UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

 

 

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

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 20202021

OR

 

 

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

Commission File Number 001-35892

 

 

GW PHARMACEUTICALS PLC

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

England and Wales

 

Not Applicable

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

 

 

Sovereign House, Vision Park
Chivers Way, Histon
Cambridge, CB24 9BZ
United Kingdom

 

+44 1223 266800

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

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

 

Title of each class

 

Trading Symbol

 

Name of exchange on which registered

American Depositary Shares, each representing 12 Ordinary Shares, par value £0.001 per share

 

GWPH

 

The Nasdaq Global Market

 

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 every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes   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 the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer

 

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

 

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 April 30, 2020, 372,956,372 shares23, 2021, 378,535,952 Ordinary Shares were outstanding including 360,528,468 shares368,966,160 Ordinary Shares held as American Depositary Shares, each representing twelve Ordinary Shares, par value of £0.001 per share and 12,427,9049,569,792 Ordinary Shares.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

 

 

 

Page

PART I.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

1

Item 1.

Financial Statements (Unaudited)

1

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 20202021 and December 31, 20192020

1

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 and 20192020

2

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 and 20192020

3

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 and 20192020

4

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 and 20192020

5

 

Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

6

Item 2.

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

1415

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

2122

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

2223

 

 

 

PART II.

OTHER INFORMATION

2324

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

2324

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

2324

Item 6.

Exhibits

2926

Signatures

3027

 

 

 

 


PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

GW PHARMACEUTICALS PLC

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share data)

(unaudited)

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

500,935

 

 

$

536,933

 

 

$

458,101

 

 

$

486,752

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

62,209

 

 

 

48,883

 

 

 

84,947

 

 

 

71,168

 

Inventory

 

 

89,056

 

 

 

85,528

 

 

 

137,627

 

 

 

129,138

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

20,546

 

 

 

28,292

 

 

 

38,058

 

 

 

42,472

 

Total current assets

 

 

672,746

 

 

 

699,636

 

 

 

718,733

 

 

 

729,530

 

Property, plant, and equipment, net

 

 

122,882

 

 

 

127,765

 

 

 

149,591

 

 

 

143,767

 

Operating lease assets

 

 

23,199

 

 

 

24,916

 

 

 

24,036

 

 

 

25,118

 

Intangible assets

 

 

5,951

 

 

 

 

Intangible assets, net

 

 

5,271

 

 

 

5,565

 

Goodwill

 

 

6,959

 

 

 

6,959

 

 

 

6,959

 

 

 

6,959

 

Deferred tax assets

 

 

18,123

 

 

 

18,123

 

 

 

20,775

 

 

 

20,777

 

Other assets

 

 

4,517

 

 

 

4,850

 

 

 

8,978

 

 

 

7,795

 

Total assets

 

$

854,377

 

 

$

882,249

 

 

$

934,343

 

 

$

939,511

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

18,345

 

 

$

9,990

 

 

$

16,672

 

 

$

21,870

 

Accrued liabilities

 

 

77,479

 

 

 

99,374

 

 

 

136,101

 

 

 

127,849

 

Current tax liabilities

 

 

998

 

 

 

437

 

 

 

420

 

 

 

877

 

Other current liabilities

 

 

6,650

 

 

 

7,760

 

 

 

7,053

 

 

 

9,210

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

103,472

 

 

 

117,561

 

 

 

160,246

 

 

 

159,806

 

Long-term liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finance lease liabilities

 

 

5,157

 

 

 

5,573

 

 

 

5,413

 

 

 

5,454

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

 

20,028

 

 

 

21,650

 

 

 

21,373

 

 

 

22,127

 

Other liabilities

 

 

10,715

 

 

 

11,431

 

 

 

10,938

 

 

 

11,034

 

Total long-term liabilities

 

 

35,900

 

 

 

38,654

 

 

 

37,724

 

 

 

38,615

 

Total liabilities

 

 

139,372

 

 

 

156,215

 

 

 

197,970

 

 

 

198,421

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock - Ordinary shares par value £0.001;

372,562,088 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2020;

371,068,436 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2019

 

 

573

 

 

 

570

 

Ordinary shares par value £0.001;

378,505,496 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2021;

375,196,172 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2020

 

 

583

 

 

 

577

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

1,643,407

 

 

 

1,632,046

 

 

 

1,702,578

 

 

 

1,690,151

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(845,924

)

 

 

(837,959

)

 

 

(915,764

)

 

 

(896,087

)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

 

(83,051

)

 

 

(68,623

)

 

 

(51,024

)

 

 

(53,551

)

Total stockholders’ equity

 

 

715,005

 

 

 

726,034

 

 

 

736,373

 

 

 

741,090

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

$

854,377

 

 

$

882,249

 

 

$

934,343

 

 

$

939,511

 

 

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements.

1


GW PHARMACEUTICALS PLC

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product net sales

 

$

120,532

 

 

$

38,974

 

 

$

152,443

 

 

$

120,532

 

Other revenue

 

 

101

 

 

 

273

 

 

 

23

 

 

 

101

 

Total revenues

 

 

120,633

 

 

 

39,247

 

 

 

152,466

 

 

 

120,633

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of product sales

 

 

10,769

 

 

 

5,131

 

 

 

11,807

 

 

 

10,769

 

Research and development

 

 

45,874

 

 

 

30,375

 

 

 

60,634

 

 

 

45,874

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

 

71,183

 

 

 

55,078

 

 

 

101,052

 

 

 

71,183

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

127,826

 

 

 

90,584

 

 

 

173,493

 

 

 

127,826

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(7,193

)

 

 

(51,337

)

 

 

(21,027

)

 

 

(7,193

)

Interest income

 

 

1,269

 

 

 

2,087

 

 

 

146

 

 

 

1,269

 

Interest expense

 

 

(284

)

 

 

(265

)

 

 

(286

)

 

 

(284

)

Foreign exchange loss

 

 

(20

)

 

 

(1,114

)

 

 

(573

)

 

 

(20

)

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(6,228

)

 

 

(50,629

)

 

 

(21,740

)

 

 

(6,228

)

Income tax expense (benefit)

 

 

1,737

 

 

 

(565

)

Income tax (benefit) expense

 

 

(2,063

)

 

 

1,737

 

Net loss

 

$

(7,965

)

 

$

(50,064

)

 

$

(19,677

)

 

$

(7,965

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

(0.02

)

 

$

(0.14

)

 

$

(0.05

)

 

$

(0.02

)

Diluted

 

$

(0.02

)

 

$

(0.14

)

 

$

(0.05

)

 

$

(0.02

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average shares outstanding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

373,831

 

 

 

369,823

 

 

 

378,566

 

 

 

373,831

 

Diluted

 

 

373,831

 

 

 

369,823

 

 

 

378,566

 

 

 

373,831

 

 

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements.

2


GW PHARMACEUTICALS PLC

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Net loss

 

$

(7,965

)

 

$

(50,064

)

 

$

(19,677

)

 

$

(7,965

)

Foreign currency translation adjustments

 

 

(14,428

)

 

 

3,798

 

 

 

2,527

 

 

 

(14,428

)

Comprehensive loss

 

$

(22,393

)

 

$

(46,266

)

 

$

(17,150

)

 

$

(22,393

)

 

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements.

3


GW PHARMACEUTICALS PLC

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other

 

 

Total

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Paid-in

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

Comprehensive

 

 

Stockholders'

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Paid-in

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

Comprehensive

 

 

Stockholders'

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Capital

 

 

Deficit

 

 

Loss

 

 

Equity

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Capital

 

 

Deficit

 

 

Loss

 

 

Equity

 

Balances at December 31, 2019

 

 

371,069

 

 

$

570

 

 

$

1,632,046

 

 

$

(837,959

)

 

$

(68,623

)

 

$

726,034

 

Balances at December 31, 2020

 

 

375,196

 

 

$

577

 

 

$

1,690,151

 

 

$

(896,087

)

 

$

(53,551

)

 

$

741,090

 

Issuance of common stock from exercise of

stock options

 

 

1,493

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

3,309

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

2,324

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,330

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7,965

)

 

 

 

 

 

(7,965

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(19,677

)

 

 

 

 

 

(19,677

)

Common stock withheld for employee tax

obligations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7,685

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7,685

)

Share-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,361

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,361

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17,788

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17,788

 

Other comprehensive loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(14,428

)

 

 

(14,428

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,527

 

 

 

2,527

 

Balances at March 31, 2020

 

 

372,562

 

 

$

573

 

 

$

1,643,407

 

 

$

(845,924

)

 

$

(83,051

)

 

$

715,005

 

Balances at March 31, 2021

 

 

378,505

 

 

$

583

 

 

$

1,702,578

 

 

$

(915,764

)

 

$

(51,024

)

 

$

736,373

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other

 

 

Total

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Paid-in

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

Comprehensive

 

 

Stockholders'

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Paid-in

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

Comprehensive

 

 

Stockholders'

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Capital

 

 

Deficit

 

 

Loss

 

 

Equity

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Capital

 

 

Deficit

 

 

Loss

 

 

Equity

 

Balances at December 31, 2018

 

 

366,617

 

 

$

564

 

 

$

1,581,144

 

 

$

(828,940

)

 

$

(78,688

)

 

$

674,080

 

Balances at December 31, 2019

 

 

371,069

 

 

$

570

 

 

$

1,632,046

 

 

$

(837,959

)

 

$

(68,623

)

 

$

726,034

 

Issuance of common stock from exercise of

stock options

 

 

1,996

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

770

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

773

 

 

 

1,493

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(50,064

)

 

 

 

 

 

(50,064

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7,965

)

 

 

 

 

 

(7,965

)

Share-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,142

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,142

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,361

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,361

 

Other comprehensive income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,798

 

 

 

3,798

 

Balances at March 31, 2019

 

 

368,613

 

 

$

567

 

 

$

1,593,056

 

 

$

(879,004

)

 

$

(74,890

)

 

$

639,729

 

Other comprehensive loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(14,428

)

 

 

(14,428

)

Balances at March 31, 2020

 

 

372,562

 

 

$

573

 

 

$

1,643,407

 

 

$

(845,924

)

 

$

(83,051

)

 

$

715,005

 

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements.

4


GW PHARMACEUTICALS PLC

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Cash flows from operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(7,965

)

 

$

(50,064

)

 

$

(19,677

)

 

$

(7,965

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in

operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign exchange loss

 

 

60

 

 

 

797

 

 

 

543

 

 

 

60

 

Share-based compensation

 

 

11,361

 

 

 

11,142

 

 

 

17,788

 

 

 

11,361

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

2,656

 

 

 

2,417

 

 

 

3,849

 

 

 

2,656

 

Other

 

 

27

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

27

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

(13,630

)

 

 

(14,998

)

 

 

(13,803

)

 

 

(13,630

)

Inventory

 

 

(8,928

)

 

 

(14,295

)

 

 

(7,912

)

 

 

(8,928

)

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

5,377

 

 

 

(874

)

 

 

6,367

 

 

 

5,377

 

Other assets

 

 

885

 

 

 

659

 

 

 

993

 

 

 

885

 

Accounts payable

 

 

8,585

 

 

 

1,998

 

 

 

(3,887

)

 

 

8,585

 

Current tax liabilities

 

 

1,726

 

 

 

(654

)

 

 

(2,221

)

 

 

1,726

 

Accrued liabilities

 

 

(16,953

)

 

 

6,328

 

 

 

9,147

 

 

 

(16,953

)

Other liabilities

 

 

(1,799

)

 

 

(838

)

 

 

(2,910

)

 

 

(1,799

)

Net cash used in operating activities

 

 

(18,598

)

 

 

(58,382

)

 

 

(11,722

)

 

 

(18,598

)

Cash flows from investing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additions to property, plant and equipment

 

 

(6,361

)

 

 

(12,087

)

 

 

(7,936

)

 

 

(6,361

)

Additions to capitalized software

 

 

(535

)

 

 

(199

)

 

 

(2,889

)

 

 

(535

)

Additions to intangible assets

 

 

(6,404

)

 

 

 

Additions to intangible assets - licenses

 

 

 

 

 

(6,404

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(13,300

)

 

 

(12,286

)

 

 

(10,825

)

 

 

(13,300

)

Cash flows from financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

 

 

3

 

 

 

773

 

 

 

2,330

 

 

 

3

 

Payments in connection with common stock withheld for employee tax obligation

 

 

(7,685

)

 

 

 

Payments on finance leases

 

 

(73

)

 

 

(179

)

 

 

(85

)

 

 

(73

)

Payments on landlord financing obligation

 

 

(143

)

 

 

(138

)

 

 

(166

)

 

 

(143

)

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

 

 

(213

)

 

 

456

 

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(5,606

)

 

 

(213

)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

 

 

(3,887

)

 

 

384

 

 

 

(498

)

 

 

(3,887

)

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(35,998

)

 

 

(69,828

)

 

 

(28,651

)

 

 

(35,998

)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

 

536,933

 

 

 

591,497

 

 

 

486,752

 

 

 

536,933

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

500,935

 

 

$

521,669

 

 

$

458,101

 

 

$

500,935

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income taxes paid

 

 

10

 

 

 

88

 

 

 

119

 

 

 

10

 

Interest paid

 

 

285

 

 

 

265

 

 

 

286

 

 

 

285

 

Supplemental disclosure of noncash information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property and equipment purchases in accounts payable and accrued liabilities

 

 

1,661

 

 

 

714

 

 

 

408

 

 

 

1,661

 

Right-of-use asset obtained in exchange for operating liabilities

 

 

275

 

 

 

 

 

 

123

 

 

 

275

 

 

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements.

5


GW PHARMACEUTICALS PLC

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

Note 1: Business Overview

GW Pharmaceuticals plc and its subsidiaries (referred to herein as “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company”) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from our proprietary cannabinoid product platform in a broad range of disease areas. The Company is developing a portfolio of cannabinoid medicines, of which the lead product is Epidiolex®, an oral medicine for the treatment of certain refractory childhood epilepsies.

 

The Company is a public limited company, which has American Depository Shares (ADSs) registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and has been listed on Nasdaq since May 1, 2013. The Company’s ADSs each represent twelve ordinary shares of GW Pharmaceuticals plc. The Company is incorporated and domiciled in the United Kingdom. The address of the Company’s registered office and principal place of business is Sovereign House, Vision Park, Histon, Cambridgeshire.

On February 3, 2021, the Company entered into a transaction agreement (the Transaction Agreement) with Jazz Pharmaceuticals Public Limited Company, a public limited company incorporated in Ireland (Jazz), and Jazz Pharmaceuticals UK Holdings Limited, a private limited company incorporated in England and Wales and a wholly owned subsidiary of Jazz (Bidco), under which Bidco has agreed to acquire the entire issued and to be issued share capital of the Company by means of a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the U.K. Companies Act 2006, subject to the conditions described therein (the Scheme of Arrangement and such acquisition, the Transaction).  On April 23, 2021, the Company held a meeting of shareholders convened with the permission of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales (the Court Meeting) and a general meeting of shareholders (the General Meetingand, together with the Court Meeting, the Shareholder Meetings), in each case in connection with the Transaction. At the Shareholder Meetings, the proposals required to be approved by the Company’s shareholders in order to complete the Transaction were each approved. Completion of the Transaction remains subject to the sanction by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales (the Court) and other customary closing conditions. The Court hearing to sanction the Transaction is currently scheduled for May 5, 2021, and the completion of the Transaction is expected to occur shortly thereafter.

Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete annual financial statements. In the Company’s opinion, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s financial statements for interim periods.

The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 20192020 was derived from audited annual financial statements but does not include all annual disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. These interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 20192020 included in the Company’s Form 10-K. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year or any other future periods.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

6


Use of Estimates

The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

 

The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or indirectly impact our business, results of operations and financial condition, including sales, expenses, reserves and allowances, manufacturing, clinical trials, research and development costs and employee-related amounts, will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain, including as a result of new information that may emerge concerning COVID-19 and the actions taken to contain it or treat COVID-19, as well as the economic impact on local, regional, national and international customers and markets. We have made estimates of the impact of COVID-19 within our financial statements and there may be changes to those estimates in future periods. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

6


Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying values of the Company’s financial instruments, consisting of cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, interest and other receivables, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities, approximate fair value due to the relative short-term nature of these instruments.The Company’s foreign exchange derivatives are measured at fair value using observable market inputs such as forward exchange rates and are therefore classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are recorded net of customer allowances for prompt payment discounts, chargebacks, and doubtful accounts. Allowances for prompt payment discounts and chargebacks are based on contractual terms. The Company estimates the allowance for doubtful accounts based on existing contractual payment terms, actual payment patterns of its customers and individual customer circumstances. As of March 31, 2020,2021, the allowance for doubtful accounts was $0.2$0.8 million. At December 31, 2019,2020, the allowance for doubtful accounts was $0.3 million. NaN accounts were written off during the periods presented.

Inventory

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or estimated net realizable value. The Company uses a combination of standard and actual costing methodologies to determine the cost basis for its inventories which approximates actual cost. Inventory is valued on a first-in, first-out basis. The Company reduces its inventory to net realizable value for potentially excess, dated or obsolete inventory based on an analysis of forecasted demand compared to quantities on hand, as well as product shelf life.

Our inventory production process includes the cultivation of botanical raw material. Because of the duration of the cultivation process, a portion of our inventory will not be sold within one year. Consistent with the practice in other industries that cultivate botanical raw materials, all inventory is classified as a current asset.

The Company capitalizes inventory costs associated with its products upon regulatory approval when, based on management’s judgment, future commercialization is considered probable and the future economic benefit is expected to be realized; otherwise, such costs are expensed. Prior to FDA approval of Epidiolex, all costs related to the manufacturing of Epidiolex were charged to research and development expense in the period incurred.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the entity expectsis entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that an entity determines are within the scope of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), the entity performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that the entity will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods or services it transfers to the customer. At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of Topic 606, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract and determines those that are performance obligations and assesses whether each promised good or service

7


is distinct. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.

Revenue for the Company’s product sales has not been adjusted for the effects of a financing component as the Company expects, at contract inception, that the period between when the Company’s transfers control of the product and when the Company receives payment will be one year or less. Product shipping and handling costs are included in cost of product sales.

7


Epidiolex Product Net Sales

In the United States, the Company sells Epidiolex to specialty pharmacies (SPs) and specialty distributors (SDs). The Company recognizes revenue from product sales upon receipt of product at the SPs and SDs, the date at which the control is transferred, net of the following allowances which are reflected either as a reduction to the related account receivable or as an accrued liability, depending on how the allowance is settled:

Distribution Fees: Distribution fees include distribution service fees paid to the SPs and SDs based on a contractually fixed percentage of the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC), and prompt payment discounts. Distribution fees are recorded as an offset to revenue based on contractual terms at the time revenue from the sale is recognized.

Rebates: Allowances for rebates include mandated discounts under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, and contractual rebates with commercial payers. Rebates are amounts owed after the final dispensing of the product to a benefit plan participant and are based upon contractual agreements or statutory requirements. The allowance for rebates is based on contracted or statutory discount rates and expected utilization by benefit plan participants. The Company’s estimates for expected utilization of rebates is based on utilization data received from the SPs since product launch. Rebates are generally invoiced and paid in arrears so that the accrual balance consists of an estimate of the amount expected to be incurred for the current quarter’s activity, plus an accrual balance for prior quarters’ unpaid rebates. If actual future rebates vary from estimates, the Company may need to adjust prior period accruals, which would affect revenue in the period of adjustment.

Chargebacks: Chargebacks are discounts and fees that relate to contracts with government and other entities purchasing from the SDs at a discounted price. The SDs charge back to the Company the difference between the price initially paid by the SDs and the discounted price paid to the SDs by these entities. The Company also incurs group purchasing organization fees for transactions through certain purchasing organizations. The Company estimates sales with these entities and accrues for anticipated chargebacks and organization fees, based on the applicable contractual terms. If actual future chargebacks vary from these estimates, the Company may need to adjust prior period accruals, which would affect revenue in the period of adjustment.

Co-Payment Assistance: The Company offers co-payment assistance to commercially insured patients meeting certain eligibility requirements. Co-payment assistance is accrued for based on actual program participation and estimates of program redemption using data provided by third-party administrators.

Product Returns: Consistent with industry practice, the Company offers the SPs and SDs limited product return rights for damages, shipment errors, and expiring product, provided that the return is within a specified period around the product expiration date as set forth in the applicable individual distribution agreement. The Company does not allow product returns for product that has been dispensed to a patient. As the Company receives inventory reports from the SPs and SDs and has the ability to control the amount of product that is sold to the SPs and SDs, it is able to make a reasonable estimate of future potential product returns based on this on-hand channel inventory data and sell-through data obtained from the SPs and SDs. In arriving at its estimate, the Company also considers historical product returns, the underlying product demand, and industry data specific to the specialty pharmaceutical distribution industry.

 

In September 2019, the Company announced that the European Commission (EC) approved the marketing authorization for Epidyolex (the trade name in Europe for Epidiolex) for use as adjunctive therapy of seizures associated with Lennox‑Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome, in conjunction with clobazam, for patients two years of age and older. The Company has launched Epidyolex in Germany and the U.K. and recognizes revenue from product sales in Europe upon delivery of the product, which is the point at which control of the goods is transferred to the customer. The Company recognizes revenue net of standard discounts and allowances, which are reflected as accrued liabilities.

8


 

The Company also sells Epidiolex in certain markets outside of the United States under early access programs that enable patients to receive the product prior to regulatory approval. Revenue under early access programs is generally recognized when the product is delivered.

8


The total amount deducted from gross sales for the allowances described above for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 was $51.3 million and 2019 was $31.1 million, and $7.5 million, respectivelyrespectively..

Sativex Product Net Sales

Sativex is sold outside of the United States for the treatment of spasticity due to multiple sclerosis, or MS, pursuant to license agreements with commercial partners and, beginning in the first quarter of 2020, directly to customers in the U.K.

Under the license agreements, the Company sells fully labeled Sativex vials to its commercial partners for a contractually agreed price, which is generally based on percentages of the commercial partners’ in-market net selling price charged to end customers. Product net sales revenue related to Sativex shipments to commercial license partners is recognized when shipped, at which point the customer obtains control of the product.

In the U.K., the Company recognizes revenue from product sales of Sativex upon delivery of the product, which is the point at which control of the goods is transferred to the customer. The Company recognizes revenue net of standard discounts and allowances, which are reflected as accrued liabilities.

The Company also commercializes Sativex in Australia and New Zealand through a consignment relationship with a local distributor. Product net sales revenues related to Sativex sales in Australia and New Zealand are recognized when the product is sold through to the end customer.

Other Revenue

The Company’s other revenue primarily consists of research and development fee revenue and variable consideration milestone payments related to the Sativex license agreements.

The research and development fee revenue is recognized at the time the underlying services are performed.

The Sativex license agreements contain provisions for the Company to earn variable consideration in the form of regulatory milestone payments, sales-based milestone payments, and royalty payments. The Company has 0 further performance obligations related to the regulatory milestone payments and these amounts are recognized in accordance with Topic 606 when receipt of these payments becomes probable and there is no significant risk of revenue reversal. Revenue related to the sales-based milestone payments and product royalty payments are subject to the sales-based royalty exception under Topic 606 and is recognized when the underlying sales are made.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses are charged to operations as incurred. Research and development expenses include, among other things, internal and external costs associated with preclinical development, pre-commercialization manufacturing expenses, and clinical trials. The Company accrues for costs incurred as the services are being provided by monitoring the status of the trial or services provided and the invoices received from its external service providers. In the case of clinical trials, a portion of the estimated cost normally relates to the projected cost to treat a patient in the trials, and this cost is recognized based on the number of patients enrolled in the trial. As actual costs become known, the Company adjusts its accruals accordingly.

Research and development expense is presented net of reimbursements from reimbursable tax and expenditure credits from the U.K. government. Reimbursable research and development tax and expenditure credits were $1.1million and $0.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, and2019.respectively.

9


Concentration Risk

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, principally consist of cash, cash equivalents, and accounts receivable. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents balances are primarily in depository accounts and money market funds at major financial institutions in accordance with the Company’s investment policy. The Company’s investment policy defines allowable investments and establishes guidelines relating to credit quality, diversification, and maturities of its investments to preserve principal and maintain liquidity. Further, the Company specifies credit quality standards for its customers that are designed to limit the Company’s credit exposure to any single party.

Share-based Compensation

The Company recognizes share-based compensation expense for grants of stock options under the Company’s Long-Term Incentive Plans to employees and non-employee members of the Company’s board of directors based on the grant-date fair value of those awards. The grant-date fair value of an award is generally recognized as compensation expense over the award’s requisite service period. Expense related to awards with graded vesting is generally recognized over the vesting period using the accelerated attribution method.

Income Taxes

The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of the Company's assets and liabilities along with net operating loss and tax credit carryovers. The Company records a valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets to reduce the net carrying value to an amount that it believes is more likely than not to be realized. When the Company establishes or reduces the valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets, its provision for income taxes will increase or decrease, respectively, in the period such determination is made.

Uncertain tax positions, for which management's assessment is that there is more than a 50% probability of sustaining the position upon challenge by a taxing authority based upon its technical merits, are subjected to certain recognition and measurement criteria. The Company re-evaluates uncertain tax positions and considers various factors, including, but not limited to, changes in tax law, the measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in tax returns, and changes in facts or circumstances related to a tax position. The Company adjusts the level of the liability to reflect any subsequent changes in the relevant facts and circumstances surrounding the uncertain positions. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense.

On March 27, 2020,11, 2021, the President of the United States signed the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Securities (“CARES”) ActAmerican Rescue Plan into law.  The Act includes several significantnew law contains corporate tax revenue raising provisions including expanding the list of “covered employees” under IRC Section 162(m) for corporations, including the usage of net operating losses, interest deductions and payroll benefits.limitation on the deduction for excessive employee remuneration.  The Company is evaluating the impact of the Actlegislation and does not expect any material impact to the financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments:

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, which amends the impairment model by requiring entities to use a forward-looking approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables and available-for-sale debt securities. This guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods. We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2020. Under the current expected credit loss model, we have adopted a provision matrix approach, utilizing historical loss rates based on the number of days past due, adjusted to reflect current economic conditions and forecasts of future economic conditions. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 had an immaterial impact on the Company’s interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.   

10


ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes: Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes:

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, as part of its initiative to reduce complexity in accounting standards. The amendments in the ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods therein. EarlyThe adoption of the standard is permitted, including adoption in interim or annual periods for which financial statements have not yet been issued. We have not early adopted this ASU for 2019.  The ASU is currently not expected to have a materialhad an immaterial impact on ourthe Company’s interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Note 3: Sativex License Agreements

The Company has entered into license agreements for Sativex with major pharmaceutical companies that provide the license partners with exclusive rights in a defined geographic territory to commercialize Sativex for all indications. The Company has retained the exclusive right to manufacture and supply Sativex to license partners on commercial supply terms for the duration of the commercial life of the product. In the first quarter of 2020, the Company reacquired the rights to commercialize Sativex in the U.K. from Bayer AG for approximately $6.4 million. The Company capitalized the cost to reacquire the license as an intangible asset and will amortize the asset over its five-year estimated useful life.

10


In 2007, the Company entered into an exclusive license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Otsuka) for the development and commercialization of Sativex in the United States. In December 2017, the Company entered into a mutual termination agreement with Otsuka to return the rights to develop and commercialize Sativex in the United States to the Company. As part of the termination agreement, the Company agreed to pay Otsuka a contingent future milestone payment of $10 million if Sativex achieves FDA approval in the U.S. and a total of $30 million of potential sales-based milestones if U.S. sales of Sativex reach certain thresholds. As of March 31, 2020,2021, 0 amounts have been accrued related to the contingent payments because it is not probable that the milestones will be achieved.

Note 4: Fair Value Measurements

At March 31, 20202021 and December 31, 2019,2020, the Company’s cash equivalents consisted of money market funds, which are classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy defined by authoritative guidance.

SecuritiesThe Company enters into foreign exchange forward contracts, with durations of up to 12 months, designed to limit the exposure to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates related to the translation of certain non-U.S. dollar cash flows. Hedge accounting is not applied to these derivative instruments. At March 31, 2021 the Company had foreign exchange derivative assets with an aggregate notional amount of $90.0 million and aggregate fair value of $0.5 million, which are classified as other current assets in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, $0.5 million fair value gain was recognized and is included within foreign exchange loss on the statement of operations. The foreign exchange derivative instruments are measured at fair value using observable market inputs such as forward exchange rates and are classified within Level 1 are valued using quoted market prices.2 of the fair value hierarchy. The Company doesdid not hold any securities classifiedforeign exchange derivatives as Level 2, which are securities valued using inputs that are either directly or indirectly observable, or Level 3, which are securities valued using unobservable inputs. December 31, 2020.

The Company has not transferred any investment securities between the classification levels.

Note 5: Composition of Certain Balance Sheet Captions:

Inventory consisted of the following:

 

 

March

 

 

December 31,

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Raw materials

 

$

2,201

 

 

$

1,976

 

 

$

3,168

 

 

$

2,691

 

Work in process

 

 

81,232

 

 

 

78,547

 

 

 

124,702

 

 

 

112,662

 

Finished goods

 

 

5,623

 

 

 

5,005

 

 

 

9,757

 

 

 

13,785

 

 

$

89,056

 

 

$

85,528

 

 

$

137,627

 

 

$

129,138

 

 

11


Property, plant and equipment, net, consisted of the following:

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Buildings

 

$

4,436

 

 

$

4,725

 

 

$

16,100

 

 

$

15,957

 

Machinery and equipment

 

 

34,535

 

 

 

36,323

 

 

 

52,069

 

 

 

51,021

 

Leasehold improvements

 

 

42,815

 

 

 

42,744

 

 

 

50,688

 

 

 

49,516

 

Office and IT equipment

 

 

5,106

 

 

 

3,837

 

 

 

7,220

 

 

 

5,890

 

Construction-in-process

 

 

74,076

 

 

 

78,485

 

 

 

76,934

 

 

 

71,441

 

 

 

160,968

 

 

 

166,114

 

 

 

203,011

 

 

 

193,825

 

Accumulated depreciation

 

 

(38,086

)

 

 

(38,349

)

 

 

(53,420

)

 

 

(50,058

)

 

$

122,882

 

 

$

127,765

 

 

$

149,591

 

 

$

143,767

 

 

Depreciation of property, plant, and equipment was $2.9 million and $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, and 2019.respectively. The Company did 0t have any significant property, plant, or equipment write-offs in the three months ended March 31, 20202021 and 2019.2020.

11


Accrued liabilities consisted of the following:

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Accrued compensation and benefits

 

$

15,869

 

 

$

25,469

 

 

$

25,763

 

 

$

34,830

 

Accrued vendor fees

 

 

20,250

 

 

 

29,731

 

 

 

25,352

 

 

 

31,445

 

Clinical trial accruals

 

 

8,886

 

 

 

10,382

 

 

 

14,128

 

 

 

14,845

 

Accrued growing fees

 

 

2,910

 

 

 

3,818

 

 

 

3,139

 

 

 

3,363

 

Accrued sales rebates and discounts

 

 

24,218

 

 

 

22,995

 

 

 

51,458

 

 

 

37,403

 

Other

 

 

5,346

 

 

 

6,979

 

 

 

16,261

 

 

 

5,963

 

 

$

77,479

 

 

$

99,374

 

 

$

136,101

 

 

$

127,849

 

 

Other current liabilities consisted of the following:

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Finance lease liabilities

 

$

292

 

 

$

305

 

 

$

346

 

 

$

338

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

 

5,788

 

 

 

5,902

 

 

 

5,934

 

 

 

6,209

 

Landlord financing

 

 

570

 

 

 

595

 

 

 

683

 

 

 

665

 

Other

 

 

 

 

 

958

 

 

 

90

 

 

 

1,998

 

 

$

6,650

 

 

$

7,760

 

 

$

7,053

 

 

$

9,210

 

 

Other liabilities consisted of the following:

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Landlord financing obligation

 

$

8,443

 

 

$

9,152

 

 

$

8,747

 

 

$

8,844

 

Other

 

 

2,272

 

 

 

2,279

 

 

 

2,191

 

 

 

2,190

 

 

$

10,715

 

 

$

11,431

 

 

$

10,938

 

 

$

11,034

 

12


Note 6: Earnings Per Share

 

The computation of basic earnings per share (EPS) is based on the weighted-average number of our ordinary shares outstanding. For the purpose of this calculation, vested nominal strike-price options are considered ordinary shares outstanding. The computation of diluted EPS is based on the weighted-average number of ordinary shares outstanding and potentially dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding for the period, primarily shares that may be issued under the Company’s stock option plans, determined using the treasury stock method.

The Company incurred net losses for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 20192021 and therefore did not include potentially dilutive common stock equivalents in the computation of diluted net loss per share. For the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019,2021, options totaling approximately 13.7 million and 12.416.1 million ordinary shares respectively, were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share as their effect would have been anti-dilutive. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, options totaling approximately 13.7 million ordinary shares were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share as their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

 

 

Note 7: Share-Based Compensation

Compensation expense for share-based awards is recognized over the requisite service period using the accelerated attribution method. An estimated forfeiture rate has been applied to unvested awards for the purpose of calculating compensation cost. Changes in forfeiture estimates impact compensation cost in the period in which the change in estimate occurs.

12


The fair value of stock option awards is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The determination of fair value using the Black-Scholes model is affected by the Company’s ADS price as well as assumptions regarding a number of complex and subjective variables, including expected ADS price volatility, risk-free interest rate, expected dividends and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors.

The Company estimates its stock price volatility using a combination of historical stock price volatility and the average implied volatility of options traded in the open market. The risk-free interest rate assumption is based on observed interest rates for the appropriate term of the Company’s stock options. The Company has never declared or paid dividends and has no plans to do so in the foreseeable future. The expected option life assumption is estimated using the simplified method prescribed by ASC Topic 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation, and is based on the mid-point between vest date and expiration date since the Company does not have sufficient exercise history to estimate expected option life of historical grants.

The table below summarizes the total share-based compensation expense included in the Company’s statements of operations for the periods presented:

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Research and development

 

$

2,299

 

 

$

2,398

 

 

$

4,187

 

 

$

2,299

 

Sales, general and administrative

 

 

8,260

 

 

 

8,113

 

 

 

12,644

 

 

 

8,260

 

 

$

10,559

 

 

$

10,511

 

 

$

16,831

 

 

$

10,559

 

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, and 2019, $0.8$1.0 million and $0.6$0.8 million of share-based compensation related to manufacturing operations was capitalized into inventory, respectively.

Note 8: Commitments and Contingencies

As of March 31, 2020,2021, the Company was not a party to any material legal proceedings.proceedings except as follows:

In 2007, the Company entered into a research collaboration agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., or Otsuka, which expired in June 2013. Otsuka has contacted the Company to assert that it is owed royalty payments under the agreement up to 2% of Epidiolex net sales. While the Company believes Otsuka’s position is without merit, the Company cannot predict the outcome of this matter and cannot provide assurances that the Company will be successful, in whole or in part, in its efforts..  

On December 23, 2020, Canopy Growth Corporation filed suit against us in the Western District of Texas, alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 10,870,632. Canopy alleges that the process we used to make the crude cannabinoid extract that is used to make Epidiolex is within the scope of its patent.  We dispute Canopy’s claims and intend to defend the matter vigorously.

Since the initial filing of the Company’s proxy statement related to the Jazz Transaction (the Proxy Statement), the following 11 complaints have been filed in federal courts in California, New York and Pennsylvania by purported shareholders of the Company against GW and the members of GW's board of directors, and in one instance against Jazz and Bidco, in connection with the Jazz transaction:  Farrell v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02344 (filed March 17, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Hinton v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02379 (filed March 18, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Brady v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02382 (filed March 18, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Warren v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02536 (filed March 24, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Goodman v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-01574 (filed March 25, 2021) (E.D.N.Y.), Kent v. GW Pharmaceuticals, plc, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-00530 (filed March 26, 2021) (S.D. Cal.), Coffman v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-00537 (filed March 26, 2021) (S.D. Cal.), Shubitowski v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02668 (filed March 29, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Hurlbut v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 2:21-cv-01500 (filed March 30, 2021) (E.D. Pa.), Olesky v. GW Pharmaceuticals, plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02741 (filed March 31, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), and Ochoa v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-00580 (filed April 2, 2021) (S.D. Cal.) (collectively, the Federal Shareholder Litigation).  Each of the complaints in the Federal Shareholder Litigation includes allegations that, among other things, the Proxy Statement omitted certain material information in connection with the Jazz transaction in violation of Sections 14(a) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act, and Rule 14a-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act, and one of those complaints also purports to allege claims that the members of GW's board of directors breached fiduciary duties in connection with the Jazz transaction, and that GW, Jazz and Bidco aided and

13


abetted those alleged breaches.  An additional lawsuit, filed in state court in New York, alleged misrepresentation and concealment claims under New York common law relating to the Proxy Statement:  Levy v. Guy, et al., Case No. 603237/2021 (filed March 17, 2021) (N.Y. Sup. Nassau Cty.).  The plaintiffs seek various remedies, including injunctive relief to prevent the consummation of the Jazz transaction unless certain allegedly material information is disclosed, rescission and/or other damages and an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses.  On April 14, 2021, GW filed supplemental disclosures to the Proxy Statement on a Current Report on Form 8-K, in response to which five of the 11 federal complaints were voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, and the New York state action was voluntarily discontinued with prejudice.

The Company is not aware of any other proceedings or claims that it believes will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition or results of operations.operations.

1314


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

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We intend the forward-looking statements contained in this report to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of such Acts. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this report or referred to or incorporated by reference into this report are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of these sections. These statements include, among other things, statements related to the Jazz transaction and the anticipated timing for the completion thereof, the expected impact of COVID-19 on our business, any predictions, opinions, expectations, plans, strategies, objectives and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing relating to the company's current and future business and operations, including, but not limited to, financial matters, development activities, clinical trials and regulatory matters, manufacturing and supply operations, and product sales and demand. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect” and similar words are intended to identify estimates and forward-looking statements. Estimates and forward-looking statements speak only at the date they were made, and we undertake no obligation to update or to review any estimate and/or forward-looking statement because of new information, future events or other factors.  Statements of past performance, efforts, or results about which inferences or assumptions may be made can also be forward-looking statements and are not indicative of future performance or results; these statements can be identified by the use of words such as "preliminary," "initial," or other forms of these words or similar words or expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our results or future business, financial condition, results of operations or performance to differ materially from our historical results or experiences or those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements contained in this report. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: risks and uncertainties related to the sanction of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales and satisfaction of the other closing conditions to consummate Jazz transaction; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the definitive transaction agreement relating to the Jazz transaction; those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, clinical trial or commercial results or new product approvals and adoption; unpredictability of product launches;obtaining regulatory approval and successfully launching products; competitive dynamics; changes to reimbursement for the company's products; the company’s success in developing new products and avoiding manufacturing and quality issues; the impact of currency exchange rates; the timing or results of research and development and clinical trials; unanticipated actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies; unexpected litigation impacts or expenses; and other risks detailed under “Risk Factors” in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q and in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019,2020, as such risks and uncertainties may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of the statement. If we do update or correct one or more of these statements, investors and others should not conclude that we will make additional updates or corrections.

Overview

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from our proprietary cannabinoid product platform in a broad range of disease areas. In over 20 years of operations, we have established a world leading position in the science, development, and commercialization of plant-derived cannabinoid therapeutics through our proven drug discovery and development processes, our intellectual property portfolio, and regulatory, manufacturing, and commercial expertise.

On February 3, 2021, we entered into a transaction agreement (the Transaction Agreement) with Jazz Pharmaceuticals Public Limited Company, a public limited company incorporated in Ireland (Jazz), and Jazz Pharmaceuticals UK Holdings Limited, a private limited company incorporated in England and Wales and a wholly owned subsidiary of Jazz (Bidco), under which Bidco has agreed to acquire the entire issued and to be issued share capital of the Company by means of a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the U.K. Companies Act 2006, subject to the conditions described therein (the Scheme of Arrangement and such acquisition, the "Transaction").  On April 23, 2021, we held a meeting of shareholders convened with the permission of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales (the Court Meeting) and a general meeting of shareholders (the General Meetingand, together with the Court Meeting, the Shareholder Meetings), in each case in connection with the Transaction. At the Shareholder Meetings, the proposals required to be approved by the Company’s shareholders in

15


order to complete the Transaction were each approved. Completion of the Transaction remains subject to the sanction by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales (the Court) and other customary closing conditions. The Court hearing to sanction the Transaction is currently scheduled for May 5, 2021, and the completion of the Transaction is expected to occur shortly thereafter.

Our lead cannabinoid product is Epidiolex®, a pharmaceutical formulation comprising highly purified plant-derived cannabidiol (CBD), for which we retain global commercial rights. We initially launched Epidiolex is approved in the United StatesU.S. in November 2018 for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrome infor patients two years of age and older. In July 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the approval of Epidiolex, adding a new indication of seizures associated with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC). The FDA also approved the expansion of all existing indications, LGS, Dravet syndrome and TSC, to patients one year of age and older. LGS and Dravet syndrome are severe childhood-onset, drug-resistant epilepsy syndromes. We launched Epidiolex in the United States on November 1, 2018. On April 6, 2020, we announced that we received notification from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration confirming that EpidiolexTSC is no longer subject to the Controlled Substances Act, effective immediately.

Epidyolex® (the trade name in Europe for Epidiolex) was approved in September 2019 by the European Commission (EC) use as adjunctive therapy of seizures associated with LGS or Dravet syndrome, in conjunction with clobazam, for patients two years of age and older.  We have launched Epidyolex in Germany and the U.K. and are planning launches in France, Italy, and Spain during 2020.

14


We continue to develop Epidiolex for additional indications.  In February of this year, we filed a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of seizures associated with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), a rare genetic disorder that causes non-malignant tumors to form in many different organs that affects approximately 50,000 individuals in the United States and one million worldwide. FDA has accepted our sNDA for filing with Priority Review and set a goal date for completion of the review of July 31, 2020.  We applied for approval of TSC in Europe in March 2020.  These filings follow our announcement of positive results from a Phase 3 trial in the use of Epidiolex to treat seizures associated with TSC.  We have received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA and the Committee for Orphan Medical Products (COMP) for TSC (we previously received the same designations for LGS and Dravet syndrome).

Epidyolex® (the trade name in Europe for Epidiolex) was approved in September 2019 by the European Commission (EC) for use as adjunctive therapy of seizures associated with LGS or Dravet syndrome, in conjunction with clobazam, for patients two years of age and LGS).

older. In April 2021, we announced that the EC has approved Epidyolex as an adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with TSC, for patients two years of age and older. We have begun recruiting patientslaunched Epidyolex in Germany and the U.K. and are planning launches in France, Italy, and Spain. In September 2020, Epidyolex was approved in Australia.

We continue to develop Epidiolex for a pivotal trialadditional indications. Within the field of epilepsy, we are committed to expanding the potential for Epidiolex and plan to commence an additional clinical program in the treatment of Rett syndrome, a rare, non-inherited neurodevelopmental disorder affecting approximately one in 10,000 to 15,000 live female births. This trial will focus on the behavioral abnormalities associated with the disorder.2021.

We have a deep pipeline of additional cannabinoid product candidates that includes compounds in Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 trials. Our most advanced pipeline asset is nabiximols, for which we expect to commence a pivotalhave commenced two out of five clinical program in the second half of 2020 intrials for the treatment of spasticity due to multiple sclerosis. The other three are expected to commence in 2021. We believe that any one of these studies could enable a new drug application (NDA) submission with the FDA. We anticipate commercializing nabiximols in the U.S. using our in-house commercial organization. Nabiximols is already approved in over 25 countries outside the U.S. for the treatment of spasticity due to multiple sclerosis under the brand name Sativex®Sativex®. We are advancing plans to commence an additional clinical programsprogram for nabiximols in 2020 in spasticity due to spinal cord injury andin 2021. We also plan on evaluating nabiximols for post-traumatic stress disorder.disorder, and the timing for a clinical trial in this condition will be assessed during 2021.

In addition to nabiximols, our pipeline includes cannabinoid product candidates for schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, various potential targets within neuropsychiatry, and Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy. Clinical trials for each of these indications are ongoing.

We haveIn addition to seven years of orphan exclusivity, plus the potential six-month pediatric extension (to be filed) for Epidiolex, and we seek to protect Epidiolex through the expansion of our patent portfolio. Our patent portfolio relating to the use of CBD in the treatment of epileptic encephalopathies includes 3591 distinct patent families that are either granted or filed. Most of the patent families in this portfolio claim the use of CBD in the treatment of particular childhood epilepsy syndromes, seizure sub-types and interactions with other concomitantly dosed anti-seizure drugs. To date, we have obtained thirteen91 Epidiolex patent families and 157 total patent families. Some of these patents are directly aligned with the Epidiolex label, and we have listed 15 patents in the Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (commonly known as the Orange Book), and received notices of allowance for a further two patents from the U.S. PatentUSPTO). These patents have expiry to 2035 and Trademark Office, or USPTO, includinginclude claims for the use of CBD for the treatment of seizures in LGS and Dravet syndrome; seizure sub-types including convulsive, drop and atonic seizures associated with both LGS and Dravet syndrome;syndrome, an oral composition of CBD, as well as the use of CBD with clobazam, and the teaching that dose adjustment may be needed when concomitantly prescribed. To date, we have ten patents listedWe filed patent applications in the Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (commonly known asU.S. and many jurisdictions worldwide based on promising data that we believe demonstrates that Epidiolex is more efficacious than synthetic CBD at the Orange Book). These patents have expiry to 2035.same concentration in a mouse model of seizures. We recently filed an international patent applicationapplications in the U.S. and many jurisdictions worldwide based on promising data that we believe demonstrates that Epidiolex is more efficacious than synthetic CBD at the same concentration in a mouse model of seizures. Unlike synthetic CBD,

16


Epidiolex comprises up to 2% of other cannabinoids. It would appear from this early data that the presence of these cannabinoids, albeit in small amounts, provides an additional benefit over CBD alone in an animal model of epilepsy.  This patent, if granted, will have an expiry date of 2039. We continue to identify novel findings and submit patent applications resulting from the Epidiolex development program and we expect additional grants from these applications.

Impact of COVID-19 on our Business

In March 2020, the World Health Organization categorized the Coronaviruscoronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19")(COVID-19) as a pandemic. COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States and other countries across the world, and the duration and severity of its effects are currently unknown. The current COVID-19 pandemic has presented a substantial public health and economic challenge around the world and is affecting our employees, patients, communities and business operations, as well as the U.S. economy and U.S. and global financial markets. The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or indirectly impact our business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning COVID-19, the actions taken to contain or treat it, its impact and the economic impact on local, regional, national and international markets.

15


To date, we have been able to continue to supply our products to our patients and license partners and currently do not anticipate any interruptions in supply. However, we are continuing to assess the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations, including our sales, expenses, manufacturing and clinical trials.

While we did not see a significant impact on our product net sales in the first quarter ofIn March 2020, from COVID-19, we are monitoring the demand for our products in light of the stay-at-home orders in place in both the United States and Europe, as well as the impact of health care systems diverting resources to care for COVID-19 patients. We have suspended in-person interactions by our customer-facing personnel in healthcare settings and we are engaging with these stakeholders remotely as we seekadjusted to continue to supportvirtually supporting healthcare professionals and patient care. While weWe have since returned to limited in-person field contact where local conditions and clinic policies allow. We have seen and may benefit modestly in the near term from customers increasing their levels of stock in anticipation of any potential interruptions from the pandemic, over the longer term we maycontinue to see a negative impact on growth of our product net sales from fewer patients visiting their healthcare provider to initiate, change or receive therapy.

WeThroughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to continue to operateoperating our manufacturing facilities at normal levels.levels through the implementation of strict safety measures. While we currently do not anticipate any interruptions in our manufacturing process, it is possible that the COVID-19 pandemic and response efforts may have an impact in the future on our and/or our third-party supplierssuppliers’ ability to manufacture our products.

While we are currently continuing theto initiate and execute clinical trials we have underway inat sites across the globe, we have currently stopped enrolling new patients for existing trials and we expect that COVID-19 precautions maycontinue to directly orand indirectly impact the timeline for some of our planned clinical trials and other research and development activities during the remainder of 2020.

activities.

In the U.S. and the U.K., our office-based employees have been working from home since early March 2020, while ensuring essential staffing levels in our operations remain in place, including maintaining key personnel in our laboratories and manufacturing facilities.

For additional information on the various risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, please readrefer to Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors1A “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 included in this report.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Our condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP). These accounting principles require us to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented. We believe that the estimates, judgments and assumptions are reasonable based upon information available to us at the time that these estimates, judgments and assumptions are made. To the extent there are material differences between these estimates, judgments or assumptions and actual results, our financial statements will be affected. Historically, revisions to our estimates have not resulted in a material change to our financial statements.

For a discussion of our critical accounting estimates, please read Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.2020. There have been no material changes to the critical accounting estimates previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.2020.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

17


The adoption of new accounting standards is discussed in Note 2 to our interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

16


Results of Operations

The following table summarizes the results of our operations for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 and 2019:2020:

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

 

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

Increase/Decrease

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Increase/Decrease

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Consolidated Statement of Operations Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product net sales

 

$

120,532

 

 

$

38,974

 

 

$

81,558

 

 

$

152,443

 

 

$

120,532

 

 

$

31,911

 

Other revenue

 

$

101

 

 

 

273

 

 

 

(172

)

 

 

23

 

 

 

101

 

 

 

(78

)

Total revenues

 

 

120,633

 

 

 

39,247

 

 

 

81,386

 

 

 

152,466

 

 

 

120,633

 

 

 

31,833

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of product sales

 

 

10,769

 

 

 

5,131

 

 

 

5,638

 

 

 

11,807

 

 

 

10,769

 

 

 

1,038

 

Research and development

 

 

45,874

 

 

 

30,375

 

 

 

15,499

 

 

 

60,634

 

 

 

45,874

 

 

 

14,760

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

 

71,183

 

 

 

55,078

 

 

 

16,105

 

 

 

101,052

 

 

 

71,183

 

 

 

29,869

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

127,826

 

 

 

90,584

 

 

 

37,242

 

 

 

173,493

 

 

 

127,826

 

 

 

45,667

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(7,193

)

 

 

(51,337

)

 

 

44,144

 

 

 

(21,027

)

 

 

(7,193

)

 

 

(13,834

)

Interest income

 

 

1,269

 

 

 

2,087

 

 

 

(818

)

 

 

146

 

 

 

1,269

 

 

 

(1,123

)

Interest expense

 

 

(284

)

 

 

(265

)

 

 

(19

)

 

 

(286

)

 

 

(284

)

 

 

(2

)

Foreign exchange loss

 

 

(20

)

 

 

(1,114

)

 

 

1,094

 

 

 

(573

)

 

 

(20

)

 

 

(553

)

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(6,228

)

 

 

(50,629

)

 

 

44,401

 

 

 

(21,740

)

 

 

(6,228

)

 

 

(15,512

)

Income tax expense (benefit)

 

 

1,737

 

 

 

(565

)

 

 

2,302

 

Income tax (benefit) expense

 

 

(2,063

)

 

 

1,737

 

 

 

(3,800

)

Net loss

 

$

(7,965

)

 

$

(50,064

)

 

$

42,099

 

 

$

(19,677

)

 

$

(7,965

)

 

$

(11,712

)

 

Product net sales

 

Epidiolex, our treatment for certain severe childhood-onset, drug-resistant epilepsy syndromes, was launched in the United States in November 2018 and in certain European markets in late 2019. We also sell Epidiolex through certain early access programs outside of the United States. Sativex, our treatment for spasticity due to multiple sclerosis, is sold outside of the United States, primarily through license agreements with commercial partners. In March 2020, we reacquired the rights to sell Sativex in the U.K. and began to record direct sales in that market.

 

Product net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2021 consists of $148.2 million in net sales of Epidiolex and $4.2 million in net sales of Sativex. Product net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2020 consists of $116.1 million in net sales of Epidiolex and $4.4 million in net sales of Sativex. Product net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2019 consists of $34.7 million in net sales of Epidiolex and $4.3 million in net sales of Sativex. The $81.6$31.9 million increase in product net sales for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2019same period in the prior year was primarily due to the growth of U.S. Epidiolex revenue and the launch of Epidiolex in certain European markets.

 

We did not see a significant impact on our product net sales in the first quarter of 2020 from COVID-19, but there is a potential of a negative impact on our future revenues from declines in customer orders and delays in starting new patients on our products due to the stay-at-home orders in place in both the United States and Europe, as well as the impact of health care systems diverting resources to care for COVID-19 patients.18


 

Other revenue

Other revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 consists of remaining development fees related to the Otsuka license agreement that was terminated in December 2017.

17


Cost of product sales

Cost of sales increased $5.61.0 million, or 110%9%, in the three months ended March 31, 20202021 to $10.8$11.8 million, or 9%8% of product net sales, compared to $5.1$10.8 million, or 13%9% of product net sales in the three months ended March 31, 2019.2020. The increase in cost of sales in dollars is primarily due to an increase inof product net sales. The reductiondecrease in cost of sales as a percentage of product net sales is primarily due to the positive impact of a higher mix of Epidiolex sales in the United States as a percentage of total product net sales in the quarter ended March 31, 2020 compared to the same period in the prior year.volume-based efficiencies on our inventory production costs.

 

Research and development expenses

 

We believe that our future revenues and cash flows are most likely to be affected by the successful development and approval of our significant late-stage research and development candidates. As of March 31, 2020,2021, we consider the following research and development projectsNabiximols for spasticity associated with MS to be our most significant late-stage product candidates:candidate.

Epidiolex for the treatment of tuberous sclerosis complex (United States and Europe)

Nabiximols for spasticity associated with MS (United States)

On September 23, 2019,In addition, our pipeline includes cannabinoid product candidates for schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, various potential targets within neuropsychiatry, and Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy.

In July 2020, the FDA expanded the approval of Epidiolex, adding a new indication of seizures associated with TSC and expanding existing indications to patients one year of age and older.

In April 2021, we announced that the European CommissionEC has approved the marketing authorization for Epidyolex in Europe. We have received Orphan Designation from the European Commission for Orphan Medicinal Products for Epidyolex for Dravet syndrome and LGS.

We have completed our Phase 3 trial of Epidiolex for theEpidyolex® as an adjunctive treatment of TSC.  In May 2019, we reported positive top-line Phase 3 resultsseizures associated with TSC, for patients two years of age and in December 2019 we reported additional positive trial data. On February 3, 2020, we announced that we submitted a supplemental new drug application for this indication. The FDA has accepted our sNDA for filing with Priority Review and set a goal date for completion of the review of July 31, 2020.  We applied for approval of TSC in Europe in March 2020.older.

 

In December 2017, we terminated our license agreement with Otsuka and we have reacquired full ownership of the development and commercialization rights to nabiximols in the United States. We have had several meetings with the FDAexpect to discuss the optimal regulatory pathway for U.S. approvalcommence five clinical trials of nabiximols for the treatment of spasticity due to multiple sclerosis, two of which have commenced and are now in the processthree of planning an additional clinical program, which isare expected to commence in the secondfirst half of 2020.2021.

 

Research and development expenses consist of internal and external costs to conduct our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, payroll costs associated with employing our team of research and development staff, share-based payment expenses, property costs associated with leasing laboratory and office space to accommodate our research teams, costs of growing botanical raw material, costs of processing product for clinical trials, costs of consumables used in the conduct of our in-house research programs, payments for research work conducted by sub-contractors and sponsorship of work by our network of academic collaborative research scientists, costs associated with safety studies and costs associated with the development of Epidiolex, Sativex, and our other pipeline product candidates. Research and development expense is presented net of reimbursements from reimbursable tax and expenditure credits from the U.K. government.

 

We track all research and development expenditures against detailed budgets but do not seek to allocate all research and development costs by individual project. The components of R&D expense for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 and 20192020 are as follows:

18


 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

External clinical trial expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Epidiolex

 

$

3,412

 

 

$

5,913

 

Nabiximols

 

 

4,061

 

 

 

1,413

 

Other programs

 

 

5,606

 

 

 

3,625

 

Total external clinical trial expense

 

 

13,079

 

 

 

10,951

 

Research and development tax and expense

   credits

 

 

(1,065

)

 

 

(816

)

Other internal research and development

 

 

48,620

 

 

 

35,739

 

Total research and development expense

 

$

60,634

 

 

$

45,874

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

External clinical trial expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Epidiolex

 

$

5,913

 

 

$

8,482

 

Nabiximols

 

 

1,413

 

 

 

72

 

Other programs

 

 

3,625

 

 

 

1,283

 

Total external clinical trial expense

 

 

10,951

 

 

 

9,837

 

Research and development tax and expense

   credits

 

 

(816

)

 

 

(757

)

Other internal research and development

 

 

35,739

 

 

 

21,295

 

Total research and development expense

 

$

45,874

 

 

$

30,375

 

19


 

Research and development expenses increased $15.5$14.7 million, or 51%32%, to $45.9$60.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 compared to $30.4$45.9 million for the same period in 2019,2020, primarily due to an increase in internal costs for early stage development programs, an increase inand external clinical trial expenses for Nabiximols,nabiximols, as well as increased spendingcosts for the schizophrenia and Rett syndrome programs. These increases wereearly stage development programs, partially offset by a reduction in clinical trial expenses related to the Epidiolex open-label extension trial in the United States due to the transition of patients to commercial product.for Epidiolex.

We expect that the COVID-19 pandemic may directly or indirectly impact the timeline of some of our clinical trials and other research and development activities during the remainder of 2020, which may result in lower research and development expenses in 2020 than was previously anticipated.

Sales, general and administrative expenses

Sales, general and administrative, or SG&A, expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits related to our executive, commercial, and corporate support functions, expenses associated with our commercial activities, and other general administration expenses.

We expect that sales, general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we expand our operating activities and continue to build our commercial team in preparation for commercialization of Epydiolex in Europe.

SG&A expenses increased $16.1$29.9 million, or 29%42%, to $71.2$101.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 compared to $55.1$71.2 million for the same period in 2019.2020. The increase in SG&A expenses in 20202021 was primarily due to legal and other costs related to the Jazz transaction, an increase in employee-related expenses driven by the build-out of our commercial functions in Europe, and an increase in all of our corporate support functions, and, to a smaller degree, an increase in insurance expenses and an increase audit and legal fees,including information technology infrastructure. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in travel related expenses during the second half of March due to the impact of COVID-19.

Interest income

Interest income decreased $0.8$1.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 to $1.3$0.1 million compared to interest income of $2.1$1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. The decreasesame period in interest income2020. Due to uncertainties in is primarily duethe financial markets related to lower average cash andCOVID-19, we transitioned a large portion of our cash equivalent balances andto lower interest ratesearning U.S. government securities money market funds from relatively higher interest rate bearing commercial money market funds in 2020 compared to 2019.early 2020.

Interest expense

Interest expense remained consistent for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 and 2019.2020. Interest expense is primarily related to our finance lease liabilities.

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Foreign currency exchange (loss) gain (loss)

Foreign currency exchange loss was $0.6 million for the three month period ended March 31, 2021 compared to foreign currency exchange loss of less than $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. Foreign currency exchange gains and losses are driven primarily by cash balances, and accounts payable and intercompany balances denominated in a currency other than the transacting entity’s functional currency.

Foreign currency and changes in value of foreign exchange loss for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was less than $0.1 million compared to aderivative instruments. Our primary foreign currency exposure is the exchange loss of $1.1 million forrate between the three months ended March 31, 2019. The decrease in foreign exchange loss for three months ended March 31, 2020 compared to the loss for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was primarily due to changes in our cash balancesBritish pound and the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the British pound.dollar.

Income tax (benefit) expense (benefit)

The provision for income taxes is determined using an annual effective tax rate. The effective tax rate may be subject to fluctuations during the year as new information is obtained, which may affect the assumptions used to estimate the annual effective tax rate, including factors such as expected utilization of research and development tax credits, valuation allowances against deferred tax assets, the recognition or derecognition of tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions, and changes in or the interpretation of tax laws in jurisdictions where we conduct business. Also, excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies related to future stock option exercises could result in fluctuations in our effective tax rate in future periods.

Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was $1.7 million compared to an income tax benefit of $0.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. Income taxes arise in the United States due to our U.S. subsidiary generating taxable profits.profits. We incur losses in the United Kingdom. Income tax benefit for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was $2.1 million compared to an income tax expense of $1.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The increase in the income tax expense for 2020benefit was primarily related to excessthe income tax deficiencies for stock compensation and higher pre-tax income.effects of shared based payments.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

In recent years, we have incurred significant net losses and negative cash flows from operations. We have largely funded our operations from issuances of equity securities, government expense and tax credits, and milestone payments from our out-license partners. Our cash flows may fluctuate, are difficult to forecast and will depend on many factors, including:

 

the timing of achievement of future Epidiolex regulatory approvals and commercial launches in the United States and Europe;

 

the extent to which we seek to retain development rights to our pipeline of new product candidates or whether we seek to out-license them to a partner who will fund future research and development expenditure in return for a right to share in future commercial revenue;

 

the extent of success in our early pre-clinical and clinical stage research programs which will determine the amount of funding required to further the development of our product candidates;

 

the terms and timing of new strategic collaborations;

 

the number and characteristics of the product candidates that we seek to develop;

 

the outcome, timing and cost of regulatory approvals of our product candidates;

 

the costs involved in filing and prosecuting patent applications and enforcing and defending potential patent claims; and

 

the costs of hiring additional skilled employees to support our continued growth.

We believe that our cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 20202021 of $500.9$458.1 million will be sufficient to fund our operations, including currently anticipated research and development activities and planned capital expenditures, for the foreseeable future, including for at least the next 12 months.

20


Cash Flows

The following table summarizes the results of our cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 and 2019:2020:

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

2020

 

 

2019

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

$

(18,598

)

 

$

(58,382

)

 

$

(11,722

)

 

$

(18,598

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(13,300

)

 

 

(12,286

)

 

 

(10,825

)

 

 

(13,300

)

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

 

 

(213

)

 

 

456

 

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(5,606

)

 

 

(213

)

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

500,935

 

 

$

521,669

 

 

$

458,101

 

 

$

500,935

 

 

Operating activities

As of March 31, 2020,2021, we had cash and cash equivalents totaling $500.9$458.1 million compared to $521.7$500.9 million as of March 31, 2019.2020. Net cash used in operating activities decreased by $39.8$6.9 million to $11.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 compared to $18.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 compared to $58.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019.2020. The decrease in cash used in operating activities is primarily attributable to a $81.6$31.9 million increase in net product sales, partially offset by a $5.6$1.0 million increase in cost of product sales, a $16.1$29.9 million increase in SG&A expenses, $15.5$14.8 million increase in research and development spend, and a $2.0$10.5 million increasedecrease in cash used to fund changes in net operating assets and liabilities.

Investing activities

Net cash used in investing activities increased by $1.0was $10.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 compared to net cash used in investing activities of $13.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 compared to net2020. The cash used in

21


investing activities of $12.3 million for the three months ended as of March 31, 2019.2021 included $10.8 million in capital expenditures, primarily due to the continued expansion of our manufacturing facilities. The cash used in investing activities as ofoperations in the three months ended March 31, 2020 included $6.9 million in capital expenditures, primarily due to the continued expansion of our manufacturing facilities, and $6.4 million used to requirereacquire the rights to commercialize Sativex in the U.K. from Bayer.Bayer

Financing activities

Net cash used in financing activities increased by $0.7 million to $0.2was $5.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 20202021 compared to cash used in financing activities providing cash of $0.5$0.2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2019.2020. The increase in cash used in financing activities is primarily attributable to a decreasepayments made in connection with common stock withheld for employee tax obligations partially offset by an increase in proceeds received from the exercise of stock options.options

Contractual Obligations

There have been no significant changes to the disclosure of payments we have committed to make under our contractual obligations as summarized in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019,2020, in the section titled “management’s“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” under the caption “Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations.”

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Item 3.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business, which are principally limited to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, particularly between the British pound and the U.S. dollar, and credit risk. These risks are managed by maintaining an appropriate mix of cash deposits and securities in various currencies, placed with a variety of financial institutions for varying periods according to expected liquidity requirements.

21


Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to interest rate risk on cash and cash equivalents. The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve principal while at the same time maximizing yields without significantly increasing risk. To achieve this objective, we invest in highly liquid and high-quality government and other debt securities. To minimize our exposure due to adverse shifts in interest rates, we invest in short-term securities. Due to the short holding period of our investments and the nature of our investments, we have concluded that we do not have a material financial market risk exposure.

Currency Risk

We are exposed to currency exchange rate risk because we operate in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States. Our manufacturing operations and a substantial portion of our research and development costs are incurred in our U.K.-based subsidiaries and are generally denominated in British pounds, which is also the functional currency of the U.K.-based subsidiaries. The functional currency of GW Pharmaceuticals plc and our U.S. subsidiarysubsidiaries is the U.S. dollar. We douse foreign exchange forward contracts, with durations of up to 12 months, to limit the exposure to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates related to the translation of certain non-U.S. dollar cash flows. Hedge accounting is not use forward exchange contractsapplied to manage currency exchange rate exposure.these derivative instruments.

22


Item 4.  Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our periodic and current reports that we file with the SEC is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, respectively), as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable and not absolute assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In reaching a reasonable level of assurance, management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. In addition, the design of any system of controls is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

As required by SEC Rule 13a-15(b), we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the quarter covered by this report. Based on the foregoing, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal controls in the three months ended March 31, 20202021 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.

2223


PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

As of March 31, 2020,2021, the Company was not a party to any material legal proceedings.

In 2007, we entered into a research collaboration agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., or Otsuka, which expired in June 2013. Otsuka has contacted us to assert that it is owed royalty payments under the agreement of up to two percent of Epidiolex net sales. While we believe Otsuka’s position is without merit, we cannot predict the outcome of this matter and cannot provide assurances that we will be successful, in whole or in part, in our efforts. 

On December 23, 2020, Canopy Growth Corporation filed suit against the Company in the Western District of Texas, alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 10,870,632. Canopy alleges that the process that we used to make the crude cannabinoid extract that is used to make Epidiolex is within the scope of its patent. We dispute Canopy’s claims and intend to defend the matter vigorously.   

Since the initial filing of our proxy statement related to the Jazz Transaction (the Proxy Statement), the following 11 complaints have been filed in federal courts in California, New York and Pennsylvania by purported shareholders of the Company against GW and the members of GW's board of directors, and in one instance against Jazz and Bidco, in connection with the Jazz transaction:  Farrell v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02344 (filed March 17, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Hinton v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02379 (filed March 18, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Brady v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02382 (filed March 18, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Warren v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02536 (filed March 24, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Goodman v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-01574 (filed March 25, 2021) (E.D.N.Y.), Kent v. GW Pharmaceuticals, plc, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-00530 (filed March 26, 2021) (S.D. Cal.), Coffman v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-00537 (filed March 26, 2021) (S.D. Cal.), Shubitowski v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02668 (filed March 29, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Hurlbut v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 2:21-cv-01500 (filed March 30, 2021) (E.D. Pa.), Olesky v. GW Pharmaceuticals, plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02741 (filed March 31, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), and Ochoa v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-00580 (filed April 2, 2021) (S.D. Cal.) (collectively, the Federal Shareholder Litigation).  Each of the complaints in the Federal Shareholder Litigation includes allegations that, among other things, the Proxy Statement omitted certain material information in connection with the Jazz transaction in violation of Sections 14(a) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act, and Rule 14a-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act, and one of those complaints also purports to allege claims that the members of GW's board of directors breached fiduciary duties in connection with the Jazz transaction, and that GW, Jazz and Bidco aided and abetted those alleged breaches.  An additional lawsuit, filed in state court in New York, alleged misrepresentation and concealment claims under New York common law relating to the Proxy Statement:  Levy v. Guy, et al., Case No. 603237/2021 (filed March 17, 2021) (N.Y. Sup. Nassau Cty.).  The Companyplaintiffs seek various remedies, including injunctive relief to prevent the consummation of the Jazz transaction unless certain allegedly material information is disclosed, rescission and/or other damages and an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses.  On April 14, 2021, GW filed supplemental disclosures to the Proxy Statement on a Current Report on Form 8-K, in response to which five of the 11 federal complaints were voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, and the New York state action was voluntarily discontinued with prejudice.

We are not aware of any other proceedings or claims that it believeswe believe will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on itsour business, financial condition or results of operations.

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

As of and for the period ended March 31, 2020,2021, there have been no material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed by us in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019,2020, except for the risk factors below, whichfactor below:

Lawsuits have been updated:filed against the Company and Jazz, and other lawsuits may be filed against the Company and/or Jazz challenging the Jazz transaction.  An adverse ruling in any such lawsuit may delay or prevent the Jazz transaction from being completed.

Our business is subject to risks arising from epidemic diseases, such asSince the recent global outbreakinitial filing of the COVID-19 coronavirusCompany’s Proxy Statement, 11 complaints have been filed in federal courts in California, New York and Pennsylvania by purported shareholders of the Company against the Company and the members of the Company’s board of directors, and in one instance against Jazz and Bidco, in connection with the Jazz transaction:  Farrell v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02344 (filed March 17, 2021)

24


(S.D.N.Y.), Hinton v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02379 (filed March 18, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Brady v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02382 (filed March 18, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Warren v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02536 (filed March 24, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Goodman v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-01574 (filed March 25, 2021) (E.D.N.Y.), Kent v. GW Pharmaceuticals, plc, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-00530 (filed March 26, 2021) (S.D. Cal.), Coffman v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-00537 (filed March 26, 2021) (S.D. Cal.), Shubitowski v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02668 (filed March 29, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), Hurlbut v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 2:21-cv-01500 (filed March 30, 2021) (E.D. Pa.), Olesky v. GW Pharmaceuticals, plc, et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-02741 (filed March 31, 2021) (S.D.N.Y.), and Ochoa v. GW Pharmaceuticals plc, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-00580 (filed April 2, 2021) (S.D. Cal.) (collectively, the Federal Shareholder Litigation).  Each of the complaints in the Federal Shareholder Litigation includes allegations that, among other things, the Proxy Statement omitted certain material information in connection with the Jazz transaction in violation of Sections 14(a) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act, and Rule 14a-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act, and one of those complaints also purports to allege claims that the members of the Company’s board of directors breached fiduciary duties in connection with the Jazz transaction, and that the Company, Jazz and Bidco aided and abetted those alleged breaches.  An epidemic additional lawsuit, filed in state court in New York, alleged misrepresentation and concealment claims under New York common law relating to the Proxy Statement:  Levy v. Guy, et al., Case No. 603237/2021 (filed March 17, 2021) (N.Y. Sup. Nassau Cty.).  The plaintiffs seek various remedies, including injunctive relief to prevent the consummation of the Jazz transaction unless certain allegedly material information is disclosed, rescission and/or pandemic disease outbreak, includingother damages and an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses.

One of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, could cause significant disruptionconditions to our business operations completion of the Jazz transaction is the absence of any applicable injunction or other order being in effect that prohibits completion of the Jazz transaction.  Accordingly, if a plaintiff is successful in obtaining an injunction, then such order may prevent the Jazz transaction from being completed, or from being completed within the expected time frame.

On April 14, 2021, the Company filed supplemental disclosures to the Proxy Statement on a Current Report on Form 8-K, in response to which five of the 11 federal complaints were voluntarily dismissed without prejudice and the New York state action was voluntarily discontinued with prejudice.  Some of these actions may continue post closing as actions for damages.  Additional lawsuits arising out of or relating to the Transaction Agreement, the Proxy Statement and/or the operations of third-party suppliers and CROs upon whom we rely, as well as to our clinical trials, including as a result of significant restrictions or bans on travel where we conduct our clinical trials, as well as a diversion of healthcare resources away from the conduct of clinical trials. Such disruption could impede, delay, limit or prevent our employees and CROs from continuing research and development activities, the production, delivery or release of our product candidates to our clinical trial sites, as well as clinical trial investigators, patients or other critical staff from traveling to or otherwise continuing to participate in our clinical trials, and delay data collection and analysis and other related activities, any of which could impede, delay, limit or prevent completion of our ongoing clinical trials and preclinical studies or commencement of new clinical trials, and ultimately lead to the delay or denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates, which would seriously harm our operations and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses. Further, due to “shelter in place” orders and other public health guidance measures, we have implemented a work-from-home policy for all staff members in the U.S. and U.K. excluding those necessary to maintain minimum basic operations. Our increased reliance on personnel working from home may negatively impact productivity, or disrupt, delay or otherwise adversely impact our business.

The COVID-19 outbreak could also potentially affect the operations of the FDA, EMA or other health authorities, which could result in delays in meetings related to planned or completed clinical trials and ultimately of reviews and approvals of our product candidates. The COVID-19 outbreak and mitigation measures also have had and may continue to have an adverse impact on global economic conditions which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition, including impairing our ability to market our drugs effectively and raise capital when needed. The extent to which the COVID-19 outbreak impacts our results will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of the virus and the actions to contain its impact.

Our prospects are highly dependent on the successful commercialization of Epidiolex/Epidyolex, which received approval in 2018 from the FDA and in September 2019 from the EC. To the extent Epidiolex/Epidyolex is not commercially successful, our business, financial condition and results of operationsJazz transaction may be materially adversely affected and the price of our ADSs may decline.

Epidiolex is our only drug that has been approved for sale in the U.S., and it has been approved for sale in Europe. In the U.S., it has only been approved for the treatment of seizures associated with LGS and Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age and older. In Europe, Epidyolex has only been approved for use as adjunctive therapy of seizures associated with LGS or Dravet syndrome, in conjunction with clobazam, for patients two years of age and older. We are focusing a significant portion of our activities and resources on Epidiolex, and we believe our prospects are highly dependent on, and a significant portion of the value of our company relates to, our ability to successfully commercialize Epidiolex in the U.S. and Europe.

23


Successful commercialization of Epidiolex is subject to many risks. Prior to Epidiolex, we have only launched or commercialized one product, Sativex, outside of the U.S., and there is no guarantee that we will be able to continue to successfully commercialize Epidiolex for its approved indications. While we have established our commercial team and have hired our U.S. and European sales forces, we will need to continue to maintain and further develop the teams in order to successfully coordinate the commercialization of Epidiolex. Even if we are successful in maintaining and continuing to develop our commercial team, there are many factors that could cause the commercialization of Epidiolex to be unsuccessful, including a number of factors that are outside our control. Additionally, our revenues are concentrated on sales of Epidiolex in markets affected directly and indirectly by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because no drug has previously been approved by the FDA for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome prior to 2018, it is especially difficult to estimate the market potential of Epidiolex. The commercial success of Epidiolex depends on the extent to which patients and physicians accept and adopt Epidiolex as a treatment for LGS and Dravet syndrome, and we do not know whether our or others’ estimates in this regard will be accurate. We have limited information about how physicians, patients and payers will respond to the pricing of Epidiolex. Physicians may not prescribe Epidiolex and patients may be unwilling to use Epidiolex if coverage is not provided or reimbursement is inadequate to cover a significant portion of the cost. Additionally, any negative development for Epidiolex in the market after launch, in clinical development for additional indications, or in regulatory processes in other jurisdictions, may adversely impact the commercial results and potential of Epidiolex. Thus, significant uncertainty remains regarding the commercial potential of Epidiolex.

If the launch or commercialization of Epidiolex is unsuccessful or perceived as disappointing, our share price could decline significantly and the long-term success of the product and the Company could be harmed.

We have limited marketing experience, and have only recently established our sales force, distribution and reimbursement capabilities, and we may not be able to successfully commercialize Epidiolex, or any of our product candidates if they are approvedfiled in the future.

Our ability to generate revenues ultimately depends on our ability to sell our approved products and secure adequate third-party reimbursement. We currently have limited experience in marketing and selling our products. Our product Sativex is currently approved and sold through marketing partners in a number of countries outside of the U.S. for treatment of MS spasticity. Epidiolex for treatment of LGS and Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age and older is our only product approved for sale in the U.S. and was approved for sale in Europe in September 2019, and we have only had commercialization experience in the U.S. since November 2018, and are only now building the commercial organization in Europe.

The commercial success of Epidiolex and nabiximols depends on a number of factors beyond our control, including the willingness of physicians to prescribe Epidiolex and nabiximols to patients, payers’ willingness and ability to pay for the drug, the level of pricing achieved, patients’ response to Epidiolex and nabiximols and the ability of our marketing partners to generate sales. We have experienced an impact on our sales and marketing activities due to widespread restrictions on in-person meetings with healthcare professionals. During the first quarter 2020, our sales force in the U.S. was unable to meet in-person with doctors starting in the second half of March. As a result of the lower number of in-person meetings with prescribers and restrictions on patient movements due to government-mandated work-from-home or shelter-in-place policies, the rate of new prescriptions for Epidiolex may slow, which may impact our financial results.

There can be no guarantee that we will be able to establish or maintain the personnel, systems, arrangements and capabilities necessary to successfully commercialize Epidiolex, nabiximols or any product candidate approved by the FDA and EMA in the future. If we fail to establish or maintain successful marketing, sales and reimbursement capabilities or fail to enter into successful marketing arrangements with third parties, our product revenues may suffer.  

Product shipment delays could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The shipment, import and export of Epidiolex, nabiximols and our other product candidates require import and export licenses. In the U.S., the FDA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the DEA, and in the U.K., the

24


Home Office, and in other countries, similar regulatory authorities regulate the import and export of pharmaceutical products that contain controlled substances, including Epidiolex, nabiximols and our other product candidates. Specifically, the import and export process requires the issuance of import and export licenses by the relevant controlled substance authority in both the importing and exporting country. We may not be granted, or if granted, maintain, such licenses from the authorities in certain countries. Even if we obtain the relevant licenses, shipments of Epidiolex, nabiximols and our product candidates may be held up in transit due to other factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could cause significant delays and may lead to product batches being stored outside required temperature ranges. Inappropriate storage may damage the product shipment resulting in a partial or total loss of revenue from one or more shipments of Epidiolex, nabiximols or our other product candidates. A partial or total loss of revenue from one or more shipments of Epidiolex, nabiximols or our other product candidates could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Business interruptions could delay us in the process of developing our product candidates and could disrupt our product sales.

Loss of our manufacturing facilities, our growing facilities, stored inventory or laboratory facilities through fire, theft or other causes, or loss of our botanical raw material due to pathogenic infection or other causes, and interruptions to our operations from a health epidemic such as COVID-19, which could cause interruption of, or delays in receiving, supplies due to staffing shortages, production slowdowns or stoppages and disruptions in delivery systems, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet demand for Epidiolex or nabiximols or to continue product development activities and to conduct our business.  Failure to supply our partners with commercial product may lead to adverse consequences, including the right of partners to take over responsibility for product supply. We currently have insurance coverage to compensate us for business interruptions; however, to the extent such insurance covers pandemic-related losses, it may prove insufficient to fully compensate us for the damage to our business resulting from any significant property or casualty loss to our inventory or facilities.

We have significant and increasing liquidity needs and may require additional funding.

Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception. As of December 31, 2019, we reported a net operating cash outflow of $123.5 million and a net cash inflow from investing activities of $61.6 million.

Research and development, sales, general and administrative expenses and cash used for operations will continue to be significant and may increase substantially in the future in connection with new research and development initiatives and continued product commercialization efforts. We may need to raise additional capital to fund our operations, continue to conduct clinical trials to support potential regulatory approval of marketing applications and to fund commercialization of our products.

The amount and timing of our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:

the timing of FDA approval, if any and approvals in international markets of our product candidates, if at all;

the timing and amount of revenue from sales of our products, or revenue from grants or other sources;

the rate of progress and cost of our clinical trails and other product development programs;

costs of establishing or outsourcing sales, marketing and distribution capabilities;

costs and timing of completion of expanded in-house manufacturing facilities as well as any outsourced growing and commercial manufacturing supply arrangements for our product candidates;

costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights associated with our product candidates;

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costs of operating as a U.S. public company;

the effect of competing technological and market developments;

personnel, facilities and equipment requirements;

general economic, industry and market conditions other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control, such as the recent COVID-19 outbreak; and

the terms and timing of any additional collaborative, licensing, co-promotion or other arrangements that we may establish.  

While we expect to fund our future capital requirements from a number of sources including existing cash balances, future cash flows from operations and the proceeds from further public offerings, we cannot assure you that any of these funding sources will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all. Further, even if we can raise funds from all of the above sources, the amounts raised may not be sufficient to meet our future capital requirements.

Operating results may vary significantly in future periods.

Our quarterly revenues, expenses and operating results have fluctuated in the past and are likely to fluctuate significantly in the future. Our financial results are unpredictable and may fluctuate, for among other reasons, due to:

commercial sales of Epidiolex and Sativex;

our achievement of product development objectives and milestones;

clinical trial enrollment and expenses;

research and development expenses;

changes in insurance coverage of our patients;

business interruptions resulting from geopolitical actions, including war and terrorism, health epidemics such as COVID-19, or natural disasters including earthquakes, typhoons, floods and fires; and

timing and nature of contract manufacturing and contract research payments.

A high portion of our costs are predetermined on an annual basis, due in part to our significant research and development costs. Thus, small declines in revenue could disproportionately affect financial results in a quarter. Because of these factors, our financial results in one or more future quarters may fail to meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors, which could cause our share price to decline.

Disruptions at the FDA and other government agencies caused by funding shortages or global health concerns could hinder their ability to hire, retain or deploy key leadership and other personnel, or otherwise prevent products from being developed, cleared or approved or commercialized in a timely manner or at all, which could negatively impact our business.

The ability of the FDA to review and clear or approve products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, statutory, regulatory, and policy changes, the FDA’s ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and other events that may otherwise affect the FDA’s ability to perform routine functions. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of other government agencies that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. Disruptions at the FDA and other

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agencies may also slow the time necessary for new drugs or modifications to approved drugs to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business

Separately, in response to COVID-19, on March 10, 2020, the FDA announced its intention to postpone most foreign inspections of manufacturing facilities and products through April 2020, and regulatory authorities outside the United States may adopt similar restrictions or other policy measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, or if global health concerns continue to prevent the FDA or other regulatory authorities from conducting their regular inspections, reviews, or other regulatory activities, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA or other regulatory authorities to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Product recalls or inventory losses caused by unforeseen events, cold chain interruption and testing difficulties may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Epidiolex, nabiximols and our product candidates are manufactured and distributed using technically complex processes requiring specialized facilities, highly specific raw materials and other production constraints. The complexity of these processes, as well as strict company and government standards for the manufacture of our products, subjects us to production risks. While product batches released for use in clinical trials or for commercialization undergo sample testing, some defects may only be identified following product release. Some of our products must be stored and transported at temperatures within a certain range, which is known as “strict cold chain” storage and transportation. Further, we may experience production and distribution difficulties due to resource constraints or as a result of natural disasters, unstable political environments, or public health epidemics such as the recent COVID-19 outbreak. The occurrence or suspected occurrence of production and distribution difficulties can lead to lost inventories, and in some cases product recalls, with consequential reputational damage and the risk of product liability. The investigation and remediation of any identified problems can cause production delays, substantial expense, lost sales and delays of new product launches.

The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union could lead to increased market volatility, which could adversely impact the market price of our ADSs and make it more difficult for us to do business in Europe or have other adverse effects on our business.

The United Kingdom officially left the European Union as a member state on January 31, 2020 and now has third country status. There now follows a transitional period during which the U.K. and the EU will attempt to conclude a free trade agreement (the “Transitional Period”). During the Transitional Period, the U.K. will abide by all EU laws and regulations. In the event that the U.K. and the EU cannot agree to the terms of such a free trade agreement, the Transitional Period will end on the December 31, 2020 unless an extension to this date is agreed. Currently, if the U.K. wishes to request an extension, it must do so by June 30, 2020.  To date, no extension has been requested and the U.K. government has reiterated its intention to conclude a free trade agreement before the end of 2020 and its intention to refuse any request from the EU to extend the current Transitional Period.  In the event that no free trade agreement is reached by the end of 2020, it is likely that cross-border trade between the United Kingdom and the EU will revert to world trade organization terms. Our distribution model in the EU with the marketing authorization and a hub in the Netherlands has been designed to mitigate the impact of this on our business as much as possible.  In addition, if no free trade agreement can be reached and the United Kingdom leaves the European Union with no free trade agreement, there will be a period of considerable uncertainty particularly in relation to United Kingdom financial and banking markets as well as on the regulatory process in Europe. As a result of this uncertainty, financial markets could experience volatility which could adversely affect the market price of our ADSs. We may also face new regulatory costs and challenges that could have a material adverse effect on our operations. In this regard, the EMA has already issued a notice reminding marketing authorization holders of centrally authorized medicinal products for human and veterinary use of certain legal requirements that need to be considered as part of Brexit, such as the requirement for the marketing authorization holder of a product centrally approved by the European Commission to be established in the European Union, and the requirement for some activities relating to centrally approved products, such as batch release and pharmacovigilance, to be performed in the European Union. As a result of the foregoing developments, and in the absence of any clear indication that any agreed form of a free trade agreement will contain a contrary requirement, we have taken steps to establish a network of subsidiary undertakings in the major European markets and have established pharmacovigilance and batch release operations in the European Union. Depending on the terms of Brexit, the United Kingdom could lose

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the benefits of global trade agreements negotiated by the European Union on behalf of its members, which may result in increased trade barriers which could make our doing business worldwide more difficult. In addition, currency exchange rates in the pound sterling and the euro with respect to each other and the U.S. dollar have already been adversely affected by Brexit. Should this foreign exchange volatility continue it could cause volatility in our financial results.

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Item 6. Exhibits

The following exhibits are either provided with this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or are incorporated herein by reference:

 

Exhibit

Number

 

Description

 

 

 

    3.1*

 

Substituted Articles of Association of GW Pharmaceuticals plc (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on November 29, 2018).

 

 

 

31.1**

 

Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

31.2**

 

Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

32.1**

 

Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

32.2**

 

Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

101.INS

 

Inline XBRL Instance Document – the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.

 

 

 

101.SCH

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

 

 

 

101.CAL

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

 

 

 

101.DEF

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

 

 

 

101.LAB

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

 

 

 

101.PRE

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

 

 

104

 

Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 

*

Previously filed.

**

Filed herewith.

 

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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.

 

 

 

GW PHARMACEUTICALS PLC

 

 

 

 

Date:

May 11, 2020April 30, 2021

By:

/s/ Justin Gover

 

 

 

Name: Justin Gover

 

 

 

Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

Date:

May 11, 2020April 30, 2021

By:

/s/ Scott Giacobello

 

 

 

Name: Scott Giacobello

 

 

 

Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

 

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