Risks and Liquidity

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

2.	Risks and Liquidity

The Company has not generated any revenue and has incurred losses since inception. The Company’s operations are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, among others, uncertainty of drug candidate development, technological uncertainty, uncertainty regarding patents and proprietary rights, the absence of commercial manufacturing experience, marketing or sales capability or experience, dependency on key personnel, compliance with government regulations and the need to obtain additional financing. Drug candidates currently under development will require significant additional research and development efforts, including extensive preclinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval, prior to commercialization. These efforts require significant amounts of additional capital, adequate personnel infrastructure and extensive compliance-reporting capabilities.

The Company’s product candidates are in the development and clinical stage. There can be no assurance that the Company’s research and development will be successfully completed, that adequate protection for the Company’s intellectual property will be obtained, that any products developed will obtain necessary government approval or that any approved products will be commercially viable. Even if the Company’s product development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will generate significant revenue from product sales. The Company operates in an environment of rapid change in technology and substantial competition from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

The Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the basis of continuity of operations, realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. The Company has experienced negative cash flows from operations and had an accumulated deficit of $363.0 million as of March 31, 2021. As of March 31, 2021, the Company has $466.4 million of cash, cash equivalents and investments. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company received net proceeds of $280.8 million from a public offering of 5,339,286 shares of common stock. Rocket expects such resources will be sufficient to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the second half of 2023. In April 2021, the Company called for the redemption of the remaining $38.4 million principal balance of its 6.25% 2022 Convertible Senior Notes due 2022 which were converted into common stock (See Notes 7 and 16).

In the longer term, the future viability of the Company is dependent on its ability to generate cash from operating activities or to raise additional capital to finance its operations. The Company’s failure to raise capital as and when needed could have a negative impact on its financial condition and ability to pursue its business strategies.