Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation

Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation

X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly Arsanis, Inc.), together with its subsidiaries (the “Company”), is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases. The Company’s lead product candidate, mavorixafor (X4P-001), is a potential first-in-class, once-daily, oral inhibitor of CXCR4 and is currently in a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of WHIM syndrome, a rare, inherited, primary immunodeficiency disease caused by genetic mutations in the CXCR4 receptor gene.  The Company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties common to pre-commercialization companies in the biotechnology industry, including, but not limited to, development by competitors of new technological innovations, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, compliance with governmental regulations and the ability to secure additional capital to fund operations. Drug candidates currently under development will require extensive preclinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval prior to commercialization. These efforts require significant amounts of additional capital, adequate personnel, and infrastructure and extensive compliance-reporting capabilities. Even if the Company’s drug development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will realize significant revenue from product sales.

Merger with Arsanis

On November 26, 2018, Arsanis, Inc., a publicly held Delaware corporation (“Arsanis”), Artemis AC Corp., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arsanis (“Merger Sub”), and X4 Therapeutics, Inc. (“X4”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, as amended on December 20, 2018 and March 8, 2019 (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which the Merger Sub merged with and into X4, with X4 surviving the merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arsanis. The transactions described in the foregoing sentence may be referred to in these consolidated financial statements as “the Merger.”

The transaction was accounted for as a reverse merger in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). Under this method of accounting, X4 was deemed to be the accounting acquirer for financial reporting purposes. This determination was primarily based on the facts that, immediately following the Merger: (i) the Company’s stockholders own a substantial majority of the voting rights in the combined organization, (ii) the Company designated a majority of the members of the initial board of directors of the combined organization and (iii) the Company’s senior management hold all key positions in the senior management of the combined organization. Accordingly, for accounting purposes, the business combination was treated as the equivalent of X4 issuing stock to acquire the net assets of Arsanis. As a result, as of the closing date of the Merger, the net assets of Arsanis were recorded at their acquisition-date fair values in the financial statements of the Company and the reported operating results prior to the business combination are those of the Company. In addition, transaction costs incurred by the Company in connection with the business combination have been expensed as incurred.

On March 13, 2019, Arsanis, X4 and Merger Sub completed the Merger pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, each outstanding share of X4’s common stock and preferred stock was exchanged for 0.5702 shares of Arsanis’s common stock (the “Exchange Ratio”). In addition, all outstanding options exercisable for common stock and warrants exercisable for convertible preferred stock of X4 became options and warrants exercisable for the same number of shares of common stock of Arsanis multiplied by the Exchange Ratio. In connection with the Merger, X4 changed its name to X4 Therapeutics, Inc. Following the closing of the Merger, X4 Therapeutics, Inc. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, which changed its name to X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc. As used herein, the words “the Company” refers to, for periods following the Merger, X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly Arsanis, Inc.), together with is direct and indirect subsidiaries, and for periods prior to the Merger, X4 Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, as applicable.

Immediately following the Merger, stockholders of X4 owned approximately 64% of the combined organization’s outstanding common stock. On March 14, 2019, the combined organization’s common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “XFOR.”

Principles of Consolidation— The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including X4 Pharmaceuticals (Austria) GmbH, which is incorporated in Vienna, Austria and was formerly named Arsanis Biosciences GmbH (“X4 GmbH”), and X4 Therapeutics, Inc. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Reverse Stock Split— On March 13, 2019, immediately following the closing of the Merger, the Company effected a 1-for-6 reverse stock split of its common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”). Accordingly, all share and per share amounts for all periods presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes thereto have been adjusted retroactively, where applicable, to reflect the Reverse Stock Split. No fractional shares were issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. Unless otherwise noted, all references to common stock share and per share amounts have also been adjusted to reflect the exchange ratio of 0.5702.

Going Concern Assessment— In accordance with Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40), the Company has evaluated whether there are certain conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the consolidated financial statements are issued. As of March 12, 2020, the issuance date of these consolidated financial statements, the Company expects that its cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund its forecasted operating expenses, capital expenditure requirements and debt service payments for at least the next twelve months from the issuance date of these financial statements.

Since its inception, the Company has incurred significant operating losses and negative cash flows from operations. The Company has not yet commercialized any products and does not expect to generate revenue from the commercial sale of any products for several years, if at all. The Company expects that its research and development and general and administrative expenses will continue to increase and, as a result, will need additional capital to fund its future operations, which it may raise through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, other third-party funding, marketing and distribution arrangements and other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements.

The Company has funded its operations to date primarily with proceeds from sales of common stock, warrants and prefunded warrants for the purchase of shares of preferred stock and shares of common stock, sales of preferred stock, proceeds from the issuance of convertible debt and borrowings under loan and security agreements. In 2019, the Company completed a merger with Arsanis and acquired its $26.4 million of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. In addition, in 2019, the Company raised $139.4 million, net of offering costs, through public offerings of common stock, prefunded warrants to purchase shares of common stock, and accompanying warrants to purchase shares of common stock. In June 2019, the Company received $9.8 million in net proceeds as a result of refinancing its loan agreement (the “Hercules Loan Agreement”) with Hercules Capital, Inc. (“Hercules”), under which, subject to approval by Hercules, an additional $5.0 million is available for borrowing through December 15, 2020 and an additional term loan of $10.0 million is available through June 15, 2022. Principal payments under the Hercules Loan Agreement commence in February 2022.

If the Company is unable to obtain future funding when needed, the Company may be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate some or all of its research and development programs, product portfolio expansion or pre-commercialization efforts, which could adversely affect its business prospects, or the Company may be unable to continue operations. There is no assurance that the Company will be successful in obtaining sufficient funding on terms acceptable to the Company to fund continuing operations, if at all.