND, to the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. We have expended
significant time, money and effort in the development of
Proellex and Androxal, and we will have to spend considerable
additional time, money and effort before seeking regulatory
approval to market these product candidates.
Our business depends primarily on our ability to successfully
complete clinical trials, obtain required regulatory approvals
and successfully commercialize our product candidates. If we
fail to commercialize one or more of our product candidates, we
may be unable to generate sufficient revenues to attain
profitability or continue our business operations and our
reputation in the industry and in the investment community could
likely be significantly damaged, each of which would cause our
stock price to decline.
Because
the data from our preclinical studies and early clinical trials
for our product candidates are not necessarily predictive of
future results, we can provide no assurances that any of them
will have favorable results in clinical trials or receive
regulatory approval.
Before we can obtain regulatory approval for the commercial sale
of any product candidate that we develop, we are required to
complete preclinical development and extensive clinical trials
in humans to demonstrate its safety and efficacy. Positive data
from preclinical studies or early clinical trials should not be
relied upon as evidence that those studies or trials will
produce positive results, or that later or larger-scale clinical
trials will succeed. Initial clinical trials for Proellex and
Androxal have been conducted only in small numbers of patients
that may not fully represent the diversity present in larger
populations. In addition, these studies have not been subjected
to the exacting design requirements typically required by FDA
for pivotal trials. Thus the limited data we have obtained may
not predict results from studies in larger numbers of patients
drawn from more diverse populations, and may not predict the
ability of Proellex to treat uterine fibroids and endometriosis
or Androxal to treat testosterone deficiency. We will be
required to demonstrate through larger-scale clinical trials
that these product candidates are safe and effective for use in
a diverse population before we can seek regulatory approvals for
their commercial sale. There is typically an extremely high rate
of attrition from the failure of drug candidates proceeding
through clinical trials. We will also be required to complete a
two-year rat carcinogenicity study before we are permitted to
file a new drug application, or NDA, for Androxal and Proellex.
If Proellex, Androxal, or any other potential future product
candidate fails to demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy in
any clinical trial, we would experience potentially significant
delays in, or be required to
S-5
abandon, development of that product candidate. If we delay or
abandon our development efforts related to Proellex or Androxal,
we may not be able to generate sufficient revenues to continue
operations or become profitable.
If we
fail to obtain the capital necessary to fund our operations, we
will have to delay, reduce or eliminate our research and
development programs or commercialization efforts.
We expect to make additional capital outlays and to increase
operating expenditures over the next several years to support
our preclinical development and clinical trial activities,
particularly with respect to pivotal clinical trials for
Proellex and Androxal. Our existing financial resources together
with the expected proceeds from this offering are expected to be
sufficient to fund our operations into 2008, depending on the
timing and success of our clinical trials. Therefore we will
need to seek additional funding through public or private
financings, including equity or debt financings,
and/or
through other means, including collaborations and license
agreements. We do not know whether additional financing will be
available when needed, or that, if available, we will obtain
financing on terms favorable to our stockholders or us. If
adequate funds are not available to us, we may be required to:
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delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our
development programs;
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relinquish, license or otherwise dispose of rights to
technologies, product candidates or products that we would
otherwise seek to develop or commercialize ourselves at an
earlier stage or on terms that are less favorable than might
otherwise be available; or
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liquidate and dissolve our company.
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Our future capital requirements will depend upon a number of
factors, including:
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the size, complexity, results and timing of our clinical
programs;
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the cost to obtain sufficient supply of the compounds necessary
for our product candidates at a reasonable cost;
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the time and costs involved in obtaining regulatory approvals;
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the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting,
maintaining, defending and enforcing patent claims; and
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competing technological and market developments.
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These factors could result in variations from our currently
projected operating and liquidity requirements.
We have a
history of operating losses, and we expect to incur increasing
net losses and may not achieve or maintain profitability for
some time or at all.
We have experienced significant operating losses in each fiscal
year since our inception. As of September 30, 2006, we had
an accumulated deficit of approximately $102.9 million. We
expect to continue incurring net losses and we may not achieve
or maintain profitability for some time if at all. As we
increase expenditures for the clinical development of Proellex
and Androxal, we expect our operating losses to increase for at
least the next few years. Our ability to achieve profitability
will depend, among other things, on successfully completing the
development of Proellex and Androxal, obtaining regulatory
approvals, establishing marketing, sales and manufacturing
capabilities or collaborative arrangements with others that
possess such capabilities, and raising sufficient funds to
finance our activities. There can be no assurance that we will
be able to achieve profitability or that profitability, if
achieved, can be sustained.
S-6
Raising
additional funds by issuing securities or through collaboration
and licensing arrangements may cause dilution to existing
stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to
relinquish proprietary rights.
We may raise additional funds through public or private equity
offerings, debt financings or corporate collaborations and
licensing arrangements. We cannot be certain that additional
funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. To the
extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity
securities, our stockholders ownership will be diluted.
Any debt financing we enter into may involve covenants that
restrict our operations. These restrictive covenants may include
limitations on borrowing and specific restrictions on the use of
our assets, as well as prohibitions on our ability to create
liens, pay dividends, redeem capital stock or make investments.
In addition, if we raise additional funds through collaboration
and licensing arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish
potentially valuable rights to our potential products or
proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are
not favorable to us. For example, we might be forced to
relinquish all or a portion of our sales and marketing rights
with respect to Proellex, Androxal or other potential products
or license intellectual property that enables licensees to
develop competing products.
Our stock
price could decline significantly based on the results and
timing of clinical trials of, and decisions affecting, our
product candidates.
Results of clinical trials and preclinical studies of our
current and potential product candidates may not be viewed
favorably by us or third parties, including the FDA or other
regulatory authorities, investors, analysts and potential
collaborators. The same may be true of how we design the
clinical trials of our product candidates and regulatory
decisions affecting those clinical trials. Biopharmaceutical
company stock prices have declined significantly when such
results and decisions were unfavorable or perceived negatively
or when a product candidate did not otherwise meet expectations.
We recently commenced our non-pivotal Phase 3 clinical
trial for Androxal in the United States for the treatment of men
with testosterone deficiency and our Phase 2 clinical trial
for Proellex in the United States for the treatment of symptoms
associated with uterine fibroids. We also recently commenced a
Phase 1/2 clinical trial in Europe for the treatment of
women suffering from endometriosis. While interim results are
encouraging, the final results from these programs may be
negative, may not meet expectations or may be perceived
negatively. The design of these clinical trials (which may
change significantly and be more expensive than currently
anticipated depending on our clinical results and regulatory
decisions) may also be viewed negatively by third parties. We
may not be successful in completing these clinical trials on our
projected timetable, if at all.
Failure to initiate additional clinical trials or delays in
existing clinical trials of Androxal and Proellex or any of our
other current or future product candidates, or unfavorable
results or decisions or negative perceptions regarding any of
such clinical trials, could cause our stock price to decline
significantly.
Delays in
the commencement of preclinical studies and clinical trials
testing of our current and potential product candidates could
result in increased costs to us and delay our ability to
generate revenues.
Our product candidates will require continued preclinical
studies and extensive clinical trials prior to the submission of
a regulatory application for commercial sales. We recently
commenced our non-pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for
Androxal in the United States for the treatment of men with
testosterone deficiency and our Phase 2 clinical trial for
Proellex in the United States for the treatment of symptoms
associated with uterine fibroids. We also recently commenced a
Phase 1/2 clinical trial for Proellex in Europe for the
treatment of women suffering from endometriosis. We have limited
experience conducting clinical trials for these product
candidates. In part, because of this limited experience, we do
not know whether future planned clinical trials will begin on
time, if at all. Delays in the commencement of preclinical
studies and clinical trials could significantly increase our
product development costs and delay any product
commercialization. In addition, many of the factors that may
cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement of clinical
trials may also ultimately lead to denial of regulatory approval
of a product candidate.
S-7
The commencement of clinical trials can be delayed for a variety
of reasons, including delays in:
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demonstrating sufficient safety and efficacy in past clinical
trials to obtain regulatory approval to commence a further
clinical trial;
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reaching agreements on acceptable terms with prospective
contract manufacturers for manufacturing sufficient quantities
of a product candidate; and
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obtaining institutional review board approval to conduct a
clinical trial at a prospective site.
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In addition, the commencement of clinical trials may be delayed
due to insufficient patient enrollment, which is a function of
many factors, including the size of the patient population, the
nature of the protocol, the proximity of patients to clinical
sites, the availability of effective treatments for the relevant
disease, and the eligibility criteria for the clinical trial.
Delays in
the completion of, or the termination of, clinical testing of
our current and potential product candidates could result in
increased costs to us, and could delay or prevent us from
generating revenues.
Once a clinical trial has begun, it may be delayed, suspended or
terminated by us or the FDA, or other regulatory authorities due
to a number of factors, including:
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lack of effectiveness of any product candidate during clinical
trials;
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side effects experienced by trial participants or other safety
issues;
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slower than expected rates of patient recruitment and enrollment
or lower than expected patient retention rates;
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delays or inability to manufacture or obtain sufficient
quantities of materials for use in clinical trials;
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inadequacy of or changes in our manufacturing process or
compound formulation;
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delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to commence a trial, or
clinical holds or delays requiring suspension or
termination of a trial by a regulatory agency, such as the FDA,
after a trial is commenced;
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changes in applicable regulatory policies and regulations;
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delays in identifying and reaching agreement on acceptable terms
with prospective clinical trial sites;
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uncertainty regarding proper dosing;
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unfavorable results from on-going clinical trials and
preclinical studies;
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failure of our clinical research organizations to comply with
all regulatory and contractual requirements or otherwise fail to
perform their services in a timely or acceptable manner;
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scheduling conflicts with participating clinicians and clinical
institutions;
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failure to construct appropriate clinical trial protocols;
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insufficient data to support regulatory approval;
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inability or unwillingness of medical investigators to follow
our clinical protocols;
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difficulty in maintaining contact with subjects during or after
treatment, which may result in incomplete data;
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ongoing discussions with the FDA or other regulatory authorities
regarding the scope or design of our clinical trials;
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acceptability to the FDA of data obtained from clinical studies
conducted in Europe or other
non-United
States jurisdictions; and
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lack of adequate funding to continue clinical trials.
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S-8
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Many of these factors that may lead to a delay, suspension or
termination of clinical testing of a current or potential
product candidate may also ultimately lead to denial of
regulatory approval of a current or potential product candidate.
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If we experience delays in the completion of, or termination of,
clinical testing of any product candidates in the future, our
financial results and the commercial prospects for our product
candidates will be harmed, and our ability to generate product
revenues will be delayed.
Even if
we successfully complete clinical trials for Proellex and
Androxal, there are no assurances that we will be able to
submit, or obtain FDA approval of, a new drug
application.
There can be no assurance that, if our clinical trials for
Proellex and Androxal are successfully completed, we will be
able to submit a new drug application, or NDA, to the FDA or
that any NDA we submit will be approved by the FDA in a timely
manner, if at all. After completing clinical trials for a
product candidate in humans, a drug dossier is prepared and
submitted to the FDA as an NDA, and includes all preclinical
studies and clinical trial data relevant to the safety and
effectiveness of the product at the suggested dose and duration
of use for the proposed indication, in order to allow the FDA to
review such drug dossier and to consider a product candidate for
approval for commercialization in the United States. If we are
unable to submit an NDA with respect to Proellex or Androxal, or
if any NDA we submit is not approved by the FDA, we will be
unable to commercialize that product. The FDA can and does
reject NDAs and requires additional clinical trials, even when
drug candidates achieve favorable results in large-scale
Phase 3 clinical trials. If we fail to commercialize
Proellex or Androxal, we may be unable to generate sufficient
revenues to continue operations or attain profitability and our
reputation in the industry and in the investment community would
likely be damaged.
The
results of preclinical studies and completed clinical trials are
not necessarily predictive of future results, and our current
drug candidates may not have favorable results in later studies
or trials.
Preclinical studies and Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical
trials are not primarily designed to test the efficacy of a drug
candidate, but rather to test safety, to study pharmacokinetics
and pharmacodynamics, and to understand the drug
candidates side effects at various doses and schedules. To
date, long-term safety and efficacy have not yet been
demonstrated in clinical trials for any of our product
candidates. Favorable results in our early studies or trials may
not be repeated in later studies or trials, including continuing
preclinical studies and large-scale clinical trials analyzed
with more rigorous statistical methods, and our drug candidates
in later-stage trials may fail to show desired safety and
efficacy despite having progressed through earlier-stage trials.
For example, clinical results that we have obtained for Androxal
may not predict results from studies in larger numbers of
subjects drawn from more diverse populations treated for longer
periods of time. They also may not predict the ability of
Androxal to achieve or sustain the desired effects in the
intended population or to do so safely. Unfavorable results from
ongoing preclinical studies or clinical trials could result in
delays, modifications or abandonment of ongoing or future
clinical trials. Clinical results are frequently susceptible to
varying interpretations that may delay, limit or prevent
regulatory approvals. Negative or inconclusive results or
adverse medical events during a clinical trial could cause a
clinical trial to be delayed, repeated or terminated. In
addition, we may report top-line data from time to time, which
is based on a preliminary analysis of key efficacy and safety
data; such data may be subject to change following a more
comprehensive review of the data related to the applicable
clinical trial.
If
commercialized, our product candidates may not be approved for
sufficient governmental or third-party reimbursements, which
would adversely affect our ability to market our product
candidates.
In the United States and elsewhere, sales of pharmaceutical
products depend in significant part on the availability of
reimbursement to the consumer from third-party payers, such as
government and private insurance plans. Since we have no
commercial products, we have not had to face this issue yet;
however, third-party payers are increasingly challenging the
prices charged for medical products and services. It will be
time consuming and expensive for us to go through the process of
seeking reimbursement from Medicaid, Medicare and private payers
for Proellex and Androxal. Our products may not be considered
cost effective, and coverage and reimbursement may not be
available or sufficient to allow us to sell our products on a
competitive and
S-9
profitable basis. The passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug
and Modernization Act of 2003 imposes new requirements for the
distribution and pricing of prescription drugs which may
negatively affect the marketing of our potential products.
If we
successfully develop products but those products do not achieve
and maintain market acceptance, our business will not be
profitable.
Even if our product candidates are approved for commercial sale
by the FDA or other regulatory authorities, the degree of market
acceptance of any approved product by physicians, healthcare
professionals and third-party payers and our profitability and
growth will depend on a number of factors, including:
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relative convenience and ease of administration;
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the prevalence and severity of any adverse side effects;
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availability, effectiveness and cost of alternative treatments;
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pricing and cost effectiveness of our drugs;
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effectiveness of our or our collaborators sales and
marketing strategies; and
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our ability to obtain sufficient third-party insurance coverage
or reimbursement.
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If Proellex does not provide a treatment regimen that is more
beneficial than Lupron, a GnRH agonist and the current
therapeutic standard of care for uterine fibroids, or otherwise
provide patient benefit, it likely will not be accepted
favorably by the market. Similarly, if Androxal does not provide
a treatment regime that is more beneficial than Androgel, the
current standard of care for the treatment of testosterone
deficiency, or otherwise provide patient benefit, it likely will
not be accepted favorably by the market. If any products we may
develop do not achieve market acceptance, then we will not
generate sufficient revenue to achieve or maintain profitability.
In addition, even if our products achieve market acceptance, we
may not be able to maintain that market acceptance over time if:
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new products or technologies are introduced that are more
favorably received than our products, are more cost effective or
render our products obsolete;
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unforeseen complications arise with respect to use of our
products; or
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sufficient third-party insurance coverage or reimbursement does
not remain available.
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We
currently rely on third-party manufacturers and other third
parties for production of our product candidates, and our
dependence on these manufacturers may impair the development of
our product candidates.
Currently, we do not have the ability internally to manufacture
the product candidates that we need to conduct our clinical
trials. We recently entered into a long-term supply contract
with Gedeon Richter for the production of the active
pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, for Proellex due to their
extensive experience in the manufacture of similar compounds and
the cost savings they offered compared to other qualified
manufacturers. Pursuant to the terms of this long-term supply
contract, we are required, with certain limited exceptions, to
purchase all of our future requirements of Proellex from this
single supplier for a period of five years after the first sale
of Proellex in the United States, to the extent that such
supplier is able to satisfy our requirements. The contract may
be terminated by either party for failure to remedy a default of
any material provision of the contract. Should the contract be
terminated for any reason, we would in all likelihood be
required to obtain the API from an alternate manufacturer which
may increase the costs associated with our clinical trials and
result in delays to our clinical trial program for Proellex.
We have no long-term contract with suppliers of Androxal. We
have obtained all of our supply of Androxal to date from
BioVectra. We have not faced any material problems with
BioVectra in supplying us with our
S-10
necessary quantities of Androxal for our clinical trials and
anticipate utilizing them for commercial production if Androxal
is approved. There are numerous other suitable manufacturers
capable of manufacturing Androxal.
For the foreseeable future, we expect to continue to rely on
third-party manufacturers and other third parties to produce,
package and store sufficient quantities of Proellex, Androxal
and any future product candidates for use in our clinical
trials. These product candidates are complicated and expensive
to manufacture. If our third-party manufacturers fail to deliver
our product candidates for clinical use on a timely basis, with
sufficient quality, and at commercially reasonable prices, we
may be required to delay or suspend clinical trials or otherwise
discontinue development and production of our product
candidates. While we may be able to identify replacement
third-party manufacturers or develop our own manufacturing
capabilities for these product candidates, this process would
likely cause a delay in the availability of our product
candidates and an increase in costs. In addition, third-party
manufacturers may have a limited number of facilities in which
our product candidates can be produced, and any interruption of
the operation of those facilities due to events such as
equipment malfunction or failure or damage to the facility by
natural disasters could result in the cancellation of shipments,
loss of product in the manufacturing process or a shortfall in
available product candidates.
Our
product candidates have only been manufactured in small
quantities to date, and we may face delays or complications in
manufacturing quantities of our product candidates in sufficient
quantities to meet the demands of late stage clinical trials and
marketing.
We cannot assure that we will be able to successfully increase
the manufacturing capacity or
scale-up
manufacturing volume per batch, whether on our own or in
reliance on third-party manufacturers, for any of our product
candidates in a timely or economical manner, or at all. To date
our product candidates have been manufactured exclusively by
third parties in small quantities for preclinical studies and
clinical trials. We have arranged for the production of
significantly larger quantities of Proellex, and we will need to
arrange for the production of significantly larger quantities of
Androxal, for future clinical trials and for future commercial
sale in the event that such product candidates are approved by
the FDA or foreign regulatory bodies. Significant
scale-up of
manufacturing requires certain additional developmental work,
which the FDA must review and approve to assure product
comparability. If we or our third-party manufacturers are unable
to successfully increase the manufacturing capacity for a
product candidate, the regulatory approval or commercial launch
of that product candidate may be delayed or there may be a
shortage in supply of that product candidate.
Our
product candidates require precise, high-quality manufacturing
which may not be available at acceptable costs.
Proellex and Androxal are novel compounds that have never been
produced in large scale. As in the development of any new
compound, there are underlying risks associated with their
manufacture. These risks include, but are not limited to, cost,
process
scale-up,
process reproducibility, construction of a suitable process
plant, timely availability of raw materials, as well as
regulatory issues associated with the manufacture of an active
pharmaceutical agent. Any of these risks may prevent us from
successfully developing Proellex or Androxal. Our failure, or
the failure of our third-party manufacturers to achieve and
maintain these high manufacturing standards, including the
incidence of manufacturing errors and reliable product packaging
for diverse environmental conditions, could result in patient
injury or death, product recalls or withdrawals, delays or
failures in product testing or delivery, cost overruns or other
problems that could seriously hurt our business.
We may
experience delays in the development of our product candidates
if the third-party manufacturers of our product candidates
cannot meet FDA requirements relating to Good Manufacturing
Practices.
Our third-party manufacturers are required to produce our
product candidates under FDA current Good Manufacturing
Practices in order to meet acceptable standards for our clinical
trials. If such standards change, the ability of third-party
manufacturers to produce our product candidates on the schedule
we require for our clinical trials may be affected. In addition,
third-party manufacturers may not perform their obligations
under their agreements with us or may discontinue their business
before the time required by us to gain approval for
S-11
or commercialize our product candidates. Any difficulties or
delays in the manufacturing and supply of our product candidates
could increase our costs or cause us to lose revenue or postpone
or cancel clinical trials.
The FDA also requires that we demonstrate structural and
functional comparability between the same drug product produced
by different third-party manufacturers. Because we may use
multiple sources to manufacture Proellex and Androxal, we may
need to conduct comparability studies to assess whether
manufacturing changes have affected the product safety,
identity, purity or potency of any commercial product candidate
compared to the product candidate used in clinical trials. If we
are unable to demonstrate comparability, the FDA could require
us to conduct additional clinical trials, which would be
expensive and significantly delay commercialization of our
product candidates.
We rely
on third parties to conduct clinical trials for our product
candidates, and their failure to timely and properly perform
their obligations may result in costs and delays that prevent us
from obtaining regulatory approval or successfully
commercializing our product candidates.
We rely on independent contractors, including researchers at
clinical research organizations and universities, in certain
areas that are particularly relevant to our research and product
development plans, such as the conduct of clinical trials.
Pharm-Olam International Ltd. conducted our previous clinical
trial in Poland for Proellex for the treatment of uterine
fibroids and has been engaged to conduct our clinical trials in
the United States for Proellex for uterine fibroids and Androxal
for the treatment of testosterone deficiency and our clinical
trial in Europe for Proellex for endometriosis. The competition
for these relationships is intense, and we may not be able to
maintain our relationships with them on acceptable terms.
Independent contractors generally may terminate their
engagements at any time, subject to notice. As a result, we can
control their activities only within certain limits, and they
will devote only a certain amount of their time conducting
research on and trials of our product candidates and assisting
in developing them. If they do not successfully carry out their
duties under their agreements with us, fail to inform us if
these trials fail to comply with clinical trial protocols, or
fail to meet expected deadlines, our clinical trials may need to
be extended, delayed or terminated. We may not be able to enter
into replacement arrangements without undue delays or excessive
expenditures. If there are delays in testing or regulatory
approvals as a result of the failure to perform by our
independent contractors or other outside parties, our drug
development costs will increase and we may not be able to attain
regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize our
product candidates.
Our
liability insurance may neither provide adequate coverage nor
may it always be available on favorable terms or at
all.
Neither Proellex nor Androxal has been approved for commercial
sale. However, the current and future use of our product
candidates by us and potential corporate collaborators in
clinical trials, and the sale of any approved products in the
future, may expose us to liability claims. These claims might be
made directly by consumers or healthcare providers or indirectly
by pharmaceutical companies, potential corporate collaborators
or others selling such products. We may experience financial
losses in the future due to product liability claims. We have
obtained limited general commercial liability insurance coverage
for our clinical trials. We intend to expand our insurance
coverage to include the sale of commercial products if we obtain
marketing approval for any of our product candidates. However,
we may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a
reasonable cost or in sufficient amounts to protect us against
losses. If a successful product liability claim or series of
claims is brought against us for uninsured liabilities or for
liabilities in excess of our insurance limits, our assets may
not be sufficient to cover such claims and our business
operations could be impaired.
We face
significant competition with many companies with substantially
greater resources than we have and other possible
advantages.
We are engaged in biopharmaceutical product development, an
industry that is characterized by extensive research efforts and
rapid technological progress. The biopharmaceutical industry is
also highly competitive. Our success will depend on our ability
to acquire, develop and commercialize products and our ability
to establish and maintain markets for any products for which we
receive marketing approval. Potential competitors in North
America, Europe and elsewhere include major pharmaceutical
companies, specialty
S-12
pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology firms, universities
and other research institutions and government agencies. Many of
our competitors have substantially greater research and
development and regulatory capabilities and experience, and
substantially greater management, manufacturing, distribution,
marketing and financial resources, than we do. Accordingly, our
competitors may:
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develop or license products or other novel technologies that are
more effective, safer or less costly than the product candidates
that we are developing;
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obtain regulatory approval for products before we do; or
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commit more resources than we can to developing, marketing and
selling competing products.
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The main therapeutic products competitive with Proellex for the
treatment of uterine fibroids and endometriosis are GnRH
agonists, including Lupron, which is marketed by TAP
Pharmaceuticals. There are additional companies developing
similar progesterone-blocking technology. Asoprisnil, an
anti-progestin being developed by TAP Pharmaceuticals in
partnership with Schering AG, is currently in Phase 3
clinical trials. TAP Pharmaceuticals is a much larger company
than we are with greater resources and greater ability to
promote their products than we currently have. In addition,
surgical treatment of both uterine fibroids and endometriosis
would compete with Proellex, if approved, by removing uterine
fibroids and by removing misplaced tissue in women with
endometriosis.
Our main competitors for the treatment of testosterone
deficiency are the testosterone replacement therapies currently
being marketed. The current standard of care is Androgel, a
topical gel for the replacement of testosterone developed by
Solvay Pharmaceuticals. Solvay is a much larger company than we
are, with greater resources and marketing ability. Androxal
would also compete with other forms of testosterone replacement
therapies such as oral treatments, patches, injectables and a
tablet applied to the upper gum. There is another topical gel
currently marketed by Auxilium Pharmaceuticals called Testim,
and a transdermal patch marketed by Watson Pharmaceuticals
called AndroDerm. There can be no assurance that our product
candidates will be more successful than competitive products. In
addition, other potential competitors may be developing
testosterone therapies similar to ours.
We are
thinly staffed and highly dependent on a limited number of
management persons and key personnel, and if we lose these
members of our team or are unable to attract and retain
additional qualified personnel, our future growth and ability to
compete would suffer.
The competition for qualified personnel in the biopharmaceutical
field is intense, and our future success depends upon our
ability to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled
scientific, technical and managerial employees. We have only
eight full-time employees at the present time, including our
President and CEO, Joseph S. Podolski, our Vice President,
Business Development and CFO, Louis Ploth, Jr. and our
Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Andre
van As. We are highly dependent on Messrs. Podolski
and Ploth and Dr. van As for the management of our
company and the development of our technologies.
Messrs. Podolski and Ploth and Dr. van As have
employment agreements with us. There can be no assurance that
Mr. Podolski, Mr. Ploth or Dr. van As will
remain with us through development of our current product
candidates. We do not maintain key person life insurance on any
of our directors, officers or employees. The loss of the
services of Mr. Podolski, Mr. Ploth or
Dr. van As could delay or curtail our research and
product development efforts.
Additionally, in order to commercialize our products
successfully, we will be required to expand our workforce,
particularly in the areas of clinical trials management,
regulatory affairs, business development, sales and marketing
and administrative and accounting functions. These activities
will require the addition of new personnel and the development
of additional expertise by management. We face intense
competition for qualified individuals from numerous
biopharmaceutical companies, as well as academic and other
research institutions. We may hire up to five employees over the
next two years. To the extent we are not able to attract and
retain employees on favorable terms; we may face delays in the
development or commercialization of our product candidates and
extensive costs in retaining current employees or searching for
and training new employees.
S-13
Our plan
to use collaborations to leverage our capabilities may not be
successful.
As part of our business strategy, we intend to enter into
collaboration arrangements with strategic partners to develop
and commercialize our product candidates. For our collaboration
efforts to be successful, we must identify partners whose
competencies complement ours. We must also successfully enter
into collaboration agreements with them on terms attractive to
us and integrate and coordinate their resources and capabilities
with our own. We may be unsuccessful in entering into
collaboration agreements with acceptable partners or negotiating
favorable terms in these agreements. In addition, we may face a
disadvantage in seeking to enter into or negotiating
collaborations with potential partners because other potential
collaborators may have greater management and financial
resources than we do. Also, we may be unsuccessful in
integrating the resources or capabilities of these
collaborators. In addition, our collaborators may prove
difficult to work with or less skilled than we originally
expected. If we are unsuccessful in our collaborative efforts,
our ability to develop and market product candidates could be
severely limited.
Healthcare
reform measures could adversely affect our business.
The business and financial condition of pharmaceutical companies
are affected by the efforts of governmental and third-party
payers to contain or reduce the costs of healthcare. In the
United States and in foreign jurisdictions there have been, and
we expect that there will continue to be, a number of
legislative and regulatory proposals aimed at changing the
healthcare system. For example, in some countries other than the
United States, pricing of prescription drugs is subject to
government control, and we expect proposals to implement similar
controls in the United States to continue. The pendency or
approval of such proposals could result in a decrease in our
stock price or limit our ability to raise capital or to obtain
strategic collaborations or licenses.
We may
incur increased costs as a result of laws and regulations
relating to corporate governance matters.
Laws and regulations affecting public companies, including the
provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Sarbanes-Oxley,
and rules adopted or proposed by the Securities and Exchange
Commission, or SEC, and by NASDAQ, will result in increased
costs to us as we evaluate the implications of any new rules and
respond to their requirements. We are currently an accelerated
filer and, as a result, are subject to additional regulatory
requirements, including Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley which
requires us to include in our annual report for the period
ending December 31, 2006 a report by management on our
internal control over financial reporting and an accompanying
auditors report. The additional costs and efforts to do
so could be substantial. New rules could make it more difficult
or more costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance,
including director and officer liability insurance, and we may
be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur
substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar
coverage. The impact of these events could also make it more
difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to
serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as
executive officers. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of
the additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs to
comply with such new rules and regulations.
Risks
Relating to Our Intellectual Property
We licensed our rights to Proellex from NIH and our inability
to fulfill our commitments and obligations under such license
may result in forfeiture of our rights.
Our rights to Proellex are licensed exclusively to us from NIH
under a license agreement. This license agreement contains
numerous detailed performance obligations, with time sensitive
dates for compliance, relating to clinical development and
commercialization activities required by us or our designated
third-party providers, as well as additional financial
milestones and royalties. Failure to achieve the benchmarks
specified in the commercial development plan attached to the
license agreement or meet payment obligations could result in
termination of the license agreement and the loss of our rights
to develop and commercialize Proellex. We periodically update
the commercial development plan as such plans evolve. There can
be no assurance that we will be able to meet any or all of the
performance objectives in the future on a timely basis or at
all, or that, if we fail to meet any of such objectives, NIH
will agree to revised objectives. NIH has the ability to
terminate the agreement for an uncured material breach of the
agreement, if we made a false statement or willful omission in
our license application, if we do not keep Proellex reasonably
available to the
S-14
public after commercial launch, if we cannot reasonably satisfy
unmet health and safety needs, or if we cannot reasonably
justify a failure to comply with the domestic production
requirement unless such requirement has been waived. As
previously described, we recently entered into a supply
agreement with Gedeon Richter, a
non-U.S.
based company, to manufacture the API for Proellex, for final
packaging in the United States.
We are in the process of obtaining clarification with respect to
the domestic production requirement from NIH or, if necessary, a
waiver and acknowledgement of the current commercial development
plan. If NIH does not grant the acknowledgement and either
clarify, or grant us a waiver with respect to this domestic
production requirement, we may be required to either engage
another manufacturer to make the API for Proellex or risk being
in breach of the license agreement. Should NIH terminate the
license agreement, we would lose all rights to commercialize
Proellex, which would harm our business. We also have
five patent applications pending in the United States
and one foreign PCT application that cover various
formulations of Proellex and methods of using Proellex.
There is
a third party individual patent holder that claims priority over
our patent application for Androxal.
A third party individual holds two issued patents related to the
use of an anti-estrogen such as clomiphene citrate and others
for use in the treatment of androgen deficiency and disorders
related thereto. In our prior filings with the SEC, we have
described our request to the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office, or PTO, for re-examination of one of these patents based
on prior art. The third party amended the claims in the
reexamination proceedings, which has since led the PTO to
determine that the amended claims are patentable in view of
those publications that were under consideration and a
reexamination certificate was issued. However, we believe that
the amended claims are invalid based on additional prior art
publications now being considered by the PTO, and our request
for reexamination by the PTO in light of a number of these
additional publications has been granted. We also believe that
the second of these two patents is invalid in view of published
prior art not yet considered by the PTO. A request for
reexamination of this patent is pending. Nevertheless, there is
no assurance that either patent will ultimately be found invalid
over the prior art. If such patents are not invalidated, we may
be required to obtain a license from the holder of such patents
in order to develop Androxal further. If such licenses were not
available on acceptable terms or at all, we may not be able to
successfully commercialize Androxal.
We cannot
assure that our manufacture, use or sale of our product
candidates will not infringe on the patent rights of
others.
There can be no assurance that the manufacture, use or sale of
any of our product candidates will not infringe the patent
rights of others. We may be unable to avoid infringement of the
patent rights of others and may be required to seek a license,
defend an infringement action or challenge the validity of the
patents in court. There can be no assurance that a license to
the allegedly infringed patents will be available to us on terms
and conditions acceptable to us, if at all, or that we will
prevail in any patent litigation. Patent litigation is extremely
costly and time-consuming, and there can be no assurance that we
will have sufficient resources to defend any possible litigation
related to such infringement. If we do not obtain a license on
acceptable terms under such patents, or are found liable for
infringement, or are not able to have such patents declared
invalid, we may be liable for significant money damages, may
encounter significant delays in bringing our product candidates
to market, or may be precluded from participating in the
manufacture, use or sale of any such product candidates, any of
which would materially and adversely affect our business.
A dispute
regarding the infringement or misappropriation of our
proprietary rights or the proprietary rights of others could be
costly and result in delays in our research and development
activities.
Our commercial success also depends upon our ability to develop
and manufacture our product candidates and market and sell
drugs, if any, and conduct our research and development
activities without infringing or misappropriating the
proprietary rights of others. We may be exposed to future
litigation by others based on claims that our product
candidates, technologies or activities infringe the intellectual
property rights of others. Numerous United States and
foreign issued patents and pending patent applications owned by
others also exist in the therapeutic areas in, and for the
therapeutic targets for, which we are developing drugs. These
could materially affect our ability to develop our product
candidates or sell drugs, and our activities, or those of our
S-15
licensor or future collaborators, could be determined to
infringe these patents. Because patent applications can take
many years to issue, there may be currently pending
applications, unknown to us, which may later result in issued
patents that our drug candidates or technologies may infringe.
There also may be existing patents, of which we are not aware,
that our product candidates or technologies may infringe.
Further, there may be issued patents and pending patent
applications in fields relevant to our business, of which we are
or may become aware, that we believe we do not infringe or that
we believe are invalid or relate to immaterial portions of our
overall drug discovery and development efforts. We cannot assure
you that others holding any of these patents or patent
applications will not assert infringement claims against us for
damages or seeking to enjoin our activities. We also cannot
assure you that, in the event of litigation, we will be able to
successfully assert any belief we may have as to
non-infringement,
invalidity or immateriality, or that any infringement claims
will be resolved in our favor.
In addition, others may infringe or misappropriate our
proprietary rights, and we may have to institute costly legal
action to protect our intellectual property rights. We may not
be able to afford the costs of enforcing or defending our
intellectual property rights against others. There could also be
significant litigation and other administrative proceedings in
our industry that affect us regarding patent and other
intellectual property rights. Any legal action or administrative
action against us, or our collaborators, claiming damages or
seeking to enjoin commercial activities relating to our drug
discovery and development programs could:
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require us, or potential collaborators, to obtain a license to
continue to use, manufacture or market the affected drugs,
methods or processes, which may not be available on commercially
reasonable terms, if at all;
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prevent us from importing, making, using, selling or offering to
sell the subject matter claimed in patents held by others and
subject us to potential liability for damages; or
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consume a substantial portion of our managerial, scientific and
financial resources; or be costly, regardless of the outcome.
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Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of
pre-trial
documents and witness discovery required in connection with
intellectual property litigation, there is risk that some of our
confidential information could be compromised by disclosure
during this type of litigation. In addition, during the course
of this kind of litigation, there could be public announcements
of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings
or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive
these results to be negative, it could have a substantial
adverse effect on the trading price of our common stock.
We face
substantial uncertainty in our ability to protect our patents
and proprietary technology.
Our ability to commercialize our products will depend, in part,
on our or our licensors ability to obtain patents, to
enforce those patents and preserve trade secrets, and to operate
without infringing on the proprietary rights of others. The
patent positions of biopharmaceutical companies are highly
uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions. There
can be no assurance that:
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patent applications for and relating to our products, Proellex
and Androxal, will result in issued patents;
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patent protection will be secured for any particular technology;
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any patents that have been or may be issued to us, such as our
pending patent applications relating to Proellex or Androxal, or
any patents that have been or may be issued to our licensor,
such as the patent(s) and application(s) underlying our Proellex
compound, when issued, will be valid or enforceable;
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any patents will provide meaningful protection to us;
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others will not be able to design around the patents; or
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our patents will provide a competitive advantage or have
commercial application.
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The failure to obtain and maintain adequate patent protection
would have a material adverse effect on us and may adversely
affect our ability to enter into, or affect the terms of, any
arrangement for the marketing of any product.
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We cannot
assure that our patents will not be challenged by
others.
There can be no assurance that patents owned by or licensed to
us will not be challenged by others. We could incur substantial
costs in proceedings, including interference proceedings before
the PTO and comparable proceedings before similar agencies in
other countries in connection with any claims that may arise in
the future. These proceedings could result in adverse decisions
about the patentability of our or our licensors inventions
and products, as well as about the enforceability, validity or
scope of protection afforded by the patents. Any adverse
decisions about the patentability of our product candidates
could cause us to either lose rights to develop and
commercialize our product candidates or to license such rights
at substantial cost to us. In addition, even if we were
successful in such proceedings, the cost and delay of such
proceedings would most likely have a material adverse effect on
our business.
Confidentiality
agreements with employees and others may not adequately prevent
disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information,
may not adequately protect our intellectual property, and will
not prevent third parties from independently discovering
technology similar to or in competition with our intellectual
property.
We rely on trade secrets and other unpatented proprietary
information in our product development activities. To the extent
we rely on trade secrets and unpatented
know-how to
maintain our competitive technological position, there can be no
assurance that others may not independently develop the same or
similar technologies. We seek to protect trade secrets and
proprietary knowledge, in part, through confidentiality
agreements with our employees, consultants, advisors,
collaborators and contractors. Nevertheless, these agreements
may not effectively prevent disclosure of our confidential
information and may not provide us with an adequate remedy in
the event of unauthorized disclosure of such information. If our
employees, scientific consultants, advisors, collaborators or
contractors develop inventions or processes independently that
may be applicable to our technologies, product candidates or
products, disputes may arise about ownership of proprietary
rights to those inventions and processes. Such inventions and
processes will not necessarily become our property, but may
remain the property of those persons or their employers.
Protracted and costly litigation could be necessary to enforce
and determine the scope of our proprietary rights. If we fail to
obtain or maintain trade secret protection for any reason, the
competition we face could increase, reducing our potential
revenues and adversely affecting our ability to attain or
maintain profitability.
We cannot
protect our intellectual property rights throughout the
world.
Filing, prosecuting, and defending patents on all of our drug
discovery technologies and all of our potential drug candidates
throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive.
Competitors may use our technologies to develop their own drugs
in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection.
These drugs may compete with our drugs, if any, and may not be
covered by any of our patent claims or other intellectual
property rights. The laws of some foreign countries do not
protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the
laws of the United States, and many companies have encountered
significant problems in protecting and defending such rights in
foreign jurisdictions. Many countries, including certain
countries in Europe, have compulsory licensing laws under which
a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third
parties (for example, the patent owner has failed to
work the invention in that country or the third
party has patented improvements). In addition, many countries
limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies
or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner
may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the
value of the patent. Compulsory licensing of life-saving drugs
is also becoming increasingly popular in developing countries
either through direct legislation or international initiatives.
Such compulsory licenses could be extended to include some of
our drug candidates, which could limit our potential revenue
opportunities. Moreover, the legal systems of certain countries,
particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the
aggressive enforcement of patents and other intellectual
property
S-17
protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology
and/or
pharmaceuticals, which makes it difficult for us to stop the
infringement of our patents. Proceedings to enforce our patent
rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost
and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our
business.
Risks
Relating to our Securities
Our stock price will likely be volatile, and your investment
in our stock could decline in value.
Our stock price has fluctuated historically. From
January 1, 2005 to January 30, 2007, the market price
of our stock was as low as $2.79 per share and as high as
$14.67 per share.
Very few biotechnology drug candidates being tested will
ultimately receive FDA approval, and a biotechnology company may
experience a significant drop in its stock price based on a
clinical trial result or regulatory action. Our stock price may
fluctuate significantly, depending on a variety of factors,
including:
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the success or failure of, or other results or decisions
affecting, our clinical trials;
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the timing of the discovery of drug leads and the development of
our drug candidates;
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the entrance into a new collaboration or the modification or
termination of an existing collaboration;
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changes in our research and development budget or the research
and development budgets of our existing or potential
collaborators;
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the introduction of new drug discovery techniques or the
introduction or withdrawal of drugs by others that target the
same diseases and conditions that we or our collaborators target;
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regulatory actions;
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expenses related to, and the results of, litigation and other
proceedings relating to intellectual property rights or other
matters; and
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accounting changes, including the expense impact of
SFAS No. 123R.
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We are not able to control all of these factors.
Period-to-period
comparisons of our financial results are not necessarily
indicative of our future performance. In addition, if our
revenues or results of operations in a particular period do not
meet stockholders or analysts expectations, our
stock price may decline and such decline could be significant.
There are
a substantial number of shares of our common stock eligible for
future sale in the public market, and the sale of these shares
could cause the market price of our common stock to
fall.
There were 10,150,962 shares of our common stock
outstanding as of January 19, 2007. In addition, as of
January 19, 2007, there were options to purchase
1,565,148 shares of our common stock issued
and outstanding under all of our stock option plans at a
weighted average exercise price of $4.86,
106,935 additional shares of common stock issuable under
our 2004 Stock Option Plan, 500,000 shares of common stock
reserved for issuance under our 2000 Non-Employee Director Stock
Option Plan and 486,745 shares of common stock reserved for
issuance under our 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. A
substantial number of the shares described above, when issued
upon exercise, will be available for immediate resale in the
public market. The market price of our common stock could
decline as a result of such resales due to the increased number
of shares available for sale in the market.
Any
future equity or debt issuances by us may have dilutive or
adverse effects on our existing stockholders.
We have financed our operations, and we expect to continue to
finance our operations, primarily by issuing and selling our
common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for
shares of our common stock. In light of our need for additional
financing, we may issue additional shares of common stock or
convertible securities that could dilute your ownership in our
company and may include terms that give new investors rights
that are superior to yours. Moreover, any issuances by us of
equity securities may be at or below the
S-18
prevailing market price of our common stock and in any event may
have a dilutive impact on your ownership interest, which could
cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
We may also raise additional funds through the incurrence of
debt, and the holders of any debt we may issue would have rights
superior to your rights in the event we are not successful and
are forced to seek the protection of bankruptcy laws.
Our
largest stockholders may take actions that are contrary to your
interests, including selling their common stock.
A small number of our stockholders hold a significant amount of
our outstanding common stock. These stockholders may support
competing transactions and have interests that are different
from yours. Sales of a large number of shares of our common
stock by these large stockholders or other stockholders within a
short period of time could adversely affect our stock price.
Our
rights agreement and certain provisions in our charter documents
and Delaware law could delay or prevent a change in management
or a takeover attempt that you may consider to be in your best
interest.
We have adopted certain anti-takeover provisions, including a
Rights Agreement, dated as of September 1, 1999, between us
and Computershare Trust Company, Inc. (as successor in interest
to Harris Trust & Savings Bank), as Rights Agent. The
Rights Agreement will cause substantial dilution to any person
who attempts to acquire us in a manner or on terms not approved
by our board of directors.
The Rights Agreement and Certificate of Designations for the
Series One Junior Participating Preferred Stock dated
September 2, 1999, as well as other provisions in our
certificate of incorporation and bylaws and under Delaware law,
could delay or prevent the removal of directors and other
management and could make more difficult a merger, tender offer
or proxy contest involving us that you may consider to be in
your best interest. For example, these provisions:
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allow our board of directors to issue preferred stock without
stockholder approval;
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limit who can call a special meeting of stockholders; and
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establish advance notice requirements for nomination for
election to the board of directors or for proposing matters to
be acted upon at stockholders meetings.
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We may
allocate the net proceeds from this offering in ways that you
and other stockholders may not approve.
We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for
preclinical studies, clinical trials and regulatory submissions
of our product candidates and for general corporate purposes.
Our management will, however, have broad discretion in the
application of the net proceeds from this offering and could
spend the proceeds in ways that do not necessarily improve our
operating results or enhance the value of our common stock.
S-19
Forward-Looking
Statements
Some of the statements contained (i) in this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus or
(ii) incorporated by reference into this prospectus
supplement are forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and are subject to the safe harbor created by the
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Examples of these
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
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our anticipated future capital requirements and the terms of any
capital financing agreements;
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timing and amount of future contractual payments, product
revenue and operating expenses;
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progress and results of clinical trials;
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anticipated regulatory filings, requirements and future clinical
trials;
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protection of our intellectual property; and
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market acceptance of our products and the estimated potential
size of these markets.
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While these forward-looking statements made by us are based on
our current intent, beliefs and judgments, they are subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary
from the projections in the forward-looking statements. You
should consider the risks below carefully in addition to other
information contained in this report before engaging in any
transaction involving shares of our common stock. If any of
these risks occur, they could harm our business, financial
condition or results of operations. In such case, the trading
price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or
part of your investment.
The words believe, should,
predict, future, may,
will, estimate, continue,
anticipate, intend, plan,
expect, potential, continue,
or opportunity, or other words and terms of similar
meaning, as they relate to us, our business, future financial or
operating performance or our management, are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking
statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and
except as required by law we undertake no obligation to update
or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or
circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or
to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors
emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to
predict which factors will arise. In addition, we cannot assess
the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which
any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results
to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statements. Past financial or operating performance is not
necessarily a reliable indicator of future performance and you
should not use our historical performance to anticipate results
or future period trends.
S-20
Use of
Proceeds
We expect to receive approximately $33.0 million in net
proceeds from the sale of the 2,610,000 shares of common
stock offered by us in this offering (approximately
$38.0 million if the underwriters exercise their
over-allotment option in full) based on the public offering
price of $13.75 per share. Net proceeds is what we
expect to receive after paying the underwriting discount and
other expenses of this offering.
We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for
preclinical studies, clinical trials and regulatory submissions
of our product candidates, and for general corporate purposes.
The timing and amount of our actual expenditures will be based
on many factors, including the timing and success of our
clinical trials, whether we partner any of our internal programs
and whether we choose to curtail some of our research
activities. Although we currently have no plans to acquire any
complementary businesses, we may use these proceeds for that
purpose in the future. As a result, we will retain broad
discretion in determining how we will allocate the net proceeds
from this offering.
Until we use the net proceeds of this offering, we intend to
invest the funds in short-term, investment grade,
interest-bearing securities.
Price
Range of Common Stock
Our common stock is quoted on The Nasdaq Global Market under the
symbol RPRX. The following table shows the high and
low sale prices per share of our common stock, as reported by
The Nasdaq Capital Market through August 20, 2006 and
thereafter by The Nasdaq Global Market, during the periods
presented.
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Price Range
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High
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Low
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2005
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First Quarter
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$
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4.75
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$
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2.90
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Second Quarter
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3.93
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2.79
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Third Quarter
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5.88
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3.66
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Fourth Quarter
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5.96
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4.43
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2006
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First Quarter
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$
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10.35
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$
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4.50
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Second Quarter
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14.27
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7.95
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Third Quarter
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8.88
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7.26
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Fourth Quarter
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13.23
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5.50
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2007
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First Quarter (through
January 30, 2007)
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$
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14.67
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$
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11.53
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All of the foregoing prices reflect interdealer quotations,
without retail
mark-up,
markdowns or commissions and may not necessarily represent
actual transactions in the common stock.
On January 30, 2007, the last sale price of the common
stock, as reported by the Nasdaq Global Market, was
$14.42 per share. On January 19, 2007, there were
approximately 193 holders of record.
Dividend
Policy
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital
stock. We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if
any, for use in our business and therefore do not anticipate
paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Payment of
future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board
of directors after taking into account various factors,
including our financial condition, operating results, current
and anticipated cash needs.
S-21
Capitalization
The following table sets forth our capitalization as of
September 30, 2006:
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on an actual basis; and
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on an as adjusted basis to reflect the sale of the
2,610,000 shares of common stock offered by us at the
public offering price of $13.75 per share, less the
underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by
us.
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You should read the information in this table together with
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations and our financial
statements and the accompanying notes incorporated by reference
from our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005 and our
subsequent Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q
for the quarters ended March 31, June 30 and
September 30, 2006.
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September 30, 2006
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Actual
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As Adjusted
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(Unaudited)
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(In thousands)
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Preferred stock, $0.001 par value;
5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding,
actual and as adjusted
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$
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$
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Common stock: $0.001 par
value; 20,000,000 shares authorized, 12,087,997 shares
issued and 10,150,962 shares outstanding, actual;
20,000,000 shares authorized, 14,697,997 shares issued
and 12,760,962 shares outstanding, as adjusted
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12
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15
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Additional paid-in capital
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117,847
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150,819
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Treasury stock
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(5,948
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(5,948
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Accumulated deficit
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(102,893
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(102,893
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)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total stockholders equity
|
|
|
9,018
|
|
|
|
41,993
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total capitalization
|
|
$
|
9,018
|
|
|
$
|
41,993
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The number of shares in the table above excludes as of
September 30, 2006:
|
|
|
|
|
1,532,148 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise
of outstanding options at a weighted average exercise price of
$4.51 per share;
|
|
|
|
752,935 shares of common stock available for future
issuance under our stock option plans; and
|
|
|
|
436,745 shares of common stock available for future
issuance under our employee stock purchase plan.
|
S-22
Dilution
Our unaudited net tangible book value as of September 30,
2006 was approximately $8.3 million, or approximately
$0.82 per share of common stock. Net tangible book value
per share represents total tangible assets less total
liabilities, divided by the number of shares of common stock
outstanding. Dilution in net tangible book value per share
represents the difference between the amount per share paid
by purchasers of common stock in this offering and the net
tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately
after the offering.
After giving effect to the sale of 2,610,000 shares of
common stock in this offering at the public offering price of
$13.75 per share and after deduction of the underwriting
discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our pro
forma net tangible book value as of September 30, 2006
would have been approximately $41.3 million, or
$3.23 per share. The adjustments made to determine pro
forma net tangible book value per share are the following:
|
|
|
|
|
An increase in total assets to reflect the net proceeds of the
offering as described under Use of Proceeds; and
|
|
|
|
The addition of the number of shares offered by this prospectus
supplement to the number of shares outstanding.
|
The following table illustrates the pro forma increase in net
tangible book value of $2.41 per share and the dilution
(the difference between the offering price per share and net
tangible book value per share) to new investors:
|
|
|
|
|
Public offering price per share
|
|
$
|
13.75
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net tangible book value per share
as of September 30, 2006
|
|
$
|
0.82
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increase per share attributable to
new investors
|
|
|
2.41
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pro forma net tangible book value
per share as of September 30, 2006,
after giving effect to the offering
|
|
|
3.23
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dilution per share to new investors
|
|
$
|
10.52
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The number of shares in the table above assumes no exercise of
the underwriters over-allotment option and excludes as of
September 30, 2006:
|
|
|
|
|
1,532,148 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise
of outstanding options at a weighted average exercise price of
$4.51 per share;
|
|
|
|
752,935 shares of common stock available for future
issuance under our stock option plans; and
|
|
|
|
436,745 shares of common stock available for future
issuance under our employee stock purchase plan.
|
S-23
Business
We are a development stage biopharmaceutical company focused on
the development of new drugs to treat hormonal and reproductive
system disorders. We are developing Proellex, a selective
blocker of the progesterone receptor in women, for the treatment
of uterine fibroids and endometriosis. We are also developing
Androxal, which causes increased testosterone secretion from the
testes, for the treatment of testosterone deficiency in men
resulting from secondary hypogonadism. We have recently
conducted interim analyses of each of our three ongoing clinical
trials to determine whether our calculation regarding the number
of patients enrolled in each study is appropriate and to assess
whether further clinical development of each product candidate,
beyond completion of the current trials, is warranted. These
interim analyses were conducted internally and were not audited
by a third party. Upon completion of each of these trials, we
will complete formal analyses of efficacy and safety data and
hold discussions with the appropriate regulatory agencies about
further development.
An interim analysis of our ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial
of Proellex in uterine fibroid patients demonstrated
statistically significant reductions in excessive menstrual
bleeding and an improvement in quality of life scores versus
placebo. Furthermore, after three months treatment, no
statistically significant change in endometrial thickness was
observed. An interim analysis of our ongoing European
endometriosis Phase 1/2 clinical trial of Proellex
demonstrated that treatment with the highest dose of Proellex,
50 mg, achieved statistically significant reduction in days
of pain compared to treatment with Lupron, the current
pharmaceutical standard of care for the treatment of
endometriosis.
We have completed a Phase 2 clinical trial and an interim
analysis from an ongoing non-pivotal Phase 3 trial of
Androxal for the treatment of testosterone deficiency in men
resulting from secondary hypogonadism. Both trials demonstrated
statistically significant increases in testosterone levels
versus placebo, without suppression of luteinizing hormone, or
LH. In our current Phase 3 trial, at three months, Androxal
restored testosterone levels to the normal range in over 80% of
patients treated.
Our product development pipeline is summarized in the table
below:
|
|
|
|
|
Product Candidate (Indication)
|
|
Status
|
|
Next Expected Milestone(s)
|
Proellex
|
|
|
|
|
Uterine Fibroids
|
|
Phase 2 (U.S.)
|
|
Full Phase 2 data
(mid-2007)
One year extension data (4Q2007)
Initiate pivotal trials (YE2007)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Endometriosis
|
|
Phase 1/2 (Europe)
|
|
Full Phase 1/2 data
(3Q2007)
Initiate U.S. Phase 2 (mid-2007)
|
Androxal
|
|
|
|
|
Male Secondary
Hypogonadism
|
|
Non-pivotal Phase 3 (U.S.)
|
|
Full non-pivotal Phase 3 data
(3Q2007)
Initiate first pivotal Phase 3 (around YE2007)
|
Proellex
Our lead product candidate, Proellex, is an orally active small
molecule which we are developing for two indications: the
treatment of uterine fibroids and the treatment of
endometriosis. The National Uterine Fibroid Foundation estimates
that as many as 80% of all women in the United States have
uterine fibroids, and one in four of these women have symptoms
severe enough to require treatment. According to The
Endometriosis Association, endometriosis affects
5.5 million women in the United States and Canada and
millions more worldwide.
The current standards of care for uterine fibroids and
endometriosis include surgery and treatment with drugs. The most
effective drugs on the market are gonadotropin releasing hormone
agonists, or GnRH agonists, such as Lupron (leuprolide acetate).
GnRH is a peptide hormone that plays an important role in the
regulation of the human reproductive system. Chronic
administration of GnRH agonists reduce the number of GnRH
receptors and thereby block the action of GnRH and its activity
in stimulating the pituitary to secrete follicle stimulating
hormone and leuteinizing hormone.
S-24
GnRH agonists induce a low estrogen, menopausal-like state in
women. Because estrogen is necessary for the maintenance of bone
mineral density, GnRH agonists tend to promote bone loss and are
not recommended to be used for more than six months at a time.
When women cease treatment with GnRH agonists, fibroids
generally regenerate rapidly in the case of uterine fibroids,
and symptoms associated with endometriosis generally reappear
quickly in the case of endometriosis.
We believe Proellex may have advantages in treating uterine
fibroids and endometriosis as compared to treatment with GnRH
agonists. In our previous and current human clinical trials, and
consistent with our preclinical studies, women treated with
Proellex maintain baseline estrogen levels. Therefore, we
believe Proellex treatment may not result in estrogen-mediated
loss of bone mineral density. We believe Proellex may provide an
attractive alternative to surgery because of its potential to
treat these conditions in a long-term or chronic fashion,
resolving the symptoms that most commonly lead to surgical
treatment.
Proellex is a new chemical entity, which means that the compound
will be required to undergo the full regulatory approval
process. Among other requirements, this includes a two-year
carcinogenicity study, which we began in mid-2006. We have also
completed a nine-month primate study to evaluate the effects of
Proellex on the endometrium. This study showed no significant
toxicity at any dose, with the highest dose comparable to the
highest dose in our human clinical trials.
All clinical trial results are subject to review by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and the FDA may disagree
with our conclusions about safety and efficacy. We caution that
the results discussed herein are based on interim data from
non-pivotal trials and that final Phase 2 and 3 data may
not agree with these interim results.
Uterine
Fibroids
Current Phase 2 Trial. We have completed enrollment
of 128 patients in a randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled U.S. Phase 2 clinical trial of
Proellex. We are enrolling patients that complete the blinded
portion of this trial in a
12-month
open label extension to gather additional safety data. This
trial is designed to assess both improvement of symptoms
associated with uterine fibroids as well as effects on the
fibroid itself. The three-arm trial compares two doses of
Proellex, 12.5 mg and 25 mg, to placebo over a
12-week
period. The primary endpoint is reduction in excessive menstrual
bleeding, a common symptom of uterine fibroids. This endpoint
was assessed using a visual analog scale known as the Pictorial
Blood Loss Assessment Chart, also known as PBAC. Further, pain
associated with fibroids was assessed using a well validated
tool, the McGill pain score, and various other symptoms
associated with fibroids were assessed using the validated
Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Quality of Life, or UFS-QOL,
questionnaire.
We recently completed an interim analysis of data from this
trial. At the time of analysis, 63 patients had completed
the 12-week
trial and had completed analyses for their trial parameters. The
data indicate that the women on Proellex in this trial
experienced a dramatic reduction in PBAC from mean scores of
over 100 to scores less than 10, where higher scores indicate
greater pain. The mean scores after three months of dosing for
the 25 mg and 12.5 mg dose of Proellex were 6.9 and
12.6, respectively. Women on placebo, on the other hand,
exhibited a score of 91 after three months of treatment. The
scores above represent a percentage reduction in PBAC scores for
placebo, the 12.5 mg arm of Proellex and the 25 mg arm
of Proellex of 30.7%, 92.2% and 94.7%, respectively. The
12.5 mg and 25 mg doses were statistically superior to
placebo.
S-25
Pictorial
Blood Loss Assessment Baseline versus Month 3
Women treated with 12.5 mg and 25 mg of Proellex for
three months also experienced a reduction in UFS-QOL measures
from an average baseline of 16 to scores of 5.3 and 5.15,
respectively. UFS-QOL scores for women in the placebo arm
decreased from an average baseline of 16 to 12.6 after three
months. The 12.5 mg and 25 mg doses were statistically
significant as compared to placebo.
Women on Proellex experienced on average a reduction of 33.6 and
33.2 in McGill pain scores for the 25 mg and 12.5 mg
dose respectively. Women on placebo experienced an average
reduction of 8.4 over the same three-month period. The
12.5 mg and 25 mg doses were statistically superior to
placebo.
After three months on treatment, no statistically significant
changes in endometrial thickness were detected among 100 women
who underwent ultrasound measurements of endometrial thickness
at various time points. This trial uses an endometrial thickness
cut-off of 14 mm after three months of dosing to determine
whether or not a woman is allowed to proceed into an ongoing
open label trial. At this time 16 patients have had
endometrial thicknesses greater than 14 mm. Seven of the
patients were on placebo, six were on the 12.5 mg dose and
three were on the 25 mg dose. Importantly, to date, of the
women who have had endometrial biopsies and have been on active
drug there has been no evidence of endometrial hyperplasia with
atypia, a potential precursor for endometrial cancer. We did not
undertake a statistical analysis of safety data in our interim
assessment for this trial. In our previous clinical trial of
Proellex for the treatment of uterine fibroids, none of the
patients in the Proellex dose arms or placebo arms of such trial
exhibited any statistically significant changes in biomarkers
for bone resorption while patients on Lupron exhibited
statistically significant increases in biomarkers of bone
resorption. The most frequent adverse event observed in our
current trial was amenorrhoea, or lack of menstrual bleeding,
which is expected based on our previous clinical data for
Proellex as well as its mechanism of action.
We have complied with an FDA request by forming an outside
safety review board. The board reviews unblinded safety data
from the trial and has the ability to halt the trial at any time
if it determines that the data indicates that Proellex is not
safe. To date, the board has taken no action based on its
ongoing review of our safety data other than to report the
patient described below with elevated liver enzymes as a serious
adverse event. We have had two patients in this trial exhibit
serious adverse events, one of which was on placebo. The other
patient, who was in the 25 mg arm of our trial, exhibited
elevated liver enzymes. After review of the patient by a
physician, it was determined that the liver enzymes were not
seriously elevated.
Development Plan. We intend to discuss our pivotal
clinical program with the FDA in mid-2007. We currently
anticipate that the pivotal program will include two additional
placebo-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate efficacy,
which we expect to begin around year-end 2007. As with our
current trial, the primary endpoint will be reduction in PBAC
versus placebo. PBAC is a validated and published questionnaire
designed to measure menorrhagia, or blood loss related to
excessive menstrual bleeding. Pursuant to FDA requirements, we
are currently validating the PBAC endpoint for Proellex for
uterine fibroids. We anticipate completing this validation prior
to commencing a Phase 3 clinical trial. Consistent with
current regulatory policies, we will have to complete a number
of additional safety-focused clinical trials and preclinical
studies, including the
S-26
effect of Proellex on the QT interval, a measure of the heart
rate designed to provide information about potential arrhythmia.
We also expect to begin a larger open-label safety trial in late
2007. We believe the earliest we can submit a New Drug
Application, or NDA, for this indication would be in the fourth
quarter of 2008.
Endometriosis
Current Phase 1/2 Trial. We are currently conducting
a six-month Phase 1/2 clinical trial of Proellex in 39
endometriosis patients in a European trial being conducted in
Bulgaria. The primary objective of this trial is to assess the
safety of Proellex in endometriosis patients. We consider this
trial to be a pilot trial with efficacy being a secondary
objective, and we designed the trial to determine whether we
would commence development of Proellex for endometriosis in the
United States. We completed enrollment in October 2006. This
trial compares three doses of double-blinded Proellex against
open label Lupron for up to six months of treatment. Proellex
was administered in a double-blind manner as a daily oral dose
of 12.5 mg, 25 mg or 50 mg capsules. Patients in
the trial maintained daily pain diaries to record severity and
frequency of pain as well as filling out an endometriosis
symptom survey at each office visit that included a
questionnaire that evaluated, among other related elements,
distress associated with pain on a scale of 0-10 with 10 being
the greatest amount of distress. Although this trial was
primarily designed to assess safety, we evaluated patient
responses to multiple exploratory pain-related endpoints.
As of December 2006, 34 women of the 39 enrolled had completed
three months of dosing. We conducted an interim analysis of data
from these women. These data demonstrate that treatment with the
highest dosage of Proellex, 50 mg, achieved statistically
significant pain reduction compared to treatment with Lupron,
the current pharmaceutical standard of care for the treatment of
endometriosis. On average, women treated with 50 mg
Proellex reported 85.5 pain free days during three months of
treatment which amounts to 95% of the study days, compared to 61
pain free days, or 67.8% of study days, reported by patients on
Lupron, a statistically significant difference (p=0.02).
Patients treated with 25 mg and 12.5 mg Proellex
exhibited a dose-dependent reduction in pain that did not reach
statistical significance compared to Lupron (71.9% and 49.4% of
study days pain free, respectively). On days when pain was
reported, the 50 mg dose of Proellex also exhibited a
statistically significant improvement in pain severity over
Lupron (p=0.02) as well as over the 25 mg and 12.5 mg
doses of Proellex.
Women treated with 50 mg Proellex also reported a
significant reduction in pain-associated distress after three
months with only one woman reporting mild distress (scored at
1). Average distress score for the 50 mg group was 0.125.
Compared to baseline (average 50 mg group baseline
distress score was 6.8 out of 10 possible), the 50 mg dose
of Proellex exhibited a highly statistically significant
reduction in distress score (p <0.001). Women treated with
Lupron also reported a significant, but less robust, reduction
in pain-associated distress (average score equal to 1.4 compared
to average baseline score of 5.8). In this trial, we evaluated
patient responses to a non-validated questionnaire that
contained eight questions relating to the number of days with
pain, severity, location and type of pain and distress. Overall,
our data indicate a favorable treatment effect for Proellex. For
example, with respect to one of the questions, women in the
50 mg arm reported a 98% reduction in days of pain compared
to baseline (p=0.009) whereas women in the Lupron arm reported a
76% reduction in recollected days of pain compared to baseline
(change not significant).
The 12.5 mg and 25 mg doses of Proellex exhibited a
dose-dependent reduction in distress as measured by pain scores,
but the reductions did not achieve statistical significance (3.2
compared to 6.7 baseline for 25 mg and 3.8 compared to 4.8
baseline for 12.5 mg).
On average, the women in this treatment group receiving Lupron
in the trial experienced a reduction of estrogen to
post-menopausal levels. Consistent with other clinical trials of
Lupron, women in this treatment group also experienced a
statistically significant increase in biomarkers of bone
resorption and therefore an increased risk of bone loss over
time. Significantly, all doses of Proellex maintained estrogen
concentrations in the low normal range. Furthermore, there were
no significant changes in biomarkers of bone resorption in any
of the dose arms of Proellex.
S-27
The data also suggest an inverse dose dependent effect on
endometrial thickness as measured by ultrasound at baseline and
three months. After three months on treatment, women receiving
50 mg Proellex achieved a non-significant reduction in the
thickness of the endometrium compared to baseline, whereas women
receiving 12.5 mg and 25 mg Proellex experienced a
non-significant thickening of the endometrium. Importantly, no
women in the trial showed evidence of endometrial hyperplasia
with atypia, a potential precursor for endometrial cancer.
In this clinical trial to date, side effects of Proellex were
generally mild with no apparent drug-related toxicity to the
liver. In two cases where non-menstrual spotting and bleeding
was observed in patients with excessive endometrial thickening,
a dilation and curettage procedure was administered to stop the
bleeding. These cases occurred only at the lower doses of
Proellex. A similar event has not been seen at the 50 mg dose
even though two of the patients have completed the 6-month
trial. We are enrolling patients that complete the randomized
portion of this trial into a
12-month
open label extension to gather additional safety data.
Development Plan. We intend to submit a separate IND with
the FDA for Proellex for the treatment of endometriosis in the
second quarter of 2007. With a favorable review of this IND by
the FDA, we plan to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial of
Proellex for the treatment of endometriosis around mid-year
2007. We expect that this trial will compare 25 mg and
50 mg of Proellex to placebo. The primary endpoint of this
trial will be a clinically validated measure of dysmenorrhea, or
pelvic pain.
All clinical trial results are subject to review by the FDA and
the FDA may disagree with our conclusions about safety and
efficacy. We caution that results obtained in early stage
clinical trials may be reversed by the results of later stage
clinical trials with significantly larger and more diverse
patient populations treated for longer periods of time.
Androxal
Our second product candidate, Androxal (the trans isomer
of clomiphene), is designed to restore normal testosterone
production in males with functional testes yet diminished
pituitary function, a common condition in the aging male. We
believe Androxal may have advantages over current therapies
because it is being designed as an oral therapy that acts
centrally to restore normal testosterone function in the body,
as compared to currently approved products that simply replace
diminished testosterone either through injections, nasal spray
or the application of a gel or cream containing testosterone
over a large percentage of body area. The administration of
replacement testosterone has been linked to numerous potential
adverse effects, including shrinkage of the testes. We believe
that Androxal may not cause these adverse effects to the extent
that such other replacement therapies do. We will require
additional clinical trials with more patients and for a longer
duration.
Testosterone is an important male hormone. Testosterone
deficiency in men is linked to several negative physical and
mental conditions, including loss of muscle tone, reduced sexual
desire, and deterioration of memory and certain other cognitive
functions. Testosterone production normally decreases as men
age, sometimes leading to testosterone deficiency. According to
industry sources, approximately 13 million men in the
United States experience testosterone deficiency. The leading
therapy is Androgel, a commercially available testosterone
replacement cream marketed by Solvay Pharmaceuticals for the
treatment of low testosterone, with reported sales of
approximately $282 million in 2005 in North America.
Based on our own screening data, we believe over 70% of men that
have low testosterone suffer from secondary hypogonadism, caused
by failure of the pituitary to provide appropriate hormone
signaling to the testes, which we believe causes testosterone
levels to drop to the point where pituitary secretions fall
under the influence of estrogen. In this state, we also believe
that estrogen further suppresses the testicular stimulation from
the pituitary. These men are readily distinguished from those
that have primary testicular failure via assessment of the
levels of secretions of pituitary hormones (i.e., men with
primary testicular failure experience elevated secretions of
pituitary hormones). The 194 patients enrolled were
determined to have secondary hypogonadism, which is caused by
the pituitary deficiency described above. Secondary hypogonadism
is not relegated only to older men although the condition
becomes more prevalent as men age.
S-28
Androxal is being considered as a new chemical entity by the FDA
which means that the compound will be required to undergo the
full regulatory approval process. Among other requirements, this
includes a two-year carcinogenicity study, which we began in
September 2006. Although Androxal is considered a new chemical
entity for purposes of requirements for approval, it is closely
related chemically to the drug, Clomid, which is approved for
use in women to treat certain infertility disorders. The FDA has
indicated that testicular tumors, gynecomastia and adverse
ophthalmologic events, which have been reported in males taking
Clomid, are potential risks that should be included in informed
consent forms for our Androxal clinical trials. We do not
believe that Androxal will present with the same adverse events
given its accelerated half-life in the human body as compared to
Clomid. In our preclinical studies and our current clinical
trial to date, we have observed no evidence of any of these
events except for certain adverse ophthalmologic events in our
preclinical study at doses significantly higher than those
administered in the clinical trials.
We have had previous discussions with the FDA regarding a
special protocol assessment, or SPA, for our registrational
program for Androxal. When we complete our current Phase 3
trial and validate our clinical endpoint, we intend to review
the data with the FDA and continue the SPA process.
Current
Non-Pivotal Phase 3 Trial
We are currently conducting a
24-week
194 patient U.S. Phase 3 clinical trial of
Androxal in men with testosterone deficiency resulting from
secondary hypogonadism. We consider this trial to be non-pivotal
for U.S. approval. However, it may serve as one of two
pivotal efficacy trials for approval in the European Union. We
are enrolling patients that have completed the
24-week
trial into a
12-month
open label extension to gather additional safety data. Interim
data from this trial suggest that, at this time in the trial,
treatment with Androxal results in a statistically significant
increase in mean testosterone. Further, Androxal demonstrates
non-inferiority in all parameters measured, in all the primary
endpoints of the trial, compared to Androgel.
This double-blind trial compares two doses of Androxal,
12.5 mg and 25 mg, to both placebo and open-label
Androgel, which was dosed according to physician instructions
(including use of higher doses where indicated). Testosterone
levels as well as subjective measures of libido and distress
were assessed in trial participants. Distress was assessed using
an unvalidated measure. The primary endpoint of this trial is
non-inferiority of Androxal in comparison to Androgel. To date,
112 patients have completed 12 weeks of treatment and
have had analyses completed for their trial parameters.
In this interim analysis, men treated with 12.5 mg of
Androxal experienced an increase in mean testosterone of
210 ng/dL over baseline; those treated with 25 mg of
Androxal experienced an increase of 241 ng/dL over
baseline; and those treated with open-label Androgel,
administered at any dose, experienced an increase of
167 ng/dL over baseline. As expected, men receiving placebo
experienced no statistically significant change in mean
testosterone. After three months, the percentage of men with a
morning testosterone level above
300 ng/dL
and below 1,040 ng/dL (the range of testosterone levels in
the blood generally considered normal) for placebo, Androgel,
the 12.5 mg arm of Androxal and the 25 mg arm of Androxal
were 26.7%, 58.6%, 81.5% and 80.8%, respectively. The changes
versus baseline for the 12.5 mg and 25 mg arms were
statistically significant.
Although neither men treated with Androxal nor those treated
with Androgel reported a significant increase in libido as
determined using the DeRogatis Interview for Sexual Functioning,
also known as the
DISF-SR
scale, at this interim analysis, both doses of Androxal
performed comparably to Androgel. Likewise, although no
statistically significant differences in distress, as measured
by the Male Sexual Dysfunction Survey, or MSDS scale, were
recorded for men receiving Androxal or Androgel, both doses of
Androxal performed in similar fashion to Androgel. Numerically,
the 25 mg dose of Androxal produced the greatest reduction
in distress followed by the 12.5 mg dose. Both the
DISF-SR, a
validated libido questionnaire, and the MSDS, a questionnaire
focusing on distress associated with low testosterone, have been
developed by Dr. Leonard DeRogatis, Ph.D., Director of
the Center for Sexual Medicine at Sheppard Pratt, a private
non-profit provider of behavioral health services based in
Maryland.
S-29
Although safety data for emergent side effects has not been
completed during our interim analysis, we have found no adverse
events of concern in the trial. There was one reported serious
adverse event reported during the trial for one patient on
placebo, but we have no additional information relating to this
event.
All clinical trial results are subject to review by the FDA and
the FDA may disagree with our conclusions about safety and
efficacy. We caution that the results discussed herein are based
on interim data and that final data may not agree with these
interim results.
Development
Plan
Unlike testosterone replacement therapies in which efficacy can
be shown through mere elevation of testosterone levels back to
normal ranges, the FDA has noted that Androxal must demonstrate
a benefit over placebo on a relevant clinical endpoint. We
intend to comply with the FDAs request, develop a
validated clinical test and revise our proposed Phase 3
pivotal efficacy protocol to incorporate the FDAs other
suggestions. We anticipate that this trial will begin around the
end of 2007, subject to available funding and timely and
successful completion of our initial Phase 3 trial.
Consistent with guidance for approval of new chemical entities,
we believe that we will be required to study Androxals
affect on the QT interval.
Other
Products
Our phentolamine-based products are currently on partial
clinical hold in the United States. We have no current plans to
expend any significant funds for the development of these
products. However, we will be seeking strategic partners to
either out-license or sell these products.
Patents
and Proprietary Information
Our ability to compete effectively with other companies is
materially dependent on the proprietary nature of our patents
and technologies. We actively seek patent protection for our
proprietary technology in the United States and abroad.
Under a license agreement with the National Institutes of
Health, we have exclusive rights to three issued
U.S. patents, which expire in 2017, and a foreign filing
made by the NIH regarding Proellex. We also have five
provisional patent applications and two non-provisional patent
applications pending in the United States and one foreign PCT
application that cover various formulations of Proellex and
methods for using Proellex.
Our Androxal product candidate and its uses are covered in the
United States by four pending patent applications, one of which
has recently been allowed. Foreign coverage of our Androxal
product candidate includes two issued foreign patents and 21
foreign pending patent applications. The issued patents and
pending applications relate to methods and compositions for
treating certain conditions including the treatment of
testosterone deficiency in men. Androxal (the
trans isomer of clomiphene) is purified from
clomiphene citrate. A third party individual holds two issued
patents related to the use of an anti-estrogen such as
clomiphene citrate and others for use in the treatment of
androgen deficiency and disorders related thereto. In our prior
filings with the SEC, we have described our request to the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or PTO, for
re-examination of one of these patents based on prior art. The
third party amended the claims in the reexamination proceedings,
which has since led the PTO to determine that the amended claims
are patentable in view of those publications under consideration
and a reexamination certificate was issued. However, we believe
that the amended claims are invalid based on additional prior
art publications not yet considered by the PTO, and our request
for reexamination by the PTO in light of a number of these
additional publications has been granted. We also believe that
the second of these two patents is invalid in view of published
prior art not considered by the PTO. A request for reexamination
of this patent is pending. Nevertheless, there is no assurance
that either patent will ultimately be found invalid over the
prior art. If such patents are not invalidated, we may be
required to obtain a license from the holder of such patents in
order to develop Androxal further. If such licenses were not
available on acceptable terms or at all, we may not be able to
successfully commercialize Androxal.
S-30
All of our employees and consultants have signed assignment of
invention and confidentiality agreements, and each corporate
partner we enter into discussions with or engage to assist in
our clinical trials or manufacturing process is also required to
execute appropriate confidentiality and assignment agreements
protecting our intellectual property.
Governmental
Regulation
Our research and development activities, preclinical studies and
clinical trials, and the manufacturing, marketing and labeling
of any products we may develop, are subject to extensive
regulation by the FDA and other regulatory authorities in the
United States and other countries. The U.S. Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the regulations promulgated
thereunder and other federal and state statutes and regulations
govern, among other things, the testing, manufacture, storage,
record keeping, labeling, advertising, promotion, marketing and
distribution of any products we may develop. Preclinical study
and clinical trial requirements and the regulatory approval
process take many years and require the expenditure of
substantial resources. Additional government regulation may be
established that could prevent or delay regulatory approval of
our product candidates. Delays in obtaining or rejections of
regulatory approvals would adversely affect our ability to
commercialize any product candidate we develop and our ability
to receive product revenues or to receive milestone payments or
royalties from any product rights we might license to others. If
regulatory approval of a product candidate is granted, the
approval may include significant limitations on the indicated
uses for which the product may be marketed or may be conditioned
on the conduct of post-marketing surveillance studies.
The standard process required by the FDA before a pharmaceutical
agent may be marketed in the United States includes:
(1) preclinical tests; (2) submission to the FDA of an
IND application which must become effective before human
clinical trials may commence; (3) adequate and
well-controlled human clinical trials to establish the safety
and efficacy of the drug for its intended application;
(4) submission of a new drug application, or NDA, to the
FDA; and (5) FDA approval of the NDA prior to any
commercial sale or shipment of the drug.
Clinical trials typically are conducted in three sequential
phases, but the phases may overlap. Phase 1 typically
involves the initial introduction of the drug into human
subjects. In phase 1, the drug is tested for safety and, as
appropriate, for absorption, metabolism, distribution,
excretion, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Phase 2
usually involves studies in a limited patient population to
evaluate preliminarily the efficacy of the drug for specific
targeted indications, determine dosage tolerance and optimal
dosage and identify possible adverse effects and safety risks.
Phase 3 clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate
clinical efficacy and to test further for safety within an
expanded patient population at geographically dispersed clinical
study sites. Phase 1, Phase 2 or Phase 3 testing
may not be completed successfully within any specific time
period, if at all, with respect to any products being tested by
a sponsor. Furthermore, the FDA or the Investigational Review
Board, or IRB may suspend clinical trials at any time on various
grounds, including a finding that the healthy volunteers or
patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk.
Even if regulatory approvals for any products we may develop are
obtained, we, our potential collaborators, our products, and the
facilities manufacturing our products would be subject to
continual review and periodic inspection. The FDA will require
post-marketing reporting to monitor the safety of our products.
Each drug-manufacturing establishment supplying the United
States must be registered with the FDA. Manufacturing
establishments are subject to periodic inspections by the FDA
and must comply with the FDAs requirements regarding
current Good Manufacturing Practices, or GMP. In complying with
current GMP, manufacturers must expend funds, time and effort in
the area of production and quality control to ensure full
technical compliance. We do not have any drug manufacturing
capabilities and must rely on outside firms for this capability.
The FDA stringently applies regulatory standards for
manufacturing. Identification of previously unknown problems
with respect to a product, manufacturer or facility may result
in restrictions on the product, manufacturer or facility,
including warning letters, suspensions of regulatory approvals,
operating restrictions, delays in obtaining new product
approvals, withdrawal of the product from the market, product
recalls, fines, injunctions and criminal prosecution.
S-31
Before any products we may develop could be marketed outside of
the United States, they would be subject to regulatory approval
similar to FDA requirements in the United States, although the
requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product
licensing, pricing, and reimbursement vary widely from country
to country. No action can be taken to market any drug product in
a country until the regulatory authorities in that country have
approved an appropriate application. FDA approval does not
assure approval by other regulatory authorities. The current
approval process varies from country to country, and the time
spent in gaining approval varies from that required for FDA
approval. In some countries, the sale price of a drug product
must also be approved. The pricing review period often begins
after market approval is granted. Even if a foreign regulatory
authority approves any products we may develop, no assurance can
be given that it will approve satisfactory prices for the
products.
Our research and development involves the controlled use of
hazardous materials and chemicals. Although we believe that our
procedures for handling and disposing of those materials comply
with state and federal regulations, the risk of accidental
contamination or injury from these materials cannot be
eliminated. If such an accident occurs, we could be held liable
for resulting damages, which could be material to our financial
condition and business. We are also subject to numerous
environmental, health and workplace safety laws and regulations,
including those governing laboratory procedures, exposure to
blood-borne pathogens, and the handling of biohazardous
materials. Additional federal, state and local laws and
regulations affecting us may be adopted in the future. Any
violation of, and the cost of compliance with, these laws and
regulations could materially and adversely affect us.
Third-Party
Reimbursement and Pricing Controls
In the United States and elsewhere, sales of pharmaceutical
products depend in significant part on the availability of
reimbursement to the consumer from third-party payers, such as
government and private insurance plans. Since we have no
commercial products, we have not had to face this issue yet.
However, third-party payers are increasingly challenging the
prices charged for medical products and services. It will be
time consuming and expensive for us to go through the process of
seeking reimbursement from Medicaid, Medicare and private payers.
Our products may not be considered cost effective, and coverage
and reimbursement may not be available or sufficient to allow us
to sell our products on a competitive and profitable basis. The
passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act
of 2003 imposes new requirements for the distribution and
pricing of prescription drugs which may affect the marketing of
our products.
In many foreign markets, including the countries in the European
Union, pricing of pharmaceutical products is subject to
governmental control. In the United States, there have been, and
we expect that there will continue to be, a number of federal
and state proposals to implement similar governmental pricing
control. While we cannot predict whether such legislative or
regulatory proposals will be adopted, the adoption of such
proposals could have a material adverse effect on our
profitability.
The
Hatch-Waxman Act
Under the U.S. Drug Price Competition and Patent Term
Restoration Act of 1984, known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, newly
approved drugs and indications benefit from a statutory period
of non-patent marketing exclusivity. The Hatch-Waxman Act
provides five year marketing exclusivity to the first applicant
to gain approval of an NDA for a new chemical entity, or NCE,
meaning that the FDA has not previously approved any other new
drug containing the same active ingredient. Both of our current
product candidates are considered NCEs. The Hatch-Waxman Act
prohibits approval of an abbreviated new drug application, or
ANDA, for a generic version of the drug during the five-year
exclusivity period. Protection under the Hatch-Waxman Act will
not prevent the filing or approval of another full NDA, however,
the applicant would be required to conduct its own adequate and
well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate safety and
effectiveness. The Hatch-Waxman Act also provides three years of
marketing exclusivity for the approval of new NDAs with new
clinical trials for previously approved drugs and supplemental
NDAs, for example, for new indications, dosages, or strengths of
an existing drug, if new clinical investigations are essential
to the approval. This three
S-32
year exclusivity covers only the new changes associated with the
supplemental NDA and does not prohibit the FDA from approving
ANDAs for drugs containing the original active ingredient or
indications.
The Hatch-Waxman Act also permits a patent extension term of up
to five years as compensation for patent term lost during
product development and the FDA regulatory review process.
However, patent extension cannot extend the remaining term of a
patent beyond a total of 14 years. The patent term
restoration period is generally one-half the time between the
effective date of an IND and the submission date of an NDA, plus
time of active FDA review between the submission date of an NDA
and the approval of that application. Only one patent applicable
to an approved drug is eligible for the extension and it must be
applied for prior to expiration of the patent and within
60 days of the approval of the NDA. The PTO, in
consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves or rejects the
application for patent term extension.
Recent
Events
On December 16, 2006, we hired Dr. Andre
van As, M.D., Ph.D., to serve as our Chief
Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical and
Regulatory Affairs. Dr. van As has extensive
experience in drug development and regulatory approvals,
including as Executive Director of the Novartis team responsible
for gaining regulatory approval of Xolair, the first monoclonal
antibody for the management of severe asthma.
S-33
Underwriting
We have entered into an underwriting agreement with the
underwriters named below. CIBC World Markets Corp. is acting as
representative of the underwriters.
The underwriting agreement provides for the purchase of a
specific number of shares of common stock by each of the
underwriters. The underwriters obligations are several,
which means that each underwriter is required to purchase a
specified number of shares, but is not responsible for the
commitment of any other underwriter to purchase shares. Subject
to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, each
underwriter has severally agreed to purchase the number of
shares of common stock set forth opposite its name below:
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Underwriter
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Number of Shares
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CIBC World Markets Corp.
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1,174,500
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Punk, Ziegel & Company,
L.P.
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1,044,000
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ThinkEquity Partners LLC
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391,500
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Total
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2,610,000
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The underwriters have agreed to purchase all of the shares
offered by this prospectus supplement (other than those covered
by the over-allotment option described below) if any are
purchased. Under the underwriting agreement, if an underwriter
defaults in its commitment to purchase shares, the commitments
of non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the
underwriting agreement may be terminated, depending on the
circumstances.
The shares should be ready for delivery on or about
February 5, 2007 against payment in immediately available
funds. The underwriters are offering the shares subject to
various conditions and may reject all or part of any order. The
representative had advised us that the underwriters propose to
offer the shares directly to the public at the public offering
price that appears on the cover page of this prospectus
supplement. In addition, the representative may offer some of
the shares to other securities dealers at such price less a
concession of $0.54 per share. The underwriters may also
allow, and such dealers may reallow, a concession not in excess
of $0.10 per share to other dealers. After the shares are
released for sale to the public, the representative may change
the offering price and other selling terms at various times.
We have granted the underwriters an over-allotment option. This
option, which is exercisable for up to 30 days after the
date of this prospectus supplement, permits the underwriters to
purchase a maximum of 390,000 additional shares from us to cover
over-allotments. If the underwriters exercise all or part of
this option, they will purchase shares covered by the option at
the public offering price that appears on the cover page of this
prospectus supplement, less the underwriting discount. If this
option is exercised in full, the total price to the public will
be $41,250,000 and the total proceeds to us will be $38,568,750.
The underwriters have severally agreed that, to the extent the
over-allotment option is exercised, they will each purchase a
number of additional shares proportionate to the
underwriters initial amount reflected in the foregoing
table.
The following table provides information regarding the amount of
the discount to be paid to the underwriters by us:
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Total Without Exercise of
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Total with Full Exercise of
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Per Share
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Over-Allotment Option
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Over-Allotment Option
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Repros Therapeutics Inc.
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$
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0.8937
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$
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2,332,557
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$
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2,681,100
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The underwriting discount is equal to 6.5% of the aggregate
amount of the shares offered hereby. We estimate that our total
expenses of this offering, excluding the underwriting discount,
will be approximately $580,000.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain
liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of
1933.
We, our officers and directors have agreed to a
90-day
lock up with respect to shares of common stock
that they beneficially own, including securities that are
convertible into shares of common stock and securities that
S-34
are exchangeable or exercisable for shares of common stock. This
means that, subject to certain exceptions, for a period of
90 days following the date of this prospectus supplement,
we and such persons may not offer, sell, pledge or otherwise
dispose of these securities without the prior written consent of
CIBC World Markets Corp.
Rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission may limit the
ability of the underwriters to bid for or purchase shares before
the distribution of the shares is completed. However, the
underwriters may engage in the following activities in
accordance with the rules:
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Stabilizing transactionsThe representative may make bids
or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining
the price of the shares, so long as stabilizing bids do not
exceed a specified maximum.
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Over-allotments and syndicate covering transactionsThe
underwriters may sell more shares of our common stock in
connection with this offering than the number of shares that
they have committed to purchase. This over-allotment creates a
short position for the underwriters. This short sales position
may involve either covered short sales or
naked short sales. Covered short sales are short
sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters
over-allotment option to purchase additional shares in this
offering described above. The underwriters may close out any
covered short position either by exercising their over-allotment
option or by purchasing shares in the open market. To determine
how they will close the covered short position, the underwriters
will consider, among other things, the price of shares available
for purchase in the open market, as compared to the price at
which they may purchase shares through the over-allotment
option. Naked short sales are short sales in excess of the
over-allotment option. The underwriters must close out any naked
short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked
short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters
are concerned that, in the open market after pricing, there may
be downward pressure on the price of the shares that could
adversely affect investors who purchase shares in this offering.
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Penalty bidsIf the representative purchases shares in the
open market in a stabilizing transaction or syndicate covering
transaction, they may reclaim a selling concession from the
underwriters and selling group members who sold those shares as
part of this offering.
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Passive market makingMarket makers in the shares who are
underwriters or prospective underwriters may make bids for or
purchases of shares, subject to limitations, until the time, if
ever, at which a stabilizing bid is made.
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Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriters
purchases to cover the syndicate short sales or to stabilize the
market price of our common stock may have the effect of raising
or maintaining the market price of our common stock or
preventing or mitigating a decline in the market price of our
common stock. As a result, the price of the shares of our common
stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in
the open market. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have
an effect on the price of the shares if it discourages resales
of the shares.
Neither we nor the underwriters makes any representation or
prediction as to the effect that the transactions described
above may have on the price of the shares. These transactions
may occur on The Nasdaq Global Market or otherwise. If such
transactions are commenced, they may be discontinued without
notice at any time.
Notice to
Non-U.S. Investors
The offering is exclusively conducted under applicable private
placement exemptions and therefore it has not been and will not
be notified to, and this document or any other offering material
relating to the shares has not been and will not be approved by,
the Belgian Banking, Finance and Insurance Commission
(Commission bancaire, financière et des
assurances/Commissie voor het Bank, Financie en
Assurantiewezen). Any representation to the contrary is
unlawful.
S-35
Each underwriter has undertaken not to offer sell, resell,
transfer or deliver, or to take any steps thereto, directly or
indirectly, any shares, and not to distribute or publish this
document or any other material relating to the shares or to the
offering in a manner which would be construed as: (a) a
public offering under the Belgian Royal Decree of 7 July
1999 on the public character of financial transactions; or
(b) an offering of securities to the public under Directive
2003/71/EC which triggers an obligation to publish a prospectus
in Belgium. Any action contrary to these restrictions will cause
the recipient and us to be in violation of the Belgian
securities laws.
Neither this prospectus supplement nor any other offering
material relating to the shares has been submitted to the
clearance procedures of the Autorité des marchés
financiers in France. The shares have not been offered or
sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to
the public in France. Neither this prospectus supplement nor any
other offering material relating to the shares has been or will
be: (a) released, issued, distributed or caused to be
released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or
(b) used in connection with any offer for subscription or
sale of the shares to the public in France. Such offers, sales
and distributions will be made in France only: (i) to
qualified investors, or investisseurs qualifies,
and/or to a
restricted circle of investors, or cercle restreint
dinvestisseurs, in each case investing for their own
account, all as defined in and in accordance with
Articles L.411-2,
D.411-1,
D.411-2,
D.734-1,
D.744-1,
D.754-1 and
D.764-1 of
the French Code monétaire et financier; (ii) to
investment services providers authorised to engage in portfolio
management on behalf of third parties; or (iii) in a
transaction that, in accordance with
article L.411-2-II-1º-or-2º-or
3º of the French Code monétaire et financier
and
article 211-2
of the General Regulations, or Règlement
Général of the Autorité des marchés
financiers, does not constitute a public offer, or appel
public à lépargne. Such shares may be resold
only in compliance with
Articles L.411-1,
L.411-2,
L.412-1 and
L.621-8
through
L.621-8-3 of
the French Code monétaire et financier.
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area
which has implemented the Prospectus Directive, which we refer
to each as a Relevant Member State, an offer to the public of
any shares which are the subject of the offering contemplated by
this prospectus supplement may not be made in that Relevant
Member State, except that an offer to the public in that
Relevant Member State of any shares may be made at any time
under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Directive,
if they have been implemented in that Relevant Member State:
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(a)
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to legal entities which are authorized or regulated to operate
in the financial markets or, if not so authorised or regulated,
whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities;
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(b)
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to any legal entity which has two or more of (1) an average
of at least 250 employees during the last financial year;
(2) a total balance sheet of more than 43,000,000 and
(3) an annual net turnover of more than 50,000,000,
as shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts;
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(c)
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by the underwriters to fewer than 100 natural or legal persons
(other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus
Directive) subject to obtaining the prior consent of CIBC World
Markets Corp. for any such offer; or
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(d) |
in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of
the Prospectus Directive,
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provided that no such offer of shares shall result in a
requirement for the publication by us or any underwriter of a
prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus
Directive.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an
offer to the public in relation to any shares in any
Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by
any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer
and any shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to
decide to purchase any shares, as the same may be varied in that
Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus
Directive in that Member State and the expression
Prospectus Directive means Directive
2003/71/EC
and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant
Member State.
Each underwriter has represented, warranted and agreed that:
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(a) |
it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will
only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or
inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning
of
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S-36
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section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000,
or FSMA) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of
any shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the
FSMA does not apply to us; and
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(b) |
it has complied with and will comply with all applicable
provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in
relation to the shares in, from or otherwise involving the
United Kingdom.
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In the State of Israel, the shares offered hereby may not be
offered to any person or entity other than the following:
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(a)
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a fund for joint investments in trust (i.e., mutual fund), as
such term is defined in the Law for Joint Investments in Trust,
5754-1994,
or a management company of such a fund;
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(b)
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a provident fund as defined in Section 47(a)(2) of the
Income Tax Ordinance of the State of Israel, or a management
company of such a fund;
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(c)
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an insurer, as defined in the Law for Oversight of Insurance
Transactions,
5741-1981;
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(d)
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a banking entity or satellite entity, as such terms are defined
in the Banking Law (Licensing),
5741-1981,
other than a joint services company, acting for their own
account or for the account of investors of the type listed in
Section 15A(b) of the Securities Law 1968;
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(e)
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a company that is licensed as a portfolio manager, as such term
is defined in Section 8(b) of the Law for the Regulation of
Investment Advisors and Portfolio Managers,
5755-1995,
acting on its own account or for the account of investors of the
type listed in Section 15A(b) of the Securities Law 1968;
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(f)
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a company that is licensed as an investment advisor, as such
term is defined in Section 7(c) of the Law for the
Regulation of Investment Advisors and Portfolio Managers,
5755-1995,
acting on its own account;
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(g)
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a company that is a member of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange,
acting on its own account or for the account of investors of the
type listed in Section 15A(b) of the Securities Law 1968;
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(h)
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an underwriter fulfilling the conditions of Section 56(c)
of the Securities Law,
5728-1968;
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(i)
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a venture capital fund (defined as an entity primarily involved
in investments in companies which, at the time of investment,
(i) are primarily engaged in research and development or
manufacture of new technological products or processes and
(ii) involve above-average risk);
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(j)
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an entity primarily engaged in capital markets activities in
which all of the equity owners meet one or more of the above
criteria; and
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(k)
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an entity, other than an entity formed for the purpose of
purchasing shares in this offering, in which the shareholders
equity (including pursuant to foreign accounting rules,
international accounting regulations and U.S. generally
accepted accounting rules, as defined in the Securities Law
Regulations (Preparation of Annual Financial Statements), 1993)
is in excess of NIS 250 million.
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Any offeree of the shares offered hereby in the State of Israel
shall be required to submit written confirmation that it falls
within the scope of one of the above criteria. This prospectus
supplement will not be distributed or directed to investors in
the State of Israel who do not fall within one of the above
criteria.
The shares offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement will
not be offered, directly or indirectly, to the public in
Switzerland and this prospectus supplement does not constitute a
public offering prospectus as that term is understood pursuant
to art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Federal Code of
Obligations. We have not applied for a listing of the shares
being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement on the SWX
Swiss Exchange or on any other regulated securities market, and
consequently, the information presented in this prospectus
supplement does not necessarily comply with the information
standards set out in the relevant listing rules. The shares
being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement have not
been registered with the Swiss Federal Banking Commission as
foreign investment funds, and the investor protection afforded
to acquirers of investment fund certificates does not extend to
acquirers of securities.
Investors are advised to contact their legal, financial or tax
advisers to obtain an independent assessment of the financial
and tax consequences of an investment in the shares.
S-37
Legal
Matters
The validity of the common stock being offered hereby will be
passed upon by Winstead, The Woodlands, Texas. Jeffrey R.
Harder, a member of the law firm and a director of Repros,
beneficially owned as of January 19, 2007, an aggregate of
7,424 shares of our common stock. Mr. Harder also
holds options to purchase 45,000 shares of our common
stock. Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, Palo Alto, California will
pass upon certain legal matters for the underwriters.
Experts
The financial statements incorporated in this prospectus
supplement by reference to the Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005 have been so
incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on
the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
Where You
Can Find More Information
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on
Form S-3
under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of common
stock we are offering under this prospectus supplement. This
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not
contain all of the information set forth in the registration
statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. For
further information with respect to us and the securities we are
offering under this prospectus supplement, we refer you to the
registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a
part of the registration statement. We also file annual,
quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other
information with the SEC. You may read and copy the registration
statement, as well as any other material we file with the SEC,
at the SECs Public Reference Room at
100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please
call the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330
for more information on the Public Reference Room. The SEC
maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and
information statements, and other information regarding issuers
that file electronically with the SEC, including Repros. The
SECs Internet site can be found at http://www.sec.gov.
S-38
Important
Information Incorporated By Reference
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference into
this prospectus supplement the information we file with it,
which means that we can disclose important information to you by
referring you to those documents. Information incorporated by
reference is part of this prospectus supplement. Later
information filed with the SEC will update and supersede this
information. The SECs Internet site can be found at
http://www.sec.gov.
We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any
future filings made with the SEC under Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act until this offering is
completed:
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our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005;
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our Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q
for the quarters ended March 31, 2006, June 30, 2006
and September 30, 2006;
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our Current Reports on
Form 8-K
(other than information furnished rather than filed), filed with
the SEC on January 10, 2006, February 8, 2006,
March 15, 2006, May 2, 2006, May 24, 2006,
August 4, 2006, August 18, 2006, September 5,
2006, September 18, 2006, October 26, 2006,
November 17, 2006, December 19, 2006,
December 21, 2006, December 22, 2006,
December 27, 2006, January 12, 2007 and
January 22, 2007;
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the description of our Rights Agreement contained in our
registration statement on
Form 8-A
filed on September 3, 1999, as amended on September 6,
2002, October 30, 2002 and June 30, 2005, including
any amendments or reports filed for the purposes of updating
this description; and
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the description of our common stock contained in our
registration statement on
Form 8-A
filed on February 2, 1993, including any amendments or
reports filed for the purposes of updating this description.
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You may request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by
contacting us at:
Repros Therapeutics Inc.
Attention: Secretary
2408 Timberloch Drive,
Suite B-7
The Woodlands, Texas 77380
Telephone number:
(281) 719-3400
In accordance with Section 412 of the Exchange Act, any
statement contained in a document incorporated by reference
herein shall be deemed modified or superseded to the extent that
a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed
document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by
reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.
S-39
PROSPECTUS
Up to 5,000,000 Shares
of
Common Stock
From time to time, we may sell up to an aggregate of
5,000,000 shares of common stock in one or more offerings.
This means:
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we will provide this prospectus and a prospectus supplement each
time we sell the common stock;
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the prospectus supplement will inform you about the specific
terms of that offering and may also add, update or change
information contained in this prospectus; and
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you should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement,
as well as any documents incorporated by reference in this
prospectus and any prospectus supplement, carefully before you
invest in our common stock.
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Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market under the
trading symbol RPRX. On August 31, 2006, the
last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq
Global Market was $8.24 per share.
THIS PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE USED TO OFFER OR SELL ANY SECURITIES
UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY A PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.
The common stock may be sold directly by us to purchasers, to or
through underwriters or dealers designated from time to time, or
through agents designated from time to time. For additional
information on the methods of sale, you should refer to
Plan of Distribution in this prospectus and to the
accompanying prospectus supplement. If any underwriters are
involved in a sale of the common stock, their names and any
applicable commissions or discounts will be set forth in a
prospectus supplement. The net proceeds we expect to receive
from the sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.
NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE
SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THESE
SECURITIES OR DETERMINED IF THIS PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR
COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL
OFFENSE.
INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK. YOU
SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE RISK FACTORS CONTAINED
IN OUR ANNUAL REPORT ON
FORM 10-K
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2005, UPDATES IN
PART II, ITEM 1A OF OUR
FORM 10-Q
FILINGS, AND IN OUR FUTURE FILINGS MADE WITH THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION, WHICH ARE INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS
PROSPECTUS. SEE THE SECTION ENTITLED RISK
FACTORS ON PAGE 4 OF THIS PROSPECTUS.
The date of this prospectus is September 5, 2006
Table of
Contents
We have not authorized any dealer, salesman or other person
to give any information or to make any representation other than
those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus
and the accompanying supplement to this prospectus. You must not
rely upon any information or representation not contained or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the accompanying
prospectus supplement. This prospectus and the accompanying
supplement to this prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell
or the solicitation of an offer to buy common stock, nor do this
prospectus and the accompanying supplement to this prospectus
constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to
buy common stock in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is
unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such
jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information
contained in this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus
supplement is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set
forth on the front of the document or that any information we
have incorporated by reference is correct on any date subsequent
to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even
though this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus
supplement is delivered or common stock sold on a later date.
ABOUT
THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission using a
shelf registration process. Under this shelf
registration process, we may sell common stock in one or more
offerings, up to an aggregate number of 5,000,000 shares.
This prospectus provides you with a general description of the
securities we may offer. Each time we sell common stock, we will
provide a prospectus supplement that will contain more specific
information about the terms of that offering. We may also add,
update or change in the prospectus supplement any of the
information contained in this prospectus. This prospectus,
together with applicable prospectus supplements, includes all
material information relating to this offering. If there is any
inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the
information in the accompanying prospectus supplement, you
should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.
Please carefully read both this prospectus and any prospectus
supplement together with the additional information described
below under Where You Can Find More Information.
Unless otherwise mentioned or unless the context requires
otherwise, all references in this prospectus to
Repros, we, us,
our or similar references mean Repros Therapeutics
Inc.
ABOUT
REPROS THERAPEUTICS INC.
We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of
new drugs to treat hormonal and reproductive system disorders.
Our lead product candidate,
Proellextm,
is an orally available small molecule compound that we are
developing for the treatment of uterine fibroids and
endometriosis. We are developing Proellex under an exclusive,
worldwide license from the National Institutes of Health, or
NIH. Proellex is being developed to alleviate adverse symptoms
associated with both uterine fibroids and endometriosis by
selectively blocking the progesterone receptor in women. We
believe it may have advantages over the current standards of
care for the treatment of uterine fibroids and endometriosis,
which include surgery and treatment with gonadotropin releasing
hormone agonists, or GnRH agonists, such as
Lupron®.
Unlike Proellex, GnRH agonists create a low estrogen,
menopausal-like state in women, and estrogen is necessary for
the maintenance of bone mineral density. Therefore, GnRH
agonists tend to promote bone loss and cannot be used for more
than six months at a time. When women cease treatment with GnRH
agonists, fibroids rapidly regenerate and symptoms associated
with endometriosis quickly reappear. We believe Proellex may
have advantages over treatment with GnRH agonists based on
research that has been done to date, which includes data
collected from our three-month European human Phase 1b
clinical study and our
9-month
primate study, Proellex does not appear to induce a low estrogen
state and therefore should not promote bone loss, which could
make Proellex a better treatment option for patients prior to
surgery. In addition, we believe Proellex may provide an
attractive alternative to surgery because of its potential to
treat these conditions in a chronic fashion resolving the
symptoms that most commonly lead to surgical treatment.
Our second product candidate is
Androxaltm,
an orally available small molecule compound being developed for
the treatment of testosterone deficiency in men. Androxal, our
proprietary compound, is designed to restore normal testosterone
production in males with functional testes and diminished
pituitary function, a common condition in the aging male. We
believe Androxal may have advantages over current therapies
because it is being designed as an oral therapy that acts
centrally to restore normal testosterone function in the body,
rather than simply replacing diminished testosterone. The
administration of replacement testosterone has been linked to
numerous potential adverse effects, including shrinkage of the
testes. We believe that Androxal will not cause these adverse
effects to the extent that such other replacement therapies do.
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We also continue to maintain our patent portfolio on our
phentolamine-based products for the treatment of sexual
dysfunction. These products were placed on clinical hold in the
United States in 1999 after a New Drug Application was filed
with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) due to brown fat proliferations being
discovered in a two-year rat carcinogenicity study. The United
States is the only country where phentolamine-based products to
treat sexual dysfunction are on partial clinical hold. We
continue to explore opportunities to create value from these
assets through product out-licensing or partnering.
We were incorporated in the State of Delaware in August 1987. On
May 2, 2006, we effected a name change to our current name
from our former name, Zonagen, Inc. Our principal executive
offices are located at 2408 Timberloch Place,
Suite B-7,
The Woodlands, Texas 77380 and our telephone number is
(281) 719-3400.
Our website address is www.reprosrx.com. The information
contained in our website is not a part of this prospectus or any
prospectus supplement.
Service marks, trademarks and trade names referred to in this
prospectus are the property of their respective owners.
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RISK
FACTORS
Investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You
should consider carefully the risk factors in any prospectus
supplement and in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005, updates in
Part II, Item 1A of our
Form 10-Q
filings, and in our future filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, as well as other information in this
prospectus and any prospectus supplement and the documents
incorporated by reference herein or therein, before purchasing
any of our securities. Each of the risk factors could adversely
affect our business, operating results and financial condition,
as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our
securities.
FORWARD-LOOKING
INFORMATION
Some of the statements contained (i) in this prospectus and
any accompanying prospectus supplement or (ii) incorporated
by reference into this prospectus are forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange
Act, and are subject to the safe harbor created by the
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Examples of these
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
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our anticipated future capital requirements and the terms of any
capital financing agreements;
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timing and amount of future contractual payments, product
revenue and operating expenses;
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progress and results of clinical trials;
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anticipated regulatory filings, requirements and future clinical
trials;
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protection of our intellectual property; and
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market acceptance of our products and the estimated potential
size of these markets.
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While these forward-looking statements made by us are based on
our current intent, beliefs and judgments, they are subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary
from the projections in the forward-looking statements. You
should consider the risks below carefully in addition to other
information contained in this report before engaging in any
transaction involving shares of our common stock. If any of
these risks occur, they could seriously harm our business,
financial condition or results of operations. In such case, the
trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may
lose all or part of your investment.
The discussion and analysis set forth in this document contains
discussions of regulatory status and other forward-looking
statements. Actual results could differ materially from those
projected in the forward-looking statement as a result of the
following factors, among others:
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future capital requirements and additional fundings through
equity or debt financings;
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uncertainty of governmental regulatory requirements and lengthy
approval process;
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inability to fulfill our obligations under our license with NIH
for Proellex may result in forfeiture of our rights to Proellex;
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results of the current Phase III trial for Androxal and the
ongoing Phase II trials for Proellex;
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history of operating losses and uncertainty of future financial
results;
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dependence on third parties for clinical development and
manufacturing;
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dependence on a limited number of key employees;
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competition and risk of competitive new products;
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ability to obtain and defend patents, protect trade secrets and
avoid infringing patents held by third parties;
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limitations on third-party reimbursement for medical and
pharmaceutical products;
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acceptance of our products by the medical community;
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potential for product liability issues and related litigation;
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potential for claims arising from the use of hazardous materials
in our business;
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continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market;
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volatility in the value of our common stock; and
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other factors set forth under Risk Factors contained
in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005 filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on March 13, 2006,
updates in Part II, Item 1A of our
Form 10-Q
filings, and in our future filings made with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, which are incorporated by reference in this
prospectus, and any risk factors set forth in the accompanying
prospectus supplement.
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In addition, in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and
the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus,
the words believe, should,
predict, future, may,
will, estimate, continue,
anticipate, intend, plan,
expect, potential, continue,
or opportunity, or other words and terms of similar
meaning, as they relate to us, our business, future financial or
operating performance or our management, are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking
statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we
undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on
which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and
it is not possible for us to predict which factors will arise.
In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our
business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of
factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from
those contained in any forward-looking statements. Past
financial or operating performance is not necessarily a reliable
indicator of future performance and you should not use our
historical performance to anticipate results or future period
trends.
USE OF
PROCEEDS
Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise,
the net proceeds we receive from the sale of the securities
offered by this prospectus will be used for general corporate
purposes, which may include:
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funding clinical trials and regulatory submissions for our two
lead product candidates, Proellex and Androxal, currently in
human clinical trials;
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funding the development and regulatory approval of our
phentolamine-based products;
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financing potential acquisitions of complementary businesses,
assets, technologies and products that we may consider from time
to time; and
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general working capital.
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Although we currently have no plans to acquire any complementary
businesses, our management has broad discretion as to the
allocation of the net proceeds received in this offering and may
use these proceeds for that purpose in the future. Pending these
uses, we may temporarily use the net proceeds to make short-term
investments.
PLAN OF
DISTRIBUTION
We may sell the common stock through underwriters or dealers,
through agents, or directly to one or more purchasers. One or
more prospectus supplements will describe the terms of the
offering of the common stock, including:
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the name or names of any agents or underwriters;
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the purchase price of the common stock and the proceeds we will
receive from the sale;
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any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase
additional shares of common stock from us;
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any agency fees or underwriting discounts and other items
constituting agents or underwriters compensation;
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any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to
dealers; and
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any securities exchange or market on which the common stock may
be listed.
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Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are
underwriters of the common stock offered by the prospectus
supplement.
If underwriters are used in the sale, they will acquire the
common stock for their own account and may resell the common
stock from time to time in one or more transactions, including
negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at
varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations
of the underwriters to purchase the common stock will be subject
to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting
agreement. We may offer the common stock to the public through
underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or
by underwriters without a syndicate. Subject to certain
conditions, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all
the common stock offered by the prospectus supplement if they
are to purchase any of such offered shares. Any public offering
price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or
paid to dealers may change from time to time. We may use
underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will
describe in the prospectus supplement naming the underwriter,
the nature of any such relationship.
We may sell the common stock directly or through agents we
designate from time to time. We will name any agent involved in
the offering and sale of the common stock and we will describe
any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus
supplement.
We may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by
certain types of institutional investors to purchase the common
stock from us at the public offering price set forth in the
prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts
providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the
future. We will describe the conditions to these contracts and
the commissions we must pay for solicitation of these contracts
in the prospectus supplement.
We may provide agents and underwriters with indemnification
against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under
the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments
that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to such
liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions
with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of
business.
Any underwriter may engage in overallotment, stabilizing
transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids in
accordance with Regulation M under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934. Overallotment involves sales in excess of the
offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing
transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying shares of
common stock so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a
specified maximum price. Short covering transactions involve
exercise by underwriters of an over-allotment option or
purchases of the common stock in the open market after the
distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids
permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a
dealer when the shares of common stock originally sold by the
dealer are purchased in a short covering transaction. Those
activities may cause the price of the common stock to be higher
than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may
discontinue any of the activities at any time.
Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market. One or
more underwriters may make a market in our common stock, but the
underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue
market making at any time without notice. We cannot give any
assurance as to liquidity of the trading market for our common
stock.
Any underwriters who are qualified market makers on the Nasdaq
Global Market may engage in passive market making transactions
in the securities on the Nasdaq Global Market in accordance with
Rule 103 of
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Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering,
before the commencement of offers or sales of the securities.
Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and
price limitations and must be identified as passive market
makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid
at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such
security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive
market makers bid, however, the passive market
makers bid must then be lowered when certain purchase
limits are exceeded.
LEGAL
MATTERS
The validity of the securities being offered hereby will be
passed upon by Winstead Sechrest & Minick P.C.,
The Woodlands, Texas. Jeffrey R. Harder, a member of the law
firm Winstead Sechrest & Minick P.C., and a
director of Repros, beneficially owned as of August 31,
2006, an aggregate of 5,424 shares of the our Common Stock.
Mr. Harder also holds options to purchase
45,000 shares of our Common Stock.
EXPERTS
The financial statements incorporated in this Prospectus by
reference to the Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005 have been so
incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on
the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
WHERE YOU
CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We are a reporting company and file annual, quarterly and
current reports, proxy statements and other information with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. We have filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement on
Form S-3
under the Securities Act with respect to the common stock we are
offering under this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain
all of the information set forth in the registration statement
and the exhibits to the registration statement. For further
information with respect to us and the common stock we are
offering under this prospectus, we refer you to the registration
statement and the exhibits filed as a part of the registration
statement. You may read and copy the registration statement, as
well as our reports, proxy statements and other information, at
the Securities and Exchange Commissions public reference
room at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580,
Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these
documents by writing to the Securities and Exchange Commission
and paying a fee for the copying cost. Please call the
Securities and Exchange Commission at
1-800-SEC-0330
for more information about the operation of the public reference
room. Our Securities and Exchange Commission filings are also
available at the Securities and Exchange Commissions
website at http://www.sec.gov.
The Securities and Exchange Commission allows us to
incorporate by reference information that we file
with it, which means that we can disclose important information
to you by referring you to those documents. The information
incorporated by reference is an important part of this
prospectus. Information in this prospectus supersedes
information incorporated by reference that we filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission prior to the date of this
prospectus, while information that we file later with the
Securities and Exchange Commission will automatically update and
supersede this information. We incorporate by reference into
this registration statement and prospectus the documents listed
below and any future filings we will make with the Securities
and Exchange Commission under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, after
the date of the initial registration statement but prior to
effectiveness of the registration statement and after the date
of this prospectus but prior to the termination of the offering
of the securities covered by this prospectus, except in each
case for information contained in any such filing where we
indicate that such information is being furnished and is not to
be considered filed under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended.
7
The following documents filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission are incorporated by reference in this prospectus:
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our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005 filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on March 13, 2006;
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our Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q
for the quarters ended March 31, 2006 and June 30,
2006 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
May 1 and August 3, 2006, respectively;
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our Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
January 10, 2006;
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our Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
February 8, 2006;
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our Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
March 15, 2006;
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our Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 2,
2006;
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our Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
May 24, 2006;
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our Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
August 4, 2006;
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our Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
August 18, 2006; and
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the description of our common stock contained in our
registration statement on
Form 8-A
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
February 2, 1993, including all amendments and reports
filed for the purpose of updating such information.
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Information furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission
under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 in Current Reports on
Form 8-K,
and any exhibit relating to such information, filed prior to, on
or subsequent to the date of this prospectus is not incorporated
by reference into this prospectus.
We will furnish without charge to you, upon written or oral
request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by
reference, including exhibits to these documents. You should
direct any requests for documents to Repros Therapeutics Inc.,
Attention: Secretary, 2408 Timberloch Place,
Suite B-7,
The Woodlands, Texas 77380. Our telephone number is
(281) 719-3400.
8
2,610,000 Shares
PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT
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CIBC World Markets
Sole Book-Running
Manager
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Punk, Ziegel &
Company
Co-Lead
Manager
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ThinkEquity Partners
LLC
You should rely only on the information contained or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. No
dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give
information that is not contained or incorporated by reference
in this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement is not
an offer to sell nor is it seeking an offer to buy these
securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not
permitted. The information contained in this prospectus
supplement is correct only as of the date of this prospectus
supplement, regardless of the time of the delivery of this
prospectus supplement or any sale of these securities.