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Nature of Business
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Nature of Business  
Nature of Business

1. Nature of Business

Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company” or “we”) is a global, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to transforming the treatment paradigm for people living with rare genetic diseases of obesity, which are characterized by early-onset, severe obesity and an insatiable hunger or hyperphagia. Rhythm’s precision medicine, IMCIVREE (setmelanotide), for which for which we have exclusive worldwide rights, has the potential to restore dysfunctional melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) signaling due to impaired MC4R pathway function. MC4R pathway deficiencies result in the disruption of satiety signals and energy homeostasis in the body, which, in turn, leads to intense feelings of hunger and to obesity. IMCIVREE was approved in November 2020 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for chronic weight management in adult and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older with obesity due to proopiomelanocrotin (POMC), proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1) or leptin receptor (LEPR) deficiency confirmed by genetic testing and in July and September 2021, respectively, by the European Commission (EC) and Great Britain’s Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for the treatment of obesity and the control of hunger associated with genetically confirmed loss-of-function biallelic POMC, including PCSK1, deficiency or biallelic LEPR deficiency in adults and children 6 years of age and above. IMCIVREE is the first-ever FDA-approved and EC- and MHRA-authorized therapy for patients with these rare genetic diseases of obesity. The Company’s supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the FDA is assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date of June 16, 2022, for the treatment of obesity and control of hunger in adult and pediatric patients six years of age and older with Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) or Alström syndrome. A Type II variation application to the European Medicines Agency seeking regulatory approval and authorization for setmelanotide to treat obesity and control of hunger in adult and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older with BBS also is under review.  In addition, we are advancing a broad clinical development program for setmelanotide in patients with additional rare genetic diseases of obesity in an effort to expand the approved indications in the United States and Europe.

The Company is a Delaware corporation organized in February 2013 under the name Rhythm Metabolic, Inc., and as of October 2015, under the name Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  The Company has wholly owned subsidiaries in the US, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Canada.

The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties common to commercial-stage companies in the biotechnology industry, including but not limited to, risks associated with the commercialization of approved products, completing preclinical studies and clinical trials, receiving regulatory approvals for product candidates, development by competitors of new biopharmaceutical products, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, compliance with government regulations and the ability to secure additional capital to fund operations. Commercialization of approved products will require significant resources and in order to market IMCIVREE, the Company must continue to build its sales, marketing, managerial and other non-technical capabilities or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services. Product candidates currently under development will require significant additional research and development efforts, including 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.

There are many uncertainties regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Company is closely monitoring the impact of the pandemic on all aspects of its business, including how the pandemic will impact its patients, employees, suppliers, vendors, business partners and distribution channels. While the pandemic did not materially affect the Company's financial results and business operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022, the Company is unable to predict the impact that COVID-19 will have on its financial position and operating results in future periods due to numerous uncertainties. The Company will continue to assess the evolving impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and will make adjustments to its operations as necessary.

Liquidity

The Company has incurred operating losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception. As of March 31, 2022, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $581,703.  The Company has primarily funded these losses through the proceeds from the sales of common and preferred stock, asset sales as well as capital contributions received from the former parent company, Rhythm Holdings LLC. To date, the Company has minimal product revenue and management expects operating losses to continue for the foreseeable future. The Company has devoted substantially all of its resources to its drug development efforts, comprising of research and development, manufacturing, conducting clinical trials for its product candidates, protecting its intellectual property, pre-commercialization activities and general and administrative functions relating to these operations. The future success of the Company is dependent on its ability to develop its product candidates and ultimately upon its ability to attain profitable operations.

At March 31, 2022, the Company had $240,964 of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments on hand.  In the future, the Company will be dependent on obtaining funding from third parties, such as proceeds from the issuance of debt, sale of equity, product sales and funded research and development programs to maintain the Company's operations and meet the Company's obligations. There is no guarantee that additional equity or other financings will be available to the Company on acceptable terms, or at all. If the Company fails to obtain additional funding when needed, the Company would be forced to scale back, terminate its operations or seek to merge with or be acquired by another company. Management believes that the Company's existing cash resources will be sufficient to fund the Company's operations into at least the fourth quarter of 2023.