10-Q 1 d332603d10q.htm FORM 10-Q Form 10-Q
Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 10-Q

 

 

(Mark One)

 

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

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2012

OR

 

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

For the transition period from             to             

Commission file number: 0-19825

 

 

SCICLONE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   94-3116852

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

Identification no.)

950 Tower Lane, Suite 900, Foster City, California   94404
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip code)

(650) 358-3456

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 

 

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

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

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

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨      Accelerated filer   x
Non-accelerated filer   ¨      Smaller Reporting Company   ¨

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

As of May 7, 2012, 56,796,035 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.001 par value, were issued and outstanding.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

SCICLONE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTER ENDED MARCH 31, 2012

INDEX

 

          PAGE NO.  

PART I.

   FINANCIAL INFORMATION   

Item 1.

  

Financial Statements (Unaudited)

  
  

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011

     3   
  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2012 and 2011

     4   
  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2012 and 2011

     5   
  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2012 and 2011

     6   
  

Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

     7   

Item 2.

  

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

     15   

Item 3.

  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

     22   

Item 4.

  

Controls and Procedures

     22   

PART II.

   OTHER INFORMATION   

Item 1.

   Legal Proceedings      23   

Item 1A.

   Risk Factors      23   

Item 2.

   Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds      37   

Item 3.

   Defaults Upon Senior Securities      37   

Item 4.

   Mine Safety Disclosures      37   

Item 5.

   Other Information      37   

Item 6.

   Exhibits      38   

Signature

        39   

 

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)

SCICLONE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

     March  31,
2012
    December  31,
2011
 
    
ASSETS     

Current assets:

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 74,471      $ 66,654   

Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $157 and $212 at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively

     42,056        42,226   

Inventories

     8,518        8,813   

Restricted investments

     384        —     

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     1,219        1,646   

Deferred tax assets

     1,423        1,732   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current assets

     128,071        121,071   

Property and equipment, net

     1,596        984   

Restricted investments

     —          364   

Intangible assets, net

     44,428        45,185   

Goodwill

     32,074        31,973   

Other assets

     828        749   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 206,997      $ 200,326   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY     

Current liabilities:

    

Accounts payable

   $ 3,229      $ 5,592   

Accrued and other current liabilities

     18,385        17,192   

Short-term borrowing on line of credit

     2,500        2,500   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     24,114        25,284   

Contingent consideration

     14,484        15,400   

Deferred tax liabilities

     8,351        8,715   

Other long-term liabilities

     399        469   

Commitments and contingencies

    

Stockholders’ equity:

    

Preferred stock; $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding

     —          —     

Common stock; $0.001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 57,799,777 and 57,847,367 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively

     58        58   

Additional paid-in capital

     268,269        266,913   

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     2,615        2,341   

Accumulated deficit

     (111,293     (118,854
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

     159,649        150,458   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 206,997      $ 200,326   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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SCICLONE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
     2012     2011  

Net Revenues:

    

Product sales

   $ 31,258      $ 21,662   

Promotion services

     7,905        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total net revenues

     39,163        21,662   

Operating expenses:

    

Cost of product sales

     4,941        3,103   

Sales and marketing

     17,640        5,228   

Amortization of acquired intangible assets, related to sales and marketing

     884        —     

Research and development

     3,393        3,109   

General and administrative

     3,961        5,958   

Contingent consideration (Note 3)

     (916     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     29,903        17,398   

Income from operations

     9,260        4,264   

Non-operating income (expense):

    

Interest and investment income

     30        20   

Interest and investment expense

     (55     (57

Other (expense) income, net

     (1     15   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before provision for income tax

     9,234        4,242   

Provision for income tax

     554        393   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

   $ 8,680      $ 3,849   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic net income per share

   $ 0.15      $ 0.08   

Diluted net income per share

   $ 0.15      $ 0.08   

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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SCICLONE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In thousands)

 

     Three Months Ended
March  31,
 
     2012      2011  

Net income

   $ 8,680       $ 3,849   

Other comprehensive income:

     

Net change in unrealized loss and foreign currency translation on foreign-denominated available-for-sale securities

     20         29   

Foreign currency translation

     254         31   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total other comprehensive income

     274         60   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total comprehensive income

   $ 8,954       $ 3,909   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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SCICLONE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
     2012     2011  

Operating activities:

    

Net income

   $ 8,680      $ 3,849   

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Non-cash expense related to stock-based compensation

     922        525   

Depreciation and amortization

     1,046        83   

Change in fair value of contingent consideration

     (916     —     

Deferred taxes, net

     (57     —     

Other long-term liabilities

     (70     (164

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

    

Accounts receivable, net

     170        9,284   

Inventories

     319        (566

Prepaid expenses and other assets

     328        611   

Accounts payable

     (2,362     (1,192

Accrued and other current liabilities

     1,193        2,168   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

     9,253        14,598   

Investing activities:

    

Purchases of available-for-sale investments

     —          (765

Proceeds from the sale or maturities of available-for-sale investments

     —          3,125   

Purchases of property and equipment

     (754     (12
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

     (754     2,348   

Financing activities:

    

Repurchase of common stock

     (1,118     —     

Proceeds from issuances of common stock

     408        106   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

     (710     106   

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

     28        31   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

     7,817        17,083   

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     66,654        53,017   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 74,471      $ 70,100   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

    

Income taxes paid related to foreign operations

   $ 222      $ 227   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest and unused line fees paid related to line-of-credit

   $ 42      $ 42   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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SCICLONE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

1. Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“SciClone” or the “Company”) have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) consistent with those applied in, and should be read in conjunction with, the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011 included in the Company’s Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company prepared the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements following the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission for interim reporting. As permitted under those rules, certain footnotes or other information that are normally required by GAAP can be condensed or omitted.

On April 18, 2011, SciClone acquired NovaMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“NovaMed”). Commencing April 18, 2011, the Company’s financial statements include the assets, liabilities, operating results and cash flows of NovaMed.

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

The interim financial information reflects all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented and are not necessarily indicative of results for subsequent interim periods or for the full year. The condensed consolidated balance sheet data at December 31, 2011 is derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements.

Use of Estimates

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

Customer Concentration

The People’s Republic of China (“China”) uses a tiered method to import and distribute products and promoted products. The distributors make the sales in the country, but the product is imported for them by licensed importers. For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, sales to two importing or distributor agents in China accounted for 93% and 96%, respectively, of the Company’s product sales. No other importer or distributor accounted for more than 10% during the three months ended March 31, 2012 or 2011. The Company’s largest importer or distributor was the same for both periods. A third party holds a majority interest in the Company’s largest importer or distributor. As of March 31, 2012, approximately $40.8 million, or 97%, of the Company’s accounts receivable were attributable to five importing or distributor agents in China. The Company generally does not require collateral from its customers.

Net Income Per Share

Basic net income per share has been computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Diluted net income per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of common equivalent shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income per share includes any dilutive impact from outstanding stock options, RSUs and the employee stock purchase plan using the treasury stock method.

 

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The following is a reconciliation of the numerator and denominators of the basic and diluted net income per share computations (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
     2012      2011  

Numerator:

     

Net income

   $ 8,680       $ 3,849   

Denominator:

     

Weighted-average shares outstanding used to compute basic net income per share

     57,701         48,020   

Effect of dilutive securities

     1,990         2,382   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares outstanding used to compute diluted net income per share

     59,691         50,402   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Basic net income per share

   $ 0.15       $ 0.08   

Diluted net income per share

   $ 0.15       $ 0.08   

For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, outstanding stock options and RSUs for 2,882,181 and 2,100,292 shares, respectively, were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share because the effect from the assumed exercise of these options and RSUs calculated under the treasury stock method would have been anti-dilutive. In addition, for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, shares subject to market or performance conditions of 71,703 and 130,000, respectively, were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share because the performance or market criteria had not been met.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

There have been no new accounting pronouncements during the three months ended March 31, 2012, as compared to the recent accounting pronouncements described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, that are of significance, or potential significance, to the Company.

 

2. Available-for-Sale Investments

The following is a summary of available-for-sale investments (in thousands):

 

     March 31, 2012  
     Amortized
Cost
     Unrealized
Gains
     Unrealized
Losses for
More Than
12 Months
    Estimated
Fair  Value
 

Money market funds

   $ 39,506       $ —         $ —        $ 39,506   

Restricted Italian state bonds maturing in 2013

     451         —           (67     384   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total available-for-sale investments

   $ 39,957       $ —         $ (67   $ 39,890   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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     December 31, 2011  
     Amortized
Cost
     Unrealized
Gains
     Unrealized
Losses for
More Than
12 Months
    Estimated
Fair  Value
 

Money market funds

   $ 31,849       $ —         $ —        $ 31,849   

Restricted Italian state bonds maturing in 2013

     450         —           (86     364   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total available-for-sale investments

   $ 32,299       $ —         $ (86   $ 32,213   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

The cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification method.

The Company’s restricted Italian state bonds secure its Italian value added tax filing arrangements. The unrealized losses on the bonds mainly relate to loss on foreign currency translation. The Company has concluded that it is more likely than not that it will hold its restricted Italian state bond investments until maturity or recovery of its cost basis.

 

3. Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. Fair value measurements are based on a three-tier hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The three levels of input are:

Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 — Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

The following table represents the Company’s fair value hierarchy for its financial assets (cash, cash equivalents, and investments) and liability measured at fair value on a recurring basis (in thousands):

 

     Fair Value Measurements at March 31, 2012 Using  

Description

   Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)
     Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
     Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
     Balance
as of
March 31, 2012
 

Assets:

           

Money market funds

   $ 39,506       $ —         $ —         $ 39,506   

Restricted Italian state bonds

     384         —           —           384   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 39,890       $ —         $ —         $ 39,890   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Liability:

           

Contingent consideration

   $ —         $ —         $ 14,484       $ 14,484   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ —         $ —         $ 14,484       $ 14,484   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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     Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2011 Using  

Description

   Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)
     Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
     Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
     Balance
as of
December 31, 2011
 

Assets:

           

Money market funds

   $ 31,849       $ —         $ —         $ 31,849   

Restricted Italian state bonds

     364         —           —           364   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 32,213       $ —         $ —         $ 32,213   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Liability:

           

Contingent consideration

   $ —         $ —         $ 15,400       $ 15,400   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ —         $ —         $ 15,400       $ 15,400   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Contingent Consideration

As part of the acquisition of NovaMed, the Company may be required to pay up to an additional $43.0 million in earn-out payments upon the successful achievement of revenue and earnings targets for the 2011 and 2012 fiscal years (the “earn-out” or “contingent consideration”). Under the Agreement the earn-out is based upon certain financial performance metrics, including a revenue-based formula and an adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, depreciation and taxes) based formula. The earn-out provisions provide that: (i) if cumulative revenue in China for legacy NovaMed products for the two fiscal years ending December 31, 2012 exceed $94.2 million, a cash payment ranging from $9.2 million to $11.5 million will be paid, with the full amount payable if such revenue is $117.8 million or more; and (ii) if adjusted EBITDA for the two year period ending December 31, 2012 exceeds $91.8 million, a cash payment from $17.2 million to $21.5 million will be paid with the full amount payable if such adjusted EBITDA is $137.8 million or more. Adjusted EBITDA is defined in the Agreement to exclude certain expenses which are not generally related to operating results in China, including SciClone’s US research and development expense, certain share-based compensation, license fees paid by SciClone for new products, certain legal and advisory fees related to the Agreement or to change-in-control transactions, and certain fees and expenses, including legal fees and governmental fines or settlements paid with respect to the pending formal, non-public investigation being conducted by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

The earn-out provisions are subject to a number of adjustments and acceleration provisions. The total earn-out payments described above may be increased by $10.0 million (a total maximum contingent cash consideration of $43.0 million) or reduced by $10.0 million, depending upon whether the Company is able to achieve targets relating to product distribution agreements. The earn-out payments are due 20 business days after completion of the Company’s audit for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2012. However, the earn-out payments may be accelerated in certain conditions. If there is a change-in-control of the Company on or after April 18, 2012 and before December 31, 2012, then the earn-out payment would become due and the payment would range between $11.5 million and $23.0 million depending upon achievement against the adjusted EBITDA and revenue targets through the date of the change-in-control. In addition, if either (i) Mark Lotter is terminated without cause (as defined in the Agreement) prior to December 31, 2012, or (ii) if the Company fails to meet certain obligations to appoint and retain Mark Lotter and Peter Barrett (or their replacements) on the Company’s Board through December 31, 2012, the earn-out payment would be deemed to be $23.0 million and would be due 20 business days after completion of the Company’s audit for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2012. If the earn-out obligations are accelerated, the payment of the specified earn-out amount satisfies all of the Company’s obligations under the earn-out and no further payment is due. The earn-out and acceleration provisions are subject to various limitations and conditions specified in the Agreement.

The Company uses a third-party valuation expert to estimate the fair value of the contingent consideration using a Monte Carlo simulation model. The estimated fair value of the contingent consideration is subject to fluctuations as a result of adjustments to certain performance metric projections used to estimate the fair value. The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the contingent consideration are revenue volatility of 40%; revenue discount rate of 20%; risk free rate of 0.19%; earn-out discount rate, including counterparty risk of 5%; estimates of projected revenues and earnings before taxes;

 

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and other assumptions regarding customer conditions, and probability of change of control and employment termination considerations. Significant increases (decreases) in the estimated revenues, earnings before taxes, customer conditions, and revenue volatility would result in a significantly higher (lower) fair value measurement. Generally, an increase (decrease) in the assumption used for revenue discount rate is accompanied by a decrease (increase) in the fair value of the contingent consideration.

The following represents the change in the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration (in thousands):

 

     Three Months Ended
March  31,
 
     2012     2011  

Contingent Consideration:

    

Balance at beginning of period

   $ 15,400      $ —     

Change in the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration liability

     (916     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at end of period

   $ 14,484      $ —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

4. Inventories

Inventories consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

     March  31,
2012
     December  31,
2011
 
     

Raw materials

   $ 1,625       $ 1,797   

Work in progress

     439         84   

Finished goods

     6,454         6,932   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 8,518       $ 8,813   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

5. Accrued and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued and other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

     March  31,
2012
     December  31,
2011
 
     

Accrued sales and marketing expenses

   $ 5,492       $ 6,192   

Accrued compensation and benefits

     4,969         4,409   

Accrued taxes, tax reserves and interest

     4,110         3,267   

Accrued professional fees

     555         666   

Accrued clinical trial expense

     681         797   

Accrued manufacturing costs

     793         251   

Other

     1,785         1,610   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 18,385       $ 17,192   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

6. Reduction in Workforce

In March 2012, the Company implemented a reduction in its workforce of 11 full-time employees, primarily in research and development. The restructuring follows the discontinuation of the Company’s SCV-07 phase 2b clinical trial. The reduction in workforce is anticipated to result in severance-related charges of approximately $1.0 million, of which $0.1 million and $0.7 million were recognized in general and administrative and research and development expense, respectively, in the condensed consolidated statement of income for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012. As of March 31, 2012, the Company had paid $0.2 million and had accrued $0.6 million of the severance-related charges. The Company expects to complete the restructuring in the second quarter of 2012.

 

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7. Stockholders’ Equity

Stock-based Compensation

The following table summarizes the stock-based compensation expenses included in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (in thousands):

 

     Three Months Ended
March  31,
 
     2012      2011  

Sales and marketing

   $ 276       $ 73   

Research and development

     90         78   

General and administrative

     556         374   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 922       $ 525   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Stock Options

During the three months ended March 31, 2012, the Company granted options to purchase a total of 1,497,000 shares of common stock and options to purchase approximately 199,649 shares of common stock were exercised. As of March 31, 2012, there was approximately $9.6 million of unrecognized compensation expense cost, net of forfeitures, related to non-vested stock options, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average remaining period of approximately 2.94 years.

The Company has granted certain performance-based options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price equal to the closing price of a share of the Company’s common stock as of the grant date. The options will fully vest upon meeting a performance goal within an established time frame. If the performance goal is met for the option within the established time frame, the option generally has a ten-year term measured from the date of grant. If the performance goal is not met within the established time frame, the option expires in its entirety. The grant date fair value per share of the performance-based awards has been calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model using the following assumptions: expected term of 5.22-5.28 years, volatility factor of 63.66-65.14%, and risk free interest rate of 0.96-1.96%. The Company recognizes expense related to a performance-based option over the period of time the Company determines that it is probable that the performance goal will be achieved. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company recognized $26,000 and $0, respectively, of expense related to performance-based options.

RSUs

During the three months ended March 31, 2012, the Company granted 75,000 RSUs at a fair value at grant date of $6.37. The RSUs vest approximately 23 months after date of grant. There were no RSUs granted by the Company during the three month period ended March 31, 2011 and none of the RSUs were vested as of March 31, 2012. As of March 31, 2012, there was approximately $1.0 million of unrecognized compensation cost, net of forfeitures, related to non-vested RSUs, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average remaining period of approximately 2.67 years.

Repurchase of Common Stock

In October 2011, the Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program that authorizes the Company to repurchase up to $20 million of its outstanding common stock over twenty-four months. The Company repurchased and retired 253,480 shares at a cost of $1.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2012. As of March 31, 2012, $15.4 million of the $20 million share repurchase program authorized by the Board was available for future share repurchases. Repurchased shares have been retired and constitute authorized but unissued shares.

 

8. Other Corporate Matters

On August 5, 2010, SciClone was contacted by the SEC and advised that the SEC has initiated a formal, non-public investigation of SciClone, and the SEC issued a subpoena to SciClone requesting a variety of documents and other information. The subpoena requests documents relating to a range of matters including, but not limited to, potential payments or transfers of anything of value to regulators and government-owned entities in China, bids or contracts with state or government-owned entities in China, any joint venture partner, intermediary or local agent of the Company in China, the Company’s ethics and anti-corruption policies, training, and audits, and certain company financial and other disclosures. On August 6, 2010, the

 

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Company received a letter from the US Department of Justice (“DOJ”) indicating that the DOJ was investigating Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) issues in the pharmaceutical industry generally, and that the DOJ had information about the Company’s practices suggesting possible violations. The Company will continue to cooperate fully with the SEC and DOJ in the conduct of their investigations.

In response to these matters, the Company’s Board appointed a Special Committee of independent directors (the “Special Committee”) to oversee the Company’s response to the government inquiry. Based on an initial review, the Special Committee decided to undertake an independent investigation as to matters reflected in and arising from the SEC and DOJ investigations including, but not limited to, certain sales and marketing matters in China, in order to evaluate whether any violation of the FCPA or other laws occurred.

During the investigation, the Special Committee instructed management to (i) evaluate and to expand the Company’s training of employees regarding understanding and compliance with laws including the FCPA and other anti-bribery laws and regulations, (ii) evaluate existing compliance and anti-bribery policies and guidelines and to prepare new, more detailed policies and guidelines for implementation after review by SciClone’s Board and/or committees of the Board, (iii) implement a pre-approval policy for certain expenses including payments for, or reimbursement of, travel and entertainment expenses, and sponsorships of certain third party events, and (iv) hire a Vice President of Compliance and Internal Audit to monitor and enforce compliance with the Company’s policies.

The Special Committee has substantially concluded its investigation and on May 4 and 5, 2011 reported its findings and recommendations to the Board of Directors. As part of its continuing cooperation with the ongoing investigation of the SEC and the DOJ, the Special Committee has also reported findings to the SEC and DOJ. The SEC’s and DOJ’s formal investigations are continuing. Government investigations related to FCPA matters often result in the imposition of fines or penalties for the companies involved. However, due to the significant uncertainty as to the outcome of the investigation, the Company is unable to reasonably estimate the loss or range of loss that may be incurred. As of March 31, 2012, the Company has not accrued a liability for the contingent loss related to the FCPA investigation. Any fines or penalties that may be imposed, or other losses that may be realized related to the investigations, could materially impact the Company’s financial statements. The Company will continue to reassess the potential liability related to the investigations and adjust its estimates accordingly in future periods.

 

9. Segment Information and Geographic Data

The Company reports segment information based on the internal reporting used by management for evaluating segment performance based on management’s estimates of the appropriate allocation of resources to segments.

The Company operates and manages its business primarily on a geographic basis. Accordingly, the Company determined its operating and reporting segments, which are generally based on the nature and location of its customers, to be 1) China and 2) Rest of the World, including the US.

The Company evaluates the performance of its operating segments based on revenues and operating income (loss). Revenues for geographic segments are generally based on the location of customers. Operating income for each segment includes revenues, related cost of sales and operating expenses directly attributable to the segment. Operating income (loss) for each segment excludes non-operating income and expense.

Summary information by operating segment for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 is as follows (in thousands):

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
     2012     2011  

China:

    

Revenues

   $ 38,468      $ 20,872   

Operating income

   $ 12,928      $ 11,375   

Rest of the World (including the US):

    

Revenues

   $ 695      $ 790   

Operating loss

   $ (3,668   $ (7,111

 

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Long-lived assets as of March 31, 2012 by operating segment are as follows (in thousands):

 

China

   $  77,913   

Rest of the World (including the US)

     1,013   
  

 

 

 
   $ 78,926   
  

 

 

 

 

10. Subsequent Event

The Company repurchased and retired 1,039,367 shares at a cost of $6.0 million from April 1, 2012 through May 7, 2012 under its share repurchase program. As of May 7, 2012, $9.4 million of the $20 million share repurchase program authorized by the Board was available for future share repurchase.

 

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

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our business, industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by us. Words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements including those statements we make regarding our future financial results; anticipated product sales of current or anticipated products; the sufficiency of our resources to complete clinical trials and other new product development initiatives; government regulatory actions that may affect product reimbursement, product pricing or otherwise affect the scope of our sales and marketing; the timing and outcome of clinical trials; prospects for ZADAXIN® and our plans for its enhancement and commercialization; future size of the worldwide hepatitis B virus (“HBV”) and hepatitis C virus (“HCV”) and other markets; research and development and other expense levels; the ability of our suppliers to continue financially viable production of our products; cash and other asset levels; the allocation of financial resources to certain trials and programs, and expenses related to litigation and regulatory investigations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including, but not limited to, those described under the caption “Risk Factors” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

Overview

SciClone Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SCLN) is a revenue-generating, profitable, United States (“US”)-based, China-focused, specialty pharmaceutical company with a substantial commercial business and a product portfolio of therapies for oncology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular, urological, respiratory, and central nervous system disorders. We are focused on continuing international sales growth through our strong sales and marketing efforts and growing our profitability. Our business and corporate strategy is focused primarily on the People’s Republic of China (“China”) where we have built a solid reputation and established a strong brand through our many years of experience marketing our lead product, ZADAXIN. We believe our strengths position us to benefit from the expansion of the pharmaceutical market in China. We believe China will rank second among global pharmaceutical markets by 2016, with projected annual growth rates of 15-20% or more annually over the next several years. We seek to grow sales of our current product portfolio in the region while we leverage our strong balance sheet for future acquisitions and product in-licensing.

We acquired NovaMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“NovaMed”) on April 18, 2011, and our results of operations include the operations of NovaMed as of that date forward. We believe the NovaMed acquisition positions us as a leading specialty pharmaceutical company in China, with key pharmaceutical assets, new therapeutic areas of focus, an expanded management team, and a larger and stronger commercial infrastructure, including a combined sales force of approximately 850 professionals. We aim to expand our presence in China by increasing revenues from our key products, by in-licensing additional products, and by expanding our sales force to further penetrate the market. Our broadened portfolio has 16 marketed products and spans major therapeutic areas including oncology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular, urological, respiratory and central nervous system disorders. The acquisition increased our portfolio of commercial and development stage products through exclusive licensing and promotion agreements with a number of leading pharmaceutical companies. Since the acquisition, we have operated in two segments which are generally based on the nature and location of our customers: 1) China and 2) Rest of the World, including the US.

We have two categories of revenues: “product sales revenues” and “promotion services revenues”. Our product sales revenues result from our proprietary and in-licensed products, including our lead product, ZADAXIN, and products from Pfizer Inc. and Iroko Pharmaceuticals LLC. ZADAXIN has the highest margins in our portfolio as it is a premium proprietary product sold exclusively by SciClone. Aggrastat®, an in-licensed product which we recently began selling in China, also has higher margins than our promoted products and we expect that revenues from this product will grow significantly as it further penetrates the China market. In addition, we anticipate that new marketed products, when and if introduced, such as DC Bead®, Tramadol®, and ondansetron RapidFilm®, will increase the future revenues and profitability of our growing pharmaceutical business in China over the coming years. We recently received notification of the approval of Tramadol for use in the treatment of moderate to severe pain. See Part II, Item 1 “Legal Proceedings” regarding the status of our agreement with MEDA Pharma GmbH & Co. KG regarding Tramadol and other products in development. Our “promotion services revenues” result from fees

 

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we receive for exclusively promoting products from certain partners including Sanofi and Baxter International, Inc. in China. We recognize promotion services revenues as a percentage of our collaborators’ product sales revenue for our exclusively promoted products such as Depakine®, Stilnox®, and Tritace®. Over time, as additional proprietary or in-licensed products come to the market, we expect our product mix will shift towards those higher margin products.

SciClone’s ZADAXIN (thymalfasin) is approved in over 30 countries and may be used for the treatment of hepatitis B (“HBV”), hepatitis C (“HCV”), and certain cancers, and as a vaccine adjuvant according to the local regulatory approvals we have in these countries. In China, thymalfasin is also included in the treatment guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health (“MOH”) for liver cancer. To continue to grow ZADAXIN sales to China, our sales force is focused on increasing sales to the country’s largest hospitals (class 3 with over 500 beds) as well as midsize hospitals (class 2). These hospitals serve Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities located mostly in the eastern part of China which are the largest and generally have the most affluent populations.

SciClone’s marketed portfolio also includes Depakine, the most widely prescribed broad-spectrum anti-convulsant in China; Tritace, an ACE inhibitor for the treatment of hypertension; Stilnox, a fast-acting hypnotic for the short-term treatment of insomnia (marketed as Ambien® in the US); and Aggrastat, an intervention cardiology product launched in 2009. SciClone is also pursuing the registration of several other therapeutic products in China.

ZADAXIN and Aggrastat list prices in China are currently under review by regulatory authorities. We anticipate that price reductions may occur, and if a substantial reduction in the list prices occurs, our revenues and gross margins for ZADAXIN and Aggrastat would be substantially reduced. The timing and extent of a price reduction is unknown.

We continue to look for in-licensing opportunities of approved or late-stage branded, well-differentiated products that if not yet approved, have a clear regulatory approval pathway in China based on existing regulatory approval outside of China. Our preference is to in-license products with higher margins that can augment our product sales revenue category, and we continue to explore opportunities to optimize our promotion services revenues category. We are also working on the final stage of the regulatory approval in China for our in-licensed candidate DC Bead, and on the approval process for our other product candidates, all of which are in clinical trials or in other stages of the regulatory approval process in China.

We were developing SCV-07 in a phase 2b clinical trial for the prevention of oral mucositis (“OM”). On March 2, 2012, we announced the discontinuation of this trial based on the pre-planned interim analysis results that indicated the trial would not meet the pre-specified efficacy endpoints, and our intention to further curtail our US-based development efforts. In March 2012, the Company implemented a reduction in its workforce of 11 full-time employees, primarily in research and development, and will record severance-related charges of approximately $1.0 million, of which approximately $0.1 million and $0.7 million were recognized to general and administrative and research and development expense, respectively, for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012. The Company expects to complete the restructuring in the second quarter of 2012.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) are each conducting formal investigations of SciClone regarding a range of matters including the possibility of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). We will continue to cooperate fully with the SEC and DOJ in the conduct of their investigations. In response to these matters, our Board appointed a Special Committee of independent directors (the “Special Committee”) to oversee our response to the government inquiry. The Special Committee has substantially concluded its investigation and on May 4 and 5, 2011 reported its findings and recommendations to the Board of Directors. As part of its continuing cooperation with the ongoing investigation of the SEC and the DOJ, the Special Committee has also reported findings to the SEC and DOJ. The SEC’s and DOJ’s formal investigations are continuing. These continuing investigations could result in administrative orders against us, the imposition of significant penalties and/or fines against us, and/or the imposition of civil or criminal sanctions against us or certain of our officers, directors and/or employees. We cannot predict what the outcome of those investigations will be, or the timing of any resolution. Refer to Footnote 8 “Other Corporate Matters” and Part II, Item 1 “Legal Proceedings” in this Form 10-Q for further information regarding the investigation and remedial measures, and related litigation.

We believe our cash and investments as of March 31, 2012 and ongoing revenue generating business operations will be sufficient to support our current operating plan for at least the next 12 months. Our results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and we may report quarterly losses in the future.

 

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Results of Operations

Revenues:

The following table summarizes the period over period changes in our product sales and promotion services (in thousands):

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,
        
     2012      2011      Change  

Product Sales

   $ 31,258       $ 21,662         44

Promotion Services

     7,905         —        
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total Net Revenues

   $ 39,163       $ 21,662         81

Product sales were $31.3 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, compared to $21.7 million for the corresponding period in 2011. The increase of $9.6 million, or 44%, for the three-months ended March 31, 2012, compared to the same period in the prior year, was primarily attributable to increased sales of ZADAXIN and due to the addition of NovaMed product sales as a result of the acquisition of NovaMed. ZADAXIN sales were $29.7 million the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, compared to $21.7 million for the corresponding period of 2011. Our overall ZADAXIN revenue growth was attributable to an increase in the quantity of ZADAXIN sold primarily due to further market penetration in China.

Promotion services revenue of $7.9 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012 reflects the addition of NovaMed promotion services as a result of the acquisition of NovaMed and was related to the distribution of products under promotional contracts.

Total China revenues were $38.5 million, or 98% of sales for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, compared to $20.9 million, or 96% of sales for the corresponding period in 2011.

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, sales to two importing or distributor agents in China accounted for approximately 74% and 18% of our product sales. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, sales to two importing or distributor agents in China accounted for approximately 81% and 15% of our product sales. Our experience with our largest importers or distributors has been good and we anticipate that we will continue to sell a majority of our product to them.

Cost of Product Sales:

The following tables summarize the period over period changes in our cost of product sales (in thousands):

 

     Three Months Ended
March  31,
        
     2012      2011      Change  

Cost of Product Sales

   $ 4,941       $ 3,103         59

Cost of product sales were $4.9 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, compared to $3.1 million for the same period in the prior year. The increase of $1.8 million, or 59%, and for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012 compared to the same period in the prior year was attributable to higher ZADAXIN sales and the addition of NovaMed cost of product sales as a result of the acquisition of NovaMed. ZADAXIN cost of sales were $4.1 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, compared to $3.1 million for the corresponding period in 2011. Gross margin for ZADAXIN was 86.1% and 85.7% for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The increase in gross margin for ZADAXIN for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, compared to the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, was due primarily to lower per vial production costs mainly as a result of manufacturing volume efficiencies.

We expect total revenues and cost of product sales to increase in 2012 compared to 2011 due to increased unit sales of ZADAXIN related to further market penetration in China, partially offset by potential price reductions of ZADAXIN, and as a result of the addition of revenues from NovaMed’s product portfolio.

 

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ZADAXIN and Aggrastat list prices in China are currently under review by regulatory authorities. We anticipate that price reductions may occur, and if a substantial reduction in the list prices occurred, our revenues and our gross margins for these products would be substantially reduced.

Through March 31, 2012, we have been able to maintain our ZADAXIN gross margin in part due to relatively stable or even decreasing costs of sales, and in part due to maintaining a relatively stable sales price. We expect our ZADAXIN cost of product sales and gross margins to fluctuate from period to period depending upon the level of sales and price of our products, the absorption of product-related fixed costs, currency exchange fluctuations, any charges associated with excess or expiring finished product inventory, and the timing of other inventory period costs such as manufacturing process improvements for the goal of future cost reductions.

Sales and Marketing:

The following table summarizes the period over period changes in our sales and marketing expenses (in thousands):

 

     Three Months Ended
March  31,
        
     2012      2011      Change  

Sales and Marketing

   $ 17,640       $ 5,228         237

Sales and marketing expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2012 increased by $12.4 million, or 237%, compared to the same period in 2011. Increases of $8.6 million, for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, were attributable to NovaMed operations as a result of the acquisition of NovaMed and its sales force of over 460 individuals. The remaining increases of $3.8 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, related to increased growth in the ZADAXIN sales force in China of over 100 additional sales individuals, and further market penetration in China resulting in increased sales and marketing costs for compensation and benefits including sales incentives, rent, travel, medical training, and business taxes. We expect sales and marketing expenses to be higher in 2012 compared to 2011 due to increased sales efforts of ZADAXIN, primarily in China, and the addition of NovaMed sales and marketing expenses as a result of our acquisition of NovaMed in April 2011.

Amortization of Acquired Intangible Assets:

For the three-months ended March 31, 2012 we recognized $0.9 million in amortization of acquired intangible assets expense, reflecting the amortization of promotion and distribution contract intangible assets acquired as part of the NovaMed acquisition. There was no similar expense for the corresponding period of 2011. We expect $3.5 million per year of annual amortization expenses in future years.

Research and Development (“R&D”):

The following table summarizes the period over period changes in our R&D expenses (in thousands):

 

     Three Months Ended
March  31,
        
     2012      2011      Change  

Research and Development

   $ 3,393       $ 3,109         9

R&D expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2012 increased by $0.3 million, or 9%, compared to the same period in 2011. As of March 2, 2012, we announced the discontinuation of our SCV-07 phase 2b clinical trial for the delay to onset of severe OM based on the results of the pre-planned interim analysis that indicated that the trial would not meet the pre-specified efficacy endpoints. The increases in R&D expenses for the three-month period were primarily related to a $0.7 million increase in severance costs associated with the discontinuation of the SCV-07 phase 2b clinical trial, and a $0.1 million increase related to the addition of NovaMed R&D expenses due to our acquisition of NovaMed, offset partially by a reduction in third-party expenses related to the discontinuance of our SCV-07 phase 2b clinical trial.

The major components of R&D expenses include salaries and other personnel-related expenses, including associated stock-based compensation, facility-related expenses, depreciation of facilities and equipment, license-related fees, services performed by clinical research organizations and research institutions and other outside service providers.

The completion of our US-based clinical development programs had and is expected to continue to have a significant effect on our research and development expenses. We expect our research and development expenses to

 

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decrease significantly in 2012, compared to 2011, as a result of the discontinuation of the SCV-07 phase 2b clinical trial, and further curtailment of our US-based development expenses. We continue to evaluate opportunities to in-license the marketing rights to proprietary products primarily in China, which may result in increased research and development expenses due to license fee payments, local registration clinical trials, or other expenses related to in-licensing and development of new products in the future.

General and Administrative:

The following table summarizes the period over period changes in our general and administrative expenses (in thousands):

 

     Three Months Ended
March  31,
        
     2012      2011      Change  

General and Administrative

   $ 3,961       $ 5,958         -34

General and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2012 decreased by $2.0 million, or 34%, compared to the same period in 2011. The decrease was attributable to $2.5 million in lower corporate and legal expenses related to the SEC and DOJ investigations and shareholder litigations that had been filed following the announcement of those investigations and also related to lower legal, accounting and professional expenses in connection with due diligence related to our acquisition of NovaMed. These decreases were partially offset by increased general and administrative expenses attributable to our NovaMed operations due to our acquisition of NovaMed.

We expect our general and administrative expenses will decrease in 2012 compared to 2011 as a result of lower legal, accounting and professional expenses. We do not expect to incur any significant acquisition-related costs in 2012, though we continue to evaluate opportunities in China, which may result in increased general and administrative expenses in the future.

Contingent Consideration:

As part of the acquisition of NovaMed, we may be required to pay up to an additional $43.0 million in earn-out payments upon the successful achievement of revenue and earnings targets for the 2011 and 2012 fiscal years (the “earn-out” or “contingent consideration.”) We initially recorded $18.9 million as the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration. The fair value of the contingent consideration is re-measured each period, and changes to the fair value are recorded to contingent consideration expense. As of March 31, 2012, we estimate the payment of the contingent consideration will be $14.5 million, resulting in a gain of $0.9 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2012 from the remeasurement of the contingent consideration. Our fair value estimates are based on a variety of factors that may significantly fluctuate from period to period, including the likelihood that earn-out targets will be achieved and present value factors associated with the timing of the earn-out targets, and may result in significant fluctuations to contingent consideration expense in the future.

Provision for Income Tax:

The provision for income tax was $0.6 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, compared to $0.4 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, and related to our foreign operations in China. Tax expense increased $0.2 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, compared to the same period in 2011, as a result of growth in our China operations, partially offset by benefits recognized of $0.1 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012 on deferred tax assets and liabilities acquired as a result of our acquisition of NovaMed in April 2011. Our statutory tax rate in China was 24-25% in 2011 and is 25% for 2012. We expect that our tax expense will increase in 2012 compared to 2011 as we expect an increase in tax expense related to growth in China in 2012.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The majority of our sales are to importers and distributors in China where our accounts receivable collections have standard credit terms generally ranging from 45 to 180 days.

 

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The following tables summarize our cash and investments and our cash flow activities as of the end of, and for each of, the periods presented (in thousands):

 

     As of
March 31, 2012
     As of
December 31, 2011
 
     

Cash and investments

   $ 74,855       $ 67,018   

As of March 31, 2012, we had $74.9 million in cash and investments of which $56.5 million was located in subsidiaries of the Company outside the US. Cash held by subsidiaries outside the US is held primarily in US dollars. Such cash is used to fund the operating activities of our foreign subsidiaries and for further investment in foreign operations which may include in-licensing new products, particularly for China, and for potential acquisitions. Generally, we consider such cash to be permanently reinvested in our foreign operations and our current plans do not demonstrate a need to repatriate such cash to fund US operations. Because of our net operating loss and credit carryforwards, we do not anticipate that repatriation of cash held by foreign subsidiaries would result in payment of taxes in the US.

 

     Three Months Ended
March  31,
 
     2012     2011  

Cash provided by (used in):

    

Operating activities

   $ 9,253      $ 14,598   

Investing activities

   $ (754   $ 2,348   

Financing activities

   $ (710   $ 106   

Net cash provided by operating activities was $9.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and primarily reflected the net income for the period, adjusted for non-cash items such as stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization expense and changes in operating assets and liabilities.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $14.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and primarily reflected the net income for the period adjusted for non-cash items such as stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization expense and changes in operating assets and liabilities. Such changes included a decrease in accounts receivable of $9.3 million as a result of cash received from customers during the first quarter of 2011, and an increase in net accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $1.0 million mainly as a result of timing of payments for manufacturing costs.

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities was ($0.8) million and $2.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2012, cash used in investing activities was related to the purchases of property and equipment. For the three months ended March 31, 2011, cash used in investing activities was related the sale of available-for-sale investments, net of purchases of available-for-sale investments and property and equipment.

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities was ($0.7) million and $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2012, we used $1.1 million to repurchase 253,480 shares of our common stock under our stock repurchase program. For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, we also received $0.4 million and $0.1 million, respectively, of proceeds from the issuances of common stock made under our stock award plans.

 

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The following summarizes our future contractual obligations as of March 31, 2012 (in thousands):

 

     Payments Due by Period  

Contractual Obligations

   Total      Less than
1 Year
     1-3 Years      3-5 Years      More Than
5 Years
 
              

Short-term debt obligation (1)

   $ 2,585       $ 2,585       $ —         $ —         $ —     

Operating leases (2)

     6,823         3,005         3,793         25         —     

Purchase obligations (3)

     9,474         9,474         —           —           —     

Contingent consideration (4)

     14,484         —           14,484         —           —     

Unrecognized tax benefits (5)

     2,637         —           —           —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 36,003       $ 15,064       $ 18,277       $ 25       $ —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) Our short-term debt obligations include our expected principal and interest and unused line fee obligations related to our Silicon Valley Bank line-of-credit. Our calculations of expected principal and interest payments incorporate only current period assumptions for interest rates and borrowings.
(2) These are future minimum rental commitments for office space and copiers leased under non-cancelable operating lease arrangements.
(3) These consist of purchase obligations with manufacturers and distributors.
(4) As part of the acquisition of NovaMed, we may be required to pay up to $43.0 million in contingent consideration upon the successful achievement of revenue and earnings targets for the 2011 and 2012 fiscal years. The timing of the contingent consideration payment, if any, is dependent upon several factors, including whether there is a change-in-control. The contingent consideration is expected to be paid no later than the first half of 2013.
(5) As we are not able to reasonably estimate the timing of the payments or the amount by which our obligations for unrecognized tax benefits will increase or decrease over time, the related balances have not been reflected in the “Payments Due by Period” section of the table.

We have a loan and security agreement with Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) (“the Credit Facility”) for a financing facility up to $15 million which expires on October 1, 2012. The Credit Facility bears interest on borrowed funds at the bank’s prime rate plus 1.25% (5.25% at March 31, 2012) on outstanding balances and is secured by a first priority secured interest in all of our assets, including intellectual property in an event of default. We are required to meet certain financial covenants, including minimum liquidity, as defined, and are subject to certain minimum fees and interest payments. We are also required to meet certain operating covenants that limit our ability to incur liabilities, create liens, make capital expenditures, pay dividends or distributions, make investments, and dispose of assets. As of March 31, 2012, we had borrowed $2.5 million on the Credit Facility and we were required to maintain a debt coverage ratio of 1.35 to 1 equal to $3.4 million of cash in SVB cash accounts to meet our financial liquidity covenant and were in compliance with all significant terms of the Credit Facility. Upon termination of the Credit Facility, all amounts borrowed must be repaid in full.

On March 15, 2012, we filed a shelf registration with the SEC under which we may offer and sell up to $100.0 million of our securities, assuming we continue to meet the SEC’s eligibility requirements for primary offerings on Form S-3. On April 18, 2011, we issued 8,298,110 shares of common stock to former stockholders of NovaMed as part of our acquisition of NovaMed. No more than 25% of such shares may be sold by the holders in any three-month period up to October 18, 2012.

In October 2011, we announced that our Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program that authorizes the Company to repurchase up to $20 million of our outstanding common stock over a twenty-four month period. Under this program, we repurchased and retired approximately 1.0 million shares at a cost of $4.6 million through March 31, 2012. As of March 31, 2012, $15.4 million of the $20 million share repurchase program authorized by our Board was available for future share repurchase. We consider several factors in determining when to make share repurchases including, among other things, our cash needs, the availability of funding and the market price our stock. We expect that cash provided by future operating activities, as well as available cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, will be the sources of funding for our share repurchase program.

We believe that our existing cash and investments and ongoing revenue generating business operations will be sufficient to support our current operating plan for at least the next 12 months. We have no current commitments to offer and sell any securities that may be offered or sold pursuant to our registration statement. To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience dilution. Debt financing, if

 

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available, may subject us to restrictive covenants and significant interest costs. To the extent that we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements, we would be required to relinquish some rights to our technologies, product candidates or marketing territories. Additional financing or collaboration and licensing arrangements may not be available when needed either at all or, on favorable terms.

We intend to continue to explore alternatives for financing to provide additional flexibility in managing our operations, in-licensing new products, particularly for China, and potential acquisitions. The unavailability or the inopportune timing of any financing could prevent or delay our long-term product development and commercialization programs, either of which could hurt our business. We cannot assure you that funds from financings, if any, will be sufficient to conduct and complete further clinical trials or to in-license additional products. The need, timing and amount of any such financing would depend upon numerous factors, including the status of the pending regulatory investigations and pending litigations, the level and price of sales of our products, the timing and amount of manufacturing costs related to our products, the availability of complementary products, technologies and businesses, the initiation and continuation of preclinical and clinical trials and testing, the timing of regulatory approvals, developments in relationships with existing or future collaborative parties, the status of competitive products, and various alternatives for financing. We have not determined the timing or structure of any transaction.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Critical Accounting Estimates and Assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

For a discussion of the Company’s significant accounting policies, please see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. There have been no material changes in our critical accounting policies, estimates and judgments during the three months ended March 31, 2012 compared to the disclosures in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

 

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

There have been no material changes in our market risk during the three months ended March 31, 2012 compared to the disclosure in Part II, Item 7A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

 

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), we evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Based on this evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective and were operating at the reasonable assurance level as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report.

Changes in Internal Controls

Our management, including our CEO and CFO, has evaluated any changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended March 31, 2012, and has concluded that there was no change during such quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Limitations of the Effectiveness of Internal Controls

A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the internal control system are met. Because of inherent limitations in any control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues, if any, within a company have been detected. We are continuously seeking to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations and of our internal controls. This results in refinements to processes throughout our organization.

 

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

The SEC and the DOJ are each conducting formal investigations of us regarding a range of matters including the possibility of violations of the FCPA. We will continue to cooperate fully with the SEC and DOJ in the conduct of their investigations.

In response to these matters, our Board appointed a Special Committee of independent directors (the “Special Committee”) to oversee our response to the government inquiry. Based on an initial review, the Special Committee decided to undertake an independent investigation as to matters reflected in and arising from the SEC and DOJ investigations including, but not limited to, certain sales and marketing matters in China, in order to evaluate whether any violation of the FCPA or other laws occurred.

During the investigation, the Special Committee instructed management to (i) evaluate and to expand the Company’s training of employees regarding understanding and compliance with laws including the FCPA and other anti-bribery laws and regulations, (ii) evaluate existing compliance and anti-bribery policies and guidelines and to prepare new, more detailed policies and guidelines for implementation after review by our Board and/or committees of the Board, (iii) implement a pre-approval policy for certain expenses including payments for, or reimbursement of, travel and entertainment expenses, and sponsorships of certain third party events, and (iv) hire a Vice President of Compliance and Internal Audit to monitor and enforce compliance with our policies.

The Special Committee has substantially concluded its investigation and on May 4 and 5, 2011 reported its findings and recommendations to the Board of Directors. As part of its continuing cooperation with the ongoing investigation of the SEC and the DOJ, the Special Committee has also reported findings to the SEC and DOJ.

The SEC’s and DOJ’s formal investigations are continuing. These continuing investigations could result in administrative orders against us, the imposition of significant penalties and/or fines against us, and/or the imposition of civil or criminal sanctions against us or certain of our officers, directors and/or employees. We cannot predict what the outcome of those investigations will be, or the timing of any resolution.

NovaMed is a party to a Distribution and Supply Agreement with MEDA. Following our acquisition of NovaMed, NovaMed continued to perform this agreement; however, MEDA claimed it had a right to terminate the agreement under a change of control provision. NovaMed does not believe that MEDA had a right of termination under the agreement. NovaMed and MEDA were in negotiations since the acquisition regarding potential amendments to the agreement that would resolve the disagreement. However no resolution was reached. MEDA has notified NovaMed that the termination was effective as of May 2011, however as provided in the agreement, disputes, including disputes regarding termination must be resolved in binding arbitration. NovaMed continues to perform its obligations under the agreement pending resolution of the dispute, and has notified MEDA that the dispute has been submitted to arbitration. NovaMed and MEDA are negotiating certain procedural matters regarding the arbitration and NovaMed expects to file an application for binding arbitration with the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission as soon as the parties have agreed on the procedural matters. We cannot predict the outcome of this matter at this time.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Our risk factors are set forth below in their entirety. The list is not exhaustive and you should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties before investing in our common stock. We have marked with an asterisk (*) those risk factors below that reflect substantive changes from the risk factors included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 15, 2012.

Our stock price may be volatile, and an investment in our stock could suffer a decline in value. *

Although we have reported net income since our fiscal year ending December 31, 2009, we have experienced significant operating losses in the past, and as of March 31, 2012, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $111.3 million. If our operating expenses were to increase or if we were not able to increase or sustain revenue, we may not achieve profitability over the next 12 months.

The market price of our common stock has experienced, and may continue to experience, substantial volatility due to many factors, some of which we have no control over, including:

 

   

developments related to the pending SEC and US Department of Justice (“DOJ”) investigations, our efforts to cooperate with the investigations and events related to pending litigations;

 

   

government regulatory action affecting our Company or our drug products or our competitors’ drug products in China, the US and other foreign countries, including the effect of government initiatives in China to reduce health care costs, including the anticipated change in the governmentally permitted maximum listed price for ZADAXIN (“thymosin alpha 1” or “thymalfasin”) or our other products on the market in China;

 

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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly operating results some of which may result from acquisition-related expenses including the variation in the valuation of the earn-out, and periodic impairment charges that may result from the goodwill and intangible assets recorded in the acquisition;

 

   

progress and results of clinical trials and the regulatory approval process in Europe and in China;

 

   

our ability to manage the risks associated with our acquisition of NovaMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“NovaMed”);

 

   

timing and achievement of our corporate milestones;

 

   

changes in our agreements or relationships with collaborative partners;

 

   

announcements of technological innovations or new products by us or our competitors;

 

   

announcement and completion of corporate acquisition, merger, licensing or marketing arrangements, or sales of assets;

 

   

developments or disputes concerning patent or proprietary rights;

 

   

changes in the composition of our management team or board of directors;

 

   

changes in company assessments or financial estimates by securities analysts;

 

   

changes in assessments of our internal controls over financial reporting;

 

   

general stock market conditions and fluctuations for the emerging growth and pharmaceutical market sectors;

 

   

economic and political conditions in the US or abroad particularly in China; and

 

   

broad financial market fluctuations in the US, Europe or Asia.

Our acquisition of NovaMed involves a number of risks and although we believe we have substantially completed the integration there are some challenges that still could affect us and we may not realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition; and we may acquire other companies or products that present similar risks. *

Although we believe we have substantially completed the integration of our NovaMed acquisition and the two companies’ operations and personnel and have begun to utilize common business, information and communication systems, operating procedures, financial controls and human resources practices, including benefits, training and professional development programs, SciClone’s China operations and NovaMed’s business are conducted in separate subsidiaries and some of the challenges that still could affect us include:

 

   

retaining key employees of both organizations;

 

   

managing the acquisition and continuing operations in both organizations to successfully achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition;

 

   

preserving important relationships of both SciClone and NovaMed, including NovaMed’s contractual relationships with pharmaceutical partners;

 

   

diversion of management’s attention from normal daily operations of the business which could adversely affect on-going operations;

 

   

costs and delays in implementing common systems and procedures;

 

   

consolidating and rationalizing information technology and administrative infrastructures;

 

   

the potential for disputes or litigation related to the earn-out and escrow provisions, which are frequently a source of disputes in acquisition transactions, and potentially unanticipated results of any such dispute;

 

   

variability in our financial results which may result from acquisition-related expenses including the variation in the valuation of the earn-out, and periodic impairment charges that may result from the recording of goodwill and intangible assets in the acquisition;

 

   

implementing procedures, policies and processes related to FCPA compliance; and

 

   

integrating and documenting processes and controls in conformance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 which were not applicable to NovaMed prior to the acquisition.

 

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We may enter into other acquisition transactions in the future which could present similar risks and may also cause us to:

 

   

issue common stock that would dilute our current shareholders’ percentage ownership;

 

   

assume liabilities, some of which may be unknown at the time of such acquisitions;

 

   

record goodwill and intangible assets that will be subject to impairment testing and potential periodic impairment charges;

 

   

incur amortization expenses related to certain intangible assets;

 

   

incur large and immediate write-offs of in-process research and development costs; or become subject to litigation.

Any one or all of these factors, many of which are outside of our control, may increase operating costs or lower anticipated financial performance following the NovaMed acquisition, or following any future acquisition. In addition, the combined company may lose customers, distributors, suppliers, manufacturers, partners and employees. Any diversion of management’s attention to address these factors and any difficulties associated with the acquisition of NovaMed, or of companies or products we may acquire in the future could have a material adverse effect on the operating results of the company and on the value of our common stock, and could result in our not achieving the anticipated synergies and benefits of the acquisition underlying the two companies’ reasons for the merger. Failure to achieve our objectives could have a material adverse effect on the business and operating results of the company.

Charges to earnings resulting from the NovaMed acquisition may adversely affect our financial results and could adversely affect the market value of our common stock and the cash portion of the purchase price and other expenses will reduce our working capital.

In accordance with US generally accepted accounting principles, we have accounted for the NovaMed acquisition using the purchase method of accounting, which will result in charges to earnings that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Under the purchase method of accounting, the total acquisition-date fair value of the assets and liabilities are recognized as of the closing date, and the excess of the consideration transferred over the acquisition date fair value of net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. In addition, the purchase price includes an estimate of the value of the earn-out that may be payable in the future. We will incur additional amortization expense over the useful lives of the intangible assets acquired in the acquisition. The amount of employee stock compensation expense has and will increase as a result of grants to a larger base of employees. We will also incur an expense if the valuation of the earn-out increases, which would occur if in any quarter it appears that the likelihood of payment of any portion of the earn-out has become more likely. The accounting measurement of the earn-out will be subject to change through December 2012 and may create earnings volatility for us every quarterly reporting period through December 2012. In addition, to the extent the value of goodwill or intangible assets becomes impaired, we may be required to incur material impairment charges. These charges, even though they would be non-cash charges, could have a material impact on our results of operations.

We made substantial cash payments in the NovaMed acquisition and we have incurred significant other costs related to the acquisition which reduced our liquidity and could affect our operating results.

We used approximately $21.3 million of cash, net of cash acquired, as part of the purchase price to acquire NovaMed. In addition, we estimate that we incurred investment banker costs of approximately $2.6 million and we have also incurred substantial legal and accounting and professional costs associated with the acquisition. These costs have reduced our cash and cash equivalents substantially. In addition, if the earn-out targets are achieved, we would need to use up to an additional $43.0 million in cash, which would materially reduce our cash available for operations.

Our revenue will continue to be substantially dependent on our sale of ZADAXIN in China, and if we experience difficulties in our sales efforts, our operating results and financial condition will be harmed. *

Our product revenue is highly dependent on the sale of ZADAXIN in China. We expect that the percentage of our revenues that come from the sale of ZADAXIN in China will decline significantly as a result of the NovaMed acquisition. However, we anticipate that sales of ZADAXIN will continue to be a majority of our revenue for at least the next two years. For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, approximately 98% and 96%, respectively, of our ZADAXIN sales were to customers in China. Sales of ZADAXIN in China may be limited due to the low average personal income, lack of patient cost reimbursement, poorly developed infrastructure and competition from other products, including generics. ZADAXIN sales growth in recent years has benefited from the rapidly growing Chinese economy and growing personal disposable income. Sales of ZADAXIN in China could be adversely affected by a slowing or downturn of the Chinese economy and from the decisions of the National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) pricing reform anticipated to be made in 2012.

 

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In China, ZADAXIN is approved for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (“HBV”) and as a vaccine adjuvant. We face competition from pharmaceutical companies who are aggressively marketing competing products for the treatment of HBV and for other indications where we believe ZADAXIN may be used on an off-label basis. In addition, several local companies are selling lower-priced, locally manufactured generic thymalfasin, which is a competitive product and is selling in substantial and increasing quantities. While generic products outsell ZADAXIN in unit volumes, we have been able to maintain a pricing advantage through the reputation of our imported, branded product. We believe such competition to continue with added new local manufacturers of generic thymalfasin and there could be a negative impact on the price and the volume of ZADAXIN sold in China, which would harm our business. Our efforts to in-license or acquire other pharmaceutical products for marketing in China and other markets may be unsuccessful or even if successful may not have a meaningful effect on our dependence on ZADAXIN sales in those markets.

In November 2009, thymalfasin, the generic chemical name for our pharmaceutical product ZADAXIN, was included as a Category B product in the National Reimbursed Drug List (“NRDL”) and pricing for ZADAXIN on the NRDL is still being reviewed by the authorities, and we do anticipate a price reduction will be imposed. The price for pharmaceutical products is regulated in China both at the national and at the provincial level. These regulations, as well as regulation of the importation of pharmaceutical products may reduce prices for ZADAXIN to levels significantly below those that would prevail in an unregulated market, limit the volume of product which may be imported and sold or place high import duties on the product, any of which may limit the growth of our revenues or cause them to decline. The Chinese government is increasing its efforts to reduce overall health care costs, including pricing controls on pharmaceutical products. Individual provinces in China and, in some cases, individual hospitals can and have established pricing requirements for a product to be included on formulary lists. In some cases, these prices have been significantly lower than our distributors have been selling ZADAXIN, in which case we have been removed from formulary lists, which consequently has reduced sales to certain hospitals and could adversely affect our future sales. The process and timing for any price restrictions is unpredictable. In addition, we are aware that ZADAXIN may be used on an off-label basis, and the Chinese government’s pricing, reimbursement or other actions might reduce such uses. We are working on these regulatory processes as well as on potential changes in our business model depending on potential outcomes. We believe we will be able to successfully manage our business in China through this process, however maximum prices could be set at some time in the future which could adversely affect our results or require substantial changes in our business model which may be difficult to implement.

Importers and distributors of ZADAXIN borrow funds in China from banks to purchase, hold and distribute ZADAXIN. Substantial increases in restrictions on fund availability and/or increases in borrowing costs could limit the ability of our importers and distributors to finance their import and distribution process.

We have received regulatory approvals to import and market ZADAXIN in China and to manufacture ZADAXIN and export the product from Italy. In order to continue our sales to China, we need to maintain these approvals. Our license to import ZADAXIN into China needs to be renewed every five years and the next renewal is required in 2013. Although we were successful in obtaining a renewal in 2008 and 2003, there is no assurance that we will receive renewals in the future when applied for or that the renewals will not be conditioned or limited in ways that limit our ability to sell ZADAXIN to China.

Our licenses to manufacture and export ZADAXIN from Italy are dependent upon our continuing compliance with regulations in Italy. Our business would be adversely affected if we are not able to maintain these approvals. In order to sell ZADAXIN to the licensed importers in China, our manufacturers must 1) be approved by the Italian Ministry of Health (“AIFA”) and 2) be accepted by the State Food and Drug Administration of China (“SFDA”), the Chinese equivalent to the FDA, and we must obtain an Imported Drug License from the SFDA permitting the importation of ZADAXIN into China. Our product has been distributed in Italy through a subsidiary of Sigma-Tau Finanziaria, S.p.A. (“Sigma-Tau”). Our agreement with Sigma-Tau expired in March 2012, and we are in discussions to continue distribution of ZADAXIN through a subsidiary of Sigma-Tau. However, if we are not able to continue this arrangement, we will need to establish our own distribution operations in Italy to ensure continuing compliance with regulations in Italy and maintain our Italian licenses.

If we change manufacturers, these changes must 1) be approved by the AIFA in Italy and 2) be accepted by the SFDA. When we change manufacturers we must obtain a new approval. The SFDA, the FDA, AIFA and other regulatory agencies may, and have, changed their internal administrative rules in ways that may delay or complicate the regulatory process. Those changes are not always disclosed or known to us and we may experience unexpected delays or additional costs as a result of such changes.

Our ZADAXIN sales and operations in other parts of China and the world are subject to a number of risks and increasing regulations, including difficulties and delays in obtaining registrations, renewals of registrations, permits, pricing approvals and reimbursement, increasing regulation of product promotion and selling practices, unexpected changes in regulatory requirements and political instability. In addition, during the second quarter of 2009 we

 

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experienced a strong upsurge in ZADAXIN sales which we believe was attributable both to the increasing penetration of ZADAXIN within the Chinese market, as well as concerns in China from the H1N1 influenza virus. Although we believe that ZADAXIN sales have returned to levels more consistent with our established business, if distributors and hospitals that purchase ZADAXIN stockpile more ZADAXIN than needed for current use, our sales of ZADAXIN may suffer as distributors and hospitals use ZADAXIN already in their inventory before purchasing additional product from us. This could lead to uneven future revenue results for ZADAXIN and in turn materially impact our cash flow and business condition.

We face risks related to the potential outcomes of the SEC investigation regarding FCPA compliance and other matters and DOJ investigation regarding the FCPA including potential penalties, substantial expenses and the use of significant management time and attention, and changes in our marketing and sales practices that could affect our ability to generate revenue, any of which could adversely affect our business.

In August 2010, we received notices of investigations by US government agencies that relate our operations in China including compliance with the FCPA and we subsequently initiated an internal investigation regarding these matters. In connection with the formal, non public SEC investigation, the SEC issued a subpoena to us requesting documents regarding a range of matters including but not limited to documents relating to potential payments or transfer of anything of value to regulators and government-owned entities in China; documents relating to bids or contracts with state or government-owned entities in China; documents relating to intermediary or local agent of the Company in China; documents regarding the Company’s ethics and anti-corruption policies, training, and audits; and documents relating to certain Company financial and other disclosures made by the Company. The DOJ is currently conducting an investigation of us in connection with compliance with the FCPA, as to which they have advised us that the DOJ has information about the Company’s practices suggesting possible violations. We have been cooperating with, and will continue to cooperate with, the investigations by and inquiries from the SEC and DOJ. In response to these matters, our Board of Directors appointed the Special Committee of independent directors to oversee our response to the government inquiry. The Special Committee conducted an independent investigation as to matters reflected in and arising from the SEC and DOJ investigations including, but not limited to, certain sales and marketing matters in China, in order to evaluate whether any violation of the FCPA or other laws occurred.

The Special Committee has substantially concluded its investigation and reached a number of findings, including that we lacked appropriate internal controls to assure compliance with laws, including the FCPA, with respect to sales and marketing practices including payments for, or reimbursement of, third party gifts, travel and entertainment expenses, and sponsorships of certain conferences and symposia. The Special Committee identified evidence of sales and marketing activities that might constitute potential violations of the FCPA. We are undertaking certain remedial measures recommended by the Special Committee and adopted by our Board of Directors. However, the SEC’s and DOJ’s formal investigations are continuing.

We are unable to predict what consequences, if any, that any investigation by any regulatory agency or by our Special Committee may have on us. These and any other regulatory investigations and our cooperation with them will result in substantial legal and accounting expenses, and has diverted management’s attention from other business concerns and could harm our business. If we fail to comply with regulations or to carry out controls on our Chinese or other foreign operations in a manner that satisfies all applicable laws, our business would be harmed. Any civil or criminal action commenced against us by a regulatory agency could result in administrative orders against us, the imposition of significant penalties and/or fines against us, and/or the imposition of civil or criminal sanctions against certain of our officers, directors and/or employees. The investigations, results of the investigations, or remedial actions we may take, if any, as a result of such investigations, may adversely affect our business in China. If we are subject to an adverse finding resulting from the SEC and DOJ investigations, or from our own independent investigation, we could be required to pay damages or penalties or have other remedies imposed upon us. In addition, we will incur additional expenses related to remediative measures we are undertaking, and could incur fines or other penalties. The period of time necessary to resolve the investigations by the DOJ and the SEC is uncertain, and these matters could require significant management and financial resources which could otherwise be devoted to the operation of our business.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results. As a result, current and potential stockholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our stock.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and to protect from fraudulent, illegal or unauthorized transactions. If we cannot provide effective controls and reliable financial reports, our business and operating results could be harmed. Moreover, as a US-based corporation doing business in China, these controls often need to satisfy the requirements of Chinese law as well as the requirements of US law which frequently differ in certain aspects. We have in the past discovered, and may in the future discover, areas of our internal controls that need improvement. For example, our management determined that as of December 31, 2010, we had two material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that had not been remediated. In

 

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addition, we determined that our disclosure controls were not working effectively as of December 31, 2010. The material weaknesses related to our controls over (i) our implementation of our policy on compliance with laws and (ii) our accounting for income taxes, as discussed in Part II, Item 9A “Changes in Internal Controls” of our Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2011. Although these material weaknesses were remediated as of December 31, 2011, and we continue to work on improvements to our internal controls, there can be no assurance that these or other material weaknesses will not occur in the future. Any failure to implement and maintain controls over our financial reporting, or difficulties encountered in the implementation of improvements in our controls, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Any failure to improve our internal controls or to address identified weaknesses in the future, if they were to occur, could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative impact on the trading price of our stock. New legislation may impact our financial position or results of operations.

Compliance with changing regulations concerning corporate governance and public disclosure has resulted in and may continue to result in additional expenses. Changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, new SEC regulations and The NASDAQ Stock Market rules, are creating uncertainty for companies such as ours and costs are increasing as a result of this uncertainty and other factors. We are committed to maintaining high standards of corporate governance and public disclosure. As a result, we intend to invest all reasonably necessary resources to comply with evolving standards, and this investment has and may continue to result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.

We are at risk of additional securities class action and derivative lawsuits.

Securities class action and derivative lawsuits are often filed against public companies following a decline in the market price of their securities. We were sued recently after our announcement regarding SEC and DOJ investigations and we and certain of our officers and directors have been named as parties in purported stockholder class actions and derivative lawsuits. The class action lawsuits have been dismissed and we have settled the derivative lawsuits. However, we may be named in additional litigation, all of which will require significant management time and attention and result in significant legal expenses and may result in an unfavorable outcome which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We may experience stock price volatility in the future, either related to announcements regarding the SEC and DOJ investigation, our own investigations related thereto or other matters. This risk is especially relevant for us because biotechnology companies have experienced greater than average stock price volatility in recent years. Such litigation could result in additional substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business.

We may not be able to successfully develop or commercialize our products in China or the US.

Following the acquisition of NovaMed, we have numerous products under development in China, and during 2011 we were developing SCV-07, a small molecule synthetic peptide with immunomodulating properties, in a phase 2b clinical trial in the US for the delayed onset of oral mucositis (“OM”).

Clinical trials and inherently risky and may reveal that our product candidates are ineffective or have unanticipated side effects and/or drug interactions that may significantly decrease the likelihood of regulatory approval. For example, in March 2012 we announced the discontinuation of our phase 2b clinical trial evaluating SCV-07 for the delayed onset of OM. This decision was based on the results of a pre-planned interim analysis that indicated that the trial would not meet the pre-specified efficacy endpoints, and we have no plans to proceed with further development of SCV-07 at this time.

The regulatory approval processes in the US, Europe and China are demanding, lengthy and expensive. We have committed significant resources, including capital and time, to develop and seek approval for products under development, and if we do not obtain approvals we are seeking, we may be unable to achieve any revenue from these products. All new drugs, including our product candidates, are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by the FDA, SFDA and similar regulatory agencies. These regulations govern, among other things, the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, storage, pre-market approval, importation, advertising, promotion, sale and distribution of our products. These regulations may change from time to time and new regulations may be adopted.

Satisfaction of government regulations may take several years and the time needed to satisfy them varies substantially based on the type, complexity and novelty of the pharmaceutical product. As a result, government regulation may cause us to delay the introduction of, or prevent us from marketing, our existing or potential products for a considerable period of time and impose costly procedures upon our activities. We have experienced delays in the regulatory process and continue to experience delays, and there exists risk that we may not receive approval, including with the approval process for DC Bead. In addition, the Chinese government is increasing its efforts to reduce overall health care costs, including pricing controls on pharmaceutical products. We cannot determine what the potential government pricing\constraints are likely to be for products in development in advance. Therefore, we

 

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may be required to abandon the development or commercialization of a product after significant effort and expense if we determine at any time that trends in government pricing constraints will make the commercialization of a product unprofitable.

To fully develop these products and other products we may acquire, substantial resources are required for extensive research, development, pre-clinical testing, clinical trials, and manufacturing scale-up and regulatory approval prior to the potential products being ready for sale. We cannot assure that our efforts will produce commercially viable products. We face significant technological risks inherent in developing these products. We may also abandon some or all of our proposed products before they become commercially viable. We are obligated to make a milestone payment upon regulatory approval of certain products under development. If any of our products, even if developed and approved, cannot be successfully commercialized in a timely manner, our business will be harmed and the price of our stock may decline.

Market acceptance of any product that is successfully developed and approved will depend on many factors, including our ability to convince prospective customers to use our products as an alternative to other treatments and therapies. In addition, doctors must opt to use treatments involving our products. If doctors elect to use a different course of treatment, demand for our drug products would be reduced. In addition, for certain products we may need to convince partners to manufacture or market our products. Failure to do any of the above will lead to an unfavorable outcome on the results of our operations.

Our success is dependent upon the success of our sales and marketing efforts in China, and we may experience difficulties in complying with regulations, slow collections or other matters that could adversely affect our revenue in China.

Following the acquisition of NovaMed, we have numerous products on the market in China in addition to ZADAXIN. Our future revenue growth depends to a great extent on increased sales of ZADAXIN to China and increased sales of the products promoted or marketed by NovaMed. If we fail to continue to successfully market ZADAXIN or NovaMed’s product portfolio, our revenue and operating results will be limited. If unexpected and serious adverse events are reported, or if expected efficacy results are not achieved, it would have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our sales are concentrated in China and we face risks relating to operating in a China, including pricing and other regulations, slow payment cycles and exposure to fluctuations in the Chinese economy.

The Chinese government is increasing its efforts to reduce overall health care costs, including pricing controls on pharmaceutical products. Individual provinces in China and, in some cases, individual hospitals can and have established pricing requirements for a product to be included on formulary lists. The process and timing for any price restrictions is unpredictable, but we do anticipate that some price reduction will be imposed. Further, the successful sales and marketing of all of NovaMed’s products requires continuing compliance with other regulations in China relating to the import, manufacture, approval and distribution of products and if we or our partners are not able to obtain or maintain necessary licenses or other approvals, our operations would be adversely affected.

We experience other issues with managing sales operations in China including long payment cycles, potential difficulties in timely accounts receivable collection and, especially from significant customers, fluctuations in the timing and amount of orders and the adverse effect of any of these issues on our business could be increased due to the concentration of our business with a small number of distributors. Problems with collections from, or sales to, any one of those distributors could materially adversely affect our results. Operations in foreign countries including China also expose us to risks relating to difficulties in enforcing our proprietary rights, currency fluctuations and adverse or deteriorating economic conditions. If we experience problems with these matters, or if significant political, economic or regulatory changes occur, our results could be adversely affected.

Our operations throughout the world including China are potentially subject to the laws and regulations of the US including the FCPA, in addition to the laws and regulations of the other countries. Regulation in China of the activities in the pharmaceutical industry has increased and may continue to undergo significant and unanticipated changes. A number of companies have faced significant expenses or fines as a result of the increasing regulation of, and enforcement activity regarding, the pharmaceutical industry.

Currently all of our revenue is generated from customers located outside the US, and a substantial portion of our assets, including employees, are located outside the US. US income taxes and foreign withholding taxes have not been provided on undistributed earnings of non-US subsidiaries, because such earnings are intended to be indefinitely reinvested in the operations of those subsidiaries. The US government may propose initiatives that would substantially reduce our ability to defer US taxes including: repealing deferral of US taxation of foreign earnings, eliminating utilization or substantially reducing our ability to claim foreign tax credits, and eliminating various tax deductions until foreign earnings are repatriated to the US. If any of these proposals are constituted into legislation, they could increase our US income tax liability and as a result have a negative impact on our financial position and results of operations.

 

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Our business strategy is dependent in part upon our agreements with third parties for the rights to develop and commercialize products, or promote products, particularly in China. If we fail to maintain such agreements, or if we fail to enter into additional agreements, our business will suffer.

Our sales and marketing strategy in China depends significantly upon agreements with third parties, and potentially upon entering into additional agreements with third parties, or re-negotiating agreements with third parties. Except for ZADAXIN, our rights to develop, market and sell our products in China, including the products currently promoted or sold by our subsidiary, NovaMed, are held by us under license, promotion, distribution or marketing agreements with third parties. These agreements for products on the market including DepaKine, Stilnox, Tritace and Aggrastat, and products in the regulatory review process, including DC Bead and several of NovaMed’s products in clinical trial, are held under license, distribution or marketing agreements. In addition, our success in the future may be dependent upon entering into similar agreements with other parties and the renewal of any such agreements. The third parties to these agreements are generally not under an obligation to renew the agreements. If any of these agreements are terminated, or if they are not renewed, our ability to distribute, or develop, the products or product candidates could be terminated and our business could be adversely affected. Renegotiation of agreements can also occur prior to discussions of contract renewals. We have had disputes with collaborators in the past, and are in negotiations regarding disputes with current collaborators regarding product candidates in the regulatory approval process. We are currently in a dispute with MEDA regarding NovaMed’s agreement with MEDA which, if not resolved favorably to us, would prevent us from distributing Tramadol in China which would adversely affect our future revenues. See Part II, Item 1 “Legal Proceedings”. Such disputes have arisen, and may arise in the future over the performance of each party’s obligations under the agreements, ownership rights to intellectual property, know-how or technologies developed with our collaborators. Disputes with collaborators or licensors or others could cause us to incur legal costs and could result in the loss of rights to products, loss of potential revenue, or other disruptions in our business.

All of our products were originally obtained by us under licenses, promotion, distribution or similar third-party agreements. We do not conduct product discovery and our ability to bring new products to market is dependent upon our entering into additional acquisition, in-licensing, promotion or distribution agreements, particularly in China. The competition for attractive products is intense, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to negotiate in-license, promotion or distribution agreements for additional products in the future on acceptable terms, if at all.

We may lose market share or otherwise fail to compete effectively in the intensely competitive pharmaceutical industry.

Competition in the pharmaceutical industry in China is intense, and we believe that competition will increase. Our success depends on our ability to compete in this industry, but we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully compete with our competitors. Increased competitive pressure could lead to intensified price-based competition resulting in lower prices and margins, which would hurt our operating results. We cannot assure you that we will compete successfully against our competitors or that our competitors, or potential competitors, will not develop drugs or other treatments for our targeted indications that will be superior to ours.

We depend on sales to China, and global conditions could negatively affect our operating results or limit our ability to expand our operations in and outside of China. Changes in China’s political, social, regulatory and economic environment may affect our financial performance.

Our business is concentrated in China. Heightened tensions resulting from the current geopolitical conditions in the Middle East, North Korea and elsewhere could worsen, causing disruptions in foreign trade, which would harm our sales. In particular, our commercial product is manufactured in Europe and distributed by us from our operations in Hong Kong. Any disruption of our supply and distribution activities due to geopolitical conditions could decrease our sales and harm our operating results.

With respect to China, our financial performance may be affected by changes in China’s political, social, regulatory and economic environment. The role of the Chinese central and local governments in the Chinese economy is significant. Chinese policies toward economic liberalization, and laws and policies affecting foreign companies, currency exchange rates and other matters could change, resulting in greater restrictions on our ability to do business in China. Any imposition of surcharges or any increase in Chinese tax rates could hurt our operating results. The Chinese government could revoke, terminate or suspend our license for national security and similar reasons without compensation to us. If the government of China were to take any of these actions, we would be prevented from conducting all or part of our business. Any failure on our part to comply with governmental regulations could result in the loss of our ability to market our products in China.

 

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Because of China’s tiered method of importing and distributing finished pharmaceutical products, our quarterly results may vary substantially from one period to the next.

Imported products in China, including ZADAXIN and NovaMed’s imported products, are distributed through a tiered method to import and distribute finished pharmaceutical products. Promoted products are typically sold from our partner companies within China to the primary distributor with the following distribution being the same for imported as well as promoted products. At each port of entry, and prior to moving the product forward to the distributors, government-licensed importing agents must process and evaluate each imported product shipment to determine whether it satisfies China’s quality assurance requirements. In order to efficiently manage this process, the importing agents typically place large, and therefore relatively few, orders within an annual period. Therefore, sales to an importing agent can vary substantially from quarter to quarter depending on the size and timing of the orders, which has in the past and may in the future cause our quarterly results to fluctuate. We rely on a limited number of importers, in any given quarter, to supply our products and most of our ZADAXIN sales are now through two importers so our receivables from those importers are material, and if we were unable to collect receivables from those importers or any other importer, our business and cash-flow would be adversely affected. Our importers are not obligated to place purchase orders for our product, and if they determined for any reason not to place purchase orders, we would need to seek alternative licensed importers, which could cause fluctuations in our revenue.

The existence of counterfeit pharmaceutical products in China’s pharmaceutical retail market may damage our brand and reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Certain medicine products distributed or sold in China’s pharmaceutical retail market, including those appearing to be our products, may be counterfeit. Counterfeit products are products sold under the same or very similar brand names and/or having a similar appearance to genuine products. Counterfeit products, including counterfeit pharmaceutical products, are a significant problem in China. Such products divert sales from genuine products, often are of lower cost, often are of lower quality (having different ingredients or formulations, for example), and have the potential to damage the reputation for quality and effectiveness of the genuine product. The counterfeit pharmaceutical product regulation control and enforcement system in China is not able to completely eliminate production and sale of counterfeit pharmaceutical products. Any sale of counterfeit products resulting in adverse side effects to consumers may subject us to negative publicity and expenses. It could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may be subject to currency exchange rate fluctuations, which could adversely affect our financial performance.

A majority of our product sales are denominated in US dollars and a significant portion of our sales and expenses are denominated in renminbi. Fluctuation in the US dollar exchange rate with local currency directly affects the customer’s cost for our product. In particular, a stronger US dollar vis-à-vis the local currency would tend to have an adverse effect on sales and potentially on collection of accounts receivable. China currently maintains the value of the renminbi in a narrow currency trading band that may or may not fluctuate based upon government policy. Depending on market conditions and the state of the Chinese economy, China has intervened in the foreign exchange market in the past to prevent significant short-term fluctuations in the renminbi exchange rate, and it could make future adjustments, including moving to a managed float system, with opportunistic interventions. This reserve diversification may negatively impact the US dollar and US interest rates. A trend to a stronger US dollar would erode margins earned by our Chinese importers and prompt them to ask us to lower our prices. A weaker US dollar would increase our in-country China operating expenses, and with the addition of NovaMed, our China operating expenses have increased. We are subject to currency exchange rate fluctuations as a result of expenses incurred by our foreign operations. In particular, one of our supply arrangements under which we purchase finished products is denominated in euros and costs of our operations in China are paid in local currency. Consequently, changes in exchange rates could unpredictably and adversely affect our operating results and could result in exchange losses. To date, we have not hedged against the risks associated with fluctuations in exchange rates and, therefore, exchange rate fluctuations could have a material adverse impact on our future operating results and stock price.

We cannot predict the safety profile of the use of ZADAXIN, Depakine, or other drugs we may develop or market when used in combination with other drugs. *

Many of our prior trials involved the use of ZADAXIN in combination with other drugs. We cannot predict how ZADAXIN, Depakine, or other drugs we may develop or market will work with other drugs, including causing possible adverse side effects not directly attributable to the other drugs that could compromise the safety profile of ZADAXIN, Depakine, or other drugs we may develop or market when used in certain combination therapies.

If third-party reimbursement is not available or patients cannot otherwise pay for ZADAXIN, Depakine, or other drugs we may develop we may not be able to successfully market them.

Significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of therapeutic products, such as ZADAXIN and Depakine or other drugs we may develop. We cannot assure you that third-party insurance coverage and reimbursement will be available for therapeutic products we might develop. Although ZADAXIN receives some

 

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limited reimbursement in certain provinces in China, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain existing reimbursements or increase third-party payments for ZADAXIN or obtain third-party payments for other products which we sell or develop in China. The failure to obtain or maintain third-party reimbursement for our products would harm our business. Further, we cannot assure you that additional limitations will not be imposed in the future in the US or elsewhere on drug coverage and reimbursement due to proposed health care reforms. In many emerging markets where we have marketing rights to ZADAXIN, but where government resources and per capita income may be so low that our products will be prohibitively expensive, we may not be able to market our products on economically favorable terms, if at all.

Efforts by governmental and third-party payers to contain or reduce health care costs or the announcement of legislative proposals or reforms to implement government controls could cause us to reduce the prices at which we market our drugs, which would reduce our gross margins and may harm our business.

We rely on third parties who are our sole source suppliers for our clinical trial and commercial products and their inability to deliver products that meet our quality-control standards could delay or harm one or more important areas of our business including our sales, clinical trials or the regulatory approval process.

We rely on third parties, who are subject to regulatory oversight, to supply our commercial products. Any deficiencies or shortages in supply of our commercial products would adversely affect our ability to realize our sales plans. For example, the manufacturing of the raw material and the processing to finished product of ZADAXIN is done in few batches in any given three-month period and any manufacturing errors have the potential to require a product recall. We currently have only one approved finished vial manufacturer and two approved active pharmaceutical ingredient (“API”) suppliers. If we experience a problem with the manufacturer or our suppliers our sales may suffer. We and NovaMed have each experienced difficulties with obtaining product from manufacturers in the past. During 2011, we experienced manufacturing delays related to repairs for general, non-production-related facilities equipment at one of our API suppliers. During 2010, we experienced difficulties validating upgrades to equipment with one of our API manufacturers. Although we are taking steps to ensure that such problems do not continue, there is no assurance that we will either be successful in doing so with our current supplier or be able to timely and cost-effectively qualify new suppliers for this component. Manufacturing interruptions or failure or delay of product to meet quality assurance specifications could adversely affect shipments and recognition of sales of our products in any period and impair our relationships with customers and our competitive position and may increase the cost of material produced. In addition, each of the products that are marketed through our new NovaMed subsidiary is manufactured by, or obtained from, a single source.

We also rely on third parties, who are subject to regulatory oversight, to supply drug product for our clinical trials. For example, Biocompatibles is the sole supplier of DC Bead, and Depakine, Stilnox, Tritace and other products in either finished product or active pharmaceutical ingredient are manufactured by or for Sanofi-Aventis, Pfizer and other partners of our subsidiary, NovaMed. Any unanticipated deficiencies in these suppliers, or the suppliers of our raw materials, and/or recall of the manufacturing lots used in our clinical trials could delay the trials or detract from the integrity of the trial data and its potential use in future regulatory filings. In addition, manufacturing interruptions or failure to comply with regulatory requirements by any of these suppliers could significantly delay clinical development of potential products and reduce third-party or clinical researcher interest and support of proposed trials. These interruptions or failures could also impede commercialization of our products and impair our competitive position.

We rely on third parties for development of our products and the inability of any of these parties to reliably, timely or cost-effectively provide us with their obligated services could materially harm the timing of bringing our products to market and accordingly adversely affect our business.

We rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, medical institutions, clinical investigators, contract laboratories, and collaborative partners in the conduct of clinical trials for our product candidates. If these parties, whom we do not control, do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or regulatory obligations or meet expected deadlines or choose not to continue their relationship with us, if the third parties need to be replaced, or if the quality or accuracy of the data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our pre-clinical or clinical activities may be extended, delayed, suspended or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize our product candidates.

Commercialization of some of our products depends on collaborations with others. If our collaborators are not successful, or if we are unable to find future collaborators, we may not be able to properly develop and commercialize our products.

We depend in part on our distributors and business partners to develop or promote our drugs, and if they are not successful in their efforts or fail to do so, our business will suffer. For example, Biocompatibles is providing SciClone with product samples and the necessary supporting documents to obtain regulatory approval in China for

 

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DC Bead. We generally do not have control over the amount and timing of resources that our business partners devote to our collaborative efforts, and some have not always performed as or when expected. If they do not perform their obligations as we expect, particularly obligations regarding clinical trials, our development expenses would increase and the development or sale of our products could be limited or delayed, which could hurt our business and cause our stock price to decline. In addition, our relationships with these companies may not be successful. Disputes may arise with our collaborators, including disputes over ownership rights to intellectual property, know-how or technologies developed with our collaborators. We may not be able to negotiate similar additional arrangements in the future to develop and commercialize ZADAXIN or other products.

If we are unable to retain our key personnel, or are unable to attract and retain additional, highly skilled and experienced personnel, including the ability to expand our sales staff, our business will suffer.

We are highly dependent upon our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel because of the specialized, scientific and worldwide nature of our business. Further, we are also dependent on our ability to appropriately staff these personnel in appropriate positions as our business fluctuates. There is intense competition for qualified management, scientific, clinical, regulatory, and sales and marketing personnel in the pharmaceutical industry.

There is significant turnover in the industry in China in particular, and we have also experienced turnover in our sales personnel.

We may not be able to attract and retain the qualified personnel we need to grow and develop our business globally. In addition, if we are unable to retain key personnel from the acquisition of NovaMed particularly sales and marketing personnel with expertise in the products they promote and regulatory personnel, our business may suffer and could result in our not achieving the anticipated benefits of the acquisition.

Conversely, in the event that we need to reduce the size of a particular aspect of our business, we are also dependent on our ability to make such adjustments while retaining suitably skilled personnel. Further, our efforts to in-license or acquire, develop and commercialize product candidates for China require the addition of clinical and regulatory personnel and the capabilities to expand our sales and marketing operation. In addition, we assign numerous key responsibilities to a limited number of individuals, and we would experience difficulty in finding immediate replacements for any of them were any one of them to choose to leave employment with us.

We are undertaking corrective measures based upon the findings of our Special Committee relating to its investigation of matters relating to the FCPA as well as relating to managements’ evaluation of internal control over financial reporting which could have adverse effects on our business, including the loss of personnel, and changes in marketing, sales and educational practices or programs. If we were unable to attract and retain qualified personnel as needed or promptly replace those employees who are critical to our product development and commercialization, the development and commercialization of our products would be adversely affected. At this time, we do not maintain “key person” life insurance for any of our personnel.

We may need to obtain additional funding to support our long-term product development and commercialization programs.

We believe our existing cash and investments and ongoing revenue generating business operations will be sufficient to support our current operating plan for at least the next 12 months. However, we used $21.3 million of our cash and cash equivalents, net of cash acquired, to acquire NovaMed, have incurred substantial investment banking, legal and other fees, some of which will continue and the potential earn-out payments related to the acquisition, if targets are met, could be up to $43.0 million in cash. In addition, in October 2011 we announced that our Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program that authorizes the Company to repurchase up to $20 million of its outstanding common stock over twenty-four months. Further, we may use cash to acquire additional product rights or for future acquisitions. Our ability to achieve and sustain operating profitability is dependent on numerous factors including our ability to achieve our goal of increasing sales of ZADAXIN, securing regulatory approval for DC Bead in China, and for our other products and products we acquired as a result of the NovaMed acquisition, the execution and successful completion of clinical trials in China, securing partnerships for those programs that lead to regulatory approvals in major pharmaceutical markets, and successfully continuing NovaMed’s sales and integrating NovaMed into our business. We cannot assure you that such funds from operating activities will be sufficient, or that we will attain profitable operations in future periods. In addition, we intend to develop other products and we may need additional funds in the future to support such development and to support future growth and achieve profitability. If we need to raise additional funds in the future and such funds are not available on reasonable terms, if at all, our commercialization efforts may be impeded, our revenues may be limited and our operating results may suffer.

 

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We are subject to the risk of increased income taxes which could reduce our future operating income.

We have structured our operations in a manner designed to maximize income in countries where:

 

   

tax incentives have been extended to encourage foreign investment; or

 

   

income tax rates are low.

Our taxes could increase if certain tax holidays or incentives are not renewed upon expiration, or if tax rates applicable to us in such jurisdictions are otherwise increased. For example, on March 16, 2007, the Chinese government passed a unified enterprise income tax law which became effective on January 1, 2008. Among other things, the law cancels many income tax incentives previously applicable to one of our subsidiaries in China. The law provides a transition rule which increased the tax rate of one of our subsidiaries in China over a 5 year period to 25% by 2012. The law also increased the standard withholding rate on earnings distributions to between 5% and 10% depending on the residence of the shareholder. The ultimate effect of these and other changes in Chinese tax laws on our overall tax rate will be affected by, among other things, our China income, the manner in which China interprets, implements and applies the new tax provisions, and by our ability to qualify for any exceptions or new incentives.

In addition, the Company and its subsidiaries are regularly subject to tax return audits and examinations by various taxing jurisdictions, particularly in the US and China. In determining the adequacy of our provision for income taxes, we regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from tax examinations. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or the timing of the resolution of a tax examination, we believe that our reserves for uncertain tax benefits reflect the outcome of tax positions that are more likely than not to occur. However, we cannot be certain that the final determination of any tax examinations will not be materially different than that which is reflected in our income tax provisions and accruals. Should additional taxes be assessed as a result of a current or future examination, there could be a material adverse effect on our tax provision, operating results, financial position and cash flows in the period or periods for which that determination is made.

If we fail to protect our products, technologies and trade secrets, we may not be able to successfully use, manufacture, market or sell our products, or we may fail to advance or maintain our competitive position, and we have limited intellectual property protection in China.

Our success depends significantly on our ability to obtain and maintain meaningful patent protection for our products and technologies and to preserve our trade secrets. Our pending patent applications may not result in the issuance of patents in the future. Our patents or patent applications may not have priority over others’ applications. Our existing patents and additional patents that may be issued, if any, may not provide a competitive advantage to us or may be invalidated or circumvented by our competitors. Others may independently develop similar products or design around patents issued or licensed to us. Patents issued to, or patent applications filed by, other companies could harm our ability to use, manufacture, market or sell our products or maintain our competitive position with respect to our products. Although many of our patents relating to thymalfasin have expired, including composition of matter patents, we have rights to other patents and patent applications relating to thymalfasin and thymalfasin analogues, including method of use patents with respect to the use of thymalfasin for certain indications. Additionally, thymosin alpha 1 (“thymalfasin”), the chemical composition of thymalfasin, has received Orphan Drug designation in the US for the treatment of stage 2b through stage 4 melanoma. If other parties develop generic forms of thymalfasin for other indications, including conducting clinical trials for such indications, our patents and other rights might not be sufficient to prohibit them from marketing and selling such generic forms of thymalfasin. If other parties develop analogues or derivatives of thymalfasin, our patents and other rights might not be sufficient to prohibit them from marketing these analogues or derivatives.

Pharmaceutical products are either not patentable or have only recently become patentable in some of the countries in which we market or may market thymalfasin. We do not have composition patent claims directed to the same form of thymalfasin currently marketed in China, our largest market, although we do have other type of patent claims, pending or issued, directed to other aspects of thymalfasin therapy. Other companies market generic thymalfasin in China, sometimes in violation of our patent, trademark or other rights which, to date, we have defended by informing physicians and hospitals of the practice. Past enforcement of intellectual property rights in many of these countries, including China in particular, has been limited or non-existent. Future enforcement of patents and proprietary rights in many other countries will likely be problematic or unpredictable. Moreover, the issuance of a patent in one country does not assure the issuance of a similar patent in another country. Claim interpretation and infringement laws vary by nation, so the extent of any patent protection is uncertain and may vary in different jurisdictions.

If we are involved in intellectual property claims and litigation, the proceedings may divert our resources and subject us to significant liability for damages, substantial litigation expense and the loss of our proprietary rights.

Our commercial success depends in part on our not infringing valid, enforceable patents or proprietary rights of third parties, and not breaching any licenses that may relate to our technologies and products. In addition, we may not be aware of all patents or patent applications that may impact our ability to make, use or sell any of our potential

 

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products. For example, US patent applications may be kept confidential for 12 or more months while pending in the Patent and Trademark Office, and patent applications filed in foreign countries are often first published nine months or more after filing. It is possible that we may unintentionally infringe these patents or other patents or proprietary rights of third parties. We may in the future receive notices claiming infringement from third parties as well as invitations to take licenses under third-party patents. Any legal action against us or our collaborative partners claiming damages and seeking to enjoin commercial activities relating to our products and processes affected by third-party rights may require us or our collaborative partners to obtain licenses in order to continue to manufacture or market the affected products and processes. Our efforts to defend against any of these claims, regardless of merit, would require us to devote resources and attention that could have been directed to our operations and growth plans. In addition, these actions may subject us to potential liability for damages. We or our collaborative partners may not prevail in a patent action and any license required under a patent may not be made available on commercially acceptable terms, or at all. Any conflicts resulting from the patent rights of others could significantly reduce the coverage of our patents and limit our ability to obtain meaningful patent protection.

If other companies obtain patents with conflicting claims, we may be required to obtain licenses to those patents or develop or obtain alternative technology to manufacture or market the affected products and processes. We may not be able to obtain any such licenses on acceptable terms or at all. Any failure to obtain such licenses could delay or prevent us from pursuing the development or commercialization of our potential products. Our efforts to defend against any of these claims would require us to devote resources and attention that could have been directed to our operations and growth plans.

We may need to initiate litigation, which could be time-consuming and expensive, to enforce our proprietary rights or to determine the scope and validity of others’ rights. If litigation results, a court may find our patents or those of our licensors invalid or may find that we have infringed on a competitor’s rights. If any of our competitors have filed patent applications in the US which claim technology we also have invented, the Patent and Trademark Office may require us to participate in expensive interference proceedings to determine who has the right to a patent for the technology. These actions may subject us to potential liability for damages. We or our collaborative partners may not prevail in a patent action and any license required under a patent may not be made available on commercially acceptable terms, or at all.

Substantial sales of our stock or the exercise or conversion of options may impact the market price of our common stock. *

In March 2012, we filed a Form S-3 Shelf registration with the SEC under which we may offer and sell up to $100.0 million of our securities, assuming we continue to meet the SEC’s eligibility requirements for primary offerings on Form S-3. In addition, we issued 8,298,110 shares of the Company’s common stock to NovaMed under the terms of the acquisition in April 2011 and former NovaMed stockholders own approximately 15% of our outstanding common stock after the transaction. We have granted registration rights for those shares and the shares are freely tradable, however not more than 25% of such shares may be sold in any three month period thereafter. Although the shares will continue to be subject to such limitations until October 2012, sales of the shares could lead to a decrease in the market price of our common stock.

Future issuances of substantial amounts of our common stock could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Similarly, if we raise additional funds through the issuance of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock or sell equity in a subsidiary, the percentage ownership of our present stockholders of the respective entities will be reduced and the price of our common stock may fall.

Our cash and investments are subject to certain risks which could materially adversely affect our overall financial position.

We invest our cash in accordance with an established internal policy and customarily in instruments which historically have been highly liquid and carried relatively low risk. However, with turmoil in the credit markets, similar types of investments have experienced losses in value or liquidity issues which differ from their historical pattern. For example, we routinely have invested in money market funds with large financial institutions. One or more of these funds could experience losses or liquidity problems and, although to date some of the largest financial institutions who sponsor such funds have offset similar losses, there is no assurance that our financial institutions would either not incur losses or would offset any losses were they to occur.

Any adjustment to decrease the ratings of our investments by an Interest Rate Rating Agency may have a negative impact on the value of our investments.

Should any of our cash investments permanently lose value or have their liquidity impaired, it would have a material and adverse effect on our overall financial position by imperiling our ability to fund our operations and forcing us to seek additional financing sooner than we would otherwise and such financing may not be available on commercially attractive terms.

 

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In addition, financial instruments may subject us to a concentration of credit risk. Most of our cash, and cash equivalents are held by a limited number of financial institutions. To date, we have not experienced any losses on our deposits of cash and cash equivalents. However, if any of these instruments permanently lost value or had their liquidity impaired, it would also have a material and adverse effect on our overall financial position by imperiling our ability to fund our operations and forcing us to seek additional financing sooner than we would otherwise and such financing may not be available on commercially attractive terms.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law may make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult.

Certain anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law and our charter documents as currently in effect may make a change in control of our company more difficult, even if a change in control would be beneficial to our stockholders. Our charter documents contain certain anti-takeover provisions, including provisions in our certificate of incorporation providing that stockholders may not cumulate votes, stockholders’ meetings may be called by stockholders only if they hold 25% or more of our common stock and provisions in our bylaws providing that the stockholders may not take action by written consent. Additionally, our Board of Directors has the authority to issue 10 million shares of preferred stock and to determine the terms of those shares of stock without any further action by the stockholders. The rights of holders of our common stock are subject to the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued. The issuance of preferred stock could make it more difficult for a third-party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting stock. Delaware law also prohibits corporations from engaging in a business combination with any holders of 15% or more of their capital stock until the holder has held the stock for three years unless, among other possibilities, the board of directors approves the transaction. Our Board of Directors may use these provisions to prevent changes in the management and control of our company. Also, on December 18, 2006, our Board of Directors declared a dividend distribution of one Preferred Stock Purchase Right (collectively, the “Rights”) for each outstanding share of our Common Stock, each Right which entitles the registered holder to purchase from the Company one one-thousandth of a share of the Company’s Series D Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value, at a price of $25.00 pursuant to a Rights Agreement dated as of December 19, 2006, between the Company and Mellon Investor Services LLC. The Rights have certain anti-takeover effects. Under certain circumstances the Rights could cause substantial dilution to a person or group who attempts to acquire the Company on terms not approved by our Board of Directors. Although the Rights should not interfere with an acquisition of the Company approved by the board, the Rights may have the effect of delaying and perhaps improving the terms of an acquisition for our stockholders, or deterring an acquisition of the Company. Also, under applicable Delaware law, our Board of Directors may adopt additional anti-takeover measures in the future.

We may be subject to product liability lawsuits, and our insurance may be inadequate to cover damages.*

Clinical trials of any of our current and potential products or the actual commercial sales of our product may expose us to liability claims from the use of these products. We currently carry product liability insurance. However, we cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain insurance on acceptable terms, if at all, for clinical and commercial activities, that any insurance we have will cover any particular claim that is asserted, or that the insurance would be sufficient to cover any potential product liability claim or recall. If we fail to have sufficient coverage, our business, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.

If we are unable to comply with environmental and other laws and regulations, our business may be harmed.

We are subject to various federal, state and local laws, regulations and recommendations relating to the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of hazardous materials and waste products (including radioactive compounds and infectious disease agents), as well as safe working conditions, laboratory and manufacturing practices and the experimental use of animals. The extent of government regulation that might result from future legislation or administrative action in these areas cannot be accurately predicted.

We do not currently maintain hazardous materials at our facilities. While we outsource our research and development programs involving the controlled use of biohazardous materials, if in the future we conduct these programs ourselves, we might be required to incur significant cost to comply with environmental laws and regulations. Further, in the event of an accident, we would be liable for any damages that result, and the liability could exceed our resources.

Our business and operations are subject to the risks of being based in particular locations known for earthquakes, other natural catastrophic disasters and service interruptions.

Our corporate headquarters are located in the Silicon Valley area of Northern California, a region known for seismic activity. Although we maintain a disaster recovery policy that includes storage of important corporate data in a different geographic region of the US, all of our significant corporate data is stored in our headquarters facility

 

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and accordingly, a significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake, could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Most of our sales are into China for which we maintain our warehouses for finished goods in Hong Kong, which can experience severe typhoon storms, earthquakes or other natural catastrophic disasters. Although our distributors in China may maintain several months supply of our product, were our warehouse capability to be interrupted, either through a natural disaster such as flooding or through a service interruption, such as a lack of electricity to power required air conditioning, our ability to timely deliver finished product to China could be adversely affected which in turn would materially adversely affect our sales and ensuing operating results.

We May Be Affected by Climate Change and Market or Regulatory Responses to Climate Change.

Climate change, including the impact of global warming, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity if it were to disrupt the demand, supply or delivery of product, management of our business, or result in cost increases as a result of government regulation.

 

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

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The table below summarizes our stock repurchase activity for the three months ended March 31, 2012 (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

     Total
Number
of Shares
Purchased
     Average
Price
Paid
per Share
     Total Number
of Shares
Purchased as Part
of Publicly
Announced
Plans
or Programs
     Approximate
Dollar
Value of Shares
that May Yet  Be
Purchased
Under the
Plans or Programs (1)
 

January 1, 2012 through January 31, 2012

     209       $ 4.40         209       $ 15,584   

February 1, 2012 through February 29, 2012

     —           —           —           15,584   

March 1, 2012 through March 31, 2012

     44       $ 4.49         44         15,386   
  

 

 

       

 

 

    

Total

     253       $ 4.42         253      
  

 

 

       

 

 

    

 

(1) In October 2011, we announced that our Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program that authorizes us to repurchase up to $20 million of our outstanding common stock over a twenty-four month period. “Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs” reflects the $20 million share repurchase program announced in October 2011, less the $4.6 million we purchased through March 31, 2012.

 

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

Not applicable.

 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

 

Item 5. Other Information

Not applicable.

 

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Item 6. Exhibits

 

Exhibit Number

 

Description

  10.1(1)**   Separation Agreement between SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Israel Rios, dated April 6, 2012.
  31.1(1)   Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer.
  31.2(1)   Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer.
  32.1(1)   Section 1350 Certification of Chief Executive Officer.
  32.2(1)   Section 1350 Certification of Chief Financial Officer.
101***   The following materials from Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three-months ended March 31, 2012, formatted in Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) includes: (i) Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, (ii) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, (iii) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, (iv) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, and (v) Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

(1) Filed Herewith.
** Management compensatory plan or arrangement.
*** XBRL information is furnished and not filed or a part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended, is deemed not filed for purposes of section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and otherwise is not subject to liability under these sections.

 

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SIGNATURE

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

 

    SCICLONE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
  (Registrant)
Date: May 10, 2012  

/s/ Gary S. Titus

  Gary S. Titus
  Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer

 

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit

Number

 

Exhibit

  10.1(1)**   Separation Agreement between SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Israel Rios, dated April 6, 2012.
  31.1(1)   Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer.
  31.2(1)   Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer.
  32.1(1)   Section 1350 Certification of Chief Executive Officer.
  32.2(1)   Section 1350 Certification of Chief Financial Officer.
101***   The following materials from Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three-months ended March 31, 2012, formatted in Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) includes: (i) Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, (ii) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, (iii) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, (iv) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, and (v) Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

(1) Filed Herewith.
** Management compensatory plan or arrangement.
*** XBRL information is furnished and not filed or a part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended, is deemed not filed for purposes of section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and otherwise is not subject to liability under these sections.

 

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