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Risk Overview Q2, 2026
Risk Distribution
29% Tech & Innovation
27% Legal & Regulatory
23% Finance & Corporate
9% Production
8% Ability to Sell
4% Macro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
Meiragtx Holdings Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q2, 2026
Main Risk Category
Tech & Innovation
With 23 Risks
Tech & Innovation
With 23 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
78
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
78
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
0Risks added
1Risks removed
2Risks changed
Since Jun 2026
0Risks added
1Risks removed
2Risks changed
Since Jun 2026
Number of Risk Changed
2
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 1
2
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 1
See the risk highlights of Meiragtx Holdings in the last period.
Risk Word Cloud
The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 78
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 23/78 (29%)Above Sector Average
Innovation / R&D9 | 11.5%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
Clinical trials are expensive, time-consuming, difficult to design and implement, and involve an uncertain outcome. Further, we may encounter substantial delays in our clinical trials.Innovation / R&D - Risk 2
It is difficult to predict the time and cost of product candidate development on our novel gene therapy platform. A limited number of gene therapies have been approved in the United States or in Europe.We have concentrated a portion of our research and development efforts on our gene therapy platform, which uses both transduction and gene control technology. Our future success depends on the successful development of these novel therapeutic approaches. To date, a limited number of products that utilize gene transfer have been approved in the United States or Europe.
Our gene therapy platform is based on a suite of viral vectors which we can deploy with gene therapy constructs, which relies on the ability of AAV to efficiently transmit a therapeutic gene to certain kinds of cells. The mechanism of action by which these vectors target particular tissues is still not completely understood. Therefore, it is difficult for us to determine that our vectors will be able to properly deliver gene transfer constructs to enough tissue cells to reach therapeutic levels. We cannot be certain that animal models will exist for some of the diseases we expect to pursue, that our viral vectors will be able to meet safety and efficacy levels needed to be therapeutic in humans or that they will not cause significant adverse events or toxicities. Furthermore, prior work conducted by a third party in non-human primates suggests that intravenous, or IV, delivery of certain AAV vectors at very high doses may result in severe toxicity. The indications that we target do not use IV administration for viral vector delivery and do not use doses as high as those tested in these publications, and to date we have not observed the severe toxicities described in these publications with the naturally occurring AAV vectors that we use. However, we cannot be certain that we will be able to avoid triggering toxicities in our future preclinical studies or clinical trials. Any such results could impact our ability to develop a product candidate. As a result of these factors, it is more difficult for us to predict the time and cost of product candidate development, and we cannot predict whether the application of our gene therapy platform, or any similar or competitive gene therapy platforms, will result in the identification, development, and regulatory approval of any product candidates, or that other gene therapy technologies will not be considered better or more attractive. There can be no assurance that any development problems we experience in the future related to our gene therapy platform or any of our research programs will not cause significant delays or unanticipated costs, or that such development problems can be solved. Any of these factors may prevent us from completing our preclinical studies or clinical trials or commercializing any product candidates we may develop on a timely or profitable basis, if at all.
In addition, because our gene regulation technology is still in the research stage, we have not yet been able to assess safety in humans, and there may be long-term effects from treatment that we cannot predict at this time.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 3
We may not be successful in our efforts to identify additional product candidates.Part of our strategy involves identifying novel product candidates. The process by which we identify product candidates may fail to yield product candidates for clinical development for a number of reasons, including those discussed in these risk factors and also:
- we may not be able to assemble sufficient resources to acquire or discover additional product candidates;- competitors may develop alternatives that render our potential product candidates obsolete or less attractive;- potential product candidates we develop may nevertheless be covered by third parties' patents or other exclusive rights;- potential product candidates may, on further study, be shown to have harmful side effects, toxicities or other characteristics that indicate that they are unlikely to be products that will receive marketing approval and achieve market acceptance;- potential product candidates may not be effective in treating their targeted diseases;- the market for a potential product candidate may change so that the continued development of that product candidate is no longer reasonable;- a potential product candidate may not be capable of being produced in commercial quantities at an acceptable cost, or at all; or - the regulatory pathway for a potential product candidate may be too complex and difficult to navigate successfully or economically.
In addition, we may choose to focus our efforts and resources on a potential product candidate that ultimately proves to be unsuccessful. As a result, we may fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities, be required to forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or other diseases that may later prove to have greater commercial potential, or relinquish valuable rights to such product candidates through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights. If we are unable to identify additional suitable product candidates for clinical development, this would adversely impact our business strategy and our financial position and share price and could potentially cause us to cease operations.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 4
We are heavily dependent on the success of our product candidates, which are still in development, and if none of them receive regulatory approval or are successfully commercialized, our business may be harmed.Our future success and ability to generate product revenue is substantially dependent on our ability to successfully develop, manufacture, obtain regulatory approval for and successfully commercialize our product candidates. We currently have no products that are approved for commercial sale and may never be able to develop marketable products. We have invested and expect to continue to invest a meaningful portion of our efforts and expenditures over the next few years in the development of bota-vec, AAV-hAQP1, AAV-AIPL1, AAV-GAD and our riboswitch gene regulation technology platform, as well as potentially other clinical and pre-clinical programs, which will require additional clinical development, management of clinical and manufacturing activities, regulatory approval in multiple jurisdictions, manufacturing sufficient supply, building of a commercial organization, substantial investment and significant marketing efforts before we can generate any revenues from any commercial sales. While we have entered into the Lilly Collaboration Agreement with respect to AAV-AIPL1 and two other preclinical product candidates which are intended to treat other inherited retinal dystrophies, there can be no assurance that these product candidates will be successfully developed and commercialized by us or Lilly. We cannot be certain that our product candidates will be successful in clinical trials, receive regulatory approval or be successfully commercialized even if we receive regulatory approval. Even if we receive approval to market our product candidates from the FDA, MHRA or other regulatory bodies, we cannot be certain that our product candidates will be successfully commercialized by us or any of our collaborators, widely accepted in the marketplace or more effective than other commercially available alternatives. Additionally, the research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, sale, marketing and distribution of gene therapy products are and will remain subject to extensive and evolving regulation by the FDA, MHRA and other regulatory authorities. We are not permitted to market our product candidates in the United States until they receive approval of a biologics license application, or BLA, from the FDA, we cannot market them in the UK or European Union, or EU, until we receive approval for a marketing authorization, or MA, from the MHRA or European Commission, respectively, and we cannot market them in other countries until we receive any other required regulatory approval in those countries.
Because some of our product candidates are based on similar technology, if any of our product candidates show unexpected adverse events or a lack of efficacy in the indications we intend to treat, or if we experience other regulatory or developmental issues, our development plans and business could be significantly harmed. Further, competitors may be developing products with similar technology and may experience problems with their products that could identify problems that would potentially harm our business.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 5
We may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we focus on research programs and product candidates that we identify for specific indications. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that later prove to have greater commercial potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to timely capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs and product candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable products. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such product candidate.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 6
Interim, "topline" and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.From time to time, we may publicly disclose preliminary or topline data from our clinical trials, which is based on a preliminary analysis of then-available data, and the results and related findings and conclusions are subject to change following a more comprehensive review of the data related to the particular study or trial. We also make assumptions, estimations, calculations and conclusions as part of our analyses of data, and we may not have received or had the opportunity to fully and carefully evaluate all data. As a result, the topline or preliminary results that we report may differ from future results of the same studies, or different conclusions or considerations may qualify such results, once additional data have been received and fully evaluated. Topline and preliminary data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the topline or preliminary data we previously published. As a result, topline and preliminary data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available.
From time to time, we may also disclose interim data from our clinical trials. Interim data from these trials that we may complete are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as subject enrollment continues and more data become available. Adverse differences between interim data and topline, preliminary, or final data could significantly harm our business prospects. Further, disclosure of interim data by us or by our competitors could result in volatility in the price of our ordinary shares.
Further, others, including regulatory agencies, may not accept or agree with our assumptions, estimates, calculations, conclusions or analyses or may interpret or weigh the importance of data differently, which could impact the value of the particular program, the approvability or commercialization of the particular product candidate or product and our company in general. In addition, the information we choose to publicly disclose regarding a particular clinical trial is based on what is typically extensive information, and you or others may not agree with what we determine is material or otherwise appropriate information to include in our disclosure. If the interim, topline, or preliminary data that we report differ from actual results, or if others, including regulatory authorities, disagree with the conclusions reached, our ability to obtain approval for, and commercialize, our product candidates may be harmed, which could harm our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 7
Success in preclinical studies or clinical trials may not be indicative of results in future clinical trials.Results from previous preclinical studies or clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future clinical trial results, and interim results of a clinical trial are not necessarily indicative of final results. Our product candidates may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy in clinical development despite positive results in preclinical studies or having successfully advanced through initial clinical trials.
Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will generate the same results or otherwise provide adequate data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a product candidate.
Frequently, product candidates that have shown promising results in early clinical trials have subsequently suffered significant setbacks in later clinical trials. In addition, the design of a clinical trial can determine whether its results will support approval of a product and flaws in the design of a clinical trial may not become apparent until the clinical trial is well advanced. We have limited experience designing clinical trials and may be unable to design and execute a clinical trial to support regulatory approval. There is a high failure rate for drugs and biologic products proceeding through clinical trials. Data obtained from preclinical and clinical activities are subject to varying interpretations, which may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 8
Our product candidates may cause serious adverse events or undesirable side effects or have other properties which may delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial profile of an approved label, or, result in significant negative consequences following marketing approval, if any.Serious adverse events or undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA, MHRA or other authorities. Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects, toxicities or unexpected characteristics, including death. A risk in any gene therapy product based on viral vectors is the risk of insertional mutagenesis.
If unacceptable side effects or deaths arise in the development of our product candidates, we, the FDA, the IRBs at the institutions in which our studies are conducted, the DSMB, or other regulatory bodies could suspend or terminate our clinical trials or the FDA, MHRA or other regulatory authorities could order us to cease clinical trials or deny approval of our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. Undesirable side effects or deaths in clinical trials with our product candidates may cause the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities to place a clinical hold on the associated clinical trials, to require additional studies, or otherwise to delay or deny approval of our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. Treatment-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial or result in potential product liability claims. In addition, these side effects may not be appropriately recognized or managed by the treating medical staff. We expect to have to train medical personnel using our product candidates to understand the side effect profiles for our clinical trials and upon any commercialization of any of our product candidates. Inadequate training in recognizing or managing the potential side effects of our product candidates could result in patient injury or death. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.
If any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, and we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by any such product, including during any long-term follow-up observation period recommended or required for patients who receive treatment using our products, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:
- regulatory authorities may withdraw approvals of such product;- we may be required to recall a product or change the way such product is administered to patients;- additional restrictions may be imposed on the marketing of the particular product or the manufacturing processes for the product;- regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label, such as a "black box" warning or contraindication;- we may be required to implement a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, or create a medication guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients or similar risk management measures;- the product could become less competitive;- we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and - our reputation may suffer.
Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular product candidate, if approved, and could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 9
If we encounter difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials, our clinical development activities could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected.The timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with their protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in the study until its conclusion. We may encounter delays in enrolling, or be unable to enroll, a sufficient number of patients to complete any of our clinical trials, and even once enrolled we may be unable to retain a sufficient number of patients to complete any of our trials. This may result in increased costs, program delays or both, which could have a harmful effect on our ability to develop our product candidates, or could render further development impossible. The enrollment of patients depends on many factors, including:
- the size and nature of the patient population;- the patient eligibility criteria defined in the protocol;- the size of the patient population required for analysis of the trial's primary endpoints;- the proximity of patients to study sites;- the design of the trial or side effects that may arise in development;- our ability to recruit clinical trial investigators with the appropriate competencies and experience;- clinicians' and patients' perceptions as to the potential advantages of the product candidate being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new products that may be approved for the indications we are investigating;- our ability to obtain and maintain patient consents;- the risk that patients enrolled in clinical trials will drop out of the trials before completion; and - business interruptions resulting from geopolitical actions, including war and terrorism, or widespread health emergencies, or natural disasters including earthquakes, typhoons, floods and fires, or from economic or political instability.
In addition, other clinical trials for product candidates that are in the same therapeutic areas as our product candidates or approved products for the same clinical indications (such as Luxturna marketed by Spark Therapeutics, Inc. for the treatment of RPE65-associated retinal disease) may reduce the number and type of patients available to us. Furthermore, although we have conducted and may in the future conduct natural history studies to better characterize the patient populations we seek to address, any natural history studies we may undertake could fail to provide us with patients for our clinical trials, because patients enrolled in the natural history studies may not be good candidates for our clinical trials or may choose to not enroll in our clinical trials.
Trade Secrets12 | 15.4%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
We may need to license or acquire additional intellectual property from third parties, and such intellectual property may not be available or may not be available on commercially reasonable terms.Trade Secrets - Risk 2
If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, then we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of interest and our business may be adversely affected.If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, then we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of interest and our business may be adversely affected. Our trademark MeiraGTx is the subject of registrations and/or pending applications in the EU, UK and United States. We may not be able to protect our rights to these trademarks and trade names, which we need to build name recognition among potential partners or customers in our markets of interest. At times, competitors may adopt trade names or trademarks similar to ours, thereby impeding our ability to build brand identity and possibly leading to market confusion. In addition, there could be potential trade name or trademark infringement claims brought by owners of other registered trademarks or trademarks that incorporate variations of our unregistered trademarks or trade names. Over the long term, if we are unable to successfully register our trademarks and trade names and establish name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, then we may not be able to compete effectively and our business may be adversely affected. Our efforts to enforce or protect our proprietary rights related to trademarks, trade secrets, domain names, copyrights or other intellectual property may be ineffective and could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and could adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations.
Trade Secrets - Risk 3
Our reliance on third parties may require us to share our trade secrets, which increases the possibility that our trade secrets will be misappropriated or disclosed, and confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and protect other proprietary information.We consider proprietary trade secrets, confidential know-how and unpatented know-how to be important to our business. We may rely on trade secrets and confidential know-how to protect our technology, especially where patent protection is believed by us to be of limited value. However, trade secrets and confidential know-how are difficult to protect, and we have limited control over the protection of trade secrets and confidential know-how used by our licensors, collaborators and suppliers. Because we have relied in the past on third parties to manufacture our product candidates, because we may continue to do so in the future, and because we expect to collaborate with third parties on the development of our current product candidates and any future product candidates we develop, we may, at times, share trade secrets with them. We also conduct joint research and development programs that may require us to share trade secrets under the terms of our research and development partnerships or similar agreements. Under such circumstances, trade secrets and confidential know-how can be difficult to maintain as confidential.
To protect this type of information against disclosure or appropriation by competitors, our policy is to require our employees, consultants, contractors and advisors to enter into confidentiality agreements and, if applicable, material transfer agreements, consulting agreements or other similar agreements with us prior to beginning research or disclosing proprietary information. These agreements typically limit the rights of the third parties to use or disclose our confidential information, including our trade secrets. However, current or former employees, consultants, contractors and advisers may unintentionally or willfully disclose our confidential information to competitors, and confidentiality agreements may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. We may also be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or independent contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information of their former employers or other third parties. The need to share trade secrets and other confidential information increases the risk that such trade secrets become known by our competitors, are inadvertently incorporated into the technology of others, or are disclosed or used in violation of these agreements. Given that our competitive position is based, in part, on our know-how and trade secrets, a competitor's discovery of our trade secrets or other unauthorized use or disclosure would impair our competitive position and may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Enforcing a claim that a third party obtained illegally and is using trade secrets and/or confidential know-how is expensive, time consuming and unpredictable, and the enforceability of confidentiality agreements may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Courts outside the United States are sometimes less willing to protect proprietary information, technology and know-how.
Trade Secrets - Risk 4
Our proprietary rights may not adequately protect our technologies and product candidates, and do not necessarily address all potential threats to our competitive advantage.The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations, and may not adequately protect our business, or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage. The following examples are illustrative:
- others may be able to make products that are the same as or similar to our product candidates but that are not covered by the claims of the patents that we own or have exclusively licensed;- others, including inventors or developers of our owned or in-licensed patented technologies who may become involved with competitors, may independently develop similar technologies that function as alternatives or replacements for any of our technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights;- we or our licensors or our other collaboration partners might not have been the first to conceive and reduce to practice the inventions covered by the patents or patent applications that we own, license or will own or license;- we or our licensors or our other collaboration partners might not have been the first to file patent applications covering certain of the patents or patent applications that we or they own or have obtained a license, or will own or will have obtained a license;- we or our licensors may fail to meet obligations to the U.S. government with respect to in-licensed patents and patent applications funded by U.S. government grants, leading to the loss of patent rights;- issued patents that we own or exclusively license may not provide us with any competitive advantage, or may be held invalid or unenforceable, as a result of legal challenges by our competitors; and - our competitors might conduct research and development activities in countries where we do not have patent rights, or in countries where research and development safe harbor laws exist, and then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive products for sale in our major commercial markets.
Trade Secrets - Risk 5
If we do not obtain patent term extension in the United States under the Hatch-Waxman Act and in foreign countries under similar legislation, thereby potentially extending the term of marketing exclusivity for our product candidates, our business may be harmed.In the United States, a patent that covers an FDA-approved drug or biologic may be eligible for a term extension designed to restore the period of the patent term that is lost during the premarket regulatory review process conducted by the FDA. Depending upon the timing, duration and conditions of FDA marketing approval of our product candidates, one or more of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, or the Hatch-Waxman Act, which permits a patent term extension of up to five years for a patent covering an approved product as compensation for effective patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review process. In the UK and the EU, our product candidates may be eligible for term extensions based on similar legislation. In each of these jurisdictions, however, we may not receive an extension if we fail to apply within applicable deadlines, fail to apply prior to expiration of relevant patents or otherwise fail to satisfy applicable requirements. Even if we are granted such extension, the duration of such extension may be less than our request. If we are unable to obtain a patent term extension, or if the term of any such extension is less than our request, the period during which we can enforce our patent rights for that product will be essentially shortened and our competitors may obtain approval to market competing products sooner. The resulting reduction in revenue from applicable products could be substantial.
Trade Secrets - Risk 6
Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our product candidates for an adequate amount of time.The term of any individual patent depends on applicable law in the country where the patent is granted. In the United States, provided all maintenance fees are timely paid, a patent generally has a term of 20 years from its application filing date or earliest claimed non-provisional filing date. Extensions may be available under certain circumstances, but the life of a patent and, correspondingly, the protection it affords is limited. Even if we or our licensors obtain patents covering our product candidates, when the terms of all patents covering a product expire, our business may become subject to competition from competitive medications, including generic medications. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review and approval of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates may expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours.
Trade Secrets - Risk 7
We enjoy only limited geographical protection with respect to certain patents and we may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.Filing, prosecuting and defending patents covering our product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. In-licensing patents covering our product candidates in all countries throughout the world may similarly be prohibitively expensive, if such opportunities are available at all. And in-licensing or filing, prosecuting and defending patents even in only those jurisdictions in which we develop or commercialize our product candidates may be prohibitively expensive or impractical. Competitors may use our and our licensors' technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection or licensed patents to develop their own products and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we and our licensors have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States, the UK or the EU. These products may compete with our product candidates, and our or our licensors' patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.
The laws of some jurisdictions do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws or regulations in the United States, the UK and the EU, and many companies have encountered significant difficulties in protecting and defending proprietary rights in such jurisdictions. Moreover, the legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets or other forms of intellectual property, which could make it difficult for us to prevent competitors in some jurisdictions from marketing competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions, whether or not successful, are likely to result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, and additionally could put at risk our or our licensors' patents of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly, could increase the risk of our or our licensors' patent applications not issuing, or could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, while damages or other remedies may be awarded to the adverse party, which may be commercially significant. If we prevail, damages or other remedies awarded to us, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts, or the efforts of our licensors or collaborators, to enforce intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.
Trade Secrets - Risk 8
Changes in patent laws or patent jurisprudence could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product candidates.Obtaining and enforcing patents in the biotechnology and genetic medicine industries involve both technological complexity and legal complexity. In addition, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the AIA, which was passed in September 2011, resulted in significant changes to the U.S. patent system.
An important change introduced by the AIA is that, as of March 16, 2013, the United States transitioned from a "first-to-invent" to a "first-to-file" system for deciding which party should be granted a patent when two or more patent applications are filed by different parties claiming the same invention. Under a "first-to-file" system, assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application generally will be entitled to a patent on the invention regardless of whether another inventor had made the invention earlier. A third party that files a patent application in the USPTO after that date but before us could therefore be awarded a patent covering an invention of ours even if we made the invention before it was made by the third party. This will require us to be cognizant of the time from invention to filing of a patent application and diligent in filing patent applications, but circumstances could prevent us from promptly filing patent applications on our inventions.
In addition, a third party may attempt to use the USPTO procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third party as a defendant in a district court action because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in U.S. federal courts necessary to invalidate a patent claim. An adverse determination in any such proceeding could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our owned or in-licensed patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products without infringing third-party patent rights.
Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years either narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in certain situations, and there are other open questions under patent law that courts have yet to decisively address. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once obtained. Depending on decisions by Congress, the federal courts and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways and could weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents that we might obtain in the future. In addition, the European patent system is relatively stringent in the type of amendments that are allowed during prosecution, but, the complexity and uncertainty of European patent laws has also increased in recent years. Complying with these laws and regulations could limit our ability to obtain new patents that may be important for our business.
Trade Secrets - Risk 9
We may not identify relevant third-party patents or may incorrectly interpret the relevance, scope or expiration of a third-party patent, which might adversely affect our ability to develop, manufacture and market our product candidates.We cannot guarantee that any of our or our licensors' patent searches or analyses, including but not limited to the identification of relevant patents, analysis of the scope of relevant patent claims or determination of the expiration of relevant patents, are complete or thorough, nor can we be certain that we have identified each and every third-party patent and pending application in the United States, the UK, the EU and elsewhere that is relevant to or necessary for the commercialization of our product candidates in any jurisdiction. For example, in the United States, applications filed before November 29, 2000 and certain applications filed after that date that will not be filed outside the United States remain confidential until patents issue. Patent applications in the United States, the UK, the EU and elsewhere are published approximately 18 months after the earliest filing for which priority is claimed, with such earliest filing date being commonly referred to as the priority date. Therefore, patent applications covering our product candidates could be filed by others without our knowledge. Additionally, pending patent applications that have been published can, subject to certain limitations, be later amended in a manner that could cover our product candidates or the use of our product candidates. After issuance, the scope of patent claims remains subject to construction as determined by an interpretation of the law, the written disclosure in a patent and the patent's prosecution history. Our interpretation of the relevance or the scope of a patent or a pending application may be incorrect, which may negatively impact our ability to market our product candidates. We may incorrectly determine that our product candidates are not covered by a third-party patent or may incorrectly predict whether a third party's pending application will issue with claims of relevant scope. Our determination of the expiration date of any patent in the United States, the UK, the EU or elsewhere that we consider relevant may be incorrect, which may negatively impact our ability to develop and market our product candidates. Our failure to identify and correctly interpret relevant patents may negatively impact our ability to develop and market our product candidates.
If we fail to correctly identify or interpret relevant patents, we may be subject to infringement claims. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully settle or otherwise resolve such infringement claims. If we fail in any such dispute, in addition to being forced to pay monetary damages, we may be temporarily or permanently prohibited from commercializing our product candidates. We might, if possible, also be forced to redesign our product candidates in a manner that no longer infringes third-party intellectual property rights. Any of these events, even if we were ultimately to prevail, could require us to divert substantial financial and management resources that we would otherwise be able to devote to our business.
Trade Secrets - Risk 10
Third parties may assert claims against us alleging infringement of their patents and proprietary rights, or we may need to become involved in lawsuits to defend or enforce our patents, either of which could result in substantial costs or loss of productivity, delay or prevent the development and commercialization of our product candidates, prohibit our use of proprietary technology or sale of products or put our patents and other proprietary rights at risk.Our commercial success depends, in part, upon our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell our product candidates without alleged or actual infringement, misappropriation or other violation of the patents and proprietary rights of third parties. However, our research, development and commercialization activities may be subject to claims that we infringe or otherwise violate patents or other intellectual property rights owned or controlled by third parties. Litigation relating to infringement or misappropriation of patent and other intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries is common, including patent infringement lawsuits, interferences, oppositions and inter partes reviews, and reexamination proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, and corresponding foreign patent offices. In addition, many companies in intellectual property-dependent industries, including the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, have employed intellectual property litigation as a means to gain an advantage over their competitors. Numerous U.S., EU and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications, which are owned by third parties, exist in the fields in which we are developing product candidates, and as the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries expand and more patents are issued, the risk increases that our product candidates may be subject to claims of infringement of the intellectual property rights of third parties. Some claimants may have substantially greater resources than we do and may be able to sustain the costs of complex intellectual property litigation to a greater degree and for longer periods of time than we could. In addition, patent holding companies that focus solely on extracting royalties and settlements by enforcing patent rights may target us.
We may be subject to third-party claims including infringement, interference or derivation proceedings, post-grant review and inter partes review before the USPTO or similar adversarial proceedings or litigation in other jurisdictions. Even if such claims are without merit, a court of competent jurisdiction could hold that these third-party patents are valid, enforceable and infringed, and the holders of any such patents may be able to block our ability to commercialize the applicable product candidate unless we obtained a license under the applicable patents, or until such patents expire or are finally determined to be invalid or unenforceable. In addition, third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies infringes upon these patents, and the holders of any such patents may be able to prohibit our use of those compositions, formulations, methods of treatment, prevention or use or other technologies, effectively blocking our ability to develop and commercialize the applicable product candidate until such patent expires or is finally determined to be invalid or unenforceable or unless we obtained a license.
In addition, defending such claims would cause us to incur substantial expenses and, if we are not successful in defending such claims, it could cause us to pay substantial damages if we are found to be infringing a third party's patent rights. These damages potentially include increased damages (possibly treble damages) and attorneys' fees if we are found to have infringed such rights willfully. Further, if a patent infringement suit is brought against us or our third-party service providers, our development, manufacturing or sales activities relating to the product or product candidate that is the subject of the suit may be delayed or terminated. As a result of patent infringement claims, or in order to avoid potential infringement claims, we may choose to seek, or be required to seek, a license from the third party, which may require payment of substantial royalties or fees, or require us to grant a cross-license under our intellectual property rights. These licenses may not be available on reasonable terms or at all. Even if a license can be obtained on reasonable terms, the rights may be nonexclusive, which would give our competitors access to the same intellectual property rights. If we are unable to enter into a license on acceptable terms, we could be prevented from commercializing one or more of our product candidates, or forced to modify such product candidates, or to cease some aspect of our business operations, which could harm our business significantly. We might also be forced to redesign or modify our product candidates so that we no longer infringe the third-party intellectual property rights, which may result in significant cost or delay to us, or which redesign or modification could be impossible or technically infeasible. Even if we were ultimately to prevail, any of these events could require us to divert substantial financial and management resources that we would otherwise be able to devote to our business.
Competitors may infringe our patents or other intellectual property. If we or one of our licensors were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering one of our product candidates, the defendant could counterclaim that our patent is invalid or unenforceable. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our product candidates.
Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us to incur significant expenses and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce our resources available for development activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately conduct such litigation or proceedings. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could have an adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace.
Trade Secrets - Risk 11
If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technology and product candidates or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.We rely upon a combination of patents, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect the intellectual property related to our proprietary technologies, product candidate development programs and product candidates. Our success depends in part on our ability to secure and maintain patent protection in the United States and other countries with respect to our current product candidates and any future product candidates we may develop. We seek to protect our proprietary position by filing or collaborating with our licensors to file patent applications in the United States and abroad related to our proprietary technologies, development programs and product candidates. The patent prosecution process is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. Moreover, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are uncertain.
It is also possible that we might fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection. We may not have the right to control the preparation, filing, and prosecution of patent applications, or to maintain the rights to patents licensed to third parties. Therefore, these patents and patent applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. The patent applications that we own or in-license may fail to result in issued patents with claims that cover our proprietary products and technology, including current product candidates, any future product candidates we may develop, and our gene regulation technology in the United States or in other countries, in whole or in part. Alternately, our existing patents and any future patents we obtain may not be sufficiently broad to prevent others from using our technology or from developing competing products and technologies. There is no assurance that all potentially relevant prior art relating to our patents and patent applications has been found, which can prevent a patent from issuing from a pending patent application or later invalidate or narrow the scope of an issued patent. For example, publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing or, in some cases, not at all. Therefore, we cannot know with certainty whether we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. In addition, obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements. Even if patents do successfully issue and even if such patents cover our current product candidates, any future product candidates we may develop and our gene regulation technology, third parties may challenge their validity, enforceability or scope thereof, which may result in such patents being narrowed, invalidated, or held unenforceable. Any successful challenge to these patents or any other patents owned by or licensed to us could deprive us of rights necessary for the successful commercialization of any of our product candidates or gene regulation technology. Our competitors may be able to circumvent our patents by developing similar or alternative product candidates in a non-infringing manner. Further, if we encounter delays in regulatory approvals, the period of time during which we could market a product candidate and our gene regulation technology under patent protection could be reduced.
If the patent applications we hold or have in-licensed with respect to our development programs and product candidates fail to issue, if their validity, breadth or strength of protection is threatened, or if they fail to provide meaningful exclusivity for any of our current or future product candidates or technology, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to develop product candidates, encourage competitors to develop competing products or technologies and threaten our ability to commercialize future product candidates. Any such outcome could harm our business.
The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies is uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions, and is characterized by the existence of large numbers of patents and frequent litigation based on allegations of patent or other intellectual property infringement or violation. In addition, the laws of jurisdictions outside the United States may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection.
The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability, and our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad. Such challenges may result in loss of exclusivity or freedom to operate or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, in whole or in part, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and products, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and products. Thus, even if our patent applications issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with meaningful protection, prevent competitors from competing with us or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Moreover, patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years after it is filed. Various extensions may be available; however, the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Without patent protection for our current or future product candidates, we may be open to competition from generic versions of such products. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours.
Trade Secrets - Risk 12
We depend on proprietary technology licensed from others. If we lose our existing licenses or are unable to acquire or license additional proprietary rights from third parties, we may not be able to continue developing our product candidates.We currently in-license certain intellectual property from research institutions, universities and other third parties. We may also enter into additional agreements, including license agreements, with other parties in the future that impose diligence, development and commercialization timelines, milestone payments, royalties, insurance and other obligations on us. If we fail to comply with our obligations to any of our current or future collaborators, our counterparties may have the right to terminate these agreements, in which event we might not be able to develop, manufacture or market any product candidate that is covered by these agreements, which could adversely affect the value of the product candidate being developed under any such agreement. Termination of these agreements or reduction or elimination of our rights under these agreements may result in our having to negotiate new or reinstated agreements with less favorable terms, or cause us to lose our rights under these agreements, including our rights to important intellectual property or technology.
We may rely on other third parties from whom we license proprietary technology to file and prosecute patent applications and maintain patents and otherwise protect the intellectual property we license from them. We may have limited control over these activities or any other intellectual property that may be related to our in-licensed intellectual property. For example, we cannot be certain that such activities by these licensors will be conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations or will result in valid and enforceable patents and other intellectual property rights. We may have limited control over the manner in which our licensors initiate an infringement proceeding against a third-party infringer of the intellectual property rights, or defend certain of the intellectual property that may be licensed to us. It is possible that the licensors' infringement proceedings or defense activities may be less vigorous than if we conduct them ourselves. The licensing and acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive practice, and companies that may be more established, or have greater resources than we do, may also be pursuing strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider necessary or attractive in order to commercialize our product candidates. More established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their larger size and cash resources or greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully complete such negotiations and ultimately acquire the rights to the intellectual property surrounding the additional product candidates that we may seek to acquire.
Technology2 | 2.6%
Technology - Risk 1
The use or anticipated use of new and evolving technologies, such as artificial intelligence ("AI"), by us or third parties may increase or create new operational risks.Technology - Risk 2
Our business and operations may suffer in the event of system failures and our systems and those of our business partners and service providers may be vulnerable to cybersecurity risks.Our information technology, or IT, systems, including manufacturing systems, as well as those of our business partners and service providers, are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, hardware and software failures, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. If such an event were to occur, it could result in a material disruption of our product candidate development programs or manufacturing operations. For example, the loss of preclinical study or clinical trial data from completed, ongoing or planned trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. A significant interruption to our manufacturing operations could delay the completion of clinical trials and increase the costs of those trials, or impede our ability to meet any anticipated third party supply obligations. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of or damage to our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of personal, confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liabilities and the further development of our product candidates could be delayed.
In the ordinary course of our business, we, our business partners and our service providers collect, process and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, clinical trial data, proprietary business information, personal data and personally identifiable information of our clinical trial subjects and employees. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations. Increased cybersecurity threats pose a risk to this information, in addition to our and our business partners' and service providers' systems and networks. Cybersecurity threats including state-sponsored attacks, ransomware, phishing, insider threats, supply chain compromises, and vulnerabilities in cloud-based services, are increasing in frequency, sophistication, persistence and severity. Attackers, ranging from criminal organizations to nation-state actors, may target our systems for financial, competitive, or political motives. We may also face increased cybersecurity risks due to our reliance on internet technology and by allowing some of our employees to work remotely, which may create additional opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. Furthermore, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to, or to sabotage, systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. We may also experience security breaches that may remain undetected for an extended period. Even if identified, we may be unable to adequately investigate or remediate incidents or breaches due to attackers increasingly using tools and techniques that are designed to circumvent controls, to avoid detection, and to remove or obfuscate forensic evidence.
Despite our security measures, our IT and infrastructure may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks by hackers or internal bad actors, or breached due to employee error, a technical vulnerability, malfeasance or other disruptions that could have a negative impact, including loss or destruction of data, including confidential or critical business information. In addition, there can be no assurance that our cybersecurity risk management program and processes, including our policies, controls or procedures, will be fully effective in protecting our systems and information. Although, to our knowledge, we have not experienced any such material security breach to date, we may experience cybersecurity incidents such as malware infections, ransomware, phishing attempts, thefts of personal, confidential, proprietary or other critical business information and other attempts at compromising our IT that are typical for a company of our size in our market. Any security breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, significant regulatory penalties, and such an event could disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, result in significant expenses in implementing future security measures and cause a loss of confidence in us and our ability to conduct clinical trials, which could adversely affect our reputation and financial results, and delay clinical development of our product candidates.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 21/78 (27%)Above Sector Average
Regulation12 | 15.4%
Regulation - Risk 1
We and our contract manufacturers for plasmid are subject to significant regulation with respect to manufacturing our products. Our manufacturing facilities and the third-party manufacturing facilities which we rely on may not continue to meet regulatory requirements and have limited capacity.Regulation - Risk 2
The FDA has granted rare pediatric disease designation to a number of our gene therapy product candidates, however, there is no guarantee that FDA approval of any of these gene therapy candidates will result in a priority review voucher.In 2012, Congress authorized the FDA to award priority review vouchers to sponsors of certain rare pediatric disease drugs and biologics intended to treat certain orphan diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 patients in the U.S., the serious or life-threatening manifestations of which primarily affect individuals aged 18 years of age or younger, or affects more than 200,000 individuals in the U.S. and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the U.S. a drug for such disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the U.S. of such drug. This program is designed to encourage development of new drug and biological products for prevention and treatment of certain rare pediatric diseases. Specifically, under this program, a sponsor who receives an approval for a drug or biologic for a "rare pediatric disease" that meets certain criteria may be eligible to receive a voucher that can be redeemed to receive a priority review of a subsequent marketing application for a different product. The sponsor of a rare pediatric disease drug product receiving a priority review voucher may transfer (including by sale) the voucher to another sponsor, and such priority review vouchers have recently sold for between $150 million to $200 million. The voucher may be further transferred any number of times before the voucher is used, as long as the sponsor making the transfer has not yet submitted the application. The FDA may also revoke any priority review voucher if the rare pediatric disease drug for which the voucher was awarded is not marketed in the U.S. within one year following the date of approval.
The FDA has granted us rare pediatric disease designation for AAV-AIPL1 for the treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA4) retinal dystrophy, AAV-BBS10 for the treatment of BBS due to BBS10 mutations, AAV-RDH12 for the treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and early-onset severe retinal dystrophy (EOSRD), AAV8-RK-RetGC for the treatment of patients with Leber congenital amaurosis due to GUCY2D mutations (LCA1), AAV-RPE65 for the treatment of inherited retinal dystrophy due to biallelic RPE65 mutations, AAV-CNGB3 for the treatment of achromatopsia caused by mutations in the CNGB3 gene and AAV-CNGA3 for the treatment of achromatopsia caused by mutations in the CNGA3 gene. There is no guarantee that we will be able to obtain a priority review voucher, even if one or more of these gene therapy product candidates is approved by the FDA. While the rare pediatric disease priority voucher program began to sunset on December 20, 2024, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 signed into law on February 3, 2026, extended the program through September 30, 2029. Therefore, the sponsor of the marketing application for a drug that receives rare pediatric disease designation will be eligible to receive a voucher if the FDA approves the product for use within the designated rare pediatric disease on or before September 30, 2029, unless Congress reauthorizes the program further.
Regulation - Risk 3
We may fail to maintain the benefits of certain regulatory designations that we have obtained for our product candidates, and may in the future seek and fail to obtain such designations for other of our current or potential future product candidates. Even if such designations are obtained, they may not lead to faster development or regulatory review or approval, and they do not increase the likelihood that our product candidates will receive marketing approval.A sponsor may seek approval of its product candidate under programs designed to accelerate the FDA's review and approval of drugs and biological products that meet certain criteria. For example, the FDA has a Fast Track designation program that is intended to expedite or facilitate the process for reviewing product candidates that meet certain criteria. Specifically, investigational drugs and biological products are eligible for Fast Track designation if they are intended to treat a serious condition and nonclinical or clinical data demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs. Fast Track designation applies to the combination of the product candidate and the specific indication for which it is being studied. The sponsor of a Fast Track product candidate has opportunities for more frequent interactions with the review team during product development and, once a BLA is submitted, the application may be eligible for priority review. In addition, the Fast Track product may be eligible for rolling review, where the FDA may consider for review sections of the BLA on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted if the sponsor provides a schedule for the submission of the sections of the application, the FDA agrees to accept sections of the application and determines that the schedule is acceptable, and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the application. Even if Fast Track designation is granted, it may be rescinded if the product no longer meets the qualifying criteria. In April 2018, bota-vec was issued Fast Track Designation by the FDA for the treatment of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa owing to defects in RPGR. In August 2018, AAV-CNGB3 was issued Fast Track designation by the FDA for the treatment of achromatopsia caused by CNGB3 mutations. In January 2021, AAV-CNGA3 was issued Fast Track designation by the FDA for the treatment of achromatopsia caused by CNGA3 mutations.
Similarly, the EMA has established the PRIME scheme to expedite the development and review of product candidates that show a potential to address to a significant extent an unmet medical need, based on early clinical data. In February 2018, AAV-CNGB3 for the treatment of achromatopsia associated with defects in CNGB3 was admitted to the PRIME scheme of the EMA. In February 2020, bota-vec for the treatment of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa owing to defects in RPGR was admitted to the PRIME scheme of the EMA.
A sponsor may also seek a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy, or RMAT, designation for its product candidates. In 2017, the FDA established the RMAT designation as part of its implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act. A biological product is eligible for RMAT designation if it qualifies as an RMAT, which is defined as a cell therapy, therapeutic tissue engineering product, human cell and tissue product, or any combination product using such therapies or products, with limited exceptions, and is intended to treat, modify, reverse, or cure a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and for which preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the biological product has the potential to address unmet medical needs for such a disease or condition. In a February 2019 guidance, the FDA also stated that certain gene therapies that lead to a sustained effect on cells or tissues may meet the definition of a regenerative medicine therapy. RMAT designation provides potential benefits that include more frequent meetings with the FDA to discuss the development plan for the product candidate, and eligibility for rolling review and priority review, provided the applicable criteria are met. Products granted RMAT designation may also be eligible for accelerated approval on the basis of a surrogate or intermediate endpoint reasonably likely to predict long-term clinical benefit, or reliance upon data obtained from a meaningful number of sites, including through expansion to additional sites. RMAT-designated products that receive accelerated approval may, as appropriate, fulfill their post-approval requirements through the submission of clinical evidence, clinical trials, patient registries, or other sources of real world evidence (such as electronic health records); through the collection of larger confirmatory data sets; or via post-approval monitoring of all patients treated with such therapy prior to approval of the therapy. In December 2024, the FDA granted RMAT designation to AAV-hAQP1 for the treatment of grade 2 or 3 radiation-induced xerostomia, and in March 2026, the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the same program.
In May 2025, the FDA granted RMAT designation to AAV-GAD for the treatment of Parkinson's disease not adequately controlled with anti-Parkinsonian medications.
Such regulatory designations are within the discretion of the FDA, MHRA, EMA and other regulatory authorities. Accordingly, even if we believe one of our product candidates meets the criteria for such regulatory programs and we seek such designations, the FDA, MHRA, EMA or other applicable regulatory authority may disagree and instead determine not to make such designation for such product candidate. We cannot be sure that our evaluation of our product candidates as qualifying for such regulatory designations will meet the regulatory authority's expectations. In any event, the receipt of such regulatory designations for a product candidate may not result in a faster development process, review, or approval compared to product candidates considered for approval under conventional regulatory procedures and does not assure ultimate approval by the regulatory authorities. In addition, even if additional product candidates are granted such regulatory designations, the regulatory authority may later decide that such product candidates no longer meet the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period for review or approval will not be shortened, as applicable.
Regulation - Risk 4
Even if we receive regulatory approval of one or more of our product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense, and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our product candidates.Any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval, along with the manufacturing processes, post-approval clinical data, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, recordkeeping, export, import, advertising and promotional activities for such product, among other things, will be subject to extensive and ongoing requirements of and review by the FDA, MHRA and other regulatory authorities. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, establishment registration and drug listing requirements, continued compliance with GMP and similar requirements relating to manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance and corresponding maintenance of records and documents, requirements regarding the distribution of samples to physicians and recordkeeping and GCP requirements for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval.
The FDA, MHRA and other regulatory authorities closely regulate the post-approval marketing and promotion of genetic therapy medicines to ensure they are marketed only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved labeling. The FDA, MHRA and other regulatory authorities impose stringent restrictions on manufacturers' communications regarding off-label use and if we market our products for uses beyond their approved indications, we may be subject to enforcement action for off-label marketing. Violations of the U.S. federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, relating to the promotion of prescription drugs may lead to FDA enforcement actions and investigations alleging violations of federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, as well as state consumer protection laws. Similar risks apply in foreign jurisdictions.
In addition, later discovery of previously unknown adverse events or other problems with our products, manufacturers or manufacturing processes, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our manufacturing processes or third-party manufacturers, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may yield various results, including:
- restrictions on manufacturing such products;- restrictions on the labeling or marketing of a product;- restrictions on product distribution or use;- requirements to conduct post-marketing studies or clinical trials;- warning letters or holds on clinical trials;- withdrawal of the products from the market;- refusal to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications that we submit;- recall of products;- fines, restitution or disgorgement of profits or revenues;- suspension or withdrawal of marketing approvals;- refusal to permit the import or export of our products;- product seizure or detention; or - injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
The FDA's and foreign regulatory authorities' policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates. We also cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or in other countries. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may be subject to enforcement action, which would adversely affect our business, prospects and ability to achieve or sustain profitability.
Regulation - Risk 5
Even if we obtain FDA, MHRA or European Commission approval for our product candidates in the United States, UK or EU, we may never obtain approval for or commercialize them in any other jurisdiction, which would limit our ability to realize their full market potential.In order to market any products in any particular jurisdiction, we must establish and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements on a country-by-country basis regarding safety and efficacy. Approval by the FDA in the United States, the MHRA in the UK or the competent authorities in the EU does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions. However, the failure to obtain approval in one jurisdiction may negatively impact our ability to obtain approval elsewhere. In addition, clinical trials conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries, and regulatory approval in one country does not guarantee regulatory approval in any other country.
Approval processes vary among countries and can involve additional product testing and validation and additional administrative review periods. Seeking foreign regulatory approval could result in difficulties and increased costs for us and require additional preclinical studies or clinical trials which could be costly and time consuming. Regulatory requirements can vary widely from country to country and could delay or prevent the introduction of our products in those countries. We do not have any product candidates approved for sale in any jurisdiction, including in international markets, and we do not have experience in obtaining regulatory approval in international markets. If we fail to comply with regulatory requirements in international markets or to obtain and maintain required approvals, or if regulatory approvals in international markets are delayed, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of any product we develop will be unrealized.
Regulation - Risk 6
The regulatory approval processes of the FDA, MHRA, competent authorities in the EU and other regulatory authorities are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable, and if we are ultimately unable to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, our business will be substantially harmed.The time required to obtain approval by the FDA, MHRA, European Commission and other regulatory authorities is unpredictable but typically takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, approval policies, regulations, or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a product candidate's clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions. For example, pharmaceutical legislation in the EU has undergone a comprehensive reform as part of the European Commission's Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe initiative launched in November 2020. Following the European Commission's publication of proposed revisions to the EU pharmaceutical framework on April 26, 2023, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached political agreement on a legislative overhaul in December 2025, which overhaul remains subject to the finalization of legislative texts, implementing acts, and delegated legislation, with a multi-year transition period during which EU member states will align national laws and regulatory authorities will issue guidance. The adopted reforms include, among other things, changes to regulatory data protection and market exclusivity periods, revised eligibility criteria for expedited and incentive-based regulatory pathways, new access and supply-related obligations, and modifications to regulatory review procedures. While the full impact of the reforms will depend on final implementing measures and their application by EU and member state authorities, the revised framework could materially affect the development, regulatory approval, exclusivity, commercialization strategy, and profitability of medicinal products in the EU, and may have a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry and our business in the long term.
We have not obtained regulatory approval for any product candidate and it is possible that none of our product candidates in clinical programs or any other product candidates we may seek to develop in the future will ever obtain regulatory approval. Neither we nor any future collaborator is permitted to market any of our product candidates in the United States, the UK or the EU until we receive regulatory approval of a BLA from the FDA or of an MAA from the MHRA or European Commission, respectively. It is possible that the FDA may refuse to accept for substantive review any BLAs, or the MHRA or EMA any of our MAAs, that we submit for our product candidates or may conclude after review of our data that our application is insufficient to obtain marketing approval of our product candidates.
Prior to obtaining approval to commercialize a product candidate in the United States, the UK, the EU or elsewhere, we or our collaborators must demonstrate with substantial evidence from well-controlled clinical trials, and to the satisfaction of the FDA, MHRA, EMA or other foreign regulatory agencies, that such product candidates are safe and effective for their intended uses, or with respect to biologics in the United States, that such product candidates are safe, pure, and potent for their intended uses. Results from nonclinical studies and clinical trials can be interpreted in different ways. Even if we believe the nonclinical or clinical data for our product candidates are promising, such data may not be sufficient to support approval by the FDA, MHRA, European Commission or other regulatory authorities. The FDA, MHRA or EMA may also require us to conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials for our product candidates either prior to or post-approval, or it may object to elements of our clinical development program. Depending on the extent of these or any other FDA, MHRA or EMA required studies, approval of any regulatory approval applications that we submit may be delayed by several years, or may require us to expend significantly more resources than we have available.
Of the large number of potential products in development, only a small percentage successfully complete the FDA, MHRA, or other foreign regulatory approval processes and are commercialized. The lengthy approval process as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market our product candidates, which would significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.
Regulation - Risk 7
The successful commercialization of our product candidates will depend in part on the extent to which governmental authorities and health insurers establish coverage, adequate reimbursement levels and pricing policies. Failure to obtain or maintain coverage and adequate reimbursement for our product candidates, if approved, could limit our ability to market those products and decrease our ability to generate revenue.The availability of coverage and adequacy of reimbursement by governmental healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurers and other third-party payors are essential for most patients to be able to afford medical services and pharmaceutical products such as our product candidates, assuming regulatory approval. Our ability to achieve acceptable levels of coverage and reimbursement for our products or procedures using our products by governmental authorities, private health insurers and other organizations will have an effect on our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates. Obtaining coverage and adequate reimbursement for our products may be particularly difficult because of the higher prices often associated with drugs administered under the supervision of a physician. Separate reimbursement for the product itself or the treatment or procedure in which our product is used may not be available. A decision by a third-party payor not to cover or separately reimburse for our products or procedures using our products could reduce physician utilization of our products if approved. Assuming there is such coverage by a third-party payor, the resulting reimbursement payment rates may not be adequate or may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement in the United States, the UK, the EU or elsewhere will be available for our product candidates or any product that we may develop, and any reimbursement that may become available may not be adequate or may be decreased or eliminated in the future.
Third-party payors increasingly are challenging prices charged for pharmaceutical products and services, and many third-party payors may refuse to provide coverage and reimbursement for particular drugs or biologics when an equivalent generic drug, biosimilar or a less expensive therapy is available. It is possible that a third-party payor may consider our product candidates as substitutable and only offer to reimburse patients for the less expensive product. Even if we show improved efficacy or improved convenience of administration with our product candidates, pricing of existing third-party therapeutics may limit the amount we will be able to charge for our product candidates. These payors may deny or revoke the reimbursement status of a given product or establish prices for new or existing marketed products at levels that are too low to enable us to realize an appropriate return on our investment in our product candidates. If reimbursement is not available or is available only at limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may not be able to obtain a satisfactory financial return on our product candidates.
There is significant uncertainty related to the insurance coverage and reimbursement of newly-approved products. In the United States, third-party payors, including private and governmental payors, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs, play an important role in determining the extent to which new drugs and biologics will be covered. The Medicare and Medicaid programs increasingly are used as models in the United States for how private payors and other governmental payors develop their coverage and reimbursement policies for drugs and biologics. Some third-party payors may require pre-approval of coverage for new or innovative devices or drug therapies before they will reimburse healthcare providers who use such therapies. We cannot predict at this time what third-party payors will decide with respect to the coverage and reimbursement for our product candidates.
No uniform policy for coverage and reimbursement for products exists among third-party payors in the United States. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for products can differ significantly from payor to payor. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our product candidates to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance. Furthermore, rules and regulations regarding reimbursement change frequently, in some cases on short notice.
Outside the United States, international operations are generally subject to extensive governmental price controls and other market regulations, and we believe the increasing emphasis on cost-containment initiatives in Europe and other countries have and will continue to put pressure on the pricing and usage of our product candidates. In many countries, the prices of medical products are subject to varying price control mechanisms as part of national health systems. Other countries allow companies to fix their own prices for medical products but monitor and control company profits. Additional foreign price controls or other changes in pricing regulation could restrict the amount that we are able to charge for our product candidates. Accordingly, in markets outside the United States, the reimbursement for our product candidates may be reduced compared with the United States and may be insufficient to generate commercially-reasonable revenue and profits.
Moreover, increasing efforts by governmental and third-party payors in the United States and abroad to cap or reduce healthcare costs may cause such organizations to limit both coverage and the level of reimbursement for newly approved products and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for our product candidates. We expect to experience pricing pressures in connection with the sale of our product candidates due to the trend toward managed healthcare, the increasing influence of health maintenance organizations and additional legislative changes. The downward pressure on healthcare costs in general, particularly prescription drugs and biologics and surgical procedures and other treatments, has become intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products.
Regulation - Risk 8
Due to our international operations, we are subject to anti-corruption laws, as well as export control laws, customs laws, sanctions laws and other laws governing our operations. If we fail to comply with these laws, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, other remedial measures and legal expenses.Our operations are subject to anti-corruption laws, including the UK Bribery Act 2010, or Bribery Act; the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA; and other anti-corruption laws that apply in countries where we do business and may do business in the future. The Bribery Act, FCPA, and these other laws generally prohibit us, our officers and our employees and intermediaries from bribing, being bribed by, or providing prohibited payments or anything else of value to government officials or other persons to obtain or retain business or gain some other business advantage. We may in the future operate in jurisdictions that pose a high risk of potential Bribery Act or FCPA violations, and we may participate in collaborations and relationships with third parties whose actions could potentially subject us to liability under the Bribery Act, FCPA, or local anti-corruption laws. In addition, we cannot predict the nature, scope, or effect of future regulatory requirements to which any of our international operations might be subject or the manner in which existing laws might be administered or interpreted.
We also are subject to other laws and regulations governing any international operations, including regulations administered by the governments of the UK and the U.S., and authorities in the EU, including applicable export control regulations, economic sanctions on countries and persons, customs requirements and currency exchange regulations, or, collectively, the Trade Control laws.
There is no assurance that we will be completely effective in ensuring our compliance with all applicable anti-corruption laws, including the Bribery Act, the FCPA, or other legal requirements, including Trade Control laws. If we are not in compliance with the Bribery Act, the FCPA, and other anti-corruption laws or Trade Control laws, we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties, disgorgement, and other sanctions and remedial measures and legal expenses. Any investigation of any potential violations of the Bribery Act, the FCPA, other anti-corruption laws, or Trade Control laws by UK, U.S., or other authorities, even if it is ultimately determined that we did not violate such laws, could be costly and time-consuming, require significant personnel resources, and harm our reputation.
We have established internal controls to detect and prevent violations of applicable anti-corruption laws and to remedy any weaknesses identified. There can be no assurance, however, that the policies and procedures will be followed at all times or effectively detect and prevent violations of the applicable laws by one or more of our employees, consultants, agents, or collaborators and, as a result, we could be subject to fines, penalties, or prosecution.
Regulation - Risk 9
Because gene therapy is novel and the regulatory landscape that governs any product candidates we may develop is uncertain and may change, we cannot predict the time and cost of obtaining regulatory approval, if we receive it at all, for any product candidates we may develop.The regulatory requirements that will govern any novel gene therapy product candidates we develop are not entirely clear and may change. Within the broader genetic medicine field, a limited number of therapeutic products have received approval from the FDA or an MA from the MHRA and European Commission. Even with respect to more established products that fit into the categories of gene therapies or cell therapies, the regulatory landscape is still developing. Regulatory requirements governing gene therapy products and cell therapy products have changed frequently and will likely continue to change in the future. Moreover, there is substantial, and sometimes uncoordinated, overlap in those responsible for regulation of existing gene therapy products and cell therapy products, which could impact the timing and cost of any regulatory approval. For example, in the United States, the FDA has established the Office of Therapeutic Products within its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, or CBER, to consolidate the review of gene therapy and related products, and the Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee to advise CBER on its review. Gene therapy clinical trials may also be subject to review and oversight by an institutional biosafety committee and/or an institutional review board, or IRB, which are local institutional committees or boards, as applicable, that review, approve and oversee basic and clinical research conducted at the institution participating in the clinical trial.
In the EU, the EMA's Committee for Advanced Therapies, or CAT, is responsible for assessing the quality, safety, and efficacy of advanced therapy medicinal products, or ATMPs. ATMPs include gene therapy medicines, somatic-cell therapy medicines and tissue-engineered medicines. The role of the CAT is to prepare a draft opinion on an application for MA for a gene therapy medicinal candidate that is submitted to the EMA. In the EU, the development and evaluation of a gene therapy product must be considered in the context of the relevant EU guidelines. The EMA may issue new guidelines concerning the development and MA for gene therapy products and require that we comply with these new guidelines. As a result, the procedures and standards applied to gene therapy products and cell therapy products may be applied to any gene therapy product candidate we may develop, but that remains uncertain at this point.
Post Brexit, marketing authorization applications, or MAAs, for ATMPs in the UK are regulated nationally and assessed in accordance with the general provisions in place for the licensing of medicines, taking the specific requirements for this group of medicines into account. Definitions for individual classes of ATMPs remain unchanged and classification of ATMPs are undertaken by the MHRA. Data, traceability, exemptions from licensing, packaging and post-authorization requirements remain in line with EU requirements transposed into UK law. However, if the EMA issues new guidance on ATMPs going forward, there is a risk of regulatory divergence with the MHRA and separate procedures and standards with which we may need to comply.
Adverse developments in preclinical studies or clinical trials conducted by others in the field of gene therapy and gene regulation products may cause the FDA, MHRA and other regulatory bodies to revise the requirements for approval of any product candidates we may develop or limit the use of products utilizing gene regulation technologies, either of which could harm our business. In addition, the clinical trial requirements of the FDA, MHRA and other regulatory authorities and the criteria these regulators use to determine the safety and efficacy of a product candidate vary substantially according to the type, complexity, novelty, and intended use and market of the potential products. The regulatory approval process for product candidates such as ours can be more expensive and take longer than for other, better known, or more extensively studied pharmaceutical or other product candidates. Further, as we are developing novel treatments for diseases or conditions in which there may be limited clinical experience with novel endpoints and methodologies, there is heightened risk that the FDA, MHRA, EMA or other regulatory bodies may not consider the clinical trial endpoints we pursue to provide clinically meaningful results, and the resulting clinical data and results may be more difficult to analyze. The prospectively designed natural history studies with the same endpoints as our corresponding clinical trials may not be accepted by the FDA, MHRA, EMA or other regulatory authorities. Regulatory agencies administering existing or future regulations or legislation may not allow production and marketing of products utilizing gene regulation technology in a timely manner or under technically or commercially feasible conditions. In addition, regulatory action or private litigation could result in expenses, delays, or other impediments to our research programs or the commercialization of resulting products.
The regulatory review committees and advisory groups described above and the new guidelines they promulgate may lengthen the regulatory review process, require us to perform additional preclinical studies or clinical trials, increase our development costs, lead to changes in regulatory positions and interpretations, delay or prevent approval and commercialization of these treatment candidates, or lead to significant post-approval limitations or restrictions. As we advance our research programs and develop future product candidates, we will be required to consult with these regulatory and advisory groups and to comply with applicable guidelines. If we fail to do so, we may be required to delay or discontinue development of any product candidates we identify and develop.
Regulation - Risk 10
Our business operations and current and future relationships with investigators, healthcare professionals, consultants, third-party payors, patient organizations and customers will be subject to applicable healthcare regulatory laws, which could expose us to penalties.Our business operations and current and future arrangements with investigators, healthcare professionals, consultants, third-party payors, patient organizations and customers, may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse laws and other healthcare laws and regulations. These laws may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we conduct our operations, including how we research, market, sell and distribute our product candidates, if approved. Such laws include:
- the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons or entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe, or certain rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward, or in return for, either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, lease, order or recommendation of, any good, facility, item or service, for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under U.S. federal and state healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation;- the U.S. federal civil and criminal false claims and civil monetary penalties laws, including the civil False Claims Act, which, among other things, impose criminal and civil penalties, including through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, against individuals or entities for knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the U.S. federal government, claims for payment or approval that are false or fraudulent, knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim, or from knowingly making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the U.S. federal government. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items and services resulting from a violation of the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act;- the U.S. federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, which created additional federal criminal statutes which prohibit, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement, in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation;- the FDCA, which prohibits, among other things, the adulteration or misbranding of drugs, biologics and medical devices;- the U.S. Public Health Service Act, which prohibits, among other things, the introduction into interstate commerce of a biological product unless a biologics license is in effect for that product;- federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm consumers;- the U.S. Physician Payments Sunshine Act and its implementing regulations, which requires certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies that are reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children's Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to report annually to the government information related to certain payments and other transfers of value to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), certain non-physician practitioners (physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologist assistants and certified nurse midwives), and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members;- analogous U.S. state laws and regulations, including: state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to our business practices, including but not limited to, research, distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including private insurers; state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry's voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the U.S. federal government, or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state laws and regulations that require drug manufacturers to file reports relating to pricing and marketing information, which requires tracking gifts and other remuneration and items of value provided to healthcare professionals and entities; and state and local laws that require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives; and - similar healthcare laws and regulations in the UK, EU and other jurisdictions, including reporting requirements detailing interactions with and payments to healthcare providers.
Ensuring that our internal operations and future business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations, agency guidance or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental laws and regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant penalties, including civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, exclusion from government-funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid or similar programs in other countries or jurisdictions, integrity oversight and reporting obligations to resolve allegations of non-compliance, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. If any of the physicians or other providers or entities with whom we expect to do business are found to not be in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs and imprisonment, which could affect our ability to operate our business. Further, defending against any such actions can be costly, time-consuming and may require significant personnel resources. Therefore, even if we are successful in defending against any such actions that may be brought against us, our business may be impaired.
Regulation - Risk 11
Enacted and future healthcare legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us to obtain marketing approval of and commercialize our product candidates and may affect the prices we may set.In the United States, the UK, the EU and other jurisdictions, there have been, and we expect there will continue to be, a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes to the healthcare system that could affect our future results of operations. In particular, there have been and continue to be a number of initiatives at the U.S. federal and state levels that seek to reduce healthcare costs and improve the quality of healthcare. For example, in March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or collectively the ACA, was enacted, which substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. Among the provisions of the ACA, those of greatest importance to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries include the following:
- an annual, non-deductible fee payable by any entity that manufactures or imports certain branded prescription drugs and biologic agents (other than those designated as orphan drugs), which is apportioned among these entities according to their market share in certain government healthcare programs;- a new methodology by which rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program are calculated for drugs that are inhaled, infused, instilled, implanted or injected;- expansion of eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs by, among other things, allowing states to offer Medicaid coverage to certain individuals with income at or below 133% of the federal poverty level, thereby potentially increasing a manufacturer's Medicaid rebate liability;- a licensure framework for follow on biologic products;- a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to oversee, identify priorities in, and conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research, along with funding for such research; and - establishment of a Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, to test innovative payment and service delivery models to lower Medicare and Medicaid spending, potentially including prescription drug spending.
Since its enactment, there have been judicial, Congressional and executive branch challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the most recent judicial challenge to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or the ACA, brought by several states without specifically ruling on the constitutionality of the ACA.
In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted in the United States since the ACA was enacted, including aggregate reductions of Medicare payments to providers, which was temporarily suspended from May 1, 2020 through March 31, 2022, and reduced payments to several types of Medicare providers. In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was signed into law, which eliminated the statutory cap on drug manufacturers' Medicaid drug rebate liability for single source and innovator multiple source drugs, beginning January 1, 2024. The rebate was previously capped at 100% of a drug's average manufacturer price.
Moreover, there has recently been heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, was signed into law. Among other things, the IRA requires manufacturers of certain drugs to engage in price negotiations with Medicare, with prices that can be negotiated subject to a cap; imposes rebates under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation (first due in 2023); and replaces the Part D coverage gap discount program with a new manufacturer discounting program (which began in 2025). The IRA permits the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years. CMS has published the negotiated prices for the initial ten drugs, which went into effect in 2026, and the list of the subsequent 15 drugs, which will first be effective in 2027, as well as the next set of 15 drugs that will be subject to negotiation, although the Medicare drug price negotiation program is currently subject to legal challenges. While the impact of the IRA on the pharmaceutical industry cannot yet be fully determined, it is likely to be significant. For that and other reasons, it is currently unclear how the IRA will be effectuated. These new laws or any other similar laws introduced in the future may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding, which could negatively affect our customers and accordingly, our financial operations.
Additionally, on July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA, was signed into law, which is expected to reduce Medicaid spending and enrollment by implementing work requirements for some beneficiaries, capping state-directed payments, reducing federal funding, and limiting provider taxes used to fund the program. The OBBBA also narrows access to ACA marketplace exchange enrollment and declines to extend the ACA enhanced advanced premium tax credits that expired at the end of 2025, which, among other provisions in the law, are anticipated to reduce the number of Americans with health insurance.
The Trump administration is pursuing a two-fold strategy to reduce drug costs in the U.S. President Trump has threatened to impose significant tariffs on pharmaceutical manufacturers that do not adopt pricing policies such as most favored nation pricing, which would tie the price for drugs in the U.S. to the lowest price in a group of other countries. In response, multiple manufacturers have reportedly entered into confidential pricing agreements with the federal government. The Trump administration is also pursuing traditional regulatory pathways to impose drug pricing policies, and published two proposed regulations in December 2025, referred to as Globe and Guard. If finalized, these regulations would implement mandatory payment models under which manufacturers of eligible drugs would be required to pay rebates to the federal government on a portion of the units of their drugs that are reimbursed by Medicare, with the rebate amount based on most favored nation pricing. While the impact of the Globe and Guard proposed regulations, if finalized, cannot yet be determined, it is likely to be significant. Even regulatory proposals or executive actions that are ultimately deemed unlawful could negatively impact the U.S. pharmaceutical sector and our business. In addition, pharmaceutical pricing and marketing has long been the subject of considerable discussion in Congress and among policymakers, and it is possible that Congress could enact additional laws that negatively affect the pharmaceutical industry.
Payment methodologies may also be subject to changes in healthcare legislation and regulatory initiatives. For example, CMS may develop new payment and delivery models, such as bundled payment models. We expect that additional U.S. federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that the U.S. federal government will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our product candidates or additional pricing pressures.
Individual states in the United States have also increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure, drug price reporting and other transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. Some states have enacted legislation creating so-called prescription drug affordability boards, which ultimately may attempt to impose price limits on certain drugs in these states. Legally mandated price controls on payment amounts by third-party payors or other restrictions could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs. This could reduce the ultimate demand for our product candidates or put pressure on our product pricing.
In addition, FDA regulations and guidance may be revised or reinterpreted by the FDA in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. Any new regulations or guidance, or revisions or reinterpretations of existing regulations or guidance, may impose additional costs or lengthen FDA review times for our product candidates. We cannot determine how changes in regulations, statutes, policies, or interpretations when and if issued, enacted or adopted, may affect our business in the future.
Such changes would likely require substantial time and impose significant costs, or could reduce the potential commercial value of our product candidates, and could materially harm our business and our financial results. In addition, delays in receipt of or failure to receive regulatory clearances or approvals for any other products would harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In the UK and EU, similar political, economic and regulatory developments may affect our ability to profitably commercialize our product candidates, if approved. In addition to continuing pressure on prices and cost containment measures, legislative developments at the UK or the EU or member state level may result in significant additional requirements or obstacles that may increase our operating costs. The delivery of healthcare in the UK and the EU, including the establishment and operation of health services and the pricing and reimbursement of medicines, is almost exclusively a matter for national law and policy. National governments and health service providers have different priorities and approaches to the delivery of healthcare and the pricing and reimbursement of products in that context. In general, however, the healthcare budgetary constraints in the UK and in most EU member states have resulted in restrictions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines by relevant health service providers. Coupled with ever-increasing national regulatory burdens on those wishing to develop and market products, this could prevent or delay marketing approval of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to commercialize our product candidates, if approved.
On December 13, 2021, Regulation No 2021/2282 on Health Technology Assessment, or HTA, amending Directive 2011/24/EU, was adopted in the EU. The Regulation entered into force in January 2022 and has been applicable since January 2025, with phased implementation based on the type of product (i.e., oncology and advanced therapy medicinal products as of 2025, orphan medicinal products as of 2028, and all other medicinal products by 2030). The Regulation intends to boost cooperation among EU member states in assessing health technologies, including new medicinal products, and provide the basis for cooperation at the EU level for joint clinical assessments in these areas. It will permit EU member states to use common HTA tools, methodologies, and procedures across the EU, working together in four main areas, including joint clinical assessment of the innovative health technologies with the highest potential impact for patients, joint scientific consultations whereby developers can seek advice from HTA authorities, identification of emerging health technologies to identify promising technologies early, and continuing voluntary cooperation in other areas. Individual EU member states will continue to be responsible for assessing non-clinical (e.g., economic, social, ethical) aspects of health technology, and making decisions on pricing and reimbursement.
In markets outside of the United States, the UK and the EU, reimbursement and healthcare payment systems vary significantly by country, and many countries have instituted price ceilings on specific products and therapies.
We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action in the United States, the UK the EU or any other jurisdiction. If we or any third parties we may engage are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we or such third parties are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, our product candidates may lose any regulatory approval that may have been obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.
Regulation - Risk 12
We have received orphan drug designation and orphan designation from the FDA and European Commission, respectively, for bota-vec, AAV-AIPL1, AAV-CNGB3, AAV-CNGA3, AAV-RPE65, AAV-RDH12 and orphan drug designation from the FDA for AAV-hAQP1 and AAV-BBS10, and we may seek orphan drug designation or orphan designation for additional product candidates in the future, but any orphan drug designations or orphan designations we have received or may receive in the future may not confer marketing exclusivity or other expected benefits.Changed
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product candidate as an orphan drug if it is intended to treat a rare disease or condition, defined as one occurring in a patient population of fewer than 200,000 in the United States, or a patient population greater than 200,000 in the United States where there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing the drug will be recovered from sales in the United States. In the EU, the European Commission grants orphan designation on the basis of the EMA's Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products opinion. A medicinal product may be designated as orphan if (1) it is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition; (2) either (a) such condition affects no more than five in 10,000 persons in the EU when the application is made, or (b) the product, without the benefits derived from orphan status, would not generate sufficient return in the EU to justify investment; and (3) there exists no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment, of such condition authorized for marketing in the EU, or if such a method exists, the product will be of significant benefit to those affected by the condition.
In the United States, orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax credits for qualified clinical testing, and user-fee waivers. In addition, if a product receives the first FDA approval of that drug for the disease or condition for which it has orphan drug designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means the FDA may not approve any other application to market the same drug for the same approved use or condition for a period of seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority over the product with orphan exclusivity or where the manufacturer is unable to assure the availability of sufficient quantities of the orphan drug to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition. In the EU, orphan designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers, protocol assistance, and access to the centralized MA procedure. Moreover, upon grant of an MA and assuming the requirement for orphan designation are also met at the time the MA is granted, orphan medicinal products are entitled to a ten-year period of market exclusivity for the approved therapeutic indication. The period of market exclusivity is extended by two years for orphan medicinal products that have also complied with an agreed pediatric investigation plan, or PIP. This period may be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, the orphan designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity, or where the prevalence of the condition has increased above the orphan designation threshold. In the EU, an MA for an orphan designated product will not be granted if a similar product has been approved in the EU for the same therapeutic indication, unless the applicant can establish that (i) its product, although similar to the orphan medicinal product already authorized is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior; (ii) the MA holder for the orphan medicinal product grants its consent; or (iii) if the MA holder of the orphan medicinal product is unable to supply sufficient quantities of product. A similar medicine is a product containing a similar active substance or substances as those contained in an already authorized product. Similar active substance is defined as an identical active substance, or an active substance with the same principal molecular structural features (but not necessarily all of the same molecular features) and which acts via the same mechanism.
There is no pre-MA orphan designation in the UK. The MHRA reviews applications from companies for orphan designation in parallel to the corresponding MAA. The criteria are essentially the same, but have been tailored for the market, i.e., the prevalence of the condition in the UK, rather than the EU, must not be more than five in 10,000. Should an orphan designation be granted, the period or market exclusivity will be set from the date of first approval of the product in the UK.
We have obtained orphan drug designation from the FDA and orphan designation from the European Commission for bota-vec for the treatment of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa associated with mutations in the RPGR gene, for AAV-AIPL1 for the treatment of inherited retinal dystrophy due to defects in AIPL1 gene, for AAV-CNGB3 for the treatment of achromatopsia caused by mutations in the CNGB3 gene, for AAV-CNGA3 for the treatment of achromatopsia due to autosomal-recessive CNGA3 gene mutations, for AAV-RPE65 for the treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis and for AAV-RDH12 for the treatment of retinol dehydrogenase 12 (RDH12) mutation-associated retinal dystrophy, and we obtained orphan drug designation from the FDA for AAV-hAQP1 for the treatment of grade 2 and grade 3 late xerostomia from parotid gland hypofunction caused by radiotherapy and for AAV-BBS10 for the treatment of Bardet-Biedel syndrome (BBS) due to BBS10 mutations. We may seek orphan drug designation and orphan designation for other current and future product candidates. Even with orphan drug designation and orphan designation, we may not be the first to obtain marketing approval for any particular orphan indication due to the uncertainties associated with developing pharmaceutical products, which could prevent us from marketing our product candidates if another company is able to obtain orphan drug exclusivity before we do. In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the United States and the EU may be unavailable if we seek approval for a disease or condition broader than the orphan drug-designated and orphan-designated disease or condition or may be lost in the United States or EU if the FDA or foreign authorities later determine that the request for designation was materially defective or if we are unable to assure sufficient quantities of the drug to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition following approval.
Further, even if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity, that exclusivity may not effectively protect our product candidates from competition because different biologics with different active principal molecular structural features can be approved for the same disease or condition. In addition, the FDA can subsequently approve products with the same principal molecular structural features, in the case of a biologic, for the same use or indication if the FDA concludes that the later product is safer, more effective, makes a major contribution to patient care, or if the manufacturer of the product with orphan exclusivity is unable to maintain sufficient product quantity. Likewise, in the EU and UK, the European Commission or MHRA, respectively, can authorize a similar product for the same therapeutic indication, if it concludes that the later product is safer, more effective or clinically superior; if the MA holder for the initial orphan medicinal product grants its consent; or if such MA holder is unable to supply sufficient quantities of the product. Neither orphan drug designation nor orphan designation shortens the development time or regulatory review time of a drug nor gives the drug any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process. In addition, while we intend to seek orphan drug designation and orphan designation for other existing and future product candidates, we may never receive such designations.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities1 | 1.3%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
Potential product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and limit commercialization of any products that we may develop.Taxation & Government Incentives5 | 6.4%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors in our ordinary shares.Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2
We expect to be treated as resident in the UK for tax purposes, but may be treated as a dual resident company for UK tax purposes.Our board of directors conducts our affairs so that the central management and control of the company is exercised in the UK. As a result, we expect to be treated as resident in the UK for UK tax purposes. Accordingly, we expect to be subject to UK taxation on our income and gains, except where an exemption applies.
However, we may be treated as a dual resident company for UK tax purposes. As a result, our right to claim certain reliefs from UK tax may be restricted, and changes in law or practice in the UK could result in the imposition of further restrictions on our right to claim UK tax reliefs.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 3
We have significant U.S. federal and state net operating losses, or NOLs, and UK and Ireland carryforward tax losses which we may not be able to realize or which may be restricted under applicable law. We also benefit from certain tax incentive regimes, such as research and development tax credits. Any adverse change to these regimes, the application thereof or challenges to the tax position we have adopted under these rules could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.As of December 31, 2025, we had federal and state NOL carryforwards in the United States of $163.5 million and $23.4 million, respectively, and cumulative carryforward tax losses in the UK of $196.0 million, which we expect to be available to reduce future taxable income subject to any relevant restrictions (including those in the U.S. and UK that limit the percentage of taxable income that can be reduced by NOLs and carried forward losses). As of December 31, 2025, cumulative carryforward tax losses in Ireland were $118.1 million. U.S. federal NOLs generated after December 31, 2017 are not subject to expiration but such NOLs may only offset 80% of taxable income for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2020. U.S. federal NOLs generated prior to December 31, 2017 may only be carried forward for 20 years. As of December 31, 2025, we also had orphan drug and research and development credits in the U.S. in the amount of $27.2 million, both of which may be carried forward for 20 years and are expected to begin expiring in 2035 if not utilized. We also had research and development credits in the UK of $5.9 million, which may be carried forward indefinitely until utilized. The UK and Ireland carryforward tax losses will continue indefinitely, subject to relevant restrictions, under current jurisdictional tax law.
The NOLs and carryforward tax losses are subject to review and possible adjustment by the applicable tax authorities. Additionally, carryforward tax losses, and research and development tax credits, may become subject to limitations in the event of certain cumulative changes in the ownership interest of significant shareholders, as determined under Sections 382 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, as well as the Corporation Tax Act 2010 Part 14 under the UK tax rules and the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (TCA 1997) under the Ireland tax rules. This could limit the amount of NOLs or carryforward tax losses that we can utilize annually to offset future taxable income or tax liabilities. We have conducted a review of changes in the ownership interest of significant shareholders and determined that as of December 2024, there were no limitations in the UK. However, for U.S. purposes, we determined that a change of ownership occurred in April 2016 and again in June 2018, but there was not a limit for utilizing these losses to offset the 2022 income. We have performed a 382 analysis through December 2024 and no additional change of ownership has occurred. Subsequent ownership changes and changes to the U.S. federal or state or UK tax rules in respect of the utilization of NOLs and carryforward tax losses may further affect the limitation in future years.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 4
Changes in tax laws or challenges to our tax position could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.We are subject to complex tax laws that are subject to change or differing interpretations, including on a retroactive basis. Any such changes in tax laws, regulations and treaties, or the interpretation thereof, tax policy initiatives and reforms under consideration and the practices of tax authorities in jurisdictions in which we operate could adversely affect our tax position, including our effective tax rate or tax payments.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 5
Changes in funding for, or disruptions caused by global health concerns impacting, the FDA and other government or regulatory agencies could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, or otherwise prevent new products and services from being developed, approved or commercialized in a timely manner, which could negatively impact our business.The ability of the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, disruptions caused by global health concerns, ability to hire and retain key personnel, including those with experience relating to novel gene therapy product candidates, acceptance of the payment of user fees, statutory, regulatory, and policy changes and other events that may otherwise affect the FDA's or foreign regulatory authorities' ability to perform routine functions. Average review times at the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities 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 government or regulatory agencies such as the EMA may also slow the time necessary for new product candidates to be reviewed and/or approved, which would adversely affect our business. For example, the U.S. government was shut down at various times during 2025 and 2026 due to Congress not having passed appropriations bills to fund government activity, and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA, have had to furlough critical FDA employees and stop critical activities. Prolonged government shutdowns could significantly impact the ability of the FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, the current presidential administration has laid off thousands of federal health workers, including at the FDA, and the leadership of CBER changed multiple times since the beginning of 2025, which may delay review times for approval of our product candidates and impact our ability to correspond with the FDA regarding the development of our programs in a timely fashion.
Environmental / Social3 | 3.8%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
We are subject to environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, and we may become exposed to liability and substantial expenses in connection with environmental compliance or remediation activities.Environmental / Social - Risk 2
We are subject to regulation and other legal obligations relating to data privacy and protection. Compliance with these requirements is complex and costly. The actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could materially harm our business.The global data protection landscape is continually evolving, and we are or may become subject to numerous state, federal and foreign laws, requirements and regulations governing the collection, use, access to, confidentiality, disclosure, storage, processing, retention and security of personal information such as information that we may collect in connection with clinical trials in the U.S. and abroad.
In the U.S., HIPAA imposes privacy, security and breach reporting obligations with respect to individually identifiable health information upon "covered entities" (health plans, healthcare clearinghouses and certain healthcare providers), and their respective business associates, individuals or entities that create, receive, maintain or transmit protected health information in connection with providing a service for or on behalf of a covered entity, as well as their covered subcontractors. Most healthcare providers, including research institutions and other vendors from which we may obtain health-related information, are subject to privacy and security regulations promulgated under HIPAA. We do not believe that we are currently acting as a covered entity or business associate under HIPAA and thus are not directly subject to its requirements or penalties. However, depending on the facts and circumstances, we could face substantial criminal penalties if we knowingly receive individually identifiable health information from a HIPAA-covered healthcare provider or research institution that has not satisfied HIPAA's requirements for disclosure of individually identifiable health information.
In addition, certain state laws govern the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, some of which are more stringent than HIPAA and many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts. Failure to comply with these laws, where applicable, can result in the imposition of significant civil and/or criminal penalties and private litigation. Further, we may also be subject to other state laws governing the privacy, processing and protection of personal information. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, requires covered businesses that process the personal information of California residents to, among other things: provide certain disclosures to California residents regarding the business's collection, use, and disclosure of their personal information; receive and respond to requests from California residents to access, delete, and correct their personal information, or to opt out of certain disclosures of their personal information; and enter into specific contractual provisions with service providers that process California resident personal information on the business's behalf. Similar laws have been passed in other states, and are continuing to be proposed at the state and the federal level, reflecting a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States. HIPAA, the CCPA and other domestic privacy and data protection laws and regulations may increase our compliance costs and potential liability.
Our operations abroad may also be subject to increased scrutiny or attention from data protection authorities. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, imposes stringent requirements for processing the personal data of individuals within the European Economic Area, or EEA, which consists of the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway, or in the context of our activities within the EEA. Companies that must comply with the GDPR face increased compliance obligations and risk, including more robust regulatory enforcement of data protection requirements and, among other things, potential fines for noncompliance of up to €20 million or up to 4% of the total worldwide annual turnover of the relevant undertaking in the preceding financial year, whichever is higher, and other administrative penalties.
Among other requirements, the GDPR regulates transfers of personal data subject to the GDPR to third countries that have not been found to provide adequate protection to such personal data, including the U.S. Case law from the Court of Justice of the European Union states that reliance on the standard contractual clauses – a standard form of contract approved by the European Commission as an adequate personal data transfer mechanism – alone may not necessarily be sufficient in all circumstances and that transfers must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The European Commission adopted its adequacy decision in relation to the new EU-US Data Privacy Framework ("DPF") on July 10, 2023, rendering the DPF effective as a GDPR transfer mechanism to U.S. entities self-certified under the DPF. The General Court of the European Union upheld that decision in September 2025, although adequacy decisions are subject to periodic review and may be challenged, modified, suspended or invalidated. As a result, international data transfers remain subject to legal uncertainty and heightened regulatory scrutiny. Any inability to lawfully transfer personal data across jurisdictions in which we operate could require us to implement additional safeguards, localize data or systems, or modify our operations, which could increase costs and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Further, we are subject to the UK GDPR, which imposes separate but similar obligations to those under the GDPR and comparable penalties, including fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of a noncompliant undertaking's global annual revenue for the preceding financial year, whichever is greater. On October 12, 2023, the UK Extension to the DPF came into effect (as approved by the UK Government), as a data transfer mechanism from the UK to U.S. entities self-certified under the DPF. UK privacy law has been, and continues to be, subject to scrutiny and proposed changes. This could affect the ease of data transfers between the EEA and the UK in the future. As we continue to expand into other foreign countries and jurisdictions, we may be subject to additional laws and regulations that may affect how we conduct business.
Although we work to comply with applicable laws, regulations and standards, as well as our contractual obligations and other legal obligations, relating to data privacy and security, these requirements are evolving and may be modified, interpreted and applied in an inconsistent manner from one jurisdiction and/or organization to another, and may conflict with one another or other legal obligations with which we must comply. Any failure or perceived failure by us or our employees, representatives, contractors, consultants, collaborators, or other third parties to comply with such requirements or adequately address privacy data and security concerns, even if unfounded, could result in additional costs, claims by and liability to third parties, government investigations and enforcement actions, damage to our reputation, and other adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Environmental / Social - Risk 3
Expectations relating to environmental, social and governance factors may impose additional costs and expose us to new risks.There has been a focus in recent years by the SEC, foreign regulators, stock exchanges, certain investors and other stakeholders concerning corporate responsibility, specifically related to environmental, social and governance factors. Although the SEC adopted climate-related disclosure rules in 2024, those rules were stayed pending litigation and, in May 2026, the SEC proposed rescinding the rules in their entirety. Corporate sustainability rules in Europe also have been scaled back. As a result, the regulatory environment relating to climate-related disclosures remains subject to significant uncertainty. Nevertheless, some investors may use these and other environmental, social and governance factors to guide their investment strategies and, in some cases, may choose not to invest in us if they believe our policies and disclosures relating to corporate responsibility are inadequate. Third-party providers of corporate responsibility ratings and reports on companies have varied and in some cases inconsistent standards. In addition, the criteria by which companies' corporate responsibility practices are assessed are evolving, which could result in greater expectations of us and cause us to undertake costly initiatives to satisfy such new criteria. Alternatively, if we elect not to or are unable to satisfy such new criteria or do not meet the criteria of a specific third-party provider, some investors may conclude that our policies with respect to corporate responsibility are insufficient. We may face reputational damage in the event that our corporate responsibility procedures or standards do not meet the standards set by various constituencies. Furthermore, if our competitors' corporate responsibility performance is perceived to be greater than ours, potential or current investors may elect to invest with our competitors instead. In addition, in the event that we communicate or disclose certain initiatives and goals regarding environmental, social and governance matters, we could fail, or be perceived to fail, in our achievement of such initiatives or goals, or we could be criticized for the scope of such initiatives or goals or be subject to litigation for such failures. If we fail to satisfy the expectations of investors and other stakeholders or our initiatives are not executed as planned, our reputation and financial results could be adversely affected.
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 18/78 (23%)Below Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights8 | 10.3%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
If securities or industry analysts cease to publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our ordinary shares, our share price and trading volume could decline.Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
The rights of our shareholders differ from the rights typically offered to shareholders of a U.S. corporation.Our corporate affairs and the rights of holders of ordinary shares are governed by Cayman Islands law, including the provisions of the Cayman Islands Companies Act (as amended), or the Companies Act, the common law of the Cayman Islands and by our memorandum and articles of association. We are also subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
There may be difficulties in enforcing foreign judgments against our management or us.Certain of our directors and management reside outside the United States. A significant portion of our assets and such persons' assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for investors to effect service of process upon us within the United States or other jurisdictions, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States.
In particular, investors should be aware that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or any other applicable jurisdictions would recognize and enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or management predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States or entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or any other applicable jurisdiction's courts against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Cayman Islands law may discourage or prevent a change of control, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders, which could depress the price of our ordinary shares and prevent attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management.Our memorandum and articles of association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with staggered, three-year terms. Our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue preferred shares without shareholder approval. We are also subject to certain provisions under Cayman Islands law that could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our ordinary shares.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
We are a "smaller reporting company," and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies may make our ordinary shares less attractive to investors.We are a smaller reporting company, and we will remain a smaller reporting company until the fiscal year following the determination that our voting and non-voting ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is more than $250 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenues are more than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and our voting and non-voting ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is more than $700 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter. Smaller reporting companies are able to provide simplified executive compensation disclosure, are exempt from the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404, and have certain other reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, not being required to provide selected financial data, supplemental financial information or risk factors.
We may choose to take advantage of some, but not all, of the available exemptions for smaller reporting companies. We cannot predict whether investors will find our ordinary shares less attractive if we rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our ordinary shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our ordinary shares and our share price may be more volatile.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders, if they choose to act together, have the ability to significantly influence all matters submitted to shareholders for approval.As of July 31, 2026, our executive officers, directors and shareholders who owned more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares and their respective affiliates, in the aggregate, hold ordinary shares representing approximately 47.6% of our outstanding ordinary shares. In addition, an affiliate of Perceptive Advisors LLC, our largest shareholder that employs a director serving on our board, holds warrants to purchase an aggregate of 700,000 of our ordinary shares.
As a result, if these shareholders choose to act together, they would be able to significantly influence all matters submitted to our shareholders for approval, as well as our management and affairs. For example, these persons, if they choose to act together, would significantly influence the election of directors, the composition of our management and approval of any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets or other business combination that other shareholders may desire. Any of these actions could adversely affect the market price of our ordinary shares.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
The market price of our ordinary shares may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our ordinary shares.Our share price is likely to be volatile. The stock market in general and the market for smaller biopharmaceutical companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, you may not be able to sell your ordinary shares at or above your purchase price. The market price for our ordinary shares may be influenced by many factors, including:
- the success of competitive products or technologies;- actual or expected changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;- results of clinical trials of our product candidates or those of our competitors;- developments related to our existing or any future collaborations;- regulatory or legal developments in the United States and other countries;- development of new product candidates that may address our markets and make our product candidates less attractive;- changes in physician, hospital or healthcare provider practices that may make our product candidates less useful;- announcements by us, our partners or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, collaborations or capital commitments;- the impact of any potential strategic transactions related to our assets;- developments or disputes concerning patent applications, issued patents or other proprietary rights;- the recruitment or departure of key personnel;- the level of expenses related to any of our product candidates or clinical development programs;- failure to meet or exceed financial estimates and projections of the investment community or that we provide to the public;- the results of our efforts to discover, develop, acquire or in-license additional product candidates or products;- actual or expected changes in estimates as to financial results, development timelines, recommendations by securities analysts or shifting investor perceptions;- variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;- changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;- market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;- general economic, industry and market conditions;- changes in accounting principles; and - the other factors described in this "Item 1A. Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in this Form 10-Q.
In addition, the stock market in general, and Nasdaq and biopharmaceutical companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. In the past, when the market price of a security has been volatile, holders of that security have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the issuer. This risk is especially relevant for us because biopharmaceutical companies have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years. If any of the holders of our ordinary shares were to bring such a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and the attention of our senior management would be diverted from the operation of our business. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities. Broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our ordinary shares, as well as general economic, political and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes or international currency fluctuations, regardless of our actual operating performance. Further, a decline in the financial markets and related factors beyond our control may cause the price of our ordinary shares to decline rapidly and unexpectedly. If the market price of our ordinary shares does not exceed your purchase price, you may not realize any return on your investment in us and may lose some or all of your investment.
We may raise additional capital pursuant to our shelf registration statement, including through our "at-the-market" offering program, or through additional public or private placements, any of which could substantially dilute the investment of our stockholders.
Sales of a substantial number of our ordinary shares in the public market could dilute your ownership interest. Pursuant to an "at-the-market" sales agreement we entered into with BofA Securities, Inc., or BofA, in December 2023, we may sell from time to time, ordinary shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $100.0 million through BofA, acting as our agent. During the six-month period ended June 30, 2026, we raised gross proceeds of $28.2 million through the sale of 3,164,365 ordinary shares pursuant to an "at-the-market" equity offering program. Whether we choose to affect future sales under the "at-the-market" equity offering program will depend on a number of factors, including, among others, market conditions and the trading price of our ordinary shares relative to other sources of capital. The issuance from time to time of ordinary shares through our "at-the-market" equity offering program or in any other equity offering, or the perception that such sales may occur, could have the effect of depressing the market price of our ordinary shares.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
If a United States person is treated as owning at least 10% of our ordinary shares, such holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.If a U.S. holder of our ordinary shares is treated as owning (directly, indirectly or constructively) at least 10% of the value or voting power of our ordinary shares, such U.S. holder may be treated as a "United States shareholder" with respect to each "controlled foreign corporation" in our group (if any). If our group includes one or more U.S. subsidiaries, certain of our non-U.S. subsidiaries could be treated as controlled foreign corporations (regardless of whether we are treated as a controlled foreign corporation). A United States shareholder of a controlled foreign corporation may be required to report annually and include in its U.S. taxable income its pro rata share of "Subpart F income," "global intangible low-taxed income" and investments in U.S. property by controlled foreign corporations, regardless of whether we make any distributions. An individual that is a United States shareholder with respect to a controlled foreign corporation generally would not be allowed certain tax deductions or foreign tax credits that would be allowed to a United States shareholder that is a U.S. corporation. Failure to comply with these reporting obligations may subject you to significant monetary penalties and may prevent the statute of limitations from starting with respect to your U.S. federal income tax return for the year for which reporting was due. We cannot provide any assurances that we will assist investors in determining whether any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries is treated as a controlled foreign corporation or whether such investor is treated as a United States shareholder with respect to any of such controlled foreign corporations. Further, we cannot provide any assurances that we will furnish to any United States shareholders information that may be necessary to comply with the aforementioned reporting and tax payment obligations. U.S. holders of our ordinary shares should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of these rules to their investment in our ordinary shares.
Accounting & Financial Operations2 | 2.6%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, would be your sole source of gain.Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
We have incurred significant losses since inception and anticipate that we will incur continued losses for the foreseeable future, and may never achieve or maintain profitability.We are a clinical stage company with limited operating history and have not generated any product revenue to date. We were formed and began operations in 2015. Prior to the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2026, we had never been profitable. Although we achieved profitable operations for the current periods, such profitability was primarily attributable to non-recurring transactions and there is no assurance that profitable operations could be sustained on a continuing basis in the foreseeable future. Prior to the current period, we incurred net losses since inception. As of June 30, 2026, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $701.8 million. Since our inception, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to developing our technology platform, establishing our viral vector manufacturing facilities and plasmid and DNA production facility, developing manufacturing processes, advancing the product candidates in our ophthalmology, salivary gland and neurodegenerative disease programs, research and development activities, including our riboswitch gene regulation platform technology, building our intellectual property portfolio, organizing and staffing our company, developing our business plans, raising capital, securing debt financing and providing general and administrative support for these operations. We have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully complete large-scale, pivotal clinical trials, obtain marketing approval, manufacture product at a commercial scale, or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf, or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful product commercialization. Given the length of time typically needed to develop a new drug from the time it enters Phase 1 clinical trials to when it is approved for treating patients, if ever, predictions about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history or a history of successfully developing and commercializing genetic medicine products.
We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and additional operating losses in the future as we seek to advance product candidates through preclinical and clinical development, expand our research, development and manufacturing activities, develop new product candidates, build and expand our intellectual product portfolio, complete clinical trials, seek regulatory approval and, if we receive regulatory approval, commercialize our products. Furthermore, the costs of advancing product candidates into each succeeding clinical phase tend to increase substantially over time, including the ongoing Phase 2 AQUAx2 clinical trial of AAV-hAQP1 for the treatment of patients with radiation-induced xerostomia. In addition, we expect to continue incurring increasing research and development costs associated with our clinical activities for AAV-GAD for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, although certain activities related to the AAV-GAD program are performed under our strategic collaboration with Hologen and are expected to generate service revenue that will fund the related development activities. We also expect to incur increasing research and development costs in connection with research, preclinical and clinical activities for our riboswitch platform. We also expect to incur costs related to the long-term follow up study for patients that enrolled in the Phase 3 LUMEOS clinical trial of bota-vec for the treatment of XLRP, as well as costs related to regulatory activities. The total costs to advance any of our product candidates to marketing approval in even a single jurisdiction would be substantial. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with gene therapy product development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or whether we will be able to begin generating revenue from the commercialization of products or achieve or maintain profitability.
Before we generate any revenue from product sales, each of our programs and product candidates will require additional preclinical and/or clinical development, potential regulatory approval in multiple jurisdictions, manufacturing, building of a commercial organization, substantial investment and significant marketing efforts. Our expenses could increase beyond expectations if we are required by the FDA, UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (the "MHRA"), European Medicines Agency (the "EMA"), or other regulatory authorities to perform preclinical studies and clinical trials in addition to those that we currently anticipate. These risks are further described under "-Risks Related to Discovery, Development, Clinical Testing, Manufacturing and Regulatory Approval" and "-Risks Related to Commercialization." As a result, we expect to continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future. These net losses have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our shareholders' equity and working capital.
As we continue to build our business, we expect our financial condition and operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, you should not rely upon the results of any particular quarterly or annual period as indications of future operating performance. If we are unable to develop and commercialize one or more of our product candidates either alone or with collaborators, or if revenues from any product candidate that receives marketing approval are insufficient, we will not achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability. If we are unable to achieve and then maintain profitability, the value of our equity securities will be adversely affected.
Debt & Financing3 | 3.8%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
We may not have sufficient cash flows or cash on hand to satisfy our debt obligations or covenants under our financing arrangements, or we may not be able to effectively manage our business in compliance with such covenants.Debt & Financing - Risk 2
We will require additional capital to fund our operations, which may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all.We expect to spend substantial amounts to complete the development of, seek regulatory approvals for and commercialize our product candidates, as well as maintain and/or expand our manufacturing and supply chain capabilities. This will require additional capital, which we may raise through equity offerings, debt financings, additional borrowings under the Royalty Note Purchase Agreement, marketing and distribution arrangements and other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements or other sources. Our ability to raise additional capital when needed has been and may in the future be adversely affected by external factors beyond our control, including changes in the political climate, geopolitical actions, changes in market interest rates, potential reforms and changes to government regulations, the effect of healthcare reform legislation, including those that may limit pricing of pharmaceutical products and drugs, market prices and conditions, prospects for favorable or unfavorable clinical trial results, new product initiatives, the manufacturing and distribution of new products, product safety and efficacy issues, new collaborations and strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to raise capital as and when needed would have a negative effect on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy. In addition, attempting to secure additional financing has diverted and may in the future divert the time and attention of our management from day-to-day activities and harm our product candidate development efforts. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on acceptable terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate certain of our research and development programs.
Our operations have consumed significant amounts of cash since inception. As of June 30, 2026, our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were $145.4 million. Based on our cash, cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts receivable – related party, unbilled receivables – related party and tax incentive receivable at June 30, 2026, together with the second purchase of $25.0 million of Royalty Notes under the Royalty Note Purchase Agreement and $10.0 million proceeds from the sale of our ordinary shares under the Securities Purchase Agreement in the third quarter of 2026 (see Note 12 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-Q for a description of these transactions), and the additional $95.0 million upfront payment due from Hologen and associated reimbursements, we estimate that such funds will be sufficient to enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the second half of 2028. This estimate does not include the $135.0 million in potential near-term cash consideration from Lilly upon achievement of certain development and regulatory approval milestones, or any subsequent tranches available under the Royalty Note Purchase Agreement. This estimate is based on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Changing circumstances could cause us to spend more than expected or consume capital significantly faster than we currently anticipate, such as inflation or other factors that may significantly increase our business costs. Because the length of time and activities associated with successful development of our product candidates is uncertain, we are unable to estimate the actual funds we will require for development and any approved marketing and commercialization activities. Our future funding requirements, both near and long-term, will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:
- the progress, timing, costs and results of our ongoing clinical development for our X-linked retinitis pigmentosa product candidate, bota-vec, including costs related to the long-term follow up study for patients that enrolled in the Phase 3 LUMEOS clinical trial of bota-vec for the treatment of XLRP, as well as costs related to our regulatory activities and, if bota-vec is approved, costs related to commercialization and any milestone or royalty payments we make to Janssen;- the progress, timing, costs and results of our clinical development for our radiation-induced xerostomia product candidate, AAV-hAQP1, as well as costs, if approved, related to commercialization of AAV-hAQP1;- the progress, timing, costs and results of our ongoing clinical development for our AAV-AIPL1 gene therapy product candidate under the Lilly Collaboration Agreement, which costs are expected to be offset by service revenue we receive from Lilly as part of certain development and manufacturing activities we perform under the Lilly Collaboration Agreement and related agreements;- the progress, timing, costs and results of our clinical development for our product candidate for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, AAV-GAD, although certain of these costs are expected to be offset by service revenue we receive from Hologen as part of certain development activities we perform under the strategic collaboration we entered into with them;- the development of our transformative riboswitch gene regulation platform technology designed to precisely and specifically control gene therapy expression levels via dose-response to orally delivered small molecules;- the development of our product candidate for the treatment of ALS, AAV-UPF1, our product candidate for the treatment of xerostomia associated with Sjogren's syndrome, AAV-hAQP1, and our product candidate for the treatment of neovascular age related macular degeneration, or wet AMD;- the extent to which we receive the milestone payments under the Lilly Collaboration Agreement;- continuing our current research programs and our preclinical development of product candidates from our current research programs;- seeking to identify, assess, acquire and/or develop additional research programs and additional product candidates;- the preclinical testing and clinical trials for any product candidates we identify and develop;- the outcome, timing and cost of meeting regulatory requirements established by the FDA, MHRA, EMA and other regulatory authorities;- the cost of expanding and protecting our intellectual property portfolio, including filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing our patent claims and other intellectual property rights;- the cost of defending potential intellectual property disputes, including patent infringement actions brought by third parties against us or any of our product candidates;- the effect of competing technological and market developments;- the cost of further developing and scaling our manufacturing facilities and processes;- the cost and timing of completion of commercial-scale manufacturing facilities and activities;- the cost of making royalty, milestone or other payments under current and any future in-license agreements;- our ability to establish and maintain strategic collaborations, licensing or other agreements and the financial terms of such agreements;- the extent to which we in-license or acquire rights to other products, product candidates and technologies;- the cost of establishing sales, marketing and distribution capabilities for our product candidates in regions where we choose to commercialize our products; and - the initiation, progress, timing and results of our commercialization of our product candidates, if approved for commercial sale.
Raising additional capital through the sale of equity, convertible debt securities or warrants will dilute your ownership interest, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a shareholder. Additional debt financing or preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants further limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may be required to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
Our management team has broad discretion as to the use of the net proceeds from public and private equity or debt financings and the investment of these proceeds may not yield a favorable return. We may invest the proceeds in ways with which our shareholders disagree.We have broad discretion in the application of any net proceeds we have received in the past or may receive in the future pursuant to existing or future equity and debt financings, including under our "at-the-market" equity offering program. Shareholders may not agree with our decisions, and our use of the proceeds and our existing cash and cash equivalents may not improve our results of operation or enhance the value of our ordinary shares. Our ability to apply certain proceeds may be restricted. For example, in April 2026, we conducted an equity financing by selling 11.1 million ordinary shares at a price of $9.00 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $100.0 million. Our failure to apply any such funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, delay the development of our product candidates and cause the market price of our ordinary shares to decline. In addition, until the net proceeds are used, they may be placed in investments that do not produce significant income or that may lose value. Additionally, our existing cash and cash equivalents are subject to general credit, liquidity, market and interest rate risks, which have been and may, in the future, be exacerbated by a U.S. and/or global financial crises. We may realize losses in the fair value of certain of our investments or a complete loss of these investments if the credit markets tighten, which would have an adverse effect on our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.
Corporate Activity and Growth5 | 6.4%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
We may engage in acquisitions that could disrupt our business, cause dilution to our shareholders or reduce our financial resources.Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
We incur substantial costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to new and existing compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices.As a public company, we incur and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, The Nasdaq Global Select listing requirements and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs.
Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, we are required to furnish a report by our management on our internal control over financial reporting. However, while we are a non-accelerated filer, we will not be required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. To achieve compliance with Section 404, we engage in a process to document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which is both costly and challenging. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, potentially engage outside consultants, adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing whether such controls are functioning as documented, and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. Despite our efforts, there is a risk that we, or our independent registered public accounting firm, if we no longer qualify as a non-accelerated filer, will not be able to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as required by Section 404. In addition, any testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404, or any subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. If we identify one or more material weaknesses or determine we have inadequate internal controls, it could result in an adverse reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
We have in the past, and may in the future, collaborate with third parties for the development, manufacture and commercialization of our product candidates. We may not succeed in establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships, which may significantly limit our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates successfully, if at all.We have entered into collaboration agreements with third parties for the development and commercialization of our product candidates, including the Lilly Collaboration Agreement for the development and commercialization of AAV-AIPL1 and two other preclinical product candidates which are intended to treat other inherited retinal dystrophies. In addition, in October 2023 we provided Sanofi and its affiliates with a right of first negotiation for use of our riboswitch gene regulation technology for certain Immunology and Inflammation (I&I), including modulation of IL-4 and IL-13, and Central Nervous System (CNS) targets, as well as for GLP-1 and other gut peptides for metabolic disease, and for our Phase 2 xerostomia program, under the Investment Agreement. We also completed the initial closing of our strategic collaboration with Hologen in April 2026 as described above. We may seek additional collaborative relationships in the future. Failure to obtain a collaborative relationship for our product candidates may significantly impair their commercial potential. We also may need to enter into collaborative relationships to provide funding to support our other research and development programs. The process of establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships is difficult, time-consuming and involves significant uncertainty, such as:
- a collaboration partner may shift its priorities and resources away from our product candidates due to a change in business strategies, or a merger, acquisition, sale or downsizing;- a collaboration partner may seek to renegotiate or terminate their relationships with us due to unsatisfactory clinical results, manufacturing issues, a change in business strategy, a change of control or other reasons;- a collaboration partner may cease development in therapeutic areas which are the subject of our strategic collaboration;- a collaboration partner may not devote sufficient capital or resources towards our product candidates;- a collaboration partner may change the success criteria for a product candidate thereby delaying or ceasing development of such candidate;- a significant delay in initiation of certain development activities by a collaboration partner will also delay payment of milestones tied to such activities, thereby impacting our ability to fund our own activities;- a collaboration partner could develop a product that competes, either directly or indirectly, with our product candidate;- a collaboration partner with commercialization obligations may not commit sufficient financial or human resources to the marketing, distribution or sale of a product;- a collaboration partner with manufacturing responsibilities may encounter regulatory, resource or quality issues and be unable to meet demand requirements;- a collaboration partner may terminate a strategic alliance;- a dispute may arise between us and a partner concerning the research, development or commercialization of a product candidate resulting in a delay in milestones, royalty payments or termination of an alliance and possibly resulting in costly litigation or arbitration which may divert management attention and resources; and - a partner may use our products or technology in such a way as to make us subject to litigation with a third party.
If any collaborator fails to fulfill its responsibilities in a timely manner, or at all, our research, clinical development, manufacturing or commercialization efforts related to that collaboration could be delayed or terminated, or it may be necessary for us to assume responsibility for expenses or activities that would otherwise have been the responsibility of our collaborator. If we are unable to establish and maintain collaborative relationships on acceptable terms or to successfully transition terminated collaborative agreements, we may have to delay or discontinue further development of one or more of our product candidates, undertake development and commercialization activities at our own expense or find alternative sources of capital.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 4
We may need to increase or decrease the size of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing those organizational changes, which could disrupt our operations.As of June 30, 2026, we had 393 employees. If we seek to expand our organization, we may have difficulty identifying, hiring and integrating new personnel. Future growth would impose significant additional responsibilities on our management, including the need to identify, recruit, maintain, motivate and integrate additional employees, consultants and contractors. Also, our management may need to divert a disproportionate amount of its attention away from our day-to-day activities and devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities. We may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations, which may result in weaknesses in our infrastructure, give rise to operational mistakes, loss of business opportunities or strategic opportunities related to our assets, loss of employees and reduced productivity among remaining employees. Our growth could require significant capital expenditures and may divert financial resources from other projects, such as the development of product candidates. If our management is unable to effectively manage our growth, our expenses may increase more than expected, our ability to generate and/or grow revenues could be reduced, and we may not be able to implement our business strategy. Our future financial performance and our ability to commercialize our product candidates and compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage any future growth. Our growth could require significant capital expenditures and may divert financial resources from other projects, such as the development of additional product candidates. If our management is unable to effectively manage our growth, our expenses may increase more than expected, our potential ability to generate revenue could be reduced and we may not be able to implement our business strategy. Many of the biotechnology companies that we compete against for qualified personnel and consultants have greater financial and other resources, different risk profiles and a longer history in the industry than we do. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high-quality personnel and consultants, the rate and success at which we can discover and develop product candidates and operate our business will be limited. Alternatively, if we seek to decrease the number of employees in our organization in the future in response to adverse business events, it may lead to additional unanticipated attrition. If our future staffing is inadequate because of additional unanticipated attrition or because we failed to retain the staffing level required to accomplish our business objectives, we may be delayed or unable to continue the development of our product candidates, which could impede our ability to generate revenues and achieve or maintain profitability.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 5
Our review of potential strategic transactions may not result in an executed or consummated transaction or other strategic alternative and may not result in anticipated benefits to us or our shareholders, and the process of reviewing strategic transactions or its conclusion could be disruptive and distracting to our business operations and management.We have, and may continue to, opportunistically identify and evaluate strategic opportunities regarding our assets. Any significant delay in consummating or a failure to consummate or complete a transaction could have a material adverse effect on our future business or operating results. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in our efforts to pursue or advance such options, or identify similar opportunities, or that any potential transaction would be consummated or, if consummated, will provide the anticipated benefits to us or otherwise enhance shareholder value. Any such potential transaction would be dependent upon a number of factors beyond our control, including, without limitation, market conditions, industry trends, the interest of third parties in our assets and whether the terms of any strategic transaction would be acceptable to us. The process of reviewing potential strategic alternatives is time consuming and may be distracting and disruptive to our business operations and long-term planning, which may cause concern to our current or potential customers, employees, investors, strategic partners and other constituencies and may have a material impact on our business and operating results or result in increased volatility in our share price.
Production
Total Risks: 7/78 (9%)Below Sector Average
Manufacturing2 | 2.6%
Manufacturing - Risk 1
Expanding our manufacturing capacity has and will continue to be costly and we may be unsuccessful in doing so in a timely manner, which could delay our current and future clinical development programs, or delay the commercialization of our product candidates.Manufacturing - Risk 2
Any contamination in our manufacturing process, shortages of raw materials or failure of our plasmid supplier to deliver necessary components, or other issues with the manufacturing process, could result in delays in our clinical development or marketing schedules.Given the nature of biologics manufacturing, there is a risk of contamination. Any contamination could adversely affect our ability to produce product candidates on schedule and could, therefore, harm our results of operations and cause reputational damage. Some of the raw materials required in our manufacturing process are derived from biologic sources. Such raw materials are difficult to procure and may be subject to contamination or recall. In addition, our manufacturing process is complex, and the manufacturing batch cycle period can be several weeks long. Each batch cycle may not yield planned quantities or meet the required standards. A material shortage, contamination, recall or restriction on the use of biologically derived substances in the manufacture of our product candidates, failure of manufacturing equipment or systems or other issues with our manufacturing process, could adversely impact or disrupt the commercial manufacturing or the production of clinical material, which could adversely affect our development timelines and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Employment / Personnel2 | 2.6%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
Our employees and independent contractors, including consultants, vendors, and any third parties we may engage in connection with development and commercialization may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements, which could harm our business.Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
Our future success depends on our ability to retain our key personnel and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.Our industry has experienced a high rate of turnover of management personnel in recent years. We are highly dependent on the development, regulatory, commercialization and business development expertise of Alexandria Forbes, Ph.D., our President and Chief Executive Officer, Rich Giroux, our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer and the other executive officers and principal members of our management, scientific and clinical teams. Although we have formal employment agreements with certain of our executive officers, these agreements do not prevent them from terminating their employment with us at any time and, for certain of our executive officers, entitle them to receive severance payments in connection with their voluntary resignation of employment.
If we lose one or more of our executive officers or key employees, our ability to implement our business strategy successfully could be seriously harmed. Furthermore, replacing executive officers and key employees may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize product candidates successfully. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these additional key personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for similar personnel. In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may be engaged by entities other than us and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, our ability to develop and commercialize product candidates will be limited.
Supply Chain2 | 2.6%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
We have relied, and we expect to continue to rely, on third parties to conduct, supervise and monitor our preclinical studies and clinical trials, and if these third parties perform in an unsatisfactory manner, our business could be harmed.Supply Chain - Risk 2
If our GMP manufacturing facilities are unable to supply our product candidates for all of our current preclinical, clinical and potential commercial needs, including any anticipated third party supply obligations, we will be forced to seek out third-party manufacturers. We currently contract with third parties for the manufacture of plasmid used in producing product candidates. Relying on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of such materials, product candidates, or any medicines that we may develop and commercialize, or that such supply will not be available to us at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent, or impair our development or commercialization efforts.Changed
We produce our product candidates in our GMP viral vector manufacturing facility in London, UK, and our second, large scale GMP viral vector manufacturing facility and our first GMP plasmid and DNA production facility in Shannon, Ireland. However, if our current facilities are damaged, suffer any form of delay or regulatory challenges, we experience slowdowns or problems with our facilities or we are unable to scale our internal manufacturing capabilities to meet demand for our product candidates, we will need to contract with third-party manufacturers to produce our product candidates. While we now have our own plasmid manufacturing capabilities in our Shannon, Ireland facilities, we also rely on third-party manufacturers for the manufacture of plasmid used in the production of certain product candidates. We do not have a long-term supply agreement with any of the third-party manufacturers, and we purchase our required supply on a purchase order basis.
We and our third-party manufacturers may also encounter difficulties or delays in manufacturing of our product candidates or the plasmid used in the production of our product candidates. Geopolitical actions, natural disaster or a widespread health emergency could impact our supply chain. To the extent that we or our third-party manufacturers are located in geographies affected by these matters, it may result in the temporary closing of manufacturing facilities and may increase the costs associated with manufacturing our product candidates.
We may be unable to establish any agreements with third-party manufacturers or to do so on acceptable terms. Even if we are able to establish agreements with third-party manufacturers, reliance on third-party manufacturers entails additional risks, including:
- the possible breach of the manufacturing agreement by the third party, including failure to provide appropriate quantities in a timely manner;- the possible termination or nonrenewal of the agreement by the third party at a time that is costly or inconvenient for us; and - reliance on the third party for regulatory compliance, quality assurance, safety, and pharmacovigilance and related reporting.
We and our third-party manufacturers may not be able to comply with GMP regulations or similar regulatory requirements that might be required by the FDA, MHRA or EMA. Our failure, or the failure of our third-party manufacturers, to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocations, seizures or recalls of product candidates or medicines, operating restrictions, and criminal prosecutions, any of which could adversely affect supplies of our candidates and harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Any therapies that we may develop may compete with other product candidates and products for access to manufacturing facilities. There are a limited number of manufacturers that operate under GMP or similar regulations and that might be capable of manufacturing for us. Any performance failure on the part of our existing or future manufacturers could delay clinical development or marketing approval.
Our current and anticipated future dependence upon others for the manufacture of any product candidates we may develop or any components required for the manufacture of our product candidates may adversely affect our future profit margins and our ability to commercialize any product candidates that receive marketing approval on a timely and competitive basis.
Costs1 | 1.3%
Costs - Risk 1
Our insurance policies are expensive and protect us only from some business risks, which leaves us exposed to significant uninsured liabilities.Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 6/78 (8%)Below Sector Average
Competition2 | 2.6%
Competition - Risk 1
Any product candidates for which we intend to seek approval as biologic products may face competition sooner than anticipated.Competition - Risk 2
We face significant competition in an environment of rapid technological change, and there is a possibility that our competitors may achieve regulatory approval before us or develop therapies that are safer or more advanced or effective than ours, which may harm our financial condition and our ability to successfully market or commercialize any product candidates we may develop.The development and commercialization of new gene therapy products is highly competitive. Moreover, the gene regulation and manufacturing fields are characterized by rapidly changing technologies and a strong emphasis on intellectual property. We may face competition with respect to any product candidates that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies, and biotechnology companies worldwide. Potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies, and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection, and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization.
There are a number of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that currently market and sell products or are pursuing the development of products for the treatment of the disease indications for which we have research programs, including inherited retinal diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. Some of these competitive products and therapies are based on scientific approaches that are similar to our approach, and others are based on entirely different approaches. Differences in the scientific approaches may create confusion or uncertainty among clinical trial investigators or patient populations, which could delay or hinder enrollment or initiation of our clinical trials.
Our platform and products focus on the development of gene therapies and gene regulation technology. In 2017, the FDA approved the first gene treatment for RPE65-associated retinal disease, Luxturna, a commercially available product developed by Spark Therapeutics, Inc., which was purchased by Roche. There are a number of other companies developing ocular gene therapy products, including Beacon Therapeutics Limited and 4D Molecular Therapeutics, Inc. There are a number of companies developing gene therapy products for neurodegenerative diseases, including Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. and Lilly. In addition to competition from other gene therapies, any products we may develop may also face competition from other types of therapies, such as small molecule, antibody, or protein therapies. Many of our current or potential competitors, either alone or with their collaboration partners, have greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals, and marketing approved products than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and gene therapy industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific, manufacturing and management personnel and establishing clinical trial sites and patient enrollment in clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient, or are less expensive than any products that we may develop, limiting demand or the price we are able to charge, or that could render any products that we may develop obsolete or non-competitive. Our competitors also may obtain FDA, MHRA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. In addition, as a result of the expiration or successful challenge of our patent rights, we could face more litigation with respect to the validity and/or scope of patents relating to our competitors' products.
Demand1 | 1.3%
Demand - Risk 1
The affected populations for our product candidates may be smaller than we or third parties currently project, which may affect the addressable markets for our product candidates.Sales & Marketing2 | 2.6%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
If we are unable to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we may not be successful in commercializing our product candidates or realizing the synergies in the target indications of our programs, even if they are approved.Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
Even if our product candidates receive marketing approval, they may fail to achieve market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors or others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.If our product candidates receive marketing approval, they may nonetheless fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. If they do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant product revenues or become profitable. The degree of market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to:
- the efficacy and potential advantages compared to alternative treatments;- effectiveness of sales and marketing efforts;- the cost of treatment in relation to alternative treatments, including any similar generic treatments;- our ability to offer our product candidates for sale at competitive prices;- the convenience and ease of administration;- the willingness of the target patient population to try new therapies and of physicians to prescribe these therapies;- the strength of marketing and distribution support, and publicity concerning our products or competing products and treatments;- the timing of market introduction of competitive products;- the availability of third-party coverage and adequate reimbursement;- product labeling or product insert requirements of the FDA, MHRA, EMA or other regulatory authorities, including any limitations or warnings contained in a product's approved labeling;- the prevalence and severity of any side effects; and - any restrictions on the use of our product together with other medications.
Because we expect sales of our product candidates, if approved, to generate substantially all of our product revenues for a substantial period, the failure of these product candidates to find market acceptance would harm our business and could require us to seek additional financing.
Brand / Reputation1 | 1.3%
Brand / Reputation - Risk 1
Negative public opinion of gene therapy and increased regulatory scrutiny of gene therapy and genetic research may adversely impact public perception of our current and future product candidates.Macro & Political
Total Risks: 3/78 (4%)Below Sector Average
International Operations1 | 1.3%
International Operations - Risk 1
If any of our products are commercialized outside of the United States, the UK or the EU, a variety of risks associated with international operations could adversely affect our business.Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 1.3%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
Pandemics, epidemics or outbreaks of an infectious disease have impacted and may in the future materially and adversely impact our business, including our preclinical studies, clinical trials, manufacturing capabilities and regulatory approvals.Capital Markets1 | 1.3%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
Exchange rate fluctuations may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.
FAQ
What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.
They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.
It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.
Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.
Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.
According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.
You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.
Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.
A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.
1. Financial & Corporate
- Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
- Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
- Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.
2. Legal & Regulatory
- Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
- Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
- Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
- Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.
3. Production
- Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
- Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
- Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
- Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.
4. Technology & Innovation
- Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
- Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
- Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
- Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.
5. Ability to Sell
- Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
- Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
- Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
- Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.
6. Macro & Political
- Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
- Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
- International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
- Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.