coll_Current_Folio_10Q

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

 

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

 

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2017

 

OR

 

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

 

For the transition period from              to

 

Commission file number: 001-37372

 

Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Virginia
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

03-0416362
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 

 

 

780 Dedham Street, Suite 800
Canton, MA
(Address of principal executive offices)

 

02021
(Zip Code)

 

(781) 713-3699

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

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

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒  No ☐

 

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

 

Large accelerated filer☐

 

Accelerated filer ☒

 

 

 

Non-accelerated filer ☐
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

 

Smaller reporting company ☐

 

 

Emerging growth company ☒

 

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

 

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

 

As of July 28, 2017, there were 29,566,975 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding.

 

 

 


 

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

 

 

 

Item 1. 

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

4

Item 2. 

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

15

Item 3. 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

22

Item 4. 

Controls and Procedures

22

 

 

 

 

PART II—OTHER INFORMATION

 

 

 

 

Item 1. 

Legal Proceedings

23

Item 1A. 

Risk Factors

23

Item 2. 

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

62

Item 3. 

Defaults Upon Senior Securities

62

Item 4. 

Mine Safety Disclosures

63

Item 5. 

Other Information

63

Item 6. 

Exhibits

63

 

 

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

Statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that are not statements of historical or current facts, such as those under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements discuss our current expectations and projections relating to our financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. These statements may be preceded by, followed by or include the words “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “outlook,” “plan,” “potential,” “project,” “projection,” “seek,” “may,” “could,” “would,”  “should,” “can,” “can have,” “likely,” the negatives thereof and other words and terms of similar meaning.

 

Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions; they are not guarantees of performance. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Although we believe that our assumptions made in connection with the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that the assumptions and expectations will prove to be correct.

 

You should understand that the following important factors could affect our future results and could cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements:

 

·

our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our products and product candidates, and any related restrictions, limitations, and/or warnings in the label of an approved product;

·

our plans to commercialize our product candidates and grow sales of our products;

·

the size and growth potential of the markets for our products and product candidates, and our ability to service those markets;

·

the success of competing products that are or become available;

·

our ability to obtain reimbursement and third-party payor contracts for our products;

·

the costs of commercialization activities, including marketing, sales and distribution;

·

our ability to develop sales and marketing capabilities, whether alone or with potential future collaborators;

·

the rate and degree of market acceptance of our products and product candidates;

·

changing market conditions for our products and product candidates;

·

the outcome of any patent infringement or other litigation that may be brought against us, including litigation with Purdue Pharma, L.P.;

·

our ability to attract collaborators with development, regulatory and commercialization expertise;

·

the success, cost and timing of our product development activities, studies and clinical trials;

·

our ability to obtain funding for our operations;

·

regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries;

·

our expectations regarding our ability to obtain and adequately maintain sufficient intellectual property protection for our products and product candidates;

·

our ability to operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others;

·

the performance of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers;

·

our ability to comply with stringent U.S. and foreign government regulations relating to the manufacture of pharmaceutical products, including U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, or DEA, compliance;

·

the loss of key scientific or management personnel;

·

our expectations regarding the period during which we qualify as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act;

·

our customer concentration may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations; and

·

the accuracy of our estimates regarding expenses, revenue, capital requirements and need for additional financing.

 

In light of these risks and uncertainties, expected results or other anticipated events or circumstances discussed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (including the exhibits hereto) might not occur. We undertake no obligation, and specifically decline any obligation, to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, even if experience or future developments make it clear that projected results expressed or implied in such statements will not be realized, except as may be required by law.

 

These and other risks are described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on March 10, 2017 for the year ended December 31, 2016, or Annual Report, as revised and supplemented by those risks described from time to time in other reports which we file with the SEC. Those factors and the other risk factors described therein are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause actual results or developments to differ materially from those expressed in any of our forward-looking statements. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could harm our results. Consequently, there can be no assurance that actual results or developments anticipated by us will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, us. Given these uncertainties, prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

 

 

 

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PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1.  Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited).

 

Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

 

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

June 30, 

 

December 31, 

 

 

 

2017

 

2016

 

Assets

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

Current assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

111,209

 

$

153,225

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

4,877

 

 

2,129

 

Inventory

 

 

1,520

 

 

1,316

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

3,009

 

 

1,905

 

Total current assets

 

 

120,615

 

 

158,575

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

1,583

 

 

1,038

 

Intangible assets, net

 

 

1,925

 

 

2,103

 

Restricted cash

 

 

97

 

 

97

 

Other long-term assets

 

 

295

 

 

204

 

Total assets

 

$

124,515

 

$

162,017

 

Liabilities and shareholders' equity (deficit)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

5,612

 

$

9,106

 

Accrued expenses

 

 

10,199

 

 

8,879

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

10,361

 

 

4,944

 

Current portion of term loan payable

 

 

2,389

 

 

2,667

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

28,561

 

 

25,596

 

Lease incentive obligation

 

 

17

 

 

34

 

Term loan payable, long-term

 

 

424

 

 

1,479

 

Total liabilities

 

 

29,002

 

 

27,109

 

Commitments and contingencies (see Note 10)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; authorized shares - 5,000,000 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016; issued and outstanding shares - none at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

Common stock, $0.001 par value; authorized shares - 100,000,000 at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016; issued and outstanding shares - 29,565,411 at June 30, 2017 and 29,364,100 at December 31, 2016

 

 

30

 

 

29

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

362,866

 

 

358,063

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(267,383)

 

 

(223,184)

 

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

95,513

 

 

134,908

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 

$

124,515

 

$

162,017

 

 

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

 

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended June 30, 

 

Six months ended June 30, 

 

 

2017

 

2016

 

2017

 

2016

 

Product revenues, net

$

3,560

 

$

 —

 

$

5,732

 

$

 —

 

Costs and expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of product revenues

 

577

 

 

 —

 

 

948

 

 

 —

 

Research and development

 

2,179

 

 

4,301

 

 

4,309

 

 

8,363

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

22,062

 

 

20,173

 

 

44,909

 

 

31,698

 

Total costs and expenses

 

24,818

 

 

24,474

 

 

50,166

 

 

40,061

 

Loss from operations

 

(21,258)

 

 

(24,474)

 

 

(44,434)

 

 

(40,061)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income (expense), net

 

137

 

 

(46)

 

 

235

 

 

(111)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

$

(21,121)

 

$

(24,520)

 

$

(44,199)

 

$

(40,172)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss per share - basic and diluted

$

(0.72)

 

$

(1.05)

 

$

(1.50)

 

$

(1.73)

 

Weighted-average shares - basic and diluted

 

29,441,514

 

 

23,417,378

 

 

29,396,143

 

 

23,273,765

 

 

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six Months Ended June 30, 

 

 

2017

    

 

2016

Operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

$

(44,199)

 

$

(40,172)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

332

 

 

87

Lease incentive

 

(17)

 

 

(17)

Stock-based compensation expense

 

3,767

 

 

2,496

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

     Accounts receivable

 

(2,748)

 

 

(2,952)

     Inventories

 

(204)

 

 

(1,214)

     Prepaid expenses and other assets

 

(1,083)

 

 

(351)

     Accounts payable

 

(3,494)

 

 

2,537

     Accrued expenses

 

1,074

 

 

3,308

     Deferred revenue

 

5,417

 

 

3,926

Net cash used in operating activities

 

(41,155)

 

 

(32,352)

Investing activities

 

 

 

 

 

Purchase of intangible assets

 

 —

 

 

(2,500)

Purchases of property and equipment

 

(478)

 

 

(25)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(478)

 

 

(2,525)

Financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuances of common stock from public offerings, net of issuance costs of $526

 

 —

 

 

51,174

Proceeds from issuances of common stock from employee stock purchase plans

 

673

 

 

 —

Repayment of term note

 

(1,333)

 

 

(1,333)

Proceeds from the exercise of stock options

 

415

 

 

86

Payments made for employee restricted stock tax withholdings

 

(51)

 

 

 —

Payments of offering costs for at-the-market equity program

 

(87)

 

 

 —

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

 

(383)

 

 

49,927

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

(42,016)

 

 

15,050

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

153,225

 

 

95,697

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

$

111,209

 

$

110,747

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for offering costs

$

87

 

$

512

Cash paid for interest

$

88

 

$

159

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash activities

 

 

 

 

 

Offering costs in accrued expenses

$

25

 

$

 —

Acquisition of property and equipment in accrued expenses

$

304

 

$

 —

 

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

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Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

(unaudited, in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

1. Nature of Business

 

Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware in April 2002 and then reincorporated in Virginia in July 2014. The Company has its principal operations in Canton, Massachusetts. The Company is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing next-generation abuse-deterrent products that incorporate the Company’s patented DETERx® technology platform for the treatment of chronic pain and other diseases. The Company’s first product, Xtampza ER®, or Xtampza, is an abuse-deterrent, extended-release, oral formulation of oxycodone, a widely prescribed opioid medication. In April 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved the Company’s new drug application (“NDA”) filing for Xtampza for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate.  In June 2016, the Company announced the commercial launch of Xtampza.

 

The Company’s operations are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. The principal risks include inability to successfully commercialize products, changing market conditions for products and product candidates (including development of competing products), changing regulatory environment and reimbursement landscape, negative outcome of clinical trials, inability or delay in completing clinical trials or obtaining regulatory approvals, the need to retain key personnel and protect intellectual property, patent infringement litigation and the availability of additional capital financing on terms acceptable to the Company.

 

The Company has experienced net losses and negative cash flows from operating activities since its inception, and, as of June 30, 2017 had an accumulated deficit of $267,383. The Company expects to continue to incur net losses in the foreseeable future. A successful transition to profitable operations is dependent upon achieving a level of revenues adequate to support the Company’s cost structure.

 

The Company believes that its cash and cash equivalents at June 30, 2017, together with expected cash inflows from the commercialization of Xtampza will enable the Company to fund its operating expenses, debt service and capital expenditure requirements into 2019. The Company may never achieve profitability, and unless and until it does, the Company will continue to need to raise additional cash. Management intends to fund future operations through additional private or public debt or equity offerings, and may seek additional capital through arrangements with strategic partners or from other sources. If the Company is unable to obtain financing or increase profitability, the related lack of liquidity will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations and future prospects.

 

 

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., a Virginia corporation, as well as the accounts of Collegium Securities Corp., a Massachusetts corporation, incorporated in December 2015, a wholly-owned subsidiary requiring consolidation. The financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) for interim financial reporting and as required by Regulation S-X, Rule 10-01. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements.

In the opinion of the Company’s management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments (consisting of items of a normal and recurring nature) necessary to fairly present the financial position as of June 30, 2017, the results of operations for three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, and cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016. The results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. 

 

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When preparing financial statements in conformity with GAAP, the Company must make estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in the Company’s financial statements and accompanying notes. The most significant estimates in the Company’s financial statements relate to revenue recognition, including the estimates of units prescribed, discounts and allowances related to commercial sales of Xtampza, estimates utilized in the valuation of inventory, estimates of useful lives with respect to intangible assets, accounting for stock-based compensation, contingencies, intangible assets, tax valuation reserves and accrued expenses. The Company bases estimates and assumptions on historical experience when available and on various factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. The Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. The Company’s actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. The consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report.

 

Public Offerings of Common Stock

 

In January 2016, the Company issued and sold in a public offering an aggregate of 2,750,000 shares of its common stock at $20.00 per share. The Company received net proceeds from this public offering of approximately $51,174, after deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and expenses payable by the Company. 

 

In October 2016, the Company issued and sold in a public offering an aggregate of 5,750,000 shares of its common stock at $16.00 per share. The Company received net proceeds from this public offering of approximately $86,166, after deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and expenses payable by the Company.

 

Controlled Equity Offering Sales Agreement

 

In March 2017, the Company entered into a Controlled Equity Offering Sales Agreement (the “ATM Sales Agreement”), with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., as sales agent (“Cantor Fitzgerald”), pursuant to which the Company may issue and sell, from time to time, through Cantor Fitzgerald, shares of the Company’s common stock, up to an aggregate offering price of $60,000 (the “ATM Shares”).

 

Under the ATM Sales Agreement, Cantor Fitzgerald may sell the ATM Shares by methods deemed to be an “at-the-market” offering as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), including sales made directly on The NASDAQ Global Select Market, on any other existing trading market for the ATM Shares or to or through a market maker. In addition, under the ATM Sales Agreement, Cantor Fitzgerald may sell the ATM Shares by any other method permitted by law, including in privately negotiated transactions.

 

The Company is not obligated to make any sales of the ATM Shares under the ATM Sales Agreement. The Company or Cantor Fitzgerald may suspend or terminate the offering of ATM Shares upon notice to the other party and subject to other conditions. The Company will pay Cantor Fitzgerald a commission of up to 3.0% of the gross proceeds from the sale of the ATM Shares pursuant to the ATM Sales Agreement and has agreed to provide Cantor Fitzgerald with customary indemnification and contribution rights.

 

As of June 30, 2017, the Company had not sold any ATM Shares under the ATM Sales Agreement.  As of June 30, 2017, the Company has capitalized $112 of deferred offering costs within other long-term assets in connection with the ATM Sales Agreement.

 

Subsequent Events

 

The Company considers events or transactions that occur after the balance sheet date but before the financial statements are issued to provide additional evidence relative to certain estimates or to identify matters that require additional disclosure. Subsequent events have been evaluated through the date of issuance of these financial statements.  The Company has concluded that no subsequent events have occurred that require disclosure.

 

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Significant Accounting Policies

 

The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

 

Advertising and Product Promotion Costs

 

Advertising and product promotion costs are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and were $2,567 and $4,680 in the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively.  Advertising and product promotion costs were $6,427 and $7,006 in the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively.  Advertising and product promotion costs are expensed as incurred.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

New accounting pronouncements are issued periodically by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) and are adopted by the Company as of the specified effective dates.

 

In May 2014, the FASB, issued Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2014-09 (ASC 606), Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which affects any entity that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods and services or enters into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which defers the effective date of ASU 2014-09 for all entities by one year. ASU 2014-09, which has been codified with the Accounting Standards Codification as Topic 606, is now effective for public companies for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those reporting periods. ASC 606 outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. In addition, ASC 606 provides guidance on accounting for certain revenue-related costs including, but not limited to, when to capitalize costs associated with obtaining and fulfilling a contract. ASC 606 provides companies with two implementation methods. Companies can choose to apply the standard retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (full retrospective application) or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings of the annual reporting period that includes the date of initial application (modified retrospective application). Since ASU 2014-09 was issued, several additional ASUs have been issued and incorporated within ASC 606 to clarify various elements of the guidance. The Company will adopt the standard in the first quarter of 2018 using the modified retrospective method. The new standard differs from the current accounting standard in many respects, including the accounting for variable consideration, which includes product returns.  The Company sells its product to customers, however, under its current accounting policy, the Company recognizes product revenues and cost of product revenues when product is prescribed directly to a patient, at which time it is no longer subject to return. Under the new standard, the Company will be required to recognize product revenues and cost of product revenues at the time of shipment to customers.  The Company will also be required to estimate returns at the time of shipment.  Although the Company is still evaluating its contracts with customers and assessing the potential impacts of the new standard on existing arrangements, the Company anticipates the adoption may have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements, specifically with respect to the acceleration in the timing of the recognition of revenue and costs of product revenue, based on the required recognition timing differences under the new standard compared to the current standard.

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In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). ASU 2016-02 most significantly impacts lessee accounting and disclosures. First, this guidance requires lessees to identify arrangements that should be accounted for as leases. Under ASU 2016-02, for lease arrangements exceeding a 12-month term, a right-of-use asset and lease obligation is recorded by the lessee for all leases, whether operating or financing, while the income statement will reflect lease expense for operating leases and amortization/interest expense for financing leases. The balance sheet amount recorded for existing leases at the date of adoption of ASU 2016-02 must be calculated using the applicable incremental borrowing rate at the date of adoption. Leases with a term of 12 months or less will be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases today. In addition, ASU 2016-02 requires the use of the modified retrospective method, which will require adjustment to all comparative periods presented in the consolidated financial statements. This guidance is effective for public companies for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted for all entities. The Company has not chosen early adoption for this ASU and is currently evaluating its effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

 

3. Loss per Common Share

 

The following table presents the computations of basic and dilutive net loss per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended June 30, 

 

Six months ended June 30, 

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

Loss attributable to common shareholders — basic and diluted

$

(21,121)

 

$

(24,520)

 

$

(44,199)

 

$

(40,172)

 

Weighted-average number of common shares used in net loss per share - basic and diluted

 

29,441,514

 

 

23,417,378

 

 

29,396,143

 

 

23,273,765

 

Loss per share - basic and diluted

$

(0.72)

 

$

(1.05)

 

$

(1.50)

 

$

(1.73)

 

 

The following potentially dilutive securities, which represent all outstanding potentially dilutive securities, were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share due to their anti-dilutive effect (in common stock equivalent shares):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended June 30, 

 

Six months ended June 30, 

 

 

2017

 

2016

 

2017

 

2016

 

Outstanding stock options

3,124,039

 

2,290,112

 

3,124,039

 

2,290,112

 

Warrants

2,445

 

2,445

 

2,445

 

2,445

 

Unvested restricted stock(1)

57,228

 

107,801

 

57,228

 

107,801

 

Restricted stock units

223,194

 

41,739

 

223,194

 

41,739

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) - Includes shares of unvested restricted stock remaining from the early exercise of stock options.

 

 

 

 

4. Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

Disclosures of fair value information about financial instruments are required, whether or not recognized in the balance sheet, for financial instruments with respect to which it is practicable to estimate that value. Fair value measurements and disclosures describe the fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value, as follows:

 

 

 

Level 1 inputs:

Quoted prices in (unadjusted) active markets for identical assets or liabilities

Level 2 inputs:

Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly

Level 3 inputs:

Unobservable inputs that reflect the Company’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability

 

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The following tables present the Company’s financial instruments carried at fair value using the lowest level input applicable to each financial instrument at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Significant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quoted Prices

 

 

other

 

 

Significant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in active

 

 

observable

 

 

unobservable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

markets

 

 

inputs

 

 

inputs

 

Description

    

 

Total

    

 

(Level 1)

    

 

(Level 2)

    

 

(Level 3)

 

June 30, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds, included in cash equivalents

 

$

100,830

 

$

100,830

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds, included in cash equivalents

 

$

125,515

 

$

125,515

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

 

The Company’s cash equivalents are comprised of money market funds that are measured on a recurring basis based on quoted market prices.  As of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expenses, deferred revenue and loan payable approximated their estimated fair values because of the short-term nature of these financial instruments.

 

 

5. Inventory

 

Inventory consisted of the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As of June 30, 

 

As of December 31, 

 

 

2017

 

2016

Raw materials

 

$

398

 

$

294

Work in process

 

 

 —

 

 

67

Finished goods

 

 

1,122

 

 

955

Total inventory

 

$

1,520

 

$

1,316

 

During the three months ended June 30, 2017, the Company incurred aggregate charges of $257 related to excess inventory compared to zero for the three months ended June 30, 2016. For the six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company incurred aggregate charges of $350 related to excess inventory compared to zero for the six months ended June 30, 2016. These expenses were recorded as a component of cost of product revenues.

 

 

 

6. Intangible Asset

 

In May 2016, the Company entered into an agreement with BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (“BDSI”) to license the rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize Onsolis® (fentanyl buccal soluble film), or Onsolis, in the United States.  Onsolis is a Transmucosal Immediate-Release Fentanyl (“TIRF”) film indicated for the management of breakthrough pain in certain cancer patients. The Company expects to launch the product after the completion of the transfer of manufacturing and required submission to the FDA of a Prior Approval Supplement. Subject to FDA approval of the Prior Approval Supplement, the Company expects to launch Onsolis in mid-2018. In addition, during the term of the License Agreement, milestone payments in the aggregate amount of $21,000 may become payable by the Company subject to the satisfaction of certain commercialization, intellectual property, and net sales milestones, including $4,000 upon the first commercial sale of the product in the U.S.  Finally, the Company will be required to pay royalties in the upper teens based on annual net sales of the product in the U.S. As of June 30, 2017, the Company has not satisfied the criteria for triggering payment of milestones or royalties under the License Agreement and has not recognized any liabilities for such milestones or royalties in its consolidated financial statements.

 

The Company made an upfront payment of $2,500 and is contractually committed to reimburse BDSI up to a maximum of $2,000 for its out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the manufacturing transfer.  The Company recorded the upfront payment as an intangible asset on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet and will amortize it on a

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straight-line basis over the remaining patent life.   As of June 30, 2017, the Company has reimbursed BDSI approximately $1,224 for its out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the manufacturing transfer.

 

As a result of U.S. Patent No. 9,597,288 being issued in March 2017, the patent protection for Onsolis was extended through July 2027, a period of approximately 11.2 years from the date of original acquisition.  As such, the Company revised the useful life of its intangible asset during the three months ended March 31, 2017 from 3.7 years to 11.2 years. 

 

During the three months ended June 30, 2017, the Company recognized amortization expense of $47 compared to zero for the three months ended June 30, 2016. For the six months ended June 30, 2017 the Company recognized amortization expense of $177 compared to zero for the six months ended June 30, 2016. As of June 30, 2017, the remaining amortization period is approximately 10.1 years and estimated remaining amortization for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and thereafter is expected to be $95, $191, $191 $191, $191 and $1,066, respectively. 

 

 

7. Accrued Expenses

 

Accrued expenses consisted of the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As of June 30, 

 

As of December 31, 

 

 

2017

 

2016

 

Accrued rebates

$

2,193

 

$

 —

 

Accrued payroll and related benefits

 

1,631

 

 

1,217

 

Accrued development costs

 

1,407

 

 

2,485

 

Accrued bonuses

 

1,400

 

 

2,210

 

Accrued incentive compensation

 

1,254

 

 

1,160

 

Accrued sales and marketing

 

1,202

 

 

801

 

Accrued other operating costs

 

592

 

 

572

 

Accrued audit and legal

 

508

 

 

416

 

Accrued interest

 

12

 

 

18

 

Total accrued expenses

$

10,199

 

$

8,879

 

 

 

 

8. Equity

 

The changes in shareholders’ equity for the six months ended June 30, 2017 were as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Additional

    

 

 

    

Total

 

Common Stock

 

Paid- In

 

Accumulated

 

Shareholders’

 

Shares

    

 

Amount

 

Capital

 

Deficit

 

Equity (Deficit)

Balance, December 31, 2016

29,364,100

 

$

29

 

$

358,063

 

$

(223,184)

 

$

134,908

Exercise of common stock options

127,507

 

 

 1

 

 

414

 

 

 —

 

 

415

Issuance for employee stock purchase plan

66,785

 

 

 —

 

 

673

 

 

 —

 

 

673

Vesting of restricted stock units

10,435

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

Shares withheld for employee taxes upon vesting of restricted stock units

(3,416)

 

 

 —

 

 

(51)

 

 

 —

 

 

(51)

Stock-based compensation

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

3,767

 

 

 —

 

 

3,767

Net loss

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

(44,199)

 

 

(44,199)

Balance, June 30, 2017

29,565,411

 

$

30

 

$

362,866

 

$

(267,383)

 

$

95,513

 

 

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9. Stock-based Compensation

 

A summary of the Company’s stock-based compensation expense included in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended

 

Six months ended

 

June 30, 

 

June 30, 

 

2017

 

2016

 

2017

 

2016

Research and development expenses

$

242

    

$

165

 

$

451

    

$

303

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

1,704

 

 

1,230

 

 

3,316

 

 

2,193

Total stock-based compensation expense

$

1,946

 

$

1,395

 

$

3,767

 

$

2,496

 

At June 30, 2017, there was approximately $21,344 of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested options, restricted stock units and restricted stock awards, which is expected to be recognized as expense over a weighted average period of approximately 2.9 years.

 

Restricted Stock Awards, Restricted Stock Units and Stock Options 

 

In May 2015, the Company adopted the Amended and Restated 2014 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), under which an aggregate of 2,700,000 shares of common stock are authorized for issuance to employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisors of the Company, plus an annual increase on the first day of each fiscal year until the expiration of the Plan equal to 4% of the total number of outstanding shares of common stock on December 31st of the immediately preceding calendar year (or a lower amount as otherwise determined by the board of directors prior to January 1st). As of June 30, 2017, there were 1,079,440 shares of common stock available for issuance pursuant to the Plan. The Plan provides for granting of both Internal Revenue Service qualified incentive stock options (“ISOs”) and non-qualified options (“NQs”), restricted stock awards (“RSAs”) and restricted stock units (“RSUs”). Stock options generally vest over a four year period of service; however, certain options are also subject to performance conditions. The options generally have a ten year contractual life and, upon termination, vested options are generally exercisable between one and three months following the termination date, while unvested options are forfeited immediately.

 

A summary of the Company’s restricted stock award activity for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and related information is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

    

Weighted-Average

 

 

 

 

Purchase Price

 

 

Shares

 

per Share

Unvested at December 31, 2016

 

43,265

 

$

5.73

Granted

 

 —

 

 

 —

Vested

 

(16,224)

 

 

5.73

Unvested at June 30, 2017 (1)

 

27,041

 

$

5.73

(1)Excludes 30,187 shares of unvested restricted stock remaining from the early exercise of stock options as of June 30, 2017.

 

A summary of the Company’s restricted stock units activity for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and related information is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-Average

 

 

Shares

 

Grant Date Fair Value

Outstanding at December 31, 2016

 

41,741

 

$

16.15

Granted

 

211,018

 

 

12.45

Settled

 

(10,435)

 

 

16.15

Forfeited

 

(19,130)

 

 

15.52

Outstanding at June 30, 2017

 

223,194

 

$

12.71

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A summary of the Company’s stock option activity and related information follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-

 

Average

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

Remaining

 

 

Aggregate

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise Price

 

Contractual

 

 

Intrinsic

 

 

    

Shares

    

 

per Share

    

Term (in years)

    

 

Value

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2016

 

2,326,801

 

$

13.07

 

8.7

 

$

7,927

 

Granted

 

1,226,431

 

 

12.11

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

(127,507)

 

 

3.24

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cancelled

 

(301,686)

 

 

12.88

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at June 30, 2017

 

3,124,039

 

$

13.11

 

8.8

 

$

5,820

 

Exercisable at June 30, 2017

 

862,296

 

$

12.78

 

8.1

 

$

2,170

 

Vested and expected to vest at June 30, 2017

 

2,966,766

 

$

13.19

 

8.8

 

$

5,689

 

 

The fair value of each stock option is estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model using the following assumptions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six months ended June 30, 

 

2017

 

2016

Risk-free interest rate

2.0

%  

 

1.5

%  

Volatility

71

%  

 

77

%  

Expected term (years)

6.02

 

 

6.02

 

Expected dividend yield

 —

%  

 

 —

%  

 

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

The Company’s 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan allows employees as designated by the Company’s Board of Directors to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. The purchase price is equal to 85% of the lower of the closing price of our common stock on (1) the first day of the purchase period or (2) the last day of the purchase period. During the six months ended June 30, 2017, 66,785 shares of common stock were purchased for total proceeds of $673. The expense for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 was $108 and $101, respectively. The expense for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 was $214 and $168, respectively. 

 

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10. Commitments and Contingencies

 

From time to time, the Company may face legal claims or actions in the normal course of business. Except as disclosed below, the Company is not currently a party to any litigation and, accordingly, does not have any amounts recorded for any litigation related matters.

 

The Company’s NDA filing for Xtampza is a 505(b)(2) application, which allows the Company to reference data from an approved drug listed in the FDA’s Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (commonly known as the “Orange Book”), in this case OxyContin OP. In connection with the 505(b)(2) process, the Company certified to the FDA and notified Purdue Pharma, L.P. (“Purdue”), as the holder of the NDA and any other Orange Book-listed patent owners, that the Company does not infringe any of the patents listed for OxyContin OP in the Orange Book. Under the Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984 (the “Hatch-Waxman Act”), Purdue had the option to sue the Company for infringement and receive a stay of up to 30 months before the FDA could issue a final regulatory approval for Xtampza, unless the stay was earlier terminated. Purdue exercised its option and elected to sue the Company for infringement in the District of Delaware in March 2015 asserting infringement of three of Purdue’s Orange Booklisted patents and one non-Orange Book-listed patent. In October 2015, the Delaware case was transferred to Massachusetts. After the Company filed a partial motion for judgment on the pleadings relating to the Orange Book-listed patents, the District Court of Massachusetts ordered judgment in favor of the Company on those three patents, and dismissed the claims asserting infringement of those patents with prejudice. Upon dismissal of those claims, the 30-month stay of FDA approval was lifted. As a result, the Company obtained final approval of its Xtampza ER products and has launched the products commercially.

 

In November 2015, Purdue filed a follow-on suit asserting infringement of another patent, Patent No. 9,073,933, which was late-listed in the Orange Book and therefore could not trigger any stay of FDA approval. In June 2016, Purdue filed another follow-on suit asserting infringement of another non-Orange Book listed patent, Patent No. 9,155,717. These suits were consolidated by the District of Massachusetts into the original action where Purdue’s infringement claim relating to the ’497 patent remains pending. Purdue continues to assert infringement of these three patents against the Company, none of which is associated with any stay of FDA approval. Purdue has made a demand for monetary relief but has not quantified their alleged damages. Purdue has also requested a judgment of infringement and an injunction on the sale of the Company’s products accused of infringement. The Company has denied all claims and seeks a judgment that the patents are invalid and/or not infringed by the Company, and seeks a judgment that the case is exceptional, with an award to the Company of its fees for defending the case.

 

In April 2017, Purdue filed another suit asserting infringement of U.S. Patent No. 9,522,919, related to the previously asserted ’933 patent, which recently issued and was late-listed in the Orange-Book and therefore could not trigger any stay of FDA approval. Purdue has similarly made a demand for monetary relief and has requested judgment of infringement and an injunction on the sale of the Company’s accused products. The Company will oppose this action.

 

The parties are in the early stages of fact discovery. Written discovery has commenced with depositions expected to commence in the second half of 2017. The parties are also in the claims construction stage of the patent litigation. The parties have briefed their proposed construction. The Company has also filed a motion for summary judgment that the asserted claims of the ’933, ’497, and ’717 patents are invalid and not infringed. The Court heard argument on the claims construction issues and on the Company’s summary judgment motion on June 1, 2017. The Company is not able to predict with certainty when the Court will decide claim construction or the Company’s motion. No trial date has been scheduled.

 

The Company is, and plans to continue, defending this case vigorously. At this stage, we are unable to evaluate the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome or estimate the amount or range of potential loss, if any. At this time the Company is unable to provide meaningful quantification of how this potential litigation may impact its future financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

 

 

Item 2.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this quarterly report. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and the timing

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of certain events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors.  We discuss factors that we believe could cause or contribute to these differences below and elsewhere in this quarterly report, including those set forth under “Forward-looking Statements” and “Risk Factors”, under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report, as revised and supplemented by those risks described from time to time in other reports which we file with the SEC.

 

OVERVIEW

 

We are a specialty pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing next-generation abuse-deterrent products that incorporate our patented DETERx platform technology for the treatment of chronic pain and other diseases. Our first product, Xtampza, is an abuse-deterrent, extended-release, oral formulation of oxycodone, a widely prescribed opioid medication. In April 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approved our New Drug Application, or NDA, filing for Xtampza for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate.  Certain human abuse potential studies are included in the approved label, as well as data supporting the administration of the product as a sprinkle or administered through feeding tubes.  In June 2016, we announced the commercial launch of Xtampza. In October 2016, we announced the submission of a New Drug Submission to Health Canada seeking marketing approval of Xtampza for the same indication for which we obtained approval from the FDA.

 

Xtampza has the same active ingredient as OxyContin OP, which is the largest selling abuse-deterrent, extended-release opioid in the United States by dollars, with $2.1 billion in U.S. sales in 2016. We conducted a comprehensive preclinical and clinical program for Xtampza consistent with FDA guidance on abuse-deterrence. These studies and clinical trials demonstrated that chewing, crushing and/or dissolving Xtampza, and then taking it orally or smoking, snorting, or injecting it did not meaningfully change its drug release profile or safety characteristics. By contrast, clinical trials performed by us and others — including head-to-head clinical trials comparing Xtampza with OxyContin OP — have shown that drug abusers can achieve rapid release and absorption of the active ingredient by manipulating OxyContin OP using common household tools and methods commonly available on the Internet.  In October 2016, we announced the submission of a Supplemental New Drug Application to the FDA for Xtampza to include comparative oral pharmacokinetic data from a recently completed clinical study evaluating the effect of physical manipulation by crushing Xtampza compared with OxyContin OP and a control (oxycodone hydrochloride immediate-release). In March 2017, we amended the Supplemental New Drug Application to include data from a human abuse potential study.

 

In addition, our preclinical studies and clinical trials have shown that the contents of the Xtampza capsule can be removed from the capsule and sprinkled on food or into a cup, and then directly into the mouth, or administered through feeding tubes, without compromising their drug release profile, safety or abuse-deterrent characteristics. By contrast, OxyContin OP, which is formulated in hard tablets, has a black box warning label stating that crushing, dissolving, or chewing can cause rapid release and absorption of a potentially fatal dose of the active ingredient. We believe that Xtampza can address the pain management needs of the approximately 11 million patients in the United States who suffer from chronic pain and have difficulty swallowing.

 

In May 2016, we entered into a License and Development Agreement with BioDelivery Science International, Inc., which grants us an exclusive license to make, use, sell, offer for sale, import, develop and commercialize Onsolis in the United States. Onsolis is a Transmucosal Immediate-Release Fentanyl film indicated for the management of breakthrough pain in cancer patients 18 years of age and older, who are already receiving and who are tolerant to opioid therapy for their underlying persistent cancer pain. We plan to commercialize Onsolis upon receipt of FDA approval of a Prior Approval Supplement for the manufacturing transfer. Subject to such approval, we expect to launch Onsolis in mid-2018.

 

Since 2010, when we divested our former subsidiary, Onset Therapeutics, LLC, to PreCision Dermatology, Inc., we have devoted substantially all of our resources to the development of our patented DETERx platform technology, the preclinical and clinical advancement of our product candidates, pre-commercialization activities and the creation and protection of related intellectual property. Since 2011, we have generated limited revenue from product sales and we continue to incur significant research, development and other expenses related to our ongoing operations. Prior to our initial public offering of common stock, or IPO, in May 2015, we funded our operations primarily through the private placement of preferred stock, convertible notes and commercial bank debt. Since our IPO, we have funded our operations primarily through the proceeds of public offerings and sale of our equity securities.

 

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Outlook

 

We expect to continue to incur significant commercialization expenses related to marketing, manufacturing, distribution, selling and reimbursement activities. We are detailing Xtampza to approximately 10,400 physicians who write approximately 60% of the branded extended-release oral opioid prescriptions in the United States with a sales team of approximately 140 sales representatives. In addition, we deploy a separate, focused sales team to detail Xtampza to nursing homes, hospices and other institutions treating large populations of the elderly and other patients who need chronic pain relief and have difficulty swallowing.

 

We have never been profitable and have incurred net losses in each year since inception. We incurred net losses of $44.2 million and $40.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As of June 30, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $267.4 million. Substantially all of our net losses resulted from costs incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from selling, general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We expect to continue to incur net losses in the foreseeable future as we continue to commercialize Xtampza. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We expect our expenses will increase in connection with our ongoing activities as we:

·

expand our sales and marketing efforts for Xtampza, including hiring additional personnel to expand our commercial organization;

·

expand our regulatory and compliance functions;

·

conduct clinical trials of our product candidates;

·

continue scale-up and improvement of our manufacturing processes;

·

continue our research and development efforts;

·

manufacture preclinical study and clinical trial materials;

·

maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio;

·

seek regulatory approvals for our product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;

·

hire additional clinical, quality control and technical personnel to conduct our clinical trials;

·

hire additional scientific personnel to support our product development efforts;

·

implement operational, financial and management systems; and

·

hire additional selling, general and administrative personnel to operate as a commercial stage public company.

 

We believe that our cash and cash equivalents at June 30, 2017, together with expected cash inflows from the commercialization of Xtampza, will enable us to fund our operating expenses, debt service and capital expenditure requirements into 2019. In addition, we will seek in the future to fund our operations through additional public or private equity or debt financings or other sources, including from net sales of our products. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all. If we are unable to obtain financing or increase profitability, the related lack of liquidity will have a material adverse effect on our operations and future prospects.

 

 

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND SIGNIFICANT JUDGMENTS AND ESTIMATES

 

We believe that several accounting policies are important to understanding our historical and future performance. We refer to these policies as “critical” because these specific areas generally require us to make judgments and estimates about matters that are uncertain at the time we make the estimate, and different estimates—which also would have been reasonable—could have been used, which would have resulted in different financial results.

 

The critical accounting policies we identified in our Annual Report relate to revenue recognition, inventory, accrued expenses, impairment of long-lived assets, stock-based compensation and income taxes. Estimates include revenue recognition, including the estimates of units prescribed, discounts and allowances related to commercial sales of Xtampza, estimates utilized in the valuation of inventory, estimates of useful lives with respect to intangible assets, accounting for stock-based compensation, contingencies, intangible assets, tax valuation reserves and accrued expenses. We base estimates and assumptions on historical experience when available and on various factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis.  Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. It is important that the discussion of our operating results that follows be read in conjunction with the critical accounting policies disclosed in the Annual Report.

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Revenue Recognition

 

Revenue for product sales is recognized when there is persuasive evidence of an arrangement, title and risk of loss have passed to the customer, when estimated provisions for chargebacks, rebates, sales incentives and allowances, distribution service fees, and returns are reasonably determinable, and when collectability is reasonably assured. Product revenue is recorded net of estimated chargebacks, rebates, sales incentives and allowance, distribution service fees, as well as estimated product returns.

 

We sell Xtampza in the United States principally to distributors and retailers (“customers”), which in turn sell the product to healthcare providers for the treatment of patients. We provide the right of return to our customers for unopened product for a limited time before and after its expiration date. Given our limited sales history for Xtampza and the inherent uncertainties in estimating product returns, we have determined that the shipments of Xtampza made to our customers thus far do not meet the criteria for revenue recognition at the time of shipment. Accordingly, we recognize revenue when the product is sold-through to patients, provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met.

 

We invoice our customers upon shipment of Xtampza and record accounts receivable, with a corresponding liability for deferred revenue equal to the gross invoice price, less any realized adjustments to the gross invoice price. We then recognize revenue when Xtampza is sold-through, or when product is prescribed directly to the patient at which time the right of return has expired. Healthcare providers to whom distributors sell Xtampza hold limited inventory that is designated for patients, thereby limiting the risk of return.

 

We are continually evaluating our ability to estimate returns based upon our sales history, inventory levels in the distribution channel, returns data for similar products and returns data for Xtampza as the product return periods open.  Our revenue recognition practices may change to being able to recognize revenue upon shipment of the products once we determine we have the ability to demonstrate that all the revenue recognition criteria have been met.

 

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended June 30, 

 

Six months ended June 30, 

 

2017

 

2016

 

2017

 

2016

 

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product revenues, net

$

3,560

    

$

 —

 

$

5,732

    

$

 —

Cost of product revenues

 

577

    

 

 —

 

 

948

    

 

 —

Research and development

 

2,179

 

 

4,301

 

 

4,309

 

 

8,363

Selling, general and administrative

 

22,062

 

 

20,173

 

 

44,909

 

 

31,698

Other income (expense)

 

137

 

 

(46)

 

 

235

 

 

(111)

Net loss

$

(21,121)

 

$

(24,520)

 

$

(44,199)

 

$

(40,172)

 

Comparison of the three months ended June 30, 2017 and June 30, 2016

 

Product revenues, net were $3.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017, or the 2017 Period, compared to zero for the three months ended June 30, 2016, or the 2016 Period.  The $3.6 million increase was due to the commercial launch of Xtampza in June 2016.

 

Cost of product revenues were $577,000 for the 2017 Period, compared to zero for the 2016 Period.  The $577,000 increase was due to the commercial launch of Xtampza in June 2016.

 

Research and development expenses were $2.2 million for the 2017 Period, compared to $4.3 million for the 2016 Period.  The $2.1 million decrease was primarily related to:

·

a decrease in clinical trial costs of $1.8 million due to the completion of clinical trials in 2016;

·

a decrease in manufacturing costs associated with Xtampza of $579,000 reflecting that, prior to April 2016, the Company expensed manufacturing costs associated with Xtampza as research and development expense; offset by

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·

an increase in manufacturing costs of $209,000 for clinical trials associated with our hydrocodone product candidate.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses were $22.1 million for the 2017 Period, compared to $20.2 million for the 2016 Period. The $1.9 million increase was primarily related to:

 

·

an increase in salaries, wages and benefits of $4.0 million primarily due to an increase from 208 to 219 employees and an increase in stock-based compensation expense;

·

an increase in legal fees of $583,000 primarily due to costs related to litigation;

·

an increase in sales and marketing costs of $482,000 primarily due to continued support of the commercial launch of Xtampza; offset by

·

a decrease in consulting costs of $3.0 million primarily due to lower consulting costs incurred following the launch of Xtampza in June 2016.    

 

Other income was $137,000 for the 2017 Period, compared to $46,000 of other expense for the 2016 Period.  The increase in other income (expense) is primarily related to a decrease in interest expense from our term loan payable as the loan approaches maturity.

 

Comparison of the six months ended June 30, 2017 and June 30, 2016

 

Product revenues, net were $5.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017, or the 2017 Period, compared to zero for the six months ended June 30, 2016, or the 2016 Period.  The $5.7 million increase was due to the commercial launch of Xtampza in June 2016.

 

Cost of product revenues were $948,000 for the 2017 Period, compared to zero for the 2016 Period.  The $948,000 increase was due to the commercial launch of Xtampza in June 2016.

 

Research and development expenses were $4.3 million for the 2017 Period, compared to $8.4 million for the 2016 Period.  The $4.1 million decrease was primarily related to:

·

a decrease in clinical trial costs of $3.2 million due to the completion of clinical trials in 2016;

·

a decrease in manufacturing costs associated with Xtampza of $1.3 million reflecting that, prior to April 2016, the Company expensed manufacturing costs associated with Xtampza as research and development expense; offset by

·

an increase in manufacturing costs of $496,000 for clinical trials associated with our product candidates.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses were $44.9 million for the 2017 Period, compared to $31.7 million for the 2016 Period. The $13.2 million increase was primarily related to:

 

·

an increase in salaries, wages and benefits of $11.3 million primarily due to an increase from 208 to 219 employees and an increase in stock-based compensation expense;

·

an increase in sales and marketing costs of $4.1 million primarily due to continued support of the commercial launch of Xtampza;

·

an increase in legal fees of $1.4 million primarily due to costs related to litigation; offset by

·

a decrease in consulting costs of $3.3 million primarily due to lower consulting costs incurred following the launch of Xtampza in June 2016; and

·

a decrease in distribution and commercial manufacturing costs of $238,000.  

 

Other income was $235,000 for the 2017 Period, compared to $111,000 of other expense for the 2016 Period.  The increase in other income (expense) is primarily related to a decrease in interest expense from our term loan payable as the loan approaches maturity.

 

 

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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

Sources of Liquidity

 

We have incurred net losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception. Since inception, we have funded our operations primarily through the private placements of our preferred stock, public offerings of common stock, convertible notes and commercial bank debt. As of June 30, 2017, we had $111.2 million in cash and cash equivalents.

 

In January 2016, we issued and sold in a public offering an aggregate of 2,750,000 shares of our common stock at $20.00 per share. We received net proceeds from this public offering of approximately $51.2 million, after deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and expenses payable by us.

In October 2016, we issued and sold in a public offering an aggregate of 5,750,000 shares of our common stock at $16.00 per share, including 750,000 shares of common stock upon the exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares at the public offering price. We received net proceeds from this public offering of approximately $86.2 million, after deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us.

In March 2017, we commenced an “at-the-market” offering of our common stock and entered into a Controlled Equity Offering Sales Agreement (the “ATM Sales Agreement”) with Cantor Fitzgerald, as agent, pursuant to which we may issue and sell, from time to time, shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $60.0 million. As of June 30, 2017, we had not sold any shares of common stock under the ATM Sales Agreement.

 

Although it is difficult to predict future liquidity requirements, we believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our operations into 2019. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. We may never become profitable, or if we do, we may not be able to sustain profitability on a recurring basis.

 

 

Cash Flows

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six Months Ended June 30, 

 

2017

 

2016

Net cash used in operating activities

$

(41,155)

    

$

(32,352)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(478)

 

 

(2,525)

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

 

(383)

 

 

49,927

 

Operating activities.  Cash used in operating activities was $41.2 million in the 2017 Period, compared to $32.4 million in the 2016 Period. The increase in cash used in operating activities was primarily due to the change in net loss partially offset by changes in the working capital accounts. We expect cash used in operating activities to increase for the foreseeable future as we continue to commercialize Xtampza and fund research, development and clinical activities for additional product candidates.

 

Investing activities.  Cash used in investing activities was $478,000 in the 2017 Period, compared to $2.5 million in the 2016 Period.  The decrease in cash used in investing activities was due to a one-time upfront fee paid to BDSI in the 2016 Period.

 

Financing activities.  Cash used in financing activities was $383,000 for the 2017 Period, compared to cash provided of $49.9 million in the 2016 Period.  The increase in cash used by financing activities was primarily due to a decrease in net proceeds from the issuance of common stock from public offerings, which was zero in the 2017 Period and $51.2 million in the 2016 Period.  The $383,000 of cash used in financing activities for the 2017 Period primarily reflects repayments of term note and payments made for employee restricted stock tax withholdings, offset by proceeds from the issuance of shares under our employee stock purchase plan and from exercises of stock options.  Cash provided by financing activities for the 2016 Period primarily reflects net proceeds from the issuance of common stock offset by repayments of term note.

 

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Funding Requirements

 

Since 2011, we have generated limited revenue from product sales and we continue to incur significant research, development and other expenses related to our ongoing operations. We are in the early stages of commercialization of Xtampza. We anticipate that we will continue to incur losses in the near future as we commercialize Xtampza and continue the development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, other product candidates. We are subject to all of the risks common to the commercialization and development of new pharmaceutical products, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. We will also incur additional costs associated with operating as a commercial stage public company. We anticipate that we will need substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations.

 

Until we can generate a sufficient amount of revenue from our pharmaceutical products, if ever, we expect to finance future cash needs through public or private equity or debt offerings. Additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of additional debt or equity securities, it could result in dilution to our existing shareholders, increased fixed payment obligations and the existence of securities with rights that may be senior to those of our common stock. If we incur indebtedness, we could become subject to covenants that would restrict our operations and potentially impair our competitiveness, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. Any of these events could significantly harm our business, financial condition and prospects.

 

Our forecast of the period of time through which our financial resources will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement and involves risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary as a result of a number of factors. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. The amount and timing of future funding requirements, both near- and long-term, will depend on many factors, including:

·

the cost of establishing sales, marketing and distribution capabilities for Xtampza and any other products for which we may receive regulatory approval;

·

the generation of reasonable levels of revenue from the sale of Xtampza;

·

the design, initiation, progress, size, timing, costs and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials for our product candidates;

·

the outcome, timing and cost of regulatory approvals by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, including the potential for the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities to require that we perform more studies than, or evaluate clinical endpoints other than those that we currently expect;

·

the timing and costs associated with manufacturing Xtampza and our product candidates for preclinical studies, clinical trials and, if approved, for commercial sale;

·

the number and characteristics of product candidates that we pursue;

·

the cost of patent infringement litigation, including our litigation with Purdue Pharma, L.P., or Purdue, relating to Xtampza or our product candidates, which may be expensive to defend and delay the commercialization of our product candidates;

·

our need to expand our research and development activities, including our need and ability to hire additional employees;

·

our need to implement additional infrastructure and internal systems and hire additional employees to operate as a public company;

·

our need to expand our regulatory and compliance functions; and

·

the effect of competing technological and market developments.

 

If we cannot expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities because we lack sufficient capital, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

 

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CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

 

There have been no material changes to the contractual obligations and commitments described under Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report.  

 

 

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

 

We did not have during the periods presented, and we do not currently have, any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined under SEC rules.

 

 

Item 3.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

 

We are exposed to market risk related to changes in interest rates. As of June 30, 2017, we had cash and cash equivalents consisting of cash and money market funds of $111.2 million. Our primary exposure to market risk is interest rate sensitivity, which is affected by changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates, particularly because our money market funds are short-term highly liquid investments. Due to the short-term duration and the low risk profile of our investments, an immediate 10% change in interest rates would not have a material effect on the fair market value of our portfolio.

 

 

Item 4.  Controls and Procedures.

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of June 30, 2017. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended or the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Based on the evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of June 30, 2017, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

 

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting  

 

No change in our internal control over financial reporting occurred during the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2017 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II—OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.  Legal Proceedings.

 

There are no material changes from the legal proceedings previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2016 filed with the SEC on March 10, 2017.

 

 

Item 1A.  Risk Factors.

 

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as all other information included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our financial statements, the notes thereto and the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, operating results, prospects and ability to accomplish our strategic objectives could be materially harmed. As a result, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations and the market price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Capital Needs

We have incurred significant losses since our inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur losses in the future.

We are an early commercial-stage pharmaceutical company. To date, we have focused on developing our first product, Xtampza. Investment in pharmaceutical product development is highly speculative because it entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risk that a product candidate will fail to gain regulatory approval or become commercially viable. Since 2010, when we divested our former subsidiary, Onset Therapeutics, LLC, to PreCision Dermatology, Inc., we have only generated limited revenue from product sales, and we continue to incur significant research, development, commercialization and other expenses related to our ongoing operations. As a result, we are not profitable and have incurred losses in each period since January 1, 2011. For the year ended December 31, 2016, we reported a net loss of $94.2 million, and we had an accumulated deficit of $223.2 million at December 31, 2016.  For the six months ended June 30, 2017, we reported a net loss of $44.2 million, and we had an accumulated deficit of $267.4 million at June 30, 2017.

We expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future as we continue to commercialize Xtampza and continue our development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates. We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. The size of our future net losses will depend, in part, on our ability to generate revenues and on the rate of future growth of our expenses. If any of our product candidates fail in clinical trials or does not gain final regulatory approval, or if approved, fails to achieve market acceptance, we may never become profitable. Even if we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods. Our prior losses and expected future losses have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our shareholders’ equity and working capital.

We currently generate limited revenue from the sale of products and may never become profitable.

We began the commercial sale of our first product, Xtampza, in June 2016 and have only generated limited revenue from product sales. Our ability to generate additional revenue and become profitable depends upon our ability to successfully commercialize Xtampza, our existing product candidates, and any other product candidates that we may in-license or acquire in the future. Even if we are able to successfully achieve regulatory approval for these product candidates, we do not know when any of these product candidates will generate revenue for us, if at all. Our ability to generate revenue from our current or future product candidates depends on a number of factors, including our ability to:

·

successfully commercialize Xtampza;

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·

successfully satisfy FDA post-marketing requirements for Xtampza, including studies and clinical trials that have been required for other extended release/long acting opioid analgesics and individual studies and clinical trials of Xtampza;

·

set a commercially viable price for our products;

·

manufacture commercial quantities of our products at acceptable cost levels;

·

develop a commercial organization capable of sales, marketing and distribution for the products we intend to sell ourselves in the markets in which we have retained commercialization rights;

·

find suitable distribution collaborators to help us market, sell and distribute our products, if approved, in markets outside the United States;

·

obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement from third parties, including government payors;

·

successfully complete development activities, including the necessary clinical trials, with respect to our product candidates;

·

complete and submit NDAs to the FDA and obtain regulatory approval for indications for which there is a commercial market; and

·

complete and submit applications to, and obtain regulatory approval from, foreign regulatory authorities, if we choose to commercialize our product candidates outside the United States.

In addition, because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, including that our product candidates may not advance through development or achieve the safety and efficacy (including the efficacy of our abuse-deterrent technology) endpoints of applicable clinical trials, we are unable to predict the timing or amount of increased expenses, or when or if we will be able to achieve or maintain profitability. Furthermore, we anticipate incurring significant costs associated with commercializing these products.

Even if we are able to generate revenues from the sale of our products, we may not become profitable and may need to obtain additional funding to continue operations. If we fail to become profitable or are unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, then we may be unable to continue our operations at planned levels and be forced to reduce our operations.

If we require additional capital to fund our operations and we fail to obtain necessary financing, we may be unable to complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates.

Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash. We expect to continue to spend substantial amounts to advance the development of our product candidates and to commercialize Xtampza and any product candidates for which we may receive regulatory approval. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents and expected revenue contributions from Xtampza will be sufficient to fund our operations into 2019, including the commercialization of Xtampza, and the continuation of our development of our product candidates. However, we may require additional capital for the further commercialization of Xtampza and our product candidates and may also need to raise additional funds sooner in order to continue development of our product candidates.

We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts, when required or on acceptable terms, we also could be required to:

·

significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or the commercialization of Xtampza, our product candidates or one or more of our other research and development initiatives;

·

seek collaborators for Xtampza and/or one or more of our product candidates at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable or on terms that are less favorable than might otherwise be available;

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·

relinquish or license on unfavorable terms our rights to technologies, products or product candidates that we otherwise would seek to develop or commercialize ourselves; or

·

significantly curtail operations.

Our forecast of the period of time through which our financial resources will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement and involves risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary as a result of a number of factors, including the factors discussed elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Our future funding requirements, both near and long-term, will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:

·

our ability to obtain and maintain abuse-deterrent claims in the product labels for our products and product candidates;

·

our ability to successfully satisfy the FDA post-marketing requirements of Xtampza, including studies and clinical trials that have been required for other extended release/long acting opioid analgesics and individual studies and clinical trials of Xtampza;

·

clinical development plans for our product candidates;

·

the outcome, timing and cost of the regulatory approval process by the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities, including the potential for regulatory authorities to require that we perform more studies than those that we currently expect;

·

the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights, including defending Purdue’s remaining patent infringement claims against us;

·

the cost and timing of completion of existing or expanded commercial-scale outsourced manufacturing activities;

·

the cost of maintaining, and if appropriate, expanding, sales, marketing and distribution capabilities for Xtampza and any product candidates for which we may receive regulatory approval in regions where we choose to commercialize our products; and

·

the initiation, progress, timing, costs and results of clinical trials for our product candidates and any future product candidates we may in-license.

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing shareholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to Xtampza, our technologies or product candidates.

We may seek additional capital through a combination of private and public equity offerings, debt financings, receivables or royalty financings, strategic collaborations and alliances and licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, existing shareholders’ ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of existing shareholders. Debt, receivables and royalty financings may be coupled with an equity component, such as warrants to purchase stock, which could also result in dilution of our existing shareholders’ ownership. The incurrence of additional indebtedness could result in increased fixed payment obligations and could also result in certain restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur further debt, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business and may result in liens being placed on our assets and intellectual property. If we were to default on any of our indebtedness, we could lose such assets and intellectual property. If we raise additional funds through strategic collaborations and alliances and licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to Xtampza or our product candidates, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds

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through equity or debt financing when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market our technologies that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

We have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult for you to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.

Our predecessor was originally incorporated in Delaware in April 2002 under the name Collegium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In October 2003, our predecessor changed its name to Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. In July 2014, we reincorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia pursuant to a merger whereby Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., a Delaware corporation, merged with and into Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., a Virginia corporation, with the Virginia corporation surviving the merger. From 2002 until 2010, our operations focused primarily on marketing proprietary therapies to the wound care and dermatology industry through our former subsidiary, Onset Therapeutics, LLC, which was spun off and became a part of PreCision Dermatology, Inc. in 2010. Since 2010, our operations have focused primarily on developing the DETERx technology platform and identifying and developing product candidates that utilize the DETERx technology, including our first product, Xtampza. Although the FDA has approved Xtampza, we have not yet demonstrated an ability to commercialize a product successfully. Consequently, any predictions about our future success, performance or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

As of December 31, 2016, we had a federal net operating loss, or NOL, carryforward of approximately $190.9 million and state net operating loss carryovers of approximately $145.9 million, which are available to offset future taxable income. We also had U.S. federal tax credits of approximately $3.4 million, and state tax credits of approximately $522,000, these tax attributes are prior to consideration of annual limitations that may be imposed under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or Section 382. These carryforwards begin to expire in 2022. Under Section 382, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” generally defined as a greater than 50% change (by value) in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change NOLs and other pre-change tax attributes (such as research and development tax credits) to offset its post-change income may be limited. We may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of shifts in our stock ownership some of which are outside our control. We have not performed any current analyses under Section 382 and cannot forecast or otherwise rely on deriving benefit from our various federal or state tax attribute carryforwards. As a result, if we earn net taxable income, our ability to use our pre-change NOL carryforwards to offset U.S. federal taxable income may be subject to limitations, which could potentially result in increased future tax liability to us. In addition, at the state level, there may be periods during which the use of NOLs is suspended or otherwise limited, which could accelerate or permanently increase state taxes owed.

Risks Related to our Products and Product Candidates

Our success depends in large part on the commercial success of our lead product, Xtampza.

To date, we have invested substantial resources in the development of our lead product, Xtampza, which has been approved by the FDA. Our business and future success are substantially dependent on our ability to successfully and timely commercialize this product, which may never occur. We currently generate limited revenues from product sales and we may never be able to commercialize Xtampza, or any product candidates that are approved by the FDA, successfully.

Our ability to successfully commercialize Xtampza will depend on many factors, including but not limited to:

·

our ability to successfully satisfy FDA post-marketing requirements, including studies and clinical trials that have been required for other extended release/long acting opioid analgesics and individual studies and clinical trials of Xtampza and its components;

·

our ability to manufacture commercial quantities of Xtampza at reasonable cost and with sufficient speed to

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meet commercial demand;

·

our ability to continue to build and retain a sales and marketing organization to market Xtampza;

·

our success in educating physicians, patients and caregivers about the benefits, administration, use and coverage of Xtampza;

·

the perceived availability and advantages, relative cost, relative safety and relative efficacy of other abuse-deterrent products and treatments for chronic pain and chronic pain with dysphagia;

·

our ability to successfully defend any challenges to our intellectual property relating to Xtampza;

·

the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement for Xtampza; and

·

a continued acceptable safety profile of Xtampza following approval.

Many of these matters are beyond our control and are subject to other risks described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully commercialize or generate sufficient revenue from Xtampza. If we cannot do so, or are significantly delayed in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.

Despite receiving approval by the FDA, additional data may emerge that could change the FDA’s position on the product labeling, and our ability to successfully market Xtampza may be adversely affected.

It is estimated that the U.S. market includes approximately 11 million patients with chronic pain with dysphagia. Our Xtampza microspheres are designed to be removed from the capsule and sprinkled on food or into a cup, and then directly into the mouth, or in feeding tubes, without compromising their extended-release properties. On April 26, 2016, the FDA granted approval for the Xtampza NDA, including an approved product label. The FDA could change the product labeling. If the product label for Xtampza is modified in the future so as to exclude the flexible dose administration options, or the FDA requires us to have a boxed warning similar to competitor product labeling stating that “crushing, dissolving or chewing can cause rapid release and absorption of a potentially fatal dose of the active drug,” it will limit our ability to differentiate Xtampza from other abuse-deterrent opioid formulations on the basis of flexible dosing options, and we may not be able to market Xtampza to patients with chronic pain with dysphagia. As a result, this may have an adverse effect on our business and our prospects for future growth.

If the FDA does not conclude that our product candidates in development are sufficiently bioequivalent, or demonstrate comparable bioavailability to their respective listed drugs, or if the FDA otherwise does not conclude that our product candidates satisfy the requirements for the Section 505(b)(2) approval pathway, the approval pathway for those product candidates will likely take significantly longer, cost significantly more and entail significantly greater complications and risks than anticipated, and the FDA may not approve those product candidates.

A key element of our strategy is to seek FDA approval for our product candidates through the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway. Section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FD&C Act, permits the filing of an NDA that contains full safety and efficacy reports but where at least some of the information required for approval comes from studies not conducted by or for the applicant, such as the FDA’s findings of safety and efficacy in the approval of a similar drug, and for which the applicant has not obtained a right of reference and/or published literature. Such reliance is typically predicated on a showing of bioequivalence or comparable bioavailability to an approved drug.

If the FDA does not allow us to pursue the Section 505(b)(2) approval pathway for our product candidates, or if we cannot demonstrate bioequivalence or comparable bioavailability of our product candidates to approved products, we may need to conduct additional clinical trials, provide additional data and information, and meet additional standards for regulatory approval. If this were to occur, the time and financial resources required to obtain FDA approval for these product candidates would increase. Moreover, our inability to pursue the Section 505(b)(2) approval pathway could

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result in new competitive products reaching the market sooner than our product candidates, which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position and our business prospects. Even if we are allowed to pursue the Section 505(b)(2) approval pathway, we cannot assure you that our product candidates will receive the requisite approvals for commercialization on a timely basis, if at all.

In addition, notwithstanding the approval of a number of products by the FDA under Section 505(b)(2) over the last few years, pharmaceutical companies and others have objected to the FDA’s interpretation of Section 505(b)(2). If the FDA’s interpretation of Section 505(b)(2) is successfully challenged, the FDA may change its policies and practices with respect to Section 505(b)(2) regulatory approvals, which could delay or even prevent the FDA from approving any NDA that we submit under Section 505(b)(2).

Even if our product candidates are approved under Section 505(b)(2), the approval may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the products may be marketed or to other conditions of approval, or may contain requirements for costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the products, including additional preclinical studies and clinical trials.

Our decision to seek approval of our product candidates, including Xtampza, under Section 505(b)(2) increases the risk that a patent infringement suit may be filed against us, which would delay the FDA’s final regulatory approval of such product candidates.

In connection with any NDA that we file under Section 505(b)(2), we are required to notify the patent holders of the reference listed drug that we have certified to the FDA that any patents listed for the reference listed drug in the FDA’s Orange Book publication are invalid, unenforceable or will not be infringed by the manufacture, use or sale of our drug. If the patent holder files a patent infringement lawsuit against us within 45 days of its receipt of notice of our certification, the FDA is automatically prevented from approving our Section 505(b)(2) NDA until the earliest of 30 months, expiration of the patents, settlement of the lawsuit or a court decision in the infringement case that is favorable to us. Accordingly, we may invest significant time and expense in the development of our product candidates only to be subject to significant delay and expensive and time-consuming patent litigation before our product candidates may be commercialized.

Even if we are found not to infringe any potential plaintiff’s patent claims or the claims are found invalid or unenforceable, defending any such infringement claim could be expensive and time-consuming, and could delay the launch of our product candidates and distract management from their normal responsibilities. The Court could decline to hear our summary judgment motion, could decline to act expeditiously to issue a decision or hold a trial, or could decline to find that all of the listed patents are invalid or non-infringed. If we are unsuccessful in our defense of non-infringement and unable to prove invalidity of the listed patents, the court could issue an injunction prohibiting the launch of our product candidates. If we were to receive final regulatory approval by the FDA and launch any of our product candidates, prior to a full and final determination that the patents are invalid or non-infringed, we could be subject to substantial liability for damages if we do not ultimately prevail on our defenses to a claim of patent infringement.

The regulatory approval processes of the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities are lengthy, time-consuming and unpredictable, and if we are ultimately unable to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, our business will be substantially harmed.

The time required to obtain approval by the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities is unpredictable, but typically takes many years following the commencement of preclinical studies and clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, approval policies, regulations or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval varies among jurisdictions and may change during the course of a product candidate’s clinical development. Although the FDA has approved Xtampza, it is possible that none of our product candidates or any future product candidates that we may in-license, acquire or develop will ever obtain final regulatory approval from the FDA or any foreign regulatory authority. Moreover, even after any product candidate receives final regulatory approval, the FDA may require, as it has for Xtampza, costly post-marketing requirements. Successful and timely satisfaction of these post-marketing requirements will be necessary for us to maintain regulatory approval.

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Our product candidates could fail to receive regulatory approval from the FDA or a foreign regulatory authority, or we may be required to conduct more extensive studies and clinical trials in order to receive such approval, for many reasons, including, but not limited to:

·

the FDA and/or foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with or disapprove of the design or implementation of our clinical trials;

·

failure to demonstrate that a product candidate is safe and effective for its proposed indication;

·

failure to demonstrate that a product candidate is bioequivalent to its listed drug;

·

failure of clinical trials to meet criteria required for approval;

·

failure to demonstrate that a product candidate’s clinical and other benefits outweigh its safety risks;

·

the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;

·

deficiencies in the manufacturing processes or failure of third-party manufacturing facilities with whom we contract for clinical and commercial supplies to pass inspection;

·

the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may not approve the manufacturing processes or facilities of third party manufacturers with which we contract for clinical and commercial supplies; or

·

insufficient data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates or changes in the approval policies or regulations that render our preclinical and clinical data insufficient to support the submission and filing of an NDA or to obtain regulatory approval.

The lengthy approval process, as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results, may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market our product candidates, which would harm our business, results of operations and prospects significantly.

In addition, even if we obtain approval, regulatory authorities may approve any of our product candidates for fewer or more limited indications than we request, may not approve, with respect to certain foreign regulatory authorities, the price we intend to charge for our products, may grant approval contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing requirements, or may approve a product label that does not include the labeling claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of that product. Any of the foregoing scenarios could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The FDA or a foreign regulatory authority may require more information, including additional preclinical or clinical data to support approval, which may delay or prevent approval and our commercialization plans, or cause us to abandon the development program. Even if we obtain regulatory approval, our product candidates may be approved for fewer or more limited indications than we request, such approval may be contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing requirements, or we may not be allowed to include the labeling claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of such product candidate.

In order to market and sell our products outside the United States, we will likely need to obtain separate marketing approvals and comply with numerous and varied regulatory requirements and regimes, which can involve additional testing, may take substantially longer than the FDA approval process, and still generally includes all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval. In addition, in many countries outside the United States, it is required that the product be approved for reimbursement before the product can be approved for sale in that country. FDA approval does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions, and approval by one regulatory authority outside the United States does not ensure approval by the FDA or regulatory authorities in other countries or

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jurisdictions. We may not obtain any regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all. We may not be able to file for marketing approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market. If we are unable to obtain approval of any of our product candidates by regulatory authorities in countries outside the United States, the commercial prospects of that product candidate may be significantly diminished and our business prospects could decline.

Development of our product candidates is not complete, and we cannot be certain that our product candidates will be commercialized.

We began the commercial launch of Xtampza, our first approved product, in June 2016. Accordingly, we have only generated limited revenues from product sales. To be profitable, in addition to commercializing Xtampza, we must successfully research, develop, obtain regulatory approval for, manufacture, launch, market and distribute product candidates under development. For each product candidate that we intend to commercialize, we must successfully meet a number of critical developmental milestones, including:

·

selecting and developing a drug delivery technology to deliver the proper dose of drug over the desired period of time;

·

determining the appropriate drug dosage that will be tolerated, safe and effective;

·

demonstrating the drug formulation will be stable for commercially reasonable time periods;

·

demonstrating that the drug is safe and effective in patients for the intended indication; and

·

completing the manufacturing development and scale-up to permit manufacture of our product candidates in commercial quantities and at acceptable prices.

The time necessary to achieve these developmental milestones for any individual product candidate is long and uncertain, and we may not successfully complete these milestones for any of our product candidates in development. We may not be able to finalize the design or formulation of any product candidate. In addition, we may select components, solvents, excipients or other ingredients to include in our product candidates that have not been previously approved for use in pharmaceutical products, which may require us to perform additional studies and may delay clinical testing and regulatory approval of our product candidates. Even after we complete the design of a product candidate, the product candidate must still be shown to be bioequivalent to an approved drug or safe and effective in required clinical trials before approval for commercialization.

We are continuing to test and develop our product candidates and may explore possible design or formulation changes to address bioavailability, safety, efficacy, manufacturing efficiency and performance issues. We may not be able to complete development of any product candidates that will be safe and effective and that will have a commercially reasonable treatment and storage period. If we are unable to complete development of our product candidates, we will not be able to earn revenue from them.

Xtampza is, and we anticipate that our product candidates, if approved, will be, subject to mandatory REMS programs, which could increase the cost, burden and liability associated with the commercialization of such product and product candidates.

The FDA has approved a REMS for extended release, or ER, and long acting, or LA, opioid drugs formulated with the active ingredients fentanyl, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and others as part of a federal initiative to address prescription drug abuse and misuse, or the ER/LA opioid REMS. One of the primary goals of the ER/LA opioid REMS is to ensure that the benefits of these drugs continue to outweigh the risks.

The ER/LA opioid REMS introduces new safety measures designed to reduce risks and improve the safe use of ER/LA opioids, while continuing to provide access to these medications for patients in pain. The ER/LA opioid REMS applies

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to more than 20 companies that manufacture opioid analgesics. Under the ER/LA opioid REMS, companies are required to make education programs available to prescribers based on the FDA Blueprint for Prescriber Education for Extended Release and Long Acting Opioid Analgesics. It is expected that companies will meet this obligation by providing educational grants to continuing education providers, who will develop and deliver the training. The ER/LA opioid REMS also requires companies to distribute FDA-approved educational materials to prescribers and patients on the safe use of these drugs. The companies must perform periodic assessments of the implementation of the ER/LA opioid REMS and the success of the program in meeting its goals. The FDA will review these assessments and may require additional elements to achieve the goals of the program.

If the FDA determines that a REMS is necessary during review of an application, the drug sponsor must agree to the REMS plan at the time of approval. As part of its approval of the Xtampza NDA, the FDA indicated that the REMS requirement for ER/LA opioids will apply to Xtampza. The REMS includes a Medication Guide that is dispensed with each prescription, physician training based on FDA-identified learning objectives, audits to ensure that the FDA’s learning objectives are addressed in the physician trainings, letters to prescribing physicians, professional organizations and state licensing entities alerting each to the REMS, and the establishment of a call center to provide more information about the REMS. We anticipate that our future product candidates will also be subject to these REMS requirements. There may be increased cost, administrative burden and potential liability associated with the marketing and sale of these types of product candidates subject to the ER/LA opioid REMS requirements, which could reduce the commercial benefits to us from the sale of these product candidates.

If we fail to obtain the necessary final regulatory approvals, or if such approvals are limited, we will not be able to commercialize our product candidates, and we will not generate product revenues.

Even if we comply with all FDA pre-approval regulatory requirements, the FDA may determine that our product candidates are not safe or effective, and we may never obtain final regulatory approval for such product candidates. If we fail to obtain final regulatory approval for some or all of our product candidates, we will have fewer commercial products and correspondingly lower product revenues. Even if our product candidates receive final regulatory approval, such final regulatory approval may involve limitations on the indications and conditions of use or marketing claims for our products, or may not include certain abuse-deterrence claims or clinical trial data that we have sought, and will seek, to include in the product label. If we do not receive regulatory approval to include certain abuse-deterrence claims, or certain clinical data, in our product labels, our ability to successfully commercialize our products may be limited and our financial results may be adversely impacted. Further, later discovery of previously unknown problems or adverse events could result in additional regulatory restrictions, including withdrawal of products and addition of warnings or other statements on the product label. The FDA may require us to perform lengthy Phase 4 post-approval clinical efficacy or safety trials. Post approval, the FDA may require us to study, as it has with respect to Xtampza, the serious risks of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, and death associated with long-term use of our medications for the management of chronic pain, as well as other risks. The FDA may also impose additional post-marketing requirements, which will be very expensive to satisfy.

In jurisdictions outside the United States, we must receive marketing authorizations from the appropriate regulatory authorities before commercializing our product candidates. Regulatory approval processes outside the United States generally include requirements and risks similar to, and in many cases in excess of, those associated with FDA approval.

The FDA may not approve product labeling for our product candidates that would permit us to market and promote our products in the United States by describing their abuse-deterrent features.

We invest substantial time and money conducting Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 abuse deterrent studies to ensure that our product candidates developed with our DETERx technology comply with the FDA’s April 2015 guidance regarding opioid abuse deterrence. Our failure to achieve FDA approval of product labeling containing such information will prevent or substantiality limit our promotion of the abuse deterrent features of our product candidates in order to differentiate them from other opioid products containing the same active ingredients. This would make our products less competitive in the market. There can be no assurance that any of our product candidates will receive final FDA-approved product labeling that describes the abuse deterrent features of such products. Furthermore, the FDA’s April 2015 final guidance on abuse deterrent opioids makes clear that the FDA expects sponsors to compare their formulations against approved abuse deterrent versions of the same opioid based on the relevant categories of testing. If a proposed product is

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less resistant to manipulation than an approved product, the FDA has stated that the proposed product may not be eligible for product labeling regarding abuse deterrent properties. If the FDA does not approve product labeling containing abuse deterrence claims, we will not be able to promote such products based on their abuse deterrent features, may not be able to differentiate such products from other opioid products containing the same active ingredients, and may need to lower the price of our products to the extent that there are competing products with abuse deterrent claims on their product labels.

Because the FDA closely regulates promotional materials and other promotional activities, even if the FDA initially approves product labeling that includes a description of the abuse deterrent characteristics of our product, the FDA may object to our marketing claims and product advertising campaigns. This could lead to the issuance of warning letters or untitled letters, suspension or withdrawal of our products from the market, recalls, fines, disgorgement of money, operating restrictions, injunctions, and civil or criminal prosecution. Any of these consequences would harm the commercial success of our products.

Even if any of our product candidates are approved for marketing with certain abuse-deterrence claims, the April 2015 final FDA guidance on abuse-deterrent opioids is not binding law and may be superseded or modified at any time. Also, if the FDA determines that our post-marketing data do not demonstrate that the abuse-deterrent properties result in reduction of abuse, or demonstrate a shift to routes of abuse that present a greater risk, the FDA may find that product labeling revisions are needed, and potentially require the removal of our abuse-deterrence claims.

Even if our product candidates receive regulatory approval, they will be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements, and we may face regulatory enforcement action if we do not comply with the requirements.

Even after a product is approved, we will remain subject to ongoing FDA and other regulatory requirements governing the product labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, safety surveillance, advertising, promotion, import, export, record-keeping and reporting of safety and other post-market information. If we experience delays in obtaining FDA approval of our advertising and promotional materials for Xtampza or any product candidate that receives marketing approval, or if FDA approval of such materials is contingent upon substantial modifications, our promotional efforts relating to Xtampza and any approved product candidate may be impaired, and sales of such products may suffer.

The holder of an approved NDA is obligated to monitor and report adverse events, or AEs, and any failure of a product to meet the specifications in the NDA. In addition, manufacturers of drug products and their facilities are subject to payment of user fees and continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA and other regulatory authorities for compliance with current good manufacturing practices, or cGMP, and other regulations. If we or a regulatory agency discover problems with a product which were previously unknown, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the product is manufactured, a regulatory agency may impose restrictions on that product, the manufacturing facility or us, including requiring product recall, notice to physicians, withdrawal of the product from the market or suspension of manufacturing, among other things. If we, our product candidates or the manufacturing facilities for our product candidates fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, a regulatory agency may:

·

issue warning letters or untitled letters;

·

mandate modifications to promotional materials or require us to provide corrective information to healthcare practitioners;

·

require us to enter into a consent decree, which can include the imposition of various fines, reimbursements for inspection costs and penalties for noncompliance, and require due dates for specific actions;

·

seek an injunction or impose civil, criminal and/or administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, require disgorgement, consider exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs and require curtailment or restructuring of our operations;

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suspend or withdraw regulatory approval;

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·

suspend any ongoing clinical trials;

·

refuse to approve pending applications or supplements to applications filed by us;

·

suspend or impose restrictions on operations, including costly new manufacturing requirements;

·

seize or detain products, refuse to permit the import or export of products, or require us to initiate a product recall; or

·

refuse to allow us to enter into government contracts.

Similar post-market requirements may apply in foreign jurisdictions in which we may seek approval of our products. Any government investigation of alleged violations of law could require us to expend significant time and resources in response and could generate negative publicity. The occurrence of any event or penalty described above may inhibit our ability to commercialize our products and generate revenue and may cause a material adverse impact on our financial condition and cash flows.

In addition, the FDA’s regulations, policies or guidance may change and new or additional statutes or government regulations in the United States and other jurisdictions may be enacted that could further restrict or regulate post-approval activities. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of adverse government regulation that may arise from pending or future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are not able to achieve and maintain regulatory compliance, we may not be permitted to market our products and/or product candidates, which would adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and achieve or maintain profitability.

Failure to comply with ongoing governmental regulations for marketing any product, including Xtampza, could delay or inhibit our ability to generate revenues from their sale and could also expose us to claims or other sanctions.

Advertising and promotion of any product that obtains approval in the United States, including Xtampza, will be heavily scrutinized by, among others, the FDA, the Department of Justice, or the DOJ, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, state attorneys general, members of Congress and the public. Violations, including promotion of Xtampza, and any product for which we receive final regulatory approval, for unapproved or off-label uses, are subject to enforcement letters, inquiries and investigations, and civil and criminal sanctions by the FDA or other government agencies. Additionally, advertising and promotion of any product that obtains approval outside the United States will be heavily scrutinized by foreign regulatory authorities.

In the United States, engaging in off-label promotion of Xtampza, or any products, can also subject us to false claims litigation under federal and state statutes, and other litigation and/or investigation, which can lead to civil and criminal penalties and fines and agreements that materially restrict the manner in which we promote or distribute our drug products. These false claims statutes include the federal False Claims Act, which allows any individual to bring a lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company on behalf of the federal government alleging submission of false or fraudulent claims, or causing to present such false or fraudulent claims, for payment by a federal program such as Medicare or Medicaid. If the government prevails in the lawsuit, the individual will share in any fines or settlement funds. False Claims Act lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies have increased significantly in volume and breadth in recent years, leading to several substantial civil and criminal settlements based on certain sales practices promoting off-label drug uses. This increased focus and scrutiny has increased the risk that a pharmaceutical company will have to defend a false claim action, pay settlement fines or restitution, agree to comply with burdensome reporting and compliance obligations, and be excluded from the Medicare, Medicaid and other federal and state healthcare programs.

If we are found to have promoted such off-label uses, we may become subject to significant liability. The federal government has levied large civil and criminal fines against companies for alleged off-label use and has enjoined several companies from engaging in off-label promotion. The FDA has also requested that companies enter into consent decrees or permanent injunctions under which specified promotional conduct is changed or curtailed. If we cannot successfully manage the promotion of our products, we could become subject to significant liability, which could materially adversely affect our business and financial condition.

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In addition, later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, manufacturer or facility, or our failure to update regulatory files, may result in restrictions, including withdrawal of the product from the market. Any of the following or other similar events, if they were to occur, could delay or preclude us from further developing, marketing or realizing the full commercial potential of Xtampza and our product candidates:

·

failure to obtain or maintain requisite governmental approvals;

·

failure to obtain approvals of product labeling with abuse-deterrent claims; or

·

FDA required product withdrawals or warnings arising from identification of serious and unanticipated adverse side effects in our product candidates.

Xtampza and our product candidates contain controlled substances, the manufacture, use, sale, importation, exportation and distribution of which are subject to regulation by state, federal and foreign law enforcement and other regulatory agencies.

Xtampza and our product candidates contain, and our future product candidates will likely contain, controlled substances which are subject to state, federal and foreign laws and regulations regarding their manufacture, use, sale, importation, exportation and distribution. Xtampza’s active ingredient, oxycodone, is classified as a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, or CSA, and regulations of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA. A number of states also independently regulate these drugs, including oxycodone, as controlled substances. Controlled substances are classified by the DEA as Schedule I, II, III, IV or V substances, with Schedule I substances considered to present the highest risk of substance abuse and Schedule V substances the lowest risk. The active ingredient in Xtampza, oxycodone, is listed by the DEA as a Schedule II controlled substance under the CSA. For our product candidates containing controlled substances, we and our suppliers, manufacturers, contractors, customers and distributors are required to obtain and maintain applicable registrations from state, federal and foreign law enforcement and regulatory agencies and comply with state, federal and foreign laws and regulations regarding the manufacture, use, sale, importation, exportation and distribution of controlled substances. For example, all Schedule II drug prescriptions must be signed by a physician, physically presented to a pharmacist and may not be refilled without a new prescription.

Furthermore, the amount of Schedule II substances that can be obtained for clinical trials and commercial distribution is limited by the CSA and DEA regulations. We may not be able to obtain sufficient quantities of these controlled substances in order to complete our clinical trials or meet commercial demand.  If commercial demand for Xtampza increases and we cannot meet such demand in a timely fashion because of our limited supply of its active ingredient, oxycodone, then physicians may perceive Xtampza as unavailable and may be less likely to prescribe it in the future.

In addition, controlled substances are also subject to regulations governing manufacturing, labeling, packaging, testing, dispensing, production and procurement quotas, recordkeeping, reporting, handling, shipment and disposal. These regulations increase the personnel needs and the expense associated with development and commercialization of Xtampza and product candidates that include controlled substances. The DEA and some states conduct periodic inspections of registered establishments that handle controlled substances.

Failure to obtain and maintain required registrations or to comply with any applicable regulations could delay or preclude us from developing and commercializing Xtampza and product candidates that contain controlled substances and subject us to enforcement action. The DEA may seek civil penalties, refuse to renew necessary registrations or initiate proceedings to revoke those registrations. In some circumstances, violations could lead to criminal proceedings. Because of their restrictive nature, these regulations could limit commercialization of products containing controlled substances.

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Clinical development is a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and failure can occur at any stage of clinical development. If we are unable to design, conduct and complete clinical trials successfully, our product candidates will not be able to receive regulatory approval.

In order to obtain FDA approval for any of our product candidates, we must submit to the FDA an NDA with substantial evidence that demonstrates that the product candidate is both safe and effective in humans for its intended use. This demonstration requires significant research, preclinical studies and clinical trials.

Other than Onsolis, all of our product candidates are in preclinical and clinical development. Clinical trials are time-consuming, expensive and difficult to design and implement, in part because they are subject to rigorous requirements and their outcomes are inherently uncertain. Clinical testing may take many years to complete, and failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process, even with active ingredients that have previously been approved by the FDA as being safe and effective. We could encounter problems that halt our clinical trials or require us to repeat such clinical trials. If patients participating in clinical trials suffer drug-related adverse reactions during the clinical trials, or if we or the FDA believe that patients are being exposed to unacceptable health risks, such clinical trials may be suspended or terminated. Suspensions, termination or the need to repeat a clinical trial can occur at any stage.

The clinical trial success of each of our product candidates depends on reaching statistically significant changes in patients’ symptoms based on clinician-rated scales. There is a lack of consensus regarding standardized processes for assessing clinical outcomes based on clinician-rated scales. Accordingly, the scores from our clinical trials may not be reliable, useful or acceptable to the FDA or other regulatory agencies.

Changes in standards related to clinical trial design could have a material adverse effect on our ability to design and conduct clinical trials as planned. For example, we have conducted or will conduct clinical trials comparing our product candidates to both placebo and other approved drugs, but regulatory authorities may not allow us to compare our product candidates to a placebo in a particular clinical indication where approved products are available. In that case, both the cost and the amount of time required to conduct a clinical trial could increase. The FDA may disagree with our trial design and our interpretation of data from clinical trials, or may change the requirements for approval even after it has reviewed and commented on the design for our clinical trials. The FDA may also approve a product candidate for fewer or more limited indications than we request, or may grant approval contingent on the performance of costly post-approval clinical trials. In addition, the FDA may not approve the product labeling claims or removal of certain warnings that we believe are necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of our product candidates.

Approval may be contingent on a REMS, which could have a material adverse effect on the product labeling, distribution or promotion of a drug product.

Any of these delays or additional requirements could cause our product candidates to not be approved, or if approved, significantly impact the timing of commercialization and significantly increase our overall costs of drug development.

Because the results of preclinical studies and early-stage clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future results, any product candidate we advance into additional clinical trials may not continue to have favorable results or receive regulatory approval.

Other than Onsolis, all of our product candidates are in preclinical or early-stage clinical development. Success in preclinical studies and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will generate adequate data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of an investigational drug. Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including those with greater resources and experience, have suffered significant setbacks in clinical trials, even after positive results in earlier clinical trials. Despite preliminary preclinical studies for our other extended-release, abuse deterrent product candidates, including hydrocodone and oxymorphone for pain, and methylphenidate for the treatment of ADHD, we do not know whether the clinical trials we may conduct will demonstrate adequate efficacy and safety or otherwise provide adequate information to result in regulatory approval to market any of our product candidates in any particular jurisdiction. If later-stage clinical trials do not produce favorable results, our ability to achieve regulatory approval for any of our product candidates may be compromised.

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Conducting clinical trials of Xtampza and our product candidates and any commercial sales of Xtampza and/or product candidates may expose us to expensive product liability claims, and we may not be able to maintain product liability insurance on reasonable terms or at all.

We currently carry product liability insurance with coverage up to approximately $10.0 million. Product liability claims may be brought against us by patients enrolled in our clinical trials, patients, healthcare providers or others using, administering or selling our products. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that our products or product candidates caused injuries, we could incur substantial liabilities. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

·

decreased demand for any product or product candidates that we may develop;

·

termination of clinical trial sites or entire trial programs;

·

injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;

·

withdrawal of clinical trial participants;

·

significant costs to defend the related litigation;

·

substantial monetary awards to patients;

·

loss of revenue;

·

diversion of management and scientific resources from our business operations;

·

the inability to commercialize any products that we may develop; and

·

an increase in product liability insurance premiums or an inability to maintain product liability insurance coverage.

Our inability to maintain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of Xtampza and our product candidates. Any agreements we may enter into in the future with collaborators in connection with the development or commercialization of Xtampza and our product candidates may entitle us to indemnification against product liability losses, but such indemnification may not be available or adequate should any claim arise. In addition, many of our agreements require us to indemnify third parties and these indemnifications obligations may exceed the coverage under our product liability insurance policy.

Xtampza and our product candidates may be associated with undesirable adverse reactions or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial profile of their approved product label, or result in significant negative consequences following any marketing approval.

Undesirable adverse reactions associated with Xtampza and our product candidates could cause us, our IRBs, clinical trial sites or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a restrictive product label or the delay, denial or withdrawal of regulatory approval by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities. For example, even though Xtampza has generally been well tolerated by patients in our clinical trials, in some cases there were adverse reactions, one of which was a serious adverse event, moderate in severity, of gastroesophageal reflux.

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If we or others identify undesirable adverse events associated with Xtampza or any product candidate for which we receive final regulatory approval, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:

·

we may be forced to suspend marketing of the product;

·

regulatory authorities may withdraw their approvals of the product or impose restrictions on its distribution;

·

regulatory authorities may require additional warnings or contradictions in the product label that could diminish the usage or otherwise limit the commercial success of the product;

·

we may be required to conduct additional post-marketing studies;

·

we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and

·

our reputation may suffer.

Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of Xtampza or any of our product candidates, if approved.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property

Unfavorable outcomes in intellectual property litigation could result in costly litigation and potentially limit our ability to commercialize our products.

Our commercial success depends upon our ability to develop product candidates and commercialize products without infringing the intellectual property rights of others. Our current or future product candidates or products, or any uses of them, may now or in the future infringe third-party patents or other intellectual property rights. This is due in part to the considerable uncertainty within the pharmaceutical industry about the validity, scope and enforceability of many issued patents in the United States and elsewhere in the world and, to date, there is no consistency regarding the breadth of claims allowed in pharmaceutical patents. We cannot currently determine the ultimate scope and validity of patents which may be granted to third parties in the future or which patents might be asserted to be infringed by the manufacture, use and sale of our products. In part as a result of this uncertainty, there has been, and we expect that there will continue to be, significant litigation in the pharmaceutical industry regarding patents and other intellectual property rights.

Third parties may assert infringement claims against us, or other parties we have agreed to indemnify, based on existing patents or patents that may be granted in the future. We are aware of third-party patents and patent applications related to oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, morphine, and methylphenidate drugs and formulations, including those listed in the FDA’s Orange Book for oxycodone products. Because of the delay between filing and publication of patent applications, and because applications can take several years to issue, there may be currently pending third-party patent applications that are unknown to us, which may later result in issued patents. Because of the uncertainty inherent in intellectual property litigation, we could lose, even if the case against us was weak or flawed.

If we are found to infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights, we could be required to obtain a license from such third party to continue developing or commercializing Xtampza or our product candidates, products and technology. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we are able to obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. We could be forced, including by court order, to cease commercializing the infringing technology or product. In addition, in any such proceeding or litigation, we could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees, if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing Xtampza or our product candidates or force us to cease some of our business operations.

In connection with any NDA that we file under Section 505(b)(2), including the NDA for Xtampza, we are required to notify the patent holder of the reference listed drug that we identify in our NDA, that we have certified to the FDA that

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any patents listed for the listed drug in the FDA’s Orange Book publication are invalid, unenforceable or will not be infringed by the manufacture, use or sale of our drug. If the patent holder files a patent infringement lawsuit against us within 45 days of its receipt of notice of our certification, the FDA is automatically prevented from approving our Section 505(b)(2) NDA until the earliest of 30 months after the lawsuit is filed, expiration of the patents, settlement of the lawsuit and a court decision in the infringement case that is favorable to us. Accordingly, we may invest significant time and expense in the development of our product candidates only to be subject to significant delay and patent litigation before our product candidates may be commercialized.

If we are found by the court to have infringed a valid patent claim, we could be prevented from using the patented technology or be required to pay the patent holder for the right to license the patented technology. If we decide to pursue a license to use one or more of these patents, we may not be able to obtain a license on commercially reasonable terms, if at all, or the license we obtain may require us to pay substantial royalties or grant cross licenses to our patent rights. For example, if the relevant patent is owned by a competitor, such as Purdue, that competitor may choose not to license patent rights to us. If we decide to develop alternative technology, we may not be able to do so in a timely or cost-effective manner, if at all.

Even if we are found not to infringe or patent claims are found invalid or unenforceable, defending any such infringement claim would be expensive and time consuming, and could delay the approval or commercialization of our product candidates and distract management from their normal responsibilities.

Competitors may sue us as a way of delaying the introduction of our products. Any litigation, including any interference or derivation proceedings to determine priority of inventions, oppositions or other post-grant review proceedings to patents in the United States or in countries outside the United States, or litigation against our collaborators may be costly and time consuming and could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize products and our overall financial condition. We expect that litigation may be necessary in some instances to determine the validity and scope of our proprietary rights. Litigation may be necessary in other instances to determine the validity, scope or non-infringement of certain patent rights claimed by third parties to be pertinent to the manufacture, use or sale of our products. Ultimately, the outcome of such litigation could compromise the validity and scope of our patents or other proprietary rights or hinder our ability to manufacture and market our products.

If we are unable to obtain or maintain intellectual property rights for our technology, products and product candidates, we may lose valuable assets or experience reduced market share.

We depend on our ability to protect our proprietary technology. We rely on patent and trademark laws, unpatented trade secrets and know-how, and confidentiality, licensing and other agreements with employees and third parties, all of which offer only limited protection. Our success depends in large part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection in the United States and other countries with respect to our proprietary technology and product candidates.

The steps we have taken to protect our proprietary rights may not be adequate to preclude misappropriation of our proprietary information or infringement of our intellectual property rights, both inside and outside the United States. The rights already granted under any of our currently issued patents and those that may be granted under future issued patents may not provide us with the proprietary protection or competitive advantages we are seeking.

The patent prosecution process is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of inventions made in the course of our development and commercialization activities before it is too late to obtain patent protection on them.

Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of product candidates, patents protecting such product candidates might expire before or shortly after such product candidates are commercialized. If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technology and products, or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is not sufficient, our competitors could develop and commercialize technology and products identical, similar or superior to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our technology and products may be adversely affected.

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With respect to patent rights, our patent applications may not issue into patents, and any issued patents may not provide protection against competitive technologies, may be held invalid or unenforceable if challenged or may be interpreted in a manner that does not adequately protect our technology, product candidates or future product candidates. Even if our patent applications issue into patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors from competing with us, or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. The examination process may require us to narrow the claims in our patents, which may limit the scope of patent protection that may be obtained. Our competitors may design around or otherwise circumvent patents issued to us or licensed by us.

The scope of patent protection in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions is highly uncertain, and changes in U.S. and foreign patent law have increased that uncertainty and could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product candidates and any future products.

The patent position of pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection. The laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and these foreign laws may also be subject to change.

Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions typically are not published until 18 months after filing or, in some cases, not at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our owned or licensed patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights, both in the United States and abroad, are highly uncertain.

Recent patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs associated with the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents. The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the Leahy-Smith Act, which was signed into law on September 16, 2011, made significant changes to U.S. patent law, including provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted and litigated. Many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the Leahy-Smith Act and, in particular, the “first to file” provisions described below, only became effective on March 16, 2013. The Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents.

Pursuant to the Leahy-Smith Act, the United States transitioned to a “first to file” system in which the first inventor to file a patent application will be entitled to the patent. In addition, third parties are allowed to submit prior art before the issuance of a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, and may become involved in opposition, derivation, reexamination, or inter partes review challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including novelty, nonobviousness and enablement. It is possible that prior art of which both we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution exists, which could render our patents invalid. Moreover, there may exist prior art of which we were or are aware, and which we did not or do not consider relevant to our patents, but which could nevertheless be determined to render our patents invalid. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding or litigation could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position with respect to third parties.

Because the issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability, issued patents that we own or license from third parties may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad. Such challenges may result in the loss of patent protection, the narrowing of claims in such patents, or the invalidity or unenforceability of such patents, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and products, or limit the duration of the patent protection for our technology and products. Protecting against the unauthorized use of our patented technology, trademarks and other intellectual property rights is expensive, difficult and, may in some cases not be possible. In some cases, it may be difficult or impossible to detect third party infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property rights, even in relation to issued patent claims, and proving any such infringement may be even more difficult.

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We may be forced to litigate to enforce or defend our intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful, and result in the loss of valuable assets.

We may be forced to litigate to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights against infringement and unauthorized use by competitors, and to protect our trade secrets. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of our own intellectual property rights. In so doing, we may place our intellectual property at risk of being invalidated, rendered unenforceable or limited or narrowed in scope.

Further, this can be expensive and time consuming. Many of our current and potential competitors have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to defend their intellectual property rights than we can.

Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our intellectual property. Litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize products and our overall financial condition. In addition, an adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable or interpreted narrowly. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during litigation. There could also 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 material adverse effect on the price of shares of our common stock.

We may be subject to claims by third parties of ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property or obligations to make compensatory payments to employees or others.

While it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be involved in the development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing or obtaining such an agreement with each party who, in fact, develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. In addition, they may breach the assignment agreements or such agreements may not be self-executing, and we may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend claims they may bring against us, to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. If we fail in prosecuting or defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Such intellectual property rights could be awarded to a third party, and we could be required to obtain a license from such third party to commercialize our technology or products. Such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.

In addition to seeking patents for some of our technology, products and product candidates, we rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect these trade secrets, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as our employees, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts both within and outside the United States may be less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent such competitor, or those to whom they communicate with, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed or independently developed, our competitive position would be harmed.

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We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on all of our product candidates throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop and sell their own products and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products in jurisdictions where we do not have any issued patents or our patent claims or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to pharmaceuticals, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or the marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. 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.

We may be subject to claims that our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.

Many of our employees, including our senior management, were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including potential competitors. These employees typically executed proprietary rights, non-disclosure and non-competition agreements in connection with their previous employment. Although we try to ensure that our employees do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these employees have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such employee’s former employer. We are not aware of any threatened or pending claims related to these matters, but in the future litigation may be necessary to defend against such claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs, damage our reputation and be a distraction to management.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submissions, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. In addition, periodic maintenance fees on issued patents are required to be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of the patents. While an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our product candidates, our competitive position would be adversely affected.

Risks Related to the Commercialization of Our Product Candidates

We currently have limited sales and marketing capabilities and, if we are unable to successfully utilize our own sales and marketing capabilities or enter into strategic alliances with marketing collaborators, we may not be successful in commercializing Xtampza and our product candidates and may be unable to generate sufficient product revenue.

Although our executive officers have experience marketing pharmaceutical products, we currently have limited sales, marketing or distribution capabilities. Our sales and marketing team has worked together for only a limited period of time. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in marketing Xtampza or any of our product candidates which may

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be approved for marketing. In addition, we will have to compete with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with extensive and well-funded sales and marketing operations to recruit, hire, train and retain sales and marketing personnel. If we are unable to establish adequate sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, whether independently or with third parties, we may not be able to generate sufficient product revenue and may not become profitable. Factors that may inhibit our efforts to commercialize our product candidates in the United States include:

·

our inability to recruit and retain adequate numbers of effective sales and marketing personnel;

·

the inability of sales personnel to obtain access to or persuade adequate numbers of physicians to prescribe Xtampza and our product candidates;

·

the lack of complementary products to be offered by sales personnel, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies with more extensive product lines; and

·

unforeseen costs and expenses associated with creating and maintaining an independent sales and marketing organization.

If we are not successful in recruiting and retaining sales and marketing personnel or in building a sales and marketing infrastructure or if we do not successfully enter into appropriate strategic alliances with marketing collaborators, agreements with contract sales organizations or collaboration arrangements, we will have difficulty commercializing Xtampza or our product candidates. To the extent we commercialize Xtampza or our product candidates by entering into agreements with third-party collaborators, we may have limited or no control over the sales, marketing and distribution activities of these third parties, in which case our future revenues would depend heavily on the success of the efforts of these third parties.

If physicians, patients, healthcare payors and the medical community do not accept and use Xtampza or our product candidates, we will not achieve sufficient product revenues and our business will suffer.

Physicians, patients, healthcare payors and the medical community may not accept and use Xtampza or any of our product candidates, for which we receive final regulatory approval. Acceptance and use of Xtampza and any product candidates for which we receive final regulatory approval will depend on a number of factors including:

·

the timing of market introduction of Xtampza and the product candidates as well as competitive products;

·

approved indications, warnings and precautions language that may be less desirable than anticipated;

·

perceptions by members of the healthcare community, including physicians, about the safety and efficacy of Xtampza and our product candidates, and, in particular, the relevance and efficacy of our abuse deterrent technology in reducing potential risks of unintended use;

·

perceptions by physicians regarding the cost benefit of Xtampza and our product candidates in reducing potential risks of unintended use;

·

published studies demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of Xtampza and our product candidates relative to competing products;

·

the potential and perceived advantages of Xtampza and our product candidates over alternative treatments;

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the convenience and ease of administration to patients of Xtampza and our product candidates;

·

actual and perceived availability of coverage and reimbursement for Xtampza and our product candidates from government or other third-party payors;

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·

any negative publicity related to our or our competitors’ products that include the same active ingredient as Xtampza and our product candidates;

·

the prevalence and severity of adverse side effects, including limitations or warnings contained in a product’s FDA approved product labeling;

·

our ability to implement a REMS; and

·

effectiveness of marketing and distribution efforts by us and any licensees and distributors.

If Xtampza or our product candidates for which we receive final regulatory approval, fail to achieve an adequate level of acceptance by physicians, healthcare payors, patients or the medical community, we will not be able to generate significant revenue, and we may not become or remain profitable. Since we expect to rely on sales generated by Xtampza for substantially all of our revenues for the foreseeable future, the failure of Xtampza to find market acceptance would harm our business prospects.

Recently enacted and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us to commercialize Xtampza and our product candidates and may reduce the prices we are able to obtain for our products.

In the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities or affect our ability to profitably sell Xtampza or any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval.

Cost reduction legislation could decrease the coverage and price that we receive for any approved products, including for reimbursement through Medicare and private payors.

The pricing of pharmaceutical products, in general, and specialty drugs, in particular, has also been a topic of concern in the U.S. government.  There can be no assurance as to how this scrutiny on pricing of pharmaceutical products will impact future pricing of our products or orphan drugs or pharmaceutical products generally.  The current administration has indicated that reducing the price of prescription drugs will be a priority of the administration. The implementation of any price controls on prescription drugs, whether at the federal or state level, may adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Laws intended to broaden access to health insurance, reduce or constrain the growth of healthcare spending, enhance remedies against fraud and abuse, add new transparency requirements for health care and health insurance industries, impose new taxes and fees on the health industry and impose additional health policy reforms may continue the downward pressure on pharmaceutical pricing, especially under the Medicare program, and may also increase our regulatory burdens and operating costs. We expect that the Affordable Care Act, as well as other healthcare reform measures that have been and may be adopted in the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria, new payment methodologies and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for any approved product, and could seriously harm our future revenues. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may compromise our ability to generate revenue, attain profitability or commercialize our products.

There have been repeated calls to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Any new laws or regulations that have the effect of imposing additional costs or regulatory burden on pharmaceutical manufacturers, or otherwise negatively affect the industry, would adversely affect our ability to successfully commercialize Xtampza and our product candidates, if approved.

Legislative and regulatory proposals have been made to expand post-approval requirements and restrict sales and promotional activities for pharmaceutical products. We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether the FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes on the marketing approvals of our product candidates, if any, may be. In addition, increased scrutiny by the U.S.

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Congress of the FDA’s approval process may significantly delay or prevent marketing approval, as well as subject us to more stringent product labeling and post-marketing testing and other requirements.

In addition, state pharmacy laws may permit pharmacists to substitute generic products for branded products if the products are therapeutic equivalents, or may permit pharmacists and pharmacy benefit managers to seek prescriber authorization to substitute generics in place of Xtampza or our product candidates, which could significantly diminish demand for them and significantly impact our ability to successfully commercialize our products and generate revenues.

Even if we are able to commercialize Xtampza and any of our product candidates, our products may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations or third-party coverage and reimbursement policies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Such pricing regulations may address the rebates that manufacturers offer to pharmaceutical benefit managers, or the discounts that manufacturers provide others within the pharmaceutical distribution chain.

The regulations that govern marketing approvals, pricing and reimbursement for new drug products vary widely from country to country. Current and future legislation may significantly change the approval requirements in ways that could involve additional costs and cause delays in obtaining approvals. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or product licensing approval is granted. In some foreign markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we might obtain marketing approval for a product in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay our commercial launch of the product, possibly for lengthy time periods, which could negatively impact the revenues we are able to generate from the sale of the product in that particular country. Pricing limitations may hinder our ability to recoup our investment in Xtampza and our product candidates even if our product candidates obtain marketing approval.

Our ability to commercialize any product successfully will also depend in part on the extent to which coverage and adequate reimbursement for these products and related treatments will be available from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations. Government authorities and third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, determine which medications they will cover and establish reimbursement levels. A primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Government authorities and other third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that drug companies provide them with discounts and rebates from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for medical products. We have agreed to provide such discounts and rebates to certain third-party payors. We expect increasing pressure to offer larger discounts and rebates.  Additionally, a greater number of third-party payors may seek discounts and rebates in order to offer or maintain access for Xtampza and our product candidates, if approved. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for any product that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be and whether it will be satisfactory. Coverage and reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval. If coverage and reimbursement are not available or reimbursement is available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval.

There may be significant delays in obtaining coverage and reimbursement for newly approved drugs, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the drug is approved by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities. Moreover, eligibility for coverage and reimbursement does not imply that any drug will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Interim reimbursement levels for new drugs, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may only be temporary. Reimbursement rates may vary according to the use of the drug and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on reimbursement levels already set for lower cost drugs and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement policies. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and profitable reimbursement rates from both government-funded and private payors for any approved products that we develop could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize products and our overall financial condition.

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Social issues around the abuse of opioids, including law enforcement concerns over diversion of opioids and regulatory efforts to combat abuse, could decrease the potential market for Xtampza and our product candidates.

Media stories regarding prescription drug abuse and the diversion of opioids and other controlled substances are commonplace. Law enforcement and regulatory agencies may apply policies and guidelines that seek to limit the availability or use of opioids. Such efforts may inhibit our ability to commercialize Xtampza and our product candidates.

Aggressive enforcement and unfavorable publicity regarding, for example, the use or misuse of oxycodone or other opioid drugs; the limitations of abuse-resistant formulations; the ability of drug abusers to discover previously unknown ways to abuse opioid drugs, including Xtampza; public inquiries and investigations into prescription drug abuse; litigation; or regulatory activity regarding sales, marketing, distribution or storage of opioid drugs could have a material adverse effect on our reputation. Such negative publicity could reduce the potential size of the market for Xtampza and our product candidates and decrease the revenues we are able to generate from their sale. Similarly, to the extent opioid abuse becomes less prevalent or less urgent of a public health issue, regulators and third party payers may not be willing to pay a premium for abuse-deterrent formulations of opioids.

Efforts by the FDA and other regulatory bodies to combat abuse of opioids may negatively impact the market for our product candidates. In February 2016, the FDA released an action plan to address the opioid abuse epidemic and reassess the FDA’s approach to opioid medications. The plan identifies FDA’s focus on implementing policies to reverse the opioid abuse epidemic, while maintaining access to effective treatments. The actions set forth in the FDA’s plan include strengthening post marketing study requirements to evaluate the benefit of long-term opioid use, changing the REMS requirements to provide additional funding for physician education courses, releasing a draft guidance setting forth approval standards for generic-abuse deterrent opioid formulations, and seeking input from the FDA’s Scientific Board to broaden the understanding of the public risks of opioid abuse. The FDA’s Scientific Advisory Board met to address these issues on March 1, 2016. The FDA’s plan is part of a broader initiative led by the HHS to address opioid-related overdose, death and dependence. The HHS initiative’s focus is on improving physician’s use of opioids through education and resources to address opioid over-prescribing, increasing use and development of improved delivery systems for naloxone, which can reverse overdose from both prescription opioids and heroin, to reduce overdose-related deaths, and expanding the use of Medication-Assisted Treatment, which couples counseling and behavioral therapies with medication to address substance abuse. Also as part of this initiative, the CDC has launched a state grant program to offer state health departments resources to assist with abuse prevention efforts, including efforts to track opioid prescribing through state-run electronic databases. In March 2016, as part of the HHS initiative, the CDC released a new Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. The guideline is intended to assist primary care providers treating adults for chronic pain in outpatient settings.  The guideline provides recommendations to improve communications between doctors and patients about the risks and benefits of opioid therapy for chronic pain, improve the safety and effectiveness of pain treatment, and reduce the risks associated with long-term opioid therapy. The guideline states that no treatment recommendations about the use of abuse-deterrent opioids can be made at this time. Many of these changes and others could cause us to expend additional resources in developing and commercializing Xtampza and our product candidates to meet additional requirements. Advancements in development and approval of generic abuse-deterrent opioids could also compete with and potentially impact physician use of our product candidates and cause our product candidates to be less commercially successful.

The FDA continues to evaluate extended release and abuse-deterrent opioids in the postmarket setting. In March 2017, the FDA’s Advisory Committee met to discuss OPANA ER (oxymorphone hydrochloride) extended release tablets. A majority of the Advisory Committee voted that the benefits do not outweigh the risks of OPANA ER. Upon the FDA’s subsequent request in June 2017, OPANA ER was removed from the market. Also, in July 2017, the FDA held a public workshop to discuss available data and methods to assess the impact of opioid formulations with abuse-deterrent properties on misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, and death in the postmarket context. The FDA will continue to scrutinize the impact of abuse-deterrent opioids and in the future could impose further restrictions to products currently on the market, which may include changing labeling, imposing additional prescribing restrictions, or seeking a product’s removal from the market.

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If the FDA or other applicable regulatory authorities approve generic products with abuse deterrent claims that compete with Xtampza or any of our product candidates, it could reduce our sales.

Once an NDA, including a Section 505(b)(2) application, is approved, the product covered thereby becomes a “listed drug” which can, in turn, be cited by potential competitors in support of approval of an abbreviated NDA, or ANDA. The FD&C Act, FDA regulations and other applicable regulations and policies provide incentives to manufacturers to create modified, non-infringing versions of a drug to facilitate the approval of an ANDA or other application for generic substitutes. These manufacturers might only be required to conduct a relatively inexpensive study to show that their product has the same active ingredients, dosage form, strength, route of administration, and conditions of use, or product labeling, as our product and that the generic product is absorbed in the body at the same rate and to the same extent as, or is bioequivalent to, our product. These generic equivalents would be significantly less costly than ours to bring to market and companies that produce generic equivalents are generally able to offer their products at lower prices. Thus, after the introduction of a generic competitor, a significant percentage of the sales of any branded product are typically lost to the generic product. Accordingly, competition from generic equivalents to our products would substantially limit our ability to generate revenues and therefore to obtain a return on the investments we have made in our product and product candidates.

Guidelines and recommendations published by various organizations can reduce the use of our products, if approved.

Government agencies promulgate regulations and guidelines directly applicable to us and to Xtampza and our product candidates. In addition, professional societies, practice management groups, private health and science foundations and organizations involved in various diseases from time to time may also publish guidelines or recommendations to the healthcare and patient communities. Recommendations of government agencies or these other groups or organizations may relate to such matters as usage, dosage, route of administration and use of concomitant therapies. Recommendations or guidelines suggesting the reduced use of our products or the use of competitive or alternative products as the standard of care to be followed by patients and healthcare providers could result in decreased use of our products.

Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties

If the third-party manufacturer of Xtampza fails to devote sufficient time and resources to Xtampza, or its performance is substandard, our costs may be higher than expected and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We do not own any manufacturing facilities and have limited experience in drug development and commercial manufacturing. We currently have no plans to build our own clinical or commercial scale manufacturing facility. We lack the resources and expertise to manufacture and test, on a commercial scale, the technical performance of Xtampza and our product candidates. We currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, on a limited number of experienced personnel and one contract manufacturer for Xtampza and each product candidate, as well as other vendors to formulate, test, supply, store and distribute Xtampza and our product candidates for our clinical trials and FDA registration, and we control only certain aspects of their activities. Although we have identified alternate sources for these services, it would be time-consuming, and require us to incur additional cost, to qualify these sources.

Our reliance on a limited number of vendors and, in particular, Patheon, as our single manufacturer for Xtampza, exposes us to the following risks, any of which could delay FDA approval of our product candidates and commercialization of our products, result in higher costs, or deprive us of potential product revenues:

·

Our contract manufacturer, or other third parties we rely on, may encounter difficulties in achieving the volume of production needed to satisfy commercial demand, may experience technical issues that impact quality or compliance with applicable and strictly enforced regulations governing the manufacture of pharmaceutical products, may experience shortages of qualified personnel to adequately staff production operations, may experience shortages of raw materials and may have difficulties finding replacement parts or equipment.

·

Our contract manufacturer could default on its agreement with us to meet our requirements for commercial supplies of Xtampza.

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·

The use of alternate manufacturers may be difficult because the number of potential manufacturers that have the necessary governmental licenses to produce narcotic products is limited. Additionally, the FDA and the DEA must approve any alternative manufacturer of Xtampza or any product candidate for which we receive regulatory approval, before we may use the alternative manufacturer to produce commercial supplies.

·

It may be difficult or impossible for us to find a replacement manufacturer on acceptable terms quickly, or at all. Our contract manufacturer and vendors may not perform as agreed or may not remain in the contract manufacturing business for the time required to successfully produce, store and distribute our products.

·

If our contract manufacturer were to terminate our arrangement or fail to meet our commercial manufacturing demands, we may be forced to delay our development and commercial programs.

Our reliance on third parties reduces our control over our development and commercialization activities but does not relieve us of our responsibility to ensure compliance with all required legal, regulatory and scientific standards. The FDA and other regulatory authorities require that Xtampza and our product candidates that we may eventually commercialize be manufactured according to cGMP and similar foreign standards. Any failure by our third-party manufacturer to comply with cGMP or failure to scale up manufacturing processes, including any failure to deliver sufficient quantities of product candidates in a timely manner, could lead to a delay in, or failure to obtain, regulatory approval of any of our product candidates. In addition, such failure could be the basis for the FDA to issue a warning or untitled letter, withdraw approvals for products previously granted to us, or take other regulatory or legal action, including recall or seizure, total or partial suspension of production, suspension of ongoing clinical trials, refusal to approve pending applications or supplemental applications, detention or product, refusal to permit the import or export of products, injunction, imposing civil penalties or pursuing criminal prosecution.

Because we currently rely on a sole supplier to manufacture the active pharmaceutical ingredient of Xtampza, any production problems with our supplier could have a material adverse effect on us.

We presently depend upon a single supplier for the active ingredient for Xtampza — oxycodone base — and we intend to contract with this supplier, as necessary, for commercial supply of our products. Although we have identified an alternate source for oxycodone base, it would be time-consuming and costly to qualify this source. Since we currently obtain our active ingredient from this manufacturer on a purchase-order basis, either we or our supplier may terminate our arrangement, without cause, at any time without notice. If our supplier were to terminate our arrangement or fail to meet our supply needs, we might incur substantial costs and be forced to delay our development or commercialization programs. Any such delay could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, or if they terminate their agreement with us, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our product candidates and our business could suffer a material adverse effect.

We have relied upon and plan to continue to rely upon contract research organizations, or CROs, to monitor and manage data for our ongoing preclinical and clinical programs. We rely on these parties for execution of our clinical trials, and control only certain aspects of their activities. Nevertheless, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our studies and clinical trials are conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific standards, and our reliance on the CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. We and our CROs are required to comply with federal regulations and current Good Clinical Practices, or GCP, which are international standards meant to protect the rights and health of patients and to define the roles of clinical trial sponsors, advisors and monitors, enforced by the FDA, the Competent Authorities of the Member States of the European Economic Area, or EEA, and foreign regulatory authorities in the form of International Conference on Harmonization, or ICH, guidelines for all of our product candidates in clinical development. Regulatory authorities enforce these GCP through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and trial sites. In addition, we and our CROs are required to comply with special regulations regarding the enrollment of recreational drug abusers in clinical trials. If we or any of our CROs fail to comply with applicable GCP and other regulations, including as a result of any recent changes in such regulations, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. We cannot assure you that

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upon inspection by a given regulatory authority, such regulatory authority will determine that any of our clinical trials comply with GCP requirements. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with product produced under cGMP requirements. While we have agreements governing activities of our CROs, we have limited influence over their actual performance. Failure to comply with applicable regulations in the conduct of the clinical trials for our product candidates may require us to repeat preclinical studies and clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.

Our CROs are not our employees, and except for remedies available to us under our agreements with such CROs, we cannot control whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our ongoing clinical and preclinical programs. If CROs do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations or meet expected deadlines, if they need to be replaced or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols, regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize our product candidates. As a result, the commercial prospects for our product candidates would be harmed, our costs could increase substantially and our ability to generate revenue could be delayed.

Switching or adding additional CROs involves additional cost and requires management time and focus, and there is a limited number of CROs that are equipped and willing to manage clinical trials that involve recreational drug abusers. Our CROs have the right to terminate their agreements with us in the event of an uncured material breach. In addition, some of our CROs have an ability to terminate their respective agreements with us if it can be reasonably demonstrated that the safety of the patients participating in our clinical trials warrants such termination, if we make a general assignment for the benefit of our creditors or if we are liquidated. Identifying, qualifying and managing performance of third-party service providers can be difficult, time-consuming and cause delays in our development programs. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new CRO commences work and the new CRO may not provide the same type or level of services as the original provider. Though we carefully manage our relationships with our CROs, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects. If any of our relationships with our CROs terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative CROs or to do so on commercially reasonable terms. As a result, delays may occur, which can materially impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines.

Our internal capacity to perform these functions is limited. Outsourcing these functions involves risks that third parties may not perform to our standards, may not produce results in a timely manner or may fail to perform at all. In addition, the use of third-party service providers requires us to disclose our proprietary information to these parties, which could increase the risk that this information will be misappropriated. We currently have a small number of employees, which limits the internal resources we have available to identify and monitor our third-party providers. To the extent, we are unable to identify and successfully manage the performance of third-party service providers in the future, our ability to advance our product candidates through clinical trials will be compromised. There can be no assurance that we will not encounter similar challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.

In the future, we may depend on collaborations with third parties for the development and commercialization of Xtampza and our product candidates. If those collaborations are not successful, we may not be able to capitalize on the market potential of these product candidates.

We may not be successful in establishing development and commercialization collaborations which could adversely affect, and potentially prohibit, our ability to develop or commercialize Xtampza and our product candidates. These collaborations, including our license agreement for the development and marketing of Onsolis, pose the following risks to us:

·

Collaborators may have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to these collaborations.

·

Collaborators may not pursue development and commercialization of our product or product candidates or may elect not to continue or renew development or commercialization programs based on clinical trial results, changes in the collaborator’s strategic focus or available funding or external factors such as an acquisition that

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diverts resources or creates competing priorities.

·

Collaborators may delay clinical trials, provide insufficient funding for a clinical trial program, stop a clinical trial or abandon our product or product candidate, repeat or conduct new clinical trials or require a new formulation of our product or product candidate for clinical testing.

·

Collaborators may conduct clinical trials inappropriately, or may obtain unfavorable results in their clinical trials, which may have an adverse effect on the development or commercialization of our product or product candidates.

·

Collaborators could independently develop, or develop with third parties, products that compete directly or indirectly with our product or product candidates if the collaborators believe that competitive products are more likely to be successfully developed or can be commercialized under terms that are more economically attractive than ours.

·

A collaborator with marketing and distribution rights to one or more products may not commit sufficient resources to the marketing and distribution of such products.

·

Collaborators may not properly maintain or defend our intellectual property rights or may use our proprietary information in such a way as to invite litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our proprietary information or expose us to potential litigation.

·

Disputes may arise between the collaborators and us that result in the delay or termination of the research, development or commercialization of our product and product candidates or that result in costly litigation or arbitration that diverts management attention and resources.

·

We may lose certain valuable rights under circumstances specified in our collaborations.

·

Collaborations may be terminated and, if terminated, may result in a need for additional capital to pursue further development or commercialization of the applicable product or product candidates.

·

Collaboration agreements may not lead to development or commercialization of products or product candidates in the most efficient manner or at all. If a future collaborator of ours were to be involved in a business combination, the continued pursuit and emphasis on our product development or commercialization program under such collaboration could be delayed, diminished or terminated.

We may rely on collaborators to market and commercialize Xtampza and, if approved, our product candidates, who may fail to effectively commercialize our products.

We may utilize strategic collaborators or contract sales forces, where appropriate, to assist in the commercialization of Xtampza and our product candidates, if approved by the FDA. We currently possess limited resources and may not be successful in establishing collaborations or co-promotion arrangements on acceptable terms, if at all. We also face competition in our search for collaborators and co-promoters. If we enter into strategic collaborations or similar arrangements, we will rely on third parties for financial resources and for development, commercialization, sales and marketing and regulatory expertise. Our collaborators, if any, may fail to develop or effectively commercialize our products and product candidates because they cannot obtain the necessary regulatory approvals, they lack adequate financial or other resources or they decide to focus on other initiatives. Any failure of our third-party collaborators to successfully market and commercialize our product and product candidates would diminish our revenues.

Manufacturing issues may arise that could increase product and regulatory approval costs, delay commercialization or limit commercial supply.

As we scale up manufacturing of our products and product candidates and conduct required stability testing, we may encounter product, packaging, equipment and process-related issues that may require refinement or resolution in order to

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proceed with our planned clinical trials, obtain regulatory approval for commercial marketing and build commercial supplies. In the future, we may identify impurities, which could result in increased scrutiny by regulatory authorities, delays in our clinical programs and regulatory approval, increases in our operating expenses, failure to obtain or maintain approval or limitations in our commercial supply.

Our Customer concentration may materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

A significant percentage of our product shipments are to a limited number of independent wholesale drug distributors. Three of our wholesale distributors represented 35%, 28% and 27% of our product shipments for the year ended December 31, 2016. If we were to lose the business of one or more of these distributors, or if any of these distributors failed to fulfill their obligations or refused or experienced difficulty in paying us on a timely basis, or negotiated larger discounts, it would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Business and Strategy

We face substantial competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products before or more successfully than we do.

The biopharmaceutical industry is intensely competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological change. In addition, the competition in the pain and opioid market is intense. We have competitors both in the United States and internationally, including major multinational pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies and universities and other research institutions.

We face and will continue to face competition from other companies in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Xtampza and our product candidates, if approved, will compete with currently marketed oral opioids, transdermal opioids, local anesthetic patches, stimulants and implantable and external infusion pumps that can be used for infusion of opioids and local anesthetics. Products of these types are marketed by Actavis, Depomed, Egalet, Endo, Mallinckrodt, Pernix, Pfizer, Purdue, Teva, and others. Some of these current and potential future competitors may be addressing the same therapeutic areas or indications as we are. Many of our current and potential future competitors have significantly greater research and development capabilities than we do, have substantially more marketing, manufacturing, financial, technical, human and managerial resources than we do, and have more institutional experience than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries may result in even more resources being concentrated in our competitors.

As a result of these factors, our competitors may obtain regulatory approval of their products more rapidly than we are able to or may obtain patent protection or other intellectual property rights that allow them to develop and commercialize their products before us and limit our ability to develop or commercialize our product and product candidates. Our competitors may also develop drugs that are safer, more effective, more widely used and less costly than ours, and they may also be more successful than us in manufacturing and marketing their products.

Furthermore, if the FDA approves a competitor’s 505(b)(2) application for a drug candidate before our application for a similar drug candidate and grants the competitor a period of exclusivity, the FDA may take the position that it cannot approve our NDA for a similar drug candidate. For example, several competitors have developed extended-release hydrocodone products, and if the FDA grants exclusivity, we could be subject to a delay that would dramatically reduce the expected market penetration for our hydrocodone product candidate. Additionally, even if our 505(b)(2) application is approved for marketing, we may still be subject to competition from other hydrocodone products, including approved products or other approved 505(b)(2) NDAs for different conditions of use that would not be restricted by any grant of exclusivity to us.

In addition, competitors have developed or are in the process of developing technologies that are, or in the future may be, the basis for competitive products. Some of these products may have an entirely different approach or means of accomplishing similar therapeutic effects than our product candidates. Our competitors may develop products that are

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safer, more effective or less costly than our product candidates and, therefore, present a serious competitive threat to our product offerings.

The widespread acceptance of currently available therapies with which our product and product candidates, if approved, compete may limit market acceptance of our product and product candidates even if commercialized. Oral medications, transdermal drug delivery systems, such as drug patches, injectable products and implantable drug delivery devices are currently available treatments for chronic pain, are widely accepted in the medical community and have a long history of use. These treatments will compete with our product and product candidates, if approved, and the established use of these competitive products may limit the potential for our product and product candidates to receive widespread acceptance if commercialized.

The use of legal and regulatory strategies by competitors with innovator products, including the filing of citizen petitions, may delay or prevent the introduction or approval of our product candidates, increase our costs associated with the introduction or marketing of our products, or significantly reduce the profit potential of our product candidates.

Companies with innovator drugs often pursue strategies that may serve to prevent or delay competition from alternatives to their innovator products. These strategies include, but are not limited to:

·

filing “citizen petitions” with the FDA that may delay competition by causing delays of our product approvals;

·

seeking to establish regulatory and legal obstacles that would make it more difficult to demonstrate a product’s bioequivalence or “sameness” to the related innovator product;

·

filing suits for patent infringement that automatically delay FDA approval of products seeking approval based on the Section 505(b)(2) pathway;

·

obtaining extensions of market exclusivity by conducting clinical trials of innovator drugs in pediatric populations or by other methods;

·

persuading the FDA to withdraw the approval of innovator drugs for which the patents are about to expire, thus allowing the innovator company to develop and launch new patented products serving as substitutes for the withdrawn products;

·

seeking to obtain new patents on drugs for which patent protection is about to expire; and

·

initiating legislative and administrative efforts in various states to limit the substitution of innovator products by pharmacies.

These strategies could delay, reduce or eliminate our entry into the market and our ability to generate revenues from our product and product candidates.

Our future success depends on our ability to retain our key personnel.

We are highly dependent upon the services of our key personnel, including our President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael T. Heffernan, our Chief Financial Officer, Paul Brannelly, our Chief Operating Officer, Joseph Ciaffoni and our Chief Technology Officer, Alison Fleming, PhD. Each employee is employed by us at will and is permitted to terminate his or her employment with us at any time pursuant to the terms of his employment agreement. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any of our executives or other employees. The loss of the services of Mr. Heffernan, Mr. Brannelly, Mr. Ciaffoni or Dr. Fleming could impede the achievement of our development and commercialization objectives.

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If we are unable to attract and retain highly qualified scientific and technical employees, we may not be able to grow effectively.

Our future growth and success depend on our ability to recruit, retain, manage and motivate our scientific, clinical, manufacturing and commercial employees. The loss of any member of our senior management team or the inability to hire or retain experienced management personnel could compromise our ability to execute our business plan and harm our operating results. Because of the specialized scientific nature of our business, we rely heavily on our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel. The competition for qualified personnel in the pharmaceutical field is intense, and as a result, we may be unable to continue to attract and retain qualified personnel necessary for the development of our business or to recruit suitable replacement personnel.

We will need to grow the size of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth.

We have experienced a period of rapid growth. Our management, personnel and systems may not be adequate to support this and future growth. We may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations, which may result in weaknesses in our infrastructure, give rise to operational mistakes, loss of business opportunities, loss of employees and reduced productivity among remaining employees. Future growth could require significant capital expenditures and may divert financial resources from other projects, such as the development of our existing or future product candidates. Future growth would impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including:

·

managing the commercialization of any FDA-approved products;

·

overseeing clinical trials effectively;

·

identifying, recruiting, maintaining, motivating and integrating additional employees, including any sales and marketing personnel engaged in connection with the commercialization of any approved product;

·

managing our internal development efforts effectively while complying with our contractual obligations to licensors, licensees, contractors and other third parties;

·

improving our managerial, development, operational and financial systems and procedures; and

·

developing our compliance infrastructure and processes to ensure compliance with regulations applicable to public companies.

As our operations expand, we will need to manage additional relationships with various strategic collaborators, suppliers and other third parties. Our future financial performance and our ability to commercialize our product and product candidates and to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to manage any future growth effectively. To that end, we must be able to manage our development efforts and clinical trials effectively and hire, train and integrate additional management, administrative and sales and marketing personnel. We may not be able to accomplish these tasks, and our failure to accomplish any of them could prevent us from successfully growing our company.

We may acquire other assets or businesses, or form collaborations or make investments in other companies or technologies, that could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, dilute our shareholders’ ownership, increase our debt or cause us to incur significant expense.

As part of our business strategy, we may pursue acquisitions of assets, including preclinical, clinical or commercial stage products or product candidates, businesses or strategic alliances and collaborations, to expand our existing technologies and operations. We may not identify or complete these transactions in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis, or at all, and we may not realize the anticipated benefits of any such transaction, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We have limited experience with acquiring other companies, products or product candidates, and limited experience with forming strategic alliances and collaborations. We may not find suitable acquisition candidates, and if we make an acquisition, we may not integrate the acquisition

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successfully into our existing business and we may incur additional debt or assume unknown or contingent liabilities in connection therewith. Integration of an acquired company or assets may also disrupt ongoing operations, require the hiring of additional personnel and the implementation of additional internal systems and infrastructure, especially the acquisition of commercial assets, and require management resources that would otherwise focus on developing our existing business. We may not be able to find suitable strategic alliance or collaborators or identify other investment opportunities, and we may experience losses related to any such investments.

To finance any acquisitions or collaborations, we may choose to issue debt or shares of our common or preferred stock as consideration. Any such issuance of shares would dilute the ownership of our shareholders. If the price of our common stock is low or volatile, we may not be able to acquire other assets or companies or fund a transaction using our stock as consideration. Alternatively, it may be necessary for us to raise additional funds for acquisitions through public or private financings. Additional funds may not be available on terms that are favorable to us, or at all.

Our employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, CROs, consultants and vendors may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements, which could cause significant liability for us and harm our reputation.

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, CROs, consultants and vendors may engage in fraudulent conduct or other illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless and/or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates:

·

FDA, DEA or similar regulations of foreign regulatory authorities, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to such authorities;

·

manufacturing standards;

·

federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations and similar laws and regulations established and enforced by foreign regulatory authorities; or

·

laws that require the reporting of financial information or data accurately.

In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Activities subject to these laws also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. We have adopted a Code of Ethics, but it is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with such laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment of our operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.

Our relationships with customers and payors are subject to applicable anti-kickback, fraud and abuse, transparency, and other healthcare laws and regulations, which could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, exclusion from government healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, administrative burdens, and diminished profits and future earnings.

Healthcare providers, physicians and payors play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of Xtampza and any product candidates for which we may obtain marketing approval. Our future arrangements with payors and

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customers may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we market, sell and distribute Xtampza and any product candidates for which we may obtain marketing approval. Even though we do not and will not control referrals of healthcare services or bill directly to Medicare, Medicaid or other third-party payors, federal and state healthcare laws and regulations pertaining to fraud and abuse and patients’ rights are and will be applicable to our business. Restrictions under applicable federal, state and foreign healthcare laws and regulations may affect our ability to operate and expose us to areas of risk, including:

·

the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, any good or service, for which payment may be made under federal and state healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation;

·

the federal False Claims Act, which imposes criminal and civil penalties, including through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, against individuals or entities for knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items and services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act;

·

the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, which imposes criminal and civil liability for executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or making false statements relating to healthcare matters. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute to defraud any healthcare benefit program or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation;

·

HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH, and its implementing regulations, which also imposes obligations on certain covered entity healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses as well as their business associates that perform certain services involving the use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information, including mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information;

·

federal laws requiring drug manufacturers to report annually information related to certain payments and other transfers of value made to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors) and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership or investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members, including under the federal Open Payments program, commonly known as the Sunshine Act, as well as other state and foreign laws regulating marketing activities and requiring manufacturers to report marketing expenditures, payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers;

·

federal government price reporting laws, which require us to calculate and report complex pricing metrics to government programs, where such reported prices may be used in the calculation of reimbursement and/or discounts on our marketed drugs. Participation in these programs and compliance with the applicable requirements may subject us to potentially significant discounts on our products, increased infrastructure costs, potential liability for the failure to report such prices in an accurate and timely manner, and potentially limit our ability to offer certain marketplace discounts; and

·

state and foreign equivalents of each of the above laws, including state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental payors, including private insurers; state laws which require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government or otherwise restricting payments that may be

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made to healthcare providers; and state and foreign laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.

While we do not submit claims and our customers will make the ultimate decision on how to submit claims, we may provide reimbursement guidance and support regarding our products to our customers and patients. If a government authority were to conclude that we provided improper advice to our customers and/or encouraged the submission of false claims for reimbursement, we could face action by government authorities. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. Nonetheless, it is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations.

If we fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur significant costs.

In connection with our research and development activities and our manufacture of materials and products and product candidates, we are subject to federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations and policies governing the use, generation, manufacture, storage, air emission, effluent discharge, handling and disposal of certain materials, biological specimens and wastes. Although we believe that we have complied with the applicable laws, regulations and policies in all material respects and have not been required to correct any material noncompliance, we may be required to incur significant costs to comply with environmental and health and safety regulations in the future. Current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.

Our research and development involves the use, generation and disposal of hazardous materials, including chemicals, solvents, agents and biohazardous materials. Although we believe that our safety procedures for storing, handling and disposing of such materials comply with the standards prescribed by state and federal regulations, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials. We currently contract with third parties to dispose of these substances that we generate, and we rely on these third parties to properly dispose of these substances in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from these materials. If these third parties do not properly dispose of these substances in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, we may be subject to legal action by governmental agencies or private parties for improper disposal of these substances. The costs of defending such actions and the potential liability resulting from such actions are often very large. In the event we are subject to such legal action or we otherwise fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing the use, generation and disposal of hazardous materials and chemicals, we could be held liable for any damages that result, and any such liability could exceed our resources.

Although we maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. We maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims, but we may not continue to maintain such insurance in the future, and such insurance, to the extent maintained, may not be adequate to cover liabilities that may be asserted against us in connection with our storage or disposal of biological, hazardous or radioactive materials.

Our business and operations would suffer in the event of computer system failures, accidents or security breaches.

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems, and those of our CROs, contract manufacturing organization, or CMO, and other third parties on which we rely, are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. System failures, accidents or security breaches could cause interruptions in our operations, and could result in a material disruption of our commercial and clinical activities and business operations, in addition to possibly requiring substantial expenditures of resources to remedy. If such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could

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result in a material disruption of our commercialization and drug development programs. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or ongoing clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach was to result in a loss of or damage to our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development of our product candidates could be delayed.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

The price of our common stock may be volatile and you may lose all or part of your investment.

The market price of our common stock is highly volatile and may be subject to wide fluctuations in response to numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control. In addition to the factors discussed in these Risk Factors, these factors include:

·

the success of competitive products or technologies;

·

regulatory actions with respect to our product and product candidates or our competitors’ products or product candidates;

·

actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;

·

the outcome of any patent infringement or other litigation that may be brought against us, including the ongoing Purdue litigation;

·

announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic collaborations, joint ventures, collaborations or capital commitments;

·

results of clinical trials of our product and product candidates or those of our competitors;

·

regulatory or legal developments in the United States and other countries;

·

developments or disputes concerning patent applications, issued patents or other proprietary rights;

·

the recruitment or departure of key personnel;

·

the level of expenses related to our product and product candidates or clinical development programs;

·

actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results;

·

the number and characteristics of our efforts to in-license or acquire additional product candidates or products;

·

introduction of new products or services by us or our competitors;

·

failure to meet the estimates and projections of the investment community or that we may otherwise provide to the public;

·

actual or anticipated changes in estimates as to financial results, development timelines or recommendations by securities analysts;

·

variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;

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·

fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;

·

share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares;

·

announcement or expectation of additional financing efforts;

·

sales of our common stock by us, our insiders or our other shareholders;

·

changes in accounting practices;

·

significant lawsuits, including patent or shareholder litigation;

·

changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;

·

market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;

·

general economic, industry and market conditions;

·

publication of research reports about us, our competitors or our industry, or positive or negative recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage by securities or industry analysts; and

·

other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control.

In addition, the stock market in general, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. Broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. The realization of any of the above risks or any of a broad range of other risks stated above could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

As we operate in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, we are especially vulnerable to these factors to the extent that they affect our industry or our products. In the past, securities class action litigation has often been initiated against companies following periods of volatility in their stock price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, and could also require us to make substantial payments to satisfy judgments or to settle litigation.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause our stock price to fall.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. As of December 31, 2016, holders of an aggregate of approximately 6.3 million shares of our common stock have rights, subject to certain conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other shareholders. Once we register these shares, they can be freely sold in the public market, subject to volume limitations applicable to affiliates.

Actual or potential sales of our common stock by our directors or employees, including our executive officers, pursuant to pre-arranged stock trading plans could cause our stock price to fall or prevent it from increasing for numerous reasons, and actual or potential sales by such persons could be viewed negatively by investors.

In accordance with the guidelines specified under Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act and our policies regarding stock transactions, our directors and employees, including our executive officers, could adopt stock trading plans pursuant to which they may sell shares of our common stock from time to time in the future. Generally, sales under such plans by our executive officers and directors require public filings. Actual or potential sales of our common stock by such persons

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could cause our common stock to fall or prevent it from increasing for numerous reasons. For example, a substantial number of shares of our common stock becoming available (or being perceived to become available) for sale in the public market could cause the market price of our common stock to fall or prevent it from increasing. Also, actual or potential sales by such persons could be viewed negatively by investors.

Future issuances of our common stock or rights to purchase common stock, including pursuant to our equity incentive plans, could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our shareholders and could cause our stock price to fall.

We expect that significant additional capital will be needed in the future to continue our planned operations. To raise capital, we may sell substantial amounts of common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stock. These future issuances of common stock or common stock-related securities, together with the exercise of outstanding options and any additional shares issued in connection with acquisitions, if any, may result in material dilution to our investors. Such sales may also result in material dilution to our existing shareholders, and new investors could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock.

Our principal shareholders and management own a majority of our stock and have the ability to exert significant control over matters subject to shareholder approval.

As of December 31, 2016, our executive officers, directors, holders of 5% or more of our capital stock and their respective affiliates beneficially owned a majority of our voting stock, including shares subject to outstanding options and warrants. As a result, if these shareholders were to choose to act together, they would be able to significantly influence the outcome of all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, or approval of any merger, sale of assets or other major corporate transaction. This may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that you may feel are in your best interest. The interests of this group of shareholders may not always coincide with your interests or the interests of other shareholders and they may act in a manner that advances their best interests and not necessarily those of other shareholders, including seeking a premium value for their common stock, and might affect the prevailing market price for our common stock. Such concentration of ownership control may:

·

delay, defer or prevent a change in control;

·

entrench our management and/or the board of directors; or

·

impede a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us that other shareholders may desire.

In addition, persons associated with Longitude Capital Partners, LLC and Skyline Venture Partners V, L.P. currently serve on our board of directors. The interests of Longitude Capital Partners, LLC and Skyline Venture Partners V, L.P. may not always coincide with the interests of the other shareholders, and the concentration of control in Longitude Capital Partners, LLC and Skyline Venture Partners V, L.P. limits other shareholders’ ability to influence corporate matters. We may also take actions that our other shareholders do not view as beneficial, which may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition and cause a decline in our stock price.

We are subject to anti-takeover provisions in our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and under Virginia law that could delay or prevent an acquisition of our company, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders.

Certain provisions of Virginia law, the state in which we are incorporated, and our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could hamper a third party’s acquisition of us, or discourage a third party from attempting to acquire control of us. These provisions include:

·

a provision allowing our board of directors to set the terms of and issue preferred stock with rights senior to those of the common stock without any vote or action by the holders of our common stock. The issuance of

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preferred stock could adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the holders of common stock;

·

advance written notice procedures and notice requirements with respect to shareholder proposals and shareholder nomination of candidates for election as directors;

·

a provision that only the board of directors, the chairman of the board of directors or the president may call a special meeting of the shareholders;

·

the application of Virginia law prohibiting us from entering into certain transactions with the beneficial owner of more than 10 percent of our outstanding voting stock for a period of three years after such person first reached that level of stock ownership, unless certain conditions are met;

·

a provision dividing our board of directors into three classes, each serving three-year terms;

·

the requirement that the authorized number of our directors be changed only by resolution of our board of directors;

·

a provision that our board of directors shall fill any vacancies on our board of directors, including vacancies resulting from a board of directors’ resolution to increase the number of directors;

·

limitations on the manner in which shareholders can remove directors from the board of directors;

·

the lack of cumulative voting in the election of directors; and

·

the prohibition on shareholders acting by less-than-unanimous written consent.

These provisions also could limit the price that certain investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. In addition, these provisions make it more difficult for our shareholders to remove our board of directors or management or elect new directors to our board of directors.

We may fail to qualify for continued listing on The NASDAQ Global Select Market which could make it more difficult for investors to sell their shares.

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”). As a NASDAQ listed company, we are required to satisfy the continued listing requirements of NASDAQ for inclusion in the Global Select Market to maintain such listing, including, among other things, the maintenance of a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share and shareholders’ equity of at least $10.0 million. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain compliance with the continued listing requirements or that our common stock will not be delisted from NASDAQ in the future. If our common stock is delisted by NASDAQ, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

·

a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

·

reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;

·

a determination that our shares are a “penny stock,” which will require brokers trading in our shares to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our shares;

·

a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company; and

·

a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

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If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.

We are an “emerging growth company” and we intend to take advantage of reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could result in our common stock being less attractive to investors and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our shares of common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and may remain an emerging growth company for up to five years. For so long as we remain an emerging growth company, we are permitted and intend to rely on certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies, but not to emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, an exemption from the auditor attestation requirement of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure about executive compensation arrangements pursuant to the rules applicable to smaller reporting companies and no requirement to seek non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) December 31, 2020, (ii) the first fiscal year after our annual gross revenue are $1.0 billion or more, (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities or (iv) the end of any fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700 million as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. An emerging growth company can therefore delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. However, we are choosing to “opt out” of such extended transition period and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that our decision to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable.

We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive as a result of our taking advantage of these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result of our choices, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

If investors find our common stock less attractive as a result of our reduced reporting requirements, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile. We may also be unable to raise additional capital as and when we need it.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting. Commencing with our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, we are required, under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This assessment must include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that results in more than a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also generally requires an attestation from our

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independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.

Our compliance with Section 404 will require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts. We currently do not have an internal audit group, and we will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge, and compile the system and process documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. We may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion, which could potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. We cannot assure you that there will not be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting once that firm begin its reviews, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by NASDAQ, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

We are subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to reasonably assure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met.

These inherent limitations reflect the reality that judgments can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

The exercise of options and warrants and other issuances of shares of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of common stock will dilute your ownership interests and may adversely affect the future market price of our common stock.

Sales of our common stock in the public market, either by us or by our current shareholders, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause a decline in the market price of our securities. All of the shares of our common stock held by those of our current shareholders may be immediately eligible for resale in the open market either in compliance with an exemption under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, or pursuant to an effective resale registration statement that we have previously filed with the SEC. Such sales, along with any other market transactions, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

In addition, as of June 30, 2017, there were (a) outstanding options to purchase an aggregate of 3,124,039 shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $13.11 per share, of which options to purchase 862,296 shares of our common stock were then exercisable, and (b) 2,445 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase common stock at a weighted-average exercise price of $12.27 per share. The exercise of options and warrants at prices below the market price of our common stock could adversely affect the price of shares of our common

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stock. Additional dilution may result from the issuance of shares of our common stock in connection with collaborations or manufacturing arrangements or in connection with other financing efforts. 

Any issuance of our common stock that is not made solely to then-existing shareholders proportionate to their interests, such as in the case of a stock dividend or stock split, will result in dilution to each shareholder by reducing his, her or its percentage ownership of the total outstanding shares. Moreover, if we issue options or warrants to purchase our common stock in the future and those options or warrants are exercised you may experience further dilution. Holders of shares of our common stock have no preemptive rights that entitle them to purchase their pro rata share of any offering of shares of any class or series.

We have broad discretion in the use of our cash and cash equivalents, and, despite our efforts, we may use them in a manner that does not increase the value of your investment.

We have broad discretion in the use of our cash and cash equivalents, and investors must rely on the judgment of our management regarding the use of our cash and cash equivalents. Our management may not use cash and cash equivalents in ways that ultimately increase the value of our common stock. Our failure to use our cash and cash equivalents effectively could result in financial losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, cause the price of our common stock to decline and delay the commercialization or development of our product and product candidates. We may invest our cash and cash equivalents in short-term or long-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities. These investments may not yield favorable returns. If we do not invest or apply our cash and cash equivalents in ways that enhance shareholder value, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline.

Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gain.

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business and do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. In addition, the terms of any future debt agreements may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our capital stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

 

 

Item 2.  Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.

 

 

RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES

 

There were no unregistered sales of equity securities during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

 

PURCHASE OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

We did not purchase any of our registered equity securities during the quarter covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 3.  Defaults Upon Senior Securities.

 

None.

 

 

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Item 4.  Mine Safety Disclosures.

 

Not applicable.

 

 

Item 5.  Other Information.

 

Not applicable.

 

 

Item 6.  Exhibits.

 

The exhibits filed as part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are set forth on the Exhibit Index, which Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.

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SIGNATURES

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

COLLEGIUM PHARMACEUTICAL, INC.

 

 

 

Date: August 9, 2017

By:

/s/ MICHAEL HEFFERNAN

 

 

Michael Heffernan

 

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

(Principal executive officer)

 

 

 

Date: August 9, 2017

By:

/s/ PAUL BRANNELLY

 

 

Paul Brannelly

 

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

(Principal financial and accounting officer)

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10.1

 

Employment Agreement dated May 31, 2017, by and between Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. and Joseph Ciaffoni.(1)

31.1

 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rules 13a- 14(a) or 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith).

31.2

 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rules 13a- 14(a) or 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith).

32.1

 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (furnished herewith).

32.2

 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (furnished herewith).

101.INS

 

XBRL Instance Document

101.SCH

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.DEF

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

101.LAB

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

101.PRE

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

 

(1) Previously filed as an exhibit to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on May 31, 2017.

 

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coll_Ex31_1

Exhibit 31.1

 

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER PURSUANT

TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

I, Michael T. Heffernan, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

/s/ MICHAEL T. HEFFERNAN

 

 

 

Michael Heffernan

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Date: August 9, 2017


coll_Ex31_2

Exhibit 31.2

 

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PURSUANT

TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

I, Paul Brannelly, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

/s/ PAUL BRANNELLY

 

 

 

Paul Brannelly

 

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: August 9, 2017 


coll_Ex32_1

Exhibit 32.1

 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. (the “Company”) for the period ended June 30, 2017 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), the undersigned, Michael T. Heffernan, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to his knowledge:

 

(1)

the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

 

(2)

the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

 

/s/ MICHAEL T. HEFFERNAN

 

 

 

Michael Heffernan

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Date: August 9, 2017

 


coll_Ex32_2

Exhibit 32.2

 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. (the “Company”) for the period ended June 30, 2017 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), the undersigned, Paul Brannelly, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to his knowledge:

 

(1)

the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

 

(2)

the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

 

/s/ PAUL BRANNELLY

 

 

 

Paul Brannelly

 

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: August 9, 2017