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RECRO PHARMA, INC. - 10-Q - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
[November 10, 2014]

RECRO PHARMA, INC. - 10-Q - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.


(Edgar Glimpses Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere. In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from those discussed below. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below, and those discussed in the section titled "Risk Factors" included in Part II, Item 1A of this Form 10-Q.



Overview We are a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company developing non-opioid therapeutics for the treatment of pain, initially for acute pain following surgery. Our lead product, an intranasal formulation of Dexmedetomidine, or Dex, has completed a placebo controlled trial demonstrating effective pain relief. We have studied various dosage forms of Dex in nine completed clinical trials, including two placebo controlled trials that demonstrated effective pain relief, and is currently being studied in a Phase II clinical trial for acute pain following surgery. Dex, which is in a class of drugs called alpha-2 adrenergic agonists, is a Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approved and commercial injectable drug sold by Hospira, Inc. in the United States under the brand name Precedex® and by Orion Corporation, or Orion, in Europe under the brand name Dexdor®. As Dex is not in the opioid class of drugs, we believe it will overcome many of the side effects associated with commonly prescribed opioid therapeutics, including addiction, constipation and respiratory distress while maintaining analgesic, or pain relieving, effect. If we are successful in obtaining approval of Dex-IN, our proprietary intranasal formulation of Dex, for acute pain, we may elect to pursue an additional approval for cancer breakthrough pain. Upon regulatory approval, our license with Orion and our ownership rights with respect to dosage forms for our product candidates will provide us worldwide commercial rights related to Dex, except in Europe, Turkey and the Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS, for use in the treatment of pain in humans in multiple dosage forms.

We are a development stage company with a limited operating history. We have funded our operations to date primarily from proceeds received from a private placement of convertible preferred stock, convertible notes and an initial public offering, or IPO. On March 12, 2014, we announced the closing of the IPO of 4,312,500 shares of common stock, including the full exercise of the underwriters' over-allotment at a public offering price of $8.00 per share.


Total gross proceeds from the IPO were $34.5 million before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by us resulting in net proceeds of $30.3 million.

Since our inception in November 2007, we have not generated any revenue from the sale of our products and do not anticipate generating any revenues for the foreseeable future. We have incurred losses and generated negative cash flows from operations since inception. As of September 30, 2014, we have an accumulated deficit of $30.6 million. Substantially all of our operating losses resulted from costs incurred in connection with our development programs, including our non-clinical and formulation development activities, manufacturing and clinical trials.

We expect to incur increasing expenses over the next several years, principally to develop Dex-IN, including completion of the ongoing Phase II, and planned Phase III pivotal and safety trials. After an interim analysis in September 2014, Recro closed its Post Op Day 0 Phase II clinical trial of Dex-IN in the treatment of acute post-operative pain following bunionectomy surgery. While the trial was not expected to reach statistical significance, a trend toward analgesia was observed in a subset of patients. In October 2014, the Company commenced a Post Op Day 1 Phase II clinical trial of Dex-IN in the treatment of acute post-operative pain following bunionectomy surgery. In addition, based on the availability of additional financial resources, we plan to advance development of our proprietary formulations of Dex for additional indications and development of our second proprietary compound, Fadolmidine, or Fado. Based upon additional financial resources and potential strategic interest, we may develop and commercialize our proprietary formulations of Dex ourselves or with a partner.

Since our inception, we have generally operated through agreements and contracts with third parties. We expect that quarterly and annual operating results of operations will fluctuate for the foreseeable future due to several factors including the outcome and extent of clinical trial activities and timing and extent of research and development efforts. As a result, we expect to continue to incur significant and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future.

Financial Overview Research and Development Expenses Research and development expenses currently consist of costs incurred in connection with the development of Dex in different delivery forms. These expenses consist primarily of: • expenses incurred under agreements with contract research organizations, or CROs, investigative sites and consultants that conduct our clinical trials and a substantial portion of our preclinical studies; 12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents • the cost of acquiring and manufacturing clinical trial materials; • the cost of manufacturing validation tests, if these materials are manufactured prior to obtaining regulatory approval; • costs related to facilities, depreciation and other allocated expenses; • costs associated with non-clinical activities and regulatory approvals; and • salaries and related costs for personnel in research and development functions.

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Advanced payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are initially recorded as prepaid expenses and expensed as the activity is performed or when the goods have been received.

Since inception, we have developed and evaluated a series of Dex product candidates through Phase I pharmacokinetic and placebo-controlled Phase Ib and recently closed Phase II efficacy trials. Our current priority is the development of Dex-IN for acute pain following surgery. Dex-IN is currently being evaluated in a Post OP Day 1 Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of acute post-operative pain following bunionectomy surgery. In addition to the development of Dex-IN, we intend to strategically invest in our product pipeline, including the development of other indications for Dex-IN as well as other formulations of Dex and Fado. The commitment of funding for each subsequent stage of our development programs is dependent upon, among other things, the receipt of successful clinical data.

The majority of our external costs relate to clinical trial sites, analysis and testing of the product and patent costs. We currently rely on MCG, a related party, for a portion of our research and development activities. Costs related to facilities, depreciation, and support are not charged to specific programs.

The successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain and subject to a number of risks including, but not limited to: • the duration of clinical trials varies substantially according to the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidate; • the FDA and comparable agencies in foreign countries impose substantial requirements on the introduction of therapeutic pharmaceutical products, typically requiring lengthy and detailed laboratory and clinical testing procedures, sampling activities and other costly and time-consuming procedures; • data obtained from nonclinical and clinical activities at any step in the testing process may be adverse and lead to discontinuation or redirection of development activity. Data obtained from these activities also are susceptible to varying interpretations, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval; • the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of a product candidate are uncertain; • the emergence of competing technologies and products and other adverse market developments could impede our commercial efforts; and • the risks disclosed in Part II, Item 1A entitled "Risk Factors" of this Form 10-Q.

Development timelines, probability of success and development costs vary widely.

As a result of the uncertainties discussed above, we anticipate that we will make determinations as to which additional programs to pursue and how much funding to direct to each program on an ongoing basis in response to the scientific and clinical data of each product candidate, as well as ongoing assessments of such product candidate's commercial potential. Accordingly, we cannot currently estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of time or costs that we will be required to expend in the future on our product candidates to complete current or future clinical or pre-commercial stages prior to their regulatory approval, if such approval is ever granted. As a result of these uncertainties surrounding the timing and outcome of any approvals, we are currently unable to estimate precisely when, if ever, Dex-IN or any of our other product candidates will generate revenues and cash flows.

We expect our research and development costs related to Dex-IN to be substantial for the foreseeable future as we advance this product candidate through clinical trials, manufacturing scale-up and other pre-approval activities. We may elect to seek out collaborative relationships in order to provide us with a diversified revenue stream and to help facilitate the development and commercialization of our product candidate pipeline.

General and Administrative Expenses General and administrative expenses consist principally of salaries and related costs for personnel in executive and finance functions. Other general and administrative expenses include professional fees for legal, including patent related expenses, consulting, auditing and tax services, and stock compensation expense.

13 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents We expect that our general and administrative expenses in 2014 will be higher than in 2013. We expect to have greater expenses relating to our operations as a public company, including increased payroll and increased consulting, legal and compliance, accounting, insurance and investor relations costs. We also expect that our patent costs will increase if our patents are issued, as the annuity fees will be higher than our current expenses and, if additional formulation technology is developed for our product candidates, patent expenses could increase further.

Interest Expense Interest expense consists of accrued interest on our Bridge Notes issued to our investors, SCP Vitalife Partners II, L.P. and SCP Vitalife Partners (Israel) II, L.P., or collectively SCP Vitalife. Upon the closing of the IPO, these Bridge Notes, including accrued interest, were converted into shares of common stock.

Since the conversion price of our Bridge Notes allowed the note holders to convert at 75% of the initial offering price per share in the IPO, we recorded a non-cash interest charge of approximately $4.1 million upon the closing of the IPO.

Net Operating Losses and Tax Carryforwards As of December 31, 2013, we had approximately $9.1 million of federal net operating loss carryforwards. We also had federal and state research and development tax credit carryforwards of $360,000 available to offset future taxable income. U.S. tax laws limit the time during which these carryforwards may be utilized against future taxes. These federal and state net operating loss and federal and state tax credit carryforwards will begin to expire at various dates beginning in 2028, if not utilized. As a result, we may not be able to take full advantage of these carryforwards for federal and state tax purposes.

The closing of the IPO, together with private placements and other transactions that have occurred since our inception, may trigger, or may have already triggered, an "ownership change" pursuant to Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. If an ownership change is triggered, it will limit our ability to use some of our net operating loss carryforwards. In addition, since we will need to raise substantial additional funding to finance our operations, we may undergo further ownership changes in the future, which could further limit our ability to use net operating loss carryforwards. As a result, if we generate taxable income, our ability to use some of our net operating loss carryforwards to offset U.S. federal taxable income may be subject to limitations, which could result in increased future tax liabilities to us.

Results of Operations Comparison of the Three Months Ended September 30, 2014 and 2013: Three Months Ended September 30, Increase (Decrease) 2014 2013 $ % (amounts in thousands) Operating expenses Research and Development $ 3,634 $ 122 3,512 2,879 % General and Administrative 1,084 161 923 573 % Total operating expenses 4,718 283 Other income (expense) Interest income (expense) 5 (221 ) (216 ) 98 % Net loss $ (4,713 ) $ (504 ) Research and Development. Our research and development expenses were $3.6 million and $122,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The increase was primarily due to our Phase II clinical trial and associated manufacturing costs, short-term preclinical studies and management's salaries and benefits which commenced with becoming a public company.

General and Administrative. Our general and administrative expenses were $1.1 million and $161,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. This increase of $923,000 was mainly due to management's salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation, increased consulting, legal and accounting fees and increased directors and officers insurance associated with becoming a public company.

Interest Expense.Interest expense on our Bridge Notes that were converted to common stock in March 2014 upon the closing of our IPO was $221,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2013.

14 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents Comparison of the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014 and 2013: Nine Months Ended September 30, Increase (Decrease) 2014 2013 $ % (amounts in thousands) Operating expenses Research and Development $ 5,619 $ 482 5,137 1,066 % General and Administrative 2,768 456 2,312 507 % Total operating expenses 8,387 938 Other income (expense) Interest income (expense) (4,266 ) (636 ) 3,630 571 % Net loss $ (12,653 ) $ (1,574 ) Research and Development. Our research and development expenses were $5.6 million and $482,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The increase was primarily due to our Phase II clinical trial and associated manufacturing costs, short-term preclinical studies and management's salaries and benefits which commenced with becoming a public company.

General and Administrative. Our general and administrative expenses were $2.8 million and $456,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The increase of $2.3 million was mainly due to the management's salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation; increased consulting, legal and accounting fees and increased directors and officers insurance associated with becoming a public company.

Interest Expense.Interest expense on our Bridge Notes was $192,000 and $636,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Since the conversion price of our Bridge Notes allowed the note holders to convert at 75% of the initial offering price per share in the IPO, we recorded a non-cash interest charge of approximately $4.1 million upon the closing of the IPO.

Liquidity and Capital Resources As of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, we had $23.9 million and $13,000, respectively, in cash and cash equivalents. We expect that cash and cash equivalents, together with interest income, will be sufficient to fund our current operations through the end of 2015. Since inception through September 30, 2014, we have financed our product development, operations and capital expenditures primarily from private sales of $4.0 million of our Series A Stock, $9.6 million of our Bridge Notes and $30.3 million from the IPO.

We will need to raise additional funds in order to continue our clinical trials beyond clinical trials of Dex-IN for acute pain following surgery, to commercialize any product candidates or technologies and to enhance our sales and marketing efforts for additional products we may acquire. Insufficient funds may cause us to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our development, commercialization or expansion activities. Our future capital needs and the adequacy of our available funds will depend on many factors, including the cost of clinical studies and other actions needed to obtain regulatory approval of our products in development. If additional funds are required, we may raise such funds through public or private sales of equity or debt securities or from bank or other loans or through strategic research and development, licensing and/or marketing arrangements from time to time.

Financing may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all, and our failure to raise capital when needed could materially adversely impact our growth plans and our financial condition or results of operations. Additional equity financing, if available, may be dilutive to the holders of our common stock and may involve significant cash payment obligations and covenants that restrict our ability to operate our business.

Sources and Uses of Cash Cash used in operations was $6.6 million and $668,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, which represents our operating losses less our non-cash interest expense and beneficial conversion charge taken on our Bridge Notes upon the conversion of such Bridge Notes, including accrued interest, into common stock.

Cash provided by financing activities was $30.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 as a result of successfully raising net proceeds of $30.4 million from the IPO and the issuance of $175,000 of Bridge Notes to SCP Vitalife. Cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 was from the issuance of $685,000 of Bridge Notes to SCP Vitalife less $50,000 used for offering costs.

15 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents Our future use of operating cash and capital requirements will depend on many forward-looking factors, including the following: • the timing and expenses of trials prior to an New Drug Application, or NDA, for Dex-IN; • the timing and outcome of the FDA's review of an NDA for Dex-IN if our trials are successful; • the extent to which the FDA may require us to perform additional preclinical studies, clinical trials or pre-commercial manufacturing of Dex-IN; • the costs of our commercialization activities if approved by the FDA; • the cost of purchasing manufacturing and other capital equipment for our potential products; • the scope, progress, results and costs of development for our other product candidates; • the cost, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our other product candidates; • the extent to which we acquire or invest in products, businesses and technologies; • the extent to which we choose to establish collaboration, co-promotion, distribution or other similar agreements for product candidates; and • the costs of preparing, submitting and prosecuting patent applications and maintaining, enforcing and defending intellectual property claims.

We might seek additional debt or equity financing or both to fund our operations or product acquisitions. If we increase our debt levels, we might be restricted in our ability to raise additional capital and might be subject to financial and restrictive covenants. Our shareholders may experience dilution as a result of the issuance of additional equity securities. This dilution may be significant depending upon the amount of equity securities that we issue and the prices at which we issue any securities.

Contractual Commitments We are involved with in-licensing of product candidates that are generally associated with payments to the partner from whom we have licensed the product.

Such payments frequently take the form of: • an up-front payment, the size of which varies depending on the phase of the product candidate and how many other companies would like to obtain the product, which is paid very soon after signing a license agreement; • royalties as a percentage of net sales of the product; and • milestone payments which are paid when certain parts of the overall development program and regulatory milestones (such as filing an investigational new drug application, or IND, or an NDA) are successfully accomplished, as well meeting certain sales thresholds.

We may also out-license products, for which we hold the rights, to other companies for commercialization in other territories, or at times, for other uses. If this happens, we would expect to be paid: • an up-front payment made at or shortly after signing a partnering agreement; • royalties as a percentage of net sales of the product; • milestone payments that may be made on completion of a phase of a clinical program, or regulatory approval in a given territory; and • a payment or payments made upon achievement of a certain level of sales in a given year.

Orion In August 2008, we entered into a License Agreement with Orion for non-injectable Dex. Under the Dexmedetomidine License Agreement, we were granted an exclusive license under Orion Know-How and Cygnus/Farmos Patent to commercialize products in the territory, as defined in such agreement, and to use, research, develop, and have made products worldwide solely for purposes of commercialization. We also entered into a Supply Agreement with Orion pursuant to which Orion will supply us with development quantities of Dex at no cost.

Upon receipt of regulatory approval, Orion will supply commercial quantities of bulk active pharmaceutical ingredient Dex for commercialization.

We will pay milestone payments to Orion of up to 20.5 million Euros ($25.9 million as of September 30, 2014) after regulatory approval of Dex dosage forms and upon achieving certain sales milestones. We will also pay Orion royalty payments on net sales of our products, which royalty payments will be paid at varying percentages.

16 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents We also have an active pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, agreement with Orion for the supply of Dex, which we believe provides fair and arm's-length pricing for the purchase of the Dex API that is produced in compliance with current good manufacturing practices, or cGMP, and which addresses certain circumstances related to the provision of qualified manufacturing facilities or alternatives.

In July 2010, we entered into a License Agreement with Orion for Fado. Under the Fadolmidine License Agreement, we were granted an exclusive license under Orion Know-How and Orion Patent Rights to commercialize products in the territory, as defined in such agreement, and to use, research, develop, and have made products worldwide solely for purposes of commercialization.

We will pay milestone payments to Orion of up to 12.2 million Euros ($15.4 million as of September 30, 2014) based on regulatory filings and approval and on commercialized net sales levels. We will also pay Orion royalty payments on net sales of our products, which royalty payments will be paid at varying percentages.

Leases We lease our facilities space under an operating lease on a month-to-month basis with MCG, a related party.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4) of Regulation S-K.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates The Company's significant accounting policies, which include management's best estimates and judgments, are included in Note 3 to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2013 included in the Company's Form S-1. There have been no significant changes in the Company's critical accounting policies since December 31, 2013.

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